The next Sony Xperia flagship is expected to be the 1 IV powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
Sony’s next flagship model is expected to be the Xperia 1 IV sporting a Gorilla Glass Victus protected 6.5-inch flat screen with a 4K resolution. The display will reportedly refresh 120 times per second and the 21:9 aspect ratio makes it perfect for viewing movies and other content being streamed from an app. Under the hood, we should find Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, the sequel to last year’s Snapdragon 888 SoC.
The fingerprint scanner is integrated with the power button, and under the volume rocker along the right side of the device is a dedicated shutter button. The Google Assistant button is being removed from this year’s model. The SIM card compartment is located on the bottom of the device next to the USB-C port and the second speaker. The front-facing stereo speakers support 360 Reality Audio and Dolby Atmos, and there is a 3.5mm earphone jack!
The camera specs for the flagship are not clear at the moment
The makeup of the rear camera array is in limbo right now. Last year Sony employed three 12MP camera sensors behind the Wide, Ultra-Wide, and Zoom lenses. The latter delivered 2.9x and 4.4x optical zoom. One rumor calls for 50MP and 48MP Quad-Bayer camera sensors to be used on the Xperia 1 IV.
Render of the Sony Xperia IV
Another reason why Sony handsets have not been iPhone and Galaxy challengers is the price. An unlocked Xperia 1 III from last year cost over $1,300. The Xperia 1 IV will support 5G signals, come with Android 12 pre-installed, and will receive three Android updates matching Google’s Pixel 6 series (but falling shy of the four Android updates that the Samsung Galaxy S22 series will get.
The Sony Xperia 1 IV is expected to be introduced in April or May possibly alongside the Xperia 5 IV. The latter will feature a Gorilla Glass Victus protected 6.1-inch display with the powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus (built by TSMC instead of Samsung) under the hood. Since we might not see that chip roll off the assembly line until the second half of 2022, that is when the Xperia 5 IV might be ready to be released.
