Sony Xperia 1 II

The Sony Xperia 1 II is Sony’s best phone in years. It takes inspiration from some of the brand’s biggest products and melds them into a phone that feels very different from the usual Android competition.
With the 4K OLED display that takes some skills from the Bravia line to the Alpha-inspired triple camera array, this is a Sony phone through-and-through.
But are these features simply tacking on a well-known brand for the sake of it? Or do they make for a winning combination?
Screen – The Xperia 1 II has the best screen for video
The Sony Xperia 1 II is a beast when it comes to the display, at least on paper and if you’re a fan of watching lots media, be it Netflix or YouTube, on your phone then there is lots here to get you excited.
It remains the only phone out there with a 6.5-inch 4K screen, boasting HDR 10-bit colour support and an OLED panel. It also eschews the notch completely – giving you an uninterrupted 21:9 display that is properly immersive.
One spec you will notice is missing from the bumper list is a 90 or 120Hz panel – a feature common on just about every other 2020 flagship, especially those that cost as much as this. Now, Sony has introduced some motion smoothing tricks which can give the impression of a faster refresh rate in certain instances, however it’s not as successful as a true 120Hz panel.
So, is 4K a worthy replacement for this faster panel? I do like how Sony is doing things differently here and not following the usual mold set by other Android phones. I don’t say this often very but the Xperia 1 II feels unique, and the 4K display is part of that attraction. In usual day-to-day use, I doubt you’ll notice the extra pixels and that’s whether you’re coming from a phone with a quad-HD display or even 1080p. 
Fire up a YouTube video that is uploaded at full 2160p resolution and you do notice the extra clarity and sharpness over the competition. For most people, the difference will be minimal – but for those who this phone is aimed at will appreciate it. I do wish apps like Netflix, Prime Video and Play Movies would let me use all the resolution possible, as at the minute they seem to max out at 1080p. HDR is supported in Netflix though, and content looks great.
The other slight quirk about this display is the tall 21:9 aspect ratio. This is great for content shot at this size, movies for instance and lots of Netflix originals, yet it’s not so good for 16:9 or 18:9 stuff. You’ll want to stretch most videos out to avoid black bars either side of the screen. I have found most apps work fine, with games like Call of Duty mobile making extra use of the screen real-estate.
Resolution is only one thing and a good display requites plenty of other traits. Thankfully the Xperia 1 II impresses here too. The CineAlta ‘Creator Mode’ aims to give you a better representation of content, supporting 10-bit colour and the...