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. 

[SkyNet404]

Well, the official website stated that there should be an announcement related to Xperia soon, so hopefully they release the phones with at least some of the things all of you have mentioned, cause I can hardly see Sony including all of that. 
 

[kzagham]

Have you seen the launch event today? I'm splitting this in two parts, first is a rant about the poor marketing/ presentation and second what I liked. The presentation done by Tsutomu Hamaguchi was not covering the best parts of the device and did not match the marketing theme teased, i.e. we started in 2019 with Xperia 1 and in 2022 are bringing the Xperia 1 IV. They almost needed to pull an Apple here and be like this is what we started with, this was where we were last year. And this year, we are taking all of that and making it even better. It is good that they mentioned the Xperia Pro-I getting new software for livestreaming, which is also a step in the right direction. But don't start the thing telling people you will not be putting a charger in the box- that will make some people quit early on, like look Sony joined the other brands to do the same. Moving on, I think it's at 3:50, they show a slide of cinephiles, videographers, photographers, audiophiles and mobile gamers. They should have followed the same format and slided out each section- one of our target demographics is cinephiles etc. Last year we launched the Xperia 1 III with the world's first 4K 120Hz HDR display, this year we are taking that even further by 3 new features. First of all, we listened to you- you liked the high colour accuracy but it was challenging to use the device outdoors- so this year we are increasing the brightness not 10%, not 30%, but 50% higher than the previous model. Yes you heard that right, but that's not all. Last year we launched our first content streaming service on Bravia TV's Bravia Core, and what else to use the 4K HDR screen on the Xperia 1 IV than to watch bluray quality content, so we are bringing bravia core for mobile. (I don't think they even mentioned Bravia Core once in the live presentation). Finally, we are adding in a new feature- Real Time HDR Drive. And then moved on to videographers, photographers, audiophiles and mobile gamers. 

[kzagham]

But on another note- I think they did listen somewhat to what everyone said. Which is one of the reasons I'm excited to get the device this year. They added in a new 12MP Sony Selfie/ Front Lens (supporting 4K HDR), included more tech from the Bravia Range (Bravia Range, upscaled HDR) and improved brightness further, improved the camera performance (videography pro serves as auto mode & 16:9, has seamless zoom, wider multi-bracketed HDR, improved 20fps burst shooting to 20fps with HDR, improvements in AI, better ISP, true optical zoom- which seems amazing and it's good that they improved on this tech instead of giving up on it as rumours suggested and 4K 120fps HDR readout across all lenses). It's also great that they increased the battery size to 5000mah and improved 5g connectivity. The other features such as improved mic, 10% louder and 30-40% bassier stereo speakers, upscaled 360 RA, livestreaming, music pro etc are bonuses. Plus at least here in the UK, it's launching within a month, which is better than it ever has been the last few years. Having said all that, I had a great time hearing everyone else's thoughts, so I'm creating a new thread for next years model- the 5th year anniversary model Xperia 1 V:

https://community.sony.co.uk/t5/1-series/what-we-want-to-see-in-the-xperia-1-v/m-p/3869160#M8440

[SkyNet404]

Thanks for breaking down the press conference, hopefully the reviews for it are positive as well. 
Will still check with other people who will buy it, and leave their feedback through the community as well since it's still in the pre-order phase still.