13 Things Android Can Do That iPhone Can't

Sony Xperia 1 IV

Cameras

Main: 12 megapixelf/1.7, Sony Exmor RS for Mobile sensor, 82º, LED flash, OIS, 3D iToF sensor, RGB-IR color sensorHDR, RAW format, manual mode

Wide: 12 megapixel124º, f/2.2, Exmor RS for Mobile sensor

Tele: 12 megapixel28–20º true, seamless optical zoom, f/2.3–f/2.8, Exmor RS for Mobile sensor, OIS

Video: 4K UHDHDR, up to 120 fps

Network Bands

5G: 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 71, 261, 77-C, 78, 260

4G LTE: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46, 48, 66, 71

WCDMA: 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 19

GSM: 850, 900, 1800, 1900

NR   5Gband 1 / 2100 MHz   IMT (Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, Brazil, India, Israel)band 2 / 1900 MHz   PCS (Americas)band 3 / 1800 MHz   DCS (Europe, Asia, Africa)band 5 / 850 MHz   Cellular (Americas, Oceania, Brazil, Israel)band 7 / 2600 MHz   IMT-E (Canada, South America, Europe, Asia)band 8 / 900 MHz   (Europe, Asia, Africa)band 20 / 800 MHz   EU Digital Dividend (Europe)band 28 / 700 MHz   APT (Oceana, Asia, Central America)band 38 / 2600 MHz   IMT-E (Europe, Latin America, Asia)band 40 / 2300 MHz   (Asia, Africa, Oceana)band 41 / 2500 MHz   BRS / EBS (USA (T-Mobile))band 66 / 1700 MHz   AWS-3 (Americas)band 71 / 600 MHz   600 (USA (T-Mobile))band 261 / 28 GHz   mmWave (North America)band 77-C / 3700 MHz   C-Band (North America)band 78 / 3500 MHz   C-Band (global)band 260 / 39 GHz   mmWave (global)

LTE   4Gband 1 / 2100 MHz   IMT (Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, Brazil, India, Israel)band 2 / 1900 MHz   PCS (Americas)band 3 / 1800 MHz   DCS (Europe, Asia, Africa)band 4 / 1700 MHz   AWS (Americas)band 5 / 850 MHz   Cellular (Americas, Oceania, Brazil, Israel)band 7 / 2600 MHz   IMT-E (Canada, South America, Europe, Asia)band 8 / 900 MHz   (Europe, Asia, Africa)band 12 / 700 MHz   Lower 700 (USA)band 13 / 750 MHz   Upper 700 (USA (Verizon))band 19 / 850 MHz   Upper 800 (Japan)band 20 / 800 MHz   EU Digital Dividend (Europe)band 25 / 1900 MHz   PCS+G (USA (T-Mobile))band 26 / 850 MHz   Extended Cellular (USA (T-Mobile))band 28 / 700 MHz   APT (Oceana, Asia, Central America)band 29 / 700 MHz   Lower 700 (USA (AT&T))band 32 / 1500 MHz   L-Band (Europe (Italy))band 34 / 2100 MHz   IMT (Europe)band 38 / 2600 MHz   IMT-E (Europe, Latin America, Asia)band 39 / 1900 MHz   DCS–IMT Gap (China)band 40 / 2300 MHz   (Asia, Africa, Oceana)band 41 / 2500 MHz   BRS / EBS (USA (T-Mobile))band 46 / 5500 MHz   5 GHz (global)band 48 / 3600 MHz   CBRS (USA)band 66 / 1700 MHz   AWS-3 (Americas)band 71 / 600 MHz   600 (USA (T-Mobile))

WCDMA   3Gband 1 (I) / 2100 MHz   IMT (Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, Brazil, India, Israel)band 2 (II) / 1900 MHz   PCS (Americas)band 4 (IV) / 1700 MHz   AWS (Americas)band 5 (V) / 850 MHz   Cellular (Americas, Oceania, Brazil, Israel)band 8 (VIII) / 900 MHz   (Europe, Asia, Africa)band 19 (XIX) / 850 MHz   Upper 800 (Japan)

GSM   2Gband 5 / 850 MHz   Cellular (Americas, Oceania, Brazil, Israel)band 8 / 900 MHz   (Europe, Asia, Africa)band 3 / 1800 MHz   DCS (Europe, Asia, Africa)band 2 / 1900 MHz   PCS (Americas)

The New Sony Xperia 1 IV Could Be The Best Phone For Creative Pros

The new Sony Xperia 1 IV is actually two phones in one. For the average smartphone buyer, it's a ridiculously expensive phone with some disappointing flaws. But if you're seriously into photography or video, I think it's one of the best phones around.

The new model isn't radically different from its predecessor, but there are some significant changes nevertheless. The headline feature is continuous optical zoom, where the telephoto lens can smoothly move between 3.5x and 5.2x zoom. And you also get 4K and 120fps video on the rear and front cameras, with a feature that records using all three rear cameras simultaneously. There are new audio features too including an app for layering and mixing sound, and the processor is now a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 – which offers serious horsepower but has a tendency to run very hot when you push it hard, resulting in a noticeable drop in power.

If you want a point and shoot phone that takes reliably vivid photos, don't buy this one: it doesn't have AI to effectively automate the process of taking photos, so you're likely to find the results disappointing. But if you're a pro, I think you'll appreciate the level of control and possibility that this Xperia offers.

For all its joys, there's no doubt that this is a very, very expensive phone: starting at around £1,299 in the UK ($1,599 in the US, where only the 512GB model will be sold) it costs more than some of the best foldable phones and some of the best Android phones such as the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, which sit at the very top of the smartphone price range. 

That means I don't think this is the best phone for the typical smartphone buyer: you'll be much happier with a more affordable Android. But if your phone is a creative tool rather than just something to doomscroll on all day, this Xperia should be at the very top of your smartphone shortlist.

Sony's Xperia 10 IV Is A Great All-rounder And A Good Budget Buy

I've written before about my love of Sony phones, particularly the Xperia ones. But as much as the Sony Xperia 1 IV is a brilliant rival to the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, it's also very expensive. So it's nice to see Sony offering a much more affordable Xperia that retains some of the flagship's best features. If you want something a little different from the herd, it could be one of the best budget phones you can buy.

With its Xperia range, Sony numbers the phones in reverse – so an Xperia 1 is the flagship, a 5 is further down the range and a 10 is the more affordable option. But affordable doesn't mean rubbish, and the Xperia 10 IV has some of the key features I think set Sony phones apart.

Let's start with the screen. Like other Xperias it's a 21:9 OLED TriLuminos, much wider than many rivals and really great for watching movies, playing games or just scrolling through articles. It's compact, well built and thanks to its 5,000mAh battery it runs for ages. It's much lighter than similarly sized phones – Sony says "it's the world's lightest 5G smartphone with a large capacity 5,000mAh battery" – and if you're into your music it supports both High-Resolution Audio and 360 Reality Audio.

One of the key ways in which the 10 differs from the most expensive Xperias is in its camera. Where the Xperia 1 IV has a camera setup designed for photo and video pros, this Xperia is for more casual photography: there's a triple-lens setup with really good automatic settings to get the best picture based on light and distance. There's optical image stabilisation and Night Mode for better low-light pics, and there's Optical SteadyShot for video too. Last but not least there's 2x optical zoom; many rivals in this price range have digital zoom instead. Optical is better.

So where has Sony cut corners to achieve the price tag of $519 / £429 / AU$685? The screen is 60Hz, not the smoother 120Hz you'll find in more expensive models. The processor, a Snapdragon 695, isn't as fast as the processors you'll find in the best Android phones – although that does mean it doesn't get hot like the Xperia 1 IV does. And the built-in speaker isn't great. 

I like this phone: it's unpretentious and the combination of light weight, long battery life and that very wide screen is going to tick a lot of potential buyers' boxes. I wouldn't recommend it for hardcore gamers or photo pros, but then I wouldn't recommend any budget phone for those things: they're specialist tasks that require specific hardware, particularly in the best gaming phones. But if you like the cut of Sony's jib and don't want to spend too much money, I think you'll like this affordable Xperia a lot.

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