Sony Mobile has quietly announced the brand new Xperia 8 smartphone but the mid-range device is only expected to be available in the company’s native Japan.
Taking the design language of the Xperia 10, the Xperia 8 comes with the Snapdragon 630 chipset, 4GB of RAM and just 64GB of internal storage. The battery comes in a paltry 2,760mAh capacity, which given that the Xperia 8 comes with a 6-inch FHD+ display could pose longevity problems.
The 21:9 aspect ratio is retained, while there is room for a headphone port and side-mounted capacitive fingerprint reader. It also is set to be the first mid-range Sony device to come with an IP65/68 water and dust resistance (via XperiaBlog).
At the rear, the double camera setup includes a 12-megapixel main sensor, with an 8-megapixel secondary sensor. The selfie camera has a max resolution of 8-megapixels. We wouldn’t expect performance to be staggering given the rest of the specifications but it could surprise.
Sony has confirmed that Japan will see the handset in late October, with four colors available: white, black, orange, and blue. While we are not expecting the device to get a global release, the 54,000 yen pricing equates to around $505. Considering just what is on offer here, that seems pretty steep.
For Sony fans with few Xperia devices to really sink their teeth into, releasing only in Japan does initially seem like a bit of an own goal. That said, with falling sales, a pretty high price, and waning public interest, keeping the Xperia 8 limited to just its homeland might be a wise choice.
Would you pick up the Xperia 8 if it were available outside of Japan? Let us know in the comments section below.
More on Sony:
- Sony Xperia 5 hands-on: Smaller size, more palatable device [Video]
- Sony debuts compact Xperia 5 w/ 21:9 FHD+ display, Snapdragon 855, more
- Reuters: Samsung and Sony are no longer making smartphones in China
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