We have done a couple of reviews of Sony Xperia devices and today we will review Sony Xperia 5. Unlike Xperia 1, it is a little compact device and is on the shorter side. Sony’s obsession with tall mobiles is evident now and here we get another 21:9 screen. The display is one of the main features of these devices. There are some shortcomings in the device which we will discuss in the review.
Sony Xperia 5 Review
There were some devices revealed at IFA 2019. Sony was also among the companies with upcoming devices. Today we will review Sony Xperia 5 which was also at the IFA 2019. Just like the name, the device is not a follow-up of Sony Xperia 1. Which is extremely large and has an unusual design. And it is just because of Sony’s obsession with 21:9 screens.
Sony Xperia 5 has a competition with the likes Samsung Galaxy S10e and iPhone. Though those are some really good devices and Sony has decided to compete while retaining 21:9 screen style. But this device is quite compact than the Xperia 1.
Design
It would be very easy to explain if you look at the dimensions of the phone. Sony Xperia 5 has dimensions of 158 x 68 x 8.2mm. It has the same thickness as Xperia 1 but it is quite short and less wider. The device fits quite normally in your hands, but reaching the top of the screen with your thumb is still a task. The phone has a metal body which is sandwiched between Gorilla Glass 6. The back has three cameras in the top left corner.
As we know that Sony has refused to adopt the norms, so you will find a forehead and a chin too. Though they are not disturbingly big. The right side of the device contains volume rockers, fingerprint sensor, power button and a camera dedicated button. There are too many buttons on the side and sometimes it gets frustrating. USB-C port and a speaker are at the bottom of the device. For a cinematic mobile, there is no audio jack available on the phone.
Display
The display is the thing where Sony seems to be working on extensively. There is no 4K display here but AMOLED display of Sony Xperia 5 gives the resolution of 2,520×1,080 pixels. And it is not bad at all. There is no disturbance in the screen, no notch, no punch-hole and you get a 21:9 aspect ratio. The 21:9 content looks amazing on the phone. For the content that is not 21:9, you will get black bars on both sides. And for the downside, there not much 21:9 content available online.
Watching movies and playing games both are marvellous on this screen. Colours come out bright and vibrant. There are many display options too. The viewing angles are great and you can view things on this screen from any angle you are holding the mobile. The brightness is an issue, the screen is not as bright as that of the P30 or Galaxy S10+. Except that, the screen is a wonder to watch.
Hardware & Performance
Sony Xperia 5 has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor. With this processor, there would be no performance set back that you are going to face. This processor is paired with 6GB of RAM which makes the device even faster. Whether it is multitasking or switching between the apps the mobile does it all without a hiccup.
Playing intensive 3D games is also not an issue on this phone. There is also a game enhancer mode which blocks all the notifications while you are playing so that you don’t get disturbed by them. Even without that, gaming is no issue on this mobile. So whatever you throw at it, the mobile takes it all like a champ. The phone has a vast memory of 128GB which you can use up to your desire.
Sony Xperia 5 runs on Android 9 Pie. And we expect that the phone will get Android 10 upgrade soon. The UI of the mobile is clean and easy and there is an app drawer on the phone. In daily life, the mobile does all the tasks quite efficiently.
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Camera
The back of the Sony Xperia 5 has three cameras and all the cameras are 12MP. The primary camera, ultra-wide-angle camera, and the telephoto lens all are 12MP snappers. Sony is a giant of imaging and photography but it doesn’t make sense that why the camera experience on its phone is not good enough. And it is quite disappointing. Images taken with the normal camera are acceptable and colours are generated quite well and bright. Images that are taken with this lens also show details. The ultra-wide-angle camera has the same problem that we discussed in the review of Xperia 1. Images are stretched unnaturally which kills the purpose of this camera.
The telephoto lens produces only 2x optical zoom. Oddly, there is no dedicated night mode on Sony Xperia 1. The Scene Optimization mode lightens up the nighttime images. On the front, there is an 8 MP camera. And selfie camera works better without the portrait mode. Portrait mode fails to detect the edges of the object, thus blurring its part too. Sony has removed some of the unwanted features from the camera app. It does good but then these changes brought some issues with them too. Different toggles and options are mangled and it creates a mess sometimes.
Battery
As the screen got downgraded so is the battery. Sony Xperia 5 carries a 3140 mAh battery. And it is way below the battery that should be running screen this big. If you are watching movies and online content throughout the day, you definitely want to charge your mobile before night. But since there is no 4K display, so you might get some extra juice out of the battery. There is a fast charger packed inside the box which charges mobile quickly. Disappointingly, there is no wireless charging option on the mobile. Which should be, on a device of this range.
Bottom Line
Sony Xperia 5 make you remember the compact series that Sony used to launch. It is also a compact phone than Xperia 1 and Xperia 10 Plus. Design is sleek and better, the screen is one of the bests we’ve seen, performance is good. The only under points of Sony Xperia 5 are strictly average cameras and a below-average battery. The device is not so good value of the price it comes in. If you consider this device then you would also want to look what other brands are offering.
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