Two features that essentially every other flagship Android maker deleted years ago — a microSD card slot and a 3.5mm headphone jack — are, according to Sony, now part of what the Xperia brand is. Japanese publication ITmedia Mobile interviewed Sony’s Shohachi Ike and Eri Kitazawa about the Xperia 1 VIII. One representative said microSD compatibility ranked highly when the company surveyed customers on why they bought an Xperia; the other described the slot and the jack as an integral part of the Xperia identity. GSMArena, which surfaced the interview for English readers, does not say which of the two said which. Sony also said Xperia 1 VIII sales have held up despite a price increase, and that European sales have grown significantly.
A note on sourcing before the details: the interview was conducted in Japanese and GSMArena, which surfaced it for English readers, states that the quotes it carries are machine translated. We have therefore reported Sony’s positions in paraphrase rather than reproducing translated wording as quotations. The substance below is what Sony’s representatives said; the phrasing is ours.
Why the microSD slot and headphone jack survived
The interesting part is not that Sony kept them — it is why. Sony polls Xperia owners about their reasons for buying, and expandable storage came back high on that list. That reframes the slot from sentimental holdout to a measured purchase driver for a phone sold to a self-selecting audience of people who record video, carry music libraries and use wired audio gear.
It is also worth being honest about the economics. Removing the microSD slot is worth real money to a manufacturer, because it turns storage into a margin lever: an internal-storage upgrade typically costs the buyer far more than the equivalent capacity on a card. Sony’s decision to keep the slot on a phone that starts at €1,500 means it is declining that upsell, which is a genuinely consumer-friendly position and rare enough at this price to be worth naming.
Prices are up in Japan, flat in Europe
The Xperia 1 VIII crossed the JPY 200,000 mark in Japan, making it more expensive than the Mark 7. European pricing did not move: €1,500 / £1,400 for the base 12GB/256GB model, matching the previous generation — though as GSMArena notes, that was already a high starting point.
Sony attributes its European growth to strengthening direct-to-consumer sales channels rather than to retail expansion, which is a meaningful caveat for buyers outside Japan: the phone selling better does not necessarily mean it is easier to find in a shop, or that after-sales support has broadened along with the sales.
The camera trade-off Sony made, explained
The Mark 7’s headline camera feature was a variable 85–170mm telephoto lens with a moving zoom mechanism. The Xperia 1 VIII drops it for a fixed 70mm lens. Sony’s stated reason is physical: the mechanism took up a lot of space, and fitting a larger sensor behind it would have made the phone too thick.
What it got in exchange is a 48MP sensor in place of the old 12MP unit, which supports 140mm lossless zoom — close to, but not equal to, the 170mm long end of the Mark 7. Sony says demands for better telephoto image quality from its own customer surveys drove the redesign, and the camera island itself had to be reshaped to accommodate the bigger sensor.
Whether that is an upgrade depends entirely on how you shot with the Mark 7. If you used the full 170mm reach, this is a reduction. If you found the variable-zoom results soft, a larger sensor cropping to 140mm is likely the better camera. Sony is being straightforward that this was a constraint-driven decision rather than a pure improvement, which is more than most camera marketing manages.
Still no answer on the Xperia 5
Asked about the long-absent Xperia 5 line, Sony did not commit. Its representatives said the company runs frequent surveys of market trends, customer payment patterns and primary uses, and is aware of demand and market size around the JPY 100,000 price range — but that it currently sees focusing on two pillars, the flagship 1 series and the more affordable 10 series, as the most efficient way to meet demand, and has not yet decided to add a new mid-range lineup.
Read plainly, that is a no for now with the door left ajar. Anyone holding out for a compact Xperia flagship should plan around the 1 series or the 10 series rather than waiting.
Sony’s components business is having a busier year than its phone business — see our report on the Sony–TSMC image sensor joint venture.
Source: ITmedia Mobile interview with Shohachi Ike and Eri Kitazawa, via GSMArena
