We had to wait a bit longer than usual, but we finally have the Sony Xperia 5 IV in hand – the compact and slightly cheaper alternative to the flagship Xperia 1 IV. Putting Sony’s expensive flagship formula into a slightly cheaper and more compact form has not always yielded the ideal compromises.
If you’ve held a Sony Xperia phone in your hand over the past few years, you’ve held them all. The use of high-quality materials and the sleek, all-black aesthetic have stood the test of time, and the fourth generation continues that trend. The fourth generation continues this trend. This classic glass and metal sandwich features a dual-SIM tray on the left, which you can remove without the stylus, and several buttons on the right edge, including a dedicated camera shutter button. As for ports, there are two: USB-C and a welcome 3.5 mm headphone jack.
Compared to the Xperia 5 III (6.18 x 2.67 x 0.32 inches, 5.92 ounces), the Xperia 5 IV is only slightly smaller (6.14 x 2.63 x 0.32 inches), but a bit heavier at 6.06 ounces. The Sony phone is smaller and lighter than the OnePlus 10T (6.4 x 2.9 x 0.34 inches, 7.1 ounces) and the Google Pixel 7 Pro (6.4 x 3.0 x 0.35 inches, 7.5 ounces). The iPhone 14 Pro, on the other hand, is smaller than the Xperia 5 IV but heavier (5.8 x 2.8 x 0.31 inches, 7.3 ounces).
The result is a compact phone that seems oddly large at first glance and touch, but feels good in the hand thanks to its light and slim design. In a sea of standard devices, this Sony stands out. The 6.1-inch OLED display of the 5 IV is in line with Sony’s Xperia line and has an aspect ratio of 21:9, a resolution of 1080 x 2520 pixels and a refresh rate of 120 Hz. It’s a bit more attractive this time around, mainly because the screen-to-body ratio looks larger thanks to the reduced bezel.
Of course, this is not the 4K resolution of the Xperia 1 IV – and it is not QHD either. But let’s face it, FHD+ is more than enough for a phone of this size, and the claimed DCI-P3 color space of 100% makes for a wonderfully vivid and accurate display with 50% more brightness than the previous model and a deep contrast ratio.
The Sony Xperia 5 III features a 5,500 mAh battery, a 30W charging dock, and a helpful new wireless charging feature. Battery life is always a moving target, as it depends on daily usage – and this is even more true for the Xperia 5 IV, as it comes with prosumer-level apps and tools. However, in the vast majority of cases, this larger cell is more than sufficient to power the device throughout.