Sony doesn’t enjoy the share in the smartphone it once did. Its Xperia line has all but faded into obscurity (or rather failed to stand out in the present smartphone landscape), but the brand is once again trying to revive the phone with a new yearly flagship. But will it manage to bring the Xperia back to life? Let’s talk about the upcoming Sony Xperia 5 II.
The phone is coming on September 17 next month, according to a post Sony made on its social media. It doesn’t announce the product but does feature the hashtag ‘SonyXperia’. Unless Sony is switching to a new naming scheme for its smartphone portfolio, this phone should be the Xperia 5 II.
The Sony Xperia 5 II teaser campaign doesn’t give us anything beyond a launch calendar, but the flagship has already in press mockups. Published by Android Headlines, the posters show the all-new Xperia’s camera and design.
Right out of the gate, you’ll find that (unsurprisingly) the Xperia 5 II is not an ambitious design — much like its long line of predecessors. Sony sandwiched the display between two fat top and bottom bezels. It’s the same story on the back: the camera bump is recycled from the Xperia 1 II, except it looks more polished.
But the phone’s looks aside, the brand has adapted to the specs race, at least if you believe the report. Sony Xperia 5 II will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865 mobile platform, making it the first 5G Sony smartphone. The display allegedly operates on a modern 120Hz refresh rate with a high 240Hz touch sampling. The display is fullHD+ with a rare 21:9 aspect ratio filling it. There’s the standard 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and a 4,000 mAh battery.
For the cameras, Sony has once again partnered up with ZEISS. On paper, the hardware looks great but it remains to be seen if the Xperia 5 II will end the poor streak of smartphone cameras from the phone-maker. Even though Sony supplies cameras to almost every major smartphone brand, their cameras on the home turf have always been a hit or miss.