So when it comes to choosing their next smartphone, different people look for different things. Some seek that bezel-less edge-to-edge look while other people care more about the front stereo speakers. Some users won’t buy a device running a heavily skinned version of Android, while others have their favorite. Some crave more manual control from their smartphone imaging experience, while others just want to point and shoot and let the phone figure out everything. You see the point is there's a market for every type of phone.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra is the best smartphone money can buy at the moment that offers all the latest hardware and features. But like I've said, it isn't for everyone. Some people still care about the headphone jack, stereo front-facing speakers, expandable storage, and more. And for those people Sony has a new flagship coming up, that may not be hopping on the latest industry design fad, but it's making sure it offers those standard smartphone features for those who still care. The Sony Xperia 1 iv is going to be that phone, the first look of which has already been revealed through Onleaks which shows that Sony is still sticking to the same boxy design.
It looks almost indistinguishable from its predecessor the Xperia 1 III, featuring the same vertical camera strip on the back and the notch-less display on the front. In a world full of punch hole displays, I love how Sony could not care less about people whining about bezels, and sticks its selfie cam up top where it belongs, leaving the screen itself uninterrupted by cut-outs. Also, the sides are flat this time similar to the latest iPhones and as a fan of that design, I am happy that Sony will keep doing its own thing. We also have its specifications which have top-of-the-line flagship written all over it. It includes a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip, 256 or 512 storage, and “up to” 16GB of RAM.
The battery also looks like it’s getting an upgrade compared to Xperia 1 III, pumping up from 4,500mAh to 5,000mAh — and it will be capable of 45W fast charging too. As you can see, at least on paper, it's rivaling the S22 Ultra. But to truly rival Samsung, Sony needs to work on two important things. Price and software support. You see the build quality that Sony offers is great, the software's fine, but the price is the problem.
At $1,300, the Xperia 1 iii was a tough sell and If the Xperia 1 IV retains the same price point, Sony will again have trouble catering to a wider audience. And them providing only two years of promised Android OS support isn't going to help either when Samsung promises “up to four generations” of OS updates. So if Sony provides at least 3 OS upgrades and prices it $1100 or lower then this is going to be a good alternative who don't want the S22 Ultra.
