Inside the sleek, simple body of the new Sony Xperia 1 IV is a telephoto camera lens with small elements that can move freely back and forth to zoom in and out. No other phone can do that. Last year Xperia 1 III had a similar lens, but these small objective elements were limited to one of two positions. And as innovative The Xperia 1 III was a dual telephoto lensIn use, it did not provide any real advantage over competitors like Galaxy S22 Ultrauses two separate telephoto cameras to get something similar.
The Xperia 1 IV is the world’s first phone with a true optical zoom lens – however, many will be surprised to learn that Sony still makes phones. Whether you’re a creative type, photographer, filmmaker, actor, or audiophile, Sony and its Xperia phone line are looking for your heart, creativity, and wallet. After all, the Sony Xperia 1 IV costs $ 1,600 (which is about 1,300 pounds, about 2,300 AU) and makes the new phone one of the most expensive models sold today.
The Xperia 1 IV represents the ideal that Sony has been pursuing since 2019. The Tokyo-based company does not intend to compete with major phones such as the Xperia 1 IV. iPhone 13, Samsung Galaxy S22 or Google Pixel 6 Pro. Instead, with the Xperia 1 IV, Sony carved its own corner of the sandbox and built some impressive towers.
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Hands-On: We Got to Try the Sony Xperia 1 IV and Its…
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Let’s go back to that $1,600 price tag. Sticker shock aside, you get a phone that not only has a cutting edge zoom lens, but one with a 4K high-refresh rate display (which no other phone has aside from Sony), a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, a 5,000-mAh battery, Gorilla Glass Victus as well as Android features of yesteryear you won’t find on most flagship phones. These include a headphone jack, a slot for expandable storage and an LED notification light on the front.
For most people, including me, the Xperia 1 IV will be too expensive. At $1,600, I’d be more inclined to buy a dedicated camera. But if you can afford it and you want a cutting-edge phone that’s steeped in the intricate processes of photography and filmmaking, the Xperia 1 IV is waiting for you.
The Xperia 1 IV will be out in the US on Sept. 1 and is available for preorder now. Sony has a limited time deal where you can buy an Xperia 1 IV and get a free pair of Sony WF-1000XM4 true wireless earbuds, which have a $280 value. I wish Sony had offered to bundle the Xperia 1 IV with its shooting grip and remote controller and tiny magnetic vlogging monitor that lets you film yourself using the rear cameras.
The Xperia 1 IV works with Sony’s shooting grip, remote control accessory and magnetic vlogging monitor. This lets you use the rear cameras to film yourself.
James Martin/CNET
Sony Xperia 1 IV and the missing Music Pro app
Sony lent me a preproduction sample of the Xperia 1 IV. The software isn’t final and some features didn’t work fully or were completely absent. One missing app is Sony’s Music Pro app which can provide studio tuning for vocals. In a video from Sony, a singer on a windy beach records her vocal track with the Xperia 1 IV and the Music Pro app.
Music Pro applies a combination of noise reduction, deReverb and studio mic simulations to remove the noise from the wind and make her voice sound more present and full. I found the demo impressive.
Sadly, the new app wasn’t ready for me to try. Next to the cameras, Music Pro could be the biggest new feature on the Xperia 1 IV.
The Xperia 1 IV has three rear cameras and a 3D iToF sensor used for focusing.
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Sony Xperia 1 IV gets all-new cameras
You could write a book with the number of details Sony sent me about the cameras on the Xperia 1 IV. And the photography nerd in me loves that. But I’ll keep things concise for this review.
All of the cameras on the Xperia 1 IV have new and faster sensors, meaning they’re capable of multiple calculations and processing within fractions of a second. You can shoot bursts of 20 photos per second with auto exposure and autofocus enabled, using any camera on the phone.
Rear cameras on the Xperia 1 IV
| Aperture | Focal length equivalent | OIS | Megapixels | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ultra-wide angle | f/2.2 | 16mm | No | 12MP |
| Wide angle | f/1.7 | 24mm | Yes | 12MP |
| Telephoto | f/2.3-2.8 | 85-125mm | Yes | 12MP |
Let’s go back to that telephoto camera. Between 85mm and 125mm (or 3.5x and 5.2x) magnification, it’s all optical zoom all the time. There isn’t any digital zooming or cropping happening unless you zoom past 5.2x or are shooting between 1.1x and 3.4x magnification. If you can zoom optically, in other words, the image quality won’t degrade like it does with digital zoom.
I got to use the Xperia 1 IV for a week and a half and I was impressed with the new cameras. Take a look below at some of my favorite photos that I took with the Sony Xperia 1 IV.
Every Saturday a bunch of people line up outside the church. This photo was taken with the telephoto camera at 3.5x magnification.
Patrick Holland/CNET
This was taken with the telephoto lens at 3.5x magnification indoors. Despite the lack of light, the Xperia 1 IV’s Eye AF (autofocus) found and tracked the dog’s eyes perfectly.
Patrick Holland/CNET
This was taken with the main 24mm camera. I like how the background falls out of focus.
Patrick Holland/CNET
This was taken with the ultrawide camera. I like the contrast of dark and light.
Patrick Holland/CNET
Just a quick stop during a bike ride through Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. The Xperia 1 IV is thin enough to fit in the back of a cycling jersey.
Patrick Holland/CNET
The Xperia 1 IV vs. the iPhone 13 Pro, Google Pixel 6 Pro
The iPhone 13 Pro and Pixel 6 Pro are two of the best phones you can buy today for photography. Apple and Google use a combination of solid hardware and computational photography to make photos and videos look the best they can. Sony focuses more on the hardware to achieve great photos. The Xperia’s lack of computational magic gives the iPhone and Pixel the edge when comparing models.
Under good light, and even medium lighting, all three phones are capable of taking excellent photos. Look at the pictures below that I took of a vase of flowers indoors. The photo from the iPhone looks the sharpest, but I love the way the Xperia captures the colors.
Photo from the Sony Xperia 1 IV.
Patrick Holland/CNET
Photo from the iPhone 13 Pro.
Patrick Holland/CNET
Photo from the Google Pixel 6 Pro.
Patrick Holland/CNET
Below are some shots of motorcycles parked outdoors. The Xperia’s photo has the most contrast and the Pixel’s photo the least. The iPhone’s photo lands right between the two.
Photo from the Sony Xperia 1 IV.
Patrick Holland/CNET
Photo from the iPhone 13 Pro.
Patrick Holland/CNET
Photo from the Google Pixel 6 Pro.
Patrick Holland/CNET
When things get dark is where you can see the biggest difference between the phones. The Xperia 1 IV doesn’t have a night mode. It can take an OK low-light shot like the below photo of a cocktail in a dark bar.
Photo from the Sony Xperia 1 IV.
Patrick Holland/CNET
But look at these photos of a street that I shot handheld. The photos from the iPhone and Pixel, which both used Night mode, look so much better. The Sony’s photo looks soft and the details are muddy. Notice all the noise reduction going on in the sky and with the telephone wires.
Photo from the Sony Xperia 1 IV.
Patrick Holland/CNET
Photo from the iPhone 13 Pro.
Patrick Holland/CNET
Photo from the Google Pixel 6 Pro.
Patrick Holland/CNET
For video clips from the Xperia 1 IV, including some that I compare with clips from the iPhone and Pixel, check out the video below.
Photo Pro, Video Pro and Cinema Pro
The Xperia 1 IV has three software for taking photos and videos: Photo Pro, Video Pro and Cinema Pro. Photo Pro mimics the interface of Sony’s line of Alpha mirrorless cameras. Cinema Pro is designed for filmmakers and is inspired by Sony’s line of Venetian film cameras.
Video Pro is a less hasty program to use to record video compared to Cinema Pro. Video Pro offers a bunch of manual controls, but there is an automatic mode that leaves everything to Xperia. Video Pro is becoming one of my favorite ways to capture video on your phone.
While image quality is important, these three apps help Sony stand out from the iPhone, Pixel, or Galaxy S22 Ultra.
Photo Pro has a PSM dial based on the PASM dial in mirrorless cameras.
James Martin / CNET
Think I’m impressed, but I keep my judgments
I borrowed the Sony prototype for 10 days. While this is usually enough time to review the phone, the problem is that the first app I used was a bit rough. But if you want to know more about my impressions of the Sony Xperia 1 IV, watch my detailed practice video.