Sony's new Xperia 5 II is a compact flagship phone with a 120Hz OLED screen

By Babu Mohan
last updated

Sony Xperia 5 Ii
Sony Xperia 5 Ii (Image credit: Sony)

What you need to know

  • Sony Xperia 5 II is the company's first phone with a 120Hz screen.
  • It is powered by a Snapdragon 865 chipset and has a 12MP triple-camera array on the back.
  • The Xperia 5 II will be released in the U.S. in December for $950.

Sony today unveiled the Xperia 5 II, a follow-up to last year's Xperia 5. Just like its predecessor, the Xperia 5 II is a relatively compact phone, featuring a 6.1-inch display. In terms of hardware, the phone is fairly similar to the Xperia 1 II that Sony introduced earlier this year.

Unlike the Xperia 1 II, however, the Xperia 5 II's super-tall 6.1-inch FHD+ panel boasts a 120Hz refresh rate and a touch sampling rate of 240Hz. The compact flagship phone is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 865 processor, coupled with 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB storage.

Sony Xperia 5 Ii

Source: Sony (Image credit: Source: Sony)

The Xperia 5 II has a triple-camera array at the rear, featuring a 12MP main sensor, a 12MP ultra-wide lens, and a 12MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom. Sony says the Xperia 5 II is the world's first phone to be capable of shooting slow motion videos at 120fps in 4K HDR. It also supports Real-Time Eye AF and continuous burst shooting at up to 20fps. For selfies, the phone has an 8MP camera on the front with 5-axis stabilization.

In terms of battery life, the Xperia 5 II is a decent upgrade over the Xperia 5. The latest Xperia flagship packs a 4,000mAh battery with support for up to 21W fast charging. You also get a 3.5mm headphone jack, front-facing stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos, and IP68 water resistance.

The Xperia 5 II will be available to pre-order in the U.S. starting September 29 for $950. However, Sony says the phone will begin shipping only on December 4. Just like the Xperia 1 II, however, it won't be compatible with 5G networks in the U.S.

Sony Xperia 1 II

Sony Xperia 1 II

The Xperia 5 II is one of the most unique Android flagship phones you can currently buy. The phone has a 4K OLED display with a 21:9 aspect ratio, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 865 chipset, and capable cameras with ZEISS optics.

Babu Mohan
Babu Mohan
News Writer
8 Comments
  • Great specs, only thing have to wait till December 4th in the US. Would have been an instant impulse buy if released now unlocked on Amazon as usual.
  • No 5g in the USA?
  • There's conflicting info in the article. The specs say FHD+ but the last paragraph says 4k OLED. Which one is it?
  • 6.1" is not a compact size. Pixel 4a is close to compact. iphone 7,8 is a compact phone.
  • That is way too long to wait for the phone to release. September 29-December 4 are 66 days apart. That is too long of a pre-order time. Come on Sony.
  • I was interested until I saw the price (which is comparable to other overpriced phones) but then I am not about to pay for 5G that will not even work in the US, and then to pre-order over two months before being shipped? Clearly Sony doesn't care to sell phones here in the US...or maybe anywhere for that matter. SMH
    Once a top-tier brand that is now fading into distant memory much like BlackBerry.
  • How many buy unlocked phones in USA? Barely none.
    Reason they do not care about giving 5G there.
    Also USA is almost entirely mmWave, the device is sub6 only.
  • No .... X Performance is first Xperia with 120Hz.
    This one is the first Xperia that Sony allows the users to use 120Hz mode.
    According to XDA, even XA series has 120Hz.