Sony teases new Alpha camera launch – and rumors point to a long-awaited A1 II

Is Sony’s new flagship almost here?

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It’s been an uncharacteristically quiet year for newSonycameras, but a new teaser and rumors suggest that the barren spell will end soon – possibly with a new Sony A1 II flagship camera.

Sony Japan has now posted a’special event' teaseron its Alpha Universe page, where fans can get their “hands on a mirrorless Alpha” on both November 20 and 21. The page doesn’t specify that it’s for anewAlpha camera, but that’s the suggestion – and some speculation from the reliable Sony Alpha Rumors suggests the camera could be the A1 II.

The originalSony A1was a revolutionary mirrorless camera when it landed out of the blue in January 2021, combining a high-resolution 50.1MP sensor with (for then) incredible shooting speeds of 30fps. According toSony Alpha Rumors, the successor could be a relatively mild upgrade (on paper, at least).

The site says the camera’s “likely” specs will include the same stacked 50MP full-frame sensor as the Sony A1 but alongside faster frame rates and autofocus. There’ll also apparently be a new AI chip and support for CFexpress Type A cards with the 4.0 standard (supporting twice the speeds as before).

Lastly, Sony Alpha Rumors says the A1 II will be “more expensive than the current Sony A1”, which isn’t a huge surprise given that the camera is almost four years old and that it’ll be available to buy in “early 2025”. As a guide, the Sony A1 cost $6,500 / £6,499 / AU$10,499 (body only) when it became available in March 2021.

With those ‘special event’ days announced by Sony Japan taking place from November 20, we’d imagine the new camera could arrive shortly before then – but the picture will no doubt become much clearer in the next few weeks.

Camera tech hits a ceiling?

If these Sony A1 II spec rumors are correct, they suggest that camera tech is hitting something of a plateau – certainly when compared to the original Sony A1. That flagship was the closest thing we’d seen to a ‘no compromise’ camera, one that could blur the lines between a high-resolution landscape body, a speedy sports camera, and an8Kvideo sidekick.

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Since then, rivals have caught up, with hybrid cameras like theNikon Z8,Nikon Z9, andCanon EOS R1following its ‘kitchen sink’ blueprint and combining impressive photo and video power in one pro-friendly body.

According to the rumors, the A1 II may not blow the competition away again, but software upgrades could certainly nudge it back out in front for creators who want a single camera that does it all. Lens choice may also play a role, and Sony Alpha Rumors suggests that a new Sony 28-70mm f/2 zoom could be announced alongside the new flagship camera.

That lens will seemingly be Sony’s first zoom lens with a constant f/2 aperture, but could also come with an inevitably high price tag of around $3,000 (which converts to about £2,330 / AU$4,570).

The new launches may not exactly be affordable, then, or dramatically shift the photography needle in the style of the original Sony A1 – but they could also potentially be new best-in-class tools that could trouble the upper regions of ourbest camerasbuying guide.

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Mark is TechRadar’s Senior news editor. Having worked in tech journalism for a ludicrous 17 years, Mark is now attempting to break the world record for the number of camera bags hoarded by one person. He was previously Cameras Editor at both TechRadar and Trusted Reviews, Acting editor on Stuff.tv, as well as Features editor and Reviews editor on Stuff magazine. As a freelancer, he’s contributed to titles including The Sunday Times, FourFourTwo and Arena. And in a former life, he also won The Daily Telegraph’s Young Sportswriter of the Year. But that was before he discovered the strange joys of getting up at 4am for a photo shoot in London’s Square Mile.

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