Sony Xperia 1 VIII Announced

Sony announced their new Xperia 1 VIII last week. Is the new model a worthy upgrade to Sony’s flagship, or just a minor update? I dive into the specs and compare it to the previous generation.

This is not a hands on preview, as I do not receive any review units from Sony. The phone is not even available here in Canada, so I could not buy one even if I wanted to, assuming I could afford it, which at 1499 Euros, is a bit much for my budget currently. Of course Sony is more than welcome to send me a review unit.

Design

The most apparent and controversial change in the new model is the camera bump. Sony has ditched the vertical layout, and went with a rounded square design. When the clear case leaked a while back, the user opinion was very mixed, and even post announcement, the opinions remain mixed, but I think people will warm to the redesign. For me, as long as the redesign brings some camera improvements, it can be any shape or design.

The redesign is not just for aesthetic reasons, as there is a technical, practical, and functional considerations as well. Technically, the new layout accommodates a larger telephoto camera module (detailed later on). Practically, it expands the available grip area when holding the device in landscape mode, significantly improving user comfort. Finally, from a functional standpoint, optimizing the spacing between the three lenses minimizes the field-of-view shift during transitions,resulting in a more harmonious camera inexperience compared to the previous model.

The 1 VIII features a new texture on the outside of the phone, it reminds me a bit of the the old X-Series Walkman from 2009, but I suspect it is different. Sony calls this the new “ORE Design”, with the new colours adopting their names from this theme.

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

I am a fan of both the red and the black colours, but would probably get the black colour if I had to choose one. I wonder why Sony did not offer a pure white colour, perhaps calling it Platinum White? Such a colour would pair perfectly with the upcoming WH-1000XX in white.

If we compare the front of VII and VIII, the design is practically identical. Both models sport a 6.5″ 19.5:9 OLED (1080 x 2340) screen, with identical bezels, with only the frame surround using a different texture and design. The front facing camera, the side buttons, and speakers are in the same position. The only minor change, seems to be the position of the top wireless antenna near the speaker, moving slightly to the left on the new model.

Carrying over the same screen was probably a cost cutting decision, as Sony could re-use any stock they had left over from the VII, as well as any tooling for production. Whether this was the correct decision is debatable. On one hand, it saves on development and production costs, on the other hand, it may turn off potential buyers who are unwilling to drop 1499 Euros on a device with a FHD+ screen.

Moving to the top and bottom of the phone, again very little has changed. The only thing that had to move was the top voice microphone moving from the middle to the far end. The previous Xperia 1 II, III, IV, V, and VI had the microphone on the far side as well. The VII moved the top microphone to the centre, because the new wide angle camera module was much larger, and there was no room for the MEMS microphone.

The new re-design is subtle but effective. I am wondering how the new texture feels and if it will hold up better to scratches. According to GSMArena’s review, the new material seems to be quite grippy, and dose not stain or attract greasy fingerprints that easily. This seems like a good thing.

The remainder of the design specifications are practically the same.

	Sony Xperia 1 VIII	Sony Xperia 1 VII
Dimensions	162 x 74 x 8.3 mm	162 x 74 x 8.2 mm
Weight	200 g	197 g
Water/Dust Resistance	Water (IPX5/IPX8) Dust (IP6X)	Water (IPX5/IPX8) Dust (IP6X)

I am sure there will be users who think the FHD+ resolution is inferior and Sony should bring back the 4K screen. I get it, for a flagship model ,and with flagship pricing, the screen should be sporting a higher resolution, at least 1440 rather than 1080. Considering the less expensive Xperia 10 VII uses a similar resolution, but has a higher PPI, it is mind boggling. Sony has kept the same screen size and resolution since the Xperia 1 VI, when they ditched the 21:9 ratio. Maybe there are no screens without a notch/punch hole in higher resolution at 6.5″? Or such a screen would need to be custom made for Sony, raising production costs.