The Sony Xperia 1 IV is, in many ways, one of the most interesting phones of 2022 so far, as it has features you won’t find anywhere else.
But it’s also a flawed phone with an extremely high price tag, so there are certainly changes we want to see for the Sony Xperia 1 V, and we’ve listed them below.
Before that, we’ve included details on when the Sony Xperia 1 V might launch, how much it might cost, and what specs and features it might have. We haven’t heard much yet, but as more leaks and rumors emerge, we’ll keep this article updated.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? Sony’s next flagship phone
- When do you leave? Probably mid 2023
- How much will it cost? Expect a very high price
Sony Xperia 1 V: release date and price
Sony hasn’t been very consistent with its Xperia 1 line-up releases, so we can’t be sure when the Sony Xperia 1 V will arrive, especially in the absence of rumors.
For reference, the Sony Xperia 1 IV was announced on May 11, 2022 and arrived in UK stores on June 16 – but the US won’t get it until September 1, and Australia won’t.
The announcement of the Sony Xperia 1 III was just a little earlier the year before, in April 2021 – but the phone didn’t go on sale anywhere until August. For the two previous models, we saw an announcement in February and an on-sale date in May.
So what can we take away from this? The Sony Xperia 1 V will likely be announced in the first half of 2022. Potentially in May, as that would be a year after the Xperia 1 IV, but that’s far from guaranteed.
The actual release date is even harder to guess as there is sometimes a long delay after the announcement, but some regions might get it in June or around June, and Australia likely won’t get it.
For price, the Sony Xperia 1 IV is $1,599 in the US, which gives you a model with 512GB of storage. In the UK there is only a 256GB version available and it costs £1,299.99.
So the Sony Xperia 1 V might be similarly priced, but we’re not sure. Fortunately, it won’t be more expensive, as the Xperia 1 IV is already one of the most expensive non-folding phones you can buy.
Sony Xperia 1 V: news and leaks
There are no Sony Xperia 1 V leaks yet, but there is evidence that the camera could be a major focus for Sony.
On the one hand, Sony generally puts a lot of focus on its flagship cameras, but beyond that the company said it expects the quality of still images from smartphones to exceed that of DSLRs by the end of 2024.
That suggests it expects big improvements to the smartphone camera over the next couple of years, and some of those will likely be evident in the Sony Xperia 1 V.
One of those improvements could be a new sensor – possibly a new 1-inch sensor the company has revealed, which will be used for the first time in the Xiaomi 12S Ultra.
Sony Xperia 1 V: what we want to see
There are a few key things Sony can do to make the Xperia 1 V significantly better than the Sony Xperia 1 IV. They include the following.
1. A lower price
The Sony Xperia 1 IV is a surprisingly expensive phone, coming in at an even higher price point than the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and iPhone 13 Pro Max.
While it has some specs and features that Samsung and Apple phones lack, it’s also inferior in some ways and certainly comes at a price point that’s never likely to be a truly popular handset.
So for the Sony Xperia 1 V we want to see a lower price. Of course, this will still be a terribly expensive phone, but if Sony can bring the price down by a few hundred dollars/pounds, it could change a lot more units.
2. A better fingerprint sensor
Paying a lot of money doesn’t guarantee a good fingerprint sensor, and that’s the case with the Sony Xperia 1 IV, which has a sensor that, in our review, failed more times than it succeeded.
Also, the phone doesn’t even have one on the screen – it’s mounted on the side, which looks a little dated. So for the Sony Xperia 1 V we want the fingerprint sensor to be much more reliable and preferably also built into the screen.
3. More polished software
In our review of the Xperia 1 IV, we found that the software wasn’t as polished as the hardware, with apps crashing, an unfortunate amount of bloatware, and – worst of all – video playback just didn’t work on some of the video recording apps. .
All of this can be fixed with updates, of course, but for the Sony Xperia 1 V we want a slick and smooth experience out of the box.
4. Faster loading
The Sony Xperia 1 IV supports charging at up to 30W, which isn’t terrible – in fact, it outperforms Apple and most Samsung phones, but pales in comparison to many other handsets, some of which can now reach up to 150W.
So for the Sony Xperia 1 V we want an increase in charging power. We’re thinking at least 60W, but the more the better, so we can get the phone up and running quickly.
5. Long distance zoom
One of the key features of the Sony Xperia 1 IV is its continuous optical zoom – allowing you to zoom in to anything between 3.5x and 5.2x. This isn’t something you’ll find on other phones, but with such a high-end feature we’d like Sony to make the most of it and boost the zoom level to around 10x, like the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.
That phone offers 3x or 10x optical zoom, but if Sony can offer optical zoom at all levels in that range, Samsung – and every other phone maker – will win on that front.