After seven years of the same vertical camera strip, Sony is killing its signature Xperia design. The company confirmed the Xperia 1 VIII will be announced May 12 at 10:00 PM ET (May 13 at 11:00 AM in Japan), with a teaser image showing a square camera island replacing the stacked strip used since the Xperia 1 launched in 2019. The redesign is more than cosmetic.
Sony is reportedly scrapping the variable optical zoom telephoto lens it introduced with the Xperia 1 VI in 2024. That lens offered stepless zoom from 85 to 170mm (3.5x to 7x), a feature Sony marketed as "true optical zoom" that enabled smooth transitions in video mode. The Xperia 1 VIII instead settles for a fixed 70mm telephoto (3x zoom), paired with a larger 48MP sensor that replaces last year's 12MP unit.
Leaked Amazon listings suggest the phone will land in Graphite Black, Lolite Silver, Garnet Red, and Native Gold. Pricing looks steep, with European listings showing a EUR 1,868.99 tag and UK listings at GBP 1,728, though those figures may include a bundled pair of Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones.
Expected specs include a 6.5-inch FHD+ OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, and a triple rear camera system with 16mm ultrawide, 24mm main, and the new 70mm telephoto. A 3.5mm headphone jack survives another generation. The phone is also reportedly slightly thicker at 8.58mm, likely accommodating larger camera sensors and a bigger battery. The Xperia 1 VIII will stream via Sony's YouTube channel. But US buyers should not expect a stateside release Sony has not launched a flagship Xperia in the US since the Xperia 1 V in 2023, and leaks suggest that pattern is not changing.
Sony's decision to drop variable zoom after a single generation is a bet that higher resolution and larger sensors matter more to its niche audience of photo and video enthusiasts than optical reach. For a brand that competes almost entirely on camera credentials, it is a meaningful concession on what was once a unique selling point.
