u/E_D___B_A_N_G_E_R

S-max already found a 2027 Xperia device (likely the 1 IX) in the IMEI database: https://www.reddit.com/r/SonyXperia/comments/1vjgl80/2027_xperia_shows_up_in_imei_database/

The device now also shows up in an eSIM database in 6 different variants. It's likely 3 unlocked variants (Asia, Europe, Japan), 3 carrier-locked devices for Japan and again no US version.

Stolen by the usual suspects in 3,2,1....

In an article that basically forms part two of the interview series I shared last week, Sony outlines the results of a survey regarding customer's reasons for purchasing the 1 VIII (translated using Google Translate).

Original source: https://www.itmedia.co.jp/mobile/articles/2608/17/news012.html

71.08% Because I like Xperia
56.10% MicroSD card slot available
53.96% I like Sony
40.73% Up to 4 OS version upgrades
38.51% About four times larger image sensor
37.16% 3.5mm audio jack
31.62% High-speed CPU (Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen Gen 5)
30.03% Two-day battery life on a single charge, degrades only after 4 years
25.59% "Features are installed identically on both sides, the full evolutionary" [Probably two identical speakers for improved sound]
22.66% High-quality Yares sound [???]
20.05% It will now be usable autofocus [Probably macro mode]
19.65% 5G mmWave
19.33% Raw gemstones surface / ORE design
18.54% Bright Bravia display
17.12% Maximum RAM 16GB [probably+1TB ROM]
12.36% Telephoto-compatible [???]
11.25% 4 suggestions [Probably colours]
 6.50% Xperia Intelligence
 6.42% Other
 0.55% Price of the device

Surprisingly the price is the most unpopular reason, below "other" 😂

Take this with a grain of salt but in the interview is also a line about an audio chip (DAC) below the metal shield (pic 2). My guess is that they're still using the regular Qualcomm DAC and what's actually below is just an external amp.

Stolen by the usual suspects in 3,2,1....

>Google’s new HiLight feature on the Pixel 11 Pro series uses a five-color LED on the back of the phone primarily to indicate when Gemini is listening or thinking, and to assign colors to favorite contacts during calls, though Google has confirmed there are no plans to open it up to third-party apps, making it more limited than the pre-launch leaks suggested.

https://www.androidheadlines.com/2026/08/the-pixel-11-pros-new-hilight-feature-isnt-the-full-led-notification-return-we-were-hoping-for.html

So even if other brands put the LEDs on the correct side, they wouldn't be half as useful as possible and not a return of the notification LEDs Sony used until the V series.

Source is an interview with two Sony employees responsible for the Xperia 1 VIII:

>While prices are rising, sales are still strong, and customer satisfaction is also very high. In both Japan and overseas, we have been performing well, and we have been able to expand our options by adding large-capacity memory such as 1TB and developing special colors (native gold) that are limited to SIM-free. In Europe, sales are growing significantly due to the strengthening of the direct sales (D2C) channel.

(machine-translated)

https://www.itmedia.co.jp/mobile/articles/2608/10/news015.html

So the availability in much fewer sales channels (now only Amazon and Sony D2C) didn't lead to a decreased demand. Imho the key factors for the strong sales are: a) the limitation allows price control and the lack of significant markdowns leads to a very high resale value, b) the VIII is simply a very good device with substantial progress in terms of photography c) Sony finally offers a decent support period and not only two or three years (thanks to the EU regulations)

Other notable statements:

On 3.5-7.1x variable zoom vs. 2.9x fixed lens:

>The optical zoom lens of the previous model was also well received, but we received a lot of requests from customers who wanted a higher-quality telephoto. Since the optical zoom lens is difficult to balance with the thickness of the main body, this time we decided to realize 140mm equivalent (about 5.8x) without image quality deterioration by increasing the sensor size to a larger sensor size.

On microSD:

>In the questionnaire on the reason for purchasing, microSD support is at the top, and we value the voice of customers.

On microSD/headphone jack:

>We recognize that the presence of a microSD slot and a headphone jack has become part of the Xperia’s identity. Amid a market flooded with rounded smartphones designed to appeal to everyone, these features are key elements that define the Xperia’s distinctive character, and we believe they are one of the essential aspects of “what makes the Xperia the Xperia” that we must never lose.

On an additional model (like 5 series)

>We understand that the lineup has been narrowed down. We conduct very frequent surveys on general market trends, customer payment patterns, and primary uses, and we are aware that there is a certain level of demand and market size within that price range. However, for the current Xperia lineup, we believe that consolidating it into two pillars—the flagship 1 Series, which best embodies the essence of Xperia, and the 10 Series, which offers the best value for experiencing the Sony experience in everyday use—is the most efficient way to meet market demands. Therefore, at this time, we have not decided to add a new mid-range lineup. Regarding the 5 Series, we learned about efficiency gains achieved by consolidating it into the two current pillars—the 1 Series and 10 Series—as well as its role as the “cutting-edge communications infrastructure” that supports the group.

XQ-HH44, XQ-HH54 & XQ-HH74.

Probably the 1 IX. No other details apart from the model numbers are given.

Source: https://s-max.jp/archives/1805826.html

EDIT: My expectations for 2027 are:

- Same design

- Front cam or main cam upgrade. Front cam is much older and clearly simply a bad and small camera, so an upgrade is most overdue as it was on the tele. Maybe they'll upgrade it to a (slightly cropped?) 1.1/2" LYT-610. If they also/only upgrade the main cam it will probably be a 1/1.28” LYT-L910 - although I'm not sure whether they can circumvent the 4k60 limit.

- Battery capacity/charging speed upgrade

- Slightly brighter display

and apart from that only minor changes.

And that Qualcomm's and memory chip price increases will make them add 100€.

https://www.androidauthority.com/storage-upgrades-cost-too-much-microsd-cards-3688866/

We don't need them back 😎️

PY7-75158T

GSM/WCDMA/LTE Phone with BT, DTS/UNII a/b/g/n/ac/ax, NFC and GNSS

Likely the 10 VIII. No Wi-Fi 7, so my guess is that it will have a SD 6 Gen 4 or similar SoC.

Thanks u/TheWalkmanBlog who originally found the device.

https://thewalkmanblog.com/2026/07/16/sony-xperia-10-viii-fcc-certification/

>Pros
+ Extensive features
+ Good photo quality (especially wide-angle)
+ Low power consumption
+ Bright OLED display
+ Fast chipset
Cons
- Poor telephoto capabilities
- Slow charging
- Only a 1,080p display
- Wide bezels
- Low PWM with no information on eye protection

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Why-this-lightweight-top-of-the-line-smartphone-is-better-than-its-specs-suggest-Sony-Xperia-1-VIII-Review.1340527.0.html

>Poor telephoto 🤣️

>1,080p display 🤣️

>rather small sensors 🤣️

...and stolen by Sumaho. F*CK YOU

Most items are more expensive than VII spare parts. Battery is up from 18 to 55€ although it's exactly the same, display is from 180 to 280€ 🤔️

https://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/support/articles/00356185

https://www.notebookcheck.net/iPhone-18-adopts-iPhone-17-Pro-design-How-fake-leaks-generate-clicks.1326701.0.html

...yet reposts every sh1t from Sumaho and their fake 'leaker' GXmmm918/GXp0901 for years now...

05.22: Next gen Xperia will feature an ceramic-like rear panel:

https://www.notebookcheck.net/fileadmin/Notebooks/News/_nc3/English.jpg

03.22: "Approx. 1" sensor and possibly centered camera on 1 V & 5 V

https://www.notebookcheck.net/fileadmin/Notebooks/News/_nc3/camera98.jpg

05.23: 12GB RAM and triple rear cam for the 5 V:

https://www.notebookcheck.com/fileadmin/_processed_/b/e/csm_Sony_Xperia_5_V_Specs_Leak_9097bf65c8.jpg

10.23: Wrong camera setup for the 1 V:

https://www.notebookcheck.net/fileadmin/Notebooks/News/_nc3/Xperia_1_V_cameras.jpg

11.23: Launch of an Xperia 7 with Mediatek SoC

https://www.notebookcheck.net/fileadmin/Notebooks/News/_nc3/Xperia_7.jpg

03.24: 85-125mm for the VI telephoto, no 48mm in-sensor zoom for the main

https://www.notebookcheck.com/fileadmin/_processed_/1/2/csm_Sony-Xperia-1-VI-Kamera-Specs-Leak_a72144a2f5.jpg

02.25: Camera sensors of the VII will have the same sizes but be Exmor T instead of RS

https://www.notebookcheck.net/fileadmin/_processed_/a/f/csm_Xperia-Exmor-RS-to-T_2b5485cbd2.jpg

10.25: All new model similar to 10 - not 10 VII.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Unidentified-potentially-all-new-Sony-Xperia-smartphone-model-emerges-in-new-leak.1013370.0.html

01.26: 1 VIII leaks with 21:9 display

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Sony-Xperia-1-VIII-leaks-with-fresh-design-and-21-9-display.1264229.0.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phT4E8jQBvg

Snippet already discovered a few days ago and now finally out

https://www.reddit.com/r/EdBangerRecords/comments/1u9hv34/id_on_this_track_pleaseee/

EDIT: the track is actually by Busy P, Myd & twinsmatic - can't edit the title anymore.

EDIT2: official video now also online https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CApSEaTRIcQ

...but there's a catch: 'ships from Friday, 30th October'. So it's probably better to wait for a Black Friday discount.

>Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation (Sony) today announced the upcoming release of the LYTIA L910, an approximately 50-effective megapixel image sensor for mobile applications delivering 100 dB high dynamic range imaging with low power consumption. This is the first product in the LYTIA lineup with the LOFIC structure. It also features the new HDR technology and logic circuit technology to reduce random noise in dark areas of images. These technologies enable high-quality imaging by reducing highlight blowout in bright areas and noise in dark areas, compared to conventional products. Furthermore, it can offer HDR video recording at 4K, 60 fps, which has become more popular recently, while maintaining low power consumption with optimized circuit design. With these improvements, the new sensor provides high-quality imaging that looks much like what is seen by the human eye and clear capturing of both highlights and shadows in high-contrast scenes, such as night views with bright LED lights. It brings new value to the shooting experience on mobile cameras.

https://www.sony-semicon.com/en/info/2026/2026061701.html

Maybe something for the 2027 Xperia flagship?

Red and gold with black case look great.

Original source and more photos: https://kunkoku.jp/xperia-1-viii-xqz-cbge.html