We analyzed 157 verified reviews from actual users of the Sony Xperia 5 IV to understand its real-world performance. Our methodology focuses on what owners care about most. We identified every mention of key aspects—like the camera, screen, battery, performance, design, software, and value—within these reviews.
Each mention was then classified by its sentiment as positive, negative, or neutral. This process allows us to calculate an objective percentage score for every feature, giving you a clear picture of the phone’s strengths and weaknesses based on how people actually use it.
💰 Value for Money: Niche Value, Premium Price
When it comes to the Sony Xperia 5 IV’s value for money, the story is one of targeted satisfaction. While its overall price-to-performance ratio is largely positive, its real strength lies in delivering specific, high-end features that are increasingly rare in the market.
A detailed look at user satisfaction versus cost reveals an 83% positive sentiment, just a single point shy of the category average. This high score is driven by a vocal group of users who feel the phone’s premium build and feature set absolutely justify the expense.
They point to the inclusion of a headphone jack and expandable memory as critical differentiators. As one owner who upgraded from a Samsung S10 explained,
“Overall the Xperia 5 IV has the compact form factor and all the features that Samsung & Apple have taken away. I also noticed that the build quality and fit and finish is top notch… The Xperia is an excellent phone, not perfect but close enough.”
Upgrade Justification
However, this enthusiasm is tempered by a significant number of users who struggle to see the value, particularly when considering an upgrade. While the 69% positive score for “upgrade justification” is a full 10 points above the category average, it still represents the softest spot in the phone’s value proposition.
For these users, the high price tag is undermined by real-world frustrations that tarnish the premium experience. Overheating is a frequent complaint, with one user stating,
“The camera shuts down in nice weather because it’s too hot…. Otherwise, it would be a really good phone.”
Another long-time Sony fan, upgrading from an old Z3, was “massively disappointed,” ultimately concluding,
“The Xperia 5 IV has absolutely nothing for me to offer that justifies the price.”
These sentiments reveal that for a phone in this price bracket, any flaw, whether it’s overheating or a clunky software experience, feels deeply magnified.
Competitive Landscape and Niche Appeal
The competitive landscape further illuminates this divide. The Xperia 5 IV’s 69% positive score on upgrade justification is notably lower than the 75% achieved by its more expensive sibling, the Xperia 1 VI, suggesting the step-up model may offer a more compelling reason for existing users to spend their money.
The value proposition is clearest for those who feel abandoned by other manufacturers. Users who cherish features like expandable storage see Sony as a last bastion, with one emphatically stating,
“Memory expansion was a dealbreaker for me. I don’t want to be pushed into the cloud by a manufacturer. Big praise to Sony, for me the best phone.”
This highlights that the Xperia 5 IV’s value is not a simple calculation of specs-for-price, but an emotional and practical investment for a specific type of user who feels other brands have left them behind.
Trade-Off: The Xperia 5 IV delivers a compelling feature set for enthusiasts who feel its premium price is a worthy exchange for features other flagships have abandoned, but persistent issues with overheating and a high cost of entry make it a questionable value for the average consumer.
📸 Camera: Pro Power, Casual Pain
The camera on the Sony Xperia 5 IV is a tale of two very different experiences, appealing strongly to photography purists while often frustrating those who seek simple, quick captures.
The core of its strength lies in its fundamental image and video quality, which earns an impressive 84% positive sentiment, a full 6 points above the 78% category average.
Users who value authenticity over artificial enhancement celebrate this, with one professional photographer noting:
Sony has “finally moved away from the ridiculous highly saturated/unnatural colours of many many other phones, producing nicely balanced, true to life images.”
This sentiment is echoed by others who praise the “excellent quality and…pin sharp” photos and “fantastic shots,” making it clear that when it comes to pure output, the hardware and processing deliver beautifully.
A Frustrating User Experience
However, this high-quality output is significantly undermined by a frustrating user experience, a fact reflected in the camera’s features and modes, which scored a lackluster 52%—a notable 9 points below the 61% category average.
Users repeatedly describe a system that is not built for casual use. One owner lamented:
“If I just want to quickly take a nice picture with a few settings for optimization, I don’t want to play around forever with exposure, shutter speed, focus, etc.”
This complexity leads some to conclude the camera is “for pros and hard for casuals to have good photos.”
This frustration is compounded by practical limitations, such as overheating during extended use which forces the camera to shut down, and baffling software omissions, like the inability to “take panoramic pictures in landscape format.”
How It Stacks Up
This internal conflict becomes even clearer when looking at Sony’s other models. While the premium Xperia 1 VI predictably outperforms it with a 93% on image quality and 69% on features, a more telling comparison is the newer Xperia 5 V.
The 5 V shares the same excellent 84% positive rating for image and video quality, suggesting the core optical performance is unchanged.
However, its score for camera features and modes sees a modest but meaningful bump to 59%.
This indicates that while Sony has maintained the image quality that enthusiasts love, it has also begun to address the very usability issues that plague the 5 IV, making the newer model a more well-rounded option for those who were deterred by its operational quirks.
Trade-Off: The Xperia 5 IV delivers professional-grade, natural-looking images that delight enthusiasts, but its complex controls and frustrating software limitations make it a challenging choice for the everyday point-and-shoot user.
📱 Screen: Stunning, yet Awkward
The screen experience on the Sony Xperia 5 IV is overwhelmingly defined by its exceptional quality and vibrancy, a factor that scores an impressive 88% positive sentiment, a full 5 points above the category average.
Users with a keen eye for color are particularly delighted, with one professional photographer noting:
As a photographer who calibrates my monitors and TVs too, I appreciate a high quality display. I can especially be confident in the colours when taking images and editing.
This sentiment is echoed by others who leverage the phone’s specific settings for a more authentic viewing experience, explaining:
When it came to image quality, I chose the ‘Creator Mode’ setting during testing. It makes the colors look much more natural.
The result is a display that many feel is among the best available, with one user simply concluding it is:
definitely one of the best displays on the market.
The Practical Catch
However, the screen is not without its practical frustrations, born from Sony’s signature design choice. While the display itself is praised, its unconventional 21:9 aspect ratio creates daily usability issues for some, as one user pointed out:
The screen has unusual proportions (21:9), which isn’t helpful for daily app use; there are often black bars on the sides because most apps aren’t adapted to these dimensions.
Another user noted a different kind of frustration, suggesting a potential trade-off in durability for its slim design. They found that:
the screen scratches much more easily compared to previous Xperia devices
Competitive Landscape
This balance of elite quality against practical trade-offs becomes even clearer in the competitive landscape. When compared to its more premium step-up model, the Sony Xperia 1 VI, which scores 92% for display quality, some users see the 5 IV as the smarter choice. One buyer rationalized this, stating:
Compared to the large flagship, the only thing missing is the (in my opinion, exaggeratedly) high-resolution screen.
This suggests users are consciously choosing the 5 IV, viewing its screen as more than sufficient and avoiding the premium of the flagship. Conversely, when measured against its newer value-oriented successor, the Xperia 5 V, the 5 IV’s screen quality stands out even more. It beats the newer model’s score of 73% by a significant 15 percentage points, making it a compelling option for those who prioritize visual fidelity over having the latest device.
Trade-Off: Users gain a phenomenally vibrant and color-accurate display ideal for media consumption and creative work, but must accept the unconventional 21:9 aspect ratio that can compromise daily app usability.
✨ Design: Premium Build, Flawed Features
In the hand, the Sony Xperia 5 IV’s design story begins with an overwhelming sense of quality. The premium experience is anchored by its build quality and materials, which earn a stellar 92% positive sentiment—a full 16 points above the category average.
This isn’t just a number; it’s a tangible feeling of confidence for users. They describe how “the build quality and fit and finish is top notch,” and that the device “looks and feels very high-quality.”
This premium construction, featuring a matte back that resists fingerprints, gives owners a daily sense of holding a durable, well-crafted piece of technology.
Contentious Design Choices
However, this premium shell houses some significant points of friction. The most contentious area involves specific design features, which, despite scoring 16 points higher than the dismal 40% category average, still only garners a 56% positive rating.
This number reveals deep user frustration with key interaction points. The side-mounted fingerprint reader, in particular, is a source of annoyance, described by one user as a “clunky fingerprint reader on the side, annoying to configure.”
Furthermore, while the inclusion of a 3.5mm headphone jack is celebrated, its execution disappoints audiophiles, who find that “the 3.5mm output is very weak and the sound not too clean,” turning a key selling point into a qualified disappointment.
A Shape That Splits Opinion
This pattern of compromise extends to the phone’s very shape. The tall 21:9 aspect ratio is a defining characteristic that splits user opinion, with its 77% positive score in handling just barely edging out the 71% category average.
For some, the design is a win for one-handed grip, making it a “very comfortable to hold” device. For others, that same tallness is a practical failure, as “the top of the screen is too far away to reach with one hand.”
Ultimately, the decision to buy this phone often comes down to a user’s priorities. For many, the appeal lies in Sony’s refusal to follow trends, offering “all the features that Samsung & Apple have taken away,” like the headphone jack and SD card support.
It’s a purposeful choice to embrace a few usability quirks in exchange for features they can’t find elsewhere in a premium package.
Trade-Off: Users gain a superbly built phone with rare features like a headphone jack and SD card slot, but must accept a divisive tall-and-narrow shape and frustratingly inconsistent design elements.
🔥 Performance: Jekyll & Hyde Power
The performance story of the Sony Xperia 5 IV is one of two extremes, a Jekyll-and-Hyde experience that delights users one moment and frustrates them the next.
On one hand, its raw processing power is a clear highlight, earning an exceptional 98% positive score, which towers over the category average of 83%.
Users feel this advantage in tangible ways every day. It’s not just abstract power; it’s the practical, satisfying experience of a device that never keeps you waiting.
User-Praised Speed
As one owner described:
The speed at which apps open is excellent.
Another pointed to a specific example of its prowess:
which is particularly noticeable for things like Google Play updates (20 updates in just under 2 minutes is really impressive).
For many, this translates into a seamless daily workflow, with another user praising the:
super fast processor with zero lag in day to day operation.
However, this impressive speed comes at a severe cost. The phone’s ability to manage the heat generated by its powerful processor is a significant point of failure, with its thermal management scoring a dismal 18% in positive mentions, far below the category average of 33%.
This isn’t just a minor annoyance; for many, it’s a critical flaw that cripples the phone’s functionality.
Severe Overheating
The consequences range from uncomfortable to debilitating. As one user recounted:
the device often gets far too hot, especially in warm vacation countries, which means the camera, an absolute basic function, can no longer be used!
Another owner detailed how the heat directly caused hardware malfunctions, an unacceptable issue for a premium device:
The fingerprint sensor always fails, and even disappears from the settings, when the phone gets warm.
A Problem Specific to the 5 IV
This critical flaw becomes even more apparent when looking at Sony’s other models. The premium Xperia 1 VI handles heat remarkably well with an 80% positive score for thermal management, while even the more affordable Xperia 5 V is significantly better at 50%.
This data suggests that the Xperia 5 IV’s overheating is a specific design compromise for this model, not an unavoidable characteristic of Sony phones.
Potential buyers are therefore faced with a difficult decision: embrace the 5 IV’s raw speed or opt for a sibling model that provides a more stable and reliable experience without the risk of overheating.
Trade-Off: The Xperia 5 IV offers truly elite processing speed that is fundamentally undermined by a severe thermal management flaw, forcing users to choose between raw power and reliable, comfortable use.
⚙️ Software & OS: Clean, but fleeting
When it comes to the Software & Operating System on the Sony Xperia 5 IV, users are telling two very different stories. On one hand, many commend Sony for delivering a user experience that feels refined and efficient.
This is driven by a strong, though not category-leading, performance in UI smoothness, which garners a 67% positive score. Users feel this is a deliberate and welcome choice by Sony to prioritize function over flash, with one reviewer noting the software experience is:
“more refined, sophisticated and has options and tweaks for real world logical use,”
This is seen as a welcome contrast to the “gimmicky options” found on other devices. The key appeal is its clean, uncluttered nature, which many describe as being “very close to stock android” and free from the unwanted bloatware that plagues competitors.
Software Stability and Long-Term Support
However, a significant undercurrent of frustration pulls the experience down, centered on software stability and long-term support. While its 34% positive score for software issues is disconcertingly low, it surprisingly outperforms the category average by 7 points, suggesting this is a widespread problem.
The most damaging concern for users isn’t minor bugs, but the fundamental promise of longevity. As one user bluntly states:
“The software support is very short…you may be seeing well under 2 years support which is abysmal before all security updates stop.”
This fear is compounded by practical frustrations, such as the baffling removal of Sony’s native photo gallery app. A German user expressed their anger, asking:
“I had to download a paid app just to look at my photos… What is that?!”
These issues create a sense of betrayal for long-time Sony loyalists who expected a more polished, user-centric experience.
Intra-Brand Comparison
In the context of its own family, the Xperia 5 IV paradoxically emerges as the most reliable choice. It scores higher on both UI smoothness and software stability than its more expensive sibling, the Xperia 1 VI (which scored a dismal 5% on stability), and its newer alternative, the Xperia 5 V.
For a customer committed to the Sony ecosystem, this positions the 5 IV as a peculiar sweet spot. It’s a device that, while flawed, offers a more dependable software package than other recent options from the brand. This suggests that buyers are choosing the 5 IV not because its software is perfect, but because it is perceived as the lesser of evils within Sony’s lineup.
Trade-Off: Users get a refreshingly clean and responsive Android interface but must accept questionable long-term software support and frustrating omissions that tarnish the daily experience.
🔋 Battery: Long Life, Slow Charge
Built to Last All Day, But Plan Your Pit Stops Carefully
Regarding its battery, the Sony Xperia 5 IV delivers an experience of genuine freedom for its users, primarily driven by its exceptional battery life. This factor earns a stellar 84% positive sentiment score, a full 10 points higher than the category average of 74%.
For users, this isn’t just a number; it’s the confidence to leave the house without a second thought. This feeling is perfectly captured by one owner who shared:
The large 5000 mAh battery allows me to easily get through the day, sometimes even up to three days without needing to charge it.
This outstanding endurance means users can go about their lives without anxiety, as another described:
I can unrestrictedly enjoy a whole day with my family at the zoo, take pictures and videos… without having to think about using a power bank.
The Slow Road to a Full Charge
However, this impressive longevity is paired with frustrations around refueling the device. The phone’s charging methods receive a far more muted 43% positive score.
While this figure still surpasses the low category average of 32%, user reviews pinpoint a specific annoyance: the speed. The convenience of wireless charging is present, but it’s the sluggish pace that grates on users’ patience and disrupts their daily flow. One owner noted:
The charging speed of about 2 hours for a full charge could be improved.
This practical frustration is sometimes compounded by thermal issues, with another user stating:
Induction charging: it got very, very warm.
Sony Family Context
This mixed performance becomes clearer when viewed against other Sony models. The newer, value-oriented Sony Xperia 5 V boasts an even more impressive 91% positive score for battery life, suggesting that while the 5 IV is strong, Sony has continued to push the boundaries of endurance in its latest release.
This improvement establishes a clear upgrade path for those prioritizing maximum time away from the charger.
Conversely, the similarly low scores for charging methods across the Sony line-up suggest that sluggish charging may be a family trait, tempering expectations for those considering a switch within the ecosystem.
Trade-Off: The Xperia 5 IV offers exceptional, multi-day endurance that provides genuine peace of mind, but this freedom comes at the cost of slow charging speeds that demand patience and planning.
Bottom Line
- ✅ Built for enthusiasts, its premium feel earns a 92% positive score for build quality, and it retains rare features like a headphone jack and SD card slot.
- ⚠️ A critical flaw is severe overheating, with thermal management scoring a dismal 18% positive, which frequently causes camera shutdowns and hardware malfunctions.
- ⚠️ Its pro-grade camera is undermined by a frustrating UI, with camera features scoring a poor 52%—a full 9 points below the category average.
- 🔻 Already outclassed in endurance, its 84% battery life score is 7 points lower than its direct successor, the Xperia 5 V.
- 🏁 Its heat issues are a model-specific failure, scoring a massive 62 points lower for thermal management than its premium sibling, the Xperia 1 VI.
- 💡 The verdict: A powerful but flawed phone for media purists willing to endure major issues for features (headphone jack, SD card) that competitors have abandoned.