Sony Xperia 1 VIII review

Design, build quality, handling

The Xperia 1 VIII is nothing if not distinctive. Sony has cultivated its own signature look for quite some time now, and the Xperia 1 VIII doesn't really stray too far from the established formula. Flat sides, front and back, small angle curves that do actually extend to the display as well, though the curves are hardly noticeable, definitely not in line with the huge curves popular with current smartphone design trends.

We already mentioned the new camera island design, which is arguably even more distinctive now than ever. Even so, everything about the design is subdued and the opposite of flashy. That includes the color choices: Graphite Black, Lolite Silver, Garnet Red and Native Gold.

Sadly, we didn't get to see the Garnet Red variant in person, but at least we saw a color-matched case for it, which is something.

By the way, the official case has a built-in kick stand, and the texture you get around the frame is quite similar to the new finish on the phone. The only downside is that these cases make the phone rather bulky overall.

Color-matched Xperia 1 VII cases by Sony

Colors and looks are just one aspect of design, though, and while Sony isn't really experimenting with those too much, the same can't be said about the phone's finish and materials. We aren't sure how well this is coming through in our photos, but the Xperia 1 VIII has this new coarse, quite textured finish. Sony calls this "Ore" texture, and if nothing else, it is definitely quite unique - you could think of a very fine nail file to get an idea what it feels like in hand. It's also very grippy and doesn't stain or acquire grease at all.

Sony Xperia 1 VIII

Both the aluminum frame and the glass back are etched with a version of this Ore finish. The back glass is actually Gorilla Glass Victus.

The Xperia 1 VIII features an IP65/IP68 ingress protection rating, just like its predecessor, which is encouraging. The front is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus 2.

As we mentioned, we do like how the Xperia 1 VIII feels in the hand. It is very solid too, with practically no flex to the chassis. However, we can't fail to mention that there is a lot of hollowness when tapping the back. We aren't really sure why that is.

If you still need further proof that Sony is doing its own thing and not really caring about trends, then consider that the Xperia 1 VIII still uses a side-mounted fingerprint reader, bundled with the power button. That's not really something you see too often these days. The power button/sensor is a bit recessed into the frame, making it a bit easier to feel out without looking. Still, it takes some getting used to.

On the plus side, this is a traditional capacitive fingerprint reader that has become pretty much bulletproof at this point. The one on the Xperia 1 VIII is quick and reliable.

The rest of the controls on the phone are quite straightforward. Well, the dedicated shutter key isn't that common of an addition either, but it's definitely not out of place on an Xperia flagship. It works perfectly fine, and it's even a two-stage shutter, which is very convenient for photo use. We do wish Sony would reconsider its decision to disallow pretty much any customization for said key as a quick shortcut. Currently, you can only use it to take a screenshot and to launch the camera app, and that's it.

Sony Xperia 1 VIII

The volume rocker is well-positioned height-wise, but unfortunately, the clicks themselves feel a bit stiff and mushy. Sony could have done better.

We won't glance over the kind of odd plastic "insert" bit above the volume rocker, but frankly, we don't know exactly what it is. Our best guess is that it has something to do with an mmWave 5G antenna, since we've seen similar bits on mmWave phones. Our unit doesn't appear to have mmWave 5G, which leaves the cutout in mystery.

The left side of the frame is pretty much empty. We do like the "carved in" XPERIA text. The top side has a tiny microphone hole and, surprise, surprise - a good old 3.5mm audio jack. Talk about doing your own thing. In fact, there is even more of that going on around the bottom side, where, unlike pretty much any other modern phone, the Xperia 1 VIII has a toolless SIM tray. It's just so convenient, frankly, and by throwing in a nice thick rubber gasket on the inside, Sony still maintains its ingress protection.

Finally, we can't fail to mention that there is even more Sony "peculiarity" still happening on the front of the phone. The top and bottom bezels are quite sizable and host the selfie camera, the sensors, and the front-facing speakers. Unmistakably Sony at this point.