Sony Xperia 10 VIII keeps headphone jack and microSD alive in the mid-range

Sony's Xperia 10 VIII is attracting attention this week for continuing a smartphone philosophy much of the wider industry has abandoned. The mid-range Xperia retains expandable microSD storage and a 3.5mm headphone connection while reportedly moving to Qualcomm's Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 platform and maintaining Sony's characteristically narrow design. Those features would once have been ordinary; in 2026 they are genuine differentiators.

Sony's smartphone business operates at a tiny scale compared with Apple, Samsung or leading Chinese brands, so attempting to compete entirely on processor benchmarks would make little sense. Instead, Xperia increasingly serves users who value practical hardware features and a relatively restrained Android experience. The problem is price. Mid-range Android competition is exceptionally strong, and rivals frequently offer larger batteries or faster processors for less money.

Xperia 10 VIII therefore needs its unusual combination of wired audio, storage expansion and Sony design to feel deliberate rather than simply conservative.