Advertisement

Sony has officially confirmed a launch event for May 13, and all signs point toward the company unveiling the Xperia 1 VIII. The teaser highlights the rear camera layout, which lines up with recent leaks showing a noticeable redesign compared to older Xperia models.

For years, Sony has mostly stuck to the same vertical camera layout on the Xperia 1 series. This time, though, the company appears to be moving toward a more modern square-shaped camera module. At the same time, Sony doesn’t seem interested in abandoning the things Xperia fans actually buy these phones for.

The Xperia 1 VIII is still expected to focus heavily on manual camera controls and creator-focused hardware rather than chasing mainstream trends. Leaks suggest the phone will feature a 6.5-inch 120Hz OLED panel with FHD+ HDR support, alongside Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip and 12GB RAM. Color options are also expected to expand a bit this year, with reports mentioning Graphite Black, Iolite Silver, Garnet Red, and Native Gold variants.

Cameras remain the bigger talking point

Sony is reportedly changing direction with the telephoto system on this generation. Instead of continuing with the variable continuous zoom setup found on the Xperia 1 VII, the new model is expected to use a fixed 3x optical zoom periscope camera with a 48MP 1/1.56-inch sensor. The predecessor, in comparison, packs a much smaller 12MP sensor. On paper, that may sound like a downgrade in flexibility, but the larger sensor could improve detail, low-light performance, and image consistency in the zoom ranges people actually use most often.

Xperia 1 VIII render

The rest of the rear camera setup is rumored to include two additional 48MP sensors for the main and ultra-wide cameras. Selfies could once again be handled by a 12MP front-facing sensor, just like last year. Battery capacity is rumored to sit around the 5,000mAh mark, with IP68 water resistance also likely making a return.

Some early Amazon listings, which were later removed, hinted at European pricing above €1,800 and a release window sometime in June. For now, though, the bigger story is the redesign itself. Sony seems to be modernizing the Xperia look.

Don’t miss a thing! Join our Telegram community for instant updates and grab our free daily newsletter for the best tech stories!

For more daily updates, please visit our News Section.

(Source)

Comments