Sony Xperia 1 IV is a device which sees Sony making a big play in the mobile market, marrying its imaging and entertainment heritage with state-of-the-art hardware. For the creators and media lovers, it is built by ascetics, not marketers and focuses on empowering users with professional grade tools specific to their needs rather than what is mass market popular.

The design of the Xperia 1 IV is a sophisticated one which you will notice from the moment when you remove it from its box. Its 6.5-inch 4K HDR OLED display that conforms to a 21:9 aspect ratio is as much a feast for the eyes as any cinematic experience, with media for streaming or stills for editing gliding through your eyes as butter on a very warm plate. The 120Hz refresh rate means scrolling is silky-smooth in practice, and the 1000-nit peak brightness makes viewing the screen outdoors a breeze—a huge improvement over its predecessor. Coupled to front-facing stereo speakers tuned by Sony’s audio engineers, the phone offers rich, balanced sound without the need for headphones, but for enthusiasts, the 3.5mm jack for high-fidelity playback has not been removed.

Performance is led by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor well-equipped to handle tough tasks such as 4K video editing and heavy gaming. Its 5000mAh battery supports all-day use, and 30W wired charging gets it to 50% in 30 minutes—wireless charging is still slow under 2025 standards, so it goes. Sony’s localized software partnership with Flyme here also enhances the Android 12 experience with a handy negative one-screen – standby screen for quick access to apps and notifications and spam filtering has also been improved — something that’s key in markets like China where these kinds of localized features are what sells phones. If you like and love Sony phones, this model can not be missed by you.

But the Xperia 1 IV isn’t for everyone. At its high price, it’s squarely priced in luxury turf, battling the likes of the iPhone 13 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. And though it is on par with rivals in terms of raw specs, its software doesn’t have the AI-driven kick that makes competitors’ photos pop the second you get done shooting. The phone’s tall, narrow dimensions, while ergonomic for some use cases, is less natural for one-handed use compared with curved-screen devices.

The Sony Xperia 1 IV is, essentially, an art phone, for those of you in such a niche. It gives up the mass-market polish of consumer offerings for no-compromise creative tools, with a pitch aimed at photographers, videographers and cinephiles who want control over their craft. If you're eager to have a movie theater-like screen, optical zoom innovation, and video recording that's nearly professional grade, this phone has you covered — that is, if you're willing to forgive a few quirks and a high price. For Sony, it’s also a reminder that in a time of homogenized smartphones, there’s still space for a handset that dares to be different.