Sony has confirmed that its next flagship Xperia phone will be announced on May 13 in Japan, with the launch event streaming live on YouTube.
The teaser image Sony shared all but confirms what leakers have been saying for weeks now. The new Xperia, expected to be the Xperia 1 VIII, is ditching the signature vertical camera strip Sony has used forever in favor of a square camera island. And honestly? It’s about time. The old design was iconic, but it was also starting to look a bit dated compared to what everyone else is doing.
What we know so far
If the leaks pan out, the Xperia 1 VIII will pack a 6.5-inch OLED display with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio, Full HD+ resolution, and a 120Hz refresh rate. That’s actually a step down from the 4K panels Sony used to ship, but it’s probably better for battery life. The phone is also rumored to be slightly thicker at 8.58mm, likely to accommodate larger camera sensors and possibly a bigger battery. A triple 48MP camera setup is on the table, which would be a meaningful upgrade for a brand that lives and dies by its imaging chops.
Powering the whole thing should be the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, which is the same chip you’ll find in flagships like the OnePlus 15 and the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. So no slouch there.
The bad news? It’s almost certainly not coming to the US. Sony hasn’t released a flagship Xperia stateside since the Xperia 1 V in 2023, and the leaks don’t suggest that’s changing. There’s also some chatter about a price hike, with one (likely incorrect) UK Amazon listing pegging it at £1,728. That feels way too high, and it might just be the bundled Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones inflating the number.
The post Sony Officially Confirms New Xperia Flagship Launching May 13 appeared first on Android Headlines.
​Â
