Sony Xperia 5 IV Review | Best Pro Camera Smartphone?

Reviewing the Sony Xperia 5 IV, a more compact alternative to the flagship phone with mostly the same camera experience (minus the variable focus telephoto lens). Same gaming performance, same creator tools, etc. But the Sony Xperia 5 IV is pleasingly small and also cheaper, thankfully.

If you want a professional DSLR-style camera setup on your phone, you'll enjoy Photo Pro. This has fully programmable modes so you can tinker with the output and see results right there on screen. However, recording video at 4K resolution on the Xperia 5 IV results in rapid overheating and the selfie camera is still a bit rubbish.

Sony should perhaps have gone with the fresher Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset, although at least gamers can still blaze through Genshin Impact on higher detail settings and Call of Duty Mobile with 120FPS fluidity. Battery life is also great thanks to the super-sized 5000mAh cell crammed inside of the Xperia 5 IV.

So as long as you want a custom camera experience, plus a capable gaming and media machine, this is a solid option. The Sony Xperia 5 IV isn't cheap but it's rather lovable, with features like microSD support and a headphone jack that the best smartphones are lacking. If only it used the 8 Plus Gen 1 instead, it could've been a superstar!

Sony Xperia 5 IV Review Chapters:
0:00 - Mmmm whisky
0:50 - Design
2:44 - Software
3:22 - Music Pro (warning: "singing")
4:00 - Updates, security, etc
4:32 - Display & audio
6:20 - Performance & gaming
7:39 - Battery life
8:28 - Cameras
12:27 - Verdict