The Xperia 10 IV boots Android 12, same as the 1 IV we just reviewed. As usual, it has a very stock look and feel, though you'll be able to see a few bits of software Sony's added on top, if you look a little deeper.
Starting with the basics, we find out that some of them are actually missing - like Ambient display (Google's name for an always on display feature) - somewhat odd, given that the Xperia 1 IV does have it. The lockscreen brings no surprises and features a clock (that you can customize), a shortcut to the camera and another one for Google Assistant.
The homescreen, too, is as standard as they come. The Google feed is the leftmost pane, but you can disable it if it's not your thing. The quick toggles/notification area is Google's stock, too, the latest one with oversized buttons. Similarly, the Android 12 improved widget handling interface makes an appearance on the Xperia.
Lockscreen • Homescreen • Folder view • App drawer • Notification shade • Widgets
One of the Sony exclusives, which deserves mention even though it's not new, is Multi-window switch. You can access it from the task switcher or from the dedicated Multi-window manager shortcut icon on the homescreen (which technically sums up Side sense, it's all a bit intertwined). You get sort of like two stacked task switcher rolodexes with your currently opened apps to pick one for the top half and one for the bottom half of the screen. The rightmost pane in each half lets you launch another app, not just pick from the already running ones.
The phone remembers three previously used pairs, so you can access them directly, though we couldn't find a way to save custom app pair presets. It's worth mentioning that the window split can be done in almost any arbitrary ratio, not just 50/50.
Task switcher • Multi-window switcher
Side sense is another of the in-house Sony features. A handle on the side of the phone opens up a menu of shortcuts to apps and features, most of them user-configurable. The 21:9 multi-window pairs can be customized here, but they don't go into the three pair shortcuts in the regular task switcher. A recent addition to the menu is a widget to control the Sony headphones app - handy if you have a set of those.
There's a fairly standard set of gestures for call handling, as well as a one-handed mode and smart backlight control. It's in this menu that you'll find the navigation options with the two basic types available - gestures or a navbar.
Similarly to previous generations, the Game Enhancer utility is missing on the Xperia 10 IV. Sony's Music player is on board, though, while Google's Photos and Files are used for gallery and file management purposes.
The Xperia 10 IV is powered by the Snapdragon 695 chipset, a mid-tier chipset with 5G capability. Compared to the SD690 of last year's Xperia 10 III, the new chip should offer better power efficiency thanks to the improved production process (6nm vs. 8nm). Additionally, while the CPU remains unchanged in principle (2xCortex-A77 + 6xCortex-A55 cores with some Kryo branding on top), the powerful cores can reach as high as 2.2GHz (2.0GHz on the old one).
The thing is, the Xperia 10 III was underpowered next to its competitors at the time, and with an essentially unchanged performance potential, the 10 IV isn't going to look any better against its rivals today.
There's also the matter that the new chip does not support 4K video recording. Perhaps it would have been wise for Sony to fit a more powerful SoC, but there's little point in debating that after the fact.
In GeekBench, the Xperia 10 IV is marginally ahead of its predecessor in both single-core and multi-core tests - an expected result. The Galaxy A52s is comfortably ahead of the 10 IV in single-core and is vastly more powerful under multi-threaded loads, while the newer A53 is roughly on par with the Xperia in multi-core and slightly ahead in single-core. The Motorola Edge 20 (standing in for the Edge 30, which should possibly come with the same chipset) and the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE, both equipped with the SD778 like the Galaxy A52s, show that a lot more oomph can be had for the Xperia's price.
Higher is better
Higher is better
That impression gets reinforced in Antutu, where SD778 models record 30-ish percent higher scores than the Xperia 10 IV.
Higher is better
Graphics benchmarks further cement the Xperia's 'below average' performance with the SD778 crowd pushing 70-80% higher fps numbers in GFXBench. In 3DMark's Wild Life test, the Xperia only scores half the points of those better-equipped rivals.
Higher is better
Higher is better
Higher is better
Higher is better
Higher is better
Higher is better
Higher is better
Higher is better
Higher is better
For what it's worth, the Xperia's less than stellar performance output is essentially rock solid, though. 20 consecutive runs of that same Wild Life benchmark ended with virtually the same results, and in the CPU throttling test, the phone posted very good numbers, too.
Tip us
1.7m 126k
RSS
EV
Merch
Log in I forgot my password Sign up