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.
James Day
