People seem to argue whether Xperia 5 II is a flagship phone or not but all you need to look at is its specs to realize that it is in fact a flagship phone. The confusion arises because Sony also releases Xperia 1 models (see my Xperia 1 II review here) which happen to be the more recognized flagship model of Sony.
Then people also seem to argue that Xperia 5 II isn’t a compact device…and they’re correct in a sense that it isn’t of the size everyone expects a compact device to be. However, Xperia 5 II is a compact Xperia phone. It is compact in comparison to its big bother, that is Xperia 1 II. Xperia 1 II has a dimension of 165.1 x 71.1 x 7.6 mm (6.5 x 2.80 x 0.30 in) while Xperia 5 II has that of 158 x 68 x 8 mm (6.22 x 2.68 x 0.31 in). Additionally, Xperia 5 II weights 163 g (5.75 oz) which is roughly 18.4 g (0.65 oz) lighter than Xperia 1 II.
Throughout this review you’ll see me compare it with Xperia 1 II because (a) the phone are almost identical and (b) I don’t want to repeat everything I have already said about in Xperia 1 II’s review.
One of the key difference between Xperia 5 II and Xperia 1 II is the display. Unlike Xperia 1 II, you won’t find 4k display with ~643 ppi density in this model, instead you see 1080 x 2520 pixels with ~449 ppi density. As you can see in my Xperia 1 II’s review, 4k on a phone isn’t exactly the easiest thing to notice. Plus, 4k on a phone is still not widely supported by various streaming apps so I think lack of 4k display should not be a deal breaker for vast majority of the Xperia fans.
One of the general complain we heard of Xperia 1 II was the 60 Hz refresh rate. Sure it had the toggle to “reduce motion blur” which kind of mimicked 90 Hz but it wasn’t the same thing as having an an actual 90 Hz display. Xperia 5 II comes with a 120 Hz refresh rate which should be a a pleasant addition for many enthusiast.
The camera hardware is practically identical to that of Xperia 1 II. The key difference is the lack of ToF sensor. Oh and you can now record record 4K HDR 120fps slow-motion clips, which you could not on Xperia 1 II.
Here are a few pictures on Xperia 5 II alongside Note 20 Ultra (my current daily driver).
Note 20 Ultra 
Xperia 5 II
Note 20 Ultra 
Xperia 5 II
Samsung Note 20 
Xperia 5 II
Note 20 Ultra 
So which Xperia do you by?
If you are a fan of the Xperia product, you can’t go wrong with either Xperia. However, features like 120 Hz may be hard to ignore for some while others may want a bigger phone with 4k display. And, perhaps above all, the price difference between the two can’t be overlooked.
Currently Xperia 1 II is listed on amazon for $1098 while Xperia 5 II is listed for $869. It is worth noting that Xperia 1 II was released in May of 2020 and about 9 months later it has only dropped in price by $100. This is an important point to be made because unlike most Android phones, Sony phones tend to be far better at retaining their price.
Closing Thoughts
Although I like Xperia series quite a bit their lack of presence in US is worth highlighting. The lack of deals through carriers means lack of attractive deals in US. Additionally, Xperia series is still lacking a a few latest flagship features like 120 Hz display and 5x or even 10x zoom which could be a deal breaker for the super enthusiast crowd. Otherwise, Xperia 5 II, alike 1 II, is a solid phone build with one of the smoothest stock-like android experiences I have seen with.
