Sony has been busy this year releasing the next generation of its flagship Xperia range, which has already seen new iterations of the Xperia 1 and Xperia 10 hit the market. Joining them to complete the trinity is Sony’s Xperia 5 IV.
Sony’s Xperia 5 smartphones have always been released hand in hand with the Xperia 1 models, serving as a more compact, stripped-back, and slightly cheaper option.
It’s more of the same here with the Xperia 5 IV looking to emulate a similar experience of its sibling without sacrificing too much.
The Xperia 5 IV’s design stays true to Sony’s reputable aesthetic, that's synonymous with other phones in the range. Its sleek body is made from a metal that has a matte black finish which feels durable and is much more scratch resistant than its glossy predecessors.
It uses two Gorilla Glass Victus panels to protect the screen and the camera lenses. It features a 21:9 tall screen with thin bezel edges that eliminate most of the dead width around the screen, which is great for holding the phone in landscape.
However, the top and bottom sections of the screen have slightly thicker bezels, which have allowed Sony to incorporate the selfie camera at the top and two speakers at either end.
This doesn’t compromise the screen’s display prowess. The phone includes three control buttons which are situated in an accessible location on the right-hand side.
There’s a USB C charger at the bottom and believe it or not Sony has gone and included a 3.5mm jack at the top. This inclusion will please people who have been struggling with additional connectors or may not have access to a Bluetooth phone.
Content creators will be able to plug in mics when they are recording. The Xperia 5 IV is nice to hold due to its slender build which measures 15.6 x 6.7 x 0.82 cm and its lightweight body of 172 g.
Some may argue that Sony has played it safe with its design, but the Xperia’s timeless aesthetic works well here granting the tech giant another elegant-looking phone.
The phone comes with an IP65/68 rating which means it can withstand dust, dirt, and rain, making it a great companion on long hikes and even at the gym.
This rating also means that the phone is resistant to underwater submersion up to 1.5 meters, which is a godsend if you accidentally drop it in the bathtub.
The Xperia 5 IV has a massive 61”, FHD+ OLED screen which is great for streaming movies and playing games.
It has a 449 PPI display that supports HDR10 and fully covers the BT.2020 colour space, images are crystal clear with rich and vibrant colours that look wonderful in different environments.
The screen comes with a 120 Hz refresh rate, which makes movement while using apps much smoother.
The Xperia 5 IV can playback several different audio codecs including High-Resolution Audio and High-Resolution Audio Wireless certifications, bringing the best digital music experience possible.
The Xperia IV can also play the latest LDAC codec that can transmit approximately three times more audio data than conventional Bluetooth audio codecs such as SBC.
I was happy with the quality of sound from the phone which was admirable with little distortion at high volumes.
The Xperia 5 IV is built with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor that delivers top-notch performance, which is a massive step up from the Snapdragon 888 from its predecessor.
All the apps ran fast and very smoothly even during multitasking and heavy gaming, which just adds to the over quality of the phone.
The Xperia 5 IV runs on the Android 12 operating system which is still the best available for Sony phones as Google has yet to roll out Android 13 to non-Google phones.
One of the biggest features of the Xperia 5 IV is the triple camera, and while this model may not be as powerful as the Xperia 1 IV it still allows for great pictures.
This is mainly due to Sony’s new Photo Pro software that looks to emulate their mirrorless cameras like the A7S. This new software is phenomenal and Sony has done an excellent job recreating almost like-for-like camera controls and quality through this app.
It also includes a plethora of features such as Real-time Eye Autofocus which actually worked a charm allowing me to capture crisp images.
Real-time tracking is also a nice feature that follows the object even when they move off the screen. I found that this feature worked nicely, especially on closer objects but began to struggle with objects that were further away.
The Xperia 5 IV has a triple rear camera with each covering a different focal length granting the user a wide range to play with. The main camera has a 24mm, F1.7 lens that utilises 12MP 1/1.7" sensor, which is great for capturing wide-angle shots.
The second camera has a 16mm, F2.2 Ultra Wide Angle lens that uses a 12MP 1/2.55" sensor. The Xperia 5 IV Ultra Wide angle lens was very impressive adding an extra dimension to the phone allowing for fisheye-style shots.
This is great as most other phones have a significantly weaker second camera which is a pain when trying to take the same picture at different angles.
The final rear camera is a 60 mm, F2.4 Telephoto lens which is great for portrait photography, however, it is limited with a 2.5x optical zoom range.
These cameras are basically the same spec as the Xperia 1 IV with only the telephoto camera having an advantage with a focal range of 85 mm - 125 mm.
The Xperia 5 IV has a fantastic camera setup that rivals some of the top-tier phones on the market but at a slightly lower price. The camera also allows for great video options that even include 4K HDR at 24, 25, 30, 60, and 120fps which is superb for slow motion.
I was really impressed with the 4K quality that offered excellent detail, great colours, and contrast with little grain. The video recording quality is amazing and far superior compared to its predecessor while matching the same specs of the Xperia 1 IV.
The Sony Xperia 5 IV has a 5000 mAh battery which is a massive improvement from the 4500 mAh from the previous model.
Sony Xperia 5 IV Verdict 4/5
Sony has done a fantastic job with the Xperia 5 IV which is supposed to be the less powerful version of the Xperia 1 IV.
That being said, other than a few elements like the screen, which most people won’t notice, the Xperia 5 IV retains the majority of the great features of the Xperia 1 IV.
Especially excelling in the camera department to rival its sibling. If not for the hefty price tag I feel the Xperia 5 IV will be a popular choice within the market due to its stellar specs.
