Sony Xperia 1 VII vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
The Sony Xperia 1 VII scores 8.1 in our rating, and the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra scores 8.7. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra leads in battery, design and software support. The Sony Xperia 1 VII is the newer phone, announced May 13, 2025.
Key differences
Why choose the Sony Xperia 1 VII
- Longer optical zoom 7.1× vs 5×
- Newer model May 13, 2025 vs Jan 22, 2025
- Lighter 197 g vs 218 g
- 3.5 mm headphone jack
- microSD card slot
Why choose the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
- Bigger screen 6.9 inches vs 6.5 inches
- Longer OS update support 7 years vs 4 years
- More storage 256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB vs 256 GB / 512 GB
- Higher-resolution video 8K@30 vs 4K@120
- Higher screen resolution 1440 × 3120 px vs 1080 × 2340 px
- Sharper display 498 ppi vs 396 ppi
PhoneRanked scores
Calculated from specs, relative to phones from the same year and price range. How we rate phones
Value for money marked “est.” is an estimate: that phone has no official US launch price, so it is not highlighted against the others.
Spec
Sony Xperia 1 VIISamsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Overall
8.1
8.7
Display
8.5
8.4
Performance
8.5
8.5
Camera
8.5
8.6
Battery
4.7
6.2
Design
8.5
8.8
Software support
7.4
9.2
Value for money
5.0 est.
5.5
Display
Spec
Sony Xperia 1 VIISamsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Size
6.5 inches
6.9 inches
Type
OLED
OLED, Dynamic AMOLED 2X
Resolution
1080 × 2340 px
1440 × 3120 px
Pixel density
396 ppi
498 ppi
Refresh rate
120 Hz
120 Hz
Adaptive refresh
✓ Yes
✓ Yes
Peak brightness
—
2,600 nits
HDR
—
HDR10, HDR10+
Protection
Gorilla Glass Victus 2
Corning Gorilla Armor 2
Performance
Spec
Sony Xperia 1 VIISamsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Process
3 nm
3 nm
Max CPU clock
4.32 GHz
—
GPU
Adreno 830
Adreno 830
RAM
12 GB / 16 GB
12 GB / 16 GB
Storage
256 GB / 512 GB
256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB
Storage type
—
UFS 4.0
microSD slot
✓ Yes
✕ No
Cameras
Spec
Sony Xperia 1 VIISamsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Main camera
48 MP, f/1.9, 1/1.35"
200 MP, f/1.7, 1/1.3"
Optical stabilization
✓ Yes
✓ Yes
Ultrawide
48 MP
50 MP
Telephoto
12 MP, 7.1× optical
50 MP, 5× optical, periscope
Optical zoom
7.1×
5×
Rear cameras
3
4
Rear video
4K@120
8K@30
Front camera
12 MP
12 MP
Battery and charging
Spec
Sony Xperia 1 VIISamsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Capacity
5,000 mAh
5,000 mAh
Battery type
—
Li-Ion
Wired charging
—
45 W
Wireless charging
—
15 W
Reverse wireless
—
✓ Yes
Charger in box
✕ No
✕ No
Design and build
Spec
Sony Xperia 1 VIISamsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Dimensions
162 × 74 × 8.2 mm
162.8 × 77.6 × 8.2 mm
Thickness
8.2 mm
8.2 mm
Weight
197 g
218 g
Form factor
Bar
Bar
Frame
—
Titanium
Back
Glass
Glass
Water resistance
IP68
IP68
Fingerprint
Side-mounted
Under-display ultrasonic
3D face unlock
✕ No
✕ No
Colors
Slate Black, Moss Green, Orchid Purple
Titanium Silverblue, Titanium Black, Titanium Gray, Titanium Whitesilver, Titanium Jetblack, Titanium Jadegreen, Titanium Pinkgold
Connectivity and features
Spec
Sony Xperia 1 VIISamsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
5G
✓ Yes
✓ Yes
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 7
Wi-Fi 7
Bluetooth
6.0
5.4
USB
USB-C 3.x
USB-C 3.x
NFC
✓ Yes
✓ Yes
3.5 mm jack
✓ Yes
✕ No
Stereo speakers
✓ Yes
✓ Yes
Satellite
✕ No
✕ No
IR blaster
✕ No
✕ No
Software
Spec
Sony Xperia 1 VIISamsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
OS at launch
Android 15
Android 15
Interface
—
One UI 7
OS updates
4 years
7 years
Security updates
6 years
7 years
Launch and price
Spec
Sony Xperia 1 VIISamsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Announced
May 13, 2025
Jan 22, 2025
Released
Jun 5, 2025
Feb 7, 2025
Status
Released
Released
US launch price
—
$1,299.99
Green marks the stronger value in a row. Specs come from official manufacturer data, cross-checked with established tech media; each phone page lists its sources. Report an error
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