Sony Xperia 1 VIII Posts Strong Sales in Europe, Switches to Fixed 70mm Camera

Sony's latest flagship smartphone, the Xperia 1 VIII, has performed strongly in the market, with significant sales growth. The device's price in Japan has exceeded 200,000 yen, while European starting prices are 1,500 euros or 1,400 pounds. Despite the premium pricing, Europe has seen notable sales growth, benefiting from Sony's strengthened direct-sales channels. Sony said internal surveys show users give extremely high marks to the retention of the microSD expansion slot and the 3.5mm headphone jack, two traditional features that have become integral to the Xperia brand identity.

In camera design, the Xperia 1 VIII makes a major adjustment. To meet higher user demands for telephoto image quality, the new model abandons the previous generation's continuous zoom mechanism in favor of a fixed 70mm focal length with a 48-megapixel large sensor. This change eliminates the bulky complex zoom components while achieving up to 140mm lossless zoom, improving telephoto shooting quality.

Regarding the fate of the Xperia 5 mid-range products, Sony responded that while it recognizes specific market demand at the 100,000 yen price point, the company will currently concentrate resources on building two core product lines: the 1 series as the brand's flagship and the 10 series for everyday practicality and value. Sony has not yet decided on relaunching a new mid-range product line.