Sony has announced its new flagship smartphone, the rumored Xperia 1 VIII. This device comes a bit earlier this time around, and the rumors/leaks were spot on. It brings a redesigned camera island, a massively upgraded periscope telephoto camera, an interesting new camera feature, and much more. On top of all that, the phone also carries a rather steep price tag, which is not exactly all that surprising, but there you go.
Sony is sticking to its design language here, though. The design of the Xperia 1 VIII did not change all that much compared to its predecessor, well, other than the aforementioned camera island. We will first list the specs of the phone, and then we’ll jump over to other categories. We’ll talk about its price, availability, features, colors, and more.
Sony Xperia 1 VIII specs
The Sony Xperia 1 VIII features a 6.5-inch LTPO OLED display. Its refresh rate goes from 1 to 120Hz, as needed. This panel supports up to 1 billion colors, and it offers a fullHD+ (2340 x 1080) resolution. It is protected by the Gorilla Glass Victus 2, by the way, and the display is flat. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip fuels the phone, the company’s most powerful processor. The device comes in 12GB and 16GB LPDDR5X RAM variants, while Sony opted for UFS 4.0 storage. The storage is expandable, by the way, up to 2TB.
Android 16 comes pre-installed on the device, while Sony promised 4 major Android OS updates, and 6 years of security updates. A 5,000mAh battery is also included here, as Sony still refuses to jump to silicon-carbon tech. The phone supports 30W wired and 15W wireless charging, while it also supports reverse wireless charging. Wi-Fi 7 is supported here, and the same goes for Bluetooth 6.0. The phone is IP65 and IP68 certified for water and dust resistance.
There are three 48-megapixel cameras on the back; only the periscope telephoto one has changed compared to the Xperia 1 VII. The main 48-megapixel camera offers an f/1.9 aperture, 1/1.35-inch sensor size, dual pixel PDAF, and OIS support. The 48-megapixel ultrawide snapper has an f/2.0 aperture lens, 1/1.56-inch sensor size, and PDAF support. The 48-megapixel periscope telephoto camera offers an f/2.8 aperture lens, 1/1.56-inch sensor size, dual-pixel PDAF, OIS, and 2.9x optical zoom.
The Sony Xperia 1 VIII measures 162 x 74 x 8.3mm, while it weighs 200 grams. The phone comes in Graphite Black, Iolite Silver, Garnet Red, and Native Gold colors.
Sony Xperia 1 VIII Specs
| Display Size | 6.5 inches |
| Display Resolution | 2340 x 1080 |
| Refresh Rate | 1-120Hz |
| Dimensions | 162 x 74 x 8.3 mm |
| Weight | 200 grams |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 |
| RAM | 12GB/16GB (LPDDR5X) |
| Storage | 256GB/1TB (UFS 4.0). expandable |
| Battery | 5,000mAh |
| Charging | 30W wired, 15W wireless, reverse wireless (charger not included) |
| OS | Android 16 |
| Main Camera | 48MP (f/1.9 aperture, 1/1.35-inch sensor size, dual pixel PDAF, OIS) |
| Ultrawide Camera | 48MP (f/2.0 aperture, 1/1.56-inch sensor size, PDAF) |
| Periscope Telephoto Camera | 48MP (f/2.8 aperture lens, 1/1.56-inch sensor size, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 2.9x optical zoom) |
| Front-Facing Camera | 12MP (f/2.0 aperture lens, 1/2.9-inch sensor size) |
| Network and Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7, GPS, Bluetooth 6.0, NFC |
| Water Resistance | IP65/IP68 |
| Colors | Graphite Black, Iolite Silver, Garnet Red, Native Gold |
How much does the Sony Xperia 1 VIII cost?
The Sony Xperia 1 VIII comes in two variants. The first one includes 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, while the second has 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. The former is priced at €1,499 ($1,759), while the latter is priced at €1,999 ($2,346). The Xperia 1 VIII is a very pricey flagship, as you can see.
Where can I buy the Sony Xperia 1 VIII?
You still cannot buy the Sony Xperia VIII, but you can pre-order it. Sony did open pre-orders, but the phone will not ship until June. You can pre-order the device directly from Sony in select regions, including Europe, and also from select online retailers. During the pre-order period, Sony is also bundling a pair of its flagship Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones.
Sony Xperia 1 VIII
What carriers does it work on?
The Sony Xperia 1 VIII is an unlocked device that will work with the vast majority of carriers around the globe. If you’re not sure, you can always check manually. In other words, you can ask your carrier whether it will work. Sony did publish which bands the phone supports; you can see that information below.
- 2G Band: 850, 900, 1800, 1900
- 3G Band: 2100 (Band1), 1900 (Band2), 1700 (Band4), 850 (Band5), 900 (Band8)
- 4G Band: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66
- 5G Band: [NSA] n1, n3, n5, n7, n8, n20, n28, n38, n40, n41, n75, n77, n78, n79 [SA] n1, n3, n5, n7, n8, n20, n28, n38, n40, n41, n75, n77, n78, n79
What colors does the Sony Xperia 1 VIII come in?
Sony announced the Xperia 1 VIII in three color options. Those colors are: Graphite Black, Iolite Silver, Garnet Red, and Native Gold. There’s a nice variety of colors, with Garnet Red and Native Gold being the most eye-catching offerings in the lineup. The other two colors are basically standard ones. Sony opted to go with a gray option instead of a white one. The availability of these colors may vary from region to region.
What new upgrades does the Sony Xperia 1 VIII have over the Sony Xperia 1 VII?
The Sony Xperia 1 VIII is a direct successor to the Xperia 1 VII, which arrived about a year ago. It does bring several improvements compared to that model, of course. In this section, we’ll talk about some of the most important improvements. Do note that there are not many of them, at least not obvious ones. Sony decided to keep quite a few specs the same as last year.
Brand new SoC
The Sony Xperia 1 VIII comes with a brand new processor, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. That is Qualcomm’s 3nm chip, and the most powerful processor the company has to offer. It brings a number of improvements over the Snapdragon 8 Elite.
Massively improved periscope telephoto camera
Sony brought a massive improvement to the periscope telephoto camera here. Continuous zoom is no longer available, but the camera sensor is around 4 times bigger here. Sony opted for a 1/1.56-inch 48-megapixel periscope telephoto camera.
AI Camera Assistant
The company also introduced something called AI Camera Assistant here, powered by Xperia Intelligence. It uses AI to analyze subjects and weather conditions. Based on that, it suggests optimal camera settings, including color tones, lens selection, bokeh effects, and more. These recommendations are actually integrated with Sony’s ‘Creative Look’ profiles.
Redesigned camera island
This is not necessarily an improvement per se, but it’s a very notable change. Sony ditched its vertical camera setup on the back and opted for a square camera island with the camera split into two rows.
What cases are available for the Sony Xperia 1 VIII?
There is only one case listed on the company’s official website at this moment. It’s the ‘Style Cover’ for the Xperia 1 VIII. This case comes with a kickstand on the back, which you can use in both portrait and landscape modes. The case itself offers good protection, and comes in the same colors the phone is available in. A lanyard is also included, in case you’d like to use it. It is listed on the Sony UK website and priced at £34.99.
Images & Videos
Official images:
Videos:
Should I buy the Sony Xperia 1 VIII?
The Sony Xperia 1 VIII does look like a very compelling phone on paper. The company massively improved the periscope telephoto camera. Still, some areas that should have been improved did not. The first thing that comes to mind is the battery capacity, and then charging speeds. That does seem like the biggest drawback. The phone may still offer great battery life, though, due to the fact that it has a 6.5-inch display, so… who knows. Either way, the Xperia 1 VIII does look like a great offering on paper, even though it may be difficult to justify that price tag.
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