diff --git a/.size-limit.js b/.size-limit.js
index 761905a49ef3..7feee4373586 100644
--- a/.size-limit.js
+++ b/.size-limit.js
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ module.exports = [
     path: 'packages/browser/build/npm/esm/prod/index.js',
     import: createImport('init', 'browserTracingIntegration', 'replayIntegration', 'replayCanvasIntegration'),
     gzip: true,
-    limit: '85.55 KB',
+    limit: '86 KB',
   },
   {
     name: '@sentry/browser (incl. Tracing, Replay, Feedback)',
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ module.exports = [
     name: 'CDN Bundle (incl. Tracing)',
     path: createCDNPath('bundle.tracing.min.js'),
     gzip: true,
-    limit: '43 KB',
+    limit: '44 KB',
   },
   {
     name: 'CDN Bundle (incl. Logs, Metrics)',
diff --git a/dev-packages/browser-integration-tests/suites/public-api/sendDefaultPii/overrideIp/init.js b/dev-packages/browser-integration-tests/suites/public-api/sendDefaultPii/overrideIp/init.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..957b42442255
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dev-packages/browser-integration-tests/suites/public-api/sendDefaultPii/overrideIp/init.js
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+import * as Sentry from '@sentry/browser';
+
+window.Sentry = Sentry;
+
+Sentry.init({
+  dsn: 'https://public@dsn.ingest.sentry.io/1337',
+  tracesSampleRate: 1,
+  sendDefaultPii: false,
+  _metadata: {
+    sdk: {
+      settings: {
+        infer_ip: 'auto',
+      },
+    },
+  },
+});
diff --git a/dev-packages/browser-integration-tests/suites/public-api/sendDefaultPii/overrideIp/subject.js b/dev-packages/browser-integration-tests/suites/public-api/sendDefaultPii/overrideIp/subject.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..1b632e0a9289
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dev-packages/browser-integration-tests/suites/public-api/sendDefaultPii/overrideIp/subject.js
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Sentry.captureException(new Error('woot'));
diff --git a/dev-packages/browser-integration-tests/suites/public-api/sendDefaultPii/overrideIp/test.ts b/dev-packages/browser-integration-tests/suites/public-api/sendDefaultPii/overrideIp/test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..2b55c098bbb4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dev-packages/browser-integration-tests/suites/public-api/sendDefaultPii/overrideIp/test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+import { expect } from '@playwright/test';
+import { sentryTest } from '../../../../utils/fixtures';
+import { envelopeRequestParser, waitForErrorRequestOnUrl } from '../../../../utils/helpers';
+
+sentryTest(
+  'overrides IP inference by explicitly passing sdk.settings.infer_ip to "auto"',
+  async ({ getLocalTestUrl, page }) => {
+    const url = await getLocalTestUrl({ testDir: __dirname });
+    const eventData = await envelopeRequestParser(await waitForErrorRequestOnUrl(page, url));
+    expect(eventData.sdk?.settings?.infer_ip).toBe('auto');
+  },
+);
diff --git a/packages/browser/test/client.test.ts b/packages/browser/test/client.test.ts
index d99e45984f0a..27135b4fc9a9 100644
--- a/packages/browser/test/client.test.ts
+++ b/packages/browser/test/client.test.ts
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ describe('applyDefaultOptions', () => {
 
 describe('SDK metadata', () => {
   describe('sdk.settings', () => {
-    it('sets infer_ipto "never" by default', () => {
+    it('sets infer_ip to "never" by default', () => {
       const options = getDefaultBrowserClientOptions({});
       const client = new BrowserClient(options);
 
@@ -233,5 +233,30 @@ describe('SDK metadata', () => {
 
       expect(client.getOptions()._metadata?.sdk?.name).toBe('sentry.javascript.angular');
     });
+
+    it('preserves passed-in partial SDK metadata', () => {
+      const options = getDefaultBrowserClientOptions({
+        _metadata: {
+          sdk: {
+            settings: {
+              infer_ip: 'auto',
+            },
+          },
+        },
+        // Usually, this would cause infer_ip to be set to 'never'
+        // but we're passing it in explicitly, so it should be preserved
+        sendDefaultPii: false,
+      });
+      const client = new BrowserClient(options);
+
+      expect(client.getOptions()._metadata?.sdk).toEqual({
+        name: 'sentry.javascript.browser',
+        version: expect.any(String),
+        packages: [{ name: 'npm:@sentry/browser', version: expect.any(String) }],
+        settings: {
+          infer_ip: 'auto',
+        },
+      });
+    });
   });
 });
diff --git a/packages/core/src/utils/sdkMetadata.ts b/packages/core/src/utils/sdkMetadata.ts
index 714a022689e3..e7755537551a 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/utils/sdkMetadata.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/utils/sdkMetadata.ts
@@ -15,18 +15,14 @@ import { SDK_VERSION } from '../utils/version';
  * @param names list of package names
  */
 export function applySdkMetadata(options: CoreOptions, name: string, names = [name], source = 'npm'): void {
-  const metadata = options._metadata || {};
+  const sdk = ((options._metadata = options._metadata || {}).sdk = options._metadata.sdk || {});
 
-  if (!metadata.sdk) {
-    metadata.sdk = {
-      name: `sentry.javascript.${name}`,
-      packages: names.map(name => ({
-        name: `${source}:@sentry/${name}`,
-        version: SDK_VERSION,
-      })),
+  if (!sdk.name) {
+    sdk.name = `sentry.javascript.${name}`;
+    sdk.packages = names.map(name => ({
+      name: `${source}:@sentry/${name}`,
       version: SDK_VERSION,
-    };
+    }));
+    sdk.version = SDK_VERSION;
   }
-
-  options._metadata = metadata;
 }
diff --git a/packages/core/test/lib/utils/sdkMetadata.test.ts b/packages/core/test/lib/utils/sdkMetadata.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..ee502267e673
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/core/test/lib/utils/sdkMetadata.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,143 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
+import { applySdkMetadata } from '../../../src';
+
+describe('applySdkMetadata', () => {
+  it('applies a custom SDK name', () => {
+    const options = {
+      dsn: '123',
+    };
+
+    applySdkMetadata(options, 'angular');
+
+    expect(options).toEqual({
+      _metadata: {
+        sdk: {
+          name: 'sentry.javascript.angular',
+          packages: [
+            {
+              name: 'npm:@sentry/angular',
+              version: expect.any(String),
+            },
+          ],
+          version: expect.any(String),
+        },
+      },
+      dsn: '123',
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('attaches multiple packages if names is passed in', () => {
+    const options = {
+      dsn: '123',
+    };
+
+    applySdkMetadata(options, 'angular', ['angular', 'browser']);
+
+    expect(options).toEqual({
+      _metadata: {
+        sdk: {
+          name: 'sentry.javascript.angular',
+          packages: [
+            { name: 'npm:@sentry/angular', version: expect.any(String) },
+            { name: 'npm:@sentry/browser', version: expect.any(String) },
+          ],
+          version: expect.any(String),
+        },
+      },
+      dsn: '123',
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('sets the source if source is passed in', () => {
+    const options = {
+      dsn: '123',
+    };
+
+    applySdkMetadata(options, 'angular', ['angular', 'browser'], 'cdn');
+
+    expect(options).toEqual({
+      _metadata: {
+        sdk: {
+          name: 'sentry.javascript.angular',
+          packages: [
+            { name: 'cdn:@sentry/angular', version: expect.any(String) },
+            { name: 'cdn:@sentry/browser', version: expect.any(String) },
+          ],
+          version: expect.any(String),
+        },
+      },
+      dsn: '123',
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('preserves existing SDK metadata if already set', () => {
+    const options = {
+      dsn: '123',
+      _metadata: {
+        sdk: {
+          name: 'sentry.javascript.react',
+        },
+      },
+    };
+
+    applySdkMetadata(options, 'angular', ['angular', 'browser'], 'cdn');
+
+    expect(options).toEqual({
+      _metadata: {
+        sdk: {
+          name: 'sentry.javascript.react',
+        },
+      },
+      dsn: '123',
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('merges existing SDK metadata with default values', () => {
+    const options = {
+      dsn: '123',
+      _metadata: {
+        sdk: {
+          settings: {
+            infer_ip: 'auto' as const,
+          },
+        },
+      },
+    };
+
+    applySdkMetadata(options, 'angular');
+
+    expect(options).toEqual({
+      _metadata: {
+        sdk: {
+          name: 'sentry.javascript.angular',
+          packages: [{ name: 'npm:@sentry/angular', version: expect.any(String) }],
+          version: expect.any(String),
+          settings: {
+            infer_ip: 'auto' as const,
+          },
+        },
+      },
+      dsn: '123',
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('handles empty metadata object', () => {
+    const options = {
+      dsn: '123',
+      _metadata: {},
+    };
+
+    applySdkMetadata(options, 'angular');
+
+    expect(options).toEqual({
+      _metadata: {
+        sdk: {
+          name: 'sentry.javascript.angular',
+          packages: [{ name: 'npm:@sentry/angular', version: expect.any(String) }],
+          version: expect.any(String),
+        },
+      },
+      dsn: '123',
+    });
+  });
+});