Sony Xperia 1 VIII redesign packs, keeps microSD memory from 1,500 euros

Sony’s latest flagship is here, the new Xperia 1 VIII offers some powerful features for its usual high price tag, this time with a major hardware redesign.

The Sony Xperia 1 VIII feels brand new thanks to its major hardware redesign. The new look retains some Xperia staples such as larger top and bottom bezels – front-facing speakers, a longer aspect ratio and a dedicated shutter button – but it certainly looks very different with the square camera module sitting in the top left corner of the phone.

The Xperia 1 VIII comes in Graphite Black, Dark Red, Iolite Silver and Native Gold color options, though gold is only available at the 1TB storage level (the rest are available with 256GB of storage). Sony says the colors are part of its “Ore” design language, and the entire phone has a rough stone-like texture.

Under the hood, this device packs some powerhouse features. 6.5-inch FHD+ LTPO AMOLED display at 120 Hz, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and the aforementioned 256 GB or 1 TB of storage. These models come with 12GB or 16GB of RAM respectively, and both support microSD card expansion – something we never see on flagship Android phones anymore. On the same note, there is also a 3.5mm headphone jack.

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Battery life will take a bit of a hit with the 5,000mAh battery, but charging isn’t particularly slow at 30W wired and 15W wireless charging.

Then there are cameras. The Sony has a 48MP main sensor and a 48MP ultra-wide, 12MP selfie camera. The third rear 48-megapixel camera, telephoto is now locked with 2.9x optical zoom, where previous models had a 12-megapixel sensor with variable zoom and aperture.

The Sony Xperia 1 VII is now available for pre-order in the UK and Europe. It starts at €1,499 in Europe and £1,399 in the UK. Pre-orders include a free WH‑1000XM6 headset.

There are no plans to bring this device to the US.