Sony Xperia 1 IV review: specs, battery & used prices

Summary

The Sony Xperia 1 IV is Sony's 2022 creator flagship: a 6.5-inch 4K-class 120 Hz OLED, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, and a triple 12 MP camera system whose telephoto offered true continuous optical zoom. It listed at $1,599 new; 12/256 GB units now sell for around $353 with a nine-sale sample — the steepest premium-to-price collapse among 2022 flagships we track.

Display and design

The 6.5-inch OLED runs at 120 Hz — screen quality 58/100 on our axis — in a 185 g flat, symmetrical body with compactness at 89/100 and IP68 sealing. The 3.5 mm headphone jack and microSD slot survive here, features rivals abandoned.

Performance

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 repeats its generation's character: gaming at 27/100 with a warm streak under sustained load, everyday responsiveness at 85/100. For video-first buyers the sustained-recording behavior matters more than peak benchmark pace.

Camera

The camera system keeps 12 MP across main, ultrawide, and telephoto — the telephoto's variable optical zoom was the 2022 exclusive — with video to 4K at 120 fps and full manual apps from Sony's Alpha line. Our camera score of 34/100 reflects our stills-first weighting; the video toolset is the actual product.

Battery and charging

The 5,000 mAh battery scores 40/100 on battery life, and 30 W charging scores 12/100 — Sony's conservative charging philosophy unchanged.

Verdict

At around $353 used, the Xperia 1 IV is the creator-specialist pick: 4K/120 recording, continuous-zoom optics, headphone jack, and expansion, at a fifth of launch price, with resale tracking at 74/100. Slow charging and the Gen 1 thermals are the accepted costs. The Xperia 1 V replaced the telephoto approach with a larger variable main sensor; the Xperia 1 III started the continuous-zoom idea.