Sony Xperia 1 IV vs Sony Xperia 5 IV: what’s the difference?

TechPhonesSony Xperia 1 IV vs Sony Xperia 5 IV: what’s the difference?Big phone, little phone - find out which is the best SonyWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

Big phone, little phone - find out which is the best Sony

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Future)

Sony Xperia 1 IV vs Sony Xperia 5 IV

(Image credit: Future)

Sonysmartphones are unique in that they combine the Japanese giant’s expertise in cameras with experience in screen technology and impressive handset hardware - that’s what makes them some of thebest phonesin the world.

At the very top of their range, is theSony Xperia 1 IV, an all-singing all-dancing flagship smartphone to compete with the likes of theSamsung Galaxy S22 Ultraand theiPhone 14 Pro Max. But there’s one big problem with those phones that Sony has managed to tackle - the size.

More often than not, flagship phones are huge and almost impossible to use one-handed, especially for those who have quite small hands. That’s where theSony Xperia 5 IVcomes in, it’s a shrunken version of the 1 IV but it still packs in the latest tech.

So how do these two Sony phones compare, and is it worth downsizing your next smartphone? You’ve come to the right place to find out.

Sony Xperia 1 IV vs Sony Xperia 5 IV: price

First things first, the Sony Xperia 1 IV is more expensive than the Sony Xperia 5 IV. It’ll set you back £1,299 in the UK, $1,598 in the US and AU$1,699 in Australia. The Sony Xperia 5 IV starts from $1,000 / £950 / AU$1,240.

(Image credit: Basil Kronfli / T3)

Photo of the Sony Xperia 1 IV

(Image credit: Basil Kronfli / T3)

Sony Xperia 1 IV vs Sony Xperia 5 IV: design and screen

The most obvious difference between the two is the screen size. The Sony Xperia 1 IV has a 6.5-inch display whereas the Sony Xperia 5 IV has a smaller 6.1-inch display. Some people will prefer to have a bigger screen but I personally found the smaller size to be perfectly fine for most tasks especially given the 21:9 aspect ratio which is very well suited to streaming video (it’s the same on the bigger handset).

Both are OLED screens although the 1 IV has a higher 4K resolution at 1644 x 3840 pixels in comparison to the FHD+ 1080 x 2520 pixels on the 5 IV.

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Ultimately, that will mean a brighter, crisper, more detailed and more colourful experience from the 1 IV but I don’t think you’re sacrificing too much with fewer pixels because you soon get used to it, and it still looks very good.

You’ll be able to make the most out of a 120Hz refresh rate on both devices which makes scrolling and swiping feels smooth and effortless, especially when it comes to mobile gaming.

The design itself looks pretty similar across the two phones, with the long and thin rectangular shape, a camera strip along the left-hand side on the back and a side-mounted fingerprint sensor. One handset is just bigger than the other.

The Sony Xperia 1 IV measures 165 x 71 x 8.2 mm and weighs 185g compared to the more manageable size of the Sony Xperia 5 IV being 156 x 67 x 8.2 mm and 172g. I really do prefer a smaller phone because it means my thumb can reach across the whole width so I don’t need both hands to navigate through it.

Whichever phone you buy you will be safe in the knowledge that it’s sturdy thanks to Gorilla Glass Victus and an IPX8 rating which means they’re both fully waterproof.

The colourways do vary slightly between the two, you can buy the Sony Xperia 1 IV in black, violet, and white; the Sony Xperia 5 IV comes in green, black and white.

(Image credit: Future)

Sony Xperia 5 IV review:holding a phone up against a wall

(Image credit: Future)

Sony Xperia 1 IV vs Sony Xperia 5 IV: cameras

Both phones have three rear cameras, a 12MP main camera, a 12MP ultrawide angle camera and a 12MP telephoto lens, but they’re not quite the same because the Sony Xperia 1 IV has a continuous optical zoom lens with 85-125mm focal length whereas the Sony Xperia 5 IV’s equivalent is fixed at 60mm. You’ll also get a 3D ToF sensor on the 1 IV which you won’t on the 5 IV.

A lot of the camera features are the same, though. There are detailed manual photography and videography controls, real-time Eye AF, HDR, up to 20fps AF/AE burst, 120fps 4K video recording and so on.

For selfies, the two handsets use the same 12MP lens with the same size sensor and 4K video recording at 30fps.

Take a look below at some of the sample shots taken on both phones.

Image1of4Sony Xperia 1 IV(Image credit: Basil Kronfli / T3)Sony Xperia 1 IV(Image credit: Basil Kronfli / T3)Sony Xperia 1 IV(Image credit: Basil Kronfli / T3)Sony Xperia 1 IV(Image credit: Basil Kronfli / T3)

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Sony Xperia 1 IV(Image credit: Basil Kronfli / T3)Sony Xperia 1 IV(Image credit: Basil Kronfli / T3)Sony Xperia 1 IV(Image credit: Basil Kronfli / T3)Sony Xperia 1 IV(Image credit: Basil Kronfli / T3)

Sony Xperia 1 IV(Image credit: Basil Kronfli / T3)

Photos taken on the Sony Xperia 1 IV

Sony Xperia 1 IV(Image credit: Basil Kronfli / T3)

Photos taken on the Sony Xperia 1 IV

Sony Xperia 1 IV(Image credit: Basil Kronfli / T3)

Photos taken on the Sony Xperia 1 IV

Sony Xperia 1 IV(Image credit: Basil Kronfli / T3)

Photos taken on the Sony Xperia 1 IV

Image1of5Sony Xperia 5 IV(Image credit: Future)Sony Xperia 5 IV(Image credit: Future)Sony Xperia 5 IV(Image credit: Future)Sony Xperia 5 IV(Image credit: Future)Sony Xperia 5 IV(Image credit: Future)

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Sony Xperia 5 IV(Image credit: Future)Sony Xperia 5 IV(Image credit: Future)Sony Xperia 5 IV(Image credit: Future)Sony Xperia 5 IV(Image credit: Future)Sony Xperia 5 IV(Image credit: Future)