Sony presents Xperia 1 VIII on May 13: first images
Sony has sent out invitations to a press event for the Xperia on May 13 at 11:00 a.m. Japan time. The event will most likely be the launch of the Xperia 1 VIII, which has recently been widely leaked. In the meantime, we have received new images of the flagship.
Sony's invitation shows three rings, corresponding to the new camera module on the back of the Xperia 1 VIII. This removes almost all doubt about which product will be announced on May 13.
Sony posted its invitation on its Instagram page with the caption: "Are you ready for the new Xperia? We are excited to make our official Xperia product announcement on @SonyXperia's YouTube channel. May 13, 2026 11:00 Japanese time / 4:00 CEST". Elsewhere online, the expected Xperia 1 VIII has already appeared in four upcoming colours.
Four Xperia 1 VIII colour options leaked
These are Graphite Black, Iolite Silver, Garnet Red, and Native Gold. Whether all colours mentioned will be released worldwide remains to be seen; typically, only one colour is available locally. The source used Google Gemini to upscale the image below.
The latest Xperia 1 device is expected to feature a higher-resolution telephoto camera. This will allow for sharper zoom photos, but the device unfortunately loses the variable optical zoom of its predecessor, the Xperia 1 VII.
The Xperia 1 VIII announcement will follow on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, though the device may not reach stores until later. An earlier Amazon listing mentioned late June. There are also rumours that early buyers will temporarily receive free WF-1000XM6 earbuds.
