Sony Xperia 5 II review: specs, battery & used prices
Hands-on-style overview of the Sony Xperia 5 II with Qualcomm Snapdragon 865: screen, cameras, battery, performance and what it costs used.
Summary
The Sony Xperia 5 II is Sony's 2020 compact flagship: a 6.1-inch 120 Hz OLED, the Snapdragon 865, and a triple 12 MP camera with a 3x telephoto, all in a 163 g body. It listed at $950; 8/128 GB units now sell for around $225 with a nine-sale sample — the smallest, lightest phone in this comparison, and a long-standing enthusiast favourite.
Display and design
The 6.1-inch OLED runs at 120 Hz with a 550-nit peak — screen quality 57/100 on our axis — in a 163 g flat body with compactness at a perfect 100/100, the most pocketable flagship in the catalog, with IP68 sealing and the 3.5 mm headphone jack.
Performance
The Snapdragon 865 was 2020's best-behaved chip: gaming 18/100 by current standards with settings care, everyday responsiveness 61/100. The 240 Hz motion-blur reduction and gaming-oriented extras were ahead of their time and still function.
Camera
The camera system keeps 12 MP across main, ultrawide, and 3x telephoto, all stabilised, with video to 4K at 60 fps and Sony's pro manual apps. Our camera score of 32/100 measures the hardware plainly; the real-photo consistency across three useful focal lengths is what earned the phone its reputation.
Battery and charging
The 4,000 mAh battery scores 20/100 on battery life — modest by 2026 standards but tuned well for the efficient 865 — while 21 W charging scores 3/100.
Verdict
At around $225 used with nine sales of depth, the Xperia 5 II remains the definitive small-flagship bargain: 120 Hz, a true telephoto, headphone jack, and IP68 at 163 g, with resale confidence at 100/100. Battery size and slow charging are the honest limits. The Xperia 5 IV is the newer compact iteration; the Xperia 1 III is the same-era big-screen sibling.
Data sheet
Overall score
mid (0–100 composite of performance, battery, value and longevity)
Review scores
nanoreview.com editorial · 0–100| Screen | 6.1" OLED |
|---|---|
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 |
| Memory (RAM / storage) | 8 GB / 128 GB · 8 GB / 256 GB |
| Battery | 4,000 mAh |
| Main camera | 12 MP |
| Released | 2020 · Android |
Memory & used prices
| RAM / storage | New | Used (eBay median) | Listings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 / 128 GB | $950 | $225 | 9 listings |
| 8 / 256 GB | — | $291 | 1 listing |
Resale trend
Estimate from two anchors: launch MSRP $950 (2020) and used-market median $225 (2026). −21% / year · next year ≈ $177
Cost to own ≈ $3.6/mo · buying now at $225, 2-year horizon
Money could earn ≈ $0.8/mo · the $225 kept at 4.17%/yr (US Treasury 3-month bill, as of Sep 21, 2026)
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