The smartphone Xperia 5 II is the latest born in Sony and, like its big brother Xperia 1 II, is characterized by the elongated design with 21: 9 display. After the race to make the largest mobile phone possible, lately we have been experiencing an inverse process. Not absolutely, but there are some striking examples of how different paths are being chosen from the “pan” smartphone. The folding ones are growing to reduce the dimensions, the Mini ones - every reference is purely coincidental - and then there are those who like Sony has opted for an even different format. What if size and format are the first characteristics of the new Xperia line on which the eye falls, looking inside we find a top-of-the-range equipment, a prominent photographic sector, excellent autonomy and several other very interesting aspects. Let's find out together in our Sony Xperia 5 II review.
- Sony Xperia 5 II: the review of
Sony Xperia 5 II: review
Xperia 5 II data sheet
- Display: OLED, 16 million colors
- Screen resolution: FHD + / 1080 x 2520 px
- Screen size: Display 6,1 "(15,5 cm approx.)
- Display refresh rate: 120Hz
- IPI: 449
- Protection: Gorilla Glass 6
- Battery: 4000 mAh
- Processor: Snapdragon 865 Qualcomm SDM865
- CPU: octa 2.84 GHz
- GPU: Adreno 650
- Operating system: Android 10
- Storage (internal memory): 128GB, expandable with micro SDXC (up to 1TB)
- RAM: 8 GB
- Camera: 12 Mpx ƒ / 1.7
- Front: 8 Mpx ƒ / 2.0
- Audio: 3,5mm jack input
- Rete: Gsm, HSPA+, LTE, 5G
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB, NFC, GPS
- dual sim ibrida
- Size: x 158 68 8 mm x
- Weight: grams 163
- Waterproof
Xperia 5 II: price
The new Xperia 5 II is on sale at 899 €, a high price but not too much if we compare the characteristics of this smartphone to other similar products released in 2020.
Aesthetics and design
In reality, the Xperia 5 II is not a small smartphone, but it is certainly compact. The display has a 6,1-inch diagonal but the fact that it is narrow and long makes it very handy. And it's also very light, let's just talk about it 163 grams. All enclosed in a body of only 8 mm thick.
Speaking instead of materials, we find glass Gorilla Glass 6 for both the front and the back. Some doubts arise for the choice of the aluminum frame which is slippery, but this is an aspect that few have understood how to manage to date. Sony Xperia 5 II is also resistant to water and dust being able to count on IP68 certification.
It differs from other smartphones not only for the elongated shape, but also for the choice not to use the notch, but to integrate the front camera in an elegant way in the frame, which we also find symmetrical at the base of the display.
It is also nice to find the 3,5mm headphone jack, which is now increasingly rare, positioned on the upper profile. On the opposite side, however, a USB type-C connector.
Xperia 5 II sports all its buttons on the right, from the two-way button for volume adjustment, through the screen unlock key with integrated fingerprint reader up to the double-stroke shutter button for the camera. In the middle we also find a button dedicated to the Google assistant, which sometimes and in a hurry happen to mistake for the shutter one.
Overall it is one smartphone with a clean and elegant design which also in the back does not have a very invasive camera module.
Sony Xperia 5 II: technical characteristics and performance
After passing what we see externally to the magnifying glass, let's analyze together what's inside the Sony Xperia 5 II. Long story short, there is a whole lot, almost everything a smartphone needs, but the 8mm thickness clearly led to some sacrifices. For example, there is no last processor Snapdragon 865+, but "only" the 865. Next to him we find 8 GB of Ram and 128 GB of internal memory.
Battery and recharge
On the sacrifice front, there is also the lack of wireless and ultra-fast charging. However, we can recharge at 21 Watts, which is still to be considered a fast recharge. There battery from 4000 mAh however, it uses algorithms that optimize night charging and preserve its efficiency over time. L'autonomy found allows us to complete a day of work without difficulty: between emails, social networks, video playback and many photographs taken, we arrive until the evening with still a good 30/35% of residual autonomy. There screen media on in the days of rehearsals it stood on 5 hours.
Display
Speaking of the characteristic display, however, with the Xperia 5 II we are in front of a OLED FullHD+ HDR with 120 Hz refresh rate (up to 240 Hz in gaming). We don't have the support up to 4K like on the Xperia 1 II, but the quality of the color reproduction is excellent, as well as the fluidity of the images.
But that's not all, because the panel has one 8-bit color depth with 10-bit tonal gradation. It is a solution borrowed from Bravia TVs with X1 technology.
The dedicated menu also allows you to intervene on various parameters and the elongated format is particularly suitable for split screen viewing. Speaking of customized menus, we can also intervene on the audio control. We also find file support Dolby Atmos high resolution. But not only that, on board the Xperia 5 II there is also the proprietary technology of Sony DSEE Ultimate which simulates high resolution files even when information is missing.
Network and connectivity
As for the more purely telephone and connectivity There is the 6 WiFi and from a practical point of view everything runs smoothly for phone calls and the most common operations. Do not miss the 5G reception, but without mmWave support, which is not surprising.
Experience of use
Let's get to the point and see how Xperia 5 II behaves in daily use. Let's start by saying that Sony once again uses the Android OS almost without putting a hand, just a few small additions. The experience is therefore simple and if on the one hand it can be suitable for anyone, on the other it does not leave room for many customizations.
Precisely for this reason there is not much to add before moving on to the photographic sector, except that we are in front of one smartphone pleasant to use in all respects.
Sony Xperia 5 II camera
And so here we are in the photographic sector, one of the best aspects of this Xperia 5 II. Like its big brother Xperia 1 II, the 5 II enjoys Sony's proprietary app Photo Pro which brings back to the phone a user experience inherited directly from the mirrorless of the house.
If you are not an expert in photography, you will not be forced to use Photo Pro, but you can let the smartphone work independently. In this case Xperia 5 II will tend to emphasize images with vivid colors but perhaps with little sharpness compared to other smartphones. However, a little editing is enough and the results will still be good.
For those who are familiar with cameras, it is almost an obligation to use Photo Pro. It is with this app designed by the same engineers who deal with the software development of Sony mirrorless cameras that you can make the most of the three cameras aboard the Xperia 5 II. The configuration is the same as the Xperia 1 II model, therefore consisting of three cameras from 12 million pixels, one wide angle, one standard and one telephoto. All three optics are registered Zeiss, synonymous with excellence in this area.
Il 1 / 1.7 inch main sensor works in tandem with an optics equivalent to a 24mm f / 1,7 with OIS stabilizer, which we also find on the 70mm f / 2,4 telephoto (3x zoom). The wide-angle lens, on the other hand, is equivalent to a 16mm f / 2. For the record, frontally we find an 8MP camera.
The ability to have the full control over shooting settings brings us back to a very similar user experience to the one you have with the Sony Alphas. We can adjust shutter speed, ISO sensitivity, autofocus management, take bursts and choose the preferred shooting mode. Surely for those used to smartphones point and shoot could be complicated, but if you want, there is also the Auto mode on Photo Pro.
Image quality
Speaking of photographic results, one immediately catches the eye good amount of detail, although in the RAW format the colors may appear slightly flat. Excellent rendering of the complexions, even when the dehydrated option is not active: natural colors, soft skin and precise focus on the eyes.
One of the aspects Sony has worked on in this model is the performance in low light and at night. Going by heart, it was not possible to make a direct comparison with Xperia 1 II, there are improvements compared to the older brother. In fact, you can get great results, working like real photographers and obtaining very detailed and very natural photographs even in the middle of the night.
Video
The same control that we can have on the photographic sector we also have on the video one. Sony also in this case takes its cue from the Alpha line and offers the app Cinema Pro. As in the case of Photo Pro, there are many very advanced features inside, almost too much for a normal user. We can adjust the color profile, including one flat for advanced post production, focus, exposure times and stabilization. By recording videos from Cinema Pro we will always have an HLG file and whenever we want to change some settings we will then have to start a new clip. The workflow is extremely professional.
Xperia 5 II: conclusions
The Sony Xperia 5 II has proved, in every aspect, a faithful companion for work and leisure, but it is clear that it is aimed at an audience that could fully exploit its potential. Like the photographic and video ones, which could be complicated for those who do not have a good knowledge base in those fields.
From a hardware point of view, the Xperia 5 II smartphone is certainly very complete and then its design makes it recognizable from the crowd and at the same time very functional. For us, therefore, it is definitely approved.
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