Sony Xperia Z5 vs Sony Xperia Z5 Compact vs Sony Xperia Z5 Premium: What makes Sony’s three new smartphones so different?
Sony isn’t shy about releasing multiple flagship phones each year and the Japanese company has followed up the disappointing Xperia Z3
with not one but a trio of new handsets. First up is the 4.6-inch
Xperia Z5 Compact, a 5.2-inch Z5 and the 4K-display-toting Xperia Z5
Premium.
But what exactly is the difference? Well, not a lot. But
that’s a good thing. Sony hasn’t skimped on the smaller model, so it’s a
real option if you want high-end specs in a smaller, more mangeable
body.
The Z5 Premium has a 4K display
Sony has done a great
job in ensuring that each of these Z5 phones are crammed with top-end
features, but that Premium branding has to mean something, right? The
biggest upgrade the Z5 Premium has over its smaller siblings is a
5.5-inch 4K screen, with a 3840×2160 resolution and an 806ppi pixel
density. Now, to put that into perspective, the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 – noted as having one of the best mobile displays – has a QHD 2560 x 1440 display
with a 518ppi pixel density. There’s a theoretical jump up in
sharpness, but if you’ve read our hands-on with the Premium, we didn’t
notice an exceptional bump in quality.
Related: Sony Xperia Z3 review
Left to right: Xperia Z5 Premium, Xperia Z5 and Xperia Z5 Compact
There’s
been plenty of discussion about whether phones should bother with QHD
panels, so there’s sure to be lots of interest in Sony’s latest effort
and whether there’s a difference to be had. In our eyes there are a few
positives – it’ll be great for virtual reality and for watching 4K
content at native resolution. But considering not many of us have 4K
televisions at home, it does seem a tad ridiculous to put one on a
smartphone right now.
Sony’s software will automatically upscale
content to 4K, with native apps, Netflix and YouTube supported. You’ll
also be able to output video to a compatible television. This could be a
multimedia powerhouse.
In comparison, the regular Z5 has a
5.2-inch 1080p display – we would have liked to have seen this bumped up
to QHD – and the Z5 Compact tones that down to a 720p, 4.6-inch
display.
Each display is equipped with Triluminous tech and
Sony’s X-Reality for Mobile engine, each of which should give accurate
colours.
They’re all different sizes, obviously. But the design is the same.
The
biggest difference between each device is their size. The Compact is,
as the name suggests, the smallest and lightest. Weighing in at 138g and
measuring 127mm x 65mm x 8.9mm.
Next up is the Z5 which tips
the scales at 154g, with dimensions of 143 x 72mm. It also slimmer than
the Compact, with a thickness of 7.3mm.
The largest device is the
Premium. This weighs 180g and measures 154.4mm x 75mm x 7.8mm. Again,
it’s much bigger, yet slimmer than the Compact.
Design wise,
each phone is very similar. The look hasn’t changed much from previous
iterations, though they now have ‘Xperia’ etched on the side. They’re
all still waterproof, a nice bonus, with an IP56/IP68 rating and no
pesky caps covering the ports.
Related: Sony Xperia Z6 release date
Each has the same camera, processor and fingerprint sensor
We’ve
praised Sony before for its approach to its Compact phones, not
skimping on the specs and ensuring they’re on par with the larger
models. Things haven’t really changed this year, as each edition of the
Z5 packs pretty much the same internals.
You’ve got a Snapdragon
810 64-bit processor – yes, the same one that caused all those
over-heating issues on the Xperia Z3 – plus an Adreno 430 GPU. 32GB
internal storage is standard, and microSD cards are supported.
One difference is the RAM, with both the Z5 and Z5 Premium packing 3GB, whereas the Compact will have to make do with 2GB.
Related: How much RAM does a phone need?
They
also all have the same camera tech, an area which Sony is, again,
really pushing with the Z5 series. Each phone is equipped with a 23MP
main camera with a Exmor RS mobile image sensor and a F2.0, 24mm G Lens
with fast auto-focus. Sony is also talking up its digital zoom, which it
says doesn’t deteriorate that quality of the snaps. We’ll have to take
it for a spin before we can cast judgement, though.
Image
stabilisation comes in the form of SteadyShot, while each can shoot
video at 4K. The selfie shooter has also been souped up, again with an
Exmor 5MP sensor and 25mm wide-angle lens.
Finally, each one has
a fingerprint scanner tucked inside the lock switch on the side. From
our initial testing, it seems this is a very fast sensor.
If you’ve been longing for a fully specced out, yet diminutive handset, Sony might have a winner.
They come in different colours
A minor difference, but worth noting nonetheless, each of Sony’s Z5 line-up comes in a different range of hues.
For
the Z5 Compact you can choose between white, graphite black, yellow and
coral, while the Z5 5.2-inch ditches yellow and coral and adds in gold
and green.
Related: Sony Xperia Z5 vs Z4/Z3 vs Z3
The
colour selection is smaller for the Z5 Premium, with just gold, chrome
and black being the choice. Now, where have we seen those three colour combos before?
Each has a different battery
With
bigger phones comes more space for a larger battery, and thankfully
Sony has made the most of the space. The Z5 Premium packs a 3430mAh
cell, the Z5 a 2900mAh version and the Compact a 2700mAh. Sony claims
each phone should last two days of use, but that can be improved further with the Stamina mode.
We’ll
have to wait until we get these devices in for review to see how long
the battery really lasts, but those estimates seem impressive.
Especially for the Premium, which has a 4K screen and a battery smaller than that from the Moto X Play, which only has a 1080p screen.
Early verdict
While they aren’t a huge change for the brand, there are a couple of things that have us excited about
Sony’s new phones. The Z5 Compact could be the perfect mix of power,
battery life and features and, depending on how much it costs, possibly
value. With phones getting bigger, it’s nice to still see a well-specced compact device.
Then
there’s the 4K display on the Z5 Premium. It might not make looking at
emails or browsing the web better, but it could help with VR and viewing
4K recorded content.
Will these phones see a rise to the top for Sony? We’ll have to wait and see.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
