JB2unique / Reddit
Key Takeaways
- Sony is still due to release a new compact smartphone, the Xperia 5 V, which offers similar features to the Xperia 1 but at a more affordable price before the year is out.
- A leaked video suggests that the Xperia 5 V will have a fresh new design, with two larger and more prominent camera lenses on the rear.
- The video also hints at the presence of a 3.5mm headphone jack and the smartphone being available in white, blue, and black color options.
Sony recently announced the flagship Xperia 1 V smartphone and the mid-range Xperia 10 V smartphone but they aren’t likely to be all we hear from the company before the year is out. There is the next iteration of the compact Xperia 5 still to come if previous release patterns are anything to go by.
The Xperia V sits in between the Xperia 1 and the Xperia 10 and it has traditionally been the sweet spot with Xperia smartphones, offering many of the great features and a very similar design to the Xperia 1, but in a more compact format and at a slightly more affordable price.
It’s not due for release for a couple of months – usually it is announced between August and October – but there has been a pretty substantial video leak of the device that shows it off in all its glory, whilst suggesting a big change for Sony’s compact flagship.
The video was posted on Reddit by JB2unique (spotted by Android Authority) and it’s nearly a minute long in what appears to be an advert for the unannounced device. The video shows the same long and narrow form factor we have seen on Sony’s Xperia smartphones since the first Xperia 1 was announced in 2019, and it shows slim, flat edges.
Unlike the Xperia 5 V’s predecessor – the Xperia 5 iV – however, the device doesn’t look like a smaller version of the Xperia 1 V. Instead, it appears to take on a fresh, new look, especially on the rear where the cameras are. In place of the slim, pill-shaped camera housing with three lenses that the Xperia 1 and Xperia 5 devices have both offered for several years, there are two larger and more prominent camera lenses.
The first thing to note here is two lenses instead of three, suggesting that Sony is ditching one of the Xperia 5’s rear lenses, probably the telephoto one. The second thing to note is that the design of the device in the video is quite a big leap for Sony and we are here for it.
Elsewhere, the video shows the Xperia 5 V could come with a 3.5mm headphone jack at the top – something of a unique trait to Sony, who has stuck with the technology despite many others ditching it – and it appears to come in three colour options of white, blue and black. We’d fully expect to see IP ratings of IP65 and IP68 and we also expect to see USB-C and a decent-sized battery.
The video posted to Reddit is by no means official – though it certainly looks like it – so for now, this information on the Xperia 5 V is not confirmed. It’s not clear where the video has come from, but as it exists, it’s possible we might hear about this new Sony smartphone sooner rather than later. Plus, if this is what the Xperia 5 V looks like though, give it to us right now.