The Sony Xperia 1 VIII is Sony's 6.5-inch flagship for 2026, with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, three 48 MP cameras from 16 to 70 mm and a two-stage shutter button, suited to photographers and music fans who want a headphone jack and a microSD slot.
Reviewers value its natural-looking photos, improved telephoto and rare features such as the headphone jack, microSD slot and shutter button, but find it hard to recommend at its price against camera-focused rivals. All three found charging slow and battery life short of the best; Trusted Reviews also found the camera app laggy and unreliable.
Always show time and info (lock screen setting; includes battery level)
Screen protection
Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2
Display features
1–120 Hz variable refresh rate; Creator mode and Auto creator mode; Real-time HDR drive; Sunlight Vision with adaptive brightness; light sensors on the front and back adjust brightness and colour; BRAVIA-style picture processing (Xperia Intelligence)
Performance
Chip
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
Memory
12 GB – 16 GB
Storage
256 GB, 1 TB
Storage type
microSDXC card slot for cards up to 2 TB, in the SIM tray
Cooling
Vapour chamber and heat-spreading sheet
Cameras
Main camera
48 MP
Ultra wide camera
48 MP
Telephoto camera
48 MP
Optical zoom
2.9×
Front camera
12 MP
Main camera
48 MP, 24 mm, ƒ/1.9, 1/1.35-inch Exmor T for mobile sensor (two-layer transistor pixel stacked CMOS); 12 MP photos by default, 48 MP in 48 MP mode; hybrid stabilisation
Ultra wide camera
48 MP, 16 mm, ƒ/2.0, 1/1.56-inch Exmor RS for mobile sensor; 12 MP photos; close-up shooting
Telephoto camera
48 MP, 70 mm, ƒ/2.8, 1/1.56-inch Exmor RS for mobile sensor; 12 MP photos; tele-macro; hybrid stabilisation
Front camera
12 MP, ƒ/2.0
Zoom
16, 24, 48, 70 and 140 mm; 48 mm and 140 mm are 2× crops (12 MP) from the 24 mm and 70 mm cameras; 70 mm is 2.9× the main camera's focal length
Video recording
4K at up to 120 fps; HDR (HLG/BT.2020) or SDR (BT.709); S-Cinetone for mobile; slow motion at 120 fps in 4K or Full HD; AI Camerawork subject tracking and Auto Framing
Camera features
AI Camera Assistant suggests looks, lenses and background blur for each scene; RAW multi-frame processing on all three cameras; Creative Look presets; Face/Eye AF for people and animals; Pro photo and Pro video modes; Bokeh mode; ZEISS T* coating on every lens
Battery and charging
Battery
5,000 mAh
Wired charging
Up to 30 W
Wireless charging
Up to 15 W
Battery life detail
Rated 4,850 mAh; Sony says it lasts two days per charge and that Battery Care keeps the battery healthy for four years; EU energy label class A, 51 h 7 min per charge, 1,400 charge cycles
Wired charging
30 W, 50% in about 30 minutes (GSMArena; Sony's UK page couldn't be read); no charger in the box
Wireless charging
Qi wireless charging; 15 W (GSMArena)
Charges other devices
Battery share wirelessly charges other Qi devices
Connectivity
Satellite messaging
No
SIM
One nano-SIM and eSIM, or two eSIMs (dual SIM)
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 7 (IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be) with Multi-Link Operation
Bluetooth
Bluetooth 6.0, LE Audio, Auracast
NFC
Yes
USB
USB-C with DisplayPort video output and USB-LAN adapter support; 3.5 mm headphone jack
Design
Type
Standard
Weight
200 g
Thickness
8.3 mm
Height × width
162 × 74 mm
Water and dust resistance
IP68
Stylus
No
Materials
Aluminium frame and glass back, both with a fine textured finish inspired by raw ore
Two-stage shutter button (long press opens the camera); volume and zoom button; power button with fingerprint sensor
Water resistance detail
IPX5/IPX8 water resistance and IP6X dust resistance; IPX8 tested in 1.5 m of fresh water for 30 minutes; keep the SIM/microSD tray closed
Biometrics
Fingerprint sensor in the power button
Speakers
Full-stage stereo speakers with identical left and right units, full enclosure
Microphones
Main, second and rear voice-priority microphones
Software
Operating system
Android
Software updates
Up to four Android version upgrades and six years of security updates (Sony Japan); EU listing promises at least 5 years of updates after the model leaves the market
AI features
Xperia Intelligence (AI Camera Assistant, AI Camerawork, Auto Framing); DSEE Ultimate AI upscaling for music files and streaming; Google Gemini; Circle to Search
In the box
No charger (Sony); GSMArena's review unit came without a USB cable too
Storage options
Storage
Memory
256 GB
12 GB
1 TB
16 GB
Pros and cons
Pros
+3.5 mm headphone jack and a microSD slot for cards up to 2 TB
+48 MP 70 mm telephoto with a 1/1.56-inch sensor, about four times the size of the Xperia 1 VII's
+Two-stage shutter button and 4K video at up to 120 fps
Cons
−No charger in the box
−Full HD+ screen, where most flagships at this price are sharper
−Up to four Android version upgrades, fewer than Samsung and Google promise
