Sony Xperia 1 VIII vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
The Sony Xperia 1 VIII scores 7.8 in our rating, and the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra scores 8.1. The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra leads in camera, battery and software support. The Sony Xperia 1 VIII is the newer phone, announced May 13, 2026.
Key differences
Why choose the Sony Xperia 1 VIII
- Newer model May 13, 2026 vs Feb 25, 2026
- Lighter 200 g vs 214 g
- 3.5 mm headphone jack
- microSD card slot
Why choose the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
- Faster wired charging 60 W vs 30 W
- Bigger screen 6.9 inches vs 6.5 inches
- Longer optical zoom 5× vs 2.9×
- Longer OS update support 7 years vs 4 years
- Faster wireless charging 25 W vs 15 W
- Thinner 7.9 mm vs 8.3 mm
PhoneRanked scores
Calculated from specs, relative to phones from the same year and price range. How we rate phones
Value for money marked “est.” is an estimate: that phone has no official US launch price, so it is not highlighted against the others.
Spec
Sony Xperia 1 VIIISamsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
Overall
7.8
8.1
Display
8.5
8.4
Performance
9.0
9.0
Camera
8.1
8.7
Battery
5.8
6.5
Design
8.5
8.6
Software support
7.4
9.2
Value for money
6.0 est.
5.9
Display
Spec
Sony Xperia 1 VIIISamsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
Size
6.5 inches
6.9 inches
Type
OLED
OLED, Dynamic AMOLED 2X
Resolution
1080 × 2340 px
1440 × 3120 px
Refresh rate
120 Hz
120 Hz
Adaptive refresh
✓ Yes
✓ Yes
Peak brightness
—
2,600 nits
HDR
—
HDR10+
Protection
Gorilla Glass Victus 2
Corning Gorilla Armor 2
Performance
Spec
Sony Xperia 1 VIIISamsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
Process
3 nm
3 nm
Max CPU clock
4.6 GHz
—
GPU
Adreno 840
Adreno 840
RAM
12 GB / 16 GB
12 GB / 16 GB
Storage
256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB
256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB
Storage type
—
UFS 4.0
microSD slot
✓ Yes
✕ No
Cameras
Spec
Sony Xperia 1 VIIISamsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
Main camera
48 MP, f/1.9, 1/1.35"
200 MP, f/1.4, 1/1.3"
Optical stabilization
✓ Yes
✓ Yes
Ultrawide
48 MP
50 MP
Telephoto
48 MP, 2.9× optical
50 MP, 5× optical, periscope
Optical zoom
2.9×
5×
Rear cameras
3
4
Rear video
4K@120
8K@30
Front camera
12 MP
12 MP
Battery and charging
Spec
Sony Xperia 1 VIIISamsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
Capacity
5,000 mAh
5,000 mAh
Battery type
—
Li-Ion
Wired charging
30 W
60 W
Wireless charging
15 W
25 W
Reverse wireless
✓ Yes
✓ Yes
Charger in box
—
✕ No
Design and build
Spec
Sony Xperia 1 VIIISamsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
Dimensions
162 × 74 × 8.3 mm
163.6 × 78.1 × 7.9 mm
Thickness
8.3 mm
7.9 mm
Weight
200 g
214 g
Form factor
Bar
Bar
Frame
—
Aluminum
Back
Glass
Glass
Water resistance
IP68
IP68
Fingerprint
Side-mounted
Under-display ultrasonic
3D face unlock
✕ No
✕ No
SIM
Nano-SIM + eSIM
Nano-SIM + eSIM
Colors
Graphite Black, Iolite Silver, Garnet Red, Native Gold
Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, Black, White, Silver Shadow, Pink Gold
Connectivity and features
Spec
Sony Xperia 1 VIIISamsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
5G
✓ Yes
✓ Yes
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 7
Wi-Fi 7
Bluetooth
6.0
6.0
USB
USB-C 3.x
USB-C 3.x
NFC
✓ Yes
✓ Yes
3.5 mm jack
✓ Yes
✕ No
Stereo speakers
✓ Yes
✓ Yes
Satellite
✕ No
✕ No
IR blaster
✕ No
✕ No
Software
Spec
Sony Xperia 1 VIIISamsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
OS at launch
Android 16
Android 16
Interface
—
One UI 8.5
OS updates
4 years
7 years
Security updates
6 years
7 years
Launch and price
Spec
Sony Xperia 1 VIIISamsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
Announced
May 13, 2026
Feb 25, 2026
Released
Jun 11, 2026
Mar 11, 2026
Status
Released
Released
US launch price
—
$1,299.99
Green marks the stronger value in a row. Specs come from official manufacturer data, cross-checked with established tech media; each phone page lists its sources. Report an error
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