Samsung Galaxy A55 5G vs Sony Xperia 1 VII

Samsung Galaxy A55 5G

A 6.6-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED at 120Hz — vibrant and the highlight of the experience, but caps at ~1,000 nits, below flagship brightness.

• 6.6-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED at 120Hz, the same bright, smooth panel class as the A35.
• The viewing experience is basically what makes this phone 100% worth the money.
• It can't match the S24's 2,600-nit peak, maxing at 1,000 nits in High Brightness Mode.
• The AMOLED gets very dark at night, which photophobic users particularly appreciate.

Sony Xperia 1 VII

A bright 6.5-inch 120Hz OLED that's a clear highlight — though Sony dropped the 4K/21:9 panel that defined earlier Xperia 1 models.

• Peak brightness is up ~20% over the VI — measured ~800 nits manual boosting to over 1,470–1,500 nits in auto.
• Outdoors in sunlight watching HDR content you get just shy of 1,500 nits — a meaningful step up.
• Sony continues to produce some of the best screens in the industry, and the bright 120Hz OLED carries that legacy.
• Long-time fans lose the 4K and 21:9 panel that earlier Xperia 1 models were known for — a real reason some won't upgrade from the VI.

Samsung Galaxy A55 5G

A 50MP f/1.8 OIS main, 12MP ultrawide and 5MP macro, plus a 32MP selfie. Dependable with strong low-light for the class, weaker against true flagships at night.

• Triple rear: 50MP f/1.8 OIS main (1/1.56"), 12MP ultrawide and a 5MP macro.
• Dependable camera performance with excellent videos, per the GSMArena review.
• Versus the iPhone 13 it holds its own in almost every scenario, and clearly wins in low light with less noise.
• Night mode isn't on par with the iPhone 15 or Pixel 8 Pro, but it's a clear improvement and competitive at the price.
• Video records up to 4K 30fps on the main, ultrawide and front cameras, with smoother FHD 60fps available.
• It beats the Nothing Phone (2a) on camera and software support, per owners comparing the two.

Sony Xperia 1 VII

The most divisive area: a genuinely standout new ultrawide and great selfies, but a continuous-zoom telephoto that's an engineering marvel undermined by mediocre image quality.

• The trio is a 52MP (48MP effective) IMX888 24mm main, a new 50MP IMX906 16mm ultrawide and a 12MP periscope covering 85–170mm continuous optical zoom.
• The new ultrawide is arguably the one camera that delivers truly standout results — and the selfies are awesome too.
• The upgraded ultrawide is clearly sharper than the competition, in the centre and at the edges.
• The super-advanced continuous-zoom camera is a unique feature, but it's a shame it's bad — it just doesn't produce the photo quality to justify its existence.
• The one-lens 85–170mm continuous optical zoom is an engineering marvel, on par with top-tier ultra flagships at 3x, but only usable to about 10x where Samsung/Xiaomi stay sharp to 20x.

Samsung Galaxy A55 5G

A 5,000mAh battery with very strong endurance, undercut by slow 25W wired charging and no wireless charging.

• The 5,000mAh battery can stretch toward two days if you're sensible with gaming and camera use.
• It uses only ~2% battery over 8 hours of 5G standby — far better than a Galaxy S24's ~5%.
• Around 8 hours of screen-on-time means it easily lasts a full day; the battery 'just goes on and on.'
• It does not support wireless charging at all; charging is 25W wired over USB-C only.
• The lack of fast charging is the one thing owners really miss in a rush versus 90W rivals.

Sony Xperia 1 VII

Excellent endurance is a genuine strength — but the 5,000mAh non-silicon-carbon cell pairs with lethargic 30W charging and nothing in the box.

• It scores highly for battery life, beating even the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max and topping the comparison pack.
• It earned an active-use score of ~14h44m and ~17h20m in PCMark screen-on testing — typically ending the day with 25–35% left.
• Even gaming Wuthering Waves non-stop at max settings you still get about 4.5 hours before the battery is fully drained.
• Charging is lethargic 30W wired — 0–51% in 30 minutes and a full charge in ~80–90 minutes — plus 15W wireless.
• It's the same 5,000mAh cell as last year and not silicon-carbon, with no power adapter or USB-C cable included.

Samsung Galaxy A55 5G

A 'boring but solid' midranger that becomes an excellent value at its frequent discounts — though it's not officially sold in the US.

• A boring update, but still a solid mid-ranger for its price.
• It once again seems to be one of the best mid-tier Android devices of the year for the rest of the world.
• It packs a lot of premium features into a midrange smartphone.
• It's half the price of its flagship counterpart, but the gap between the two isn't nearly as large as you'd expect.
• It has dropped to as low as £249 in price-cut deals — exceptional value at that level.
• No Galaxy A55 in the US is a win for the Pixel 8a and a loss for Android — US buyers must look elsewhere.

Sony Xperia 1 VII

An extortionate price for a deliberately niche phone — superb for the right enthusiast, hard to recommend to a mainstream buyer over a Pixel or Galaxy.

• There's plenty to like, but one of the problems is the absolutely extortionate asking price.
• It's not for everyone, but for creators, photographers and multimedia enthusiasts it could be one of the best Android flagships of 2026.
• It's a dream smartphone for enthusiasts — versatile zoom, very long battery, bright OLED, high-quality build, fast SoC and 6-year updates — but with low charging, only 256GB and a mediocre telephoto.
• Notebookcheck's verdict: a professional camera smartphone not suitable for everyone — but a very strong high-end device for its target buyer.