Sony Xperia 1 II review

The Xperia 1 II is Sony at its best. Borrowing tech and expertise from the company's other divisions has helped create a truly capable flagship phone - albeit one with more niche appeal than its major rivals. Gamers, spec junkies and film fans will all find something to like here, while photographers will appreciate just how close a phone can get to matching a dedicated camera for speed and flexibility. It even brings back fan favourites missing from the Xperia 1, like wireless charging and the headphone jack. A 4K HDR display and DSLR-sourced camera smarts don't come cheap, of course. Mainstream alternatives like the Samsung Galaxy S20+ cost a lot less, compete closely in terms of performance, and have it beat for camera image quality in certain scenarios. However, opt for a pre-order and you'll bag a free pair of WH-1000XM3 noise cancellers and a three month Tidal subscription, while some network deals undercut a top spec Galaxy or iPhone by as much as £20. If your most-used Android apps are Lightroom and Premiere Rush, you won't find another phone that better caters to your skills out of the box.

4K HDR that fits in your pocket; Pro-level stills and video recording apps; 5G and CPU grunt to match the best phones;

Size can be hard to handle, even with software help; Photos more muted than rivals when shooting in Auto; Pricey;

Sony Xperia 1 II Review

It packs a nice design, plenty of clever touches (headphone port on a flagship feels almost novel at the point) and great software. Save for the £1000/$1000 price, this is Sony’s best phone for a number of years.

Fast focussing; A lovely screen; Great manual camera apps;

Very expensive, especially compared to what else is on the market; Other phones take better pictures in auto mode;

Sony Xperia 1 II review

Sony made unusual (but not necessarily bad) choices with the Xperia 1 II's hardware but if you're after an entertainment powerhouse and can find the phone at a lower price than its RRP, this is a superb way to enjoy media on-the-go to the fullest.

Astounding display; Superb audio abilities; Versatile camera capabilities;

Intimidating Pro camera UI; Pricey;

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 sticks to its usual 21:9 aspect ratio with the Xperia 1 II. This is not a negative, and the sma...

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

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

Sony Xperia 1 II review: Stand out from the crowd

Sony is doing its utmost to make devices that don’t conform with the 2020 smartphone rules. The Xperia 1 II (yes, that’s “one two,” as in the sequel to the Xperia 1) isn’t a curvy all-screen phone, it doesn’t have an in-display fingerprint sensor, and to get the most from the camera, it expects you to know your camera tech already. It does follow the herd with the price though, coming in at a hefty $1,200. It’s refreshing to use a phone that’s not a clone of another this year, but while Sony gets a lot right, the direction it takes in its effort to make the phone stand out is a little too niche. Let’s look at it in more detail. The Xperia 1 II’s look will split opinion, but I think it looks excellent. It uses a 21:9 aspect ratio screen, giving it an elongated, more-tall-than-wide style, and has square- off sides for a boxy, monolithic shape. The black, high-gloss finish on my review phone is classy if a little faceless, and the build quality and construction are superb. You’d expect th...

Beautiful, high-resolution screen; Compact design that's easy to hold; Camera takes great photos; Excellent audio;

Fingerprint sensor is weak; No 5G in the U.S.;

Sony Xperia 1 II review review

4K HDR that fits in your pocket; Pro-level stills and video recording apps; 5G and CPU grunt to match the best phones;

Size can be hard to handle, even with software help; Photos more muted than rivals when shooting in Auto; Pricey;