Sony Xperia 1 VIII Swaps 85-170mm Zoom for 70mm Telephoto as AI Camera Assistant Debuts
Updated
Updated · GSMArena.com · May 13
Sony Xperia 1 VIII Swaps 85-170mm Zoom for 70mm Telephoto as AI Camera Assistant Debuts
9 articles · Updated · GSMArena.com · May 13
Sony’s Xperia 1 VIII replaces the prior continuous 85-170mm telephoto with a fixed 70mm lens on a larger 1/1.56-inch sensor, a shift aimed at fixing weak zoom performance on earlier models.
At its native 2.9x zoom, the new telephoto delivers sharper detail, more natural foliage and better portraits than the Xperia 1 VII, but the marketed 140mm reach is digital rather than true optical zoom.
48MP-class hardware remains underused elsewhere: the main, ultrawide and selfie cameras are largely unchanged, only the main can save 48MP files, and portrait rendering plus selfies still lag rivals.
The new AI Camera Assistant overlays live enhancement suggestions, can auto-trigger Bokeh or recommend zoom changes, but the pop-up can distract from framing even if it can be minimized.
Overall, the review says the phone is a good but not class-leading stills camera, while video is more convincing with up to 4K120 on all three rear cameras, strong color and wide dynamic range despite softer detail.
Can a single standout telephoto lens justify the Xperia 1 VIII's ultra-premium price against more balanced rivals?
As the world's top camera sensor supplier, why does Sony's own smartphone struggle to lead in photo quality?