In a world that's preparing itself for a whole new bunch of iPhones, Sony today announces its latest compact powerhouse, the Xperia 5 IV. Starting from €1049 and coming in mid-September, the new phone acts as the entry-level flagship in Sony's range, taking a step back behind the Xperia Pro-I and Xperia 1 IV. Sony has been carving a niche for its high-end phones that are mostly targeted at professionals, but the Xperia 5 IV aims to bring some of those core flagship features to a wider audience but in a more easily approachable package. Speaking of packages, Sony is not only skipping the in-box charger but also dropping the USB Type-C cable out of the equation entirely in a prolonged effort to nullify its environmental impact as soon as possible.

Xperia 5 IV Design

The Xperia 5 IV is closely modeled after Sony's previous Xperia phones: a glass and metal sandwich with some bezels at the top and bottom of the display, but no punch-hole or notch either, which could fly really well with purists. With a fingerprint scanner embedded right within the home button, as well as a physical shutter button, the Xperia 5 IV is a phone that Sony fans will find deeply familiar. Sony has improved tons of things though: the Xperia 5 IV comes with a new closed speaker, which doesn't give off nearly as much housing vibrations as the previous Xperia 5 model. While we're on the topic of audio, Sony remains one of the last holdouts of 3.5mm audio jacks. Yep, the Xperia 5 IV has one of those, but it also comes with hi-res LDAC audio codec, 360 Reality Audio, Bluetooth LE Audio, and much more that should please audiophiles. Sony has improved tons of things though: the Xperia 5 IV comes with a new closed speaker, which doesn't give off nearly as much housing vibrations as the previous Xperia 5 model. While we're on the topic of audio, Sony remains one of the last holdouts of 3.5mm audio jacks. Yep, the Xperia 5 IV has one of those, but it also comes with hi-res LDAC audio codec, 360 Reality Audio, Bluetooth LE Audio, and much more that should please audiophiles.

Xperia 5 IV Camera

One of the main intriguing things about the Sony Xperia 5 IV is its camera, which takes a couple of pages from the Xperia Pro-I and Xperia 1 IV's pages. The triple 12MP camera layout comes with Sony's superb Eye AF and Object Tracking, which allow for fast and accurate autofocusing in both photo and video. In fact, Sony says its autofocusing system is good for up to 60fps continuous AF/AE calculations no matter which camera you use. What's more, all three cameras shoot 4K HDR 120fps video, which would look great when slowed down to 60, 30, or even 24fps for the ultimate cinematic experience. But that's not all! Sony has also made the Xperia 5 IV compatible with its Bluetooth shooting grip and external video monitor (both of which worked great alongside the Xperia Pro-I), allowing you to come up with the ultimate vlogging setup. It's not the main rear cameras that have gotten all the love, though. The front camera has scored a larger sensor as well: while the Xperia 5 III came with an 8MP 1/4-inch sensor, the Xperia 5 IV has a 12MP 1/2.9-inch sensor. This should deliver much more and sharper detail, as well as improved low-light image quality when taking photos or videos with the selfie snapper. What's more, all three cameras shoot 4K HDR 120fps video, which would look great when slowed down to 60, 30, or even 24fps for the ultimate cinematic experience. But that's not all! Sony has also made the Xperia 5 IV compatible with its Bluetooth shooting grip and external video monitor (both of which worked great alongside the Xperia Pro-I), allowing you to come up with the ultimate vlogging setup. It's not the main rear cameras that have gotten all the love, though. The front camera has scored a larger sensor as well: while the Xperia 5 III came with an 8MP 1/4-inch sensor, the Xperia 5 IV has a 12MP 1/2.9-inch sensor. This should deliver much more and sharper detail, as well as improved low-light image quality when taking photos or videos with the selfie snapper.

Xperia 5 IV Price and release date

The Sony Xperia 5 IV comes with a €1049 price tag in Europe and will launch across multiple markets and regions in mid-September. As part of the official release, Sony will be offering a launch offer to go with the Xperia 5 IV, a pair of Sony's own LinkBuds S for free, which sounds like a great deal!