Overview
- Sony unveiled the Xperia 1 VIII on Wednesday, introducing a square camera island and a larger 70mm telephoto that replaces the line’s continuous optical zoom.
- The new telephoto uses a 48MP 1/1.56‑inch sensor at f/2.8, which boosts low‑light detail and natural background blur compared with last year’s smaller module.
- An AI Camera Assistant analyzes the scene before you shoot to suggest lens choice, framing and tone, and all three rear cameras now use RAW multi‑frame processing to widen dynamic range and cut noise.
- The phone runs Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and keeps enthusiast staples like a 6.5‑inch 120Hz LTPO OLED, a 5,000mAh battery, a microSD slot, a 3.5mm headphone jack and front‑facing stereo speakers.
- Pricing starts at €1,499/£1,399 for 12GB/256GB with preorders now open in Europe and Asia, June shipping and WH‑1000XM6 headphones bundled during preorders, plus a 16GB/1TB gold model sold only through Sony’s online store.