Japanese tech giant Sony has introduced a mid-range Xperia 8 smartphone in its home country. Smartphone launches have been few and far for Sony after posting losses for subsequent years. The brand from the rising sun, however, is keeping it handset business alive rather than writing it off like Microsoft. The new addition to its sparse line-up comes with a 6-inch display with a tall 21:9 wide aspect ration. Keeping up with its design tradition Sony has still not embraced the screen-notch fad. While I appreciate Sony’s decision to not blindly follow the latest trends, the phone has unusually large top bezels compared to most modern phones. The other sides including the chin area are quite thin though. The phone has a premium glass design with both sides protected by Gorilla Glass 6. The handset is also water and dust resistant. The fingerprint sensor is placed on the side. For more details, let us run you through its specifications.
Sony Xperia 8 Specifications
The phone sports a 6-inch Full HD+ LCD screen. It has 21:9 aspect ratio and Corning’s Gorilla Glass protection. The Xperia 8 is backed by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 630 chipset. This 14 nm SoC (System on Chip) comes with Adreno 508 GPU. The device packs in 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB internal memory, and a microSD card slot.
On the photography front, you get a 12 MP rear camera along with an 8 MP wide lens. For selfies, an 8 MP front-facing shooter is your best and only bet. To deliver superior audio, Sony has implemented its LDAC tech that offers high-quality sound over Bluetooth. The phone features a 3.5 mm headphones jack and a UBB Type C port for charging and data transfer.
It is a 4G VoLTE handset with dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5, (network assisted) A-GPS, and NFC. The Xperia 8 draws power from a 2,760 mAh battery with fast charging. At least on paper, it seems Sony has compromised on battery in favor of a slim body.
Sony Xperia 8 Price And Availability
The Xperia 8 will the stores or maybe vending machines in Japan by the end of October. Available in black, grey, blue, and orange, the device is priced at 54,000 yen, which translates to Rs 36,000. Later, it will be released in more markets. However, don’t hold your breath for its Indian launch, as Sony decided to stop focusing on regions such as South America, South Asia, and Africa as part of its new mobile strategy. This was part of its efforts to cut on the losses after Sony’s mobile division lost around 879 million dollars last year.
With growing calls from the investors to put down its loss-making business, Sony’s President and Chief Executive Officer Kenichiro Yoshida’s stated that “We see smartphones as hardware for entertainment and a component necessary to make our hardware brand sustainable…” The good news for Sony fans is that unlike Microsoft and HTC, the Japanese company has no plans to kill its mobile business.
