In September last year, Sony announced a new flagship phone called the Xperia 5, a compact follow up to the tall and slim Xperia 1. Well, now the company has gone super-tall again for the Mark II version of that phone.
Sony has tapped into its Alpha camera technology for the newly-developed triple-lens snapper to the rear. The standout feature here is the continuous shooting chops of 20 frames per second with tracking autofocus and auto exposure enabled. This is reported to work in low light conditions, thanks to a combination of a dual-photo-diode AF sensor, a 3D iToF (indirect Time-of-Flight)) sensor, a new 1/1.7-in Exmor RS image sensor and the Bionz X for Mobile image processing engine.
There's real-time eye-tracking AF for people and animals too, and that new 12-megapixel Exmor mobile image sensor is 50 percent larger than the previous model, and users are given three focal length options for the Zeiss optics – a 16-mm F2.2, a 24-mm F1.7 and a 70-mm F2.4. Meanwhile the 8-MP selfie camera out front has an aperture of F2.0 and an 84-degree field of view, and can take advantage of the phone's 5-axis stabilization technology.
The Xperia 1 Mark II has Snapdragon 865 processing brains, supported by 256 GB of internal storage, with microSDXC expansion, and 8 GB of RAM. It runs Android 10 and features dual-SIM slots. There's a fast charge-capable 4,000 mAh battery that can be topped up over USB or via Qi wireless charging.
Screen watchers are treated to a 6.5-inch 4K (3,840 x 1,644) HDR OLED display at cinema-wide 21:9 ratio, with new motion blur reduction technology for less frame lag while viewing movies on the go. The included X1 for mobile engine offers remaster technology from the company's Bravia televisions, and audio quality hasn't been forgotten either.
First, there's Dolby Atmos sound on tap, with special tuning courtesy of Sony Pictures. Music lovers get a built-in high resolution digital-to-analog converter, tuned by Sony Music. TIDAL streamers benefit from hardware decoding for 360 Reality Audio optimized sound. And a new technology called DSEE Ultimate makes use of AI to enhance audio frequency and bit-rate in real time. All of this audio goodness is output through the stereo speakers to the front or via wired (yes, there is a 3.5-mm audio jack) or wireless headphones.
Mobile movie makers can take advantage of 4K HDR video recording at 24, 25, 30 and 60 frames per second, or there's 2K at 120 fps 10-bit HDR. Optical SteadyShot hybrid optical/electronic stabilization is available for video recording.
Elsewhere, Sony's new flagship boasts Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, Bluetooth 5.1, and it's 5G enabled to boot. The Xperia 1 Mark II can also be connected to a PlayStation DualShock wireless controller for gaming on the go without masking parts of the screen with fingers and thumbs. It's not afraid of inclement weather thanks to IP65/68 water resistance, and durability comes in the shape of Corning Gorilla glass on both sides.
There's no availability or pricing information available as of writing, but going by these specs it's not going to be budget-friendly.
Product page: Xperia 1 II
