What just happened? Sony exited the global smartphone market several years ago, but it continues to launch new models annually in Japan and Europe. The company has now unveiled its latest flagship smartphone, the Xperia 1 VIII, featuring a retro-inspired design and several once-popular features that have largely disappeared from modern smartphones.
The Xperia 1 VIII features a 6.5-inch LTPO AMOLED display with a 2,340 × 1,080 resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection. It retains Sony's trademark thick top and bottom bezels, which house the selfie camera, sensors, and front-firing stereo speakers. Other nostalgic features include a 3.5 mm headphone jack and a hybrid slot supporting both a nano SIM and a microSD card.
While some of these features still appear in mid-range and entry-level devices, they have largely disappeared from flagship smartphones as consumer electronics brands increasingly prioritize form over function across their product portfolios – much to the frustration of enthusiasts and power users.
Nostalgia aside, the new Xperia features top-tier hardware worthy of a flagship device. It is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 SoC, paired with either 12GB or 16GB of RAM and 256GB or 1TB of storage. The device also includes a 5,000mAh battery with 30W wired charging, 15W wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging support. Additional features include a dedicated camera shutter button and IP65/IP68 water and dust resistance.
Imaging duties are handled by a triple-camera setup on the rear, headlined by a 48MP 1/1.35-inch primary sensor with 1.12µm pixels. It is paired with a 24mm wide-angle lens featuring an f/1.9 aperture, along with PDAF, OIS, and EIS assisted by a 5-axis gyroscope. The camera is also capable of recording 4K video at up to 120 fps.
The other two rear cameras include a 48MP 1/1.56-inch ultrawide sensor with 1.0µm pixels, a 16mm focal length, an f/2.0 aperture, and PDAF support, as well as a 48MP 1/1.56-inch telephoto sensor with 1.0µm pixels paired with a 70mm periscope lens offering 2.9x optical zoom, an f/2.8 aperture, dual-pixel PDAF, and OIS.
On the front, the new Xperia features a 12MP selfie camera with a 1/2.9-inch sensor, 1.22µm pixels, and a 24mm wide-angle lens with an f/2.0 aperture.
On the software side, the Xperia 1 VIII runs Android 16, featuring a clean AOSP-based build with a handful of additional features including an AI camera assistant similar to Google's Camera Coach. Sony has committed to four years of Android updates and an additional two years of security patches.
The Xperia 1 VIII is available for pre-order in the UK at £1,399 (around $1,889) and in select EU markets for €1,499 (around $1,743). The pricing is higher than that of the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra or Google Pixel 10 Pro XL, but Sony is sweetening the deal by offering a free WH-1000XM6 headset with all pre-orders.