Xperia 1 VIII renders preview Sony's bold design departure

It’s looking increasingly likely that Sony is ready to shake things up with the Xperia 1 VIII. On April 1, we got our first look at a render for the upcoming handset, revealing a drastic redesign. While no one would blame you for dismissing the render as an April Fools’ Day prank, it had the support of a reliable leaker. Since then, more renders have emerged, further supporting the possibility of a new design.

Over the weekend, a new render of the Xperia 1 VIII leaked, courtesy of X (formerly Twitter) user mobaziro. Unlike the previous leak, this render shows the smartphone without a case. If the render turns out to be accurate, then we’re looking at a device that replaces Sony’s usual vertical rear camera setup with a square-shaped camera island.

According to the earlier leak, the switch to a new camera island may have been out of necessity. It’s rumored that Sony is giving the Xperia 1 VIII a physically larger camera sensor. Thanks to Qualcomm, we know that the device should come with a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 SoC. And a recent FCC spotting confirms that the 3.5mm audio jack will make its return.

Interestingly, this render shows a phone with top and bottom bezels. Other renders have suggested that these bezels will be gone and there will be a punch-hole front camera.