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Sony Xperia 1 II gets release date and a high price
Update: June 1, 2020 at 9:25 a.m. ET: A previous version of this article contained a factual inaccuracy about the bundled Sony earbuds. We have updated this article to reflect the correct Sony earbuds. We regret the error.
Original article: May 24, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. ET: Sony has announced the price and release date for its upcoming Sony Xperia 1 II (or Mark 2) flagship. The device is set to go up for preorder on June 1 and ship to buyers on July 24.
Sony Xperia 1 II price and release date
While nothing is surprising about the release window for the phone, the thing that made us do a double-take is the price. Sony announced that the phone would retail for $1,199.99. That’s a $200 jump from the original Sony Xperia 1, which launched with a $999 price tag.
Perhaps in an attempt to justify the price, Sony is offering anyone who preorders the phone by June 28 a pair of Sony WF-1000XM3 earbuds. Those are one of the best pairs of earbuds on the market.
The latest announcement from the company confirmed the Sony Xperia 1 II specs we already knew. It’ll come equipped with 5G support thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipset, 8GB RAM, and 256GB of internal storage. It’ll feature a 4,000mAh battery, which is 700mAh more than the previous version of the device. Overall, the phone is right where we’d expect it to be for a modern flagship, but it remains to be seen if Sony did enough to justify the Xperia 1 II’s $1,199.99 price tag.
The big thing that makes the Sony Xperia 1 II stand out from the crowd is its camera. It comes with some new features that make it a worthy contender. Specifically, Sony highlighted is the inclusion of 20fps continuous shooting capability, which is a feature no other smartphone has offered previously. This could be a big deal for anyone looking to capture photos of moving subjects, as it makes it easier to get multiple photos in a short timespan.
| Sony Xperia 1 II | |
|---|---|
Display | 6.5-inch HDR OLED 3,840 x 1,644 resolution (4K) 643ppi Motion blur reduction (90Hz equivalent) 21:9 aspect ratio Corning Gorilla Glass 6 |
SoC | Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 7nm+ process Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 585 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 585 & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 585) |
GPU | Adreno 650 |
RAM | 8GB |
Storage | 256GB |
Cameras | Rear cameras - Ultra-wide: 12MP sensor, 16mm, f/2.2 aperture, Dual PDAF - Wide: 12MP sensor, 24mm, f/1.7 aperture, Dual PDAF, OIS - Telephoto: 12MP sensor, 70mm, f/2.4 aperture, PDAF, OIS - Depth sensor: 3D iTOF Front camera: 8MP sensor |
Audio | Headphone jack Dual stereo front speakers 360 Reality Audio DSEE upscaling |
Battery | 4,000mAh 21W USB-PD wired charging 15W wireless charging |
IP rating | IP65/68 |
Connectivity | 5G, sub-6GHz |
Software | Android 10 |
Dimensions and weight | 166 x 72 x 7.9mm 181g |
Colors | Black, Purple |
It’ll be interesting to see how buyers react to Sony’s price choice. The Sony Xperia 1 II is shaping up to be a really solid phone, but with such a high price tag, it’s entering the market in a valley that it will need to work hard to climb out of.