Sony's Xperia 1 VIII smartphone has an AI camera assistant to help you take better photos
Sony’s flagship smartphone also features a new design and a more powerful telephoto camera
🤖 The Xperia 1 VIII features a new AI camera assistant that suggests optimized settings for scenes and subjects
📸 It includes a new telephoto camera with a sensor four times larger than its predecessor for improved imaging
💎 The smartphone introduces a new ‘ORE design’ inspired by gemstones and runs on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip
💰 Pre-orders are open now for £1,399/1499EUR, including a free pair of WH-1000XM6 headphones
Sony has announced its new Xperia 1 VIII flagship smartphone, which features a new AI camera assistant powered by Xperia Intelligence.
Using AI, the assistant can enhance your photos by suggesting camera settings such as color tones, lens selection, and bokeh effects, which are optimized depending on the scene and subject you’re shooting.
The Xperia 1 VIII is also armed with a new telephoto camera with a 1/1.56-inch image sensor, which is around four times larger than the one used in the Xperia 1 VII.
Sony also says that all three cameras on the Xperia 1 VII (16mm / 24mm / 70mm) deliver low-light performance that’s comparable to a full-frame sensor in terms of noise reduction and dynamic range, which should produce clear imaging in darker environments.
The Sony Xperia 1 VIII has a new look, which Sony is calling ‘ORE design’. It’s inspired by natural materials with color choices originating from raw gemstones: Graphite Black, Iolite Silver, Garnet Red, and Native Gold.
In terms of specs, the phone is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and promises to deliver up to two-days of battery life. There’s a headphone jack, a microSD card slot, and new full-stage stereo speakers.
The Sony Xperia VIII is available for pre-order today, May 13, direct from Sony and select online retailers. It costs 1499EUR / £1,399 for the 256GB version, and those who pre-order will also receive Sony’s high-end WH-1000XM6 headphones.
A 1TB Native Gold version is also available exclusively from Sony online in select countries for 1999EUR / £1,849.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the Sony Xperia 1 VIII will be available in the US.
Up next: Sony still doesn’t have a projected PS6 release date or price
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. He also runs a retro gaming YouTube channel called Game on, boy! Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.