When the Sony Xperia 1 IV launched, we were impressed with its continuous optical zoom camera, which lets you zoom anywhere between 3.5x and 5.2x, perfect for long-distance photography. The Xperia 5 IV is out now, but the pint-sized sibling lacks top-of-the-line features.
As part of IFA 2022, the annual tech show in Germany, the Sony Xperia 5 IV comes out just a few months after its sibling. In Sony‘s way, this is a similar phone to the 1, but in a smaller package.
That means it has a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, three 12MP cameras on the back and another 12MP front-facing camera, 30W charging, and all the useful Sony apps that the Xperia 1 IV enjoyed a few months ago. Like previous Xperia 5 phones, the Mark 4 is smaller, with a 6.1-inch display rather than a 4K display, and a smaller battery to fit in the shrunken frame.
If you’ve followed Sony phones, you’ll know that’s for granted. The Xperia 5 has always been a smaller version of its Xperia 1 counterpart, and the Xperia 1 IV gets upgrades over the Xperia 1 III, like a brighter display, the ability to record 4K 120Hz video on all four cameras, and the new Music Pro application.
The Sony Xperia 5 IV has a 60mm telephoto zoom lens that lets you get a little over 2x closer to your subject. That’s especially not the Xperia 1 IV’s 85mm-125mm continuous zoom, or even the Mark 3 phone’s 70mm-105mm adaptive telephoto that can jump to either of those points.
It makes sense that the feature isn’t in the phone — it can take up a lot of space, and it’s not suitable for this small phone — but it’s still a shame. So while there are software improvements that upgrade the Sony Xperia 5 IV’s camera to the Mark 3 in some ways, it’s not as good at zooming as its predecessor or its big brother.
Analysis: So what’s the point?
In the absence of a continuous optical zoom camera, the Sony Xperia 5 IV is hardly an upgrade over its predecessor. The screen is a little brighter, the chipset is more powerful, and there are some new Sony apps. But these are very small upgrades in the grand scheme of things.
Remember, the Sony Xperia 5 III has gone through a year of price cuts and discounts. It’s cheaper to buy now, and arguably a more tempting purchase given that the new version doesn’t bring as many upgrades.
If it weren’t for continuous optical zoom, the Sony Xperia 1 IV also suffers from this, so while it makes sense not to have that feature, it’s also a shame.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Sony battery