Latest Sony Xperia 1 IV and Xperia 5 IV rumors are... not very promising
Given that Sony formally unveiled the high-end Xperia 1 III and 5 III and the mid-range Xperia 10 III all the way back in April 2021, the company didn't exactly take us by surprise when officially scheduling a (not so) mysterious product launch event for next week.
But a decidedly cryptic teaser seemed to allude to only "ONE" next-gen Android handset breaking cover on May 11, and now a Twitter tipster who's been proven right about this type of stuff several times before claims there is indeed "NO sign" of an impending Xperia 5 IV.
On the bright side, at least as far as cash-strapped Sony fans in Europe are concerned, a non-flagship Xperia 10 IV (pronounced Ten Mark Four) is expected to be announced at this upcoming event with a recommended price of €499 in blue, green, violet, and white hues.
That's certainly not going to make this the world's most affordable Android mid-ranger, but compared to the presumably ultra-high-end Xperia 1 IV, the 10 IV is likely to feel like an absolute bargain.
That's because the sequel to the already extravagant Xperia 1 III is tipped to cost even more, possibly starting at €1399 on the old continent. Unlike the Xperia 10 IV, which might never be released stateside, the 1 IV could definitely come to the US... at a recommended price of $1400 or so.
Last year's Xperia 1 III, mind you, started at €1299 in Europe and $1299 stateside, and while SnoopyTech can only "confirm" the black, violet, and white paint jobs of its follow-up effort, a few key specs purportedly transpired back in February, when the Xperia 1 IV was also rendered by a rock-solid leaker.
Obviously, we don't know the full story yet, but with a familiar design, pretty much impossible to upgrade 4K OLED display, and a "regular" Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor under the hood, it's certainly going to be mighty hard to justify spending a small fortune on this extra-tall bad boy.
The camera system could get a massive upgrade, according to a more questionable separate report, but even if the Xperia 1 IV were to feature three different 48MP sensors and an additional periscope telephoto lens, Sony will still face a lot of difficulty convincing many people to pick this thing over the cheaper Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra or iPhone 13 Pro Max.
Keep in mind that, in addition to the 1 IV, the Xperia 10 IV also leaked in high-quality and high-confidence renders a little while back, unlike the Xperia 5 IV. That makes it very possible that Sony will indeed unveil just two new phones next Wednesday, but it's unclear if we should expect the fourth-gen Xperia 5 to see daylight at a later date... or never.
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