The Xperia 1 IV is Sony’s latest smartphone to haunt enthusiasts and it is filled with multimedia potential.
But when it comes to creating a phone that professionals and media types like to enjoy, Apple is the king of the mountain. His iPhone 13 Pro Max claims to be named the best flagship phone in the current market because of its all-round excellence.
Does Sony have access to the same exclusive club? Let’s see.
Sony Xperia 1 IV vs. iPhone 13 Pro Max price and availability
Sony announced the Sony Xperia 1 IV on May 11, 2022, but the phone will not be available for purchase until June 16 in the UK and Europe and September 1 in the US. In the US, a single 512GB option would cost $ 1,599; The UK and Europe will receive a 256GB model for £ 1299 / € 1399.
So far there is no information on availability in Australia, but we are not hoping for anything. Sony does not usually sell its phones in the region.
The iPhone 13 Pro Max will hit stores on September 24, 2021. Prices start at $ 1,099 / £ 1,049 / A $ 1,699 for the 128GB model; rise to $ 1,199 / £ 1,149 / AU $ 1,869 for 256GB; then up to $ 1,399 / £ 1,349 / AU $ 2,219 for 512 GB; and will reach 1599 dollars / 1549 pounds / 2569 Australian dollars for the new 1 TB model.
All in all, this is a win for the iPhone 13 Pro Max in terms of price and affordability.
Design Sony Xperia 1 IV vs. iPhone 13 Pro Max
The Sony Xperia 1 IV looks almost identical to the Sony Xperia 1 III, with the same flat edges and surprisingly high form factor.
With the iPhone 13 Pro Max Apple has also retained the design language of its previous phone. Like the iPhone 12 Pro Max, the 13 has a flat stainless steel frame and equally flat front and rear surfaces.
The Sony phone measures 165 x 71 x 8.2 mm and weighs 185 g. This makes it taller and thicker than the iPhone 13 Pro Max (160.8 x 78.1 x 7.65 mm), but also much lighter. . There is no heavy stainless steel.
The key reason for the growth of Sony Xperia 1 IV is a high forehead and chin. Unlike almost any other current flagship, it places a selfie camera above the screen rather than in the notch of the display.
The iPhone, of course, has the mother of all the notches on the screen that eat up the top edge of the display. Apple claims to have reduced the size of the notch by 20%, but this is still a bit striking.
Sony always complements the edges of the phone with interesting places, which explains the physical camera button and the 3.5 mm headphone jack – they should appeal to photographers and audiophiles, respectively.
Behind the iPhone 13 Pro Max organizes camera sensors in a square configuration; Sony is tuned into something like a vertical diamond.
You can get the Sony Xperia 1 IV in black, white or purple. The country of the iPhone has a wider range of color options: graphite, gold, silver, sierra blue and alpine green.
Both phones are resistant to dust and water. The iPhone 13 Pro Max has an IP68 rating, while the Sony Xperia 1 IV gets even more thorough IP68 / IP65 certification.
Sony screen protects Gorilla Glass Victus; Apple has equipped the iPhone with a ceramic shield, which is made by embedding ceramic nanocrystals in glass using a high temperature crystallization process.
Sony Xperia 1 IV vs. iPhone 13 Pro Max display
The Sony Xperia 1 IV has the same 6.5-inch 4K OLED display as the Xperia 1 III. A distinctive part of this is the figure of “4K”, which equates to a huge resolution of 3840 x 1644.
On the contrary, the display of the iPhone 13 Pro Max is a 6.7-inch OLED with a resolution of 2778 x 1284. It is more than the same size and liveliness, but not so sharp.
This means that the Sony Xperia 1 IV is the only current flagship that can play 4K content. This is clearly what Sony is aiming for here, along with this 21: 9 aspect ratio and intact canvas.
Both displays are updated with a maximum frequency of 120 Hz, so they are equally smooth.
Sony has increased the brightness of its display by 50%. It remains to be seen whether this will help him compete with the bright iPhone panel, which remains one of the best in the business.
Sony Xperia 1 IV vs. iPhone 13 Pro Max camera
Both of these phones are equipped with triple 12-megapixel cameras, and both manufacturers are known for their science of natural color. But that’s where the similarity ends.
Apple and Sony use fundamentally different approaches to photography. The iPhone is a fire and forget the experience, not burdened by cunning menus and the need to think through your frame.
Sony’s Xperia 1 line is a professional-level control with an in-depth camera app that displays its line of high-end Alpha cameras, and a physical two-stage camera shutter button on the right edge.
The big progress in Xperia 1 IV is the telephoto system. This time you get a continuous zoom of 70mm to 125mm, which is roughly equivalent to an optical zoom that can drop from 3.5x to 5.2x. This is the first.
On the contrary, the iPhone 13 Pro Max’s 3x zoom seems a bit tired.
However, the image quality of the iPhone 13 Pro Max camera is currently well recognized. This is probably the best camera system for smartphones on the market.
It is led by a large (and wide open at f / 1.5 aperture) main sensor that can take seriously impressive images in all lighting conditions, aided by an unusually stable sensor shift stabilization system. This time, even ultra-wide you can take sharp night shots.
Aside from the hardware, much of the fantastic image quality is due to Apple’s advanced image processing technology, which helps get great results with minimal fees. Sony phones have never been able to achieve the same, although they offer unmatched control over your pictures.
Apple cameras have always outperformed competitors in video recording, but Sony is committed to making progress with the Xperia 1 IV. Sony’s latest phone captures 4K slow motion recording at 120 frames per second with 4K / 60 frames per second on the iPhone; and Sony has also given the Xperia 1 IV a wider dynamic range and Videoography Pro mode for live streaming.
The iPhone 13 Pro Max has its own video tricks, including a cinematic mode that allows you to apply bokeh-like effects to a portrait, to video, and adjust the focus point in a publication.
Both phones have a 12-megapixel selfie camera, but the Xperia 1 IV is the larger sensor of the two.
Specifications and performance Sony Xperia 1 IV vs iPhone 13 Pro Max
We all know this story. Android phones may continue to improve performance, but they will still lag behind the latest from Apple.
We haven’t been able to fix it with the Sony Xperia 1 IV yet, but we can confidently tell you that it won’t be as fast as the iPhone 13 Pro Max. This is because it runs on the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip that works in most of its competitors, from the Xiaomi 12 Pro to the Oppo Find X5 Pro.
And in all our tests and benchmarks, these phones are noticeably embarrassed by the iPhone 13 Pro Max. The key to this is the latest custom Apple A15 Bionic chip, which is a monster.
But if you don’t take the tests into account, you won’t notice a performance difference between the latest iPhone and any Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 phone. Both chips are much more capable than they should be for any modern task, from juggling multiple apps to playing 3D games high class.
The Sony Xperia 1 IV has twice as much RAM as the iPhone 13 Pro Max as far as it costs (12GB vs. 6GB). However, this is not so much, given the fundamental differences between the ways iOS and Android are handled.
Apple’s device has far more storage options than Sony. You can choose 128, 256, 512 or 1 TV wherever you are. With the Sony Xperia 1 IV you get 256GB in the UK and Europe or 512GB in the US.
Sony Xperia 1 IV vs. iPhone 13 Pro Max battery life
Sony has increased the capacity of its flagship battery to 5,000 mAh. This is a healthy size for the flagship Android phone and much larger than the iPhone 13 Pro Max cell with a capacity of 4352 mAh.
However, as we just said, iOS and Android handle their hardware resources very differently, and we hope for approximate parity between them.
However, the Sony Xperia 1 IV will need to pull the cat out of the bag to match the iPhone 13 Pro Max. With the Xperia 1 III we tend to have about 10% left or so aside at the end of a long day. With the iPhone 13 Pro Max we have a third of the tank left. Hopefully, increasing Sony’s power, along with the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and improved software, will close that gap.
None of the phones is one of the most impressive when it comes to charging speed. Sony has equipped its latest phone with the same 30W wired charging support as before, while the iPhone 13 Pro Max can take a similar 27W.
If competitors can boast of charging 80 watts, 100 watts and even 120 watts, these characteristics are not too great. However, both manufacturers claim that their phones can charge up to 50% in just 30 minutes.
No manufacturer includes a charger, but at least Apple gives you a cable.
Take it away
Sony seems to have created the dream of another media enthusiast with the Sony Xperia 1 IV. It continues where the Sony Xperia 1 III left off, with an even more flexible camera system, a brighter 4K display and more capacious battery life.
It remains to be seen whether these updates are enough to close the 1-point gap between its predecessor and the iPhone 13 Pro Max. We were seriously impressed with Apple’s latest version for its superb “turn off and forget” camera, great battery life and unique performance.
One thing is for sure – Sony will always have a place in the hearts of fans of a certain type, obsessed with serious photography, sound accuracy and proper video playback. But can he mix it up with the iPhone in the mainstream this time?
https://www.techradar.com/news/iphone-13-pro-max-vs-sony-xperia-1-iv-which-flagship-phone-is-the-real-pros-choice/