Sony Xperia 1 VIII Goes Official: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, Up To 1TB Storage And 48MP Triple Rear Camera Setup, Check Price, Specs

Sony Xperia 1 VIII launched: After a year's wait, the Japan-based tech firm Sony has finally come out with a new smartphone, the Sony Xperia 1 VIII, with the launch taking place on Wednesday in Japan. The Sony Xperia 1 VIII has officially gone up for pre-orders in Japan, and Sony is clearly aiming at users who still care about premium hardware, expandable storage, and pro-grade cameras in a flagship smartphone. The handset comes in four colour options and multiple RAM and storage variants, going all the way up to 16GB RAM and 1TB storage.

ALSO READ: Apple Releases iOS 26.5 Update With Encrypted RCS Chats And Maps Ads

Powering the Xperia 1 VIII is Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 Elite chipset, built on a 3 nm process. Sony has matched it with up to 16GB of RAM, ensuring premium-level speed when gaming, taking photos, or performing several operations at once. Another feature that the device keeps is its microSD card compatibility, allowing you to increase storage to as much as 2TB.

As for the design, Sony has changed the back cover, introducing a square camera housing. The company has also upgraded the telephoto camera sensor compared to the Xperia 1 VII, making the camera system one of the biggest highlights of the new device.

In Japan, the Sony Xperia 1 VIII starts at JPY 235,400 (roughly Rs. 1.43 lakh) for the 12GB + 256GB model. The 12GB + 512GB and 16GB + 512GB variants are priced at JPY 251,900 (around Rs. 1.53 lakh) and JPY 268,400 (roughly Rs. 1.63 lakh), respectively. Meanwhile, the top-end 16GB + 1TB version costs JPY 299,200, which is approximately Rs. 1.81 lakh. Buyers can pick the phone in Garnet Red, Graphite Black, Iolite Silver, and Native Gold shades.

The Xperia 1 VIII runs Android 16 out of the box, and Sony says the device will receive up to four OS upgrades alongside six years of security updates. On the front, the smartphone features a 6.5-inch Full-HD+ OLED display with HDR support and up to a 120Hz refresh rate.

For photography, the device is equipped with a triple rear camera setup. It includes a 48-megapixel main sensor with up to a 48 mm focal length, a 48-megapixel ultrawide camera, and a new 48-megapixel telephoto lens that supports up to a 140 mm focal length. Selfies and video calls are handled by a 12-megapixel front camera.

ALSO READ: Google Android Show I/O Edition: AI Upgrades, Googlebook And Android Auto Redesign, All The Major Reveals

The phone also brings IP65 and IP68 ratings for dust and water resistance. Backing the hardware is a 5,000 mAh battery with support for Sony’s “Gentle” wired and wireless charging technology. Connectivity options include 5G, Bluetooth 6, NFC, USB Type-C, dual-band Wi-Fi, and even a 3.5mm headphone jack, something very few flagship phones offer today.