GoKawiilRobert Triggs / Android Authority
I have a long-standing love-hate relationship with Sony’s Xperia range, which has all too often left me in two minds about the series. On the one hand, it is arguably the best high-end multimedia phone money can buy, packing Hi-Res audio over wired and wireless connections, unmatched video playback options, and still supporting microSD storage for massive on-device media libraries. In a market obsessed with removing features, Sony continues to build phones for enthusiasts who actually care about media.
But the Xperia lineup has also spent years struggling with the fundamentals. Charging has been slow, thermals inconsistent, and battery life merely decent rather than class-leading. The cameras, despite Sony’s Alpha branding, have often felt undercooked compared to rival flagships. Sony wants Xperia to be the ultimate creator flagship, but it still feels like one built primarily for Sony diehards.
That tension remains with the new Sony Xperia 1 VIII. While Sony has made some smart upgrades, I’m not convinced the company is addressing the series’ biggest problem: workflow.
Sony isn’t improving where it needs to the most
Sony
The Xperia 1 VIII suffers from the same issue affecting many modern flagships — much of the hardware feels iterative. Sony is once again sticking with a 5,000mAh battery, which should still comfortably deliver a full day and possibly two with lighter use. But once you start using the phone for its intended purpose — prolonged video recording, editing, and media capture — battery life will undoubtedly drain quickly. Competitors are now pushing the envelope with 7,000mAh-plus silicon-carbon capacities, making Sony’s approach increasingly conservative.
The charging situation doesn’t help either. Sony was keen to emphasize long-term battery health, claiming up to four years of healthy battery lifespan, but that also serves as justification for retaining 30W wired charging. Last year’s model took roughly 83 minutes to fully charge, which feels painfully slow in 2026. That’s difficult to overlook on a phone aimed at creators who may need to top up quickly between shoots or while traveling.
The cameras tell a similar story. The ultrawide, main, and selfie cameras are largely unchanged from last generation, and while they’re perfectly competent, they didn’t exactly impress me before. HDR performance could be inconsistent, zoom shots often looked overly soft, and the front camera particularly struggled in low light. Meanwhile, competitors are rapidly closing the gap between smartphone and mirrorless camera quality with increasingly massive sensors and smarter computational photography.
What do you think about the new Sony Xperia 1 VIII? 8 votes Looks great overall. 38 % Hardware is great, but I don't like the design. 25 % Hardware could be better, but the redesign is good. 38 % Not that great. 0 %
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