Sony Xperia 1 VIII

R32,000
SKU: 6654
Brand: Sony Xperia
Category: Mobiles
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Available

CPU: Octa-core (2x4.6 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix L + 6x3.62 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix M)
RAM: 12GB/16GB
Storage: 256GB/512GB/2TB
Display: LTPO OLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR BT.2020
Camera: 48MP
OS: Android 16, up to 4 major Android upgrades

Our Rating

The overall rating is based on review by our experts

9.8

Display 10 / 10
Camera 10 / 10
Performance 10 / 10
Battery 9 / 10

PROS

Powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset
Triple 48MP camera with Zeiss optics
Premium design with Gorilla Glass Victus
3.5mm headphone jack with Hi-Res audio
Long software support with 5 major upgrades

CONS

5000 mAh battery is smaller than many rivals
30W charging feels slow for a flagship
Shared SIM slot for microSD expansion
Expensive high-end pricing expected

Sony Xperia 1 VIIIi: Pricing Overview

The Sony Xperia 1 VIIIi occupies a premium tier in the South African smartphone market.

Starting Price: Approx. ZAR 32,000
Price Variability: The final price tag will fluctuate depending on your regional location, chosen retailer, special promotional events, or whether you choose to purchase the device cash or on a cellular contract.

Where to Buy in South Africa

The device can be sourced through a mix of major online marketplaces, physical electronics stores, clothing/lifestyle retailers, and cellular network providers.

1. Online & Physical Retail Giants

For outright cash purchases, competitive pricing, and seasonal tech sales, check:

Takealot (Excellent for online delivery and customer reviews)
Makro & Game (Great for bulk-tech deals and store-card financing)
HiFi Corp (Dedicated consumer electronics specialist)

2. Department & Lifestyle Stores

These stores frequently offer internal account financing or reward program benefits:

Foschini
Mr Price
Ackermans
PEP

3. Specialized Cellular Outlets & Network Operators

If you are looking to upgrade an existing plan or take out a new 24-to-36-month contract, these providers offer both contract packages and standalone device setups:

MTN
Cellucity
4U
Chatz
Hi Online

💡 Buying Tip: Because Sony phones are often imported or sold as specialty items in South Africa, always verify the warranty status (whether it includes a local manufacturer warranty or an importer gray-market warranty) before completing your purchase.

Full Specifications

General

Brand	Sony
Model	Xperia 1 VIII
Announced	13 May, 2026
Released	19 June, 2026
Status	Available
Price	ZAR 32,000

Design

Type Design Type called form factor refers to a mobile phone's size, shape, and style as well as the layout and position of major components of phone. There are three major form factors seen in mobile phones => bar phones, folding phones and sliding phones.	Bar
Dimensions	162 x 74 x 8.3 mm (6.38 x 2.91 x 0.33 in)
Weight	200 g (7.05 oz)
Protection	IP65/IP68 dust tight and water resistant (low pressure water jets; immersible up to 1.5m for 30 min)
Colors	Graphite Black, Iolite Silver, Garnet Red, Native Gold

Network

2G Network
3G Network
4G Network
5G Network
SIM SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) is a small card that contains mobile network subscriber's account information. This allows the phone using the card to attach to a mobile network. The SIM card is most commonly associated with GSM and UMTS mobile networks. Moving a SIM card from one phone to another allows a subscriber to switch mobile phones without having to contact their mobile network carrier. SIM cards can also be used by a phone to store limited amounts of data, such as phone numbers and text messages.	Nano-SIM + eSIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time)

Display

Display Type Display Technology => A number of display technologies and types used in mobile phones => TFT (Thin Film Transistor), IPS (In-Place Switching), OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode), AMOLED (Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode), Super AMOLED (an even advanced version of AMOLED), Resistive Touchscreen (Resistive touchscreens contain two layer of conductive material with a very small gap between them which acts as a resistance), Capacitive Touchsceen (Capacitive touchscreen technology consists of a layer of glass coated with a transparent conductor)	LTPO OLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR BT.2020
Size	6.5 inches, 103.7 cm2 (~86.5% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution	1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~396 ppi density)
Display Protection Display Protection => Gorilla Glass is a special alkali-aluminosilicate glass shield with exceptional damage resistance that helps protect mobile displays from scratches, drops, and bumps of everyday use, It is always better to go for a smartphone with Gorilla Glass for that added protection and peace of mind.	Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, Mohs level 5

Media

Audio Playback
Video Playback
FM Radio	No
Ring Tones
Loudspeaker

Camera

Main Camera Camera is able to capture photographs and usually videos, The most important characteristics of a camera are the resolution (measured in megapixels), lens focus type (fixed or automatic), higher megapixel cameras are known to capture higher quality photos, but not always a good measurement of the photos quality.	48 MP, f/1.9, 24mm (wide), 1/1.35", 1.12µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 48 MP, f/2.8, 70mm (periscope telephoto), 1/1.56", 1.0µm, dual-pixel PDAF (15cm - ∞), OIS, 2.9x optical zoom 48 MP, f/2.0, 16mm (ultrawide), 1/1.56", 1.0µm, PDAF
Camera Features	HDR
Video	4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps, 5-axis gyro-EIS
Selfie Camera	12 MP, f/2.0, 24mm (wide), 1/2.9", 1.22µm
Camera Features	HDR
Video	4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps, 5-axis gyro-EIS

Software

Android 16, up to 4 major Android upgrades

Hardware

Chipset Chipset is a group of integrated circuits designed to perform one or a more dedicated functions, often with real time computing constraints, Popular smartphones are equipped with more advanced embedded chipsets that can do many different tasks depending on their programming.	Qualcomm SM8850-AC Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3 nm)
CPU CPU (Central Processing Unit) mostly known as processors, CPU processes instructions in order to carry out certain functions that make your device operate properly. Processors are often described as the brain of computers, smartphones and tablets, Smartphones and tablets rely on processors to carry out their every task, Processors are an incredibly important factor in selecting any type of computing device, including your smartphone.	Octa-core (2x4.6 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix L + 6x3.62 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix M)
GPU GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) is a single-chip processor designed to rapidly manipulate and alter memory to accelerate the creation of images in a frame buffer intended for output to a display, This includes things such as lighting effects, object transformations, and 3D motion.	Adreno 840
RAM (Memory) RAM (Random Access Memory) is a type of computer memory that can be accessed randomly, any byte of memory can be accessed without touching the preceding bytes that allows information to be stored and accessed quickly from random locations. RAM is the most common type of memory found in computer systems, smartphones, tablets and other electronic devices.	12GB/16GB
Internal Storage Internal Storage is a data storage space (flash memory) mostly used in smartphones, tablets and other electronic devices where operating system, apps, music, photos, videos, files and other user data Is stored.	256GB/512GB/1TB
Card Slot Memory Card Slot is a special slot for inserting a memory card. Memory cards allow you to expand the phone's built-in memory, A memory card (sometimes called a flash memory card or a storage card) is a small storage medium used to store data such as text, pictures, audio, and video, for use on small, portable or remote computing devices such as mobile phones, mp3 players, digital cameras.	microSDXC (dedicated slot)
Sensors Sensors are electronic components that detects and responds to some type of input from the physical environment. The specific input could be light, heat, motion, moisture, pressure and location, The output is generally a signal that is converted to use in computing systems, a location sensor, such as a GPS receiver is able to detect current location of your electronic device.	Fingerprint (side-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, barometer, compass Native Sony Alpha camera support

Connectivity

Bluetooth Bluetooth is a wireless communications technology for exchanging data between mobile phones, headsets, computers and other network devices over short distances without wires, Bluetooth technology was primarily designed to support simple wireless networking of personal consumer devices.	6.0, A2DP, LE Audio, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless
Wi-fi Wi-Fi is a popular wireless networking technology using radio waves to provide high-speed network connections that allows devices to communicate without cords or cables, Wi-Fi is increasingly becoming the preferred mode of internet connectivity all over the world.	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA
Wi-fi Hotspot
USB	USB Type-C 3.2, OTG, video output
Positioning GPS The Global Positioning System is a satellite-based radio navigation system, GPS permits users to determine their position, velocity and the time 24 hours a day, in all weather, anywhere in the world, In order to locate your position, your device or GPS receiver must have a clear view of the sky.	GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS
NFC NFC (Near field communication) is a set of standards for smartphones and similar devices to establish peer-to-peer radio communications with each other by touching them together or bringing them into proximity, usually no more than a few inches.

Battery

Battery Type Battery Type => Cell phones run on various kinds of batteries depending on the manufacturer, phone size or shape and features. There are basically four types of cell phone batteries => Lithium Polymer, Lithium Ion, Nickel Metal Hydride and Nickel Cadmium.	5000 mAh
Charging Wireless Charging (Inductive Charging) uses an electromagnetic field to transfer energy between two objects. This is usually done with a charging station. Energy is sent through an inductive coupling to an electrical device, which can then use that energy to charge batteries or run the device.	30W wired, PD3.0, PPS, 50% in 30 min 15W wireless Reverse wireless Bypass charging

Reviews

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Display: Screen size, image quality (brightness, colors, contrast, etc), visibility in sun light, angles of view and touchscreen.

6
Camera: Usability of Camera interface, image and video quality in different light conditions and environment.

5
Performance: Is this device perform good while watching videos, playing games, taking snapshots, browsing internet and navigate through other applications?

5
Battery: What about battery life, while calling, listening music, watching videos, playing games and doing other tasks.

6
Average Rating 6 / 10 based on your selection