Most flagship phone manufacturers ditched the headphone jack years ago and never looked back. Sony has kept it alive on every Xperia 1 flagship since the XZ3, and according to a new FCC filing, the Sony Xperia 1 VIII isn’t about to break that streak.
Walkman Blog saw a Sony device Filed with the FCC under model number PY7-30515Z. Sony submitted the filing in late March 2026, and it went public on April 13. Sony has not confirmed that this is the Xperia 1 VIII. However, wireless charging support in the listing makes it a reasonable guess. Wi-Fi 7 and 5G are also present.
Most importantly, the 3.5mm headphone jack appears in the test document. The case makers’ first design leak, circulated on Weibo last month, also showed a dedicated camera shutter button as well as a jack on the top of the device.
What else do we know about the Xperia 1 VIII?
It is worth paying attention to the FCC timing. Last year, the specifications of the Xperia 1 VII became available on April 17. It appeared four days ago. Some are speculating that Sony may push back its announcement window. The Xperia 1 VII was unveiled on May 13, 2025, so if Sony sticks to a similar schedule, we’re potentially just a few weeks away.
Beyond the jack, the leaks suggest quite a few major changes to the design of the Sony Xperia 1 VIII. The renders show a square camera module replacing the familiar vertical pill layout, as well as a punch-hole selfie camera where the thick top bezel used to be. The 21:9 aspect ratio reportedly returned after the Xperia 1 VII dropped it to 19.5:9. Rumors include the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset and a 200MP telephoto camera, although this has not been confirmed yet.
2025 has been a tough year for Sony’s mobile division. Random shutdown issues pushed the Xperia 1 VII off store shelves in Japan, and it was a tough year for the broader business by most accounts. Both the Xperia 1 VIII and Xperia 10 VIII have been confirmed in development, so Sony clearly isn’t shying away from smartphones. Keeping the headphone jack is probably the least controversial call they make at the moment.
