Apple iPhone 18 Pro vs Sony Xperia 1 VIII
Verdict
Apple iPhone 18 Pro and Sony Xperia 1 VIII tie on the OH Rank at a score of 78. Apple iPhone 18 Pro wins on Performance and Screen; Sony Xperia 1 VIII wins on SD Memory and Desktop Replacement. Sony Xperia 1 VIII is 2.1mm wider than Apple iPhone 18 Pro. Apple iPhone 18 Pro is the more recent release, from Sep 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
78
78
Apple iPhone 18 Pro
71.9mm (2.83in) · Sep 18, 2026 · Rank #17
15+10+11+12+15+5+5+0+5+0 = 78
SUPERIOR* TOP Performance* TOP Selfie* TOP PHOTO/VIDEO
EDITORIAL: (this is a pre-test listing based on reasonable expectation of battery, charging and imaging performance) After a major design re-shuffle with previous model Apple is back to it's "minimal upgrades" ways. 18 Pro gets a obligatory new chip and a variable exposure main camera... and that's pretty much it. Pay extra $100 for it.
PROs
excellent build with great feel, fast A20 Pro (2nm) chip with NVMe performance, (barely) 30hr endurance, a ~1000nits 460ppi 120Hz LTPO OLED screen with Dolby Vision, IP68 protection, excellent 48MP 24mm OIS f/1.5-4.0 main + 48MP 100mm OIS periscope telephoto + 48MP 13mm ultrawide (all 3 with PDAF) setup, excellent "center stage" 18MP 20mm selfie, great video recording, rich OS with improved (Google) AI integration and 6 years of updates, fast USB-C 3.2 port with Display Port, globally available
CONs
small 4000mAh (4200mAh on eSIM-only version) old-tech lithium battery with >75min slow (from 0-100%) 35W (25W wireless) charging, no expandable memory, no desktop replacement functionality despite having Display Port tech, $1400 for a minimal investment in innovation
Sony Xperia 1 VIII
74mm (2.91in) · Jun 18, 2026 · Rank #19
13+10+10+12+12+4+4+5+5+3 = 78
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, limited desktop replacement functionality with Android 17 update, 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
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.
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