ROG Phone 7 vs Sony Xperia 1 V: Which phone should you buy?

The ROG Phone 7 and the Sony Xperia 1 V are the current flagships from their respective companies. They are quite similar in certain respects and completely different in others. This begs the question - which phone is better and for whom? This is a challenging question to answer as a lot of the good things about the Sony Xperia 1 V aren't visible on paper. In contrast, the ROG Phone 7 is the polar opposite - its spec sheet is unmatched by any other smartphone till now.

This article will look into various aspects of the ROG Phone 7 and Sony Xperia 1 V, judging them based on their specs, build, performance, and more.

ROG Phone 7 vs. Sony Xperia 1 V: What do the numbers say?

	Sony Xperia 1 V	ROG Phone 7
Weight	185g	239g
Cost	$1100	$1400
Memory	12GB	16GB
Display	10-bit, HDR BT.2020, 4k, 120Hz, OLED	10-bit, HDR10+, 165Hz, OLED
Battery	5000 mAh, 30W charging	6000 mAh split-cell, 65W charging
Processor	Snapdragon 8 Gen 1	Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

As is made evident by the above table, the ROG wins in every category but display and weight (that hardly counts - the weight of a phone practically never makes or breaks a deal). While it appears to have a better primary sensor, it doesn't have a better camera - more on that later.

Build

As soon as you pick up the two phones, you can feel a difference. While the ROG is moderately heavy for a flagship, the Sony Xperia 1 V, at 185g, is almost 60g lighter - absurdly light for a flagship.

A quick peek at the specs also reveals another huge difference; the ROG Phone 7 has a lackluster IP54 ingress protection rating, whereas the Sony Xperia 1 V has a top-of-the-line IP68, which is the norm when it comes to flagships.

Moreover, the Sony flagship has Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front and Gorilla Glass Victus on the back, whereas ROG's offering has it only on the front. If you drop your phone a lot or don't like using cases, the ROG Phone 7 might not be the best choice for you.

Display

The display is a field where both these devices shine. While there is nothing wrong with the ROG Phone 7 (indeed, it is a stellar 165Hz panel), the Sony Xperia 1 V leaves it in the dust. It has a 4k 120Hz panel, something rarely seen on phones. Of course, all those extra pixels also suck more charge, negatively affecting the battery life (see Battery below)

As if that wasn't impressive enough, the Xperia also supports BT.2020 color gamut, which is considerably wider than the already great HDR10+ present on the ROG. Also, both phones disguise their front cameras in their slightly thicker-than-usual bezels. This provides an uninterrupted viewing experience at the cost of aesthetics.

It is worth noting that the Sony Xperia 1 V has a taller aspect ratio than most phones, which some love while others hate.

Battery

This is where the Sony Xperia 1 V starts struggling against the ROG Phone 7. Its 5000 mAh cell is much bigger than most flagships but isn't as great as it sounds due to the 4k panel continuously siphoning off much more charge than a regular 1080p display. Charging at 30W, its charging speeds are at par with other flagships.

However, it pales in front of the ROG, which charges at 65W. It has a 6000 mAh battery - or rather, two 3000 mAh cells. This reduces heating and improves long-term battery health, as each cell charges at a little over 30W.

Camera

Here, the Sony Xperia 1 V wins back some points. When it comes to the camera, it is unbeatable, with excellent stabilization and the newly added night mode. With 4k 120fps on every single lens, it is truly incredible. The telephoto lens also packs a unique feature. Today, smartphones (especially flagships) have more than one optical zoom lens, each with a fixed focal length.

Hence, there are only a few magnifications where the phone actually uses complete optical zoom. In every other situation (say 2.3x zoom), the camera digitally zooms in from the lens with the closest focal length (here, the 2x lens). Thus, it is the same as digitally cropping your shot, leading to a loss of detail.

Sony, on the other hand, has built a camera that uses moving parts to provide a variable focal length, resulting in a seamless zoom. It is worth noting, though, that this is a pretty niche feature. However, a very cluttered camera app UI damages the overall camera experience. Interestingly, Sony has added a physical shutter button.

The ROG Phone 7 has a mediocre camera at best, packing an IMX766, whereas most competitors give an IMX989. However, it was never a camera-centric device, so this is understandable.

Performance

As far as performance is concerned, the ROG Phone 7 is invincible. The Sony Xperia 1 V has a healthy AnTuTu (a popular performance benchmark) score of 1.12 million. It is put to shame by The ROG's 1.33 million. With 4GB memory more than the Xperia and an extremely elaborate cooling system, the ROG is a phone built from the ground up with performance in mind and can not be beaten on its home turf.

Verdict

The verdict is challenging to deliver, as both phones aim at completely different audiences. However, one thing is clear - if gaming is a priority, then the ROG Phone 7 is a no-brainer.

Things are more complicated if the camera is a priority - the similarly priced iPhone 14 lineup is excellent for photography. The Xperia is very lucrative to a small niche audience - users who want complete control and extreme customizability on the shots they take (somewhat like using a DSLR) on a smartphone.

Both phones are great for media consumption - the Sony Xperia 1 V has its 4k BT.2020 panel, and the ROG has what is easily one of the best smartphone speaker setups on the planet right now.

Edited by Adarsh J Kumar