We had to wait slightly longer than usual, but we now have our hands on the Sony Xperia 5 IV — the compact and slightly more affordable alternative to the flagship Xperia 1 IV. Distilling Sony’s expensive flagship formula down to a slightly more affordable and compact form hasn’t always struck the ideal compromises. So does the 2022 model manage to find the right balance? Find out in Android Authority’s Sony Xperia 5 IV review.
What you need to know about the Sony Xperia 5 IV
Credit: Robert Triggs / Android Authority
- Sony Xperia 5 IV (8GB/128GB): $999 / £949 / €999 (was €1,049)
Just like its bigger sibling, the Xperia 1 IV, Sony’s compact flagship focuses on winning over the content creator crowd. Between the Photo Pro, Video Pro, and new Music Pro apps, creators have plenty of toys to play with. Sony aims to appeal to the live streaming crowd too, with streaming straight to YouTube or an RTMP URL service via Sony’s Video Pro and Game Enhancer apps.
Ravenous content consumers are well-catered to here as well. Bravia Core gifts customers five movies to redeem and 12 months of unlimited streaming of older shows, free of charge. Music lovers benefit from LDAC and LE Audio Bluetooth, as well as DSEE upscaling and 360 Reality Audio Upmix. Gamers can configure their experiences just how they like through Game Enhancer, with performance, charging, audio, and other options.
It’s not all copy/paste from Sony’s flagship Xperia 1 IV, however. The Xperia 5 IV misses out on the innovative 85-125mm variable focal length periscope camera. There’s also no 4K display here, as is typical of the Xperia 5 series. The RAM also drops from 12GB to 8GB, and there’s a paltry 128GB of storage. Thankfully, the handset supports 1TB microSD cards, somewhat offsetting the lack of higher storage variants. If you need a second SIM, there’s eSIM support too.
Sony has built a powerhouse for content creators and distilled it into a compact package.
Still, the broader package remains very much a classic Xperia, complete with a IP65/68 rating, 4K 120fps HDR video recording, 5G networking, Wi-Fi 6E, and other modern Sony smartphone staples.
You can buy the Xperia 5 IV in US, UK, and Europe at the time of this writing. The Sony Xperia 5 IV is available in three color options: Black, Green, and Ecru White.
What’s good?
Credit: Robert Triggs / Android Authority
If you love Sony’s monolithic design then you’ll be pleased to note that the Xperia 5 IV looks the same as the previous model and the one before that. The familiarity is a bit boring, but if Apple can get away with the same old look then Sony’s classy design can too.
There’s the same sturdy aluminum frame from its premium sibling that’s a major upgrade over the previous generation’s cheap-feeling plastic. The frame houses a snappy side-mounted fingerprint scanner, sturdy volume rockers, plus the camera shutter button. The Xperia 5 IV is also one of the few remaining phones with a 3.5mm headphone jack. The glossy Corning Gorilla Glass Victus front and back is a dust and fingerprint magnet, but hardy against scratches.
Sony’s design remains exquisite, even after all these years.
The Xperia 5 IV is wonderfully compact with a beautiful 6.1-inch HDR OLED FHD+ display that’s mostly unchanged from the Xperia 5 III. The panel is apparently 50% brighter at its peak, which does help ensure visibility outdoors. This supposedly plays in with Sony’s “Real Time HDR Drive” video exposure correction feature, but I couldn’t tell if/when this kicks in. Equally importantly, the 21:9 aspect ratio further plays to the slim feel in the hand, yet the phone doesn’t feel overly tall.
The Xperia 5 IV features front-facing stereo speakers, one at the bottom and another at the top. It’s a rarity these days and, as such, the handset’s sound stands head and shoulders above most other phones. A newly developed special enclosure reduces unwanted vibrations and helps the speakers sing when propped up on a table. Speaking of, I’d turn Sony’s Dynamic Vibration feature off, it takes the edge off the otherwise superb sound. Of course, the small speakers won’t rival a proper set at driving bass-heavy tracks, but the setup excels at sound separation and clarity for both music and film.
A familiar design doesn’t mean the internals haven’t changed, though. Sony finally squeezes Qi wireless charging into its smaller model, complete with battery share functionality to reverse wirelessly charge earbuds and the like. Wireless charging doesn’t peak above 7.5W on the couple of docks I tested, so it’s pretty slow. Much like the 30W wired Power Delivery charging that takes 30 minutes to 50% but around 95 minutes to full (a modest improvement over the Xperia 5 III). Still, wireless capabilities are welcome nonetheless.
Finally, the Xperia 5 IV includes wireless charging.
There’s no charger in the box so you’ll have to buy your own plug to provide enough power. But that does mean Sony’s box is 50% slimmer with no plastic inside and fewer carbon emissions. Thankfully, I didn’t encounter the same finicky cable and charger issues I had with the Xperia 1 IV. Sony seems to have fixed that particular bug; this phone charged nicely with the plugs and cables I threw at it.
Sony has packed a 5,000mAh battery into its smaller phone, so you won’t have to charge the phone often. The large battery will easily handle daily social and business tasks, as well as long video playback sessions, and even a decent amount of gaming. Expect a full day’s battery life and then some for all but the heaviest use cases.
What’s not so good?
Credit: Robert Triggs / Android Authority
As nice as Sony’s hardware package is, it’s not entirely cutting-edge. The lack of variable refresh rate display tech means you’re stuck with the added battery drain of 120Hz or the jankier feel of 60Hz, the latter of which the Xperia defaults to out of the box — this helps explains the great battery life. Setting the phone to 120Hz should still provide around four hours of screen time for moderate use, thanks to the large battery capacity. However, that’s probably battery anxiety-inducing for all but the lightest of users. If you’re more of a power user, the smaller display makes this less of a multitasker than the 6.5-inch Xperia 1 IV anyway, and I struggled to make any meaningful use of Sony’s 21:9 Multi-window feature.
The inclusion of a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and not the newer, more efficient Plus version leaves the phone prone to heating during extensive gaming. We clocked a reasonable 9,626 run in 3DMark’s Wildlife, but this falls by nearly 50% to 4,975 by the end of a stress test. That said, the phone will survive a whole round of Apex Legends at a steady 60fps, so it will still serve most gamers well enough. Just bear in mind that it does become warm during longer sessions.
A few small issues take the polish off an otherwise exceptional hardware package.
Turning to software, I’m so-so on Sony’s take on Android 12 and even the phone’s first upgrade to Android 13. Material You’s aesthetics and theming customization are now (finally) in place for a stock-like experience that Sony imbues Android with added features like Side Sense, battery Stamina mode, and Ambient Display, which are all solid. It’s minimalistic, if not a little disjointed. It’s a small gripe, but the inconsistent app and menu theming, plus pre-installed junk like LinkedIn, don’t provide the same cohesive polish as the hardware package.
Credit: Robert Triggs / Android Authority
Likewise, I’m not sold on the value proposition of Sony’s niche Music Pro cloud-processing subscription. It only filters and upscales vocals and guitar for a start. But even then, serious musicians and producers will want more powerful editing tools and robust-sounding recording equipment. The microphones are clear enough to record a rough idea, but no phone can legitimately double up as a recording studio.
Creator apps are nice but the features are increasingly niche.
Sony’s update pledge of two OS and three years of security updates is the real disappointment, as it’s now firmly below average in the flagship and even mid-tier smartphone categories. That’s not great in anyone’s book, and especially not when Sony is charging top dollar for the handset.
Sony Xperia 5 IV camera review
Credit: Robert Triggs / Android Authority
Much like a lot of the internals, the Xperia 5 IV doesn’t switch up too much in the camera department. There are the same 12MP main and ultrawide cameras as the Xperia 5 III, complete with 20fps burst shooting. The previous gen’s switchable focal length camera is also replaced with a fixed 60mm shooter, which is a disappointing downgrade. However, Sony has brought its best-in-class 60fps eye autofocus, 4K 120fps recording, and AI-based object tracking to power up the latest 5 series model.
As we’ve come to expect from Sony smartphones, the Xperia 5 IV’s camera package excels at color accuracy, white balance, and natural details. Its results can look subdued compared to some other phones, but Sony balances accuracy with healthy saturation and, like the best camera phones, doesn’t rely on oversharpening. Most of the images I took with the phone look fantastic, and HDR is much improved in this generation. You can always go further with the Photo Pro app’s now staple A/P/S/M options for serious photographers.
There are some still lingering rough edges, though. Pay close attention, and you’ll sometimes spot HDR haloing, chromatic aberration on the ultrawide lens, and smudgy low-light environments. It’s also disappointing that the phone can’t do HDR and bokeh processing at once, and there are still no macro capabilities or night mode toggle — Sony relies on HDR processing and long exposures for low light. That said, the camera is plenty capable enough 90% of the time.
24mm lens
16mm ultrawide lens
Sony’s Xperia 5 IV misses out on the variable focal length zoom camera of its bigger sibling, stepping back to a fixed 60mm (2.5x) telephoto lens. This setup is limited in its long-range applications, tapping out at about 4x of usable zoom distance while Sony caps it at 7.5x. This telephoto isn’t the most detailed, and there’s some desaturation versus the main lens. However, the 60mm focal length is quite nice for portraits, especially when paired with the artificial bokeh option.
In equally good news, Sony has finally fixed its selfie portrait feature. Gone is the separate menu, replaced with the same bokeh button used for the main camera. Edge detection is vastly improved and now competes with some of the best phones in the business. My only complaint is I don’t care for the fake bokeh halos Sony adds to highlights seemingly arbitrarily, and the bokeh mode has a habit of blowing out background highlights.
Selfie quality is decent in most lighting conditions, thanks to the new larger sensor. However, the camera can only handle so much dynamic range, which throws off the white balance in some instances. Overall, skin textures look great, but tones are hit and miss depending on the lighting, making the selfie experience subpar versus the rear camera package, even with the hardware improvements.
When it comes to video, you’re capped at 4K/30fps or 1080p/60fps in the main camera app but can obtain 4K/120fps from the slightly rejigged Video Pro app. Either way, the footage quality is excellent. Combined with excellent eye tracking and Video Pro’s powerful manual controls, budding videographers have everything they need here.
Sony Xperia 5 IV specs
| Sony Xperia 5 IV | |
|---|---|
| Display | 6.1-inch HDR OLED FHD+ 120Hz display 21:9 aspect ratio |
| Processor | Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 |
| RAM | 8GB |
| Storage | 128GB microSDXC support (up to 1TB) |
| Power | 5,000mAh battery 30W wired charging (30 min 50% charge) Wireless charging Battery share |
| Cameras | Rear: – 16mm, 12MP, 1/.25-inch, ƒ/2.2 – 24mm, 12MP, 1/1.7-inch, ƒ/1.7, 1.8um OIS – 60mm, 12MP, 1/3.5-inch, ƒ/2.4, OIS 120fps readout High-speed eye AF on all lenses Object tracking in photo and video 60fps AF/AE calculations on all lenses 20fps burst photos in HDR 4K 120fps (up to 5x slow mo) Wide dynamic range for video Front: – 12MP, 1.29-inch 4K HDR video from front cam |
| Audio | 3.5mm headphone jack Full-stage stereo speakers Dolby Atmos Hi-Res audio DSEE Ultimate LDAC support 360 Reality Audio Upmix |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth LE Audio 5G support |
| Dimensions | 156 x 67 x 8.2mm 172g |
| Software | Android 12 |
| Colors | Black, Green, Ecru White |
| Durability | IP65/IP68 Corning Gorilla Glass Victus |
Sony Xperia 5 IV review: The verdict
Credit: Robert Triggs / Android Authority
By sticking to the same price point and making some long-overdue tweaks to the 5 series formula, the Xperia 5 IV is a worthy alternative to the ever-popular Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus ($999.99 at Samsung) and Apple iPhone 14 Pro ($999.99 at Best Buy). Sporting photography, charging, and multimedia capabilities that closely match and even exceed its rivals, albeit in a much more compact form factor, the brand’s long-standing reputation with audio and video enthusiasts remains intact.
Sony’s Xperia 5 IV boasts wonderful hardware. We just wish it was built to last five years.
The Xperia 5 IV isn’t quite a bargain like the Google Pixel 7 Pro ($749 at Amazon), even with all this tech onboard, but it’s close and much more palatable than the extreme price tag of the Xperia 1 IV, making it a solid pick for mainstream consumers who have their eye on Sony’s best-in-class features.
That said, smoother performance can be found in more modern rivals, such as those sporting a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, and aspects of the phone’s design are a little dated. Unfortunately, Sony isn’t matching the long-term support offered by other leading manufacturers either, making the Xperia 5 IV impossible to recommend to anyone looking for a phone that will serve them well past the three-year mark when security updates will cease.
Sony has a very tempting hardware and software package in the Xperia 5 IV; now it just needs to play with the big names in the update space as well.
Sony Xperia 5 IV
- Excellent video capture
- Superb camera autofocus
- Compact design
The Sony Xperia 5 IV is for the folks who like the Xperia 1 IV but can’t stomach the price. While it’s cheaper and offers less than its bigger brother, it’s still one of the best phones for creators out there.
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Top Sony Xperia 5 IV questions and answers
What’s the difference between the Xperia 1 IV and Xperia 5 IV?
The Xperia 5 IV has a smaller 6.1-inch display that drops the 4K resolution. The Xperia 1 IV also has a variable focal length zoom camera which is absent from the 5 IV model.
Does the Xperia 5 IV have 5G?
Yes. The Xperia 5 IV supports sub-6GHz 5G but not mmWave 5G frequency bands.
Does the Xperia 5 IV have wireless charging?
Yes, the phone supports Qi wireless and reverse wireless charging. This is the first time Sony has bought wireless charging to the 5 series.
How long will the Xperia 5 IV be supported?
Sony’s update policy includes two Android upgrades and three years of security patches.
Is the Xperia 5 IV waterproof?
The Sony Xperia 5 IV is IP65/68 rated for immersion in up to 1.5m of water for 30 minutes.