Who announces a flagship in the middle of the year? Sony does it. Who focuses on multimedia above all else? Sony does it. Who sticks to their design, no matter where the industry is headed? Sony does it. Love it or hate it, the Japanese company makes phones like no other.
Considering the low sales volumes, we assume that most people don’t fall into the “love it” category. How could they, given Sony’s ambitious pricing and pleasant release schedule? But this year the flagship Mark 4 brings the right innovation and is increasingly oriented towards professional features (exemplified by the Xperia Pro and Pro-I phones).
This smooth zoom periscope is a marvel of miniaturization
And this year the Sony Xperia 1 IV comes first. In Europe, at least, it was announced in early May and will begin shipping on June 11. US fans will have to wait until September, though. However, last year the Mark 3 was announced in April and began shipping in July (the US launch had a relatively tighter schedule).
It is clear that Sony will not be in a hurry, what matters is to provide a unique phone. And it did. We’ve seen continuous zoom before, but in heavy devices (some of which looked more like a camera than a phone), certainly none that were just 8.2mm thick.
The telephoto lens offers smooth optical zoom from 3.5x to 5.2x (85-125mm). This means consistent image quality as you zoom in and out or use the Cinema Pro app’s rack focus feature. Others need to use digital zoom for this (not that they offer a rack focus feature).
6.5 “4K 10-bit 120Hz display
The remaining cameras on the back don’t look groundbreaking, but Sony has made sure to pack the feature-packed phone that semi-professionals may need. This is a camera where you should use manual controls to get just the shot you want. And you can live stream on 5G from your phone’s cameras or a connected Sony Alpha.
If you connect an Alpha camera, the Xperia 1 IV will not only stream live on 5G, but also act as a good quality external monitor: 6.5 “in size with almost 4K resolution (3,840 x 1,644 px thanks to the 21 format: 9 aspect ratio), HDR10 120Hz 10-bit panel.
The Vlog Monitor accessory plus an external microphone (connected to the 3.5mm jack)
If you’re still not up to the Alpha tiers, Vlog Monitor and Shooting Grip will help content creators over the phone only. Sony is also one of the biggest names in games, and the Mark 4 is set to serve mobile game streamers with dedicated features.
This semi-pro phone comes at a semi-pro price. In Europe, you’re looking at € 1,400 / £ 1,300, US buyers will have to shell out $ 1,600. Expensive, compared to its predecessor (€ 1,300), but less than the Xperia Pro-I (€ 1,800). However, compared to any non-foldable phone, the Xperia is, in a nutshell, expensive.
A phone built for streamers
Even so, you can offer Apple or Samsung $ 1,600 and they won’t give you a flagship with a headphone jack or expandable storage. If you want the features of the Xperia 1 IV, it’s the only game in town. And it also knows its value. So, do you want one?
Before you vote, you’ll probably want to read our review to see if the zoom camera is as great as it should be. Also, don’t miss our video review.
If you are having trouble voting with the poll above, try casting your vote here.
Let’s take a look at the cheapest option, the Sony Xperia 10 IV, which costs around a third, € 500, and will also be available in June (in Europe). The phone is better than its predecessor, but with incremental improvements: Snapdragon 695 (6nm) replacing the 690 (8nm), 12MP main camera got OIS, battery has grown to 5,000mAh (from 4,500 mAh).
However, for $ 500 (or less) you can get an 8-series Snapdragon chip, definitely a 7-series. And 120Hz displays are easy to find in that price range. The 8MP 2x telephoto camera isn’t great, but telephoto lenses usually get overlooked outside the flagship segment. However, the other cameras could have used an upgrade or two.
But how can those € 500 smartphones with a Snapdragon 870 or 888 have an IP68 / IPX5 degree of resistance to dust and water? Or a 3.5mm headphone jack? Or a microSD slot? Or a flat display, without notch, without holes? And how many run an Android this close to stock? (these questions also apply to the Xperia 1 IV rivals)
We won’t bother listing alternative phones you can buy in place of the two Mark 4 models. There are many cheaper options that are more effective in some areas, but intentionally limited in others. That’s why we called Sony a “love it or hate it” company: its products are often the only ones that tick all the boxes, but they have their own quirks and are often wallets.
Well, what do you think of the Xperia 10 IV? By the way, we’ve started our phone review, so expect a detailed report soon.
If you are having trouble voting with the poll above, try casting your vote here.
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