But with the Sony Xperia 1 VIII, a sea change seems to be about.
A more consumer-friendly phoneSony smarts with some foreign inspirationCredit: SonySony's Xperia phones have always been designed for professionals.
Sony's camera smarts have always been best suited for people who already know their way around a camera.
Several generations of Xperia phone had moving telephoto lenses, which could switch focal length.
This smart shift could introduce the phone to a new audience of camera phone fans.
That's a shame, because these phones are unique. They stand as a test case for Sony's photography and display technology with plenty of unique features. Xperia fans have spent the last few years missing out (or having to import phones).
But with the Sony Xperia 1 VIII, a sea change seems to be about. Sony has begun moving in the right direction, and I'd love to see a return to US releases.
A more consumer-friendly phone
Sony smarts with some foreign inspiration
Credit: Sony
Sony's Xperia phones have always been designed for professionals. Partly, that's simply down to the price: the last few generations have all cost at least $2,000 (converted to the US, from regions where it does sell).
But partly, that's down to the feature set. Sony's camera smarts have always been best suited for people who already know their way around a camera. Its unique features like Eye Autofocus and Videography Pro won't make any sense to a camera newbie.
And other features, which aren't confusing, just go completely under the radar. Several generations of Xperia phone had moving telephoto lenses, which could switch focal length. Great for photo and video versatility, but I knew an owner who didn't even know that this was a thing.
However, with the Sony Xperia 1 VIII, it looks like the brand has started to add in some consumer-friendly tools, and polish some of its rough edges so everyday users can appreciate them.
The best example of this is a Google-inspired Camera Assistant, which can give you suggestions on which lens and effects to use for certain shots. Admittedly, a promotional blunder has tarred this feature in the eyes of many, but it still could be a handy way of letting buyers appreciate the Xperia camera better.
The brand's also removed the moving telephoto lens, a shame to me but a compromise to confused users.
Other tweaks help it compare better to rivals: options include more RAM and higher storage, the speakers are designed for tuned surround sound, and all options now have eSIM capability. But to really stick it to the competition, Sony still offers some features that other major brands are missing.
Sony offers missing features
I wish the Samsung Galaxy would bring them back
To me, the appeal of the Sony Xperia 1 VIII and its predecessors is that they still offer plenty of tools that used to be commonplace in phones. Many of these have almost become extinct, but if you're paying top dollar, you expect the best.
I spent months with the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra wishing it had any of these. If even Samsung phones don't offer top tools, it's hard for buyers to find mobiles that do.
Take, for instance, the hill I'll die on: the audio jack. The list of Android phones that still have 3.5mm ports is ever shrinking, yet it's a vital addition for audiophiles who prefer higher-quality sound, or professionals who want to use a plug-in microphone. Wired headphones are making a comeback, after all.
Another feature that is useful for general users, but pivotal for professionals: the microSD card slot. This is handy for expanding your storage without forcing you to a pricier higher-memory model, and many professional workflows require microSD cards to quickly transfer data.
The Sony Xperia 1 VIII has both of these tools, while no rivals do. Admittedly, Sony's taken away some of the Xperia's other unique traits, like its 21:9 aspect ratio or 4K display, but it still has enough to trump Samsung's or Apple's alternatives for many people.
Missing from the US
But for how long?
The Sony Xperia 1 VIII will be the third generation of the brand's flagships to skip the US, one of the world's biggest mobile markets.
In a way, I'm not surprised. Sony's phones have always been a hard sell, despite their unique features, and the US mobile market has always seemed more unforgiving on the smaller names than the rest of the world's. While Sony may not be a "small name" generally, the Xperia branding isn't known by the masses.
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But there is still space for phone buyers beyond the Samsung-Apple-Google triumvirate, as evidenced by Motorola's recent reinvention, as long as a brand can offer something sufficiently different.
And I believe the Xperia 1 VIII is different enough. Sony's managed to combine its top-end camera tools with software that makes them easy to use for the average buyer. This smart shift could introduce the phone to a new audience of camera phone fans.
If it went on sale, of course, which is far from guaranteed. With the ongoing RAM drought, it's not the best time to be a mobile phone maker, and I don't see Sony making a risky play like re-entering a market just yet.
But it'd be great to see it try. At the very least, Samsung and Google need Sony back to add some competition to the Android market.
