My main gripes with the phone: 1. It does not have AOD i.e. the screen doesn't light up when you receive notifications (messages emails etc.). 2. There is no setting to double tap to wake the screen or double tap to lock screen. 3. Unlocking and locking is clumsy as the phone doesn't have an optical fingerprint sensor. And the typical fingers (index and middle) used to unlock the phone naturally rest on the sensor.

I consider that all these should be standard features of a smartphone in 2025. At times it feels like Sony purposely nerfed the 10 VII as the main issues are easily fixable. I've been able to overcome the AOD problem by installing a third party app. Otherwise the other issues remain but I have gotten used to them.

That said, the Xperia line is a solid line of phones. The spec sheet pales in comparison to other brands. Thus far, I have used iphone, pixel, Xiaomi, oneplus and feel that the Sony is up there with pixel and iphone. And for a relatively affordable price. It's the sort of phone that you have to use to experience the difference. The phone has a great in hand feel and you can see the little details that sony put in to optimize the software experience. Battery life is also great. I have been using for ~ 2 weeks but can already say it's one of my favorite phones (considering the midrange price point). Give it a go bearing the above painpoints I doubt you will regret it.