Sony has officially unveiled the Sony Xperia 1 VIII in Japan, introducing its latest premium flagship smartphone with upgraded camera hardware, new design changes, and Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon chipset. The device arrives as the newest addition to Sony’s Xperia 1 lineup and is currently available for pre-orders in multiple storage variants and color options.
The new Xperia 1 VIII is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor built on a 3nm architecture. Sony has paired the chipset with up to 16GB RAM and as much as 1TB of onboard storage. The smartphone also supports expandable storage up to 2TB through a microSD card slot, a feature that continues to differentiate Xperia devices from many flagship competitors.
Sony has equipped the device with a 6.5-inch Full-HD+ OLED display featuring HDR support and a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. The handset runs Android 16 out of the box. According to the company, the phone will receive four Android OS upgrades along with six years of security updates.
One of the major highlights of Sony’s Xperia 1 VIII is its camera setup. The smartphone features a triple rear camera system, consisting of three 48-megapixel sensors. The setup includes a primary camera, an ultrawide lens, and a telephoto sensor that supports focal lengths up to 140mm. On the front, the device carries a 12-megapixel selfie camera.
Sony has also introduced a redesigned camera layout on the Xperia 1 VIII. Reports indicate that the company has moved away from its earlier vertically aligned camera design in favor of a square-shaped camera module. The redesign marks one of the biggest visual changes to the Xperia series in recent years.
The smartphone packs a 5,000mAh battery and supports wireless charging. Connectivity features include Bluetooth 6.0, NFC, USB Type-C, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The device also carries an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance.
Sony is offering the Xperia 1 VIII in Garnet Red, Graphite Black, Iolite Silver, and Native Gold color variants. Pricing for the base 12GB RAM and 256GB storage model starts at JPY 235,400, which roughly translates to Rs 1.43 lakh. The top-end variant with 16GB RAM and 1TB storage is priced at JPY 299,200.
According to reports, Sony has opened pre-orders for the device in Japan through its official sales channels and select retailers. However, there is currently no confirmation regarding an India launch timeline.
