Sony is reported to be continuing its smartphone business despite facing a difficult year in 2025. The veteran phone maker, which rose to prominence in the early 2000s under the Sony Ericsson brand, has struggled with weak sales performance and various issues affecting its flagship devices.

However, recent leaks suggest that the Japanese company is preparing two new models, the Xperia 1 VIII and Xperia 10 VIII. This information surfaced after device codes for both smartphones were once again spotted in the GSMA IMEI database.

Japanese tech blog S-Max identified at least six model numbers, with the XQ-GE series linked to the Xperia 1 VIII and the XQ-GH series associated with the mid-range Xperia 10 VIII.

The different numerical suffixes indicate regional markets, with “44” designated for Japan, “54” for Europe, and “74” for Asian markets outside Japan.

Despite being planned for a global release, the two smartphones are reportedly not scheduled to launch in the United States.

According to PhoneArena, Sony last introduced a flagship device in the US market in 2023 with the release of the Xperia 1 V.

In terms of hardware, the Xperia 1 VIII is expected to be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, which is also used in several of the latest flagship smartphones.

Meanwhile, the Xperia 10 VIII is likely to continue using a Snapdragon 6-series processor, similar to its predecessor, the Xperia 10 VII.

After enduring a challenging period, the arrival of these two new models is seen as Sony’s attempt to regain momentum, particularly in the flagship segment, especially if the company can lower prices and address issues that affected earlier devices.