Sony Xperia 1 IV price marks +68% hike from Xperia 1 in stark contrast to fair Samsung and Apple flagship pricing

Sony is really testing its US fans with the sky-high price tag of the Xperia 1 IV, which stands at a rounded-down US$1,599. Despite the fact that the Japanese manufacturer offers bundle packages to alleviate the cost, the price hikes between each generation have frequently been considerable. Over the lifetime of the Xperia 1 line, from the Mark 1 model (2019) to the Mark 4 model (2022), the US market price has gone up by 68.5% - from US$949 to US$1,599. That US$650 difference would be enough to buy a brand-new unlocked Google Pixel 6 and have some change left over.

The actual rises between generations are as follows:

1. Sony Xperia 1 launch price: US$949
2. Sony Xperia 1 II launch price: US$1,199 (+26.3%)
3. Sony Xperia 1 III launch price: US$1,299 (+8.3%)
4. Sony Xperia 1 IV launch price: US$1,599 (+23.1%)

These price rises do not measure up well against those from either Apple or Samsung. For instance, the iPhone 11 was priced at US$699 while the iPhone 13 cost US$799 at launch (same as the iPhone 12). The upcoming iPhone 14 is also widely rumored to bear a US$799 price tag at launch time, which leaves the 2019-2022 increase at a potentially reasonable +14.3%. For Apple to equal Sony’s Xperia 1 to Xperia 1 IV price hike percentage, it would have to price the iPhone 14 at over US$1,177.

There is a similar story with Samsung’s premium Note+ and Ultra phones, while the standard Galaxy S devices have actually dropped in price. The Galaxy Note 10+ (US$1,099), Galaxy Note20 Ultra (US$1,299), Galaxy S21 Ultra (US$1,199), and Galaxy S22 Ultra (US$1,199) have only witnessed a +9% price increase over the years, although in fairness they are not as directly related with each other as the Xperia or iPhone devices. Still, for the sake of consistency, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra would be priced at an astonishing US$1,851 if it was +68.5% dearer than the Note 10+.

Lastly, the standard Galaxy S series has actually decreased in price thanks to some large changes between the S20 and S21 generations. The Galaxy S10 was launched at a price of US$899 and this amount rose to US$999 for the Galaxy S20. However, a combination of 5G maturation and configuration changes (lower resolution, base model with less RAM, etc.) meant Samsung could price the standard Galaxy S21 aggressively, starting at US$799. The S22 successor also retained the US$799 price tag, meaning the series has actually dropped by -11% from 2019 to 2022.

If the Samsung Galaxy S22 was stricken with the same percentage of price hikes that have afflicted the Sony Xperia 1 series, then the price tag for the device would now stand at US$1,514, which would clearly destroy the smartphone’s sales in the US. The Sony Xperia 1 IV is looking like it is an amazing smartphone with outstanding features and with a suitably premium selection of components, but it is asking a lot of even the most ardent fan to stomach an overall series price increase of 68.5%.

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