The Xperia 1 VIII is the 2026 flagship phone from Sony. It was announced on May 13, 2026. Sales started in Japan on June 11, and the UK and Europe followed on June 19. The base 12GB/256GB model costs £1,399 in the UK and €1,499 in the eurozone. Sony has no plans to sell it in North America.
Design and display
The phone measures 162 x 74 x 8.3 mm and weighs 200 g. Sony replaced the long vertical camera strip with a square camera island. The new ORE finish gives the back and sides a rough, stone-like texture. Gorilla Glass Victus 2 covers the front, and textured Gorilla Glass Victus covers the back. The phone is rated IP65 and IP68 for dust and water.
The 6.5-inch OLED panel has a 1080 x 2340 resolution and a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. Its refresh rate varies from 1 Hz to 120 Hz. The selfie camera sits in the top bezel, so the screen has no punch-hole. Colors are Graphite Black, Iolite Silver, Garnet Red and Native Gold.
Performance
The phone runs on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, built on a 3 nm process. It pairs the chip with 12GB or 16GB of RAM. Storage options are 256GB, 512GB and 1TB. In addition, a microSD slot accepts cards up to 2TB. The 1TB model comes only in Native Gold.
Cameras
All three rear cameras use 48MP sensors. The main camera has a 1/1.35-inch Exmor T sensor, an f/1.9 lens and optical stabilization. The ultrawide camera has a 16 mm lens and a 1/1.56-inch sensor. The new 70 mm telephoto uses a 1/1.56-inch sensor. Sony says it is about four times larger than before. However, it replaces the continuous optical zoom of the older model with a fixed 2.9x lens.
A new AI Camera Assistant suggests color, lens and bokeh settings for the scene. The phone records 4K video at up to 120 fps. It also keeps a two-stage physical shutter button. The front camera has 12MP.
Battery and charging
The battery holds 5,000 mAh, the same as before. Sony rates it for up to two days of use. Wired charging tops out at 30W over USB Power Delivery. The phone also supports 15W Qi wireless charging and can charge other devices wirelessly.
Software and updates
The Xperia 1 VIII ships with Android 16. Sony promises up to four major OS upgrades and six years of security updates. The software stays close to stock Android.
Should you buy the Xperia 1 VIII?
This phone suits buyers who want features most flagships have dropped. It keeps a 3.5 mm headphone jack, a microSD slot, front stereo speakers and a shutter button. It also suits people who like a compact 6.5-inch screen. On the other hand, charging is slow for its class. The update promise is also shorter than on Samsung and Google flagships. Buyers in the US cannot get it through official channels.
