Post Content The smartphone also comes equipped with a 3.5mm audio port – something that many other phone manufacturers are now moving away from offering. (Image: Sony)
Sony has officially unveiled the Xperia 1 VIII, its newest premium flagship smartphone, bringing a major redesign alongside top-tier hardware and several enthusiast-friendly features that have largely disappeared from modern smartphones.
The Xperia 1 VIII introduces a noticeably refreshed design compared to previous Xperia devices. While the phone still retains signature Xperia elements such as front-facing stereo speakers, a tall display aspect ratio, and a dedicated camera shutter button, Sony has redesigned the rear camera layout with a more square-shaped camera module positioned in the top-left corner.
Sony says the device follows its new “Ore” design language, featuring a textured finish inspired by natural stone. The smartphone will be available in Graphite Black, Garnet Red, Iolite Silver, and Native Gold colour options, although the gold variant will be exclusive to the 1TB storage model.
Under the hood, the Xperia 1 VIII is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor paired with either 12GB or 16GB of RAM. Options for storage are available in 256GB and 1TB models, and Sony has not neglected to include support for expanding the memory using microSD cards, which is now becoming quite rare among high-end Android smartphones.
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The smartphone also comes equipped with a 3.5mm audio port – something that many other phone manufacturers are now moving away from offering.
Another selling point of this smartphone is its 6.5-inch LTPO FHD+ AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. Sony has also kept its dual front-facing speaker setup, continuing the Xperia series’ focus on media consumption.
In the camera department, the Xperia 1 VIII includes a triple rear camera system consisting of a 48-megapixel main sensor, a 48-megapixel ultrawide camera, and a new 48-megapixel telephoto lens offering 2.9x optical zoom. Unlike previous Xperia models that featured variable zoom technology, the new telephoto lens uses a fixed optical zoom setup. A 12-megapixel front-facing camera handles selfies and video calls.
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The phone is powered by a 5,000mAh battery, with 30W wired charging and 15W wireless charging capabilities.
According to Sony, the new Xperia 1 VIII model is now up for pre-orders in Europe and the UK, priced at €1,499 in Europe and £1,399 in the UK. Those who place orders for the smartphone will get a free set of Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones. And the wider roll-out of the device is not expected anytime soon.
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