Sony Xperia 1 II release date leaked: the media powerhouse could arrive 'later this month'

The Sony Xperia 1 II – or Xperia 1 Mark 2, to give it its less-confusing name – is set to go on sale imminently, with a tweet from Sony itself suggesting the new media-powerhouse phone could arrive within the next couple of weeks.

This comes from Sony's Spanish-language Twitter account, which put out a tweet saying (translated): 'The Xperia 1 II will be available on the market later this month'.

The phone was unveiled in an online event in February, but Sony didn't provide details of pricing or a release date.

But it seems we could see Sony's newest smartphone very soon, and this is from a source very close to the matter, although the absence of an official announcement from Sony suggests the release date wasn't meant to be announced just yet.

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At time of writing it's April 14, so 'later this month' suggests it'll be coming in the next two weeks. That's quite a narrow window for the phone to be released.

Of course, it's possible that the Sony Xperia 1 II will only be available in Spain in the next few weeks, with a global rollout later, but Sony typically hasn't staggered its releases by country before, so we're hoping to see the device available in many regions by the beginning of May.

Now, we're just waiting to hear a price for the handset, which will likely be unveiled when the device is released.

What is the Sony Xperia 1 II?

The Sony Xperia 1 II is the newest flagship smartphone from the company, designed for people who like to consume content on their phone. 

To that end it has a 21:9 aspect-ratio 6.5-inch 4K screen and stereo speakers, as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack for people who like wired audio. It might be perfect, therefore, for people stuck at home and looking for a top-end cinematic experience while movie theaters remain closed.

Sony phones are typically fantastic for gaming too, with high processing power and lots of top games optimized for the longer screen.

While we have had a chance to review the Xperia 1 II yet, we have reviewed the Xperia 1 and Xperia 5, and you can read those reviews to get a feel for Sony's 2019 smartphones, and some idea of what to expect from the Xperia 1 II.

And of course we'll be reviewing the new phone when it's released – hopefully soon – so stay tuned for that.

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