Unfortunately, a poor update guarantee prevents one of the best multimedia hardware packages a smartphone has to offer from reaching its full potential. However, the Xperia 5 IV is a small joy and a lot more cost-effective purchase than the eye-watering costly Xperia 1 IV if you can live with only three years of software support.

The Sony Xperia 5 IV, a more compact and moderately less expensive alternative to the flagship Xperia 1 IV, has finally arrived after a slightly longer than normal wait. It hasn’t always been possible to strike the perfect balance when distilling Sony’s pricey flagship product down to a slightly more inexpensive and portable version. Does the 2022 model succeed in striking the correct balance, then?

About this review of the Sony Xperia 5 IV: Over the course of five days, I evaluated the Sony Xperia 5 IV. It was running the July 2022 security patch and Android 12 64.0.H.4.18 build. Sony provided the product for this review.

What you should be aware of regarding the Sony Xperia 5 IV

Similar to its larger sibling, the Xperia 1 IV, Sony’s tiny flagship aims to appeal to the community of content creators. The Photo Pro, Video Pro, and new Music Pro applications give developers a ton of playthings to use. With streaming directly to YouTube or an RTMP URL service via Sony’s Video Pro and Game Enhancer apps, Sony intends to appeal to the live-streaming crowd as well.

Here, even rabid content consumers are well-served. Customers who purchase Bravia Core receive five movies to redeem and a year of free, unlimited access to older programming. LDAC, LE Audio Bluetooth, DSEE upscaling, and 360 Reality Audio Upmix are all advantageous to music enthusiasts. Through Game Enhancer, players can customize their experiences according to their preferences in terms of performance, charging, audio, and other factors.

However, not everything is a direct clone of Sony’s top-tier Xperia 1 IV. The novel 85-125mm variable focal length periscope camera is absent from the Xperia 5 IV. Additionally, unlike the Xperia 5 series, this device does not have a 4K display. The RAM decreases from 12GB to 8GB as well. With an IP65/68 rating, 4K 120fps HDR video recording, 5G networking, Wi-Fi 6E, and other contemporary Sony smartphone staples, the larger package is still very much a traditional Xperia.

Sony has created a powerful platform for content producers and condensed it into a small box.

There are only three color possibilities for the Sony Xperia 5 IV: Black, Green, and Ecru White. Similar restrictions apply to the storage, with only one model providing 128GB of internal memory. Thank goodness, the phone is compatible with 1TB microSD cards, which helps make up for the lack of higher storage options. There is also eSIM support if you require a second SIM.

At the time of writing, the Xperia 5 IV is available for purchase in Europe. Sony has scheduled the US availability for late October, with pre-order delivery anticipated for October 27–28. You might want to browse around to get that bundle because the Sony WF-1000XM4 true wireless earphones are extremely great and are available for free from some shops (like Amazon) with every purchase.

You’ll be happy to know that the Xperia 5 IV has the same aesthetic as the model before it if you appreciate Sony’s monolithic design. Although the familiarity is a little monotonous, Sony’s elegant design can hold its own if Apple can get away with the same old appearance.

The premium sibling’s strong aluminum frame is carried over, which is a significant improvement over the flimsy plastic of the previous generation. The frame houses the camera shutter button, a fast side-mounted fingerprint scanner, and reliable volume rockers. One of the only smartphones with a 3.5mm headphone port left is the Xperia 5 IV. Although scratch-resistant, the glossy Corning Gorilla Glass Victus front and back are a magnet for dust and fingerprints.

Sony’s aesthetic quality hasn’t changed over the years.

The 6.1-inch HDR OLED FHD+ display on the Xperia 5 IV is stunning and hasn’t changed much from the Xperia 5 III. The panel’s peak brightness is reportedly 50% greater, which does aid in ensuring outside visibility. I was unable to determine whether or when Sony’s “Real Time HDR Drive” video exposure correcting tool would work with this. Importantly, the 21:9 aspect ratio contributes to how compact the phone feels in the hand without making it feel excessively tall.

Two front-facing stereo speakers are present on the Xperia 5 IV, one at the bottom and one at the top. Because it’s so uncommon these days, the handset’s sound is far superior to that of most other phones. When the speakers are placed on a table, a newly created unique enclosure helps to eliminate undesired vibrations and makes the speakers sing. Speaking of which, I’d disable Sony’s Dynamic Vibration feature because it detracts from the otherwise excellent sound. However, the system shines at sound separation and clarity for both music and movies. Of course, the little speakers can’t compete with a proper set at pushing bass-heavy recordings.

Even though the exterior may look familiar, the interior may have changed. Finally, Sony managed to incorporate Qi wireless charging into its more compact form, replete with battery-sharing capabilities to reverse wirelessly charge accessories like headphones and the like. On the few docks I tested, wireless charging’s peak power never exceeded 7.5W, making it a somewhat sluggish process. Wireless capabilities are still appreciated, much like the 30W wired Power Delivery charging, which takes 30 minutes to reach 50% but takes about 95 minutes to reach full (a slight improvement over the Xperia 5 III).

The Xperia 5 IV also features wireless charging

You’ll need to purchase your own plug because the packaging doesn’t include a charger that can supply enough power. However, it does imply that Sony’s packaging is 50% thinner, has no plastic, and emits fewer greenhouse gases. Thank goodness, I didn’t have the same fussy charger and cable problems with the Xperia 1 IV. The plugs and cords I threw at this phone charged it nicely, so Sony appears to have fixed that specific fault.

You won’t need to charge the smaller phone from Sony very frequently because it has a 5,000mAh battery. The substantial battery can readily manage regular social and professional activities, extended video playback periods, and even moderate gaming. For all except the toughest use situations, anticipate a battery life of at least one full day.

Even while Sony’s hardware is good, it isn’t very cutting-edge. The Xperia ships with a 60Hz display by default, which contributes to the excellent battery life. Without variable refresh rate display technology, you are forced to choose between the extra battery drain of 120Hz or the jankier sensation of 120Hz. Due to the enormous battery capacity, using the phone at 120Hz should still provide you with about four hours of screen time.

However, all but the lightest users would probably experience battery anxiety if they did that. The smaller screen makes this less of a multitasker than the 6.5-inch Xperia 1 IV if you’re a power user, and I found it difficult to use Sony’s 21:9 Multi-window feature effectively.

The presence of a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip rather than the more recent, more effective Plus model makes the phone more susceptible to heating during prolonged gaming. We achieved a respectable 9,626 run in 3DMark’s Wildlife, but towards the end of a stress test, this drops by almost 50% to 4,975. Nevertheless, the phone will play an entire round of Apex Legends at a constant 60 frames per second, so it will still be adequate for most gamers. Just keep in mind that longer sessions do make it warmer.

A few minor problems remove the shine from a hardware package that is otherwise excellent.

In terms of software, I’m mixed about Sony’s interpretation of Android 12. You won’t find the same level of theming personalization, despite the fact that it shares similar aspects with Material You. The phone is enhanced by Sony with useful extra features including Side Sense, battery Stamina mode, and Ambient Display. This is a minor complaint, but the pre-installed LinkedIn and inconsistent app and menu theming don’t give the hardware bundle the same level of polished cohesion.

Similarly, I’m not convinced by the usefulness of Sony’s specialized Music Pro cloud-processing membership. For a start, it just upscales and filters the guitar and voices. But even then, serious musicians and producers will demand recording gear with more robust audio quality and more potent editing tools. No phone can actually serve as a recording studio, even though the mics are clear enough to record a basic notion.

Although creator applications are fantastic, the functionality is getting more specialized.

The big letdown with Sony’s update commitment of two operating systems and three years of security upgrades is that it is now markedly below average in the flagship and even mid-tier smartphone categories. Everyone agrees that’s not good, but it’s especially bad when Sony is asking for the top price for the phone.

Review of the Sony Xperia 5 IV camera

The Xperia 5 IV’s camera doesn’t undergo many changes, much like many of the internal components. The main and ultrawide cameras are both 12MP and offer 20fps burst shooting like the Xperia 5 III. A permanent 60mm camera replaces the previous generation’s switchable focal length camera, which is a disappointing downgrade. To power the most recent 5 series model, Sony has brought its best-in-class 60 fps eye autofocus, 4K 120 fps recording, and AI-based object tracking.

The Xperia 5 IV’s camera package performs admirably in terms of color accuracy, white balance, and realistic details, as we’ve come to expect from Sony smartphones. When compared to some other phones, its images may appear muted, but Sony, like the greatest camera phones, strikes a balance between accuracy and healthy saturation. The majority of the photos I took with my phone look great, and this generation’s HDR is far better than previous ones. With the now-standard A/P/S/M settings in the Photo Pro app, serious photographers may always advance their work.

However, there are some remaining sharp edges. If you look closely, you may occasionally detect HDR haloing, chromatic aberration on the ultrawide lens, and murky low-light conditions. Sony relies on HDR processing and long exposures for low light, so it’s disappointing that the phone can’t handle HDR and bokeh processing at the same time, and there are still no macro capabilities or night mode options. However, 90% of the time the camera is more than capable enough.

The Sony Xperia 5 IV’s camera is set at 60mm (2.5x) telephoto, missing out on the variable focal length zoom of its larger sister. This configuration has a limited range of long-range applications; it has a maximum practical zoom distance of 4x while Sony’s maximum is 7.5x. Compared to the primary lens, this telephoto’s detail isn’t the best, and there is considerable desaturation. However, when combined with the artificial bokeh setting, the 60mm focal length is actually rather great for portrait photography.

Sony has now repaired its selfie portrait option, which is equally wonderful news. The primary camera’s bokeh button has taken the role of the secondary menu. Edge recognition has significantly improved and can now hold its own against some of the best smartphones available. My main gripe is that I don’t like the phony bokeh halos Sony randomly adds to highlights, and the bokeh option frequently blows out background highlights.

Thanks to the improved bigger sensor, selfie quality is respectable in most lighting situations. However, the camera can only handle a certain amount of dynamic range, which occasionally causes the white balance to be off. Despite the technology advancements, the selfie experience is inferior to the back camera package due to the inconsistent tones and overall fantastic skin textures.

In terms of video, the default camera app only allows for 4K/30 frames per second or 1080p/60 frames per second, however, the slightly modified Video Pro app allows for 4K/120 frames per second. In either case, the video quality is superb. Beginning videographers have everything they need here thanks to Video Pro’s strong manual controls and great eye tracking.

Sony Xperia 5 IV specs

Sony Xperia 5 IV review: The verdict

Sony’s Xperia 5 IV boasts wonderful hardware. We just wish it was built to last five years.

Even with all this technology included, the Xperia 5 IV isn’t quite as affordable as the Google Pixel 7 Pro ($899), but it’s close and much more affordable than the Xperia 1 IV’s exorbitant price, making it a good choice for mainstream consumers who are interested in Sony’s best-in-class features. However, it’s difficult to suggest the Xperia 5 IV to anyone seeking a phone that will last them well past the three-year point at which security updates will stop because Sony doesn’t seem to be willing to match the long-term support provided by other top manufacturers.

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