Sony Xperia 5 II review

28 September 2020


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Anonymous, 29 Sep 2020It's not about the convenience, it's about durabi... moreWell I guess it all boils down to the quality of the connector component implemented, there are cheaper and more expensive designed ones.

Never had those issues with connectors on Xperias I used tho, not even after 4 yrs using it now.

But I think the lack of the headphone jack is a bigger problem as much as USB connector is concerned. Using same conn for charge and dongled headphones continuously could wear and tear that conn probably.
And there is always that omnipresent problem of battery wear and tear due to heat via wireless charge.



    Hammadi, 29 Sep 2020Could you please explain what/why is PWM? And why is it harmful?Controlling screen's brightness via PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation) is basically turning on and off its light with certain frequency (instead of having it being lit constantly). Human's eyes react to this flickering and become tired which also can lead to headaches and other stuff. The lesser the frequency - the more and faster eyes get tired. Try to look at a lamp that is blinking twice per second - you won't sustain that for long. Controlling smartphone' screen's brightness via PWM usually uses frequency of ~240 Hz (1 Hz = 1 time per second), which looks big, but it still affects the user badly. People can have different sensitivity to PWM flickering, but it doesn't mean that less sensitive ones are not affected too.
    OLED screens use PWM-based brightness control (and on not very high frequencies) due to the nature of OLED, something about longevity as I remember. LCD screens do not need PWM for that, but cheap ones also may use it.

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      • Anonymous
      • LHe
      • 29 Sep 2020

      Anonymous, 29 Sep 2020It's not about the convenience, it's about durabi... moreWhat phones did you use that had issues with USB?

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        • Anonymous
        • LHe
        • 29 Sep 2020

        Anonymous, 29 Sep 2020"While OLED can turn off pixels, that is not recommend... moreBecause those lit pixels use excessive energy due to turned off pixels, they are super bright and their life expectancy will decrease because of it. Also burn in occurs faster on brighter pixels. That's why smart drivers turn on all pixels across the screen at 2-3% when most of the image is black.

          tom, 29 Sep 2020Yeah, they do coz if you drop the phone without the case, i... moreAlways buy flagship phones, never use cases - so far so good.

          I hate having a slim phone and adding extra bulk, kinda contradictory to actually buying a slim phone..

            • ?
            • Anonymous
            • 8uS
            • 29 Sep 2020

            Tann Hauser, 28 Sep 2020I dont really understand why people hype the wireless charg... moreIt's not about the convenience, it's about durability issues - I agree it's not an issue now, but if you want to keep your phone for longer than 2 years (which I'd personally like to if I paid close to 1000 usd for it), the USB connector is inevitably going to feel the lack of the wireless charging... The cables are going to start to wiggle in the connector, it's not going to hold the cable that well, you're going to start experiencing connectivity issues, you're going to have to constantly worry about the cable being positioned well to touch all the contacts, you might even lose some files when transfering from other device because the connector wiggled out, you're obviously going to lose the water resistance in that connector...

            All this could've been postponed several years if they decided to give the phone a wireless charging coil. No excuse on a 900$ phone in 2020, sorry.

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              • Crazy
              • gNU
              • 29 Sep 2020

              I want it

                "Its all the same, plucking in the usb cable into that wireless deck, or into the phone. Either way you have to leave the phone on a certain spot, and wait for it to charge. Lots of more waiting time with wireless tho."

                not to mention the simple fact that the qi charging station comes at additional costs while the regular usb cable comes as standard in the box and has other uses too. so let me see... plug-unplug daily (takes a couple of secs each time) vs a few dozens, if not more, euro for the station and (quite) a few extra for the phone itself... hmmmm....

                though, i can understand the preference of some for this feature, for instance when placing in the charging station in the car. market studies show is rather a techy thing than a practicality one.

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                  • AnonD-807890
                  • 6sE
                  • 29 Sep 2020

                  Tann Hauser, 29 Sep 2020Yep, its astonishing they added a 3.5 mm jack, larger 4000 ... moreI really don't see the appeal of the headphone jack any more. I've just recently got a Bluetooth kit for my car so I'm now completely cable-free with regards to audio. It's not a deciding factor anymore, at least for me.

                  I found it particularly strange that Sony had so many wired headphone users in the 5 II promo, because the on-ear 1000XM4 which was also featured is an excellent pair of Bluetooth headphones.

                    AnonD-807890, 29 Sep 2020Inclusion of wireless charging doesn't mean it'll... moreYep, its astonishing they added a 3.5 mm jack, larger 4000 maH battery, and a larger main sensor in the same footprint as previous model.
                    Someth had to drop, so it was qi wireless...

                    I myself dont mind at all. The 3.5 mm jack conveniance alone is more worth to me over qi conveniance.

                      Anonymous, 28 Sep 2020With 64MP 28mm you cannot record 4K at 70mm. 64MP 28mm ... moreWell, if you aim for better 4K zoom, there are better options than what was mentioned. No phone is perfect.

                        Levy, 29 Sep 2020The 'big deal' is that it's a big deal, as i... moreWell, for ex most other shoot themselves in the foot by not having the conveniance of a must have 3.5 mm jack, which any flagship priced phone should have also. For some people like me, that is a dealbraker.
                        Also Huawei charges premium buck for a phone with a single speaker, yet premium price should merrit stereo speakers on a phone at least.
                        And premium price should guarantee also no intusions on the screen at least IMO.

                        Anyways, its ok to have qi as an option, but definitely not mandatory, as I dont see the dealbraking merrit here. Any flagship phone lacks sth that should be there for that asking price.

                        Its all the same, plucking in the usb cable into that wireless deck, or into the phone. Either way you have to leave the phone on a certain spot, and wait for it to charge. Lots of more waiting time with wireless tho.
                        And believe me, most users dont even use qi wireless on their phone, yet pay premium for a phone with it.

                        But I understand if its a dealbreaker for some, I just reason it should not be, as the funcionality gain is minimal.

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                          • Dolle
                          • mrr
                          • 29 Sep 2020

                          Is it better than the Samsung note 10? This is also quite compact.

                            • Y
                            • Yolo
                            • MJM
                            • 29 Sep 2020

                            Anonymous, 29 Sep 2020S20 does not have a curved screen. Stop making baseless sta... moreSamsung s20 does have curved screen,i own one. Its slippery in hand and very fragile

                              Anonymous, 29 Sep 2020So much hype by Sony fans yet not one Sony Xperia 1 II user... morehttps://www.xda-developers.com/sony-xperia-10-ii-gets-official-support-for-bootloader-unlocking/
                              .
                              Only Xperia 10 II has been unlocked so far. Xperia 1 II hasn't been officially added for now. Done, short, solid, clear.

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                                • pan
                                • sxr
                                • 29 Sep 2020

                                AnonD-807890, 29 Sep 2020Inclusion of wireless charging doesn't mean it'll... morecheck the masterclass videos, the "blueprint" prioritizes other thing over wireless charging...
                                clue - gaming

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                                  • Levy
                                  • q{r
                                  • 29 Sep 2020

                                  The Albion, 28 Sep 2020What's the big deal re wireless charging ?The 'big deal' is that it's a big deal, as in it's a convenience feature that a premium smartphone is expected to have in 2020! Why would Sony shoot themselves in foot by omitting a feature like that is beyond me, especially since they, at long last, produced a phone that's a complete package otherwise.

                                    • p
                                    • pan
                                    • sxr
                                    • 29 Sep 2020

                                    Anonymous, 29 Sep 2020S20 does not have a curved screen. Stop making baseless sta... mores20 has a "curved display" but less curved than the previous generations... i think they are "flattening the curve"... it doesnt take much effort the read gsmarena reviews before you tell others that they have "baseless claims"... do verify the "basis"

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                                      • AnonD-807890
                                      • 6sE
                                      • 29 Sep 2020

                                      Inclusion of wireless charging doesn't mean it'll be bulkier. It just means Sony wasn't willing to overhaul the blueprint of the 1st gen. Xperia 5 which this is based on.

                                      Once you switch to wireless charging it's hard to switch back, so I'm fairly bummed out.

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                                        • Anonymous
                                        • TRF
                                        • 29 Sep 2020

                                        Anonymous, 29 Sep 2020All of that don't matter once you drop the phone. Sony... moreS20 does not have a curved screen. Stop making baseless statements.

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