Sony continues to chart its own path in the smartphone world and announced its new flagship at the event held today. Sony Xperia 1 VIIIofficially announced its model. Focused on professional photographers and content creators, this new beast is especially popular with its renewed camera design and Qualcomm’s most powerful processor. Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5Attracts attention with.

The device, which Sony has enriched with modern touches while maintaining its traditional lines, continues to claim to be not only a phone but also a professional camera that fits in your pocket.

• Processor Power:A 20 percent performance increase is achieved with Qualcomm’s newest chipset with 3nm architecture, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.

• Camera Revolution:It uses a new 1/1.56 inch telephoto sensor, which is four times larger than the previous generation, and a new square camera island design.

• Display and Multimedia:The 6.5-inch LTPO OLED screen, 120Hz refresh rate and iconic 3.5 mm headphone jack remain.

Radical Change in Design: Square Camera Island

Sony is shelving the vertical camera array it has been maintaining for years with the Xperia 1 VIII. There is now a more modern and larger square camera module on the back of the device. The main reason for this design change is the growing sensor sizes. In order not to compromise on optical quality, Sony optimizes thermal management and light reception by spreading the sensors over a larger area.

Durability is prioritized in the body structure. On the front panel Gorilla Glass Victus 2, a glass surface with a special texture is preferred on the back panel. The device is available in Graphite Black, Iolite Silver, Garnet Red and a touch of luxury. Native GoldIt was announced that it will be available in different color options. The physical shutter button, which is indispensable for Sony, also maintains its place in this model.

Artificial Intelligence Supported “Xperia Intelligence” Camera

Xperia 1 VIII completely changes the photography experience not only with hardware but also with software. Sony’s newly developed Xperia IntelligenceBased AI Camera Assistant analyzes scenes as you shoot and automatically recommends the most suitable lens and bokeh effect.

On the back there is a triple setup, each with a resolution of 48 Megapixels:

1. Main Camera:24mm wide angle, f/1.9 aperture and 1/1.35 inch Exmor T sensor.

2. Telephoto:70mm periscope lens, f/2.8 aperture and huge 1/1.56 inch sensor. This sensor promises a performance close to Full-Frame cameras, especially when shooting distant objects in low-light environments.

3. Ultra Wide Angle:16mm lens, f/2.0 aperture.

While all these lenses minimize reflections with the Zeiss T* coating, we should point out that all three lenses maximize dynamic range thanks to RAW multi-frame processing support.

Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and Uninterrupted Performance

At the heart of the device is Qualcomm’s fresh Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5The processor is included. This chipset is prepared with the 3nm manufacturing process, combines with the Adreno 840 graphics unit and offers unrivaled fluency in mobile games and video editing. Users can choose between 12 GB or 16 GB LPDDR5X RAM options. On the storage side, there is a wide range ranging from 256 GB to 1 TB.

Sony does not forget audio enthusiasts either. The new generation “Full-Stage” stereo speakers have been redesigned to offer deeper bass and a wide soundstage. In addition, Hi-Res Audio and 360 Reality Audio supports provide studio quality sound experience regardless of wired or wireless headphones.

Sony Xperia 1 VIII Price and Release Date

Sony Xperia 1 VIII is available for pre-order in Japan and select European countries starting today. European price is for standard 256GB version 1,499 euros(approximately $1,759), while the Exclusive Edition model offers 1 TB of storage. 1,999 eurosIt will take its place on the shelves with its price tag. Deliveries of the devices are expected to begin on June 26, 2026.

Sony Xperia 1 VIII Technical Specifications

• 6.5 inch OLED HDR Display with 1080 x 2340 resolution, 9.5:9 aspect ratio, 120 Hz refresh X1 chip
• Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 3nm Mobile Platform
• Adreno 840 GPU
• 12GB/16GB LPDDR5X RAM
• 256GB / 1TB (UFS 4.1) internal memory
• 2TB microSD support
• 48MP rear camera with Exmor T sensor for mobile, 1/1.35-inch sensor, f/1.9 aperture, Hybrid OIS/EIS, 48MP f/2.0 aperture 1/56-inch 104° 16mm ultra-wide-angle camera, f/2.0 aperture, 48MP f/2.8 70mm 1/1.56-inch Exmor RS for mobile telephoto lens, 3x equivalent optical zoom, 17.5x hybrid zoom, ZEISS T* coating, Real-time Eye AF, Real-time Tracking
• 12MP front camera with 1/2.9-inch Exmor RS mobile sensor, f/2.0 aperture, 84° wide-angle lens, 4K video recording
• 3.5mm audio jack, 360 Reality Audio, 360 Reality Audio hardware decoding, 360 Spatial Audio, Full Range stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos, DSEE Ultimate, Stereo Recording, Qualcomm aptX HD audio
• Side-mounted fingerprint sensor
• Dimensions:162 x 74 x 8.3mm; Weight: 200g
• Water resistant (IPX5/IPX8), Dust resistant (IP6X)
• 5G (sub-6GHz) / 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 7 802.11 be (2.4GHz / 5GHz) 2 x 2 MIMO, Bluetooth 6.0 LE, GPS/GLONASS, NFC, USB 3.2 Type-C
• 5000mAh Battery with 30W (USB PD) fast charging, Xperia Adaptive Charging, Battery Care, ENDURANCE Mode, Qi Wireless charging, Battery Sharing function