Sony's new phone is one of your only options with microSD support, but it's not all roses

After a couple of leaks, Sony has finally announced the new Xperia 10 VIII, and it’s basically the same phone as the Xperia 10 VII, bar one small upgrade and a new paint job.

The Xperia 10 VIII looks almost exactly the same as the Xperia 10 VII. There’s the horizontal camera bar on the back, “Sony” branding on the camera island, and a front that looks remarkably out of date with thicker bezels on the top and bottom. It also retains the fingerprint scanner and the 3.5mm headphone jack, and Sony claims that the stereo speakers are now 30% louder.

Under the hood, the phone still comes with the aging Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 processor paired with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. Plus, it has a dual-SIM slot and supports a microSD card, so you can expand the storage up to 2TB. MicroSD card support is definitely a plus, but it’s one of the few redeeming factors of the Xperia 10 VIII.

The display is also mostly the same: a 6.1-inch FHD+ OLED screen with a 1,080 x 2,340 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. The only difference between the Xperia 10 VIII and its predecessor’s display is that the new phone has a 50% brighter screen, according to Sony.

On its back, the phone comes with a dual-camera setup featuring a 50MP primary camera and a 13MP ultrawide-angle camera — exactly the same setup as the Xperia 10 VII. There’s also an 8MP selfie camera on the front.

At least the colors are new. Sony is offering the Xperia 10 VIII in three colors: Frozen White, Misty Lilac, and Frosted Gray. However, even here, the Frosted Gray looks almost identical to the Xperia 10 VII’s Charcoal Black color, at least in official pictures.

The Xperia 10 VIII is priced at €599 (~$698) and will be available to purchase sometime in mid- to late September. It’s worth noting that the Xperia 10 VII launched at €449 (~$520), which makes Sony’s latest launch more of a glorified price hike for the older Xperia 10 VII than a brand-new device.

Since the Xperia 10 VII didn’t launch in the US, it’s highly unlikely the new Xperia 10 VIII will launch here either. Sony will most likely stick to its usual markets: the UK, Europe, and Japan.