Sony Xperia 1 II release date and unexpectedly high price announced

While there is nothing surprising about the release of the Sony Xperia 1 II, the shocking part is the unexpectedly high price placed on it. Sony made an announcement that the phone would be sold for $1,999.99 making it a $200 rise from the original Sony Xperia 1, which launched with a $999 price tag.

Sony also announced that they’re offering anyone who pre-orders the phone by June 28 a pair of Sony WF-1000XM3 headphones, the decision may have been taken to justify the high price. Those are one of the best pairs of headphones on the market, being a rival to the Bose QC 35 II. However, with Sony gearing up to launch a newer version which is the Sony WF-1000XM4 headphones, it appears to be more of an effort to clear the older model out of stock.

The latest announcement from the company confirmed the Sony Xperia 1 II specs we already knew. It’ll come equipped with 5G support thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipset, 8GB RAM, and 256GB of internal storage. It’ll also house a 4,000mAh battery, which is 700mAh more than the previous version of the device. Overall, the phone is right where we’d expect it to be for a modern flagship, but they don’t do enough to justify the Sony Xperia 1 II’s $1,199.99 price tag which might be a turn off for potential buyers.

The dope part that makes the Sony Xperia 1 II stand out from the crowd (other than the high price) is its camera. It’s not the best on the market, but it comes with some new features that make it a worthy contender. Specifically, Sony highlighted is the inclusion of 20fps continuous shooting capability, which is a feature no other smartphone has possessed in the past. This could be a big deal for anyone looking to capture photos of moving subjects, as it makes it easier to get multiple photos in a short timespan.

It’ll be interesting to see how buyers react to Sony’s price choice. The Sony Xperia 1 II is shaping up to be a really solid phone, but with such a high price tag, it’s entering the market that it’ll need to work hard for it to thrive.