As Sony has just unveiled its latest flagship, we’re interested to see how it measures up to Samsung’s own.
Considering the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra earned a 4.5-star rating, how does the Xperia 1 VIII seem set to compare? Is one more likely to take the title of best Android phone over the other?
Ahead of our Sony Xperia 1 VIII review, we’ve compared its specs to the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and highlighted the key differences between the two below.
Otherwise, visit our Sony Xperia 1 VIII vs Xperia 1 VII comparison to see what’s new with Sony’s flagship.
Specs comparison table
| Sony Xperia 1 VIII | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra | |
| Battery | 5000mAh | 5000mAh |
| Chip | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy |
| Rear camera | 48 + 48 + 48MP | 200 + 50 + 50 + 10MP |
| Dimensions | 162x74x8.3mm | 163.6×78.1×7.9mm |
| Display | 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X | 6.5-inch FHD+ |
| Operating System | Android | Android |
| IP Rating | IPX5, IPX8 and IP6X | IP68 |
| UK RRP | £1399 | £1279 |
| Weight | 200g | 217g |
Price and Availability
At the time of writing, the Sony Xperia 1 VIII is available for pre-order and should launch in mid-June. With a starting RRP of £1399/€1499 for the 256GB model, which rises to a staggering £1849/€1999 for the 1TB iteration, the Sony Xperia 1 VIII is one of the pricier phones on the market.
In comparison, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is readily available and has a slightly lower starting RRP of £1279/$1299 for 256GB.
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Galaxy S26 Ultra runs on a custom Qualcomm chip
Perhaps unsurprisingly as two Android flagships, both the Sony Xperia 1 VIII and Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra are fitted with Qualcomm’s top-end chip, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. However, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra actually sports a custom version of the chip that’s made especially for the handset – the aptly titled Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy.
While we haven’t reviewed the Sony Xperia 1 VIII yet, we have reviewed countless handsets sporting the chip and are yet to be disappointed with its performance. In fact we’ve found that Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 not only sails through casual uses with ease, but also takes gaming, AI features and even video editing in its stride too. With this in mind, we expect the Xperia 1 VIII to perform in a similar fashion.
Otherwise, we found that the Galaxy S26 Ultra felt snappy and responsive during use and can handle gaming better than its predecessor could too. This, naturally, translated to high benchmark scores too, with the phone seeing multi-core scores of 10,713 in the Geekbench 6 CPU and 24,611 in GPU tests.
Galaxy S26 Ultra has a total of five cameras
We’ve seen the likes of the Galaxy S and Xperia 1-series enter our best camera phones guides in the past, and both the Galaxy S26 Ultra and Xperia 1 VIII are solid contenders. Having said that, the Galaxy S26 Ultra doesn’t sport many upgrades over the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which makes the hardware feel somewhat aged.
Even so, with mighty 200MP main, 50MP ultrawide, 50MP periscope and 10MP telephoto rear lenses, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is still a competent snapper that most users will find hard to fault. Not only does the phone perform well in low-light conditions, but it can also confidently reach up to 40x zoom (with the periscope lens) before images start to muddy.
In comparison, the Sony Xperia 1 VIII has three 48MP rear lenses, which includes a telephoto camera that’s four times larger than its successor. This, according to Sony, allows the lens to capture clear and detailed images, “even in low-light conditions.” Considering we found last year’s Sony Xperia 1 VII’s telephoto lens had a tendency to deliver soft-looking images, the promise of extra detail is promising.
Galaxy S26 Ultra is fitted with Galaxy AI
One of the headline features of the Galaxy S26 Ultra is undoubtedly the inclusion of Galaxy AI. Essentially, Galaxy AI is Samsung’s AI-powered toolkit which includes the likes of photo and video editing tools, Circle to Search and access to Gemini. In addition, we expect the Galaxy S26 Ultra will soon benefit from Google’s upcoming Gemini Intelligence too, though that is yet to be confirmed.
There’s also the inclusion of the Now Brief and Now Bar which gives you an overview of your day.
In comparison, Sony keeps its software relatively simple and doesn’t include many AI features. There is the AI Camera Assistant which automatically recognises what you’re taking a photo of, and the environment around this, and suggests options to help you take the best possible photo. However, otherwise, Sony lacks those generative AI tools that are found in many of the best smartphones.
Now, whether this is a good or bad thing depends on your personal preferences. Generally, we’d say AI features tend to be more of a novelty rather than something users actually rely on in everyday life, though of course some may argue differently.
Sony Xperia 1 VIII promises two days battery
Samsung isn’t known for packing its handsets with beefy batteries, and then Galaxy S26 Ultra is certainly no exception. Its 5000mAh cell is pretty average, especially when you consider the likes of the Oppo Find X9 Ultra’s whooping 7050mAh alternative.
Even so, we found that the Galaxy S26 Ultra could see us through a full day before needing a recharge, which should be enough for most users.
Otherwise, the Xperia 1 VIII is also fitted with a measly sounding 5000mAh cell, but Sony promises the phone can see two-days of life before conking out. We can’t verify this claim yet, as we haven’t reviewed the Xperia 1 VIII, but we’re certainly intrigued to see if they prove true – especially as the Xperia 1 VII promised the same but struggled to see two-days.
Galaxy S26 Ultra has a larger display
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra’s display is almost the same as the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which is certainly not a bad thing considering the predecessor earned the “best display” accolade in our best Android phones guide.
Essentially, the Galaxy S26 Ultra sports a 6.9-inch, Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel with an LTPO-enabled 120Hz refresh rate. However, one new addition to the Galaxy S26 Ultra is its impressive Privacy Display. Built into the panel, Privacy Display keeps your screen private unless it’s viewed head-on. Not only that, but you can also enable it for specific elements like notifications, rather than making the entire screen private.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Privacy Display off
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Privacy Display on
In comparison, the Xperia 1 VIII (and all other phones for that matter) have pretty boring displays in comparison. However, that’s not to say the handset doesn’t sport a well-specced screen. Its 6.5-inch FHD+ display is the same as its predecessor’s own, which means it should offer crisp detail and vibrant colours.
Early Verdict
It’s difficult to provide a conclusive verdict as we’re yet to review the Sony Xperia 1 VIII. However, with a revamped telephoto lens, promise of two-day battery life and a flagship chip under the hood, the Xperia 1 VIII looks set to be a solid Android. Plus, if you’re someone who prefers a smaller display, then its 6.5-inch is certainly more appealing that the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s mighty 6.9-inch panel.
On the other hand, if you want more of a well-rounded Android with plenty of genuinely useful AI features, a solid camera set-up and a built-in Privacy Display, then the Galaxy S26 Ultra is an easy recommendation.
We’ll be sure to update this versus once we review the Sony Xperia 1 VIII.
