Sony Xperia 1 VIII – First Look

A new leak of the Sony Xperia 1 VIII has appeared, posted on Weibo (source).

The new leak reveals the new camera bump design hinted by the case leaks and onleaks render by Steve. The new photo also reveals the upcoming colours:

• Sapphire Black
• Iolite Silver
• Garnet Red
• Native Gold

The Sony logo has now moved from the body to the camera module, mimicking the change seen in the Sony 10 VII. I do not hate the new logo position, but I do not love it. But it is good to see some design cohesion between the models.

The leaked photo is of poor quality, and a much as I hate to use AI, here is Google Gemini cleaned up version along with some minor photoshop work from me.

Supposedly the phone will be released in Hong Kong on May 20th, with the 256GB model priced at 12,099 HKD (~ 1300 Euros), and the 512 GB at 12,899 HKD (~ 1400 Euros). Whether the release date is for pre-orders or an actual release date remains to be seen. The pricing will probably be different for Europe.

The telephoto lens does look to be rectangular like the current 1 VII, but the leak from Amazon Germany did state only a 70mm focal length, so perhaps the rectangular lens/design is something that us just required for a zoom lens, even if the focal length is fixed. No idea.

Could we have a teaser in the upcoming week? Perhaps we will.

Unfortunately the phone will not be available here in Canada, so I would have to import it, either black or red, but at the current exchange rate, the phone would cost more than my current laptop did when I bought it.

Perhaps the price will drop later in the year.