Sony has temporarily halted the sales and shipments of its latest flagship smartphone, the Xperia 1 VII, in Japan due to critical software-related issues reported by users.
The Xperia 1 VII, which was officially unveiled in May 2025, had already hit store shelves in Japan before widespread problems began to surface.
According to numerous user reports, affected Xperia 1 VII units have been experiencing serious malfunctions — including unexpected shutdowns, random reboots, and complete power failures. In some cases, the devices won’t turn on at all, raising concerns about the phone’s reliability.
Sony Responds with Temporary Sales Suspension
Acknowledging the severity of the situation, Sony has officially paused the sale of the Xperia 1 VII in its home market. The company stated it is actively investigating the root cause of these issues and working toward a permanent fix.
In the meantime, Sony has provided a temporary troubleshooting method for users facing unresponsive devices. If your Xperia 1 VII won’t turn on, Sony recommends pressing and holding the power button and volume up button simultaneously for approximately 20 seconds. Once the phone restarts, users are urged to install the latest software update, which may offer a partial remedy.
Software Update Released but Investigation Ongoing
Interestingly, while Sony has rolled out a new software update aimed at resolving the problem, the company also admitted that the exact cause is still under investigation. This suggests that the update may be more of a precautionary measure rather than a definitive solution.
The Xperia 1 VII is available globally in a 256GB variant with 12GB of RAM, retailing at approximately €1,499 or £1,399 in European markets. However, it remains unclear whether these issues are limited to Japanese models or if global users might also be affected.
Sony has assured customers that further updates will be provided as the situation develops. In the meantime, users are encouraged to contact Sony support if they continue to face issues with their Xperia 1 VII units.