Reported by Gold 101.3 FM – UAE’s No.1 Malayalam Radio Station
Sony has officially introduced the all-new Xperia 1 VIII, bringing one of the biggest design changes ever seen in the company’s flagship smartphone lineup. After maintaining a similar look for several years, Sony has now refreshed the Xperia series with a more modern appearance and upgraded camera technology.
The Xperia 1 VIII no longer carries the familiar vertical camera strip seen on previous Xperia models. Instead, Sony has redesigned the rear panel with a raised camera module placed at the top-left corner, giving the device a cleaner and more premium flagship look.
One of the biggest highlights of the new smartphone is its advanced telephoto camera system. Sony has added a larger 1/1.56-inch telephoto sensor that is said to deliver four times better performance than the earlier generation. The camera comes with an f/2.8 aperture and a 70mm focal length, aimed at improving zoom quality and low-light photography.
The rear camera setup also includes a 48MP main sensor with an f/1.9 aperture and a 48MP ultra-wide camera offering a wide 104-degree field of view. For selfies and video calls, the phone features a 12MP front-facing camera.
Sony is also focusing heavily on artificial intelligence-powered photography features in the Xperia 1 VIII. The device can automatically analyse scenes and suggest enhancements such as colour adjustments, background blur effects, and lens styling options. According to Sony, these tools are inspired by the company’s “Creative Look” camera technology developed through years of imaging experience.
The Xperia 1 VIII continues to offer several features that long-time Sony fans appreciate. The device still includes a 3.5mm headphone jack, upgraded stereo speakers, and support for microSD cards up to 2TB. With the top-end 1TB internal storage variant, users can potentially access a massive 3TB of total storage capacity.
The smartphone features a 6.5-inch OLED display with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate and is powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor. Buyers can choose between two configurations: 12GB RAM with 256GB storage or a premium version with 16GB RAM and 1TB storage.
Powering the device is a 5,000mAh battery with support for 30W wired charging and wireless charging. The Xperia 1 VIII comes preloaded with Android 16, and Sony has promised four major Android updates along with six years of security support.
In the UK, Sony has announced a starting price of £1,399 for the base model, while the high-end version is priced at £1,849. The company has not yet revealed official pricing or launch details for the UAE market.
