How and when to watch the announcement livestream of Sony's next 5G Xperia flagship
With the coronavirus pandemic throwing a monkey wrench into the normal plans of many major mobile tech companies that would have probably unveiled their latest gadgets at the IFA trade show in Berlin, we're certainly not getting a lot of breathing room between special product launch events taking place exclusively online.
Exactly one week after the Motorola Razr 5G announcement and a couple of days on the heels of a virtual LG Wing 5G introduction, Sony is gearing up to take the wraps off its very own next-gen 5G flagship. Unlike the two aforementioned devices, however, the impossibly named Xperia 5 II 5G (pronounced Five Mark Two Five Gee) should settle for a completely conventional slab form factor with no way to bend, flex, fold, flip, or twist to reveal a hidden secondary display.
The traditional high-end Android smartphone is even expected to sport a screen with actual bezels instead of a notch or hole punch, and if you're curious to see the refreshingly old fashioned handset in action, all you need to do is tune into Sony's official event livestream embedded above starting at 9 AM CEST on September 17.
Of course, you'll have to be awake to do so, which may prove like a bit of a challenge for New York residents, as the online-only shindig will kick off at 3 AM Eastern Time. That makes it a little easier to watch the event in Los Angeles, for instance, where the live YouTube broadcast is scheduled for a midnight start, although it's pretty obvious this is not a device built with US audiences in mind.
Instead, Sony seems to be thinking primarily about its Europe and Asia-located fanbase, which might be more interested in an extra-tall 6.1-inch phone with three rear-facing cameras developed in collaboration with Zeiss anyway. By no means the mobile tech world's best-kept secret, the 5G-enabled Sony Xperia 5 II is also all but guaranteed to pack a Snapdragon 865 processor, as well as 8 gigs of memory, 128 gigs of internal storage space, and a generous 4,000mAh or so battery.
One of the most exciting features tipped by recently leaked renders is arguably the handset's headphone jack, with a pair of front-firing stereo speakers also expected to contribute to a premium audio experience. Given Sony's history of tragically overpricing its Xperia flagships stateside, we think there's a good chance this bad boy will cost at least $1,000, which wouldn't be so terrible if US 5G speeds were actually part of the package this time around, unlike on the $1,200 Xperia 1 II.
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