There were gossips about a large Sony Xperia 5 Plus, but that never came to be. Now there are rumours about a phone that is quite the contrary – an Xperia 5 II with a sub-6” screen. This phone will be launched in Japan in the second half of this year, according to insider informants.
The phone will sport a 5.6-5.8” screen, reduced from the 6.1” panel on the first Xperia 5. There’s a high chance that this phone will have 5G connectivity, making it the first sub-6” phone to have 5G.
After Xperia 1 II, it will be only Sony’s second 5G phone. There’s also the Xperia Pro, but that is barely targeted at consumers. It does include mmWave (the Xperia 1 II only offers sub-6GHz), but that needs extra antennas, which may not accomodate in a smaller body.
This Xperia 5 II can slot suitably between the Xperia 1 II and 10 II – smaller than the premium flagship, more efficient than the mid-ranger. However even with 5G, the flagship status of this phone is not definite.
And nor is its name. A few months ago there was a rumor about an “Xperia 9” with Snapdragon 765G, which has a built-in 5G modem. This model was even benchmarked in December 2019, but has proven mainly leak-resistant.
The new rumors say zero about the chipset, but the present Xperia 5 has the flagship Snapdragon 855, which may be yet another cause to change the name. Otherwise, sparseness of leaks may just mean that there is nothing genuine to leak.
