Xperia 5 II: Sony introduces the cheaper brother of the Xperia 1 II

A 120Hz display, a 4,000 mAh battery, and a triple camera from Zeiss: Sony is incorporating a lot of high-end technology in the new Xperia 5 II in addition to the Snapdragon 865. The new Android smartphone is considered the "little brother" of the Sony Xperia 1 II, which was presented in spring, and still brings some features of the more expensive model (€1,200 RRP).

Xperia 5 II: a focus on gaming

Sony focuses on mobile gaming with the Xperia 5 II and it comes with the gaming optimizer from the Xperia 1 II. For example, you can switch off annoying notifications, deactivate the camera key, record the game live, or simultaneously show YouTube videos. The Heat Suppression Power Control is supposed to prevent overheating. If you gamble with a plugged-in power cable, you're also safe, according to Sony. The power of the charging cable isn't delivered into the battery during gaming, but directly to the respective hardware, which should relieve the battery. Moreover, a PlayStation 4 Dualshock 4 Wireless Controller can be connected to the smartphone.

The camera equipment can also be seen on paper. In the new Xperia 5 II, Sony has installed a triple camera with a 16 mm super wide-angle, a 24 mm wide-angle, and a 70 mm telephoto lens, each with a 12-megapixel resolution. Sony also draws on its expertise in the camera sector to bring continuous autofocus with 60bps real-time tracking (and real-time human and animal eye autofocus) from Alpha Series camera technology to the Xperia 5 II. The camera with Zeiss optics has been calibrated for the Xperia 5 II according to Sony and features the Zeiss T coating, which is said to reduce light reflections and provide good contrast and image reproduction.

The user interface from Sony's Alpha series is also used on the software side. As a highlight during the journalists' briefing, Sony also highlighted an innovation. According to Sony, the Xperia 5 II enables 4K HDR 120 fps slow-motion video recording as well as recording and playback of up to five times slow motion at 24 fps for the first time in a smartphone. Our extensive camera test will show how this performs in everyday life.

Sony Xperia 5 II: the camera in detail

• Triple camera with Zeiss optics with T coating and
• 12 MP super-wide-angle lens (16 mm, F2.2) with eye autofocus
• 12 MP wide-angle lens (24 mm, F1.7) with eye autofocus
• 12 MP telephoto lens (70 mm, F2.4) with eye autofocus
• Eye autofocus for humans and animals with 60 fps
• 4K HDR 120 fps slow-motion video recording in 21:9 format

The Sony Xperia 5 II also features an OLED display (FHD+ 2520 x 1080 pixels, HDR) in a handier 6.1-inch size compared to the Xperia 1 II (6.5 inches). The display has a refresh rate of 120 Hz and offers a 240 Hz sampling rate when touched. A headphone jack socket is also built-in and the power button on the side of the housing contains the fingerprint sensor to unlock the phone. At the same time, the phone is protected against dust and water penetration according to IP65/68.

In addition, the Xperia 5 II comes with a dedicated Google Assistant button - it remains to be seen whether users can subsequently assign other functions to it. The Snapdragon 865 is 5G capable and has access to 8GB of RAM. Sony enters 128 GB as internal storage on the spec sheet - expansion via microSD is possible (capacity still unknown).

The exact date for the market launch is still pending. Sony says that the Xperia 5 II will be available with Android 10 in black, grey, and blue for €899 (RRP) from the fourth quarter of 2020. The Xperia 1 II came on the market just a few months ago at a price of €1,200 and also offers a ToF sensor in the camera setup, 256 GB of storage, and comes with a 4K OLED display.