The new Sony Xperia 1 IV is here and delves into its passions: photography, video, film, music and games. You and the Mark 4 can go pro if you want to, as the phone shares some features with the Xperia Pro and Pro-I.
Sony introduced a variable focal length telephoto lens with last year’s Mark 3. That could only pass between 70mm and 105mm focal length, the intermediate steps remained in the digital domain. The new telephoto lens is a completely different and much more impressive beast.
The Sony Xperia 1 IV telephoto lens offers continuous optical zoom thanks to a revolutionary new design. And magnify the far end more, the new range goes from 85mm to 125mm, for 3.5-5x optical magnification.
The phone retains 12MP resolution for all three cameras on the back. The main camera has a 1 / 1.7 “sensor and an OIS-enabled 24mm lens. The ultra wide-angle camera has a 1 / 2.5” sensor with a 16mm lens (with autofocus). For completeness, the telephoto module houses a 1 / 3.5 ”sensor and also features OIS and AF. By the way, the two-stage shutter button is still available on the side, following the Xperia tradition.
All three cameras share the same feature set, including capturing 4K video at 120 fps. All offer Optical SteadyShot with FlawlessEye, Eye AF, as well as real-time object tracking and autofocus. All cameras use image stacking to expand dynamic range and can shoot at 20fps with AF / AE and HDR enabled. An IR RGB sensor on the back provides information to the AI algorithms that control the camera’s white balance and there’s also a 3D ToF sensor.
This year it also upgraded the selfie camera to 12MP (8MP), thanks to a new 1 / 2.9 “ExmorRS sensor. This allows it to record 4K video as well, with HDR to boot, though it’s limited to 30 fps Unfortunately there is still no autofocus.
Moving forward, Sony believes the previous generation’s 6.5 “4K AMOLED display was close to perfection, so there are only a few updates this year. They are important, however, for example, the screen is 50% brighter ( brightness was a bit of an issue for the Mark 3).
The 120Hz refresh rate can be used if the game supports it. And this year, there’s a more robust GPU running the show: Snapdragon 8 Gen 1’s Adreno 730.
As for the memory, Sony only offers a version with 12 GB of RAM, nothing less does not cut it. The storage capacity is 256GB with a 512GB tier also available in some markets. Better yet, you can expand it via the microSD slot, which is a real rarity in the premium segment. The phone runs an almost stock Android 12.
Last year’s model provided decent battery performance, but this year Sony increased the capacity by 500mAh to a total of 5,000mAh. What that means given the new chipset and screen is a question for our review.
Either way, the phone supports 30W fast charging, which can take it to 50% in half an hour. Note that there will be no bundled charger this year – Sony is introducing this change as part of its green initiative (“Road to Zero”). It allowed for a smaller retail box, and Sony also made sure it didn’t contain plastic. In total, CO2 emissions were reduced by 36%.
Come on, audio. The Xperia 1 IV has a 3.5mm headphone jack, another uncommon sight among flagships. Also, the drivers for the front stereo speakers have been improved, offering a modest 10% increase in maximum volume, but much better sound overall as they offer 20-50% more bass. For wireless audio, this is among the first phones to support the new Bluetooth LE Audio technology, in addition to the usual LDAC. 360 Reality Audio is now supported in more apps (was previously limited to Tidal).
A few words about the build, the phone has Gorilla Glass Victus on the front and back this time around. Another change is that Sony has opted for a matte finish for this generation. Either way, the device is IP68 / IPX5 rated for dust and water resistance as expected.
If you’ve heard enough, you can scroll all the way down for the price and version information for the phone. But if you want to know more, here’s what the Xperia 1 IV can do for you for semi-professional work.
First, streaming. Like the Xperia Pro and Pro-I, you can stream content using your phone’s cameras or send video from a Sony Alpha camera and send it over 5G. Sony has struck a deal with YouTube so that they can start a new channel and start streaming immediately (normally 1,000 subscribers and a verified account are required for this).
Sony has also updated streaming accessories to give you more control. The Vlog monitor now offers a waveform view and a false color view. The Shooting Grip got a new Endurance mode for long-duration streams.
If you are the type of gaming streamer, your phone can mix your voice with game audio. It can also overlay comments on your stream as notifications.
If, on the other hand, you’re looking to start making music, the Music Pro paid subscription allows you to acquire vocals and instruments and upload them to the cloud for processing. Sony says the end result is comparable to using a high-quality condenser microphone.
Get ready, here’s the price. The Sony Xperia 1 IV will cost € 1,400 / £ 1,300 in Europe. That’s € 100 more than the Mark 3, but it’s not as expensive as the Pro-I. If you have the money, pre-orders will go live in the next 24 hours and deliveries will begin in June. The Mark 4 will be available in the US at the same time frame and will ship with mmWave connectivity in that market (no carrier exclusivity).
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