Sony Xperia 1 VIII - Will the new style be a success?

The visual appearance of the Sony Xperia 1 VIII differs from previous iterations of the "Xperia 1" series, but I can't bring myself to call it attractive. The body seems heavy – neither the slightly odd positioning of the camera island (far from the top edge of the case) nor the archaic bezels at the bottom and top of the display add lightness. On the plus side, the screen doesn't have a punch-hole for the selfie camera, the speakers have vents on the front, and the attractive colours also help. For traditionalists, black or gray remain. The front is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus 2, while the back is protected by its earlier generation. The case is also IP68-rated. Sony

Xperia 1 VIII also surprises with a rather small - by modern flagship standards - 6.5-inch OLED LTPO screen with a 120 Hz refresh rate, but "only" Full HD+ resolution - and this in a series where we've already seen 4K screens! The battery is also inadequate by current standards – but Samsung and Apple flagships don't shine here either. The new Xperia's battery has a capacity of 5000 mAh and charges at 30W wired and 15W inductively. The Chinese competition is far ahead...

As a consolation, in addition to decent stereo speakers, the smartphone also has a minijack output, and the heart of the machine is, of course, the top-of-the-line Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, supported by memory capacities ranging from 12GB to 256GB. What's more, unique among flagships, the Xperia 1 still supports microSD memory cards! In the photography department, there's a new addition: a 48-megapixel camera with a 1/1.56-inch sensor and a periscopic telephoto lens. Unfortunately, this lens offers less zoom (2.9x) and has a smaller aperture (f/2.8) than the telephoto lens in the previous model. Forget about the smooth zoom seen in previous generations... But the remaining cameras are the same as in the previous model. The main camera has 48 megapixels with a 1/1.35-inch sensor and an optically stabilized lens with a 24mm focal length and f/1.9 aperture. The wide-angle lens is also 48 megapixels, but with a 1/1.56-inch sensor, 16mm focal length, and f/2.0 aperture. A 12-megapixel selfie camera with a 1/2.9-inch sensor, f/2.0 aperture, and 24mm focal length completes the package. The device is equipped with the "AI Camera Assistant," which—thanks to Xperia Intelligence technology and AI-based solutions—helps you create even better photos. The system analyzes the scene and automatically suggests appropriate settings, such as color tone, lens selection, and bokeh effect, adapting them to the subject and shooting conditions. The Xperia 1 VIII also retains the distinctive physical shutter button, which allows you to feel like you're taking photos with a traditional camera.

The Sony Xperia 1 VIIII will be available in June, but those who pre-order the device can expect free Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones. Depending on the memory variant, the price is €1,500-2,000. The 1TB Native Gold model will be available exclusively through the Sony online store in select markets. This doesn't make the new Xperia a bargain, but perhaps Sony simply wants to stay in the smartphone market, not necessarily sell them....?