Sony Xperia 1 IV Announced – Optical Zoom, 4K/120p Recording on All Lenses, and Livestreaming Capabilities

Smartphone Filmmaking

by Johnnie BehiriMay 11^th, 2022

Sony just announced their new flagship smartphone, the Xperia 1 IV, and inside this device aimed at music/content creators and gamers, one might find some exciting enhancements.

Time is undoubtedly “flying” and Sony’s 4th generation flagship smartphone/camera device was just announced. Will this mobile phone be the one to bring Sony closer to conquering the filmmaking/photography world? I guess only time will tell, but one thing is certain – the road to this type of success is surely measured by the delivery time. I genuinely hope that Sony will be able to keep the time gap between announcement and shipping to a minimum, as they have failed to do so previously, unfortunately.

Sony Xperia 1 IV – what is new?

Here are all video-related features, in a nutshell, to look at before deciding to purchase this model:

• 85-125mm telephoto optical zoom lens (next to 16mm ultra-wide lens and 24mm wide lens)
• All lenses have a 12MP “Exmor RS” image sensor
• 120fps high-speed readout image sensor for all three lenses
• 4K 120 frames per second slow-motion recording on ALL lenses
• Real-time Eye autofocus and object tracking for video
• Simplified live streaming through “Videography Pro” (Sony’s own built-in App for creative filming)
• 50% Brighter 4K 120Hz HDR display and Real-time HDR drive

Other photography, audio, and gaming enhancements were applied, so please visit Sony’s product page for additional information.

Performance and design

According to Sony, the new Xperia 1 IV features the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Mobile platform, which works on 5G and Wi-Fi 6E, with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of ROM. The 5,000mAh battery and be charged to 50% in 30 minutes and has wireless charging capabilities. 

The Xperia 1 IV has IP65/68 water and dust resistance and uses Corning Gorilla Glass Victus on the front and back. 

Xperia 1 IV’s come in three color options: Black, Ice White, and Purple

I also want to indicate that Sony reduced the phone packaging size by approximately 50% compared to previous models (now even plastic-free!). Please note that the charger and cable are not included with the new phone.

Pricing and availability

The Xperia 1 IV will be available to buy from mid-June 2022 for approximately $1,598/€1,399/£1,299.

What do you think about Sony’s new phone? Can you see yourself giving up your beloved iPhone and switching to using this new model? Please share with us your thoughts in the comment section below.