Android phones have never really been known for exceptional camera quality when it comes to taking videos, but Sony is setting out to change that. The company's newest phone, the Xperia 5 II, starts shipping next month, and it purports to offer the world’s first 4K HDR 120fps slow-motion movie recording from a smartphone. Now Sony has partnered with a former Ubisoft director to release a short film shot entirely on the Xperia 5 II — and wouldn't you know it, it looks pretty darn good.
The video, titled After Dark, runs about three minutes in length. In that brief time frame, filmmaker Liam Wong captures some stunning scenes in the city of London after nightfall. The quality is definitely impressive, with dynamic colors and almost no low-light noise to be seen. Both HDR and SDR versions are embedded below, but you'll probably want to watch the SDR one unless you're watching on a proper HDR-compatible display.
HDR.
SDR.
While these are definitely impressive to look at, they aren't necessarily indicative of what an average user will be able to pull of with the Xperia 5 II. Sure, all these shots were taken on the phone, but there was probably lots more equipment and editing involved with the process as well. The video was shot using Sony's Cinematography Pro software with special color grading applied, too.
A look behind the curtain into the creation process.
Still, it's cool to see what Sony's latest phone is capable of in the right hands. The company is one of the kings of the camera world, but has struggled at times to work those strengths into its mobile lineup. We'll have to wait and let the Xperia 5 II speak for itself when it starts shipping sometime next month.