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Home / Hot Stuff / The Sony Xperia 5 II is a pocket-friendly powerhouse with impressive camera and content chops

The Sony Xperia 5 II is a pocket-friendly powerhouse with impressive camera and content chops

Jack's on 5

We were big fans of Sony’s powerful and pocket-friendly Xperia 5 from last year, and its successor, the Xperia 5 II (£799) is in equally fine, feature-packed fettle. There’s a 16mm/24mm/70mm triple lens camera with Alpha Series snapper smarts and Zeiss optics, 20fps continuous shooting, rapid autofocus (regardless of day or night), Real-Time Eye autofocus good for humans or any big cats patrolling the British countryside, and a world first opportunity to capture 4K HDR slow-motion video at 120fps. Cinematography Pro “powered by CineAlta” adds a bunch of creative options to movie capture too, including eight colour management pre-sets to change the mood of your scenes. A familiar 21:9 aspect ratio 6.1in FHD+ HDR OLED display gets an X1 for mobile engine pinched from its Bravia TVs, plus added gaming chops, with DualShock 411 wireless controller support, a 120Hz refresh rate, 240Hz motion blur reduction and touch scanning, plus front-facing stereo speakers. Gamers also benefit from an optimised playing experience via unique tuning in collaboration with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Elite Gaming technology. It’s hi-res audio ready with wireless LDAC headphones or a wired 3.5mm jack providing, Sony says, clearer left and right audio separation and reduced signal noise compared to USB-C connections, while Sony’s multi-dimensional 360 Reality Audio can be put to good use on three free months of Tidal. A Snapdragon 865 5G processor, 4000mAh battery and fast charging round off a mighty package, albeit one that’s £100 pricier than last year’s model to account for the 5G bump.

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About

You’ll find me covering every area of consumer electronics and technology alongside new and inventive ways to campaign for the return of the MiniDisc. A borderline audiophile, I DJ digitally to a mildly acceptable standard at weekends and tend to surround myself with smart home tech at all other times. In short, I’m hackable and likely to be wearing headphones and distracted while it’s happening.

Areas of expertise

Consumer electronics, audio kit, smart home devices and fondly remembered forms of removable media