Alleged Sony Xperia 1 IV price leak suggests slight increase from Xperia 1 III but expected camera upgrade hints at substantial rise

A known Weibo-based leaker has purportedly discovered the prices for two configurations of the Sony Xperia 1 IV, which hasn’t even had its name confirmed yet. Apparently, the Mark 4 edition of the popular Xperia 1 flagship line will be offered in a 256 GB storage variant and 512 GB storage model when launched in China. This is also what happened with the Xperia 1 III, which was released in China first and was available with both 256 GB and 512 GB of storage.

According to the leaker, who sourced their information from code, the Sony Xperia 1 IV with 256 GB will cost 8,999 yuan (US$1,415) and the 512 GB model will be priced at 9,999 yuan (US$1,572). These prices are only 500 yuan (US$79) more each than the Xperia 1 III Chinese launch prices. Of course, Xperia 1 IV prices for regions such as North America and Europe will be noticeably higher, with the 256 GB version potentially closing in on US$1,500 in this scenario.

However, there has been some fair argument that these prices, even though they were supposedly discovered in related code, could be way off the mark. It has long been rumored that a major camera revision is coming to the Xperia 1 line, with there being mention of both the inclusion of 48 MP sensors and dual-telephoto lens equipment. One older rumor suggested that the price rise from the Xperia 1 III to the Xperia 1 IV would be more likely around 20% rather than the +5.88% suggested above.

If the Sony Xperia 1 IV is priced at a 20% higher rate due to improved components, including upgraded camera system, then the China prices would be around 10,199 yuan (256 GB) and 11,399 yuan (512 GB). The current exchange rates for those amounts are US$1,604/€1,473/£1,227 and US$1,792/€1,647/£1,371, respectively, with the actual market rates (with taxes, duties, regional variances, etc.) pushing those prices to eye-watering levels for a smartphone.

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