Over the years, smartphone brands have steadily refined their craft. From design to performance, devices in 2026 feel sharper, smarter, and far more polished than before. But a recent look at the Sony Xperia 1 VIII suggests Sony might be holding on a little too tightly to the past, and not entirely in a good way. Here’s why I feel that way.
This doesn’t look like the Sony we remember
I remember when Sony really stood out. There was a certain confidence to its design language, something that felt distinct. Looking at the Xperia 1 VIII now, though, it feels like that clarity has faded a bit. The back panel, at least in this render, is where things really fall apart for me. The design looks absolutely confusing. Sony’s signature vertically aligned camera setup has always been part of its identity, and moving away from that strips away a sense
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