Sony finally announced the official premiere of the Xperia 1 VIII

We’ve already seen almost every detail about Sony’s upcoming flagship, including its eye-watering prices. However, the company hasn’t shared anything official about it yet, but that’s about to change very soon.

Sony Xperia 1 VIII will premiere on May 13

Sony officially announced an Xperia launch event that will happen on May 13. The company hasn’t named the device it will premiere, but the caption of its Instagram post says, “When brilliance comes full circle, the next one is coming.”


That’s clearly alluding to the Xperia 1 VIII, though the company is also expected to announce a new camera and a lens. The event will stream on YouTube on Wednesday, May 13, at 11 AM Japan time, which is Tuesday, May 12, at 10 PM Eastern time.

A major redesign

While Sony didn’t say anything specific about the Xperia 1 VIII in its invitation, the design all but confirms the rumored redesign of the phone. We’ve already seen several renders of a squarish camera island, which may replace the vertical cameras from previous generations.

Sony is also likely to make its new flagship a little wider and thicker than the Xperia 1 VII. However, the upper and bottom bezels around the display are likely to remain intact, as well as the 3.5 mm headphone jack and the front-facing stereo speakers.

Camera upgrade and high price

Alongside the expected and unsurprising Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, Sony is also rumored to bring a “2-day battery” and a significant camera upgrade. There may be a new sensor for the telephoto camera, as well as a 16mm ultra-wide and a 24mm wide-angle camera.



On a less exciting note, the Xperia 1 VIII is likely to continue Sony’s tradition and launch at a whopping €1,868.99 (directly converted to $2,203.48) price in Europe. The device could ship on June 26, and it’s highly unlikely to get a US release.

Hoping for surprises

I’d be very surprised if the Xperia 1 VIII differs much from the leaks we’ve seen so far, but I hope the rumors about its price were wrong. Even with the growing prices across the industry, that number is excessive, and I don’t think many people will be willing to pay so much.

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