Sony has announced the fourth generation of its Xperia 1 flagship smartphone in the Sony Xperia 1 IV and it is claimed to be the first smartphone to offer "true optical zoom".

The Xperia 1 IV features a triple camera system on the rear with one of the lenses offering optical zoom between 85mm and 125mm equivalent from a single module, meaning the lens itself moves to achieve the zoom, as an interchangeable camera's would. Oppo announced a similar technology in August 2021 but it hasn't implemented it in a smarpthone as yet.

The rear camera on the Xperia 1 IV has three 12-megapixel sensors, all offering 4K 120fps slow-motion shooting and a number of features like object tracking for video, Eye AF for video, a wider dynamic range mode and Real-time Eye AF for all lenses.

Aside from the camera upgrades, the Xperia 1 IV features a similar design to its predecessor - the Xperia 1 III - with the typical flat slab design Sony fans have come to know and love, a 21:9 aspect ratio display and plenty of power under the hood.

Running on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, the Xperia 1 IV holds onto some of features competitors have moved away from like microSD support and a 3.5mm headphone jack. There's also a shutter button on the Xperia I IV, full-stage stereo speakers, an IP65/IP68 water and dust resistance rating and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection.

Other notable specifications include a 5000mAh battery, a 50 per cent brighter 6.5-inch 4K 120Hz OLED display compared to the Xperia 1 III with what Sony called "Real-time HDR drive support" and a new 12-megapixel front camera capable of 4K HDR video recording.

Sony has said pre-orders will begin immediately for the Xperia 1 IV, with the device hitting shelves in a couple of weeks - a much better timeline compared to the Xperia 1 III.

Pricing has yet to be announced but it will be available in Black, White and Purple colour options.