Sony's 2020 flagship - the ultra-premium Xperia 1 II - has many strengths but is ultimately tough to sell with its whopping $ 1,199 / £ 1,099 price tag. The Xperia 5 series is Sony's more affordable flagship. The new Xperia 5 II costs well over $ 949. It was also well received by critics. In our review, we called it "maybe Sony's best phone ever".
I wasn't in love with the pricey Xperia 1 II, but I agree that Sony is definitely into something with the 5 II. The handset features exceptional hardware and a bewildering array of the latest and greatest software features from Sony. There are still problems and it is not the absolute best value for money on the market right now. But the phone bodes well for Sony's future.
The full Android Authority Judgment: Sony Xperia 5 II review - perhaps Sony's best phone of all time
Hardware as good as any other
Sony's Xperia design still has its usual limitations. The high aspect ratio of 21: 9 is definitely not for everyone, especially if you're used to wider phones. Although the slimmer design grew on me very quickly. Likewise, the 6.1-inch phone is still a little too big to be considered a compact phone in the historical sense of the Xperia Compact range. However, these are less serious complaints than preference points.
Sony's core hardware package contains everything you'd expect from a flagship phone, including a lightning-fast Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor, a crisp 120Hz display, a triple camera setup, and massive battery life. Of course, if you're only into raw data, there are plenty of cheaper Chinese brands to choose from like OnePlus, Realme, and many more.
Sony has taken a more practical approach to hardware design with the 5 II.
Instead, the Xperia 5 II is a more differentiated hardware package that is more likely to help Apple and Samsung fans return to their respective brands. But you really have to dig deeper to find out what Sony is doing differently, which can make it difficult to get the message across.
For example, the 12 megapixel camera isn't absolutely the best, but choosing a lower resolution sensor allows Sony to capture steady images at 20 frames per second, fast readouts at 10ms, and 4K video recordings at 120 frames per second. These are certainly niche features in the modern age of point-and-click simplicity, but they work well for Sony's media-loving audience. The images look pretty good too, especially when it comes to color accuracy. Check out our in-depth shootout to see how the Xperia 5 II can hold up against some of the best Android camera phones, including the Google Pixel 5.
Likewise, the Xperia 5 II offers 240Hz touch response, 240Hz software upscale display mode, a new graph CPU cooling system, and power controls to suppress heat (bypassing battery charging) for more serious mobile gamers. Not to mention the features of the gaming software, including voice chat tweaks via the 3.5mm headphone jack, game capture and other features of the game enhancer software. Sony is finally leaning on its gaming legacy, but we still want more. For example, why is Sony's xCloud rival, PlayStation Now, still limited to consoles and PCs?
The game functions give us hope for closer integration of the Playstation in the future.
Audio enthusiasts are not excluded from this media extravagance. LDAC Bluetooth audio, DSEE Ultimate music upscaling, Dolby Atmos tuning, 360 Reality Audio and the aforementioned headphone jack offer everything an audiophile could wish for.
Sony's Xperia series is an identity as the ultimate multimedia smartphone, and the Xperia 5 II keeps the package below the dreaded $ 1,000 price tag. Sensible compromises such as doing without the 4K display, wireless charging and a time-of-flight camera are easy to handle given the rest of the hardware offered.
Iron out the software ideas
What's the catch with such solid hardware? Well, the software execution could be refined a bit.
For example, the Photo Pro and Cinema Pro apps are a little too complex for the typical user, but the standard camera app lacks some standard features. The pinch zoom doesn't automatically change lenses like any other phone, there's no HDR switch, and there's no special feature for taking photos in low light. Sony's camera apps range between overly complex and under-baked, with nothing in the middle for the typical consumer. I've experienced all of these issues with the Xperia 1 II - check out my deeper look into the situation in the article below.
Continue reading: The Sony Xperia 1 II camera is a case study of nonsensical software design
The new game features are also useful, but hidden in a maze of menus and settings. For example, to enable 240Hz display mode, you need to open Game Enhancer or launch the game directly, click the settings icon, click Game Mode, click Custom, click the settings icon, and then set the slider to 240Hz. Finding one of the phone's main functions is hardly easy. While being able to save unique settings for each game is great, some universal settings save that tedious configuration time.
In the same situation, the power control for heat emission is activated, in which the power is drawn directly from the charger instead of the battery in order to keep the temperature of the phone low. This is deactivated by default and has to be activated for each game by navigating again in the extensive menu. Why isn't there a quick settings button like there is for Endurance Battery Mode? It's not a terrible setup, but it's just not clear where everything is. Darkness means that few savvy users take advantage of the handset's better ideas.
With that in mind, Sony can also download separate apps for managing PlayStation controllers and setting up Sony headphones. It would be nicer to have a single menu to configure all of your branded accessories from one place. Ideally with a guided tour that is ready to go. Sony's ecosystem is certainly big enough to better support its own products.
This is a rare occasion when I feel that deeper OS integration would help complete Sony's vision and improve the user experience.
Sony's software setup still feels a bit incoherent in places. The Android side is sleek and essentially in stock, but then there is a catalog of individual apps that you may need. Some of them are well integrated, e.g. B. The Music app, which shares some audio options with the network settings menu and not others. It feels minimalist, and at the same time can easily get bloated as you switch between different apps, each with their own design and layout. I can't help but feel that incorporating at least some of its extras into the operating system would help refine Sony's multimedia vision.
I understand that moving out of inventory could alienate customers who are not embedded in Sony's broader product ecosystem. Given Sony's current market share and my own experience with Xperia enthusiasts, Sony fans are by far the largest target group for Xperia smartphones right now. Why not make it a typical Sony experience?
Still a little too expensive
Many of these handles might sound petty, but premium products should be near flawless. The Sony Xperia 5 II is a very serviceable phone, cheaper than the Xperia 1 II, and has many of its best features. However, if you look at other big players in space, the Xperia 5 II still falls a little short at this price point.
For example, entry into Apple's Walled Garden is $ 799 / £ 799 for the iPhone 12. The 5G Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is only $ 699 / £ 699 compared to the Xperia 5 II's price tag of $ 949 / £ 799. Not only are these two premium brands cheaper, they are also a bit more sophisticated in the software department. Consumers like the "just work" mentality and you have to play around a little too much with the Xperia 5 II to get the most of it. Not to mention, Sony doesn't have the best reputation when it comes to software updates that should be on everyone's lips while spending this type of money.
That said, the Xperia 5 II is still the best choice for Sony fans right now and is a promising sign for next year's iterations. Patching the camera app (s) and simplifying some software specifics is easy to fix.
Sony is almost the best multimedia phone out there. If you were to integrate with the PlayStation 5, I would be very tempted to settle into Sony's warehouse permanently.
The Sony Xperia 5 II is available for pre-order starting today and is expected to ship from December 4th in the US. Let us know what you think over the phone in the poll above or get yours below!
