Sony Xperia 10 IV – familiar design and improvements

For as big as Sony is, it’s never been a giant in the world of smartphones. That hasn’t stopped it from releasing new devices for its audience of devoted fans. A week after spotting renders showing off the Sony Xperia 1 IV, we’re getting a new look at another phone on its way from the company, in all its bezel-ful glory.

These renders, courtesy of OnLeaks and Zoutons, show the future Xperia 10 IV with a familiar appearance. With a tall and thin 6-inch flat OLED display and those nostalgia-inducing bezels on the chin and forehead, the new phone looks a lot like the Xperia 10 III before it. Although they aren’t as large as they once were, they are still a far cry from the elegant, fullscreen displays found on handsets like the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

The phone’s back is quite plain, featuring a triple camera array, an LED flash, and the Sony Xperia branding. It also has a fingerprint sensor on the side, a 3.5mm headphone connection on the top — rejoice, wired headphones fans — and a USB-C port on the bottom. There are two front-firing speakers.

Despite its numerous similarities to the Xperia 10 III, the Xperia 10 IV has a few exterior differences. There’s no distinct Google Assistant button, for example – barely a miss, given that there are so many methods to access Assistant these days that a physical control feels extraneous. However, a shutter button, similar to the one found on the Xperia 1 series, would have been a great substitute. When it comes to differences, the frame is likely the most evident. Sony appears to be following the lead of Samsung and Apple, since the Xperia 10 IV has flat edges rather than rounded ones.

Sony’s upcoming Xperia 10 IV will likely have a Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 chipset under the hood, paired with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage on the base model. It’ll be powered by a 4000mAh cell and come in Black, White, Mint Green, and Berry Blue colors. Pricing and launch info are still up in the air, but the new smartphone is expected to hit the markets in mid-2022.