Sony might not be the most popular Android smartphone manufacturer these days, but you always know what you're getting. Sony's latest entrant in the Xperia family is the Xperia 1 IV, and it makes several small but meaningful changes over the 1 III. You still get the uninterrupted 4K OLED and headphone jack, but the camera array moves to a "true optical" 85-125mm zoom lens. Of course, Sony's passion project won't come cheap. This phone will retail for $1,600 when it launches in a few months.

While most OEMs are obsessed with pushing the megapixel count, Sony is sticking with a trio of 12MP sensors on the back. It's more interested in what it can make those cameras do, and it pulled out all the stops. For one, the sensors are capable of true 4K 120fps output from all sensors, and the optical zoom is no longer limited to just two focal lengths as in the 1 III. Now, you can adjust smoothly from 85mm all the way up to 125mm with no digital cropping. The company is also talking up its 20 fps burst mode and AI subject detection.

There's a 21:9 4K 120Hz OLED dominating the front, and you won't see any interruption at the top for the camera. It also has 240Hz touch scanning, and a suite of gaming controls Sony calls Game Enhancer, including a low gamma raiser, audio EQ, and integrated YouTube live streaming. Sony squeezed in an even larger sensor (also 12MP) than last year without inflating the frame or cutting into the display. If you've got a compatible Sony Alpha camera, the Xperia 1 IV can still serve as an external video monitor, too.

At a time when most smartphones offer more of the same, Sony is still blazing its own path. Is that a path you want to go down? You've got some time to decide. While Sony is taking the wraps off the phone now, you won't be able to buy one for a while. Sony expects to begin selling the Xperia 1 IV on September 1, 2022. Hey, that'll also give you time to save up the $1,600 asking price. It will be listed on Sony's website in black and purple and at other retailers in black.