The Sony Xperia 1 IV landed a few weeks ago and we’re not sure if it’s a smartphone for your everyday person or a creative tool for the wroking artists.

If you base it on the price it’s stupidly expensive. When its’ rivals are the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra or the iPhone 13 Pro Max it is eye-wateringly expensive. It’s clunky design is also a flaw and has unassuming software which doesn’t use AI to take the vibrant and captivating photos.

The fourth generation of Sony’s top-end Android smartphones follows the Sony Xperia I III. It’s accompanied by the Xperia 10 IV. However, the latest generation has very few huge changes over their predecessors. Sony appears to have opted for tweaked specifications and useful new features for creatives.

One could argue that the new big feature is a win. The continuous optical zoom, with the telephoto lens moving between 3.5x and 5.2x without having to use digital zoom is a win for photographers and content creators. The rollout of 4K and 120fps video recording on all four cameras is a win.

The bigger battery is also a win. However, the audio recording app is buggy at best. It should in theory allow you layer, clean and mix sound but in our experience it crashes consistently.

Our Advice

If you’re a content creator or a photographer – this phone is definitely for you. It’s epic-grade camera and extended battery performance will help you get what you need to do better. Gamers, may also find usefulness from this as the graphics, core processor and battery team up to create a good-enough experience. But, if you’re just looking for a phone that can do the basics then this isn’t for you.