Sony has yet to officially unveil the Xperia 1 VIII, but that hasn’t stopped Amazon UK and Amazon Germany from leaking parts of its specifications and price. According to the detected listings, the new Japanese flagship will hit the market on June 26, 2026. It will be accompanied by a promotion offering Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones. The issue lies with the price. Sony intends to charge £1,728 in the UK. And around €1,859 to €1,869 in Germany, amounts far higher than usual, even within the already expensive Xperia 1 family.
We are talking about prices worthy of a flagship smartphone from brands like Apple or Samsung. However, Sony is a shadow of its former self, so such a premium price makes no sense. While one might think the price is erroneous or too early to know, the clearest example is its predecessor. The Sony Xperia 1 VII was launched on May 13, 2025, at a price of €1,499. And now, in a market where RAM and storage have increased the price of all devices, a price close to 1,900 euros doesn’t seem far-fetched.
Price Doesn’t Justify Specs, on Paper, for the Sony Xperia 1 VIII
The Xperia 1 VIII appears to remain faithful to Sony’s strategy. We’re talking about a conservative design, focus on the photographic aspect, and features that are increasingly rare in the high-end market. This device is built around a 6.5-inch OLED panel with Full HD+ resolution and a 120 Hz refresh rate. It offers dual SIM support, a notable 3.5 mm jack connector, battery for “two days” of use, and the presence of Xperia AI. Three colors are also mentioned: black, silver, and red.
Regarding the photographic setup, on the rear, we will find a triple camera configuration. A 24mm main sensor, a 16mm ultra-wide-angle, and a new 70mm telephoto lens. On paper, this configuration would represent a significant change from the Xperia 1 VII. This 2025 model opted for a variable optical zoom from 85 to 170 mm. In other words, Sony would have sacrificed one of its defining features. Removing a true variable telephoto lens to switch to a conventional fixed telephoto lens. Although apparently with a much larger and higher resolution sensor.
For most users, a fixed 70mm telephoto lens with a larger sensor could offer better results in portrait mode, video, and medium zoom, especially between 70 and 139 mm via digital cropping. However, in terms of market positioning, it would be a loss of personality. The Xperia 1 VII had a very uncommon optical solution, while the Xperia 1 VIII is just another smartphone. And of course, this compromise, on a smartphone costing almost €1,900, does not go unnoticed. In terms of performance, thanks to its appearance on the Geekbench benchmark, the Sony Xperia 1 VIII will use the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 SoC along with 12 GB of RAM. The latter also raises another debate, as other Android manufacturers are already using 16 GB or more in their high-end models. Thus, Sony’s model is not only more expensive than other flagships but is also becoming less competitive in terms of hardware and photography.
