Xperia 5 II Unlocked Smartphone

I don't buy phones often; I prefer to keep my phone running as long as I can until it simply doesn't work any more. Sure, I'm a tech enthusiast, but I also don't need the latest technology every year. I just need something that is reliable, practical, and won't become e-waste in a year. For some reason, phones keep getting bigger every year because "bigger is better", but my hands haven't increased in size since my childhood (last I checked) so this trend is just bizarre to me. Fortunately Sony is still making relatively reasonable-sized phones for my un-manly lady-sized hands that can be used one-handed without training for the Thumb Olympics. The Xperia 5 is maybe still just a *little* too wide for my hands, but it gets the job done, and the really tall aspect ratio is a really smart compromise that gives you good screen real-estate without being a phablet. The battery life here is respectable and I usually reach the end of my day with at least 35% battery remaining. It isn't a weekender battery but good enough for my purposes. I've had better, but I've also had a lot worse... What I really appreciate on the Xperia 5 II is the straightforward software experience. The phone comes with something that feels pretty close to stock Android without a bunch of bloat, yet does come with some actually useful quality-of-life features such as Side Sense and an incredibly excellent camera app that gives you a proper manual mode. (The physical button to jump to the camera is awesome by the way.) They're also keeping on top of security updates so far which is nice to see. Overall the device really feels like it gives you the control. There's a ton of useful additions in the settings that let you customize the device instead of locking you into preferences that the developers wanted to force on you. If I had to give a few criticisms of the Xperia 5, I'd say that (1) it seems a bit overpriced for what you get (though it does make sense if their audience is small that they'd have to charge more), and (2) the fingerprint sensor, while in an excellent location, seems to be hit-or-miss sometimes. Usually it causes no trouble, but occasionally it will fail to read my fingerprint several times in a row. Here's hoping that this device will last me for years to come, because this is the most enjoyable phone I've ever had the pleasure of owning.

Hands down best phone I've ever had. Way better than my previous iPhone 11 pro. I did have to take to Verizon store for a new sim card because I couldn't receive texts, but it was free and well worth it. The 120hz display makes the display perfect. Hard to explain unless you compare scrolling side by side with another phone. The dedicated Google assistant and camera shutter buttons are quite useful. I've yet to hit them accidentally. The fingerprint reader was finicky at first but I added the same fingerprint two times and that was resolved. The fast charger that comes with phone works just as described. The headphones (3.5mm) that come with phone sound good, but are fairly cheap feeling. You can plug in usb c headphones if you have and it supports audio, mic, and Google assistant still; or use BT headphones so that's not a deal breaker. The dual stereo front firing speakers on phone are very loud and sound great. Lastly, the cinema and photo pro software apps on phone are awesome if you like photography. There's a learning curve for sure. But I believe it gives the same controls and UI that Sony mirrorless cameras have. And there is still the regular camera app for quick everyday photos. Sony is the absolute best for sure. Phone is insane.

The Sony Xperia phones are the best out there as far as I'm concerned. They do everything you need them to, but don't constantly annoy you with unnecessary bells and whistles which I hate. Powerful and long battery life, this is my fourth upgrade as Xperia phones go and I couldn't be happier! I once tried a brand "S" phone when a previous Xperia phone was no longer useful and I returned it the next day, gladly taking the $50 restocking charge, as I couldn't take its incessant attention grabbing nonsense. Sony Xperia is a very refined phone, and I frankly won't get any other brand when it's inevitably time to upgrade at some point in the future.

I wasn't sure how the long and rather narrow profile would work, but phablets aren't for me and I've quickly become a fan of the Xperia's form factor. The phone does everything it is supposed to do without issues. The user interface is intuitive, display quality is very good, and battery life is excellent. With regular daily use (not hours of streaming or gaming), I can go 3 days with some juice to spare. Note that the 21:9 aspect ratio (called Cinema Wide) will crop some online videos, which can be annoying. The antenna is better than on other phones I've had. My rural cell signal is often 1 or 2 bars only, and the Xperia's call quality and connection stability has significantly exceeded expectations. In my opinion, one area where the phone falls a bit short of the hype is the camera. Sony's Photo Pro editing software is as good as it gets, but the IPhone 11 pro and the Samsung Galaxy S21 both take sharper pictures. Not that the Xperia camera isn't very good, it is. It's just not as good as some of the rave reviews led me to believe it would be, and not as good as the two mentioned above, both of which I have tested side by side against the Xperia. Despite the slightly disappointing camera, I would probably purchase the Sony again because of the quality build, excellent ergonomics, solid feature set, good cell reception (it's a phone, after all), minimum baked-in bloatware, and ... it's not made in China!

Overall good phone. Good battery. I bought it because of the camera which is admittedly very good, however, you have to hold it PERFECTLY still for there not to be any motion blur, which is an impossible feat when using the camera snap button on the side unless you put it in a tripod, and is very difficult a lot of the time with the buttons on the screen. If you're buying for the camera, invest in a good tripod you can take everywhere as well.

I've had the phone for over a year now and it still looks brand new and works like a dream. The finger print sensor works 90percent of the time so I guess that's good enough. The regular camera app is cool, but if you can take the time to learn to use the photo and camera pro app, you won't regret it. A full charge can last for the whole day, if you are not a heavy gamer and the sound quality is impressive. Basically, if you are an xperia fan, this phone won't dissapoint.

The camera had some issues and some photos came out too dark. For a $900 phone the screen size was way too small

AT&T was unable to get Samsung S20+ to work with messaging, so I chose Sony as my next pick. This phone is killer! Camera is unequalled even on auto. Haven't figured out the "pro" mode yet, which should be even better. Gorgeous screen, best battery life I've ever had. No 5G (don't care), and no wireless charging (would have been nice). No regrets. Worked perfectly the instant I stuck an old sim card in it.

Good

Fantastic phone. I'm a loyal Sony user. Been using Sony's since the begining. This design makes it perfect to use in one hand and the camera is absolutely amazing. Not only is it a lot lighter than my my previous Xperia XZ premium but the battery is fantastic and holds the charge alot longer.