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Sony Xperia 1 II Smartphone Review: The Alpha-camera flagship

Better images with professional software. The Sony Xperia 1 II comes with the Cinema Pro application, which we already saw in other smartphones from Sony, and a new special camera application. It brings features found in Sony’s DSLR cameras to the Xperia 1 II, which should make photography enthusiasts particularly excited. Read our review to learn whether or not the 1200-Euro (~$1420) smartphone provides enough value in day-to-day use to justify its price tag.
Sony Xperia 1 II

A year ago, we reviewed the Sony Xperia 1, which we found quite impressive. However, the 950-Euro (~$1124) Sony flagship had a few weaknesses, which should never crop up in a premium smartphone. The successor model Sony Xperia 1 II has a much heftier price tag of 1200 Euros (~$1420). However, it comes with professional camera applications.

The Xperia smartphone also comes with very impressive hardware. It features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, a Qualcomm Adreno 650, 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage space. In this review, we are going to compare the Xperia 1 II with other similarly priced smartphones, which we selected from our expansive database. 

Sony Xperia 1 II (Xperia 1 Series)
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 8 x 2.4 - 2.8 GHz, Cortex-A77 / A55 (Kryo 585)
Graphics adapter
Memory
8 GB 
Display
6.50 inch 21:9, 3840 x 1644 pixel 643 PPI, capacitive, OLED, Corning Gorilla Glass 6, glossy: yes, HDR
Storage
256 GB UFS 3.0 Flash, 256 GB 
, 236 GB free
Connections
1 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, Audio Connections: 3.5-mm headphone jack, USB Type-C, Card Reader: microSD (up to 1 TB), 1 Fingerprint Reader, NFC, Brightness Sensor, Sensors: accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity sensor, barometer, e-compass, USB-C
Networking
802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/ax = Wi-Fi 6/), Bluetooth 5.1, 2G GSM GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900), 3G UMTS/HSPA+ (1/2/4/5/6/8/19), 4G LTE Cat19/Cat13 (1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/17/19/20/25/26/28/29/32/34/38/39/40/41/46/66), 5G (n1/n3/n28/n77/n78), Dual SIM, LTE, 5G, GPS
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 7.6 x 165.1 x 71.1 ( = 0.3 x 6.5 x 2.8 in)
Battery
4000 mAh Lithium-Polymer
Charging
wireless charging, fast charging / Quickcharge
Operating System
Android 10
Camera
Primary Camera: 12 MPix (f/1.7, 24mm, 1/1.7") + 12MP (3x optical zoom, f/2.4, 70mm, 1/3.4", 1.0µm) + 12MP (f/2.2, 16mm, 1/2.55") + 0.3MP (TOF 3D)
Secondary Camera: 8 MPix f/2.0, 24mm, 1/4", 1.12µm
Additional features
Speakers: 2 speakers, stereo, Keyboard: virtual, Keyboard Light: yes, USB power adapter, USB Type-C cable, stereo headset with a 3.5-mm plug, Xperia Assist, Cinema Pro, Photo Pro, 24 Months Warranty, SAR value (head): 1.12 W/kg, SAR value (body): 0.67 W/kg, waterproof
Weight
181.4 g ( = 6.4 oz / 0.4 pounds), Power Supply: 69 g ( = 2.43 oz / 0.15 pounds)
Price
1200 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Comparison Devices

Rating
Date
Model
Weight
Drive
Size
Resolution
Best Price
85 %
09/2020
Sony Xperia 1 II
SD 865, Adreno 650
181.4 g256 GB UFS 3.0 Flash6.50"3840x1644
88.2 %
04/2020
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
SD 865, Adreno 650
208 g256 GB UFS 3.0 Flash6.67"2340x1080
88.5 %
04/2020
OnePlus 8 Pro
SD 865, Adreno 650
199 g256 GB UFS 3.0 Flash6.78"3168x1440
89.4 %
04/2020
Huawei P40 Pro
Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16
209 g256 GB UFS 3.0 Flash6.58"2640x1200
89.6 %
02/2021
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11
208 g256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash6.90"3088x1440
87.1 %
09/2019
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
A13 Bionic, A13 Bionic GPU
226 g64 GB SSD6.50"2688x1242

Case - Dust- and waterproof smartphone

Sony’s smartphone features an angular design. Thanks to Corning Gorilla Glass 6, the case is very rigid. Our review device also comes with an IP65/68 certification, meaning that it is both water and dust resistant. Despite a glossy back, the smartphone is far from being a fingerprint magnet. All in all, the device looks very stylish. Because of a tall 21:9 aspect ratio, the Xperia smartphone is very comfortable to hold in the hand. However, there are a few drawbacks with such a tall display, which become apparent when you try to swipe from the top to the bottom of the screen. The Sony smartphone comes in the following colour schemes: Purple and Black.

When compared to other competing devices, the low weight of the Xperia 1 II stands out. Weighing in at 181 grams (~6.4 oz), the Sony smartphone is considerably lighter than comparable devices.

Sony Xperia 1 II
Sony Xperia 1 II
Sony Xperia 1 II
Sony Xperia 1 II
Sony Xperia 1 II
Sony Xperia 1 II
Sony Xperia 1 II
Sony Xperia 1 II

Size Comparison

165.3 mm / 6.51 inch 74.3 mm / 2.93 inch 8.5 mm / 0.3346 inch 199 g0.4387 lbs164.8 mm / 6.49 inch 77.2 mm / 3.04 inch 8.1 mm / 0.3189 inch 208 g0.4586 lbs165.1 mm / 6.5 inch 71.1 mm / 2.8 inch 7.6 mm / 0.2992 inch 181.4 g0.3999 lbs162.6 mm / 6.4 inch 74.8 mm / 2.94 inch 8.96 mm / 0.3528 inch 208 g0.4586 lbs158.2 mm / 6.23 inch 72.6 mm / 2.86 inch 8.95 mm / 0.3524 inch 209 g0.4608 lbs158 mm / 6.22 inch 77.8 mm / 3.06 inch 8.1 mm / 0.3189 inch 226 g0.4982 lbs148 mm / 5.83 inch 105 mm / 4.13 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 1.5 g0.00331 lbs

Hardware Configuration - Sony Xperia 1 II with an LED indicator

Sony’s smartphone features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, a Qualcomm Adreno 650 GPU, 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal memory. The storage capacity can be expanded by up to 1 TB by inserting a microSD card into the combined NanoSIM/microSD card slot. Our review device supports Wi-Fi calling and VoLTE. However, it does not offer eSIM functionality.

There is a 3.5-mm headphone jack on the top of the device. The USB Type-C port operates at USB 3.1 speeds. The Sony Xperia 1 II supports Widevine L1 DRM and all features of the Camera2 API. There is also an LED indicator.

Right side: Volume rocker, power button with an integrated fingerprint sensor, camera button
Right side: Volume rocker, power button with an integrated fingerprint sensor, camera button
Bottom: USB Type-C-port, microphone hole
Bottom: USB Type-C-port, microphone hole
Left side: NanoSIM/microSD card slot
Left side: NanoSIM/microSD card slot
Top: 3.5-mm headphone jack, microphone hole
Top: 3.5-mm headphone jack, microphone hole

Software - Android 10 with current security patches

Sony’s smartphone runs Android 10. The smartphone shipped with the security patches from July 1st, 2020. However, during our review, the security patch level was updated to 1 August, 2020. The Sony Xperia 1 II offers a mostly stock Android user experience with only a few changes in the setting menus. In addition to Cinema Pro and Photo Pro, Netflix, Facebook, LinkedIn, Call of Duty and a trial version of Tidal are also preinstalled. These applications can only be deactivated. There is no way to completely uninstall them.

Sony provides a multi-window mode to make the tall 21:9 screen easier to use. By tapping twice at the edge of the screen, you can bring up a menu, which will allow you to run two applications in parallel, one at the bottom of the screen, and the other at the top. You can freely customise the size of each window, making it taller or smaller. For instance, you can have a window with a video playing at the top and a web browser window at the bottom.

Software of the Sony Xperia 1 II
Software of the Sony Xperia 1 II
Software of the Sony Xperia 1 II
Software of the Sony Xperia 1 II
Software of the Sony Xperia 1 II
Software of the Sony Xperia 1 II
Software of the Sony Xperia 1 II
Software of the Sony Xperia 1 II
Software of the Sony Xperia 1 II
Software of the Sony Xperia 1 II

Communication & Geolocation - Smartphone with 5G and Wi-Fi 6

The Xperia 1 II supports the following mobile communication standards: GSM, 3G, LTE and 5G. The Sony smartphone can download data at LTE Category 19 speeds (up to 1700 Mb/s) and upload data at Cat. 13 speeds  (up to 150 Mb/s). For short-distance communication, our review device relies on NFC, Bluetooth 5.1 and Wi-Fi 6.

With our reference-grade router Netgear Nighthawk AX12, Sony’s smartphone achieves a data reception speed of 748 Mb/s and a data transmission speed of 875 Mb/s. In our Wi-Fi test, it performs about as well as the rest of the competition.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Huawei P40 Pro
Mali-G76 MP16, Kirin 990 5G, 256 GB UFS 3.0 Flash
1544 (797min - 1619max) MBit/s +76%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Adreno 650, SD 865, 256 GB UFS 3.0 Flash
876 (767min - 904max) MBit/s 0%
Sony Xperia 1 II
Adreno 650, SD 865, 256 GB UFS 3.0 Flash
875 (787min - 899max) MBit/s
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Adreno 650, SD 865, 256 GB UFS 3.0 Flash
816 (403min - 832max) MBit/s -7%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Mali-G77 MP11, Exynos 990, 256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash
772 (691min - 832max) MBit/s -12%
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
A13 Bionic GPU, A13 Bionic, 64 GB SSD
589 (461min - 625max) MBit/s -33%
iperf3 receive AX12
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Adreno 650, SD 865, 256 GB UFS 3.0 Flash
883 (834min - 919max) MBit/s +18%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Mali-G77 MP11, Exynos 990, 256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash
870 (841min - 882max) MBit/s +16%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Adreno 650, SD 865, 256 GB UFS 3.0 Flash
831 (745min - 872max) MBit/s +11%
Huawei P40 Pro
Mali-G76 MP16, Kirin 990 5G, 256 GB UFS 3.0 Flash
821 (388min - 998max) MBit/s +10%
Sony Xperia 1 II
Adreno 650, SD 865, 256 GB UFS 3.0 Flash
748 (550min - 820max) MBit/s
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
A13 Bionic GPU, A13 Bionic, 64 GB SSD
580 (550min - 597max) MBit/s -22%
Average of class Smartphone
  (last 2 years)
376 MBit/s -50%
04590135180225270315360405450495540585630675720765810855Tooltip
Sony Xperia 1 II; iperf3 receive AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø748 (550-820)
Sony Xperia 1 II; iperf3 transmit AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø875 (787-899)
GPS Test indoors
GPS Test indoors
GPS Test outdoors
GPS Test outdoors

For geolocation, our review device relies on the following global navigation satellite systems: GPS and GLONASS. Outdoors, the Sony smartphone has a margin of error of 4 metres (~13 feet). Indoors, the Xperia 1 II fails to establish a connection with the satellites.

On our obligatory bike ride, the Sony smartphone proves to be about as accurate as our reference-grade navigator Garmin Edge 520. However, the route that we took was not mapped perfectly on the Android smartphone, because it cut a few corners here and there. Nevertheless, the Xperia 1 II is good enough for daily navigation.

Navigation - Sony Xperia 1 II
Navigation - Sony Xperia 1 II
Navigation - Sony Xperia 1 II
Navigation - Sony Xperia 1 II
Navigation - Sony Xperia 1 II
Navigation - Sony Xperia 1 II
Navigation - Garmin Edge 520
Navigation - Garmin Edge 520
Navigation - Garmin Edge 520
Navigation - Garmin Edge 520
Navigation - Garmin Edge 520
Navigation - Garmin Edge 520

Telephony & Call Quality - Good reception with the Xperia 1 II

Sony’s phone application offers direct access to the favourite contacts and allows users to hide the dial pad. There are also two other tabs; one for call history, the other for saved contacts. The Android smartphone provides a mediocre call volume. However, the background noise is filtered out successfully and the voices on either end of the call sound clear and intelligible.

Cameras - Sony software for professionals

Taken with the front-facing camera
Taken with the front-facing camera

The Xperia 1 II comes with a quad-camera system. The 12-MP main sensor has a focal length of 24 mm, an f/1.7 aperture and a size of 1/1.7“. The second sensor, which offers 3X optical zoom, has a resolution of 12 MP, an f/2.4 aperture and a size of 1/3.4“. There is also a 12-MP ultra wide-angle lens with a field of view of 124°, an f/2.0 aperture and a focal length of 16 mm. The 0.3-MP depth sensor rounds off the package. The front-facing camera has a resolution of 8 MP, an f/2.0 aperture, a focal length of 24 mm and a sensor size of 1/4“. The front-facing camera takes sharp and colour-accurate photographs. However, under poor lighting conditions, the images appear quite grainy. In Portrait Mode, you can blur the image, enlarge your eyes or make your chin smaller.

The main camera produces well-detailed and colour-accurate images. Even at low zoom levels, the images appear somewhat blurry, especially around the edges. The panoramic shots offer a similar picture quality. However, the wide-angle shots look a little blurrier, especially at the edges. Under poor lighting conditions, the main camera manages to preserve some detail. Howbeit, the edges of the images are black and the objects are hard to tell apart. Users can easily switch to Photo Pro right from the standard camera application. The Photo Pro application offers all of the features that Sony’s Alpha cameras have. That being said, Photo Pro is not well suited for taking snapshots. 

Videos taken with the Sony smartphone look about as good as the photographs. The Xperia 1 II handles transitions between the dark and light scenes very well. Video can be recorded at 2160p, 1080p60, 1080p and 720p. Unlike Photo Pro, Cinema Pro cannot be launched from the standard camera application. It is only available on the home screen and offers many professional features.

Neither Cinema Pro nor Photo Pro are available in the Google Play Store, meaning that they are exclusive to the Sony smartphone.

Sony Xperia 1 II - Photo Pro
Sony Xperia 1 II - Photo Pro
Sony Xperia 1 II - Cinema Pro
Sony Xperia 1 II - Cinema Pro

Image Comparison

Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.

Main cameraWide-angleCityscapeLow-light photography

We use the “X-Rite ColorChecker Passport” tool to further examine the colour accuracy. Under controlled lighting conditions, most colours are a little overbrightened. However, dark tones appear too dim. Under these lighting conditions, the photographs of the test chart are very well-detailed, but a little washed out.

Under poor lighting conditions, the photographs of our test chart appear too dim and very blurry.

ColorChecker
4.7 ∆E
6.1 ∆E
8.4 ∆E
7.1 ∆E
8.5 ∆E
7.4 ∆E
7.2 ∆E
9.1 ∆E
6 ∆E
9.2 ∆E
5.2 ∆E
6.6 ∆E
8.3 ∆E
6.3 ∆E
5.9 ∆E
2.2 ∆E
7.8 ∆E
10.8 ∆E
4.5 ∆E
2.9 ∆E
4.8 ∆E
4.2 ∆E
5.7 ∆E
7.5 ∆E
ColorChecker Sony Xperia 1 II: 6.52 ∆E min: 2.25 - max: 10.8 ∆E
ColorChecker
22.6 ∆E
36.5 ∆E
30.5 ∆E
28.1 ∆E
32.2 ∆E
35.7 ∆E
34 ∆E
24.9 ∆E
26.7 ∆E
24.7 ∆E
40.4 ∆E
39.7 ∆E
17.8 ∆E
32 ∆E
21.6 ∆E
37.2 ∆E
28.3 ∆E
30.5 ∆E
32.2 ∆E
36.6 ∆E
39.4 ∆E
31.9 ∆E
22.7 ∆E
13.3 ∆E
ColorChecker Sony Xperia 1 II: 29.98 ∆E min: 13.35 - max: 40.35 ∆E

Accessories & Warranty - Wired headset in the box

Sony Xperia 1 II - Accessories
Sony Xperia 1 II - Accessories

The box contains a USB charger with an appropriate USB Type-C cable and a wired headset. Additional accessories such as wireless headsets and protective cases can be purchased on Sony’s website.

The Xperia 1 II comes with a 24-month warranty.

Input Devices & Handling - Unreliable fingerprint scanner

The Xperia smartphone comes with Google’s Gboard, which offers a lot of customisation options. This is why it is well suited for a tall 21:9 screen. However, because of such a tall display, in portrait mode, the distance between the top button and the bottom button amounts to 15.8 cm (~6.2 in), and even the button in the middle is hard to reach. The smooth screen makes swiping across the display very easy.

The fingerprint sensor, which is integrated in the power button, did not function well in our review. The Sony smartphone does not support facial recognition.

Sony Xperia 1 II - Keyboard
Sony Xperia 1 II - Keyboard

Display - OLED screen with saturated colours

Pixel arrangement
Pixel arrangement

The 6.5-inch OLED display has a native resolution of 3840x1644 and a 21:9 aspect ratio. The Sony smartphone takes the bottom spot in our comparison chart when it comes to the screen brightness (560 cd/m²). The Xperia smartphone also takes a spot near the bottom of our comparison chart when it comes to the brightness distribution. However, a brightness distribution of 94% is still quite good. In the APL50 test, in which the screen displays a pattern of alternating black and white squares of equal size, we measured a brightness of 589 cd/m². 

OLED panels typically use pulse width modulation (PWM) for brightness control. The OLED screen of the Sony smartphone flickers at a frequency of 240 Hz. This is why susceptible individuals may experience eye-strain when using the device.

544
cd/m²
557
cd/m²
580
cd/m²
545
cd/m²
557
cd/m²
580
cd/m²
550
cd/m²
555
cd/m²
579
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 580 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 560.8 cd/m² Minimum: 2.1 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 94 %
Center on Battery: 557 cd/m²
Contrast: ∞:1 (Black: 0 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 2.86 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 5 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
123.3% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.171
Sony Xperia 1 II
OLED, 3840x1644, 6.50
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Super AMOLED, 2340x1080, 6.67
OnePlus 8 Pro
AMOLED, 3168x1440, 6.78
Huawei P40 Pro
OLED, 2640x1200, 6.58
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Dynamic AMOLED, 3088x1440, 6.90
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
OLED, 2688x1242, 6.50
Screen
48%
53%
34%
11%
42%
Brightness middle
557
753
35%
796
43%
584
5%
860
54%
790
42%
Brightness
561
762
36%
779
39%
576
3%
878
57%
790
41%
Brightness Distribution
94
96
2%
94
0%
95
1%
96
2%
97
3%
Black Level *
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
2.86
0.9
69%
0.68
76%
1.1
62%
4.5
-57%
1.4
51%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
7.29
1.6
78%
1.55
79%
2.3
68%
10.4
-43%
3.4
53%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
5
1.5
70%
1.1
78%
1.8
64%
2.4
52%
1.9
62%
Gamma
2.171 101%
2.24 98%
2.237 98%
2.16 102%
2 110%
2.23 99%
CCT
6993 93%
6415 101%
6310 103%
6355 102%
6466 101%
6466 101%

* ... smaller is better

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM detected 240.4 Hz

The display backlight flickers at 240.4 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) .

The frequency of 240.4 Hz is relatively low, so sensitive users will likely notice flickering and experience eyestrain at the stated brightness setting and below.

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18110 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

Like all OLED screens, the display of the Xperia smartphone offers an infinite contrast ratio and a black value of 0 cd/m². This is why the colours are easy to tell apart and the dark tones appear deep and saturated. You can adjust the colour reproduction in the settings menu or you can opt to use one of the preconfigured colour profiles instead. You can also use the device in Creator Mode, which offers HDR and BT.2020 support.

Our CalMAN test reveals that the Delta E 2000 colour deviations are significantly lower in Creator Mode. However, the colour temperature is still a little elevated.

CalMAN - Colour accuracy
CalMAN - Colour accuracy
CalMAN - Colour accuracy (Creator Mode)
CalMAN - Colour accuracy (Creator Mode)
CalMAN - Colour space coverage (AdobeRGB)
CalMAN - Colour space coverage (AdobeRGB)
CalMAN - Colour space coverage (DCI P3)
CalMAN - Colour space coverage (DCI P3)
CalMAN - Colour space coverage (sRGB)
CalMAN - Colour space coverage (sRGB)
CalMAN - Saturation
CalMAN - Saturation
CalMAN - Grayscale
CalMAN - Grayscale
CalMAN - Grayscale (Creator Mode)
CalMAN - Grayscale (Creator Mode)

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
9 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 5 ms rise
↘ 4 ms fall
The screen shows fast response rates in our tests and should be suited for gaming.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 19 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 3 ms rise
↘ 3 ms fall
The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 13 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

Outdoors, the display of the Xperia 1 smartphone leaves a very good impression, thanks to its good reflection handling. This is why the screen content is legible despite a relatively low screen brightness. However, the display can only be comfortably read in the shade.

Sony Xperia 1 II - Outdoor use
Sony Xperia 1 II - Outdoor use
Sony Xperia 1 II - Outdoor use
Sony Xperia 1 II - Outdoor use

The colours appear slightly distorted when the OLED screen of the Sony smartphone is viewed at extreme angles. However, at normal angles, there are no colour distortions.

Viewing angles
Viewing angles

Performance - Middling performance in the premium segment

The Sony smartphone features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 with an Adreno 650 GPU and 8 GB of RAM. The Xperia 1 II performs as expected in our benchmarks. When it comes to GPU and CPU performance, the Sony Xperia 1 II smartphone takes a spot in the middle of our comparison chart. Here, the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro offers a slightly better level of performance, even though it has the same SoC. 

In day-to-day use, the Sony smartphone feels very responsive. Applications launch very quickly and there are no stutters or freezes to speak of.

Geekbench 5.5
Single-Core (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
898 Points
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
906 Points +1%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
909 Points +1%
Huawei P40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
779 Points -13%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
940 Points +5%
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
Apple A13 Bionic, A13 Bionic GPU, 4096
1326 Points +48%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (764 - 924, n=23)
903 Points +1%
Average of class Smartphone
  (119 - 2138, n=211, last 2 years)
900 Points 0%
Multi-Core (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
3290 Points
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
3338 Points +1%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
3318 Points +1%
Huawei P40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
3165 Points -4%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
2787 Points -15%
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
Apple A13 Bionic, A13 Bionic GPU, 4096
3476 Points +6%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (2687 - 3449, n=23)
3268 Points -1%
Average of class Smartphone
  (473 - 6681, n=211, last 2 years)
2944 Points -11%
Vulkan Score (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
2893 Points
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
4789 Points +66%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (2634 - 4737, n=15)
3203 Points +11%
Average of class Smartphone
  (79 - 9992, n=89, last 2 years)
4117 Points +42%
OpenCL Score (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
3129 Points
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
5532 Points +77%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (2896 - 4464, n=15)
3239 Points +4%
Average of class Smartphone
  (434 - 10711, n=81, last 2 years)
3917 Points +25%
PCMark for Android
Work performance score (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
12356 Points
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
13142 Points +6%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
13471 Points +9%
Huawei P40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
14352 Points +16%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
14551 Points +18%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (10990 - 19989, n=22)
13584 Points +10%
Average of class Smartphone
  (10884 - 19297, n=2, last 2 years)
15091 Points +22%
Work 2.0 performance score (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
9762 Points
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
10952 Points +12%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
11153 Points +14%
Huawei P40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
11341 Points +16%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
11784 Points +21%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (9202 - 15299, n=23)
11246 Points +15%
Average of class Smartphone
  (9101 - 12871, n=4, last 2 years)
10872 Points +11%
3DMark
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Score (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
75850 Points
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
82937 Points +9%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
82562 Points +9%
Huawei P40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
70593 Points -7%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
67590 Points -11%
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
Apple A13 Bionic, A13 Bionic GPU, 4096
96826 Points +28%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (56045 - 112989, n=20)
84555 Points +11%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Graphics Score (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
143643 Points
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
150281 Points +5%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
149017 Points +4%
Huawei P40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
82652 Points -42%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
84533 Points -41%
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
Apple A13 Bionic, A13 Bionic GPU, 4096
206190 Points +44%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (110875 - 180392, n=20)
147707 Points +3%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
28603 Points
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
32384 Points +13%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
32240 Points +13%
Huawei P40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
46731 Points +63%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
39724 Points +39%
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
Apple A13 Bionic, A13 Bionic GPU, 4096
33898 Points +19%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (17817 - 58293, n=20)
35224 Points +23%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
8740 Points
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
9123 Points +4%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
8811 Points +1%
Huawei P40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
6739 Points -23%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
7152 Points -18%
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
Apple A13 Bionic, A13 Bionic GPU, 4096
7893 Points -10%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (8215 - 9611, n=20)
8915 Points +2%
Average of class Smartphone
  (712 - 7285, n=52, last 2 years)
3548 Points -59%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Graphics (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
11175 Points
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
12394 Points +11%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
11371 Points +2%
Huawei P40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
7499 Points -33%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
9480 Points -15%
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
Apple A13 Bionic, A13 Bionic GPU, 4096
11302 Points +1%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (10599 - 13305, n=20)
11750 Points +5%
Average of class Smartphone
  (618 - 9451, n=52, last 2 years)
3905 Points -65%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Physics (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
4958 Points
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
4729 Points -5%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
4928 Points -1%
Huawei P40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
4975 Points 0%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
3846 Points -22%
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
Apple A13 Bionic, A13 Bionic GPU, 4096
3839 Points -23%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (3965 - 5274, n=20)
4844 Points -2%
Average of class Smartphone
  (1093 - 4525, n=52, last 2 years)
3005 Points -39%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Unlimited (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
9721 Points
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
8823 Points -9%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
9807 Points +1%
Huawei P40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
7286 Points -25%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
7385 Points -24%
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
Apple A13 Bionic, A13 Bionic GPU, 4096
Points -100%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (8499 - 11492, n=22)
9645 Points -1%
Average of class Smartphone
  (704 - 23024, n=115, last 2 years)
9038 Points -7%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Unlimited Graphics (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
12667 Points
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
12694 Points 0%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
12665 Points 0%
Huawei P40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
7905 Points -38%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
9536 Points -25%
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
Apple A13 Bionic, A13 Bionic GPU, 4096
Points -100%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (11956 - 16809, n=22)
12921 Points +2%
Average of class Smartphone
  (607 - 45492, n=114, last 2 years)
15757 Points +24%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
5359 Points
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
4283 Points -20%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
5480 Points +2%
Huawei P40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
5718 Points +7%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
4127 Points -23%
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
Apple A13 Bionic, A13 Bionic GPU, 4096
Points -100%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (3956 - 5765, n=22)
5138 Points -4%
Average of class Smartphone
  (1075 - 8749, n=114, last 2 years)
4335 Points -19%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
6943 Points
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
7157 Points +3%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
7117 Points +3%
Huawei P40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
6060 Points -13%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
6658 Points -4%
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
Apple A13 Bionic, A13 Bionic GPU, 4096
5471 Points -21%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (5996 - 7653, n=21)
7103 Points +2%
Average of class Smartphone
  (286 - 7890, n=102, last 2 years)
2685 Points -61%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Graphics (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
7854 Points
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
8299 Points +6%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
8106 Points +3%
Huawei P40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
6465 Points -18%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
8156 Points +4%
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
Apple A13 Bionic, A13 Bionic GPU, 4096
6088 Points -22%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (6500 - 9167, n=20)
8128 Points +3%
Average of class Smartphone
  (240 - 9814, n=102, last 2 years)
2675 Points -66%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Physics (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
4938 Points
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
4895 Points -1%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
4987 Points +1%
Huawei P40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
4971 Points +1%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
4052 Points -18%
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
Apple A13 Bionic, A13 Bionic GPU, 4096
4038 Points -18%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (4582 - 5209, n=20)
4941 Points 0%
Average of class Smartphone
  (858 - 4679, n=102, last 2 years)
3127 Points -37%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
8037 Points
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
7986 Points -1%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
8111 Points +1%
Huawei P40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
6508 Points -19%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
6830 Points -15%
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
Apple A13 Bionic, A13 Bionic GPU, 4096
Points -100%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (7517 - 8947, n=23)
8073 Points 0%
Average of class Smartphone
  (317 - 20131, n=174, last 2 years)
6545 Points -19%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited Graphics (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
9380 Points
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
9356 Points 0%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
9379 Points 0%
Huawei P40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
6771 Points -28%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
8239 Points -12%
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
Apple A13 Bionic, A13 Bionic GPU, 4096
Points -100%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (8633 - 11999, n=22)
9501 Points +1%
Average of class Smartphone
  (267 - 33376, n=173, last 2 years)
9330 Points -1%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
5354 Points
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
5277 Points -1%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
5506 Points +3%
Huawei P40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
5728 Points +7%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
4273 Points -20%
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
Apple A13 Bionic, A13 Bionic GPU, 4096
Points -100%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (4733 - 5780, n=22)
5319 Points -1%
Average of class Smartphone
  (938 - 8480, n=173, last 2 years)
4158 Points -22%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (Vulkan) Unlimited (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
6495 Points
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
6578 Points +1%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
6618 Points +2%
Huawei P40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
5648 Points -13%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
5178 Points -20%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (4582 - 6961, n=20)
6202 Points -5%
Average of class Smartphone
  (365 - 6439, n=96, last 2 years)
2611 Points -60%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (Vulkan) Unlimited Graphics (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
8064 Points
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
8173 Points +1%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
8279 Points +3%
Huawei P40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
6360 Points -21%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
6378 Points -21%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (7618 - 9104, n=19)
8249 Points +2%
Average of class Smartphone
  (298 - 8601, n=96, last 2 years)
2775 Points -66%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (Vulkan) Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
3863 Points
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
3830 Points -1%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
3888 Points +1%
Huawei P40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
4057 Points +5%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
3122 Points -19%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (1786 - 4061, n=19)
3414 Points -12%
Average of class Smartphone
  (1667 - 3525, n=96, last 2 years)
2671 Points -31%
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7
T-Rex Onscreen (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
60 fps
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
90 fps +50%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
60 fps 0%
Huawei P40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
60 fps 0%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
110 fps +83%
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
Apple A13 Bionic, A13 Bionic GPU, 4096
59 fps -2%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (50 - 138, n=23)
75.4 fps +26%
Average of class Smartphone
  (22 - 165, n=177, last 2 years)
83.6 fps +39%
1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
203 fps
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
203 fps 0%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
206 fps +1%
Huawei P40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
152 fps -25%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
145 fps -29%
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
Apple A13 Bionic, A13 Bionic GPU, 4096
287 fps +41%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (168 - 266, n=23)
206 fps +1%
Average of class Smartphone
  (19 - 791, n=177, last 2 years)
243 fps +20%
GFXBench 3.0
on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
60 fps
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
88 fps +47%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
60 fps 0%
Huawei P40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
59 fps -2%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
90 fps +50%
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
Apple A13 Bionic, A13 Bionic GPU, 4096
60 fps 0%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (50 - 111, n=23)
71.7 fps +20%
Average of class Smartphone
  (6.8 - 165, n=178, last 2 years)
71.3 fps +19%
1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
123 fps
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
122 fps -1%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
126 fps +2%
Huawei P40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
118 fps -4%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
96 fps -22%
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
Apple A13 Bionic, A13 Bionic GPU, 4096
157 fps +28%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (96 - 151, n=23)
123.6 fps 0%
Average of class Smartphone
  (9.2 - 363, n=178, last 2 years)
137.9 fps +12%
GFXBench 3.1
on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
59 fps
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
77 fps +31%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
60 fps +2%
Huawei P40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
52 fps -12%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
61 fps +3%
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
Apple A13 Bionic, A13 Bionic GPU, 4096
60 fps +2%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (43 - 83, n=24)
60.1 fps +2%
Average of class Smartphone
  (3.7 - 158, n=178, last 2 years)
60.2 fps +2%
1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
86 fps
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
86 fps 0%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
88 fps +2%
Huawei P40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
75 fps -13%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
65 fps -24%
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
Apple A13 Bionic, A13 Bionic GPU, 4096
100 fps +16%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (67 - 103, n=24)
86 fps 0%
Average of class Smartphone
  (6.2 - 279, n=178, last 2 years)
97 fps +13%
GFXBench
on screen Car Chase Onscreen (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
39 fps
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
45 fps +15%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
45 fps +15%
Huawei P40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
31 fps -21%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
34 fps -13%
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
Apple A13 Bionic, A13 Bionic GPU, 4096
48 fps +23%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (25 - 54, n=24)
40.5 fps +4%
Average of class Smartphone
  (5 - 117, n=178, last 2 years)
42.9 fps +10%
1920x1080 Car Chase Offscreen (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
51 fps
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
50 fps -2%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
51 fps 0%
Huawei P40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
44 fps -14%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
38 fps -25%
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
Apple A13 Bionic, A13 Bionic GPU, 4096
63 fps +24%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (39 - 62, n=24)
51.1 fps 0%
Average of class Smartphone
  (2.9 - 166, n=178, last 2 years)
58.6 fps +15%
on screen Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Onscreen (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
42 fps
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
47 fps +12%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
48 fps +14%
Huawei P40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
36 fps -14%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
49 fps +17%
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
Apple A13 Bionic, A13 Bionic GPU, 4096
58 fps +38%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (28 - 57, n=25)
43.2 fps +3%
Average of class Smartphone
  (3.6 - 123, n=218, last 2 years)
43.3 fps +3%
1920x1080 Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Offscreen (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
53 fps
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
54 (20min) fps +2%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
54 fps +2%
Huawei P40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
50 fps -6%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
43 fps -19%
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
Apple A13 Bionic, A13 Bionic GPU, 4096
75 fps +42%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (27 - 67, n=25)
52.7 fps -1%
Average of class Smartphone
  (2.3 - 229, n=218, last 2 years)
62.9 fps +19%
on screen Aztec Ruins High Tier Onscreen (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
27 fps
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
30 fps +11%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
31 fps +15%
Huawei P40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
23 fps -15%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
34 fps +26%
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
Apple A13 Bionic, A13 Bionic GPU, 4096
46 fps +70%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (18 - 40, n=25)
27.8 fps +3%
Average of class Smartphone
  (2.8 - 105, n=218, last 2 years)
32.2 fps +19%
2560x1440 Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
20 fps
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
20 fps 0%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
20 fps 0%
Huawei P40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
19 fps -5%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
22 fps +10%
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
Apple A13 Bionic, A13 Bionic GPU, 4096
29 fps +45%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (20 - 27, n=25)
20.5 fps +3%
Average of class Smartphone
  (0.85 - 94, n=218, last 2 years)
25 fps +25%
AnTuTu v8 - Total Score (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
538107 Points
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
595466 Points +11%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
585231 Points +9%
Huawei P40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
496966 Points -8%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
527820 Points -2%
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
Apple A13 Bionic, A13 Bionic GPU, 4096
510245 Points -5%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (527301 - 631025, n=24)
579049 Points +8%
Average of class Smartphone
  (last 2 years)
101336 Points -81%
BaseMark OS II
Overall (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
5835 Points
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
6072 Points +4%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
5993 Points +3%
Huawei P40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
5589 Points -4%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
4791 Points -18%
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
Apple A13 Bionic, A13 Bionic GPU, 4096
5607 Points -4%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (5264 - 6402, n=23)
5871 Points +1%
Average of class Smartphone
  (411 - 11438, n=158, last 2 years)
5704 Points -2%
System (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
9973 Points
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
10002 Points 0%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
10058 Points +1%
Huawei P40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
9782 Points -2%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
9024 Points -10%
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
Apple A13 Bionic, A13 Bionic GPU, 4096
14189 Points +42%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (8412 - 10147, n=23)
9660 Points -3%
Average of class Smartphone
  (2376 - 16475, n=158, last 2 years)
9621 Points -4%
Memory (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
7356 Points
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
7945 Points +8%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
7240 Points -2%
Huawei P40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
6038 Points -18%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
3811 Points -48%
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
Apple A13 Bionic, A13 Bionic GPU, 4096
2350 Points -68%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (5304 - 8874, n=23)
7073 Points -4%
Average of class Smartphone
  (670 - 12306, n=158, last 2 years)
6230 Points -15%
Graphics (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
11399 Points
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
11567 Points +1%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
11842 Points +4%
Huawei P40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
10138 Points -11%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
10646 Points -7%
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
Apple A13 Bionic, A13 Bionic GPU, 4096
16996 Points +49%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (11366 - 13833, n=23)
11779 Points +3%
Average of class Smartphone
  (697 - 58651, n=158, last 2 years)
13900 Points +22%
Web (sort by value)
Sony Xperia 1 II
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
1387 Points
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
1514 Points +9%
OnePlus 8 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
1496 Points +8%
Huawei P40 Pro
HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16, 8192
1629 Points +17%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 990, Mali-G77 MP11, 12288
1439 Points +4%
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
Apple A13 Bionic, A13 Bionic GPU, 4096
1745 Points +26%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  (1276 - 2169, n=23)
1497 Points +8%
Average of class Smartphone
  (10 - 2145, n=158, last 2 years)
1487 Points +7%

In the browser benchmarks, the Xperia smartphone does quite well. It takes second place in our comparison chart in Octane v2 and Kraken 1.1. In all other benchmarks, with the exception of WebXPRT 3, it takes third place. In day-to-day use, the scrolling is very smooth and webpages load very quickly.

Jetstream 2 - Total Score
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max (Safari Mobile 13.1)
129.1 Points +93%
Average of class Smartphone (13.8 - 351, n=167, last 2 years)
104 Points +55%
Huawei P40 Pro (Huawei Browser 10.1)
70 Points +5%
Sony Xperia 1 II (Chrome 85)
66.9 Points
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro (Chrome 81)
65 Points -3%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 (45.2 - 77, n=20)
63.6 Points -5%
OnePlus 8 Pro (Chrome 80)
63.4 Points -5%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra (Chrome 84)
56.8 Points -15%
JetStream 1.1 - Total Score
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max (Safari Mobile 13.1)
301.9 Points +160%
Huawei P40 Pro (Huawei Browser 10.1)
116.6 Points +1%
Sony Xperia 1 II (Chrome 85)
115.9 Points
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro (Chrome 81)
115.4 Points 0%
OnePlus 8 Pro (Chrome 80)
114.8 Points -1%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 (74.2 - 145.1, n=21)
113.1 Points -2%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra (Chrome 84)
96.2 Points -17%
Average of class Smartphone (66.1 - 104.3, n=2, last 2 years)
85.2 Points -26%
Speedometer 2.0 - Result
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max (Safari Mobile 13.1)
153 runs/min +117%
Average of class Smartphone (14.9 - 445, n=151, last 2 years)
104.7 runs/min +49%
Huawei P40 Pro (Huawei Browser 10.1)
71.8 runs/min +2%
Sony Xperia 1 II (Chrome 85)
70.5 runs/min
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro (Chrome 81)
68.6 runs/min -3%
OnePlus 8 Pro (Chome 80)
67.7 runs/min -4%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 (30.6 - 74.5, n=19)
63.9 runs/min -9%
WebXPRT 3 - Overall
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max (Safari Mobile 13.1)
181 Points +87%
Average of class Smartphone (37 - 304, n=118, last 2 years)
130.7 Points +35%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 (97 - 127, n=23)
106.7 Points +10%
OnePlus 8 Pro (Chrome 80)
104 Points +7%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra (Chrome 84)
102 Points +5%
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro (Chrome 81)
101 Points +4%
Sony Xperia 1 II (Chrome 85)
97 Points
Huawei P40 Pro
Points -100%
Octane V2 - Total Score
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max (Safari Mobile 13.1)
49388 Points +108%
Average of class Smartphone (4633 - 89112, n=202, last 2 years)
33355 Points +40%
Sony Xperia 1 II (Chrome 85)
23762 Points
Huawei P40 Pro (Huawei Browser 10.1)
23690 Points 0%
OnePlus 8 Pro (Chrome 80)
23678 Points 0%
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro (Chrome 81)
22834 Points -4%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 (14606 - 31224, n=23)
22518 Points -5%
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra (Chrome 84)
19695 Points -17%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra (Chrome 84)
2296 ms * -12%
Sony Xperia 1 II (Chrome 85)
2053 ms *
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 (1623 - 2911, n=24)
2031 ms * +1%
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro (Chrome 81)
2021 ms * +2%
OnePlus 8 Pro (Chrome 80)
1945 ms * +5%
Huawei P40 Pro (Huawei Browser 10.1)
1914 ms * +7%
Average of class Smartphone (388 - 9999, n=165, last 2 years)
1658 ms * +19%
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max (Safari Mobile 13.1)
571 ms * +72%

* ... smaller is better

Sony’s smartphone features 256 GB of UFS 3.0 memory. However, only 236 GB is available to the user. In the storage benchmarks, the Xperia 1 II performs slightly worse than comparable devices with UFS 3.0 memory.

The storage capacity can be expanded by up to 1 TB with the help of a microSD card. With our reference-grade microSD card Toshiba Exceria Pro M501, the Sony smartphone only manages to achieve slow write and read speeds, which is why it falls behind the competition.

Sony Xperia 1 IIXiaomi Mi 10 ProOnePlus 8 ProHuawei P40 ProSamsung Galaxy Note20 UltraAverage 256 GB UFS 3.0 FlashAverage of class Smartphone
AndroBench 3-5
45%
27%
57%
51%
42%
60%
Sequential Read 256KB
1512
1739
15%
1627
8%
1775
17%
1782
18%
1573 ?(983 - 1789, n=21)
4%
1468 ?(215 - 4512, n=210, last 2 years)
-3%
Sequential Write 256KB
396.4
750
89%
730
84%
395.7
0%
802
102%
559 ?(387 - 818, n=21)
41%
1078 ?(57.5 - 3678, n=210, last 2 years)
172%
Random Read 4KB
196.4
264.9
35%
208.3
6%
228.1
16%
186.7
-5%
209 ?(168.5 - 265, n=21)
6%
242 ?(22.2 - 543, n=210, last 2 years)
23%
Random Write 4KB
181.5
258.5
42%
197.7
9%
271.8
50%
217.7
20%
186.4 ?(24.8 - 272, n=21)
3%
266 ?(13 - 709, n=210, last 2 years)
47%
Sequential Read 256KB SDCard
34.7 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
82.3 ?(Nano Memory Card)
137%
65.6 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
89%
70.6 ?(34.7 - 82.5, n=5)
103%
Sequential Write 256KB SDCard
30.7 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
68.1 ?(Nano Memory Card)
122%
55.6 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
81%
59.8 ?(30.7 - 71.7, n=5)
95%

Gaming - High-frame gaming is possible

The Qualcomm Adreno 650 can run all current titles on high settings. The Xperia smartphone manages to achieve a mostly stable 60 FPS in the games, which we benchmarked using Gamebench. In our testing, the frame rates always stayed above 50 FPS, which is why users can expect a very smooth gameplay experience.

Because the touchscreen offers a very smooth surface, moving fingers around it is very easy, which is good news for gamers. The motion sensor works well in tittles, in which it is used.

Arena of Valor
Arena of Valor
PUBG Mobile
PUBG Mobile
051015202530354045505560Tooltip
Sony Xperia 1 II; PUBG Mobile; Smooth: Ø59.9 (57-61)
Sony Xperia 1 II; PUBG Mobile; HD: Ø59.8 (53-61)
Sony Xperia 1 II; Arena of Valor; min: Ø60.1 (60-61)
Sony Xperia 1 II; Arena of Valor; high HD: Ø59.9 (57-61)

Emissions - Stereo speakers provide a good sound quality

Temperature

GFXBench - Manhatten 3.1
GFXBench - Manhatten 3.1
GFXBench - ES 2.0
GFXBench - ES 2.0

The smartphone gets quite warm under load. However, it never feels hot. The surface temperatures of the Sony Xperia 1 II reach 44.8 °C (112.64 °F) under load. Sony’s smartphone manages to maintain its full performance in the Manhattan section of the GFXBench benchmark. This means that it should not throttle under continuous load.

Max. Load
 44.1 °C
111 F
42.8 °C
109 F
41.5 °C
107 F
 
 44.8 °C
113 F
42.3 °C
108 F
41.7 °C
107 F
 
 44.4 °C
112 F
43 °C
109 F
40.6 °C
105 F
 
Maximum: 44.8 °C = 113 F
Average: 42.8 °C = 109 F
36.7 °C
98 F
40.9 °C
106 F
41.5 °C
107 F
35.8 °C
96 F
40.9 °C
106 F
43.6 °C
110 F
36.7 °C
98 F
41 °C
106 F
42.9 °C
109 F
Maximum: 43.6 °C = 110 F
Average: 40 °C = 104 F
Power Supply (max.)  42 °C = 108 F | Room Temperature 21.6 °C = 71 F | Fluke t3000FC (calibrated), Voltcraft IR-260
(-) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 42.8 °C / 109 F, compared to the average of 32.7 °C / 91 F for the devices in the class Smartphone.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 44.8 °C / 113 F, compared to the average of 35 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 56 °C for the class Smartphone.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 43.6 °C / 110 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F
(±) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 33.9 °C / 93 F, compared to the device average of 32.7 °C / 91 F.
Heat distribution - front
Heat distribution - front
Heat distribution - back
Heat distribution - back

Speakers

Frequency response
Frequency response

The two speakers of the Xperia smartphone offer a mediocre volume and a relatively wide sound stage. The lows are underrepresented, though. In quiet environments, the Xperia 1 II can be occasionally used for media content consumption. Sony’s smartphone features technologies which can enhance the sound quality of external speakers or headphones. It supports Dolby Atmos, DSEE Ultimate and aptX HD.

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2039.743.42537.337.23129.229.94032.435.2503236.26323.624.48021.719.610021.921.712522.526.216018.533.720014.837.625012.346.531512.553.840011.960.450013.166.563014.570.580018.765.4100019.366.3125018.267.7160016.464.3200014.365.5250014.967.8315014.669400015.465500016.164.8630016.766.4800017.762.71000018.662.91250019.458.11600020.349.1SPL56.366.463.728.778.3N10.719.118.1143.5median 16.4median 64.3median 40.9median 14.9median 60.9Delta3.110.322.813.817.432.239.436.225.529.126.83027.742.342.426.827.220.325.22536.717.244.817.954.317.153.817.95316.253.616.55615.35915.664.415.664.814.867.214.472.314.67314.776.914.176.414.476.914.475.914.973.514.773.814.57214.866.6156316.649.427.185.80.961median 15median 64.81.39.7hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseSony Xperia 1 IIApple iPhone 11 Pro Max
Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)
Sony Xperia 1 II audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (78.3 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 27.7% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (11.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.5% away from median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (7.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (3.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (21.8% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 37% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 55% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 57% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 36% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (85.8 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 15.4% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (10.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 5.7% higher than median
(+) | mids are linear (5.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 8.8% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (3.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (19.4% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 20% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 71% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 42% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 51% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Battery Life - Poor battery runtimes in the Wi-Fi test

Energy Consumption

The Xperia 1 II is a little less energy-efficient than the competition. When idle, the Xperia smartphone has an average power draw of 2.3 watts. Under load, the power consumption averages 7.2 watts. Sony’s smartphone has the highest peak power draw (10.6 watts) amongst devices featured in this review.

The included 18-watt USB-C power adapter should have no trouble supplying the Sony Xperia 1 II with enough energy.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.2 / 0.3 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 1.7 / 2.3 / 2.9 Watt
Load midlight 7.2 / 10.6 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
Sony Xperia 1 II
4000 mAh
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
4500 mAh
OnePlus 8 Pro
4510 mAh
Huawei P40 Pro
4200 mAh
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
4500 mAh
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
3969 mAh
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
 
Average of class Smartphone
 
Power Consumption
46%
-12%
45%
40%
22%
18%
35%
Idle Minimum *
1.7
0.61
64%
2.2
-29%
0.92
46%
0.65
62%
0.92
46%
1.133 ?(0.52 - 2.2, n=22)
33%
0.894 ?(0.42 - 2.37, n=157, last 2 years)
47%
Idle Average *
2.3
1.19
48%
3.3
-43%
1.41
39%
1.06
54%
2.9
-26%
2.23 ?(1.19 - 5.37, n=22)
3%
1.452 ?(0.69 - 4.26, n=157, last 2 years)
37%
Idle Maximum *
2.9
1.23
58%
3.7
-28%
1.47
49%
1.49
49%
2.94
-1%
2.45 ?(1.23 - 5.41, n=22)
16%
1.632 ?(0.79 - 4.45, n=157, last 2 years)
44%
Load Average *
7.2
4.18
42%
5.9
18%
3.35
53%
4.91
32%
3.65
49%
5.26 ?(3.5 - 7.4, n=22)
27%
5.55 ?(2.4 - 16.5, n=157, last 2 years)
23%
Load Maximum *
10.6
8.53
20%
8.3
22%
6.37
40%
10.29
3%
6.18
42%
9.68 ?(7.67 - 12.3, n=22)
9%
8.23 ?(4.32 - 20.8, n=157, last 2 years)
22%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

In our practically oriented Wi-Fi test, the Xperia smartphone, which has a 4000-mAh battery, achieves a battery runtime of less than 8 hours. Here, all other competing devices last longer, even though their batteries are not significantly larger.

The included fast charger takes about 2 hours to fully charge the device. The Sony smartphone also supports QI wireless charging.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
21h 35min
WiFi Websurfing
7h 47min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
13h 01min
Load (maximum brightness)
3h 15min
Sony Xperia 1 II
4000 mAh
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
4500 mAh
OnePlus 8 Pro
4510 mAh
Huawei P40 Pro
4200 mAh
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
4500 mAh
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
3969 mAh
Battery Runtime
44%
61%
30%
33%
95%
Reader / Idle
1295
2133
65%
2103
62%
1474
14%
1223
-6%
2618
102%
H.264
781
973
25%
1023
31%
1137
46%
993
27%
1346
72%
WiFi v1.3
467
865
85%
923
98%
743
59%
644
38%
909
95%
Load
195
198
2%
296
52%
198
2%
338
73%
408
109%

Pros

+ professional camera software
+ great build quality
+ dust- and waterproof with an IP65/68 certification
+ NanoSIM and microSD accessible without a special tool

Cons

- poor battery life in the Wi-Fi test
- very slow SD card reader
- high price

Verdict- True camera smartphone

Sony Xperia 1 II review. Device provided courtesy of: cyberport
Sony Xperia 1 II review. Device provided courtesy of: cyberport

Sony sticks to its usual 21:9 aspect ratio with the Xperia 1 II. This is not a negative, and the smartphone brings enough value to the table for a premium device. The camera hardware is only utilised to its full potential when used with Sony’s professional software. Normal users can still use the standard camera application, which offers fewer features. The rest of the hardware is similar to what other devices in this price range offer. However,  competing smartphones manage to squeeze more performance out of identical hardware.

The Sony Xperia 1 II is well suited for professional photographers, who are going to get a lot of value out of the included professional camera applications. For everyone else, the Sony smartphone is just priced too high.

The short battery life is especially disappointing. Yes, the display is big and needs a lot of energy. However, competing smartphones with smaller batteries offer longer battery runtimes. The SD card reader offers a very poor level of performance. And the internal memory is not that fast, either. Those who are going to make good use of the professional camera applications are going to be satisfied with their purchase, as long as they do not use a microSD card to store images.

Sony Xperia 1 II - 08/31/2022 v7
Mike Wobker

Chassis
86%
Keyboard
66 / 75 → 88%
Pointing Device
94%
Connectivity
50 / 70 → 72%
Weight
90%
Battery
84%
Display
89%
Games Performance
61 / 64 → 95%
Application Performance
81 / 86 → 94%
Temperature
84%
Noise
100%
Audio
73 / 90 → 82%
Camera
70%
Average
79%
85%
Smartphone - Weighted Average

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Sony Xperia 1 II Smartphone Review: The Alpha-camera flagship
Mike Wobker, 2020-09-18 (Update: 2020-10- 2)