Inside the telephoto camera of the new Sony Xperia 1 VIII is a new 1/1.56″ sensor – it’s four times larger than the sensor inside the Mark 7 model and also has four times the resolution. The new model also redesigns the camera island, moving to the latest Qualcomm chipset, while retaining trademark Xperia features like expandable storage, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a two-stage shutter key.
Let’s go back to the camera – Sony changed its stance in a big way. The Mark 7, 6, 5 and 4 had continuous optical zoom like a point-and-shoot camera. Even the Mark 3 can switch between two focal lengths.
New camera of Sony Xperia 1 VIII
The latest Xperia 1 VIII locks its telephoto camera to 70mm (2.9x magnification from the 24mm main lens). It then uses a higher resolution 48MP sensor for higher zoom levels. This module has an f/2.8 aperture and should perform better in darkness. However, the Mark 7 camera had a wider f/2.3 aperture at 3.5x zoom, stopping down to f/3.5 at a maximum of 7.1x.
Other camera modules remain the same as before – a 48MP 1/1.35” main (24mm f/1.9 lens with OIS) and a 48MP 1/1.56” ultra-wide (16mm f/2.0 lens), as well as a 12MP selfie camera (1/2.9” sensor, 24mm f/2.0 lens).
Sony says RAW multi-frame processing is applied to all cameras, which helps increase dynamic range and reduce noise in low-light scenes. This can also avoid problems like clipped highlights and crushed shadows.
Sony Xperia 1 VIII
Apart from the tele lens, the other major upgrade this generation is the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, which is an upgrade from last year’s 8 Elite chip. It promises a 20% increase in CPU performance, a 23% faster GPU, and a reduction in power usage by 20%.
The phone has a 12/256GB base configuration with various options, with RAM up to 16GB and storage up to 1TB. Again, we’d point to the microSD slot – a rarity even on mid-rangers these days, let alone on flagships.
The Snapdragon chip’s AI accelerator has been tapped for the AI Camera Assistant feature (powered by Xperia Intelligence, Sony notes for branding purposes). This feature examines a scene (given the subject, weather conditions and more) to recommend what settings to change, such as color tone, lens effects, etc. With one tap you can accept the AI’s recommendation or you can play with the dial yourself to see if you can do better.
Sony Xperia 1 VIII
Sony’s Walkman lineage is expressed through the 3.5mm headphone jack – you get lossless, latency-free audio and you don’t even have to worry about charging the headphone battery. What do you dislike?
Additionally, there are symmetrical left and right speakers for stereo audio without headphones. Sony has optimized the speakers to produce deeper bass and deeper highs than before and they create a wider soundstage to boot.
The few things that remain unchanged – for better or worse – are the screen (a 6.5″ LTPO panel with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz) and a 5,000mAh battery. The screen is flat and has no cutout (the camera is in the upper bezel), which will appeal to many, but the 1080p+ resolution is on the lower end (especially for a series that was once known for its 4K displays).
The battery has the same charging support as before – 30W wired and 15W wireless. Neither its capacity nor charging were very good by 2025 standards, they look even older now.
sony xperia 1 viii color
Sony created four colorways for the Xperia VIII that are inspired by natural materials: Graphite Black, Iolite Silver, Garnet Red, and Native Gold. The company also sells an official case with a built-in stand (which works in both portrait and landscape orientations) and made of a translucent material that is resistant to yellowing.
The Sony Xperia 1 VIII is available for pre-order from today – you can find it directly from Sony or at selected online retailers. The base 12/256GB model starts at €1,500 / £1,400 and, during the pre-order period, will come with a free pair of Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones. The 1TB Native Gold model is available exclusively from Sony and will set you back €2,000 / £1,850. Shipping will begin in June.