(Credit: Sony)
Sony avoided a major redesign of its flagship smartphone for over half a decade, keeping the same look since 2020’s Xperia 1 II. Rather than vertically oriented cameras, Sony is now moving to a raised camera island at the top left of the rear of the new Xperia 1 VIII.
The redesign is to accommodate an exciting telephoto camera upgrade, which Sony says is four times more powerful than its last-gen option at 1/1.56-inch, enabling improved low-light shooting. The aperture is f/2.8, and the focal length is 70mm.
Alongside the telephoto are two more cameras with specs similar to the last-gen phone, as well as a flash and an emblazoned Sony logo. The main camera is a 48MP shooter with an F/1.9 aperture, while the ultrawide is a 48MP with a 104-degree field of view. The front of the phone has a 12MP selfie camera.
New AI-powered camera features inspect the scene and make suggestions on how to shoot better, such as adjusting color tones, lens effects, or adding bokeh. It sounds similar to how Camera Coach works on the Google Pixel 10 Pro series.
Sony says these recommendations are based on what it calls Creative Look, its “unique imaging philosophy" made possible through its history of developing camera tech.
Your color choices are Graphite Black, Iolite Silver, Garnet Red, and Native Gold. The rear of each phone is frosted glass with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection, and it features aluminum edges that house a camera button, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and improved stereo speakers.
The screen is a 6.5-inch OLED with a resolution of 1080 x 2340, with a 120Hz refresh rate.
Inside the phone is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for power, alongside 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, or 16GB of RAM with 1TB of space.
Unlike most rivals, Sony still offers microSD support, allowing up to 2TB of extra space on both models. If you pair this with the more expensive version, you could get one of the largest storage capacities available on a smartphone, taking you up to 3TB.
The battery is a 5,000mAh cell with 30W fast charging and wireless charging. Sony says it’ll last up to two days on a single charge, which is likely a bit generous if it reflects performance we've seen on previous devices.
Sony isn’t matching its rivals in terms of software support. The Android 16-toting phone is capable of up to four operating system upgrades, likely taking you through to Android 20, alongside six years of security updates. Rivals, including Samsung, offer seven years of updates on flagship phones.
Sony doesn’t sell its top-end phones in the US anymore, skipping the market for the last few generations of the Xperia 1 range. That appears to be the same here, with the brand focusing on Asia and Europe for this release.
In the UK, the phone isn’t cheap at £1,399 for a version with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, while the 16GB RAM and 1TB of storage model jumps up to £1,849. If Sony were to sell the phone in the US, you should expect prices of either $1,900 or $2,500.