Sony Xperia 1 IV: what we want to see

Date:
Sat, 07 Aug 2021 12:00:19 +0000

Description:
The Sony Xperia 1 IV could be one of the best phones of 2022 - if it fixes some of the Xperia 1 III's problems.

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The Sony Xperia 1 III is arguably the most impressive phone Sony has made in
a long time, so were eagerly awaiting whatever it does next with the Sony Xperia 1 IV.

Already there are a few rumors about the phone, all of which youll find
below, along with details about the likely release date and price, and well update this article whenever we hear anything more about Sonys next flagship handset.

But as we dont know much yet weve also included a wish list of things that we want the Sony Xperia 1 IV to offer, because great as the Xperia 1 III is, our four-star review noted a number of issues and areas that could be improved. Cut to the chase What is it? The next flagship Sony phone When is it out? Expect an announcement in early 2022 How much will it cost? Unknown, but the price is sure to be high Sony Xperia 1 IV release date and price

There arent any real Sony Xperia 1 IV release date rumors yet, but its likely to be announced in early 2022, perhaps in April, given that the Sony Xperia 1 III was announced in April 2021. That said, the Xperia 1 II and Xperia 1 were unveiled in February of their launch years, so that month is possible too.

Whenever the Sony Xperia 1 IV is announced though the wait until it goes on sale could be quite a lot longer, as the Xperia 1 III isnt going on sale
until late August around four months after it was announced, and the wait
for the previous two models from announcement to launch was around three months.

There isnt any Sony Xperia 1 IV price information yet either, but the Sony Xperia 1 III costs $1,299.99 / 1,199 (around AU$2,200), so the next model could have a similar price tag. Whatever the case, wed expect it to be very expensive. The Sony Xperia 1 III is a very expensive phone (Image credit: TechRadar) News and leaks

While the Sony Xperia 1 IV is likely a way off yet, were already hearing some things about it, including that according to @NodSikharulidze - it will apparently have a 50MP main camera.

Specifically, it will apparently have the same 50MP camera as the Google
Pixel 6 , but that phone also hasnt launched yet, so even if this leak is right, we cant get too specific about the camera. The source also doesnt have much of a track record, so wed take this with a pinch of salt.

Also in camera news weve heard that Sony might use a sensor it made itself
for the front-facing camera in the Sony Xperia 1 IV, as well as sticking with self-made sensors for the rear cameras.

The Xperia 1 III used a Samsung sensor for the front-facing camera, but its not clear whether moving from Samsung to Sony would be an upgrade or not.
What we want to see

There are plenty of things Sony could add or change to make the Xperia 1 IV a better phone than the Xperia 1 III, including the following. 1. An in-screen fingerprint scanner

Almost every flagship Android phone now has an in-screen fingerprint scanner, but not the Sony Xperia 1 III that puts its scanner on the side of the
phone.

While thats not the worst place for it, wed much rather see it move under the display, as thats a far more modern position for a fingerprint scanner, and given how much Sony charges for its top-end phones we expect top-end tech. 2. A lower price

Speaking of the price, Sonys flagship Xperia 1 range really is very
expensive, with the Sony Xperia 1 III rivaling the likes of the Samsung
Galaxy S21 Ultra and the iPhone 12 Pro Max for price.

With its 4K 120Hz display it arguably justifies the price, or at least comes close to doing so, but Sony doesnt have the brand appeal of Samsung or Apple, so a lower price would help it shift more units. 3. A longer zoom We want longer range zoom than the Xperia 1 III offers (Image credit: TechRadar)

The star of the Xperia 1 IIIs camera setup is arguably its adaptive telephoto camera, which has two lenses that share a sensor, and offer two different optical zoom distances, giving you a choice of 2.9x or 4.4x.

Having them share a sensor is quicker than switching between two completely separate telephoto cameras (as for example the Galaxy S21 Ultra does), so
with all of this in mind its clear that Sony is taking telephoto seriously. Yet in the face of the 10x zoom offered by the Galaxy S21 Ultra and some Huawei phones, the range offered here isnt very impressive.

Of course, a shorter distance zoom could be more useful to some people, but
if Sony is going to the trouble of offering two different zoom distances wed like them to be very different, with the top option ideally extending to 10x, so we can shoot all those camera-shy animals and distant buildings. 4. Long-term software support

Sony has stated that it plans to support the Xperia 1 III for two years after launch, likely meaning two major Android updates. Thats in line with some other phone makers, but when you consider how much the Xperia 1 III costs its really not very much support at all especially given that Apple supports its phones for up to around six years, and Google is rumored to be offering five years of updates for the Pixel 6.

At the very least wed like to see Sony match Samsung (and a few others) with three years of Android updates for the Xperia 1 IV, but ideally we want it to go even further and lead the way for Android software support.

Of course, some of this might be out of Sony's hands - if Qualcomm doesn't support the Snapdragon chipset the company will inevitably use then it might be stuck, but we want as much support as can reasonably be offered. 5. A bigger battery

In our tests we found that the Sony Xperia 1 III lasted quite a long time between charges, but it only has a middling 4,500mAh battery, so wed like to see that upped to 5,000mAh in the Xperia 1 IV for hopefully even better life.

Wed also appreciate faster charging, as while the 30W of the Xperia 1 III is reasonable, its dwarfed by the speeds offered by the likes of Xiaomi and OnePlus. Will this be one of the best smartphones ?



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Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/news/sony-xperia-1-iv/


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