Sony’s Xperia 1 flagships have seemed kind of the identical since 2020, however that’s lastly altering with the Xperia 1 VIII, which strikes to a chunky sq. digicam island. The telephone additionally boasts what needs to be a considerably improved telephoto digicam, together with an AI digicam assistant that appears like an improved model of Google’s Digicam Coach.
Whereas each earlier Xperia 1 telephone has had three vertical cameras, and the final six have positioned them in the identical top-left nook spot, the 1 VIII mixes issues up. The three lenses are actually specified by a sq. block, along with the flash and a Sony brand, that’s raised from the telephone however slopes in the direction of its edge. It’s a bit of bit iPhone, however extra intently resembles the design of a few of Motorola’s latest Edge telephones, although with an angularity that feels distinct to Sony. It’s the principle a part of an overdue design refresh, blowing recent air into Sony’s slick, however now barely stale, aesthetic. It’s a shock too, not least as a result of it doesn’t in any respect match the Xperia 10 VII, which additionally obtained an entire new look not too long ago, however adopted a horizontal digicam bar as an alternative.
The Xperia 1 VIII is offered in 4 colours: black, silver, purple, and a gold that’s unique to Sony’s on-line retailer. There’s a delicate texturing to the digicam island, the frosted glass again, and the aluminum edges, together with a knurled end on the devoted digicam shutter button. Like earlier Sony telephones there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack too, plus a microSD slot and a mixed IP65/68 resistance score (this was the perfect round, although has since been bested by a lot of IP68/69 telephones).
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The redesign could also be overdue aesthetically, however it most likely serves sensible function too, permitting Sony to slot in a considerably bigger sensor for the telephone’s telephoto lens. The 1/1.56-inch-type sensor right here is nearly 4 occasions bigger than the Xperia 1 VII’s, a lot larger than both Apple or Samsung’s finest, and shut in dimension to these discovered within the Vivo X300 Extremely and Xiaomi 17 Extremely. With a comparatively quick f/2.8 aperture and 48-megapixel decision, this 70mm-equivalent lens might be probably the greatest telephotos round, as long as Sony nails the processing. The one draw back is that to slot in the bigger sensor, Sony has given up on the continual optical zoom discovered on its final 4 flagships — simply as Xiaomi has copied the characteristic in its personal 17 Extremely.
The telephoto is joined by important and ultrawide cameras, each 48-megapixel and basically unchanged from the earlier telephone. The digicam system as an entire has been improved with a brand new RAW multi-frame processing pipeline, higher bokeh, and up to date macro taking pictures that’s been included into the default digicam mode and now helps autofocus too.
The opposite massive digicam improve is an AI digicam assistant. Whenever you’re making ready to take a photograph, it will counsel completely different choices for filters, framing, and which lens to make use of, along with extra fine-tuned tweaks like brightening the photograph’s topic, however not its background. The solutions pop up earlier than you’re taking a photograph, although Sony says you’ll be able to flip the characteristic off solely in the event you favor. It appears far more highly effective than the reasonably fundamental AI Digicam Coach performance on Google’s Pixel 10 telephones, although I believe many will favor the truth that Google’s mode should be activated manually, whereas Sony’s seems to be on by default.
Sony has packed in just a few different upgrades too. There are new full-stage stereo audio system, apparently tuned along with Sony Photos and Sony Music, that are clearer and louder than earlier than. The 5,000mAh battery and 30W charging are unchanged, although Sony says the telephone will final an hour longer than earlier than thanks to some optimizations beneath the hood. It’s now powered by the newest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, and comes with as much as 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage (although solely within the online-only gold end). One massive draw back is that it’s going to solely obtain 4 years of OS updates, and 6 of safety patches, fewer than nearly some other comparable flagship.
The Xperia 1 VIII begins from £1,399 / €1,499 (about $1,765) for the usual mannequin with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The 16GB / 1TB mannequin is a punchy £1,849 / €1,999 ($2,355). The telephone is offered to order now in Europe and Asia, however Sony has no plans for a North American launch.