What we want to see in the Xperia 1 IV.

[kzagham]

Everyone can add in below in comments, the functionality they would like to see in the next Xperia flagship.

I've compiled a list below and hope to see Sony leverage its capabilities to bring the best in the Xperia 1 IV next year. Although I do like Sony's approach in focusing on; Audio, Gaming, Photography, Cinematography, Cinephiles & Performance, there is still a lot more that Sony can do in this space.

This is the list of features I would like to see:

1) Better Selfie Camera- using Sony's own IMX sensor, larger sensor size, higher MP & support 4K 60fps video.

2) Include tech from Bravia XR, so utilise some form of cognitive intelligence, add in some of the features such as:

XR OLED Contrast Pro, XR Color, XR Clarity, XR Motion, Dolby Vision/ HDR10+ Support etc for mobile. It will not affect TV sales due to screen size difference and TV's have different purposes- Samsung is a good example of this- in fact, they optimise sharing features etc exclusive to Samsung smartphones for higher quality video/ content transfer and having a better display on smartphones encourages more people to get TV's from that brand if they like the smartphone.  

3) Leverage Bravia x Sony Pictures so we can get something like Bravia Core for mobile (4K content on mobile is currently too limited, Prime is temperamental as not all 4K content is available in 4K on mobile, Netflix is capped at 1080p, Disney+ is capped at 1080p etc). 

4) Improved Camera performance working with Zeiss and Alpha division- especially video, we definitely need an automatic mode in Cinema Pro, better dynamic range, multi-exposure framing for video, better stabilisation, higher bit-rate video, 8K, oversampling to get 4K video using full sensor size, more aspect ratio options e.g. 16:9/ 17:9 video in Cinema Pro, S-Cinetone, possibly Dolby Vision, 4D Focus, time-lapse, better video in the native camera app similar to the basic mode for photo pro. In general larger MP and sensor sizes across the board. If Sony wants to stay competitive they need to be better than competition smartphones, they need to realize that making an amazing smartphone camera will not cannibalize/ harm professional camera or DSLR sales- but if you put poor performance cameras on your smartphones, people will just buy smartphones from other companies such as Samsung or Oneplus and that drives revenue away from Sony. 

5) Add in more modern solutions and features such as reverse wireless charging, Night Mode Photography and Cinematography, 12-bit photography, 8K video, larger battery sizes, zoom capabilities, better 5G and mm wave support, new display tech (better/ brighter panel, higher res 5120*2160 etc).

6) Gaming should incorporate PlayStation Division- exclusive PlayStation games for mobile but only available on Xperia smartphones, PS Now in 1080p/4K, PS5 Controller Support, PS5 Remote Play, etc.

7) Better Software- move away from stock android and make software more stable, there are always problems with late rollout of android and there are always issues on older devices. Sony needs to fix this, bring back stuff like the gallery app, increase software support time for devices and make sure apps such as the native camera app, cinema-pro and photo-pro do not crash and allow photography and video-recording below 5% battery, as there are moments that are more important than battery life that once missed can not be retaken. 

[AlexandruRai]

Agree, but chances are better coming from many individuals to them in UK. Also, ones who see these should take note and improve the connection between departments and regions from this thread too. It's such a shame not to do so! Hope for the best in the future of Sony communicating and for 1 IV for what we have recommended above!

[Marino.Manolo]

That it is also available in Italy, given that they could leave the country.

[kzagham]

100% agree, the UK is still one of the better areas for Sony devices, following the likes of China, Taiwan and Japan. Some regions no longer sell Xperia directly or recieve devices after larger delays. Hopefully this all improves, 🤞.

[Corruptedminds]

1) Better heat dissipation or actually a better cpu governor / manager. The user should never lose their recordings due to overheating & camera shutting down suddenly.

2) Pricing should be more attractive and closer to competitors, This goes together with better advertising and marketing.

3) Pre installed applications should be removed (facebook, cod, aspalt, netflix,Tidal) - Some of us will find an annoyance to have these and there is no need. These can still be downloaded from the Play Store if the user wants them.

4) Please headphones in the box. Otherwise hard to justify price tag.

5) Selfie camera isn't bad on the 1 III, however many will do better. Again this has no much value.

6) Possibly would like to see a move to 16MP cameras as I believe it to be the perfect spot. Possibly arguably.

7) Better balance with colors by default and not washed out (I know there is creators mode) but default experience looks poor, definitely can do better.

😎 Not many would agree perhaps, but remove the Google assistant button - It feels more of a gimmick and not needed as much.

9) Support for knock on screen on/off (at this point I am so used to this and it's a shame this is unavailaible on the Xperia.

10) One of my favorites: Allow users to adjust the vibration intensity and feedback sounds volume level. -How was this one missing?

11) I know the handset is more camera/photography related, but a health/fitness step count app would be nice and everyone would benefit in the end.

12) I do not have a problem with stock Android, however the UI should be vivid and not feel clunky/dull as the Android 12 release. Coloured & meaningful icons. Xperias in the past were known to have poor battery life so the software was always optimized for battery and everything felt quite dark, poor brightness & dark themed. It kind of feels like the past is still hunting the Xperias in some ways.

[AlexandruRai]

Sony doesn't lag anything in regard to technology. Everything on the market is Sony's touch of evolution, from Icrap to Shamsung (I can buy a cheaper Chinese device with Sony's camera or battery tech!). The ONLY 'bad mood' is that it's price management for its performance, meanwhile (sadly still), the issues of users never got to the top where changes can be made for improving devices (look at the promos of the new IV devices - everything said/recommended here was not implemented!). It's top tech on Sony, no doubt about it, but too much money for a weak understanding of the users and their most desired needs that need to be solved fast!

[kzagham]

 Gazyekichi VLOG on youtube has a new video up on fixes for bugs to Android 12, as an example of how members of the community are banding to help each other- it would be great if something like this was done on an official end.

The written article on it is (on chrome it automatically translates):

https://pixel-leaker.com/2022/04/02/android-12-horror-what-to-do-if-xperia-has-a-problem-with-the-up...

[kzagham]

Not long now, 12 days to finds out how this all turns out. Fingers crossed and hoping for the best! Hopefully it comes out early this year as I'm going on holidays in July, so it would be good to have the Xperia 1 IV in hand before that. The youtube video is scheduled, so they already have finalised everything. Unfortunately, it's not live and is pre recorded, so will not be any more changes to the device from now to then.

@MarlonUk1 you were right about the price increase, even the rumours indicate it will happen. There are definitely disadvantages to this, but at least they haven't started sacrificing on quality yet. They could create another device next year that sits between the Xperia 1 and Xperia 5 with the same size screen as the Xperia 1- with a QHD display, same processor etc that would replace what the Xperia 1 would have become if they had started cutting costs. But that could become the publicly more used phone. As the route to cut down flagships has already been done by Nokia, HTC and others, and that way can't compete with the iPhone & Samsung lineup which already have strong following in mid-range. 

Thank you 

@Ollsbols @AlexandruRai @Gilgameshuk @jeoleo7 @EMS_MO72 @JustinPM @Marino.Manolo @Corruptedminds for contributing towards this and putting your thoughts forward! Hopefully someone from Sony has seen this or will see it and possibly incorporate some of the amazing suggestions made by everyone going forwards. 

[Corruptedminds]

I have just seen the planned retail price and I believe it is a little bit unrealistic.£1300 as max it should be tagged if they release a 512GB model just to be in line with Sam**ng top of the line. Sony needs to be careful here to remain in the league since we all know they lack firmware testing. I am still looking forward to it and may consider selling my 1 III to get the IV.

[AlexandruRai]

@Cminds you are so right! Xperia 1 still have a lot of issues regarding camera software and even 3g-4g that still were not fixed. Xperia 10II not to mention...

Poor, slow and on short periods of software repair/upgrade. Really untested software and like nobody would help Sony to check, repair, perfect their ideas. We are a few people trying to test, but too few sadly to tell here and/or on Support. Because of that, price tag is really not there! Hardware is amazing, but software is not on par.

If someone is seeing/watching these, give Sony a helping hand and shake a little, by testing and proving...

[Corruptedminds]

I forgot to mention about this one. I'm not sure if it's just me, but I find that the default camera (not zoomed) is actually quite wider than it should be.

When opening the camera (basic mode or any other mode with the 24mm lens) I usually tend to give it slightly a bit of zoom (1.1x or 1.2x) so it doesn't look that wide. Default 1.0x doesn't really look like 1.0x but more like 0.9x or 0.8x I would say.

I would like to see if this gets improved. I was wondering if anybody else has noticed this.

Addition:

It may be worth noting the making of the handset being too slipery and there are no ergonomics such has a slight curve on the sides which makes it harder to have a grip. It sounds silly but I easily dropped my handset on the first day (the 1 III) given it's large and tall design making it a bit too awkward to handle and hold.

Should this handset be 6.3' with curved sides on the case, it would be a lot better and less likely to be dropped.

I have gotten a case but this still doesn't resolve the problem of handling an awkward and overly large design that may be not needed, putting off some buyers, so the option to buy a case is not an acceptable answer other than avoiding damage