Ahead of our Sony Xperia 1 VIII review, we\u2019ve compared its specs to the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and highlighted the key differences between the two below.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Otherwise, visit our Sony Xperia 1 VIII vs Xperia 1 VII<\/a> comparison to see what\u2019s new with Sony\u2019s flagship.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Specs comparison table<\/p>\n Sony Xperia 1 VIIISamsung Galaxy S26 UltraBattery5000mAh5000mAhChipSnapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for GalaxyRear camera48 + 48 + 48MP200 + 50 + 50 + 10MPDimensions162x74x8.3mm163.6\u00d778.1\u00d77.9mmDisplay6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X6.5-inch FHD+Operating SystemAndroidAndroidIP RatingIPX5, IPX8 and IP6XIP68UK RRP\u00a31399\u00a31279Weight200g217g<\/p>\n \n Advertisement <\/p>\n Price and Availability<\/p>\n 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 \u00a31399\/\u20ac1499 for the 256GB model, which rises to a staggering \u00a31849\/\u20ac1999 for the 1TB iteration, the Sony Xperia 1 VIII is one of the pricier phones on the market.<\/p>\n In comparison, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is readily available and has a slightly lower starting RRP of \u00a31279\/$1299 for 256GB.<\/p>\n SQUIRREL_PLAYLIST_10208275<\/p>\n Galaxy S26 Ultra runs on a custom Qualcomm chip<\/p>\n Perhaps unsurprisingly as two Android flagships, both the Sony Xperia 1 VIII and Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra are fitted with Qualcomm\u2019s top-end chip, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. However, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra actually sports a custom version of the chip that\u2019s made especially for the handset \u2013 the aptly titled Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy.<\/p>\n \n Advertisement <\/p>\n While we haven\u2019t 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\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Galaxy S26 Ultra has a total of five cameras<\/p>\n We\u2019ve seen the likes of the Galaxy S and Xperia 1-series enter our best camera phones<\/a> 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\u2019t sport many upgrades over the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which makes the hardware feel somewhat aged.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n In comparison, the Sony Xperia 1 VIII has three 48MP rear lenses, which includes a telephoto camera that\u2019s four times larger than its successor. This, according to Sony, allows the lens to capture clear and detailed images, \u201ceven in low-light conditions.\u201d Considering we found last year\u2019s Sony Xperia 1 VII<\/a>\u2019s telephoto lens had a tendency to deliver soft-looking images, the promise of extra detail is promising.<\/p>\n \n Advertisement <\/p>\n Galaxy S26 Ultra is fitted with Galaxy AI<\/p>\n One of the headline features of the Galaxy S26 Ultra is undoubtedly the inclusion of Galaxy AI. Essentially, Galaxy AI is Samsung\u2019s AI-powered toolkit which includes the likes of photo and video editing tools, Circle to Search<\/a> and access to Gemini. In addition, we expect the Galaxy S26 Ultra will soon benefit from Google\u2019s upcoming Gemini Intelligence<\/a> too, though that is yet to be confirmed.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also the inclusion of the Now Brief and Now Bar which gives you an overview of your day.\u00a0<\/p>\n In comparison, Sony keeps its software relatively simple and doesn\u2019t include many AI features. There is the AI Camera Assistant which automatically recognises what you\u2019re 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n Now, whether this is a good or bad thing depends on your personal preferences. Generally, we\u2019d 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.<\/p>\n \n Advertisement <\/p>\n Sony Xperia 1 VIII promises two days battery<\/p>\n Samsung isn\u2019t 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<\/a>\u2019s whooping 7050mAh alternative.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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\u2019t verify this claim yet, as we haven\u2019t reviewed the Xperia 1 VIII, but we\u2019re certainly intrigued to see if they prove true \u2013 especially as the Xperia 1 VII<\/a> promised the same but struggled to see two-days.<\/p>\n Galaxy S26 Ultra has a larger display<\/p>\n The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra\u2019s display is almost the same as the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which is certainly not a bad thing considering the predecessor earned the \u201cbest display\u201d accolade in our best Android phones guide.<\/p>\n![\"Samsung](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Samsung-Galaxy-S26-Ultra-Review-11-820x461.jpg\")
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)<\/p>\n![\"Rear](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Samsung-Galaxy-S26-Ultra-Review-19-820x461.jpg\")
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra rear. Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)<\/p>\n![\"Sony](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Sony-Xperia-1-VIII-rear-820x461.jpg\")
Sony Xperia 1 VIII colour line-up<\/p>\n![\"Samsung](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Samsung-Galaxy-S26-Ultra-Review-14-820x461.jpg\")
Now Brief on Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)<\/p>\n![\"Sony](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Sony-Xperia-1-VIII-colours-820x461.jpg\")
Sony Xperia 1 VIII. Image Credit (Sony)<\/p>\n