Sony Xperia 8 unveiled with a 21:9 screen - but you won't be able to buy it

(Image credit: Sony)

Update: Sony has confirmed to TechRadar that the company has "no plans to introduce this phone outside of Japan".

Sony only recently launched the Sony Xperia 5 phone, but now it's back with another numbered handset, the Sony Xperia 8.

This latest entry in the ever-more-confusingly numbered range has a 6.0-inch Full HD+ LCD screen with a 21:9 aspect ratio, a mid-range Snapdragon 630 chipset, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, and a microSD card slot.

There’s also a dual-lens rear camera, with 12MP f/1.8 and 8MP f/2.4 snappers, while around the front is an 8MP f/2.0 selfie camera. Other specs include a 2,760mAh battery, water resistance (a feature which the Sony Xperia 10 notably lacks), and Android 9 Pie.

A small upgrade

The Sony Xperia 8 looks slightly dated design-wise, with a large bezel above the screen, although it does at least have a metal frame and a glass back.

Overall, on paper it sounds like a minor upgrade of the Xperia 10 (though not necessarily of the Sony Xperia 10 Plus, which has a larger screen and a slightly better chipset).

It’s set to go on sale in Japan at the end of October for a price of JPY 54,000, which converts to roughly $505 / £410 / AU$750, although there’s no news on the handset launching outside Japan – if that changes we’ll let you know.

Via GSMArena

James Rogerson

James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.