Xperia 1 IV | 8 Months Later
So I’ve had the Xperia 1 IV since launch last year and I’m happy to say I have a lot of positive opinions about it. I figured I’d break down a few of my key points here.
Display: The brightness improvement over the previous gen is a godsend. The 1 lineup is finally comfortably viewable outside. The screen is crisp and overall very nice, though I think ~4K is overkill at this display size. My complaint is that my device (and every other Xperia device I’ve had before) has a horrible green tint. I’ve seen this complaint a few other times, but it seems that I am just especially unlucky. It looks terrible and I wouldn’t recommend anyone live with it. If you notice it, try and get an exchange or refund.
Battery: The increased battery size is also great. I can comfortably get through my days now and don’t need to worry about constantly having a battery bank with me. On camera heavy days I still bring one along out of habit and paranoia though.
Gaming: Gaming on the 1 IV is a joy. The updated Game Enhancer is pretty feature rich. My favorite feature is the HS (Heat Suppression) Power Control. It allows power passthrough if you have a charger connected. IT also pair really well with my DS4 and DS5 playstation controllers. Great for shooters, racing, and emulation.
Cameras: Notable improvements over previous gen, mainly being the HDR burst modes in photo and up to 4K120fps recording on all rear lenses. We have the same great eye tracking and burst rates of up to 20fps in photo mode. I also find that HDR processing is much better than on the Pro-I. I can confidently record and later edit it in Davinci Resolve to get much better dynamic range and colors than before. I’ve posted lots of photos over the months, but I’ll attach some of my favorites below as well.
Overheating: Thankfully this is an issue of the past for me. It was resolved within a few months of updates after receiving the device. I still hesitate to recommend this to anyone in especially tropical areas. I still see some thermal complaints from users in those areas.
Bugs: I’ve seen online some people complain about UI bugs as well as a friend. I can’t comment directly as I haven’t faced any UI issues, but most people say a system reset or software repair will help alleviate any issues.
Final thoughts: I think it’s a great device, but not worth the MSRP of $1600. I see some sales now bringing it to around $1200, which is better but still pretty expensive. If you’re on the fence, I suggest waiting for the 1 V to see if there are any substantial upgrades, unless you find a really good deal on the 1 IV. The TSMC 8 gen 2 is supposed to be substantially better and bring efficiency upgrades over the current gen chip.
