The best Sony phones in 2023

Are you looking for a list of the best Sony phones? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Buying a brand-new mobile is a big decision, especially when there are so many different devices to choose from at a range of price points. So we’re here to help you with the best options for gaming, taking pictures, or saving some coin.

We’ve spent plenty of time with some of the best smartphones out there, so we’re confident that you’ll find a new device from our list that fits your needs perfectly. Whether you need something that helps you take photos of the moon or something with great battery life so you can grind for materials in Genshin Impact for hours, we’ve got you.

These are the best Sony phones in 2023:

1. Sony Xperia 1 V – best Sony phone overall
2. Sony 10 IV – best budget Sony phone
3. Sony Xperia Pro-I – Sony phone with the best camera
4. Sony 10 V – Sony phone with the best battery life

1. Sony Xperia 1 V

The best Sony phone overall.

Sony Xperia 1 V specs:

Pros:

• Great battery life
• Fantastic camera
• Lovely textured design
• MicroSD slot
• Headphone jack

Cons:

• High cost
• No fast charging
• Pictures and video in low light could be better

Our pick for the overall best Sony phone in 2023 is the Sony Xperia 1 V. Sony’s flagship phone takes some of the best parts from the companies camera line and shrinks them down into a sleek, textured device that fits easily in your pocket while having all of the obvious features you’d expect from your mobile phone.

Its gorgeous 6.5” 120Hz 4K HDR OLED display and 5000mAh battery mean you can play your favorite games for almost a full day. However, it is worth noting it doesn’t feature the best charging speeds at this price point. It’s good enough, but nothing to write home about.

The device ships with Android 12 and comes in three colors: black, green, and silver (unfortunately for me, there’s no pink option). If it’s anything like its predecessor, you can expect it to receive a slim three years of security updates and two versions of Android before Sony ends support.

The main downside to this device is the almost ridiculous cost that’s even higher than the Samsung S23 Ultra and iPhone 14 Pro Max. If your mind is set on a Sony device, you can’t get any better, but you may be breaking the bank a little.

2. Sony 10 IV

The best budget Sony phone.

Sony 10 IV specs:

Pros:

• Excellent cost
• Great battery life
• Wonderful camera
• Headphone jack and MicroSD slot

Cons:

• Poor speakers
• Very slow to charge
• Average overall performance

If you’re looking for a cheaper option, we recommend the Sony 10 IV. Sony recently released the 10 V, but with minimal difference in performance and a decent gap in price, you should probably pick up the IV instead.

The 10 IV has an excellent 5000mAh battery that allows you to tinker away with your device or play Genshin Impact for hours on end without needing any extra juice. However, it does charge a little slowly, so make sure you give it some power overnight so you can play all day without trouble.

Overall, the 10 V excels with its battery, excellent price, and bright OLED display, but its 60hz refresh rate, charging speed, and average front-facing camera may be a let down. If you’re considering picking it up, you can go for black, white, green, and lavender, the latter of which is a great selling point to someone like me who is concerned about sticking with a certain aesthetic.

3. Sony Xperia Pro-I

The Sony phone with the best camera.

Sony Xperia Pro-I specs:

Pros:

• Wonderful, versatile camera
• Solid battery life

Cons:

• Very expensive
• Camera isn’t beginner-friendly

If you’re looking for a Sony phone with the best camera, look no further than the Xperia Pro-I. However, with its professional-grade camera, you do need a little bit of photography knowledge to make sure this phone hits its full potential. With a telephoto lens and the choice between f/2.0 and f/4.0 apertures on the main camera, it feels more like a camera with a phone attached to it than anything else.

But how long can you use this device out in the wild without needing a charge? Well, it houses a 4500 mAh battery, which isn’t quite as good as the 10 IV and the 1 V, but can still give you about six to seven hours of screen time each day. This will, of course, go down much quicker if you’re snapping a lot of images.

Finally, this phone has a beautiful 6.5-inch 4K HDR OLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, so your pictures will really pop, and any games are going to look great. It only comes in Frosted Black, but does look very sleek in this colorway.

4. Sony 10 V

The Sony phone with the best battery life.

Sony 10 V specs:

Pros:

• Wonderful battery life
• Headphone jack
• MicroSD slot

Cons:

• Camera not anything to write home about
• Older chipset

If all you need from your mobile device is a battery that lasts for many hours, then the Sony 10 V is the phone for you. With a 5000 mAH battery, just like our pick for the best overall Sony phone, the 10 V gives you almost 30 hours of light browsing time and about 16 hours of video streaming and gaming time.

Despite having a triple camera on the back, it isn’t much to write home about but definitely does the trick if all you want is to take pictures of your pet or the occasional selfie. It also has a 60Hz refresh rate which obviously isn’t as good as the industry leaders with their 120Hz.

As for aesthetics, you can pick up the 10 V in black, white, sage green, and lavender. It’s got a 6.1-inch screen and weighs just 159g so it’s pretty sleek and fits nicely in even the tightest pockets.

How we chose the best Sony phones

One of the first things we looked at when choosing the best Sony phones is battery capacity and fast charging, as well as a good chipset, memory capacity, and RAM, to ensure you the smoothest performance for your budget. Then there’s the cost, and how well each device stands up against its competitors in the same price bracket.

We also take into account the camera’s lenses and ability to take detailed pictures and videos in high and low light. Finally, there’s the display – we want high refresh rate screens and bright, color-accurate OLED panels.

Those are the main points that help us decide which phones to recommend, but if you just want a cute little pink device or prioritize certain features over others, there’s no right or wrong answer. Pick the phone you like best! Beyond that, if you’re curious about how we decide which phones get the top marks, be sure to check out our how we test breakdown.

Not sold on Sony? You should probably go and check out our lists of the best Xiaomi phones, the best Motorola phones, and even the best 5G phones. Then, if you’re on a shopping spree, go and read our list of the best portable gaming consoles for more recommendations.