By George Storr

Published: Thursday, 19 May 2022 at 12:00 am


Sony recently announced the top-of-the-range Xperia 1 IV. It’s jam-packed with features but comes with a large price tag too.

This will be Sony’s lead flagship handset in 2022, but will it be one of the best smartphones on the market? It packs some eye-catching specs but has a huge price tag to match. We haven’t had a chance to test the phone yet but will do so nearer to its eventual release.

For now, read on for all the latest updates on the phone’s UK release date as well as those impressive specs and features.

Sony Xperia 1 IV UK release date: when can you pre-order the phone?

If you’re a fan of the Sony Xperia range, don’t fret. There’s not too long to wait until this handset hits shelves in the UK.

You’ll be able to get your hands on the Sony Xperia 1 IV starting 16th June.

If you want to make sure you’re one of the first to get hold of it, you can pre-order it now.

Sony Xperia 1 IV specs and features 

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The Sony Xperia IV packs a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, a 6.5-inch OLED display and the industry-standard 120Hz refresh rate.

Elsewhere the phone offers a subtly styled camera array and Sony is placing a lot of emphasis on the 12MP telephoto lens at the heart of this. We can’t wait to test it out. There’s also a 12MP wide-angle camera and a 12MP ultrawide, as well as a depth sensor. And, a 12MP front-facing camera. So, the phone won’t break any records in terms of the megapixels on offer, but more megapixels doesn’t necessarily mean better photography.

So what’s the fuss about the zoom camera? Sony says it’s “the world’s first optical zoom 85mm-125mm on a smartphone”. Plus, it’s been co-developed with the engineers behind the latest Alpha 1 Series cameras. Whether or not this collaboration pays off will be interesting to see.

It can record 4K video at 120fps too, which is impressive and offers a range of interesting features to help you make the most of it, like ‘Videography Pro’ mode.

There’s also a 5000mAh battery and — very unusually for a flagship phone — a headphone jack!

Sony Xperia 1 IV UK price: how much does the new phone cost? 

Here’s the kicker — the Sony Xperia 1 IV costs £1299.

Yes, you read that right. That’s more than the base Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, it’s more than the iPhone 13 Pro Max and it’s more than a myriad of other well-equipped flagship phones — the Honor Magic 4 Pro, OnePlus 10 Pro and Xiaomi 12 Pro to name just a few.

While that is a pretty big price to pay, the Xperia 1 IV does look promising and we like its subtle styling.

Head over to our Technology homepage for the latest news and reviews or take a look at our best smartphones and best budget phones guides for more help choosing a handset.