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The Xperia 1 IV may be a new device, but its foundation was laid in May 2019 when Sony entered the flagship segment with the re-launch of the Xperia smartphone. Many Sony fans were overjoyed that the Xperia line-up was being resurrected.
Three years later, Sony stands at a crossroads with their latest Xperia 1 IV, which has received mixed reviews at launch but has also generated enough enthusiasm to warrant significant demand from buyers.
Interestingly, the Xperia 1 IV gets a lot of things right but also falls significantly short in specific areas. This begs the question - Is the Xperia 1 IV worth a purchase in 2023 despite its shortcomings?
Note: The opinion expressed is of the author.
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It is tricky to recommend the Xperia 1 IV in 2023
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 powers the Xperia 1 IV and runs stock Android UI. The combination of the two ensures smooth and fluid operation for the most part. Storage options start at 256 GB, while the RAM offered is 12 GB on all models.
The phone's storage also features a fast UFS 3.1 storage that renders the phone extremely responsive.
Hardware may be top-notch, but the device may age poorly
Despite its top-of-the-line specifications, this phone may not age well because Sony is only committed to providing two years of OS updates. The Xperia 1 IV has already shipped with Android 12, which means 14, due for release in 2023, will be the last update for this device.
In a world where iPhones offer five-year updates and Samsung offers four, it is not difficult to see why the Xperia is tough to recommend.
The screen, on the other hand, is exceptionally detailed
It is rare to currently find a 4K resolution screen on a smartphone. The Xperia 1 IV employs a gorgeous 3840 x 1644 screen with a 643 pixel density. This not only makes the text look sharp but also makes content viewing a joyous experience. Every detail appears crisp, colorful, and vibrant on this screen.
Sticking to modern protection standards, the device uses a Gorilla Glass Victus that makes it significantly shatter-resistant to drops and bumps. The Xperia 1 IV also has a refresh rate of 120 Hz, which makes the UI feel like a breeze.
The high-res screen drains the battery slowly
Although the screen is brilliantly sharp, detailed, and gorgeous, the 5000 mAh battery finds it tough to power this screen, which has almost fifty percent more pixels to push than most modern flagships.
The hit to battery life is not drastic, but when compared to competition like the S22 Ultra, significant differences are observed for a similar price.
In day-to-day usage, getting almost a day’s worth is generally not too difficult, but any expectations formed thanks to the screen of using it as an all-out entertainment set-up should be curtailed.
Cameras offer a lot for photography enthusiasts but are not for average users
Sony has tried implementing some of its Alpha line of enthusiast camera features on the Xperia 1 phones. The problem, however, is not the camera's software but hardware limitations.
Due to size constraints, comparing Sony’s Alpha cameras with their smartphones is downright ridiculous, but people looking forward to getting a professional camera experience would be disappointed.
Compared to modern flagships, the cameras feel underwhelmed in color saturation, portrait mode, and exposure. In most shots from the Xperia 1 IV camera, the sky looks overblown while losing the blue color completely. It's not all bad, though. The Sony camera seems a bit sharper when capturing details in the foreground.
In video, Sony offers an excellent natural tone to its videos while providing the option for 4K recording at a maximum of 120 fps with HDR enabled. There is also a 20-picture burst shot mode, which is ridiculously fast and fluid. The camera system can also zoom in and transition seamlessly between lenses for a fluid zoom shot experience.
The phone offers good performance but is bogged down by software support. The screen on the phone is gorgeous but also limits the battery life. Similarly, photography enthusiasts can extract better shots from the device, but the average user would desire a reliable point-and-shoot system.
The Xperia 1 IV is not a bad phone. As for its viability, the average user should avoid it. Perhaps 2023 will improve device iteration, just like Xperia 1 IV improved over the last gen.
