r/SonyXperia

The cameras are all relatively Bad except in perfekt lighting conditions and RAW looks really bad and low res on the main and telelens. The only acceptable Output is the stacked sraw JPEG.

Also AI fucks every picture up. First picture is reality... Look at my eyebrow, skin texture and the Iris. The second one hast merged the eyebrow with my skin and gave me some asian microblading tattoo... eyelashes are gone and merged with my eyeball which now looks like a frogs lens.

And the speakers and GPS are worse than a Pixel10 with it's crappy Tensor. I was so exited for this phone.... And it ist the single most overpriced and overhyped phone. 1200 Euros for AI slop.

It is unusable for shooting pics of people and there should be an option to turn off the slop. and yes or does that to my face with HDR off too and with RAW Light on the main Lens.

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I have been using the new Sony Xperia 1 VIII (Lolite Silver) for two days now, and I can already make an initial comparison with the Samsung S25 Ultra based on my personal experience.

At the outset, I should clarify that this perspective comes from someone who has been a long-time Xperia user. Before switching to Samsung, I used the Sony Xperia 5 V, and prior to that several other Xperia models. When Sony skipped a new release in the series, I decided to experiment and understand what makes the Samsung S25 Ultra such a highly rated Android flagship.

Where the Sony Xperia 1 VIII Outperforms the Samsung S25 Ultra

Headphone Audio Quality

Sony remains unmatched for music enthusiasts. Audio through headphones is fuller, deeper, and more natural compared to Samsung, making it a standout device for sound quality.

Eye Comfort Display

The Xperia display is noticeably more comfortable for prolonged use, being gentler on the eyes during extended reading or browsing sessions.

Ergonomics and In-Hand Feel

The device is lighter and more comfortable to hold, which is immediately noticeable in daily use.

Side-Mounted Fingerprint Sensor

The side-mounted fingerprint sensor is faster and more convenient than Samsung’s in-display solution.

More Natural Camera Colors

Sony produces more natural-looking photos with colors that are closer to real-life scenes, avoiding aggressive post-processing.

Where the Samsung S25 Ultra Has the Advantage

Battery Life

The Xperia 1 VIII does not match the Samsung S25 Ultra in battery performance. Under heavier usage, Sony drains faster, although it can still last a full day with moderate use and optimized settings.

Autofocus and Camera Responsiveness

Sony’s focusing system feels slower and less responsive, while Samsung offers a more intuitive and faster shooting experience.

Display Brightness and Visual Impact

Samsung’s display is significantly brighter and more visually striking, especially for users who prefer vivid and high-impact visuals.

Loudspeaker Quality

The S25 Ultra delivers cleaner and more immersive sound from its built-in speakers.

Charging Speed

Samsung charges considerably faster than Sony.

Build Quality and In-Hand Experience

The Samsung S25 Ultra offers a higher level of industrial build refinement and a more premium finish. Sony, however, compensates with a more tactile and natural in-hand feel, as well as a more secure grip during everyday use.

Conclusion

The Sony Xperia 1 VIII remains a device with a strong and clearly defined identity—focused on audio quality, natural image rendering, and ergonomic comfort. The Samsung S25 Ultra, on the other hand, represents a more complete mainstream flagship with superior battery life, faster camera performance, a more impressive display, and overall higher practical efficiency.

Both devices are top-tier, but their philosophies differ: Sony emphasizes experience and authenticity, while Samsung focuses on maximum technical optimization and convenience.

1st - 1m8 2.9x

2nd - X15U 3x

3rd - 1m8 1x

4th - X15U 1x

Both phones shot in vivid mode

A day in Tokyo with Xperia 1 VIII

Somehow I'm so obsessed with its ai filter function.

ehh i still can't buy 1 V. and my 1 IV Battery is swallen, it's resting now (no camera, no sd & SIM card, no mic). so FK SCAM SUNG!

I got three new Sony Phones from eBay, where one is even from the Sony Ericsson Era, which is a Xperia Arc, the second one is a Xperia Z1 Compact, where the battery is already busted sadly, unless I replace it and last but not at least, I got a Xperia X, which is a bit busted and the Display has some sort of burn in, but it still works and the Batteries of both the Xperia Arc and the Xperia X still hold a charge, even tho both are 15 and 10 years old.

These are just edited jpg's.

Editing software Photo Mate R3 (border added using lightroom mobile)

Love the camera on this phone!

Hi, on my xperia 1 viii, it seems that one of the bigest use of battery is mobile connecting (more thant the screen or the cpu) Whereas I'm on wifi 99% of the time

Is it normal for you ? Donyou have the same ?

Hey everyone, so I recently placed an order with Swiftronics for a Sony Xperia 1 VIII, I was also able to get 10% off because I somehow won the prediction of who's going to win in a football match between USA and Australia. Even though I'm not a football fan, and know nothing about football😂

It's officially been 1 week since I have received the phone, and I'm coming from the Xperia 1 V, which I have used for over 3 years, and loved the experience. I've been using Sony devices my whole life.

The pros:

Camera is AMAZING, like truly amazing, I though my Sony Xperia 1 V camera was great, but the 1 VIII camera is just on another level, the ultra wide, the zoom camera, and the regular cameras, are all fantastic, pictures are clear as day, zoom works really well and shared a lot of details even at maximum zoom of 17.5X. I went to a concert of Evanescence at Jones Beach, it was on an actual beach, and what was the most challenging for any device is the fact that during the night, it was pitch dark, and the only light was coming from the stage itself, and even in those conditions my videos shot at 4K 120fps came out much, and I mean MUCH better compared to my wife's S26 Ultra. I'm not even comparing it to an iPhone, cause iPhone truly sucks when shooting videos during night time (confirmed by my friends from concert with 16 PM and 17 PM). By the way, in true Sony fashion, when you shoot a video at a concert, those microphones pick up EVERYTHING, and when I play the videos to my friends they are shocked, there are no distortions, and as you know concerts get LOUD.

Speed: the phone is very fast and snappy, anything you want to do works right away, without any delay, 12GB of ram is more than enough, when you take into account that Sony doesn't have their own UI on top of stock android, unlike Samsung with their One UI that eats up half of ram out of the box.

The design: I love the design, I got the phone in red color, and it was the best decision, it is really good looking, I constantly get compliments from everyone, saying that this phone is just drop dead gorgeous. I love the fact that Sony as always, did not go for the punch hole or a notch in the screen, and kept the stereo speakers.

Speaking of speakers, they are FANTASTIC, so loud and clear, compared even with the 1 V, and 1 V speakers were a good upgrade compared to the 1 III and the 1 IV, but the 1 VIII is much much better, louder, and land more clarity than before. Love that.

The display: It's large, it's bright, the color accuracy is amazing, yes it's not 4K, I was kind of sceptical about it at first, but I can't tell much difference, besides when watching 4K content, if compared with my 1 V, I can still tell the difference. But using the phone during sunny day became MUCH easier.

So far, I love everything about this phone, and I'm very happy that I finally upgraded and skipped the 1 VI and the 1 VII.

CONS:

let's be honest, everyone is always waiting for cons.

My biggest issue with the phone, is the fact that it does not support 5G out of the box in the US, I thought that I can get around it by disabling DSDS in the menu, but unfortunately no, it is only running on 4G LTE which is a lack laster here in NYC, and I'm using T-Mobile, which is the most friendly carrier for foreign devices. I did however with the help of reddit and XDA forum figured out how you can override the settings by unlocking the bootloader, and make the phone work on 5G, and someone even said that after relocking the bootloader the 5G still worked. But it will require to erase the phone fully, and then having to set it up again with all the authenticators, emails, bank account, Google wallet, it's just a hassle I don't want to deal with at the moment. But I will include the references to the forum, hopefully it helps someone, because when I was looking for information before buying the phone, I couldn't find anyone who had done research on it in depth. Also, on the Sony developer website where you have to request the code to unlocking the bootloader, the user on XDA told me that he chose Sony Xperia 1 VII, and used the IMEI from 1 VIII, and it worked, for anyone who was wondering.

https://xdaforums.com/t/enable-5g-global-rf-bands-on-xperia-5g-lte-ca.4753150/

https://xdaforums.com/t/new-us-user.4792130/#post-90645481

I bought a Xperia Z1 (SOL23) a couple of days ago, and it arrived today. After completing the initial setup, I was surprised to see a message saying:

"This device is a prototype."

Is this normal? I don't think it is, but I'm not sure what it actually means.

Also, every time I reboot the phone, it asks me to select the language again, as if the setup isn't being saved. Does anyone know why this happens or how to fix it?

The model is SOL23 (au Japan), and as far as I know, it's supposed to be a normal retail device.

Any help would be appreciated!

What if Sony brought back the Xperia XZ Premium design?
I used Sony Xperia phones for years, and my favorite was the mirrored Xperia XZ Premium.
Today I use an iPhone 17 Pro Max because I love iOS, its smooth performance, and especially the battery life.
It made me imagine a dream phone:
the iconic Luminous Chrome finish,
Alpha cameras,
a modern 4K OLED display,
excellent battery life,
headphone jack and microSD,
and a software experience as polished and fluid as iOS.
I know iOS would never run on Sony hardware. This is just a fan concept inspired by two products I genuinely love.
Would you buy a modern Xperia inspired by the XZ Premium?