Xperia 1 VIII Arrives With Larger Telephoto Sensor as Xiaomi and Samsung Push New Flagship Updates

Sony has introduced the latest version of its flagship smartphone line, unveiling the Sony Xperia 1 VIII with a revised camera system while largely retaining the hardware direction of earlier models.

The most notable change comes from the telephoto camera. Sony has moved to a new 1/1.56-inch sensor with a 48-megapixel resolution, a substantial increase in both sensor size and pixel count compared to the previous generation. The company says the new telephoto setup is fixed at 70mm, equivalent to 2.9x optical zoom.

That change also marks a departure from one of the Xperia line’s more unusual camera features. The new telephoto unit no longer offers continuous optical zoom functionality, which had distinguished earlier Xperia flagships from many rivals in the premium Android segment.

The remaining rear cameras stay unchanged. Sony continues with a 24mm f/1.9 main camera and a 16mm f/2.0 ultrawide sensor. Powering the device is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, paired with 12GB of RAM and a 5,000mAh battery.

Sony has priced the Xperia 1 VIII at €1,500 in Europe and £1,400 in the UK for the 12GB RAM and 512GB storage configuration. The phone is already available for pre-order in several European markets, where buyers are being offered a complimentary pair of WH-1000XM6 headphones ahead of the device’s June 19 shipping date.

Separate reports ahead of the launch also pointed to an additional Gold color option expected later.

Elsewhere in the Android market, Xiaomi confirmed the upcoming arrival of the Xiaomi 17 Max, which is scheduled to launch in China later this month. Early details shared by the company point to a large 6.9-inch flat display, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, and an 8,000mAh battery with 100W charging support.

The Xiaomi device is also expected to focus heavily on camera hardware. The reported setup includes a 200-megapixel main sensor measuring 1/1.4 inches, alongside a 50-megapixel periscope telephoto camera and a 50-megapixel ultrawide unit.

Samsung, meanwhile, has begun expanding its latest software rollout across several Galaxy product lines. The company started distributing One UI 8.5 globally to the Galaxy S23, S24, and S25 series, as well as Fold, Flip 6, Flip 7, Tab S10, and Tab S11 devices. Samsung says the update brings a broader set of AI-related features across supported hardware.

At the same time, Samsung announced the beta program for One UI 9, based on Android 17, for the upcoming Galaxy S26 series. The beta will initially open in Germany, India, South Korea, Poland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, with registration available through the Samsung Members application.

In India, Samsung has also entered the refurbished smartphone market under its Certified Re-Newed branding. The company has begun offering several devices with a standard one-year warranty, including the Galaxy S25 Ultra, Galaxy S25, Galaxy A56, and Galaxy A36 at reduced prices compared with new retail models.

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The latest announcements reflect how major Android manufacturers continue to compete on camera hardware, battery capacity, and software ecosystems at a time when yearly flagship upgrades are becoming increasingly incremental.