The new Sony Xperia 1 VIII has an official presentation date and it's very close

We're almost there: Sony is about to upgrade its smartphone lineup with the launch of the new Xperia 1 VIII, a model aimed at the high-end market, replacing the Xperia 1 VII. The Japanese company has confirmed the rumors of the last few weeks with a teaser: the debut of the new smartphone is imminent.

A matter of days

The new Xperia 1 VIII will officially debut on May 13. The date is confirmed by a teaser published by the official account @sonyxperia on X. The presentation will be broadcast live on YouTube. The teaser also confirms the new design of the rear camera module.

Make way for our next epic Xperia, coming this May! Don’t miss the official Xperia Product Announcement on @SonyXperia YouTube. https://t.co/BY3EabKTwM
13 May, 2026 11:00 Japan time / 4:00 CEST
#SonyXperia
#ProductAnnouncement
#NextXperia
pic.twitter.com/6B3hwIko0F

-- Sony | Xperia (@sonyxperia)
May 8, 2026

According to a new leak, sales are expected to start quickly. In Hong Kong, for example, the launch date is set for May 20. The expected colors are four, as highlighted by this image that leaked online in recent hours, which also shows the new design solution chosen by Sony for the back cover.

Further details on the technical specifications of Sony's model will arrive in the coming hours. The smartphone is expected to feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 SoC and should be available in two variants, one with 256 GB and another with 512 GB. The price is expected to be 15-20% higher than the previous generation (which sold in Europe for 1499 euros), based at least on the leaked information up to today regarding Hong Kong. Currently, there is still no confirmation regarding a possible launch of the new smartphone in Italy.