Sony Xperia 1 VIII vs Xperia 1 VII: What’s new?

Sony has just announced its latest flagship Android with the Xperia 1 VIII, but how does it measure up to last year’s?

We’ve compared the specs of the new Xperia 1 VIII to the VII and highlighted the key differences and updates between the two. Keep reading to see what’s really new with the Sony Xperia 1 VIII compared with the Xperia 1 VII and decide whether it’s worth updating or not. 

For more options, visit our best Android phones, best smartphones and best camera phones guides instead.

Specs comparison table

Price and Availability

At the time of writing, the Sony Xperia 1 VIII is available for pre-order and will launch from mid-June. The handset has a starting RRP of £1399/€1499 for the 256GB iteration, which rises to an eye-watering £1849/€1999 for the 1TB Native Gold version.

Although the Sony Xperia 1 VII shares the same starting RRP of £1399/€1499, we would expect this price to drop as its successor starts to roll out.

Sony Xperia 1 VIII has a new AI Camera Assistant

Sony has unveiled the new AI Camera Assistant within the Xperia 1 VIII which is designed to make “photography even more enjoyable”. Powered by Xperia Intelligence, Sony’s AI technology, the AI Camera Assistant will automatically recognise a scene on camera and suggest different options for your image. It does this by assessing what the subject actually is, plus the weather or lighting conditions to provide suggestions for colour tones, lens effects and bokeh expressions. 

The Xperia 1 VII also uses AI within its camera set-up with AI Camerawork, which ensures your subject always remains in focus. As part of this, there’s Posture Estimation that anticipates human movement while Subject Position Lock maintains a subject’s position in frame.

Xperia 1 VIII’s telephoto sensor is around four times larger than the VII’s own

Speaking of photography, one of the reasons to opt for a Sony Xperia is undoubtedly its camera set-up. In fact, their predecessor the Sony Xperia 1 VI has a spot on our best camera phones guide.

One of the biggest upgrades with the Xperia 1 VIII is with its telephoto camera, which now sports a four times larger sensor than the VII’s own at 1/1.56-inches. This, according to Sony, will deliver clear and detailed images “even in low-light conditions”. 

Sony also explains that all lenses will see RAW multi-frame processing which expands dynamic range (HDR) and performs noise reduction in low-lighting too.

Xperia 1 VIII’s speakers promise better overall sound quality

Both the VIII and VII are equipped with a 3.5mm headphone jack – which is something of a rarity in modern smartphones. The jack supports high-quality audio with wired headphones and claims to offer “exceptional sound quality inherited from Walkman”.

However, the VIII also benefits from newly developed speaker units for further advances in stereo performance. The speakers are designed to produce deeper bass, more extended high frequencies and to create a wider and deeper soundstage too. 

Sony says that voices and instruments will be reproduced with greater clarity and richness for a more immersive and engaging audio experience. We’ll have to wait until we review the handset to determine how well the speakers really perform.

Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 vs Snapdragon 8 Elite

Unsurprisingly for a 2026 Android flagship, the Xperia 1 VIII runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip. Found in many of the best Android phones, we’ve found that Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 offers both a brilliant everyday performance and copes admirably with more intense tasks like gaming or even video editing. In comparison, the Xperia 1 VII runs on last year’s Qualcomm flagship chip, Snapdragon 8 Elite.

Sony promises that the Xperia 1 VIII sees a 20% improvement in processing speed and performance. Having said that, Snapdragon 8 Elite remains a solid chip that performs well within the Xperia 1 VII, and you’re unlikely to realistically notice much of a difference in everyday use.

Even so, both handsets promise decent efficiency with a two-day battery life.

Xperia 1 VIII houses its cameras in a revamped square bump

Flip the Xperia 1 VIII and VII over and you’ll notice how different their rears are. While the VII looks somewhat reminiscent of the Samsung Galaxy S26, albeit with its three rear cameras in a raised bump, the VIII’s own trio are housed in a square bump instead.

Otherwise, both handsets are equipped with the dedicated camera shutter button that mirrors dedicated cameras and improves shooting.

Early Verdict

With a flagship processor, larger telephoto lens and new design, the Sony Xperia 1 VIII is a promising overall upgrade over its predecessor. However, with a hefty £1399/€1499 starting price, it’s one of the more expensive options currently on the market. 

With this in mind, if you’re still sporting the Xperia 1 VII then there’s really little reason to upgrade. While its design isn’t quite as sleek as its successor, the VII still benefits from a decent chip and a promise of two-days battery too. Plus, now that it’s been succeeded, the year-old Xperia 1 VII is likely to see a decent price drop in the coming weeks – making it a more appealing and affordable option.