Sony Xperia 5 II

The Sony Xperia 5 II is a relatively compact Android phone with high-end specifications. It has 5G, an impressive fast camera and an extra colourful screen. How impressive this all is in real life is what we are going to find out here.

Is it really that compact?

Sony itself calls the Xperia 5 II, also pronounced 'Xperia 5 Mark 2', a "compact smartphone". Compared to the Xperia 1 II, this is certainly true, but as is often the case in life, everything is relative. For example, the '5M2' is almost as big as the S20 from Samsung and the iPhone 12 Pro Max from Apple. If you really want something compact, you can't ignore the iPhone 12 mini. High-end alternatives with Android are unfortunately not available (anymore). Really compact you can not really call a 6.1 inch screen, especially if both above and below the screen still quite a bit of space remains. Sony applies a good screen again. An OLED panel with HDR display and Full HD+ resolution. The CinemaWide screen has an extra high 120Hz refresh rate for extra smooth transitions and animations. As a result, the Xperia 5 II also feels fast.

Camera with Real-time Eye autofocus

Sony used its camera knowledge in the Xperia 5 II. On the back are three 12MP cameras with Zeiss lenses. These are a regular 24mm wide angle, a 16mm ultra wide angle and a 70mm telephoto for 3x optical zoom. You don't shoot photos by pressing the screen resulting in unintended movement, no you press the shutter button on the side. Sony is one of the few that still uses this physical button and for that they deserve all the praise. Sony applies a large Exmor RS sensor that can capture a lot of light even in the dark. Combined with the necessary software algorithms, it delivers flawless photos without noise, under almost all light conditions. Sony also uses the Xperia 5 II for fast autofocus. It pays particular attention to whether it sees an eye and focuses on it. Even when your subject is moving. Never too late for that perfect picture again.

Main Sony Xperia 5 II specifications

• 6.1 inch CinemaWide OLED screen 120Hz with FHD+ resolution and HDR support
• 12+12+12MP camera with Zeiss lens for portraits, ultra-wide-angle and zoom
• Forward-facing stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos sound
• Latest Snapdragon 865 processor with high 8GB of RAM and 5G support
• Fairly basic 8MP selfie camera sits above the screen
• 128GB of storage, expandable with up to 1TB memory card
• Room for double nanoSIM card (shared with memory card slot)

Physical camera button

A shutter button is not the only physical button on the Xperia 5 II. Just above it there is another button between the power button, the volume buttons; the Google Assist button. We often see manufacturers using it and altho it's handy, it does make the right side of the device quite full. That's why you often get confused and then you press it by accident. Irritation is the result. More convenient is the presence of the 3.5mm audio jack where you can plug in your own headphones. It has a better signal-to-noise ratio for better sound. If you prefer to listen wirelessly, you can do so even in high resolution thanks to the LDAC codec, provided your headphones support it. Everything else feels fast thanks to the premium Snapdragon 865 processor. That's the best chip you could get at the time of release. Combined with 8GB of RAM memory, a 4000 mAh battery and 5G support, this is one of the most comprehensive Sony's you can get.

Pro and cons Sony Xperia 5 II

• Convenient, fast HDR display
• Excellent set of cameras
• Features an audio jack
• Powerful and fast

• Not as compact as Sony wants us to believe