Sony Xperia 1 V Review of XQ-DQ54 EU model.
Starting with the conclusion.
Should you buy it? Yes but…
Why but? The Sony Xperia 1 V is not a simple to use phone mainly because of the camera apps and the unusual 21:9 aspect ratio of the display.
You need the best phone that can do everything? Have a look at Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.
You want to feel special and you’re willing to sacrifice some convenience for the wow effect? Also, if you are a content creator the Sony Xperia 1 V Camera pro and Video pro apps give you many really useful features. The Cinema app is there for I don’t know who. My opinion is that Video Pro app should do 21:9 video recording too and leave the Cinema Pro app for the specialized uses.
Overheating sometimes
The Xperia 1V overheated after 3 minutes of 4k30p video recording on one day with +33 no wind celsius.
Today I did a video comparison between Sony Xperia 1V and Samsung S23 Ultra. Recorded 4k60p on Xperia without any thermal shutdown like I had before.
Today was 31 celsius with strong wind at the sea so that’s probably all the Xperia 1V needs to keep going – strong air flow.
Noticed the image quality on the Xperia 1V very close to my Panasonic Limix S5 and colors were true to real life.
I tried to use the stylus from s23 ultra on the Xperia 1 V. I had low hopes but it didn’t work at all on the Xperia 1V.
Ideally we will have a Samsung Xperia like Ultra without the narrow screen of Xperia or less wide that the S23 Ultra.
Samsung S24 Ultra Xperia 1 VI Wishlist
Wishlist for Samsung and Sony on their next phone:
- Display of Xperia 4K BT.2020 Don’t care about LTPO.
- Front facing Stereo speakers of Xperia 1V.
- Stylus that works the same as the S-Pen.
- The next Xperia can be more heavy but keep it under 200 grams for the bare phone.
- Don’t care about 3.5mm jack – it’s nice but usbc adapters are ok especially the Apple adapter. It’s really useful to have 3.5 mm headphones jack for listening to music while charging.
- Don’t care about a SLOW microsd slot reader.
- Give options for 512GB and 1TB and people will buy what they need.
Sony Xperia 1 V Review
I use it and test it for about a week now already and there are some good things and bad things about the Sony Xperia 1 V phone.
Xperia 1 V biggest features are the bt.2020 HDR display, amazing front facing speakers and camera like photos and video.
But watch out it tends to overheat.
Was recording a review vlog and the thing overheated on me.
Photos are less phone-like and more camera-like which is amazing for a device to carry in your pocket.
Videos especially hdr hlg are amazing on all lenses and especially on the 24mm lens.
You have 4k 120 for those splashes at the beach.
You will feel less like a sheep that follows the herd and more like a confused sheep who paid a lot of money for a phone with a narrow but beautiful screen that is overheating more than you imagined.
Bravia Core for Xperia
Bravia Core, can’t have everything I guess.
Bravia Core Xperia app is not available in the country I live in. I live in EU but after a * disclaimer and a Europe2 list that only show the countries list after you hover it.
Bravia Core all available in EU was a white lie covered by terms and conditions after seeing the marketing photo with the preorder offer invluding Bravia Core. It doesn’t support Cyprus, tough luck.
I talked to sony support and they sent me a link that says the app is not available in my country – Cyprus.
They sell it as having bravia core 12 months subscription but can’t install the app.
Did they forget Cyprus is actually in the EU?
This is the app link they sent me:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sonypicturescore.xperia
What would you like to know about it?
Typing it from its juicy Android keyboard.
Amazon
Sony Xperia 1 V https://rex.red/sony-xperia-1-v *
Case for Xperia 1 V https://rex.red/sony-xperia-1-v-case-gb *
Screen protector for Xperia 1 V https://rex.red/sony-xperia-1-v-screen-protector *
Sony WH-1000XM5 https://rex.red/sony-wh-1000xm5 *
A few things so far I noticed:
4K 60 gets hot fast but no temp warning so far in normal use.
Also gets hot just from watching YouTube. I suspect it’s the Real time HDR drive setting and Creator mode causing the overheating.
I didn’t enable 120hz constant refresh rate or audio processing.
Audio
I tried Dolby sound and DSSE ultimate but made no audible difference to me do I turned them both off.
Display
Best is to use Creator mode and 120hz high refresh rate but I prefer to keep constant 120hz setting off.
The display on the Xperia is simply amazing.
Cameras
All 3 cameras can record 4k 120fps video. Yes they can.
16mm ultrawide looks good but 24mm looks amazing and for portraits try the 85-125mm equivalent lens.
Seamless zoom can switch automatically between lenses but not at 60fps or 120fps
Camera apps
The Photo pro app in basic mode, can record both photos and videos just like a regular phone camera app.
The camera pro app in P mode can record RAW dng files that average in size to 20-25mb per photo.
To compare .jpg files are about 2.5-3mb each.
Video pro app is for advanced users with meters settings and so many useful things that might actually get in the way to recording. This app is not for your average clips.
It can record bt.709, S-Cinetone for mobile and HLG HDR.
For me the video app is set to always 4K HDR and between 60 and 30fps, seamless zoom or 24, 85 -125mm.
Cinema pro app is really beautiful and can record in wide screen 21:9 but it has so many annoying things that I wouldn’t touch that unless I must use ultrawide.
Initial setup
Initial setup restore from Google One Backup went very smoothly.
Transferred from my old Xiaomi all settings and apps are surprisingly easy but Xperia 1 V became very hot while doing it.
Even had the cameras disabled for high temp and only got fixed after a restart.
Sony Xperia 1 V vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Overall this phone is a work of art hardware and software.
I recorded some video tests and comparisons with the S23 Ultra in HDR video and photo.
I wish it was just a bit wider but not as wide as the S23 ultra.
Any info you are curious about or tests you want to see ask.
Sony Xperia 1 V Specifications:
Manufacturer: SONY
Model: XQ-DQ54
ROM: 256GB
RAM: 12GB
Color: Black
EAN Barcode: 4589771648728
Sony Xperia 1 V EU model XQ-DQ54
SKU: XQDQ54C0B.EUK
Battery care
Best battery care settings to use on Sony Xperia 1 V for battery optimizations and extending the battery live of the Xperia 1 V.
Sony Xperia 1 V EU model charging settings overview and best settings to consider enabling.
Charging information after the first charge on the Xperia 1 V.
Software updates
Sony Xperia 1 V is supposed to receive 2 major Android updates. Or 2 years of software updates and longer security updates but nobody really knows for sure.
Xperia 1 V ships with Android 13 Android API 33 so we should expect to have Android 14 on Sony Xperia 1 V and then Android 15 before Xperia 1V is abandoned in the software update pit of endless wait for updates abd darkness (huh poetic stuff here).
Best part about the updates is that the have interesting illustrations – check details on them. Also system updates take a long time.
Sony Xperia 1 V Software Update 67.0.A.4.22 installation and steps taking a long time to complete.
You should start a software system update with at least 50% battery.
This shows what to expect when updating the Sony Xperia 1 V system to update 67.0.A.4.22.
Xperia system update details:
Update Xperia system from build number:
67.0.A.1.127
Update to build number:
67.0.A.4.22
Size 416.8 MB
Conclusion
Conclusion or is it worth the money?
We bought both Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and Sony Xperia 1V with our money. Videos and this post are not sponsored and show real life use.
Would I exchange my Sony Xperia 1 V for Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra? No. I like a light phone and even if I really enjoy the S23 Ultra S-pen, it’s too wide and heavy for me.
I am starting to get used to the Xperia 1 V 21:9 narrow screen and I use wired headphones on it every day just like in the old days when all phones had a 3.5mm headphone jack!
I don’t use the MicroSD card yet but I might grab a 1tb Sandisk Extreme to have extra storage. Watch out for the slow read /write speed on the Xperia 1 V MicroSD There are some reports of limited speed of as low as 30 MB/S
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is an amazing productivity and media + browsing phone.
Sony Xperia 1 V is the cool content creator’s phone that is like a tool ready to use any moment instead of running for the camera. External monitor mode only works if your camera is Sony thru USB-C, not my case so I don’t care about that.
Also the external monitor thing is a bit of a gimmick.
As a content creator, the best thing about switching from filming with a phone to using a camera is that my phone is free and not with a dead battery when I finish a video.
Sony WH-1000XM5
Sony WH-1000XM5 unboxing. Sony WH-1000XM5 unboxing from Sony Xperia 1 V preorder bundle.
If you like this, say so in the comments. If you don’t write a comment and let us know too.
What would you like to know about it?
A few things so far I noticed so far.
Sony WH-1000XM5 comfort
Sony WH-1000XM5 comfort test and noise cancelling tests.
Sony WH-1000XM5 from Sony Xperia 1 V preorder bundle.
The good:
Made for Apple iPhone and iPod, supports Alexa built-in and Google assistant.
Hi-Res Audio
LDAC Bluetooth audio
Wired 3.5mm audio jack connection option and USB-C universal charging port.
Amazing noise cancelling effect. If feels like you are instantly moved to a quiet room as soon as you put the headphones on as long as the power is on. Even if the music is stopped.
Talk feature when you can cover your right headphone and ambient-aware / talk-thru functions plays in the headphones the sound from outside.
Eco-friendly packing and great carrying case. Zipping the case closed feels like preparing for a trip on a plane.
Any Noise cancelling headphones and especially the Sony WH-1000XM5 are a must have for frequent flyers.
The bad:
A bit bulky and can feel hot in the summer.
Complicated storage system headphones do not fold and can take more space in some situations.
Included in the package:
Sony WH-1000XM5
Carrying case with zipper made of cloth and strong plastic hard structure.
Charging cable USB-A to USB-C very short – you might need to buy another cable.
Headphones cable 3.5mm jack to 3.5mm jack. TRS not TRRS so no wired microphone function.
Papers, warranty cards, quick-start guide and disclaimers.
Sony WH-1000XM5 specifications:
Manufacturer: SONY
Model: WH-1000XM5 WH-1000XM5/BM
Code model YY2954
Color: Black
EAN Barcode: 4548736132580
Sony WH-1000XM5 CE7
Update 14 August 2023:
Sony Xperia 1 V camera lenses rattle moving noise and image stabilizer noise
Sony Xperia 1 V camera lenses rattle moving noise and image stabilizer noise.
Sony Xperia 1V Camera lenses moving noise when starting the camera app or video pro app.
Sony Xperia 1V camera noise Stabilizer Zoom on off.
Sony Xperia 1 V makes a strange noise when the camera turns on and while the cameras are in use it makes a strange buzzing noise that changes while zooming.
Also there is noise when the image stabilization compensates for movements.
The lenses of the Sony Xperia 1 V are loose inside and make a rattling noise when shaking the phone while the cameras are turned off.
Once the cameras are started and the magnetic field of the image stabilization is working, the lenses rattle noise should not happen.
I placed microphones close to the Sony Xperia 1 V to hear the various noises made my the cameras.
I’m not sure if this is all normal.
I believe it it normal but let me know in the comments bellow what you think. Is it normal or no?
You noticed something different?
Xperia 1 V OIS buzzing noise fixed
Later update 2023.12.07, I was able to fix the ois noise on my Xperia 1 V.
I compared the stereo left and right microphones on the Sony Xperia 1 V to hear the various noises made my the cameras.
Testes the Xperia 1 V with the Spigen case and without any case.
The ois buzzing noise is in the left audio channel when recording stereo and it’s much louder when the phone is in the case.
Modified the Spigen case to reduce Xperia ois lens noise during video pro app recording.
I’m not sure if this is all normal. It’s probably a problem with all the Xperia 1V phones or Xperia phones in general.
Let me know in the comments bellow what you think. Is it normal or no?
You noticed something different?
If only Sony placed the microphone closer to the headphone jack or in the middle of the phone similar to how the Right channel microphone is next to the usb-c charging port.
Adding the foam on the corner really made all the difference eventually. it sounded like without the case.
Noise was still there sometimes but at the level of when not using the case.
I will setup a rig with a phone mount and hook and loop to attach to the phone an external stereo microphone thru a usb audio interface for much better audio quality similar to how the camera audio was during the tests.
can’t carry that all the time but the case mod and the option for external stereo is ok for me.
Did you try this fix and did it work for you?
Let me know in the comments section below here or on the video comments.
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