Sony Cyber-shot RX100 IV vs Sony Cyber-shot RX100 VI — Which Is Better?

The Sony Cyber-shot RX100 IV and the Sony Cyber-shot RX100 VI are fixed-lens compacts from the same pocketable line, separated by three years: the IV launched in 2015 and the VI in 2018. Both are built around a 1-inch sensor, so sensor format gives neither model an edge here.

Their bodies share a 102 x 58 mm footprint, with the IV 41 mm deep and the VI 43 mm. The VI is also 3 g heavier at 301 g, so the two occupy almost identical space in a bag or pocket.

The RX100 VI is the clear choice for photographing movement, with 315 autofocus points against 25 on the IV. It also shoots bursts at 24 frames per second rather than 16, so a sequence around a sprinting dog or a spinning dancer is more likely to catch the peak moment.

The core stills specifications match: each camera offers a 20 megapixel 1-inch CMOS sensor, the Bionz X processor, in-body stabilisation and an electronic viewfinder with 2,359,296 dots. Standard sensitivity runs to 12800 ISO on both, while the VI's expanded range reaches 25600 ISO.

Slow motion is the video difference that matters: the RX100 VI records at up to 120 frames per second, twice the IV's 60 fps maximum, for slower playback of sport, splashes and fast action. Both cameras cap resolution at 4K, so neither gains a resolution edge there.

For editing workflows, the VI offers XAVC S and AVCHD recording alongside MPEG-4, while the IV records in MPEG-4 and MOV. If your timeline or archive is built around one of those wrappers, the format support points the way.

For travel and outdoor work, the RX100 VI offers GPS for geotagging photos and weather sealing, and the IV has neither. Embedded location data makes sorting a multi-city trip straightforward afterwards, and sealing suits variable conditions outdoors.

The everyday controls and connections match: both offer a 3-inch touchscreen with 1,228,800 dots that flips away from the body, plus live view, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a built-in flash for fill light.

The RX100 IV is the longer-running camera on a charge, rated at 280 shots against 250 for the VI. Both use the same NP-BX1 battery, so spares you already own work in either body.

The VI answers with USB charging, so you can top it up from a laptop or power bank between shoots. Both write to a single SD or Memory Stick Duo slot, though only the IV's SD slot is specified as UHS-I compatible for faster card throughput.