The Sony Xperia 5 IV was unveiled the same week as the major announcements at the IFA, but the global tech event feels more like coincidence than anything else – Sony launches its phones when they’re ready rather than aiming for a specific time of year. And it doesn’t matter what other Android makers are doing.
This is what makes the Xperia recognizable: the flat, rectangular display, the fingerprint reader mounted sideways on an OLED flagship, the 3.5mm headphone jack still proudly worn, the microSD slot that allows you to load all your FLAC flies. You won’t find them anywhere else.
The Mark 4 may still be the 5 series model and this is coming on the back of a well crafted Mark 3. In fact, telephoto aside, the 2022 model is much better than last year’s Xperia 5.
While it’s not a compact, we like the phone’s slim profile: just 67mm wide, a millimeter narrower than last year. And it’s a millimeter shorter, while maintaining the same measurements as the 6.1 ”21: 9 display.
Sony Xperia 5 IV (left) and Xperia 1 IV (right)
Surprisingly, Sony managed to fit a 5,000mAh battery into the smaller (4,500mAh) body. The Galaxy S22 (3,700mAh) and even the Zenfone 9 (4,300mAh) can only look on with envy. This helped the phone improve the endurance of its predecessor, which lasted 116 hours in our standardized test. Sony has excellent features for keeping the batter healthy too.
And if the extra capacity wasn’t enough, this is the first Xperia 5 with wireless charging (something that was exclusive to Xperia 1 models until now).
We had to use our own charger and USB cable for the Xperia 5 IV
The 120 Hz OLED display still measures 6.1 inches diagonal and has a resolution of 1,080 x 2,520 pixels. However, the new panel is 50% brighter and is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus (even the back).
We’re not sure why Sony chose the older Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset to power the Xperia 5 IV. The revamped 8+ Gen 1 runs cooler, which would have benefited the small flagship as it struggles with sustained performance – in our tests it started thermal throttling after 5 minutes. However, for brief bursts of activity, this phone outweighs its weight.
Moving on to the camera, Sony sticks to the triple 12MP configuration, however it has used upgraded sensors that support reading at 120fps. This means it can capture 4K video at 120 fps with all three cameras, as well as faster operation of the autofocus system: Eye AF and real-time object detection are available on all three modules.
The selfie camera has also improved, going from the 8MP sensor to a slightly larger 12MP sensor, which also increases the video resolution limit to 4K at 30fps (from 1080p @ 30fps). The only thing stopping it perfectly is the lack of autofocus.
The one thing we’re not quite sold on is the new telephoto module – with just a 60mm lens you don’t get much magnification and the focal length is fixed. The Mark 3 could go from 70mm to 105mm, the Xperia 1 IV added smooth zoom, which we also expected from the 5 Series model. I didn’t. Also, the sensor in the tele module is smaller (1 / 3.5 “versus 1 / 2.9” on the 5 III). The new tele module is capable enough, but we still don’t love the downgrade.
Overall we were very impressed with the Sony Xperia 5 IV, check out our review for more details. And don’t miss our video review.
There are a few flaws in this otherwise great phone, but as we’re about to discuss, the competition has more. Before we get to that, keep in mind that the 5 IV is a $ 1,000 / € 1,050 / £ 950 phone if you’re buying the 8 / 128GB model (coming later this month).
The Asus Zenfone 9 is the more direct competitor: small, pure Android, no-nonsense approach. It has the fastest 8+ Gen 1 chip and a version with 16GB of RAM. It also has a 3.5mm jack and stereo speakers, but the microSD slot is missing. This leaves you with 128GB or 256GB of storage. In addition, Asus has entrusted the main camera with 50 MP (1 / 1.56 “, 1.0 µm) zoom functions since there is no telephoto lens on board. And, as previously mentioned, the battery is smaller (4,300 mAh) and wireless charging is missing.
Like Sony, Asus only promises 2 Android updates, which isn’t much for a capable flagship. That said, the 8 / 128GB Zenfone 9 costs just € 800, the 16 / 256GB drive also costs € 900, a far cry from Sony’s claim of € 1,050.
Asus Zenfone 9
If you want a relatively small phone (well, compared to the crowd of over 6.5 inches) with long software support, there are two options. For Android this is the Samsung Galaxy S22. It is 10mm shorter and 3.6mm wider than the Xperia and weighs a few grams less. You’ll get 4 OS updates (and an extra year of security patches), but you’d better bring some Bluetooth headphones (or at least a USB-C adapter). And the small 3,700mAh batter falls short in terms of endurance.
The Galaxy S22 has an MSRP of € 850 for an 8 / 128GB drive, but you might want to spend another € 50 to get 256GB of storage as there is no microSD slot here. Also note that you are looking at an Exynos 2200 chipset in Europe and a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 in most of the rest of the world.
Samsung Galaxy S22 5G
Apple offers even better software support than Samsung (and Google, for that matter). The iPhone 13 Pro is slightly larger than the S22, which makes it 4.5m wider than the Xperia (and just over 9mm shorter). It weighs 32g more and you will feel it.
The 13 Pro also has a triple 12MP camera on the back (which can do 4K at 60fps), but if you’re patient you can get the next iPhone 14 Pro in a few weeks. That will presumably have a 48MP main camera and a new ultra-wide camera.
The iPhone 13 Pro starts at € 1,150 for a 128GB drive, these things aren’t cheap. The 14 Pro is rumored to be slightly more expensive too.
Apple iPhone 13 Pro
Well, it’s time to vote: who will pick up a Sony Xperia 5 IV when it is later this month?
PS. if you are having trouble voting using the poll widget above, try voting here.
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