Latest Xperia 1 IV leaks point to selfie camera upgrade and Sony leaping on no-charger-included bandwagon

There’s a mixture of good news and bad news for the dedicated legion of Xperia fans who cheer Sony’s continued and dogged existence in the smartphone market. First up is the potential good news, in that the Xperia 1 IV/Xperia 1 V/2022 Xperia 1 will get a front-facing camera upgrade over its predecessor. The Sony Xperia 1 III has an 8 MP selfie shooter and apparently the Xperia 1 IV will get a beefed-up 12 MP variant.

As smartphone photography enthusiasts will know, it’s not about the MP count when it comes to quality. However, with the frequent rumors abounding that the Mark 4 model of the Sony Xperia 1 will receive a considerable main camera revision then it seems only logical to give the front-facing lens a similar makeover. The source of this information was supposedly “one of Sony’s engineers”, so best to take it with a pinch of salt for now.

The second Xperia 1 IV leak is subjectively the bad news, although there will be plenty of supporters of the divisive decision that has seemingly been made: The upcoming Sony flagship will not include a charger in the box. Of course, OEMs like to state that not including a charger means the product itself is a more environmentally friendly purchase but there will be plenty who will argue it just means an additional stream of revenue for smartphone makers.

Apple reportedly made over US$6.5 billion in savings by not including chargers and EarPods in iPhone boxes, so it’s hardly a surprise that Sony would follow suit with its Xperia 1 line. However, price tag rumors for the Xperia 1 IV have suggested an already eye-watering cost for buyers, so paying out for a separate charger may feel like a bit of a punch to the gut for some. Fortunately, Sony usually sweetens the deal for early buyers by bundling in decent freebies with its Xperia phones.

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