Sony announces Xperia 1 IV smartphone with optical zoom, 4K 120p and much more
posted Wednesday, May 11, 2022 at 7:00 AM EDT
Today, Sony has announced its latest flagship smartphone, the Xperia 1 IV. The smartphone includes many impressive new features for photography, videography and gaming.
The phone has a 6.5-inch OLED display with 4K resolution. The 21:9 display has a 120Hz refresh rate and 240Hz touch-scanning rate. The display uses Sony's Bravia HDR remaster technology for improved contrast, color and clarity. It's Sony's brightest 4K HDR OLED 120Hz display ever. Plus, the Xperia 1 IV is equipped with Dolby Atmos surround sound. Unlike an iPhone, the Xperia 1 IV also includes a 3.5mm headphone jack.
The phone is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Mobile Platform and uses Qualcomm's Snapdragon Elite Gaming technology to enhance performance. The phone includes 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, plus a microSD slot for additional storage. The phone has IP68 dust/water resistance.
Now, let's get to the cameras. The Sony Xperia 1 IV has three rear cameras, each equipped with a Sony Exmor RS image sensor. Each camera records 12MP image files, albeit with different image sensor sizes. All the cameras are also capable of recording 4K/120p video at a native 120p frame rate, meaning that all 120 frames are saved, allowing you to perform speed ramping edits easily.
The widest camera is a 16mm ultra-wide. The F2.2 lens is paired to a 1/2.5-inch type Exmor RS sensor. Next is the primary camera, which is a 24mm equivalent F1.7 lens and a 1/1.7-inch type image sensor. Rounding out the trio is the new 85-125mm F2.3-2.8 camera paired with a 1/3.5-inch type sensor. This is a true optical zoom. If you want to shoot at 105mm, it's not just a digital zoom setting between 85mm and 125mm; it's truly 105mm. It's a periscope-style system, and it's quite the innovation. The 24mm and 85-125mm lenses include OIS, ensuring more stability. All three lenses utilize Zeiss optics with Zeiss T* coating.
The front-facing camera is also improved. It now includes a new higher-resolution, larger 12MP Exmor RS sensor. Selfie photos and videos – which can be shot at 4K/120p – will look much better than the previous model.
Additional photo features include real-time Eye AF and real-time tracking with each camera. You can shoot full-res bursts at up to 20 frames per second with real-time AF and AE. Sony has also improved its AI technology in the new phone, delivering improved automatic white balance and color reproduction.
In terms of video features, we've mentioned 4K/120p video a few times already. This is good for fast, smooth video, but it's also great for slow-motion, as it allows for 4K video at up to 5x slow-motion. Like with still photography, video also includes real-time Eye AF and tracking. Sony also includes 4K HDR and 4K HDR multi-frame shooting. Multi-frame shooting combines consecutive frames at different brightness values to deliver expanded dynamic range in real-time at up to 4K/60p.
Live streaming is all the rage these days. Many people host their own live streams, and many more people enjoy viewing live-streamed content. The Xperia 1 IV can live stream directly from the device without special accessories or equipment using its built-in Videography Pro app. You can also use the Xperia 1 IV as a 4K monitor for your Alpha camera, which is impressive enough as it is, and live stream from your Alpha camera using the smartphone.
The Sony Xperia 1 IV packs a lot of impressive photo and video features. Sony truly leverages its Alpha technology with its feature-packed smartphones. Unsurprisingly, the Android phone doesn't come cheap. The Sony Xperia 1 IV will arrive in the US on September 1 for $1,600 in black or purple. For a limited time, people who preorder will receive Sony WF-1000XM4 wireless ear buds for free.