Sony Xperia 1.2 (5 Plus)/(Sony 2020 flagship) rumor review: Design, specs, price, release date

Just in time for the next big mobile event in tow, what seems like the perfect candidate for Sony's next flagship phone has just leaked gloriously. Dubbed Xperia 1.2 (or 5 Plus depending on who you ask), the device will most certainly be unveiled at the MWC 2020 trade show in Barcelona, Spain, where Sony has a long-going tradition of announcing at least one new phone each year. Back in 2019, that was the Xperia 1, a transformative device that introduced a new design language and sort of aimed to bring Sony back into the mainstream. Sadly, it didn't, but the freshly-leaked Xperia 1.2 by Steve Hemmershoffer looks like it could be the catalyst of something good for the Japan-based phone manufacturer. Let's see why that is by exploring all rumors regarding this upcoming Xperia flagship. For the sake of brevity, we'd refer to it as the Xperia 1.2. 

The design of the Xperia 1.2 looks like the biggest upgrade in comparison with the previous Sony flagship, and it looks very, very ellegant. From the looks of it, the phone could be one of the most forward-thinking and modern phones. The display of the phone doesn't have any interruptions, no notches or punch-holes to accomodate the venerable selfie camera. The latter is housed in the relatively thin top bezel of the phone, which doesn't seem to be such a big deal. 

Speaking of the display, it seems to be utilizing the 21:9 ratio that the Xperia 1 introduced more less than a year ago, making up for one tall phone. The display itself is said to be a 6.6-inch OLED panel, a 0.1-inch increase over the Xperia 1, which falls in line with our expectations. The display will most certainly be a 4K HDR OLED one, building onto the foundation laid out by the Xperia 1 last year. 

Glass is, again, the main build material, with a thin aluminum frame holding everything in place. What's more important here is that Sony has decided to go even further and make even better use of the inevitable bezel - the Xperia 1.2 will most probably come with a pair of front-facing speakers. That's a rarity these days as most phones with stereo speakers simply can't make them front-facing due to space concerns. This will mark the return of front-facing speakers, which we last saw on the Xperia XZ3. Good on Sony for utilizing those bezels in the best way possible!

In terms of size, rumors claim the Xperia 1.2 will have dimensions of 168.2 x 71.6 x 8.1mm, which wouldn't make it any bigger than last year's Xperia 1, which had dimensions of 167 x 72 x 8.2 mm. 

Instead of a trendy, yet hit-or-miss in-display fingerprint scanner, Sony will likely opt for a traditional fingerprint scanner on the right side of the phone. It might not be as cutting edge as those ultrasonic and optical scanners, or as convenient as a three-dimensional face-detecting biometric, but will probably be way more reliable.

Speaking of old-school design choices, Sony is seemingly vowing to keep the dedicated shutter button on the side for easier photo snapping, but did you know that the next Xperia flagship... might even score a 3.5mm headphone jack at the top? It's been a few years since we last saw one of those on a Sony flagship, but it seems that the Japan-based company is willing to go back to its roots in order to flirt with its fanbase. 

In terms of hardware, it would make the most sense for Sony to use the latest Snapdragon 865 chipset in its next flagship, paired with at least 8GB of RAM and an ample amount of storage, hopefully 128GB or more. 5G support will most certainly be on board as well. Hopefully, a nice sizeable battery would be included at the rear, but thanks to Stamina mode, battery life has never really been a big issue for Sony phones.

A leaked image claiming to showcase the battery size of the Xperia 1.2 reveals that the flagship could get a huge 4,400mAh juicer to power the large 5G-capable device. This would be a great increase in battery backup in comparison with last year's Xperia 1, which had a measly 3,300mAh battery. 

Camera

Honestly, we would have been totally surprised if we saw anything but a triple-camera system at the rear of the Xperia 1.2. The now-standard wide, ultra-wide, and telephoto setup will be vertically positioned at the top left side at the back of the phone. To top things up, we have a Time of Flight sensor, which should help capture better portraits. Meanwhile, the selfie camera at the front is tipped to be an 8MP one, which sounds kind of lackluster in comparison with other contemporary phones, but let's not forget megapixels don't matter that much. Features-wise, the CineAlta-powered Creator Mode with manual video controls is very, very likely to make the cut. Hopefully, the eye-tracking autofocus system makes the cut, too.

Update: A recent leak claims to reveal a penta-camera setup for the upcoming Xperia flagship: It will have a main 12MP camera with 1/1.5" 2.1-micron sensor, a second 64MP 1/1.7"-sensor camera, a 2MP ToF, a periscope camera with OIS, either 125 or 250mm in focal length, and a 12MP 1/3.4"-sensor ultra-wide angle, possibly with a 15mm focal length.  

Provided that the Sony Xperia 1.2 gets announced at MWC 2020, which will most certainly happen, we expect it to hit the shelves in May or June 2020, as Sony usually takes its sweet between an announcement and actual release.

The price of the Xperia 1.2 will probably be in the ballpark of $949-$999 for the most basic version, as Sony's flagships always charge a premium. If Sony comes up with an even more spec'd-out version of the Xperia 1.2, we could be looking at an even higher price tag.