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MagyarSony Xperia 5 II smartphone in review – On its way with 5G and cinema format
After we were able to take a look at the Sony Xperia 1 II, we're now testing the successor to the Sony Xperia 5. It's known as the Xperia 5 II, and not only does it offers 5G support but also an updated hardware configuration.
The latter must compete with the comparison devices listed below, to which further devices from our database can be added under each section.
Comparison devices
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Drive | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 86.6 % | 11/2020 | Sony Xperia 5 II SD 865, Adreno 650 | 163 g | 128 GB UFS 3.0 Flash | 6.10" | 2520x1080 | |
| 85 % | 09/2020 | Sony Xperia 1 II SD 865, Adreno 650 | 181.4 g | 256 GB UFS 3.0 Flash | 6.50" | 3840x1644 | |
| 87.8 % | 05/2020 | Xiaomi Mi 10 SD 865, Adreno 650 | 208 g | 128 GB UFS 3.0 Flash | 6.67" | 2340x1080 | |
| 88.4 % | 06/2020 | OnePlus 8 SD 865, Adreno 650 | 180 g | 256 GB UFS 3.0 Flash | 6.55" | 2400x1080 | |
| 87 % | 10/2020 | Asus Zenfone 7 Pro ZS671KS SD 865+ (Plus), Adreno 650 | 235 g | 256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash | 6.67" | 2400x1080 |
Case - Dust and waterproof Android smartphone
Unlike the Xperia 1 II, the edges of the Xperia 5 II are rounded. On the exterior, glass dominates the look, with the entire case being certified as waterproof and dustproof according to the IP65/68 standard. Furthermore, the use of Corning Gorilla Glass 6 is intended to prevent the display from breaking. Workmanship is of high quality and gives no cause for criticism. In terms of colors, buyers can choose between black, blue and gray.
At a weight of 163 grams, the Xperia 5 II is the lightest smartphone in our test field. Due to the elongated format, the width of approximately 6.8 cm is also narrower than that of competing phones.
Connectivity - With audio jack and card reader
Sony equips the Xperia 5 II with a 3.5 mm audio jack and a notification LED. In addition, there's a USB Type-C port with the 3.1 standard and a combined microSD/nano SIM slot. Furthermore, the 128 GB internal storage can be expanded by up to 1 TB, according to the manufacturer. If two nano SIM cards are used, however, the possibility of expanding the storage capacity is lost.
The VoWLAN and VoLTE features can be used, but 5G can only be accessed by one active SIM at a time. Streaming fans can also access media content in high resolution thanks to DRM Widevine L1.
Software - Sony smartphone runs Android 10
The Xperia 5 II is running Android 10 with security patches at the level of August 1, 2020. The user interface has been slightly modified by Sony, giving users a different arrangement in the settings menu. In addition, there are just a few preinstalled third-party apps on the smartphone that can only be disabled but not uninstalled. The highlights are the Cinema Pro and Photo Pro apps, which are exclusively available on Sony's Xperia phones.
Communication and GPS - 5G and faster WLAN
The Sony Xperia 5 II can connect to GSM, 3G, LTE, and 5G networks. On LTE networks, LTE Cat. 18/13 can achieve up to 1,200 Mb/s for downloading and up to 15 Mb/s for uploading data.
NFC, Bluetooth 5.1, and Wi-Fi are available in close ranges. With the latter and in combination with our reference router, the Netgear Nighthawk AX12, the Sony smartphone achieves very good data transfer speeds but only comparatively moderate speeds for receiving data.
| Networking | |
| iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
| OnePlus 8 | |
| Sony Xperia 5 II | |
| Sony Xperia 1 II | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10 | |
| Asus Zenfone 7 Pro ZS671KS | |
| iperf3 receive AX12 | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10 | |
| OnePlus 8 | |
| Asus Zenfone 7 Pro ZS671KS | |
| Sony Xperia 5 II | |
| Sony Xperia 1 II | |
| Average of class Smartphone (last 2 years) | |
The Xperia 5 II can use GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, and QZSS to determine its position. With the GPS Test app, we can achieve an accuracy of up to three meters. On our mandatory bike ride, the Sony smartphone shows a slight deviation compared to our reference device, the Garmin Edge 520, both in curves as well as on long straight roads.
Telephone and call quality - Clear voice transmission
The Sony Xperia 5 II offers medium volume during phone calls. Speech is transmitted well, but noisy environments can lead to comprehension problems. The standard telephone app from Android offers the same functions that are found on other smartphones.
Cameras - Better photos with Pro applications
Sony equips the Xperia 5 II with three 12 MP sensors that are suitable for wide-angle, zoom, and close-up photography. Our test photos were taken with the standard camera app and draw a similar picture. Colors look quite good, and objects are clearly recognizable. In the close-up range, however, their edges are somewhat blurred. Panoramic shots, on the other hand, show better results, and even in low-light conditions, subjects and colors are still visible.
As a replacement for the professional mode, Sony provides the Xperia-exclusive app "Photo Pro" that is inspired by the Alpha cameras. This app provides settings options that are just as extensive as on the manufacturer's SLR cameras and delivers significantly better image results. The front-facing camera can take portrait pictures at 8 MP. These show good colors and many details. In addition, beautifying modes and a soft skin effect are available for adjustment purposes.
Sony also uses two applications for shooting videos. The camera app delivers a similar image result to our sample photos, and it also comes with a good image stabilizer. Switching between light and dark scenes doesn't pose any problems for the camera either. The available resolutions are 4K, Full HD, Full HD at 60 fps, 1080x1080 (1:1), and HD. Once again, Sony installs the Xperia-exclusive app "Cinema Pro" here; this offers comprehensive functions for filming videos with the smartphone.
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 lens flowersMain lens surroundingsWide angleLow light
The ColorChecker passport shows that the Xperia 5 II captures colors slightly brighter than they should be. Our test chart also looks a bit dull, but it's reproduced with acceptable details and a slight weakness in contrast at the left edge.
Accessories and warranty - No extras in the box
The Xperia 5 II comes with a USB power adapter with a matching USB Type-C cable and a SIM tool. Additional accessories can be obtained from the manufacturer's website.
Sony grants buyers of the Xperia 5 II a warranty period of 24 months.
Input devices and handling - Reliable fingerprint scanner
Google's keyboard app GBoard is available for entering text. This can be individually customized, and the touchscreen reacts very well to touch. Even longer drag-and-drop gestures are easily possible due to the smooth screen surface. The side-mounted fingerprint scanner responds well to stored fingerprints. However, face recognition is not supported.
Display - OLED in 21:9 format
The screen of the Xperia 5 II consists of a 6.1-inch OLED panel in the 21:9 format with a refresh rate of 120 Hz. The average brightness is 562 cd/m²; although this is actually a good value, it's exceeded by our test field. In addition, we detected PWM flickering at a value of 238 Hz during operation, which could cause problems for users with sensitive eyes.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 98 %
Center on Battery: 558 cd/m²
Contrast: ∞:1 (Black: 0 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3.01 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 1.4 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
100% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.196
| Sony Xperia 5 II OLED, 2520x1080, 6.10 | Sony Xperia 1 II OLED, 3840x1644, 6.50 | Xiaomi Mi 10 Super AMOLED, 2340x1080, 6.67 | OnePlus 8 AMOLED, 2400x1080, 6.55 | Asus Zenfone 7 Pro ZS671KS Super AMOLED, 2400x1080, 6.67 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | -44% | 30% | 32% | 21% | |
| Brightness middle | 558 | 557 0% | 786 41% | 778 39% | 684 23% |
| Brightness | 562 | 561 0% | 791 41% | 783 39% | 690 23% |
| Brightness Distribution | 98 | 94 -4% | 96 -2% | 95 -3% | 95 -3% |
| Black Level * | |||||
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 3.01 | 2.86 5% | 1.1 63% | 0.9 70% | 1.3 57% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 6.86 | 7.29 -6% | 2.2 68% | 2.2 68% | 2.5 64% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 1.4 | 5 -257% | 1.8 -29% | 1.7 -21% | 1.9 -36% |
| Gamma | 2.196 100% | 2.171 101% | 2.26 97% | 2.25 98% | 2.29 96% |
| CCT | 6398 102% | 6993 93% | 6315 103% | 6481 100% | 6475 100% |
* ... smaller is better
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM detected | 238.1 Hz |  | |
The display backlight flickers at 238.1 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) . The frequency of 238.1 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 17903 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | |||
The settings menu allows users to customize the display of the Xperia 5 II. In this way, the color temperature and color space can be selected. As the CalMAN analysis shows, the "warm" default setting is recommended for balanced color proportions.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 5 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 3 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. » 17 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (21.5 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 3 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 5 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows fast response rates in our tests and should be suited for gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 15 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (33.7 ms). | ||
The Xperia 5 II is easy to use outdoors. The screen content can be easily read even in bright ambient light, and the display only shows moderate glare and reflections.
The panel of the Sony smartphone is very viewing-angle stable. Even from very flat angles, no distorted colors or image content is shown.
Performance - Xperia 5 II only reads memory cards slowly
A Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 and 8 GB of RAM ensure a smooth system operation in the Sony Xperia 5 II. This combination is also found in many of the current competing smartphones, which is also reflected in the closely aligned benchmark results. Depending on the discipline, Sony's smartphone is in the lower midfield, but it can also occasionally take first place.
| AnTuTu v8 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
| Sony Xperia 5 II | |
| Sony Xperia 1 II | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10 | |
| OnePlus 8 | |
| Asus Zenfone 7 Pro ZS671KS | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 (527301 - 631025, n=24) | |
In the browser benchmarks, the Xperia 5 II places itself in the upper half of our test field. For everyday use, this means that websites load quickly and can be scrolled smoothly. Media content is also made available promptly.
| JetStream 1.1 - Total Score | |
| Asus Zenfone 7 Pro ZS671KS (Chrome 81.0.4044.138) | |
| Sony Xperia 5 II (Chrome 86) | |
| Sony Xperia 1 II (Chrome 85) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 (74.2 - 145.1, n=21) | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10 (Xiaomi Browser V11.4.23) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (last 2 years) | |
| OnePlus 8 (Chrome 83) | |
| WebXPRT 3 - Overall | |
| Average of class Smartphone (39 - 304, n=122, last 2 years) | |
| Asus Zenfone 7 Pro ZS671KS (Chrome 81.0.4044.138) | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10 (Xiaomi Browser V11.4.23) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 (97 - 127, n=23) | |
| Sony Xperia 5 II (Chrome 86) | |
| OnePlus 8 (Chrome 83) | |
| Sony Xperia 1 II (Chrome 85) | |
| Octane V2 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Smartphone (2228 - 89112, n=214, last 2 years) | |
| Asus Zenfone 7 Pro ZS671KS | |
| Sony Xperia 5 II (Chrome 86) | |
| Sony Xperia 1 II (Chrome 85) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 (14606 - 31224, n=23) | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10 (Xiaomi Browser V11.4.23) | |
| OnePlus 8 (Chrome 83) | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total | |
| OnePlus 8 (Chrome 83) | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10 (Xiaomi Browser V11.4.23) | |
| Sony Xperia 5 II (Chrome 86) | |
| Sony Xperia 1 II (Chrome 85) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 (1623 - 2911, n=24) | |
| Asus Zenfone 7 Pro ZS671KS (Chrome 81.0.4044.138) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (388 - 9999, n=173, last 2 years) | |
* ... smaller is better
Sony uses a 128 GB UFS 3.0 storage device in the Xperia 5 II. It provides good read and write speeds, but it can't keep up with the UFS 3.0 and 3.1 storage speeds of the competition. According to the manufacturer, the internal card reader accepts storage media with a capacity of up to 1 TB. With our reference memory card, the Toshiba Exceria Pro M501, however, only comparatively low speeds are reached.
| Sony Xperia 5 II | Sony Xperia 1 II | Xiaomi Mi 10 | OnePlus 8 | Asus Zenfone 7 Pro ZS671KS | Average 128 GB UFS 3.0 Flash | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AndroBench 3-5 | 15% | 59% | 69% | 100% | 57% | 120% | |
| Sequential Read 256KB | 1445 | 1512 5% | 1498 4% | 1707 18% | 1713 19% | 1520 ? 5% | 1508 ? 4% |
| Sequential Write 256KB | 229.5 | 396.4 73% | 680 196% | 748 226% | 766 234% | 546 ? 138% | 1118 ? 387% |
| Random Read 4KB | 187.3 | 196.4 5% | 207 11% | 215 15% | 272.7 46% | 206 ? 10% | 247 ? 32% |
| Random Write 4KB | 172.6 | 181.5 5% | 215.9 25% | 203.9 18% | 284.9 65% | 193.9 ? 12% | 272 ? 58% |
| Sequential Read 256KB SDCard | 34.6 ? | 34.7 ? 0% | 81.8 ? 136% | 67.3 ? 95% | |||
| Sequential Write 256KB SDCard | 30.7 ? | 30.7 ? 0% | 61.6 ? 101% | 55.7 ? 81% |
Games - Well-suited for games
The Xperia 5 II uses a Qualcomm Adreno 650 to display image content. This graphics unit is sufficient to bring modern games with high detail levels smoothly onto the smartphone screen. Accordingly, the titles that we tested ran smoothly and could be controlled via the touchscreen without any problems.
Emissions - Sony Xperia 5 II gets warm
Temperature
In our test, the Sony smartphone warms up to 42.8 °C (~109 °F) under load. The smartphone already feels significantly warm at this point, but it doesn't get hot.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 42.8 °C / 109 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 42.6 °C / 109 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 25.6 °C / 78 F, compared to the device average of 32.7 °C / 91 F.
Speakers
The Sony Xperia 5 II speakers offer medium volume and a wide sound spectrum. This makes them quite well-suited for media content playback in quiet environments. In the long run, however, external speakers or headphones are still recommended.
Sony Xperia 5 II audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (75.7 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 24.7% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (11.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.8% away from median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (8.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.2% away from median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (7.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (19.8% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 24% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 68% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 45% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 48% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
OnePlus 8 audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (89.4 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 27% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (10.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 5.4% lower than median
(+) | mids are linear (4.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 6.1% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (3.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (21.1% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 33% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 59% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 53% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 40% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Battery life - Endurance almost doubled
Energy consumption
In our test, the Xperia 5 II shows a slightly increased energy consumption, which is especially noticeable under load. The included USB power adapter offers an output of 18 watts.
| Off / Standby |   0 / 0.2 Watt |
| Idle |  1.3 / 2 / 2.1 Watt |
| Load |
6.8 / 11 Watt |
    
| |
| Sony Xperia 5 II 4000 mAh | Sony Xperia 1 II 4000 mAh | Xiaomi Mi 10 4780 mAh | OnePlus 8 4300 mAh | Asus Zenfone 7 Pro ZS671KS 5000 mAh | Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | -17% | 35% | 17% | 16% | 4% | 24% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 1.3 | 1.7 -31% | 0.53 59% | 0.9 31% | 0.63 52% | 1.133 ? 13% | 0.897 ? 31% |
| Idle Average * | 2 | 2.3 -15% | 1.46 27% | 2.3 -15% | 2.06 -3% | 2.23 ? -12% | 1.452 ? 27% |
| Idle Maximum * | 2.1 | 2.9 -38% | 1.52 28% | 2.33 -11% | 2.08 1% | 2.45 ? -17% | 1.629 ? 22% |
| Load Average * | 6.8 | 7.2 -6% | 3.83 44% | 3.5 49% | 5.55 18% | 5.26 ? 23% | 5.55 ? 18% |
| Load Maximum * | 11 | 10.6 4% | 8.89 19% | 7.68 30% | 9.71 12% | 9.68 ? 12% | 8.31 ? 24% |
* ... smaller is better
Battery life
In our practical WLAN test, the Xperia 5 II achieves a runtime of over 13 hours. As a result, it can claim second place in our test field and makes good use of its 4,000 mAh battery.
The Sony smartphone also supports power adapters with fast-charging function and is fully recharged after about 1.5 hours.
| Sony Xperia 5 II 4000 mAh | Sony Xperia 1 II 4000 mAh | Xiaomi Mi 10 4780 mAh | OnePlus 8 4300 mAh | Asus Zenfone 7 Pro ZS671KS 5000 mAh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | |||||
| WiFi v1.3 | 793 | 467 -41% | 662 -17% | 1045 32% | 677 -15% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict - Sony Xperia 5 II for smartphone photographers
Sony is consistently developing the Xperia 5 II further. Old strengths are retained and extended with modern hardware. In this way, the Android phone now also supports 5G and is significantly faster when using WLAN. Not only does the stronger hardware ensure a fundamentally improved performance under load, but we also find the system operation to be much smoother. The biggest leap forward, however, is the battery life, since it has almost doubled compared to the predecessor.
The purchase of the Sony Xperia 5 II is especially worthwhile because of the camera software.
Camera enthusiasts will also benefit from the Photo Pro app, as it delivers significantly better pictures than the standard camera application at times. Since the latter also takes visibly longer to save a picture, users can confidently go for the Pro app when it comes to snapshots too. Those who can get used to the form factor of the Xperia 5 II will get a first-class phone that also has its price, though.
Sony Xperia 5 II
-
08/31/2022 v7
Mike Wobker
Pricecompare
