A year after the brand change and the change in direction of its mobile line, Sony unveiled the Mark II models – with multiple improvements, Sony seems to have delivered only the phone that people asked for. But will you get one?
Let’s start with the Sony Xperia 1 II (read “mark two”). The 12MP triple camera has major improvements over the previous generation. For the first time, the cameras use ZEISS calibrated lenses with a ZEISS T * coating which reduces reflections which can create ghost effects.
The main camera has a much larger sensor than before – 1 / 1.7 “versus 1 / 2.55”. The autofocus system can perform 60 AF / AE calculations per second and the camera can take bursts at 20 frames per second (with AF / AE setting for each shot). The camera has also acquired the ability to record 4K videos at 60 frames per second (better late than never). There is no 8K support however, the sensor just doesn’t have the resolution for that.
16 mm (ultra wide) • 24 mm (wide) • 70 mm (telephoto)
Then the zoom camera, which moved to a 70mm lens instead of 52mm – it’s a 3x zoom. And it did so while keeping the same sensor size and camera opening. The ultra wide camera has a larger sensor, going from 1 / 3.4 “to 1 / 2.55”, plus a brighter f / 2.2 aperture.
Then there is the 4K OLED screen – finally, 3,840 x 1,644 pixels, which is 4K cropped in 21: 9 format. As before, the screen is HDR compatible with the Creator mode “powered by CineAlta”, which renders films and broadcasts as the director wished. Also, without notches or punctures of any kind, we know that many of you still don’t like these.
Due to popular demand, Sony has brought back the 3.5mm headphone jack. The hardware has been upgraded to improve audio separation and reduce signal noise to 20 dB.
The Xperia 1 II also has a larger battery – 4000 mAh, compared to 3330 mAh on the first generation phone. The phone always comes with an 18 W USB Power Delivery charger, so the charging speed has not improved. The new model supported wireless charging, which was strangely lacking in the previous model.
The chipset – Snapdragon 865 – brings a faster CPU and GPU (25% faster, says Sony). RAM capacity has increased to 8 GB and storage is 256 GB. In addition, the phone has 5G connectivity and Wi-Fi 6 support for new wireless data speeds generation.
So what do you think – is the Xperia 1 II the phone of your dreams or has Sony missed a feature you care about? And the price of € 1200?
The Sony Xperia 1 II is …
the Sony Xperia 10 II this is the first time the company has used an OLED screen for a mid-ranger. There is no Plus model this year, the only screen available is the 6-inch panel with a resolution of 1080p + (21: 9).
This allowed Sony to add a 2x telephoto lens (which was missing from the non-Plus series last year). The ultra wide 8MP module is brand new for the 10 series, offering the mid-ranger the same three options as the flagship – wide, ultra wide and telephoto (the image quality is different, of course).
The company even solved the battery problem of the previous model – its small capacity. The Xperia 10 II has a 3600 mAh battery, larger than the Xperia 10 Plus (3000 mAh). It supports 18W Quick Charge 3.0, but no wireless charging.
Another major change is the dust and water resistance IP65 / IP68. The OLED screen, triple camera and water resistance make the Xperia 10 II a suitable mid-range alternative to the flagship product of the Xperia 1 II.
However, the chipset of choice – Snapdragon 665 – is a disappointment. It is much better than the 636 used in the old phone, because it has four big cores Kryo 260 Gold and an Adreno 600 GPU. However, considering the price, it is not much.
Speaking of price, this € 370 phone comes with only 4 GB of RAM and no option to get 6 GB. Storage has been doubled compared to last year, 128 GB, but it is probably still d ‘an eMMC chip (Sony doesn’t say anything anyway).