Everything you need to know about which camera phone should you get.
[ad_1]The Sony Xperia 1 VIII is designed to “support the joy of everyday photography”, and promises healthy upgrades over its predecessor.
While we’ve noted everything that’s new with Sony’s flagship in our Sony Xperia 1 VIII vs Xperia 1 VII guide, we’re also interested to see how it measures up to the five-star Oppo Find X9 Ultra. Considering we hailed Oppo’s camera flagship as a “massive achievement and an absolute powerhouse”, the Sony Xperia 1 VIII has a lot to live up to.
We’ve compared the Xperia 1 VIII to the Oppo Find X9 Ultra and noted the main differences – plus any noteworthy similarities – between the two Android phones below.
Read on to see how the Xperia 1 VIII looks set to compare to the Find X9 Ultra. Once you’re done here, make sure you visit our round-ups of the best Android phones and best camera phones too.
Specs Comparison Table
| Sony Xperia 1 VIII | Oppo Find X9 Ultra | |
| Battery | 5000mAh | 7050mAh |
| Chipset | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 |
| Colours | Graphite Black, Garet Red, Iolite Silver (256GB only) Native Gold (1TB only) | Tundra Umber, Canyon Orange |
| Front camera | 12MP | 50MP |
| Operating System | Android 16 | Android 16 |
| Rear Camera | 200MP + 200MP + 50MP + 50MP | 48MP + 48MP + 48MP |
| Size (Dimensions) | 162 x 74 x 8.3 mm | 163.2 x 77 x 9.1 mm |
| Storage Capacity | 256GB or 1TB | 512GB or 1TB |
| UK RRP | £1399 | £1449 |
Price and Availability
The Sony Xperia 1 VIII is currently available for pre-order and will officially launch in mid-June. It comes in two size options, 256GB or 1TB, and has a starting RRP of £1399/€1499.
In comparison, the Oppo Find X9 Ultra is ready to buy now and has a slightly higher starting price of £1449.
Oppo Find X9 Ultra has a much larger battery
With a capacity of 7050mAh, the Oppo Find X9 Ultra boasts one of the largest batteries around, but what does that really mean in real-world terms? We found that on less demanding days without too much scrolling, the Find X9 Ultra ended days with around 60-70% battery remaining. Even on busy days with plenty of photography, playing demanding games and other general use, the phone rarely dipped beneath the 40% mark.
This means the handset can easily see you through a second day without needing a top-up, although this will depend on your personal usage.
In comparison, the Sony Xperia 1 VIII is fitted with a smaller 5000mAh battery – the same size as the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. Despite the average size, Sony promises the phone should see two days of battery. We’ll have to wait until we review the handset to verify those claims, however it’s worth noting that Sony promised the same for the Xperia 1 VII and we found that, although it was possible, it wasn’t easy to reach day two.
Oppo Find X9 Ultra has five rear cameras
Both the Xperia 1 VIII and Find X9 Ultra’s headline feature is undoubtedly their camera set-up. As mentioned earlier, Sony promises that the Xperia 1 VIII is designed to help users capture “better photos” and “support the joy of everyday photography”.
The Xperia 1 VIII is fitted with three rear 48MP lenses, including a main, ultrawide and a new telephoto that’s four times larger than its predecessor’s own. All three lenses, according to Sony, should deliver low-light performance that’s comparable to a full-frame sensor, allowing for clear imaging even in dark environments.
Otherwise, the Find X9 Ultra is fitted with four brilliant rear lenses, alongside a fifth “true colour” camera that keeps the white balance and tones aligned across the line-up. The four lenses include a 200MP main which boasts a massive f/1.5 aperture that takes in plenty of light, a 200MP 3x telephoto, a 50MP 10x periscope and a 50MP ultrawide.
We really didn’t have a bad word to say about the Find X9 Ultra’s cameras, with all lenses performing brilliantly. In fact, the 200MP 3x telephoto was an especially great performer, and one we expect you will use more than you might expect.
Overall, the Find X9 Ultra takes brilliantly detailed images across most lighting conditions, and easily challenges Apple and Google’s own flagships.
Both run on Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
Unsurprisingly for flagship Androids, both the Xperia 1 VIII and Find X9 Ultra are fitted with Qualcomm’s top-end Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor. While we’re yet to review the Xperia 1 VIII, we’ve reviewed plenty of phones sporting Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and have rarely been left disappointed. With this in mind, we expect the Xperia 1 VIII to perform well.
Specifically within the Find X9 Ultra, we had very little complaints about the handset’s performance. Everything from scrolling to intensive gaming ran as smoothly as we’d like, with everything feeling slick and responsive.
Sony Xperia 1 VIII has a headphone jack and a newly designed speaker unit
Unlike the Find X9 Ultra, the Sony Xperia 1 VIII is fitted with a 3.5mm headphone jack which Sony explains enables high-quality audio support using wired headphones, thanks to sound quality inherited from Walkman.
In addition, the Xperia 1 VIII boasts newly developed left and right speaker units which are promised to deliver “further advances in stereo performance”. Sony promises that the speakers reproduce voices and instruments with greater clarity and richness than before.
Oppo Find X9 Ultra has a larger display and is heavier
With a 6.8-inch display, the Find X9 Ultra isn’t quite as small as the 6.5-inch Xperia 1 VIII but it falls slightly shy of Galaxy S26 Ultra. Size aside, we hailed the Find X9 Ultra’s panel as a “treat”, thanks to its QHD+ resolution, LTPO-enabled 120Hz refresh rate and impressively thin surrounding bezel too.
Sony has more or less kept things the same with this year’s Xperia 1 VIII, with the phone sporting the same FHD+ panel as its predecessor. This certainly is no bad thing, as we concluded the Xperia 1 VII’s screen to be “difficult to fault.”
Early Verdict
It’s difficult to provide a conclusive verdict as we haven’t reviewed the Sony Xperia 1 VIII just yet. However, with Sony promising a larger telephoto lens, better sound quality and two-days of battery, the Xperia 1 VIII is undoubtedly an appealing option.
Even so, the Oppo Find X9 Ultra really impressed us. Not only does it boast one of the most complete camera set-ups around, but its mighty battery easily offers two days of battery while its 6.8-inch panel is a delight to use. Easily one of the best camera phones around, keen photographers and power users will struggle to find a better option than the Find X9 Ultra.
We’ll be sure to update this versus once we review the Xperia 1 VIII.
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More on which camera phone should you get
Stay tuned for updates on which camera phone should you get as the story develops. Related: Xiaomi 18 Pro set for a screen upgrade that Samsung fans will be very familiar with.
Frequently Asked Questions
Xperia 1 VIII: 5000mAh; Oppo Find X9 Ultra: 7050mAh — much larger.
Xperia 1 VIII: 200MP + 200MP + 50MP + 50MP rear, 12MP front; Oppo Find X9 Ultra: 48MP + 48MP + 48MP rear, 50MP front. Both use Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and run Android 16.
Xperia 1 VIII: 1399 pounds / 1499 euros starting (256GB or 1TB), pre-order now, launches mid-June; Oppo Find X9 Ultra: 1449 pounds starting (512GB or 1TB), available now.
The article says Oppo's camera flagship is "a massive achievement and an absolute powerhouse" — the Sony has a lot to live up to; check the best camera phones round-up too.
