Sony launches Xperia 8 with 21: 9 wide display in Japan: Price, Specs, and availability

The Xperia 8 is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 Mobile Platform clocked up to 2.2GHz coupled with 4GB RAM and 64GB of onboard storage.

Japanese technology giant Sony launched Monday a new smartphone in its home market, namely, the Xperia 8 with IP6X dust and IPX5 / IPX8 waterproof design, long-lasting battery, high-speed processor and dual rear camera setup. 

The Xperia 8 will come in four color options: Black, white, orange and blue and carries a price tag of 54,000 yen (approx. USD 505). The latest mid-range smartphone from Sony will be available for purchase by late October via Y!mobile.

The device features a 6.0-inch FHD+ LCD Triluminus Display with 2520 × 1080-pixels resolution and an aspect ratio of 21: 9. The front and back panels of the phone are protected by high-strength Corning Gorilla Glass 6. The device comes with a fingerprint authentication sensor mounted on the side of the body.

The Xperia 8 is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 Mobile Platform clocked up to 2.2GHz coupled with 4GB RAM and 64GB of onboard storage. It also incorporates a dedicated microSD card slot for storage expansion up to 512GB and operates on Android 9 Pie with Sony's unique UI.

Image Credit: Sony

For photography, the Xperia 8 is equipped with an 8-megapixel front-facing camera with an f/2.0 aperture and a Portrait selfie mode. The dual rear camera setup comprises of a 12-megapixel primary shooter with f/1.8 aperture and electronic image stabilization technology followed by an 8-megapixel secondary sensor with f/2.4 aperture.

Additional camera features include 2x optical zoom, 120 frames / second of slow-motion video capture, 4K video recording, 13 types of auto scene recognition coupled with the Premium Random Auto feature that automatically detects and captures four conditions such as walking detection and auto shoots with the optimal settings.

Image Credit: Sony

The Xperia 8 packs a 2,760mAh battery that, according to Sony, offers up to 700 minutes of continuous talk-time in GSM, 1530 minutes in 3G and 1560 minutes in LTE. Additionally, the phone comes with a STAMINA mode and charging optimization technology to reduce the load while charging and improve battery life.

Connectivity features include WiFi 802.11ac, Bluetooth v5.0, NFC, USB Type-C port, and a 3.5mm audio jack. The device also supports Hi-Res audio, LDAC transmission technology, and DSEE HX function for high-resolution equivalent sound quality.