Sony Mobile Communications unveiled its latest compact handset, the Xperia 5 II, with the company once again highlighting links with its affiliated entertainment brands to differentiate the device.

The mid-range smartphone is the first 5G handset in its compact range and follows the unveiling of flagship versions in March. Xperia 5 II is being promoted on its camera set-up, high resolution screen and gaming features.

Xperia 5 II features a triple 12MP main camera set-up covering different focal lengths, an 8MP front camera and 6.1-inch display, with a range of media-enhancing software included.

In terms of gaming, the company highlighted features including a 120Hz display refresh, and 240Hz touch scanning rates, claimed to deliver “the smoothest and most accurate gaming experience”.

It runs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 5G chipset, 4000mAh battery, and offers 8GB of memory with 128GB storage.

Sony Mobile Communications president Mitsuya Kishida said many of the features took advantage of the company’s background in other consumer electronics covering media, entertainment and gaming.

Xperia 5 II comes in black or blue with a retail price of €899: it is due to launch in the coming months.

Oversights
Commenting on the Xperia 5 II’s prospects, PP Foresight analyst Paolo Pescatore said it “boasts an impressive array of features and is a powerful entertainment hub”.

Although noting it seems “Sony has finally got its mojo back”, he noted the omission of “8K video capture/recording is a huge oversight”, because it would have been more in line with the vendor’s “heritage in content creation and production for unique story telling”.

Despite having “all the pieces” to be successful, Sony is “losing ground in all areas in the consumer electronics landscape”.