microSD card slots on Android phones, especially higher-end ones, have gone from being a standard feature to a rare commodity only some phones have. If you long for the days where microSD cards and expandable storage in general were commonplace, and you want a higher-end phone that fits that description, Sony’s latest Xperia 1 VII might fit the bill.

Sony has just announced its latest flagship smartphone, the Xperia 1 VII. It looks and feels a lot like Sony’s previous flagship smartphones, which is not entirely surprising—Sony phones have a very specific small but enthusiastic crowd. In terms of camera hardware, which tends to be one of Sony’s fortes, the most significant camera upgrade is a new 48-megapixel ultrawide sensor. Sony states this sensor is twice as large as the one found in its predecessor, the Xperia 1 VI. The main and variable telephoto lenses from the previous model remain unchanged in the Xperia 1 VII, but the company did try to spice things up with a few new software features. We have an AI-powered auto-framing mode borrowed from Sony’s Alpha camera line, which is designed to recognize human subjects and automatically crop video footage to keep them centered within the frame.

Sony has incorporated high-end audio components directly from its modern Walkman audio players. This includes the use of higher-quality solder in the headphone jack which, if you’re an audiophile, means output from the headphone jack should be as clean as it gets. The Xperia 1 VII supports AI-based DSEE Ultimate upscaling technology, alongside Hi-Res Audio, LDAC, and Dolby Atmos formats. The phone’s stereo speakers also apparently offer improved bass.

Under the hood, the Xperia 1 VII is powered by the flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, paired with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. Despite the newer specs, though, this phone is cool because it keeps a lot of “older” features that have been neglected for years by the bigger smartphone manufacturer. As you’ve noticed in the last paragraph, we have a headphone jack, and a particularly high-quality one at that. We also get a microSD card slot, which allows you to expand your phone’s storage by up to 2TB. The device features an IP65/68 rating for dust and water resistance, supports wireless charging, and is equipped with a 5,000mAh battery.

The only thing you might not like about this phone is the price. Sony has not announced plans for a US release of the Xperia 1 VII just yet, but the phone is available starting today in the UK and Europe. And it’s priced at a whopping £1,399 in the UK and €1,499 in Europe, which translates to approximately $1,700 USD. At that price it’s right there pricing-wise with foldable phones, which makes it a hard purchase. Keep an eye out at your retailer of choice if you want one.

Source: The Verge