Sony officially launched its Pixel 10a competitor, the Xperia 10 VIII. This model is a 10-series smartphone from the affordable Sony lineup, but it misses the mark in one key area. Nevertheless, Sony has brought some upgrades to the 10 series, some of them useful, others purely aesthetic.
Sony Xperia 10 Mark VIII is here with minor upgrades
There's not much to write home about when it comes to upgrades. Sony made the screen of the Xperia 10 VIII 50% brighter than the panel of its predecessor and boosted the stereo speakers a bit. And that's pretty much it.
The Xperia 10 VIII features the same low-midrange Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chipset and the same amount of RAM, which at 8 GB is rather low in 2026. The camera system has been left untouched as well. It's a dual camera with a 50 MP main snapper and 13 MP ultrawide.
The battery and charging situation are also the same — a 5,000 mAh cell lives inside the Xperia 10 VIII's body, and it supports up to 30W wireless charging.
Would you buy the Xperia 10 VIII at €599?
Design changes that are invisible
The phone looks identical to its predecessor. | Images by Sony
Sony boasts a new design for the Xperia 10 VIII, saying it uses a translucent concept as a base. In reality the phone looks identical to its predecessor, despite Sony's claims. There are new colors, though.
Recommended For You
[QUOTE width="100%" align="full" caption="- Sony official press release"]Based on the design concept of a translucent layer, the rear panel uses a transparent material with a matte clear coating. The result is a lightweight look and a simple, refined finish for everyday use with three colors, Frozen White, Frosted Grey, and Misty Lilac[/QUOTE
Another interesting feature, at least according to Sony, is the new Quick Access to Payment and Rewards Apps. This allows users to double-press the power button and launch a payment app such as Google Wallet. It's a useful feature, but dedicating a big portion of the press release to this only goes to show how little upgrades this phone brings to the table.
But there's one area where things get ugly. The price.
Price hike for a phone that's unchanged from last year
The Xperia 10 VIII starts at €599. | Image by Sony
The Xperia 10 VIII starts at €599 (around $699) for the 8/128 GB version. It's a last year's phone, if we take a look at the specs, and even the Xperia 10 VII already felt outdated when it launched back in September 2025.
The Pixel 10a comes with a brighter display, a better processor, and better cameras. It also has a bigger battery and wireless charging, and most importantly, it starts at $499. To top it all off, the Pixel 10a comes with Google's lengthy software support.
Is it game over for Sony?
Honestly, I'm very disappointed in Sony. I used to be a huge Xperia fan, and still am deep inside. But this approach shows that the company has given up or it's just lazy. Both cases are not good enough in today's smartphone climate.
My hopes now lie with the Xperia 1 IX, but skepticism builds up day by day. Do you think people will buy the Xperia 10 VIII, and could Sony turn it around with the flagship Xperia 1 IX?
Shop Otterbox Galaxy cases!
Get Otterbox Galaxy cases, screen protectors, accessories and more. Shop now.
Mariyan, a tech enthusiast with a background in Nuclear Physics and Journalism, brings a unique perspective to PhoneArena. His childhood curiosity for gadgets evolved into a professional passion for technology, leading him to the role of Editor-in-Chief at PCWorld Bulgaria before joining PhoneArena. Mariyan's interests range from mainstream Android and iPhone debates to fringe technologies like graphene batteries and nanotechnology. Off-duty, he enjoys playing his electric guitar, practicing Japanese, and revisiting his love for video games and Haruki Murakami's works.
A discussion is a place, where people can voice their opinion, no matter if it
is positive, neutral or negative. However, when posting, one must stay true to the topic, and not just share some
random thoughts, which are not directly related to the matter.
Things that are NOT allowed:
Off-topic talk - you must stick to the subject of discussion
Offensive, hate speech - if you want to say something, say it politely
Spam/Advertisements - these posts are deleted
Multiple accounts - one person can have only one account
Impersonations and offensive nicknames - these accounts get banned
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts:
New accounts created within the last 24 hours may experience restrictions on how frequently they can
post or comment.
These limits are in place as a precaution and will automatically lift.
Moderation is done by humans. We try to be as objective as possible and moderate with zero bias. If you think a
post should be moderated - please, report it.
Have a question about the rules or why you have been moderated/limited/banned? Please,
contact us.
Things that are NOT allowed:
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts: