Sony has officially announced the Xperia 10 VIII, a midrange refresh that keeps the microSD slot but brings few meaningful changes over its predecessor. The phone carries a €599/£549 price tag for what is essentially last year's model with a new finish.
The Xperia 10 VIII keeps the same 6.1-inch LTPS OLED screen as the Xperia 10 VII, a FHD+ panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. Sony says it boosted brightness by 50 percent, though it hasn't specified the exact maximum figure.
The front-firing stereo speakers remain in the bezels and are now 30 percent stronger on paper.
Under the hood, Sony sticks with the aging Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chip, paired once again with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The SIM slot still accepts microSD cards, keeping the Xperia 10 VIII among the shrinking number of phones with expandable storage, and the headphone jack remains intact.
The rear camera setup is unchanged from last year, featuring a 50MP main shooter with a 13MP ultrawide lens. The battery stays at 5,000 mAh with 30W charging support.
Software duties fall to Android 16 with Sony's near-stock skin, and the phone is promised up to four major OS updates.
Sony first announced the phone in Japan, confirming European and UK availability at €599 and £549, respectively. The price is much higher than last year's Xperia 10 VII, which PCMag attributes to a RAM-crisis-focused price hike.
The Xperia 10 VIII will ship in Frozen White, Frosted Grey, and Misty Lilac color options. Sony hasn't set an exact release date, with the phone said to arrive in mid to late September.
PC Magazine describes the phone as part of Sony's more affordable 10 series, though PC Magazine notes the price is now much higher than last year's model. GSM Arena calls the Xperia 10 VIII part of a dying breed of phones with expandable storage, and both outlets describe the minimal changes as underwhelming at the higher price.
