Said price cut is not enjoyed on this side of the Atlantic, mind: it was £1,299 last generation, and remains so for a second year running. But with a price tag of £1,299/$1,399 - £100/$300 more than Apple’s top-of-the-range iPhone 14 Pro Max - it’s a tough sell in anybody’s book, especially with a few backwards design choices holding it back.Īnother curiosity with that eyebrow-raising price: for US residents, it represents a price cut on the Xperia 1 IV which arrived with an even more ‘optimistic’ MSRP of $1,599. That mistake is repeated here: the Sony Xperia 1 V is a damned fine phone with several qualities that outshine the opposition, especially in the camera and sound department. And it doesn’t help that Sony persists with Apple-like pricing, without the all-important audience of Apple-like enthusiasts to lap it up. This should all combine to make the perfect smartphone, and yet past results haven’t quite hit the spot. Just look at all the pies the company has fingers in: top-notch screens on Bravia TVs, a superb DSLR camera range, the audiophile’s choice of portable audio and the all-conquering PlayStation gaming brand. On paper, Sony should be at the very top of the smartphone tree. All the extras Finally: a flagship offering expandable storage, dual-SIM use and a 3.5mm headphone jack!.Stunning battery life Stamina so strong that it almost interfered with the battery charging test.Excellent camera array 5.3x optical zoom lets you get closer to your subjects than most of its rivals.

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