Earlier this month, Sony halted sales of its Xperia 1 VII due to random reboots, shutdowns, and inability to power on. The brand later launched an investigation into the issue and it seems to have reached a conclusion.
It appears that a number of Xperia 1 VII units are affected by a faulty circuit board, resulting in the aforementioned issues. As a result, Sony will offer a free replacement program for affected Xperia 1 VII users. The brand also confirmed that it altered its manufacturing process to ensure future units won’t suffer from the same issue.
Our investigation has concluded that the manufacturing process may cause a failure of the circuit board in a small number of Xperia 1 VII smartphones, which could potentially result in power issues.
The manufacturing process was changed immediately to ensure this does not happen again. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused to our customers. – Sony UK official statement
All Xperia 1 VII users are encouraged to verify their phone’s IMEI number on a dedicated validation portal.
If their device is affected, Sony will provide further instructions on how to apply for a replacement unit. The replacement program is scheduled to begin on July 21. Sony also reminds affected users to back up their data before sending in their devices for replacement.
Thanks for the tip, Josip!