After Samsung discontinued the SD card reader in their premium phone lines, I was looking for something that would tick this box. Weeks of research led me to the Xperia 1V - which I was originally skeptical about. I had used a Samsung phone since the release of the S3 and had never considered switching.
Operating System:
First and foremost, for anyone also switching from another phone brand, the "basic" operating system can be a bit of a shock. However, after a few weeks of use, I can say that it is genuinely a breathe of fresh air. With most of the bloat removed that you would come to expect from a OneUI operating system, you would be surprised how well some things just work and what level of customization is then unlocked.
Build Quality:
The phone feels premium and checks most of the boxes one would expect from something in this price range as far as screen, glass, etc. A cool addition is the inclusion of a camera button, which opens the camera and can also focus/take pictures. The thumb reader being the power button can sometimes cause the phone to unlock when you put your hands in your pockets, but I'd say 99% of the time it works WAY better than an on-screen reader and is less likely to gum up.
In Remembrance of Features No Longer With Us:
Remember SD cards and AUX cords? Sony remembers. While it can be argued that internal memory is faster and therefore better - most modern phone brands have not taken steps to increase internal storage sizes with almost all of them maxing out around 512Gb. If you don't live in an area with good internet, the cloud is not an option. So for people like me who store a lot of data locally, not being able to add a 1Tb SD card is a non-starter. So thank you Sony!
Camera:
The camera is great, but I can only describe it as more akin to a digital camera than it is to a smart phone camera. The 50mp camera is false advertising plain-and-simple. The front camera is only 12mp and can not be adjusted to the maximum 50 that the camera hardware is capable. of. However, that doesn't detract from it being a great camera anyway that can capture more "natural" feeling pictures and give you the power to control every aspect of your capturing.
Overall:
If you are shopping for this phone, you have more than likely already done your research and know the advantages and weaknesses in the specs. It is quite comparable to its contemporaries - but is just for some people and not for others. If you aren't here for gimmicky features and ultra-post-processed photos, then just pull the trigger and buy it.