Sony Xperia 1 VIII: the last flagship with a headphone jack and microSD slot
Sony has launched the Xperia 1 VIII, its new premium flagship, at £1,399 in the UK and €1,499 in Europe — making it one of the priciest Android phones of 2026. What sets it apart isn't just the price: it's the only premium flagship this year that still includes a 3.5mm headphone jack and a dedicated microSD slot, per Tech Advisor. Sony says sales figures and customer satisfaction have been strong, with Europe showing particularly notable growth.
There's no US launch planned. Sony hasn't brought an Xperia flagship stateside since 2023, and no IMEI certification has been filed, 9to5Google confirms. UK buyers can pre-order now, with units shipping from June 19.
The hardware case
Sony made a deliberate call on the camera. The Xperia 1 VIII drops the continuous optical zoom found in previous models and replaces it with a fixed 70mm telephoto lens backed by a 48MP sensor that is four times larger than the one in its predecessor. The reason: customer surveys showed users cared more about telephoto image clarity than zoom flexibility. The rest of the quad-camera system draws on Sony's Alpha imaging technology, including RAW multi-frame processing and manual controls that enthusiast shooters expect.
The new AI Camera Assistant suggests scene-aware settings but doesn't override manual mode — it stays optional, unlike the more aggressive AI systems in Pixel and Galaxy flagships. The camera module has been redesigned from scratch to accommodate the larger sensor, shifting to a square layout with a textured ORE-inspired grip surface.
The ports argument
Sony has been explicit: the microSD slot and headphone jack are now core to Xperia's identity, not legacy holdovers waiting to be cut. According to Sony representatives, storage expandability is one of the top reasons buyers still choose Xperia over rivals. The 5,000mAh battery is rated for two-day use, though 30W wired charging is slower than the 65W+ speeds competitors offer.
The fixed 70mm telephoto lens delivers sharper images at range, trading zoom flexibility for image quality.
The base 12GB/256GB model is available at £1,399. Pre-orders come with a free pair of Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones — worth around £280 — which softens the premium pricing somewhat. A 1TB variant is also available at around £1,999/€1,999.
Sony Xperia 1 VIII in its ORE-textured finish, available in multiple colourways.
At this price, the Xperia 1 VIII sits alongside the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and Google Pixel 9 Pro XL. It trails both in some camera benchmarks, but it's the only one in the group that lets you plug in your own headphones and swap in a memory card.