May 14, 2026 10:48:00

Sony has announced the high-spec smartphone 'Xperia 1 VIII,' featuring a telephoto camera with a 4x larger sensor, wired headphone support, and expandable storage via microSD card.

Sony announced its flagship smartphone, the Xperia 1 VIII , on May 13, 2026. The Xperia 1 VIII features

a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 SoC, a telephoto camera sensor that is approximately four times larger than the previous generation model, and a newly designed speaker unit, making it an undeniably top-of-the-line smartphone from Sony.

Xperia 1 VIII | Xperia | Sony
https://www.sony.jp/xperia/products/xperia1m8/

Sony Launches Xperia 1 VIII, Featuring New AI Camera Assistant Function to Help Those Who Want to Take Great Photos Achieve the Perfect Shot | News Release | Sony
https://www.sony.jp/CorporateCruise/Press/202605/26-0513/

The Xperia 1 VIII comes in four colors: Graphite Black, Iolite Silver, Garnet Red, and Native Gold. Native Gold is an exclusive color for the SIM-free model.

The rear camera system consists of three lenses: an ultra-wide-angle camera, a wide-angle camera, and a telephoto camera. In 35mm equivalent focal lengths, the ultra-wide-angle camera is 16mm, the wide-angle camera is 24mm, and the telephoto camera is 70mm. With 2x optical digital zoom, the wide-angle camera can also be used at 48mm and the telephoto camera at 140mm. All lenses are treated with ZEISS T coating.

The telephoto camera employs a periscope system, where the lens extends horizontally as shown below.

The sensor sizes are 1/1.56-inch for the ultra-wide-angle camera, 1/1.35-inch for the wide-angle camera, and 1/1.56-inch for the telephoto camera. The telephoto camera's sensor size has been increased by approximately four times compared to the previous generation Xperia 1 VII model.

It also features an ' AI Camera Assistant ' function that uses AI to recognize the shooting scene and suggest the optimal shooting settings.

The display is approximately 6.5 inches and uses durable Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 as its surface material. It also supports IPX5/IPX8 water resistance and IP6X dust resistance.

The SoC is Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.

There are four combinations of RAM and storage capacity: '16GB/1TB', '16GB/512GB', '12GB/512GB', and '12GB/256GB'. The carrier model is only available in '12GB/256GB', while the SIM-free model offers a choice of all four combinations.

It also features a wired headphone jack.

It also features newly developed speaker units that are identical on both the left and right sides.

It's also possible to increase storage capacity by inserting a microSDXC card with a maximum capacity of 2TB.

The battery capacity is 5000mAh, and it's advertised as being able to last for two days on battery power.

Furthermore, thanks to features like gentle charging and charging optimization, the battery's maximum capacity is less likely to decrease even after four years of continuous use.

Furthermore, it promises up to four OS version upgrades and six years of security updates.

The Xperia 1 VIII is scheduled to be released on June 11, 2026. The estimated market prices for the SIM-free model are approximately 300,000 yen for the 16GB/1TB version, 269,000 yen for the 16GB/512GB version, 252,000 yen for the 12GB/512GB version, and 236,000 yen for the 12GB/256GB version. Pre-orders began on May 13, 2026 at 11:00 AM.