Sony has unveiled its latest smartphone, the Xperia 5II, and it looks to be a smaller version of the Xperia 1 II that Sony says will take “photography, gaming and entertainment to the next level”.
A more compact design than Sony’s previous flagship smartphone, the Xperia 5 I has the same signature 21:9 ratio display but on a 6.1 inch screen as opposed to the Xperia 1 II’s 6.7-inches.
The Xperia 5 II also comes with an exciting feature that sets it apart from its big brother - a 120Hz refresh rate. This means you’ll get super smooth scrolling when you’re surfing pages, scrolling apps and watching content.
The fast refresh rate will also come in really handy when you’re playing games, in fact the Xperia 5 II actually allows you to adjust the refresh rate settings while you play.
Design wise, the Xperia 5 II has a similar look to its predecessor, with a smooth glass back and a camera array on the top left. The smartphone comes in blue or black.
Those three cameras on the back are all 12MP lenses and include a main camera, ultrawide, and a telephoto. On the front there’s an 8MP selfie cam that you’ll see in a black bar on the top of the device.
The Xperia 5 II also comes with the Photography Pro software found on the Xperia 1 II that gives you a whole host of excellent picture editing features.
Set for gaming
Game mode has got some exciting features too. As mentioned you can adjust the 120Hz refresh rate mid-game, even going up to a ‘simulated’ 240Hz setting. You can also fine tune things like blocking calls and notifications so that nothing gets in the way of your gaming.
Interestingly, Sony has also included a feature called ‘Heat Suppression Power Control’ which means you can play games on your phone without using the battery by plugging into a power source, and in turn you won’t have to worry about your battery overheating if you’re getting into a really long gaming session.
The Xperia 5 II has a fast-charging 4,000mAh battery however it’s lacking the wireless charging capabilities found with the Xperia 1 II.
Mitsuya Kishida, President of Sony Mobile Communications said: “Sony’s heritage has been rooted in technology and engineering, and our portfolio has expanded to include the field of entertainment from music, movies, games and much more. With this unique background, Xperia smartphones are feature-packed with Sony's advanced technologies in a compact body, with a profound passion to push the boundaries of what is possible.”
The Sony Xperia 5 II will cost £799 SIM free, and whilst we don’t have a definite release date yet it’s expected to be out before the end of the year and you can preorder the device now.
