My Xperia 1v has been on its last legs for a fair few months, phone works but either antennae or connectivity chip has been on the blink, constantly dropping calls or just not connecting full stop, all other functions work. Recently replaced screen and battery so didn't want to throw any more Money at it. I'll keep it forever and will still use it as a camera and media device as it's a goat!

In the meantime just ordered an Oppo x9 pro. Anybody else made a similar switch?

Xperia Pureness!

and an extra wired headset.

https://youtu.be/vJkQwUBx6us

Nachdem Sony immer einen Hang zum Giftgrün hatte bei Naturfotos gefallen mir die neuen Farben sehr gut. Hier ein Foto im Automodus mit 7,1 fachem Zoom.

Been seeing a lot of questions about using an Xperia in the US, especially the Xperia 1 VIII (referred to as 1m8 below) that was recently released. I figured it would be good to set up a single reddit to consolidate all information as much as possible. To get some form of consistency, I would like to ask the following:

• If you do not have a 1m8 in hand yet and simply want to ask questions, please review all the posts to ensure your question has not already been asked and/or answered before posting your question.
• If you have a 1m8 in hand and have a question, please review all posts to ensure your question has not already been asked and/or answered before posting your question. Also, please provide your regional variant model number and firmware version so that others with same specs can know what to expect.
• If you have a 1m8 in hand and simply want to share your experiences, please provide your regional variant model number and firmware version to help others with the same model and firmware.

Many questions deal with whether or a 1m8 will work in the US. The short answer is YES but it comes with caveats.

PROVIDERS

• T-Mobile - Probably the best choice. Works out of the box but requires a pre-authorized SIM. You cannot activate a new SIM using the 1m8. It must be activated on an authorized device first.
• AT&T - Will work with an authorized SIM. You may even be able to activate it with the 1m8. But there may come a time when you will be blocked/kicked off because the 1m8 is technically an unauthorized device and AT&T uses a whitelisted device system. That being said, you may be able to get away with it (see below: https://www.reddit.com/r/SonyXperia/comments/1v3ss99/comment/oz5o0vb/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button), but be warned that it's possible to be blocked/kicked off.
• Verizon - same as AT&T.
• The above applies to their respective MVNOs.

SPECS

• Japan Version (XQ-GE44): https://www.sony.jp/xperia/spec/simfree.html#xperia1m8
• UK/European Version (XQ-GE54): https://www.sony.co.uk/smartphones/products/xperia-1m8/spec?sku=xqge54b.gc
• HK/Global Version (XQ-GE74): https://www.sony.com.hk/en/electronics/support/mobile-phones-tablets-mobile-phones/xperia-1-viii-256gb/specifications?srsltid=AfmBOoqj4wzdo1qyY2zisAY0UMwoF2QcsQl0u3lCOtPYadL1_wr7pK23
• Only Japan sells the 16/512GB and 16/1TB versions in all colors.
• Europe and Global/HK versions have 12GB ram models in all colors and the 16GB/1TB in gold only.

WILL 5G WORK?

• No 5G out of the box.
• Can be enabled by unlocking the bootloader and root access, which will essentially factory reset the phone. WARNING: THIS PROCESS CAN BRICK YOUR PHONE IF YOU MESS UP. It should only be done if you are confident in your abilities. If not, it's probably best you did not get this phone.
• Tap to pay and some banking/financial apps will require you to lock the bootloader again or they won't work.
• XDA Guide here: https://xdaforums.com/t/unlock-bootloader-and-root-guide-xperia-1-viii-xq-ge74.4790389/ and https://xdaforums.com/t/enable-5g-global-rf-bands-on-xperia-5g-lte-ca.4753150/ . A consolidated guide can also be found here: https://xdaforums.com/t/new-us-user.4792130/post-90655305
• Potentially can be disabled again by a future software update.
• Even if enabled, 5G will likely only work near large cities and well populated areas because NONE of the variants support T-mobile's extended 5G band N71. AT&T and Verizon use different bands for their rural areas. If 5G is important to you, check the coverage maps (website linked below) to make sure you have the necessary band coverage in your area.

MOBILE COVERAGE

• Use this website to view your tower and band coverage for your area and provider. https://www.cellmapper.net/
• As noted above, T-mobile is probably the best US provider for using an Xperia. T-mobile is in the process of migrating their 4G LTE bands to 5G to be completed by 2028 (https://www.tmonews.com/2025/10/t-mobile-to-start-phasing-out-4g-lte-network-by-2026/). As noted, T-mobile's extended 5G is N71, which is NOT supported by any of the variants. 1m8 will work on LTE for a year or so until the majority of bands are migrated. Then, you may be forced to enable 5G as noted above.
• T-mobile 5G uses N2, N41, N77 (some markets, check cellmapper)
• Potential future bands: N5, N66
  • HK/Global: N5, N41, N77
  • UK/European version supports: N5, N41, N77
  • Japanese version supports: N5, N41, N66, N77
• AT&T 5G uses: N2, N5, N66, and N77
  • HK/Global version supports: N5, N77
  • UK/European version supports: N5, N77
  • Japanese version supports: N5, N66, N77
• Verizon 5G uses: N2, N5, N66, and N77
  • HK/Global version supports: N5, N77
  • UK/European version supports: N5, N77
  • Japanese version supports: N5, N66, N77

WIFI

• Global/HK version (XQ-GE74) is geofenced for 6 Ghz WiFi.
• UK/Europe version (XQ-GE54) is geofenced for 6 Ghz WiFi.
• Japanese version (XQ-GE44) - TBD
• No known fixes yet. There is a fix for the 1m7 which may apply to the 1m8. However, no confirmations yet. Link will be provided here when confirmed.

CONFIRMED WORKING

• XQ-GE74 Variant has VoLTE and VoWiFi out of the box on Google Fi.

RECOMMENDATION

• YES if you are ok with the caveats above.
• NO if you are not.

CREDITS

• u/KindStrangerofGold - for wifi information and Google Fi confirmation
• u/NoWitness79 - for wifi information

If you find any errors, let me know. I will edit the above with relevant information as needed.

How?

So, how did this even happen? I was scrolling on Vinted randomly, and I saw this advertising of this Sony Xperia 5 V at 200€. At that moment I thought "it's a scam", but my curiosity helped me to send a message to the guy to understand better if it was reliable or not. Since his profile was curated, with different positive reviews and the guy itself was kind and available to reply, I've purchased without even trying to lower the price, paying a total of about 215€ with delivery and warranty of the platform.

The phone itself

The package arrived, I opened it and... surprise! There was a real box of an Xperia 5 V with 2 cases and not a rock! The phone looks immaculate, not a single scratch or point or the slightest sign of damage, literally like brand new in the box, and it also has a glass screen protector already applied on it that is basically new. I've checked how many charging cycles the battery has, just by downloading the app " Device info HW" and I was even more surprised when I read "149 Cycles", so basically a battery with only about 5 to 7 months of usage!

Recommendations

Now guys I don't know what to do, I've configured the phone, everything works flawlessly, and strangely I like this Android Stock OS. Should I unlock the bootloader and put a custom ROM like LineageOS to have a better experience, or even with the stock Android of Sony with Android 15 is enough? Do you guys have any general or particular recommendations for this model?

Reselling price

If I decide to resell this phone how much do you think I can ask? I've searched everywhere to find another Xperia 5 V, Wallapop, Vinted, Subito.it, but I've found only one on eBay for around 600€ that is sold as a refurbished one. The alternative would be to buy one on Amazon "used in good condition" at about 700-750€, but of course realistically speaking nobody would pay that amount of money for this phone. Since it's like a unicorn here in Europe (I'm in Spain), could I ask more just because it's impossible to find one?

The only issue

This phone has only one issue, like all Xperia phones apparently... The fingerprint reader works 1 time out of 5 to unlock it, while using it to unlock apps or for privacy reasons (like app security) it works perfectly. I know it's a well known issue, and probably it's also the software that doesn't help, maybe for a strict security procedure, but realistically what can I do about giving up about it?

Is it possible to use integrated osaifu keitai on EU model? My next phone should be able. To since I'm half of the year in Japan. Or should I simply buy one in Japan? I don't want the camera click though.

One of my most favorited Xperia devices.

Hello all.

Last week I came to you after experiencing some issues with my 1 VI. It's safe to say that everything has been resolved and it's working so much better now. Where I was getting 3 to 4 hours of screen on time, I'm now getting between 7 and 8 hours of screen on time, exactly like it used to.

This phone has genuinely had the best battery life I've ever seen in a phone, and I've used a lot of phones over the past 5 years.

Sony Xperia X Compact & HTC ChaCha