Sony has temporarily halted sales and shipments of its flagship Xperia 1 VII in Japan. Users have reported devices randomly shutting down, rebooting without warning, and in some cases refusing to power on at all.
🔍 What’s Going On?
Released in May 2025, the Xperia 1 VII reached stores in Japan and selected European markets. Reports from carriers and Sony’s official channels confirm that models including SO‑51F, SOG15, A501SO, and XQ‑FS44 have been impacted. While issues surfaced primarily in Japan, there are no confirmed reports from Europe or other regions—though some European pre‑orders were quietly canceled or marked out of stock.
Some speculate the problem could relate to Japan‑specific features such as the Osaifu‑Keitai mobile payment service, but Sony has not confirmed this.
🛠️ The Temporary Fix
Sony recommends affected users take these steps
- Hold Power + Volume Up together for about 20 seconds to trigger a forced restart.
- After rebooting, install the latest software update (build 71.0.A.2.43).
- If the problem continues, contact Sony support or your carrier—and back up your data immediately.
Sony refers to this as a precautionary measure while the root cause is still under investigation.
🤔 Could It Be Software—or Hardware?
Sony’s rollout of a new software build suggests it may be a software-related bug, but the company hasn’t ruled out hardware issues. Experts and users are watching closely to see if the update fully resolves the problem or if more patches or a recall are needed.
🧭 What You Should Do
- If you’re in Japan and own an affected model, restart and update right away.
- In Europe, keep an eye on your device; no current reports of failure—but some pre‑orders were canceled
- In the US or India, Sony has not launched (or re‑launched) the Xperia 1 VII, and there are no immediate plans to do so
✅ Key Takeaways
- What happened: Sony has halted Xperia 1 VII sales in Japan due to shutdowns, reboots, and power-on failures.
- Who’s affected: Japanese models—carriers and unlocked versions—are reportedly impacted. No confirmed cases elsewhere.
- Fix: Forced restart + firmware update (build 71.0.A.2.43).
- Next steps: Investigations are still underway; backup data and stay in touch with support if issues persist.
- Global status: Europe’s devices seem unaffected for now; North America and India don’t have official launches scheduled.
📝 Final Thoughts
Sony has taken swift action in its home market by halting shipments and issuing a software workaround. While that suggests confidence in a software-based solution, the ongoing investigation means users should remain cautious. Anyone with an Xperia 1 VII in Japan should follow Sony’s guidance now—and global owners should stay alert for updates.