Sony Xperia 1 IV: Flagship smartphone comes with real optical zoom

The cat is out of the bag. With the Sony Xperia 1 IV, the manufacturer has officially unveiled its new flagship smartphone and focused primarily on the camera features in the announcement. This includes, for example, the first real optical zoom lens in a smartphone.

Sony Xperia 1 IV: All details and info

The new Sony Xperia 1 IV is a real powerhouse. The flagship measures 165 × 71 × 8.2 mm and weighs just 185 Gamm in the process. It is equipped with a 6.5-inch (15.7 cm) 4K HDR OLED display in 21:9 format, which is completely without a notch.

It is supposed to be a full 50% brighter than the predecessor’s and features real-time HDR, which improves visibility in bright and dark areas. The display also offers a refresh rate of 120 Hz and a touch sampling rate of 240 Hz.

Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 is used as the SoC, which supports 5G and WiFi 6E. It is supported by 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of system storage. The storage can also be expanded by up to 1 TB via microSD card. Thanks to Corning Gorilla Glass Victus on the front and back as well as IP65/68 (water and dust resistant), the Xperia 1 IV is robust.

The battery capacity is 5,000 mAh, and wireless charging is available on request. A quick charge function that charges the battery to 50% in 30 minutes is also offered. Of course, there is also a 3.5 mm jack, as is typical for Sony, as well as full-fledged stereo speakers including 360 Reality Audio.

The Xperia 1 IV also supports the DSEE Ultimate feature, which increases the quality of streamed music so that it comes close to high-resolution sound sources. With the help of an upcoming software update, the Xperia 1 IV will also support Bluetooth LE Audio to reduce sound delays.

Strong camera setup

The Xperia 1 IV is equipped with three lenses: a 16mm ultra-wide-angle lens, a 24mm wide-angle lens, and a true optical telephoto zoom lens with a focal range of 85-125mm.

All lenses feature a proprietary Exmor RS for mobile image sensor with 12 megapixels and a readout speed of up to 120 bps. This means the Xperia 1 IV supports up to five times slow-motion shooting in 4K at 120 BpS, real-time eye-detection autofocus, and real-time photo tracking with each lens.

The front camera now also offers a resolution of 12 megapixels and is said to offer less image noise in low light compared to its predecessor, while also enabling selfies in 4K including HDR.

The Xperia 1 IV is also supposed to handle videos without problems thanks to SteadyShot with FlawlessEye. Moreover, videos with fivefold slow motion in 4K HDR and 120 FPS are possible. In addition, the Xperia 1 IV supports eye AF and object tracking for videos so that subjects are always in sharp focus.

For streamers and gamers

When using Videography Pro for live streams, the device supports eye-detection AF and object tracking. Connecting the smartphone to Sony’s Vlog monitor, available as an accessory, allows content to be streamed in even higher resolution by using the main camera instead of the front camera.

Cinematography Pro “Powered by CineAlta” on the other hand allows recording movies with parameters and color settings similar to those of professionals. Interesting for gamers: The smartphone offers a game optimizer with L-y Raiser (Low Gamma Raiser), audio equalizer and voice chat optimization.

With the help of the R.T. Record function (rewind time recording), the smartphone also always records the last 30 seconds of the game and even allows live streaming in combination with the game optimizer.

Prices and availability

The new flagship smartphone Sony Xperia 1 IV will be available in stores from mid-June 2022 at an MSRP of 1,399 euros. For all those who order the Xperia 1 IV in the period from May 11 to June 30, 2022, the WH-1000XM4 noise-cancelling headphones (our review) will be included for free. More information is available on the official product website.