Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs Sony Xperia 1 VIII
Verdict
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max and Sony Xperia 1 VIII tie on the OH Rank at a score of 75. Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max wins on Screen and Main Camera; Sony Xperia 1 VIII wins on Performance and SD Memory. Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max is 3.6mm wider than Sony Xperia 1 VIII. Sony Xperia 1 VIII is the more recent release, from Jun 18, 2026.
Score Breakdown
Performance /15
Battery /15
Screen /15
IP Protection /15
Main Camera /15
Selfie /5
Video /5
SD Memory /5
Software /5
Desktop Replacement /5
TOTAL
75
75
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
77.6mm (3.06in) · Sep 20, 2024 · Rank #41
11+10+13+12+14+5+5+0+5+0 = 75
* BEST phone Fall 2024* TOP Selfie* TOP Video Recording* TOP Software
EDITORIAL: The most powerful Apple phone until 2025, delivered the best Apple had to offer. It was also the best all around phone on the market in the Fall of 2024, excelling in processor power and video recording while bringing top tier battery endurance, photos, selfies and videos. Apple never offered expandable memory, preferring to charge a lot for larger memory capacity and the use of iCloud. It will probably never include a desktop repacement option either. But this phone's USB C port does provides video-out, waiting for an app that could turn all that processing power into a desktop computer replacement dream⦠Oh, and Apple's iPhone lounch is still the best phone industry event, hands down.
PROs
being the best iPhone up to date, fast A18 Pro chip performance, 30hr battery endurance, 1800nits very bright LTPO OLED with Dolby Vision, 48MP main + 12MP periscope tele (both with OIS PDAF) + new 48MP PDAF ultrawide, a 12MP OIS and PDAF Selfie, up to 6 years of updates of already very stable and mature iOS
CONs
getting locked into an overpriced ecosystem, lack of innovation in recent years, embarrassing AI effort, >90min sub-30W slow battery charging (15W wireless), lack of expandable storage, no Desktop replacement software
Sony Xperia 1 VIII
74mm (2.91in) · Jun 18, 2026 · Rank #33
13+10+10+12+12+4+4+5+5+0 = 75
SUPERIOR* TOP Memory Expansion* TOP Software
EDITORIAL: Sony is back with it's top-dog 1 Series phone but the alarming lack of software effort remains. As usual, the hardware is amazing: premium build, great battery life, bright screen, good front-facing stereo speakers, two-stage camera button and now exclusive in the flagship world: SD memory expansion and a headphone jack. The phone is still one of the narrowest flagships and the only one to hide the selfie in a bazel to let you view content on a full screen.
PROs
relatively narrow, updated design, good SD 8 Elite Gen 5 performance (tho it will heavily throttle under heavy load), 36hr long endurance from a (still just) 5000mAh lithium battery, selfie-free >1500nits bright (and sub-1nit capable) LTPO OLED screen with options like Creator Mode and HDR support, IP68 protection, excellent 52MP 24mm OIS main + 50MP 70mm OIS telephoto + 50MP 16mm ultrawide (all with dual-pixel PDAF) setup, very good 12MP 24mm selfie, good video recording, fast and tool-free expandable memory slot, 4 years of stock-like Android OS with some proprietary tricks, very fast USB-C 3.2 port with OTG and Video Out, headphone/microphone jack, very good front-facing stereo speakers, two-step camera button
CONs
85min slow 30W (15W wireless) charging, sub-400ppi LTPO screen doesn't drop refresh below 30Hz, flagship-grade camera hardware should produce better images, no AF on a selfie, minimal AI integration and general lack of effort on the software side, no desktop replacement functionality despite having Video Out port and marketing 1 VIII as a "content creator's tool", a premium price for a non-premium package
Both phones here were scored by me, using the same ten categories, with no ads, sponsorships, or manufacturer relationships — this comparison is as objective and honest as it gets.
Visit Home page to compare world's best phones. You can see scoring and ranking explained on the About page.