Sony Xperia 1 VIII Debuts with 48MP Telephoto Sensor and AI Camera Assistant

Sony has just introduced the Xperia 1 VIII, featuring a fresh square camera design on the back, replacing the old vertical setup. The new telephoto lens boasts a 48-megapixel Type 1/1.56 Exmor RS sensor, which is almost four times larger than the last model, and offers 70mm and 140mm focal lengths plus macro options. There's also an AI Camera Assistant called 'Xperia Intelligence' that helps with settings like framing and exposure, which can be customized or disabled. It keeps cool features like Real-time Eye AF and 4K 120p HDR video. Additionally, it has a microSD slot, a headphone jack, and is rated IP65/IP68. Powered by Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, it can have up to 16GB RAM and 1TB storage. Sony promises four years of Android updates and six years of security patches. The Xperia 1 VIII will launch in Europe and Asia, starting at £1,399 / €1,499 for the 12GB RAM/256GB model, and £1,849 / €1,999 for the 16GB RAM/1TB gold version. Unfortunately, there are no plans for a North American release.