Sony’s AI Camera Assistant Fails to Impress
When Sony unveiled the Xperia 1 VIII last month, it showcased some of the least impressive photos captured by a Sony camera in recent memory. These images were taken using the new AI Camera Assistant, and after spending a week with the device, I can confirm that the AI assistant is as underwhelming as those initial photos suggested.
During a press briefing for the Xperia 1 VIII, I initially thought the AI Camera Assistant resembled an enhanced version of Google’s Camera Coach. I was mistaken. Camera Coach, available on the latest Pixel devices, is a dedicated mode that guides users through shot composition, offering tips on framing, focus, and lens selection. While I found it lacking in my review of the Pixel 10A, it does serve as a basic photography guide.
In contrast, Sony’s AI Camera Assistant is integrated directly into the camera app’s default mode and activates automatically while you’re trying to snap a photo, although you can disable it entirely. As you prepare to take a shot, a small box appears in the viewfinder, displaying what the image would look like with various settings suggested by the AI. A quick tap applies those settings, or you can swipe to see three additional options.
The suggestions appear before you capture the image, meaning they’re not for editing photos post-capture. Unlike Google’s Camera Coach, the Assistant doesn’t provide guidance on framing or focus; it simply applies a filter and leaves the rest up to you. It doesn’t even explain the effects it’s applying, so you miss out on learning how to achieve those results yourself.
The suggestions are inconsistent. They don’t work at all with the selfie camera, which is puzzling. Pointing the camera at bright lights or blank walls often fails to trigger any AI suggestions. While it usually doesn’t offer options for macro shots, there are exceptions. For instance, if I try to photograph my palm, the AI Assistant has plenty of ideas, but if I turn my hand sideways or backward, those options vanish. If there’s a method to its madness, it’s lost on me.
Most of the AI Assistant’s suggestions revolve around basic adjustments like exposure, white balance, and contrast, often with aggressive tweaks. Sometimes it darkens images to a murky state, while at other times, it cranks up highlights to the point of distortion. It frequently suggests a sepia effect or shifts the white balance toward yellow for a warmer look. There’s usually at least one option that boosts saturation to make colors pop.
In addition to color and exposure tweaks, the AI Assistant occasionally applies an artificial bokeh effect, blurring the background like portrait mode. In its rare moments of clarity, it might brighten the subject while darkening the background to enhance focus. Sony claims it can suggest switching between the phone’s three rear lenses or help find “the most photogenic angle,” but after a week of testing, I’ve yet to see this in action.
These effects are reminiscent of Instagram filters, which have been around for 16 years and have become subtler over time. Interestingly, the Xperia also has its own set of filters, including a film simulation and a vivid mode. The key difference is that while those filters are preset, the AI Camera Assistant is supposed to react to the scene, subject, and lighting to suggest the best adjustments for that moment. In theory, this sounds promising, but the actual results leave much to be desired.
The Assistant has produced only a handful of photos I’d consider keeping, even fewer that I’d share on social media, and just a couple that might be deemed better than the originals. It seems to perform better in poor lighting, where the default settings struggle, but even then, you’re lucky to get one or two decent shots.
This isn’t a reflection of the camera’s capabilities. While I wouldn’t claim the Xperia 1 VIII has the best smartphone camera available, it certainly boasts a solid one. With large sensors across all three rear lenses, it has hardware that rivals that of Apple and Google, along with a distinctive processing style that slightly enhances contrast, which I generally appreciate. This is Sony’s best Xperia camera yet, and it competes well with other devices at its premium price point—around $1,850, though it won’t be launching in the US. It’s this high-quality hardware that makes the AI assistant’s shortcomings even more perplexing.
Sony’s choice to present suggestions before capturing the photo seems to have negatively impacted performance. Despite being powered by the flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, the Xperia 1 VIII often runs unevenly and tends to overheat. The AI Camera Assistant appears to exacerbate these issues. The camera app can be slow to open and may freeze for several seconds when switching lenses, accessing AI suggestions, or taking a photo. At one point, the entire camera crashed while I was writing this. Disabling the AI assistant seems to alleviate these problems.
Perhaps we should be grateful. Sony’s approach to AI in its camera doesn’t involve removing objects from photos, altering images to include nonexistent details, or completely reframing shots—practices seen in other recent updates. Unlike those AI features, Sony’s AI Camera Assistant doesn’t raise uncomfortable questions about the nature of photography. Instead, it leaves me wondering if anyone on Sony’s Xperia team truly understands what makes a great photo.
