Leaked Sony Xperia 1 IV renders showcase key design elements, including camera modules, bezels, and most importantly, the 3.5 mm audio jack.

Multiple leaks have talked about the upcoming Sony Xperia 1 IV and its hardware. While most of them were centred around its camera hardware, one spoke about it running the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, and another prophesized that it would feature an under-display selfie camera. Some renders of the smartphone have emerged online (via Giznext), which essentially debunks the latter.

Sony doesn't seem interested in switching things up with the Xperia 1 IV, at least in terms of design. For the most part, it resembles its predecessor, complete with a sizable chin and bezel that houses the smartphone's obvious front-facing camera. It is said to feature a 6.5-inch screen, which will likely use a 4K 120 Hz OLED panel. One can only hope that the 8 MP camera sensor gets an upgrade, but that is unlikely to happen as Sony doesn't seem to be bothered with the raw megapixel count.

The rear-camera assembly on the Sony Xperia 1 IV is more or less the same two, with the phone's three camera lenses arranged vertically. It could, in all likelihood, reuse the three 12 MP sensors like last year's model, but rumours have speculated that at least one of them will get an upgraded to 48 or 50 MP, presumably to support 8K video recording. The renders also confirm that the bottom-most sensor is a periscope-style telephoto lens.

One of the main differences between the Sony Xperia 1 IV and the Xperia 1 III is the lack of a dedicated Google Assistant button. It is also one of the last remaining high-end smartphones that will feature a 3.5 mm audio jack. An under-display fingerprint sensor would be ideal, but it looks like Sony wants to stick with the side-mounted approach. If Sony follows the same release cycle as every year, the Xperia should ideally be unveiled sometime in April 2022.