Newsletter
Sony announced the Xperia 5 II smartphone today, which is its latest and greatest device to hit the market. It boasts a lot of the upgrades that the Xperia 1 II featured earlier this year, and at a lower price.
As we mentioning in our exclusive leak last month, the Xperia 5 II is a compact smartphone. Coming with a 6.1-inch display, with pretty small bezels all the way around. And the best part is that there is no notch or hole punch here. While also boasting improved cameras, which pit the Xperia 5 II as one of the best camera smartphones yet. But time will tell if that is indeed the case.
Sony Xperia 5 II Specs
| Screen size | 6.1-inch OLED FHD+, 120Hz |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 |
| RAM | 8GB |
| Storage | 128GB/256GB, micro SD card slot available |
| Cameras | Rear: 12MP f/1.7 24mm lens, 12MP 16mm lens and 12MP 70mm lens; 4K HDR 120fps video capable Front: 8MP |
| Audio | 3.5mm headphone jack, dual front-facing speakers Dolby Atmos, Hi-Res Audio, DSEE Ultimate and 3D Reality Audio |
| Water Protection | IP65/68 |
| Battery | 4000mAh |
| OS | Android 10 (upgradeable to Android 11) |
| Colors | Black |
| Dimensions | 158 x 68 x 8mm |
| Weight | 163g |
Sony Xperia 5 II Design
The design of the Xperia 5 II is your typical Sony design. With an aluminum frame and a glass back and front. Both sides are covered in Gorilla Glass 6, so it should be able withstand drops.
It’s a very clean design on the Xperia 5 II, without any intrusions on the screen. Since there is no notch or hole punch here. But a very small forehead and chin.
Sony has quite a few physical buttons on the Xperia 5 II here. With a dedicated camera shutter button, as well as a dedicated Google Assistant button. Making it easier to take photos faster and also call up the Google Assistant when you need it.
Sony Xperia 5 II Gaming
One of the big areas that Sony is really talking up on the Xperia 5 II, is gaming. That is likely due to the fact that it is releasing the PlayStation 5 later this year.
With the Snapdragon 865 inside, and paired with 8GB of RAM, you already knew that the gaming experience was going to be good here. But Sony has upped the game a bit.
Sony has outfitted the Xperia 5 II with a 120Hz display, giving you a really smooth gaming experience. And the touch rate is upped to 240Hz. Once you play games at this high of a refresh rate, you won’t want to go back. Sony is also playing up the fact that it has a 21:9 aspect ratio display. Which allows you to see even more of the game, then your competition. This is also the same aspect ratio that movies are shot on, which makes it great for watching movies on your phone.
There is also a new graphene structure inside this phone, which allows the heat to dissipate much easier than on other devices. Allowing the Snapdragon 865 to perform at its highest clock speed for a longer time.
But the biggest change this time around, is with Game Enhancer. With Game Enhancer, you can change the refresh rate while you are in the game, as well as the blur reduction (to 240Hz). There is an expert focus gaming mode available for eSports as well. And the ability to avoid navigation bar blocking the gameplay.
Along with all of that, there is now the option to take screenshot bursts, like you would on the camera. You can also capture and record the screen as well as your audio. So you can easily share it with your followers.
Sony Xperia 5 II Camera
The other area that Sony is really talking up with the Xperia 5 II is the camera. This is another strength that Sony has when it comes to its business too. Its Alpha cameras are among the best in the industry, and Sony is continuing to bring some of that expertise down to its smartphones.
It uses the same triple camera setup as the Xperia 1 II, but it does add a few other features this time around.
This phone is able to shoot 4K HDR video at up to 120fps. Which is going to allow you to get some super smooth video, as well as smooth slow motion. Making this phone perfect for content creations. Which can do 5x slow-motion when recorded at 24fps and 4x at 30fps.
The camera is able to focus pretty quickly in any condition – including at night. It has auto-focus that will cover 70% of the sensor as well. This time around, Sony is using a larger sensor and larger pixels. Which can gather more data. With the sensor being a f/1.7 aperture, it can let in more light and give you a shallower depth of field too.
Sony has also improved the RAW capture on this model. So it can now do RAW+JPEG or just RAW. Which is going to allow photographers to get some really great shots from this camera.
For those that own a Sony Alpha camera, there is now support for USB Tether. Starting with the Sony A7S III, you will be able to tether it to your Xperia 5 II and move pictures and video over to your phone to share on social media. This works via a wired USB connection, which is way more stable than the Sony app for its cameras that uses WiFi Direct.
Pricing & Availability
Pre-orders for the Sony Xperia 5 II will open on September 29. With general availability on December 4.
As for the US, we will only be getting the 8GB/128GB model, and only available in black. Pre-orders do open the same date – September 29. The only real caveat for the US model, is that there won’t be 5G connectivity available on this device. As Sony says that the US is just not ready for a 5G capable device from the company. But you will be paying the price for one.
The Xperia 5 II will cost $949.