VITALSTATS
A ZOOM WITH A VIEW
Sony Xperia 1 IV
At185git’sa featherweight flagship, but there isstillroomfora camera shutter button.
£1299 / sony.co.uk
True optical zoomery and a brighter 4K display put the best of Sony’s different divisions in one pocketable gadget
● I’ll follow my secret smart
Smartphones are so good these days, and competition so fierce, that standing out is all about marginal gains. A little unique feature here or there can be the difference between catching the eye and disappearing into the crowd with all the other glowing rectangles. So while the optical zoom on the Xperia 1 IV won’t make it a best-seller, it is something of a world first for a phone, offering continuous zoom from 85 to 125mm instead of using AI-assisted cropping for everything in between. That’s only a small range, but in theory it’ll offer better results than digital.
● Rad vlogs and Englishmen
And the Android 12-powered 1 IV is more than just a one-trick Sony. As well as that telephoto lens you alsogeta24mmf/1.7mainsnapper and a 16mm f/2.2 ultrawide, the former with optical image stabilisation. All three have 12MP sensors with 120fps high-speed readout – good for real-time autofocus and tracking – while HDR also works when shooting in the ultra-fast 20fps burst mode. They can all shoot in Ultra HD at 120fps, and even the 12MP front camera does 4K HDR.
● I’ll CPU again
With Sony’s Bravia TV bods helping to make the 6.5in 4K OLED display 50% brighter than before, those snaps and vids should look even better, while the 120Hz refresh rate makes scrolling slicker than a buttered frog. Underneath is a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 CPU, 12GB of RAM, 256GB of onboard storage (plus microSD) and a 5000mAh battery, with a 50% fast charge taking just half an hour. It’s all protected by Gorilla Glass Victus and an IP65/68 toughness rating… but with a price tag higher than the iPhone 13 Pro Max or Galaxy S22 Ultra, you’ll still want to take care.
MORE SNAPPY NEW PHONES
● Vivo X80 Pro
With a dedicated chip for image-processing and four Zeiss-badged snappers, including a gimbal-stabilised portrait camera, the X80 Pro is serious about phonetography. £tba / vivo.com
● Realme 9
In terms of pixels per pound, the 102MP camera on the back of the £249 Realme 9 (not to mention its 6.4in AMOLED screen) gives you a lot for your money. Read our review on p72. £249 / realme.com
● Google Pixel 6a
The 12.2MP main snapper on Google’s Pixel 6a might not have as many pixels as the 6 or 6 Pro, but it can still do the same camera tricks, including Magic Eraser and Face Unblur. £399 / store.google.com
EVEN THE 12MP FRONT CAMERA CAN SHOOT IN 4K HDR