We subjected the Sony Xperia 1 IV to our rigorous SBMARK Audio test suite to measure its performance both when recording sound using its built-in microphones, and when playing audio through its speakers.
In this review, we’ll break down how it fared across a variety of tests and several common use cases.
Overview
Key audio specs include:
- Stereo speakers (bottom center and top center)
- Headphone socket
- Smart wind filter
- High resolution audio
Reproduction
Pros
- Warm and soft sound
- Impossible to occlude the speakers with your hands
versus
- Left speaker defective at first
- Missing information between the high mids and low treble
- Poor volume performance
- Compression at any volume has a negative impact on dynamics
- Strong distortion at maximum volume
Registration
Pros
- Natural tone in most use cases (but a little subtle)
- Good overall dynamic performance
- Relatively good background quality in all use cases
- Relatively well managed occlusions
versus
- No audio zoom
- Pumping the lowest highs at high sound pressure levels
- Subtle tonal balance in most use cases
With a SBMARK Audio score of 121, the Sony Xperia 1 IV offers fairly average performance and cannot keep up with the best in its class. In Playback it offers fairly consistent audio quality across all use cases, but with voices in dialogue sounding veiled and unclear, it can’t really be recommended for watching movies with the built-in speakers.
The phone benefits from a warm and soft sound and it is virtually impossible to occlude the speakers with your hands while holding the phone. But our testers also noticed some problems. In terms of tonal balance, there is a loss of information in the mid-range area; Compression alters dynamics at all volume levels, and distortion can be severe even at minimal volume. The device struggles in the volume category, with inconsistent volume increases and too low a minimum volume. It also appears to start playing the sound in mono until the second speaker fades slowly with a delay of a few seconds, which can be slightly irritating.
When using the Xperia 1 IV as a recording device, it works best for the main camera and selfie videos, but the audio quality is low when recording voice memos. Timbre is natural if a little subtle in most use cases and dynamics are good. The quality of the background sound is well preserved and the position of the user’s hand on the device has no impact on the quality of the recording. Our testers observed an increase in the lower treble at high sound pressure levels, however, and the Sony does not have an audio zoom feature which is quite common on other devices in its class.
Test summary
Learn about SBMARK audio tests: For scoring and analysis in our smartphone audio reviews, SBMARK engineers perform a series of objective tests and undertake more than 20 hours of perceptual assessment under controlled laboratory conditions.
(For more details on our reproduction protocol, click here; for more details on our registration protocol, click here.)
The following section collects the key elements of our exhaustive tests and analyzes performed in SBMARK laboratories. Detailed performance evaluations in the form of reports are available upon request. Do not hesitate to contact us.
How the audio playback score is composed
SBMARK engineers test playback through smartphone speakers, whose performance is evaluated in our labs and under real-life conditions, using apps and default settings.
In Playback the Sony Xperia 1 IV offers a decent tone, with good potential, especially in the low end, but the overall quality is held back by tonal balance inconsistencies. While the low-mid range and upper low range are rather early, the mid-high range and treble appear lackluster. It also lacks bass and low-end extension. The end result is a sonority that sounds dark and almost muffled.
In terms of dynamics the Sony is held back by compression, even at low volume. Attack lacks sharpness at low and nominal volumes and is crushed by distortion at high volumes. Bass is not accurate and while the punch might be considered good at low volume, it is too compressed at maximum volume.
Space performance is average overall. Strangely, the stereo takes a few seconds to settle down correctly but otherwise the sound image is perfectly centered. The breadth does not stand out but is noticeable, especially when playing, and the localizability is rather mediocre. It is difficult to identify individual sound sources and the sound stage as a whole is not too well defined. Distance rendition is also inadequate, with voices lacking tonal clarity and appearing further away than they are.
In the Volume category, Sony is doing badly. Loudness and maximum volume are ok but affected by compression and distortion. The minimum volume, on the other hand, is too low and barely audible. The volume steps are inconsistent, the lower ones are quiet and close to each other, and the upper ones stabilize.
Our testers noticed a number of artifacts on the Xperia 1 IV, including noticeable dynamic processing, as well as wideband distortion and clipping at maximum volume. On the plus side, Sony’s audio output isn’t affected when one of the speakers is covered.
Hear about the playback performance of the smartphone tested in this comparison with some of its competitors:
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
Recordings of smartphones that play some of our music at 60 LAeq in an anechoic environment from 2 microphones in AB configuration, at 30 cm
Here’s how the Sony Xperia 1 IV fares in playback use cases compared to its competitors:
Playback of use case scores
The Timbre score represents how well a phone reproduces sound across the audible tonal range and takes into account bass, midrange, treble, tonal balance and volume dependence. It is the most important attribute for reproduction.
Music playback frequency response
A 1/12 octave frequency response graph, which measures the volume of each frequency emitted by the smartphone when playing a pure sine wave in an anechoic environment.
The Dynamics score measures the accuracy of changes in the energy level of sound sources, such as the precision with which a bass note or the impact sound of drums is played.
Secondary attributes for spatial tests include identifying the position of a specific sound, its positional balance, distance and amplitude.
The volume score represents the overall volume of a smartphone and how the volume gradually increases and decreases based on user input.
Here are some sound pressure levels (SPLs) measured when playing our sample recordings of hip-hop and classical music at maximum volume:
| Hip-Hop | Classic | |
| Sony Xperia 1 IV | 72.5 dBA | 67.7 dB |
| Oppo Reno8 Pro 5G | 72.5 dBA | 72.1 dBA |
| Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos) | 74.1 dB | 70.2 dBA |
The graph below shows the gradual changes in volume from minimum to maximum. We expect these changes to be consistent across the range, so that all volume levels match user expectations:
Music volume texture
This line graph shows the relative playback volume versus the user-selected volume step, measured at different volume levels with correlated pink noise in an anechoic box recorded on axis at 0.20 meters.
The Artifacts score measures the extent to which sound is affected by various types of distortion. The higher the score, the less noise you notice. Distortion can occur due to the sound processing in the device and the quality of the speakers.
Total harmonic distortion reproduction (maximum volume)
This graph shows the total harmonic distortion and noise in the audible frequency range.
It represents the distortion and noise of the device reproducing our test signal (0 dB Fs, Sweep Sine in an anechoic box at 40 cm) at the maximum volume of the device.
How the score of the audio recording is composed
SBMARK engineers test the recording by evaluating recorded files on reference audio equipment. These recordings are performed in our labs and in real-life conditions, using apps and predefined settings.
The Xperia 1 IV performs slightly better overall for recording than for playback. Tonal results are fairly average, with highs and mids generally good in most use cases. The low end mostly sounds a bit thin, but the bass is actually clean and defined when recording loud events, such as concerts. The sound balance might be a bit poor and lacking some high-end extension, but it’s actually quite satisfying.
Dynamics are good, with a well-rendered envelope, precise vocals, and a sharp enough attack that can only sound rounded at high SPLs. The signal-to-noise ratio is great in all use cases, with effective noise reduction in the recorder app. Spatial performance leaves room for improvement. The localizability could be more precise and the extent depends on the use. The stereo scene has a wide sound with the main camera video in landscape orientation, but narrow in portrait orientation. The memo app is mono by default. Distance rendering is good but voices seem slightly more distant, due to the lack of a low-mid-range body.
The volume of the recordings is relatively low in all conditions, but the Sony performs well at the highest level, where we only measured moderate amounts of distortion. Artifacts of recording include pumping out screaming voices and loud noises while recording using the selfie camera. Our testers also noticed the compression in the memo app. Compression and pumping may appear at high sound pressure levels, but the device handles microphone occlusion quite well. The tonal balance of the background sounds natural and is quite free of artifacts. However, it lacks bass and low-end extension.
Here’s how the Sony Xperia 1 IV fares in recording use cases compared to its competitors:
Record of use case scores
The Timbre score represents how well a phone captures sounds across the audible tonal range and takes into account bass, midrange, treble and tonal balance. It is the most important attribute for registration.
Life video frequency response
A 1 / 12th octave frequency response graph, which measures the volume of each frequency captured by the smartphone when recording a pure sine wave in an anechoic environment.
The Dynamics score measures the accuracy of changes in the energy level of sound sources, such as how accurately the explosives of a voice (p, tek, for example) are reproduced. The score also considers the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), such as how loud the main voice is compared to the background noise.
Secondary attributes for spatial tests include locating the position of a specific sound, its positional balance, distance and amplitude on recorded audio files.
Directivity of registration
Smartphone directivity graph when recording test signals using the camera app, with the main camera. It represents the acoustic energy (in dB) on the angle of incidence of the sound source. (Normalized to the 0 ° angle, in front of the device.)
The volume score represents the normalization level of the audio on the recorded files and how the device handles noisy environments, such as electronic concerts, during recording.
Here are the sound levels recorded in the audio and video files, measured in LUFS (Loudness Unit Full Scale); as a reference, we expect loudness levels to be higher than -24 LUFS for recorded content:
| Match | Life video | Selfie video | Memo | |
| Sony Xperia 1 IV | -44.9 LUFS | -25.6 LUFS | -23 LUFS | -37.1 LUFS |
| Oppo Reno8 Pro 5G | -23.2 LUFS | -21.8 LUFS | -18.9 LUFS | -17.8 LUFS |
| Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos) | -28.8 LUFS | -21.7 LUFS | -21.2 LUFS | -23.9 LUFS |
The Artifacts Score measures the extent to which recorded sounds are affected by various types of distortions. The higher the score, the less noise you notice. Distortions can occur due to the sound processing in the device and the quality of the microphones, as well as user handling, such as the way the phone is held.
In this audio comparison, you can hear how this smartphone handles wind noise compared to its competitors:
Recordings of a voice sample with light background noise, facing a turbulent wind of 5 m / s
Background evaluates how naturally the various sounds around a voice blend into the video recording file. For example, when recording a speech at an event, the background should not interfere with the main voice, but should provide context for the surrounding environment.
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