Xperia 5 II teardown reveals Sony's innovative cooling decisions

The Xperia 5 II has received its first teardown, confirming several unusual aspects about the device. Strictly speaking, the Xperia 5 II is Sony's premier flagship smartphone, seeing as it has a higher refresh rate display than the more expensive Xperia 1 II. Nonetheless, it does not have the same high-end cooling solutions that many Android OEMs have employed in the last few years.

Sony has not included a copper heat pipe or a vapour chamber cooling system in the Xperia 5 II. The company has used some copper to dissipate heat, but only a thin film of it that sits between the midframe and the display. However, that is not the only cooling solution that the Xperia 5 II has. Sony has also included two pieces of graphite film, but not over the SoC as you may expect Instead, the Xperia 5 II has a large piece of graphite film that sits atop its battery and another covering the back of its camera sensors. The former transfers heat to the glass back of the device, while the other should distribute excess heat to the midframe.

The Xperia 5 II also has a dual-layer board - a feat of engineering that is becoming more commonplace among high-end smartphones. Additionally, Sony has included battery pull tabs, making it simple to replace the battery should you ever need to do so. Accessing the internals of the Xperia 5 II requires a heat gun or a hairdryer though, as adhesive firmly holds its glass back in place. 

Sony will release the Xperia 5 II in many European countries from October 19. The device is already available to pre-order, though. Overall, it seems that the Xperia 5 II is rather simple to repair, once you remove its back cover. Replacing the display seems to be the most difficult repair, but swapping a broken USB Type-C port or a worn-out battery should not be too taxing.

Buy Sony Xperia 5 II now on Amazon