Sony Xperia 1 VIII review

The competition

The Xperia 1 VIII is a flagship product with a flagship price to match. The 12/256GB version is launching for €1499/£1399 with the 1TB version retailing for €1999/£1849. You can nab the Sony WH-1000XM6 high-end over-ear headphones as a pre-order bonus if you are quick.

Still, if you have the kind of money for a phone, practically every other current flagship is on the menu as well, so you have to consider your options carefully. At the time of writing, last year's Xperia 1 VII is still around €1,500 on Amazon; so there frankly isn't any point in exploring that path as you won't be saving any money.

If you are after a glorious cameraphone experience, then the vivo X300 Ultra and the Oppo Find X9 Ultra should both be on your shortlist. If you were wondering, neither is cheap, though you can get yourself a lower-memory variant of the Oppo in Europe for €1,700, whereas the vivo is available in a single top-tier 16GB/1TB config on the Old Continent for an eye-watering €2,000.

We know it's not entirely fair to bundle the two in, like we are sort of doing now, since there are plenty of differences to consider; however, either of these outshines the Xperia in the camera department even before we start talking extra photography kit equipment. Arguably, both the vivo and the Oppo also offer a better software experience than the Xperia as well.

Oppo Find X9 Ultra • vivo X300 Ultra • Xiaomi 17 Ultra • Honor Magic8 Pro • Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

Speaking of potent flagship experiences, you could consider the Xiaomi 17 Ultra just as well. Depending on who you ask, its camera prowess might be a slight notch behind the vivo and the Oppo, but the difference is very much marginal. What Xiaomi does deliver is the widely-liked HyperOS experience, among other things.

Of course, you could go with a "cheaper" flagship, which sounds like an absurd statement, but it is not if you are willing to make some concessions, particularly in the camera department, then the Honor Magic8 Pro might be a perfect fit for you. Up to seven years of major software updates sure sounds nice.

Arguably, the same promise sounds nicer still, at least for some users, on a Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra with the very popular OneUI software suite. Again, you won't be enjoying the best of the best camera out there, but you definitely won't be slumming it.

Our verdict

The Sony Xperia 1 VIII is, once again, a Sony phone through and through. It has a personality, it has a loyal target audience, and it has a number of features that are practically extinct elsewhere - a headphone jack, microSD expansion, a toolless SIM tray, a clean Android build, front-facing stereo speakers, USB video output, a dedicated two-stage shutter key and a display that's uninterrupted by a punch hole. That alone will be enough to keep some Xperia fans interested.

The problem is that outside of that niche, the Xperia 1 VIII is a hard sell. The display is good, but not class-leading. Battery life is solid, but not exceptional. Charging is slow by current flagship standards. The software is clean, but light on features and the update promise is no longer particularly impressive.

The camera system is perhaps the clearest example of the Xperia 1 VIII experience. Sony has finally moved away from the ambitious but underwhelming continuous zoom module and the new telephoto is better at its native focal length. The ultrawide is strong, close-up shooting is versatile, and video capture is very capable. But as an overall cameraphone, the Xperia still lacks the immediate appeal, consistency and computational polish of the best Ultras on the market. For a phone that costs flagship money, "good, but not among the best" is not the strongest position to be in.

And that's ultimately where we land with the Xperia 1 VIII as a whole. We respect it. We like that Sony continues to make something different. We appreciate the hardware oddities and the creator-oriented touches. But we can't hide the fact that it's not the most sensible flagship purchase for most people. Unless you specifically want the Xperia formula and its rare feature set, the current flagship field has more compelling, more versatile and often more refined alternatives.

Pros

• Distinctive Sony design, grippy finish, solid build, IP65/IP68 rating.
• Uninterrupted OLED display with good brightness and proper HDR streaming support.
• Headphone jack, microSD expansion, toolless SIM tray, USB 3.2 with video output.
• Clean Android experience with useful Sony extras like Side sense and Game Enhancer.
• Very good stereo speakers, front-facing and nicely balanced.
• Good battery life and excellent battery health features.
• Improved telephoto camera at native zoom; strong ultrawide; versatile close-up shooting.
• Very good video recording options, including 4K120 on all rear cameras.

Cons

• Expensive launch price.
• Heavy CPU throttling under load.
• 'Basic' IP68 rating - other Androids get IP69.
• Slow charging by current flagship standards.
• Camera output lacks the wow factor and consistency of the best cameraphones.
• Feature-light software compared to many modern flagship skins and hardly any AI integration.

Pricing

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