FCC report reveals something strange about 5G connectivity on the Sony Xperia 10 VIII
The Xperia 10 VIII is not coming to North America as Sony's Xperia brand has practically no impact on the US smartphone market.
FCC approves Xperia 10 VIII. | Image by Sony
The FCC has given the Sony Xperia 10 VIII the green light even though the phone is not expected to officially be released in North America. Sony traditionally releases its mid-range handset following the launch of its flagship phone, and this year will be no different. The Xperia 1 VIII was released last month in parts of Europe and Asia, such as the UK, Germany, France, Hong Kong, and Japan.
Sony's 2026 smartphones are not coming to North America
Just like the mid-range Xperia 10 VIII, the flagship Xperia 1 VIII is not officially coming to North America. If that is the case, you might ask why Sony submitted both models for FCC testing. Well, here's the answer. First, the FCC simply tests these devices to make sure that they are radio frequency compliant, making them legal to use across the US.
Additionally, Sony might have wanted the devices approved by the FCC so that they could be tested within the US, or just in case the manufacturer decides to release the device in the US later on down the road. Furthermore, devices used by Sony employees in the States for internal testing still require FCC clearance.
FCC report shows no 5G bands for the Xperia 10 VIII
The FCC report for the Xperia 10 VIII is interesting because it does not mention any 5G bands found in the handset. While last year's model, the Xperia 10 VII, did feature 5G bands, the FCC report for this year's mid-ranger mentions four LTE bands (4, 5, 12, and 41), and the lack of support for 5G is noticeable.
The returning 3.5mm earphone jack on the Xperia 10 VIII gets a nod from the regulatory agency, and there is support for Wi-Fi 6, even though Wi-Fi 7 is available. This makes sense since the mid-ranger is more likely to arrive just shy of the full cutting-edge specs sheet. The flagship Xperia 1 VIII does include support for Wi-Fi 7, of course.
A midrange application processor is rumored to be under the hood
The lack of Wi-Fi 7 has led some to speculate that the Xperia 10 VIII will be powered by a Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 SoC or a Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 AP, as both of those chipsets do not support Wi-F 7. The information listed in the FCC report does show Bluetooth support, but the version of Bluetooth is not mentioned.
The Sony Xperia 10 VII was introduced on September 12, 2025. That means that we could be just a few weeks away from the unveiling of the next iteration of the midrange Sony Xperia 10 series.
Sony has been a strange duck in the smartphone world. Teaming up with Ericsson, the partnership released the Windows Mobile-powered Xperia X1 handset featuring the forerunner of today's app-based UIs, the Panel Interface. The latter allowed users to switch between nine different panels that became a full-screen UI when pressed.
E-Label for the Sony Xperia 10 VIII. | Image by FCC
How could a consumer electronics giant strike out in the smartphone industry?
Over the years, Sony started installing Android on Xperia models and bought out Ericsson as a partner. From 2015 with the Xperia Z5 Premium, to the Xperia 1 V in 2023, Sony offered phones carrying UltraHD 4K displays. Lack of 4K content made the 4K displays a rarely enjoyed feature that also led to higher prices and faster battery drainage.
Additionally, Sony's inability to find a US carrier partner resulted in soft US sales. As a result, Sony's 2026 Xperia models will not be officially released in North America, something that we have already mentioned earlier in this article. In 2025, Sony's Xperia smartphones accounted for less than 1% of US smartphone shipments.
More data from the FCC pertaining to the Xperia 10 VIII. | Image by FCC
In fact, we wouldn't be surprised if Sony changed the name of its smartphone line in the States to the "Sony Others." The manufacturer's market share is so low, its shipment numbers are now lumped together with the practically anonymous unknown brands that sell a small number of devices in the US.
It's amazing and baffling that the company that sold over 400 million Walkman units (both cassette and CD) could whiff on generating strong US sales of a smartphone.
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