Sony's new flagship phone, the Xperia 5 II, may not have the most glamorous name However, it has some fascinating features that you won't even get with the iPhone 12

As Sony has announced, the Xperia 5 II will join Sony's other flagship phone, the Xperia 1 II, with many of the same features but in a more compact 61-inch size compared to the 65-inch Xperia 1 II It will cost $949 in the US and £799 in the UK, and is available in black and blue [The price of $949/£799 is higher than the OnePlus 8, making it a considerably more expensive device, but cheaper than the Galaxy S20

Sony focuses a lot on the phone's camera in its press release, removing any mention of technology borrowed from the company's Alpha series of DSLR cameras The phone also functions as a wireless monitor for Sony cameras if you own a compatible model

The front of the phone has a single 8MP camera, while the rear array consists of three 12MP sensors, which Sony describes as 16mm, 24mm, and 70mm equivalent focal length lenses In layman's terms, these are the usual trio of main, 3x optical zoom telephoto, and ultra-wide angle cameras found on most flagships

According to Sony, the Sony Xperia 5 II is the first camera phone capable of recording 120 fps video at 4K and up to 5x slow motion, a very impressive claim

One area Sony seems to be particularly proud of is the Xperia 5 II's burst shot capability with portrait photography and continuous autofocus We have seen Samsung, perhaps the biggest player in Android smartphones, struggle with focusing photos on the Galaxy S20 Ultra earlier this year Perhaps that's why Sony is focusing so heavily on this aspect

The Xperia 5 II also continues the trend of Sony's 21:9 display, which is taller than the usual phone screen The 61-inch FHD+ HDR OLED panel on this phone is very average, if not slightly below flagship phones, but the 120Hz refresh rate is a top-class feature iPhone 12 is expected to stick to 60Hz across the board, which is good news for Sony This is good news for Sony, since the iPhone 12 is expected to stick to 60Hz across the board

In addition to this, there is a 240Hz motion blur reduction feature and a 240Hz response time to screen taps, which can be freely set and locked to a specific value This will be especially useful for mobile gamers who want crisp graphics and responsive controls when playing "Fortnite" or other games If touch controls are not enough for you, you can connect a PS4 DualShock 4 controller for more precise control

Powering the Xperia 5 II is the Snapdragon 865 chipset, the gold standard for flagship Android phones, backed by 8GB RAM and 128GB storage It's too bad it's not the best performing 865 Plus, but we hope it's still strong enough to handle the apps you need Additionally, the Xperia 5 II still offers 5G connectivity

The 4,000 mAh battery with 21W charging is a bit on the small side, given that models like the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra have a 5,000 mAh capacity and slightly faster 25W charging

However, Sony has a trick that allows you to power the phone via a USB-C cable without charging the battery This means that you can connect your phone for gaming or watching movies without experiencing significant heat generated by battery charging, and it is much more comfortable to hold in your hand

Rounding out the Xperia experience are Dolby Atmos-tuned stereo front speakers and a 35mm headphone jack These two features are very rare in modern flagship phones and may be important for users who are particular about sound quality or do not have wireless headphones

While I'll reserve full judgment until I can review the Sony Xperia 5 II, I feel there are very good reasons to consider the Xperia 5 II over its Android rivals and over the iPhone 12, which is likely to be released later this year The sleek camera, 120Hz display, PS4 compatibility, and overall design look appealing, but I wish this device had the new Snapdragon 865 Plus chip