Sony may no longer be the smartphone behemoth it used to be compared to Samsung and Apple, but it still makes some of the best smartphones on the market. Its smartphones have consistently been ranked as some of the best in the world, but they continue to struggle due to unconventional naming schemes that confuse customers and the high price tags of some of their models. Regardless, you can find a Sony phone with all the features you need at a fraction of the cost of high-end models from other companies. This roundup will look at the best Sony phones you can buy right now.
1. Sony Xperia 5 IV – A New Sony Xperia Experience
The Sony Xperia 5 IV is arguably the best Sony phone on the market right now. It has everything the pricier Sony Xperia 1 IV has to offer apart from the optical moving lenses. It comes with all the high-end specifications you would expect for a phone that seeks to compete with the latest models from Samsung and Apple but at a slightly lower price.
The Sony Xperia 5 IV has amazing build quality, a headphone jack that is becoming rarer by the day, highly capable cameras, front-facing speakers, and excellent battery life.
The one gripe you might have with the phone is that Sony chose to use manual control for its camera system to give users the same experience they would have with their Alpha cameras, but they take time for the casual user to master. Also, even though the metric is subjective, the quality of its photos falls slightly behind that of its competitors.
The phone’s key specs include 8 GB RAM coupled with 128 or 256 GB storage, an Octa-core 3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, a triple camera system of 12MP cameras, a 5000 mAh battery, and Android 12. Sony has also promised two years of security and software updates.
2. Sony Xperia 1 IV – The Best Cameras on a Sony Phone
Sony Xperia phones have always been on the cutting edge of camera technology, and the Sony Xperia 1 IV is an excellent demonstration of the effort that Sony continues to put into its smartphone cameras. With their professional-grade features and Sony giving users total control of everything the cameras on this phone can do, the downside is that it might take some time for you to learn how to use them to their full potential.
Moving on to the rest of the phone, you get a gorgeous 6.5-inch, 4K HDR OLED display in a 21:9 aspect ratio that is great for consuming content without letterboxing (black bars at the top and bottom). The aspect ratio also makes using the viewfinder much easier when using the back cameras to take photos and videos.
The Sony Xperia 1 IV has an Octa-core 3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, 12Gb RAM and 256 or 512 GB of storage, which is expandable using a microSD card, and a 5000 mAh battery. Its 30W wired charging speed is much lower than you get with brands like Oppo and Xiaomi, but it still keeps up with the likes of Samsung and Apple.
3. Sony Xperia L4 – For Lovers of Budget Sony Xperia Phones
If you are looking for an affordable Sony Xperia phone for your next phone upgrade, the Sony Xperia L4 is your best option. It is not the flashiest or latest phone from the Xperia line-up, but it is still a great phone regardless.
The first thing you will notice is the 6.2-inch, 720p, 21:9 display that makes it an excellent phone for media consumption. Performance is fine, considering the phone has an Octa-core 2GHz MediaTek Helios P22 processor that comes in many budget phones.
In contrast to other Sony Xperia phones, the cameras are not the best, but they are serviceable for those looking for an option that just works.
With the excellent customer service you get from Sony, the phone’s premium design, and its price point, the Sony Xperia L4 is an excellent option for those who do not want a budget smartphone from other brands.
4. Sony Xperia 1 III – The Best Sony Phone for Everyday Use
The Sony Xperia 1 III offers everything you would expect from a modern Sony phone, even though it was released in 2021. It has a fantastic camera system that consists of a 12MP wide camera, a 12 MP telephoto camera and a 12 MP ultrawide one. As on other Sony Xperia phones, you get a lot of control with these three cameras, allowing you to frame your photos and videos as you like.
It also has a 6.5-inch, 120 Hz, 4K HDR OLED, 21:1 display. Since it is a very bright and vibrant screen, it is great for viewing content in different environments, including the outdoors.
The Snapdragon 888 5G in this phone is a 5 nm octa-core processor, which gives you great performance while only using a fraction of the power other processors do. Because of this, the Sony Xperia 1 III has decent battery life, although this varies depending on how you use the phone.
The Sony Xperia 1 III also has a headphone jack and front-facing stereo speakers. Because Sony is known for its amazing audio quality, you can expect best-in-class audio performance from the Sony Xperia 1 III.
The pairing of the 12 GB RAM with 256 GB or 512Gb of storage means the phone can handle even the most memory-intensive apps and workloads while allowing you to store everything you need. If you need more storage, you can always expand it using a microSD card.
5. Sony Xperia 5 III – For Lovers of Compact Sony Phones
The Sony Xperia 5 III is considered by many as the compact version of the Sony Xperia 1 III, which means it, unfortunately, carries its bigger sibling’s strengths and weaknesses.
The first main difference you will notice is that there is no 4K display here, but you instead get a Full HD+ 6.1-inch 120Hz HDR OLED display that still performs very well in different light conditions. You also get the same amazing audio performance through the headphone jack and speakers as you would on the bigger phone.
The Sony Xperia 5 III comes with the Snapdragon 888 5G chip, but its overheating issues hinder the chip’s performance. Customers get 8 GB of RAM and up to 256 GB of storage.
The cameras on this phone are odd because Sony has used excellent hardware like it does in its new Sony Xperia phones but has not optimised the software to match. However, users can use manual control and third-party apps to get more out of the phone’s cameras.
6. Sony Xperia 10 IV – A Great Mid-Range Sony Xperia Phone
Those looking for a Sony budget phone better than the Sony Xperia L4 should pick up the Sony Xperia 10 IV, a mid-range phone that is better, but not a great performer compared to Sony’s flagships. The phone’s biggest strengths are its design, which makes it easy to hold for long periods, its long-lasting battery, and the large OLED display that is very colour accurate.
You get an Octa-core 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 processor, 6 GB of RAM and expandable 128 GB of storage, a 5000 mAh battery and Android 12.
Sony has made some fantastic Xperia phones over the years. Their hardware is outstanding, but Sony is held back by its software, which is not to say that their phones perform poorly. Their cameras are also some of the best in the market if you have the time to learn all the manual controls.