Sony Xperia Z5 First Impression: A Device with Monster Lens

By Vivek
|

Sony has kick started the launch spree at the IFA 2015 and to be frank, the new Xperia Z5 devices are pretty good looking. The Japanese tech giant has also evolved enough to give a subtle variations to its three devices this time. The Xperia Z5, Xperia Z5 Premium and the Xperia Z5 Compact are what apparently Sony has to offer this year.

 

Rating:
4.0/5

Sony Xperia Z5 First Impression: A Device with Monster Lens

Anyway, we got a brief time to play with the Xperia Z5 at the IFA 2015, Berlin and here is how the device made us feel. Obviously, Sony has improved a lot over the years and has been able to give its best to the market both in premium and standard market. The New Xperia Z5 is premium for sure and has great features as well. Let's go ahead with the details:

 

Design

The latest Xperia Z5 in terms of design is quite different, if looked at the Sony's previous Xperia Z smartphones. The use of the matte finish back panel is pretty unique in terms of look and has complimented the rectangular form factor that Sony follows religiously, pretty well. The device will also be available in White, Graphite Black, Gold and Green colors.

Sony Xperia Z5 First Impression: A Device with Monster Lens

Also this time around the buttons alignment have been re arranged and re-designed. Moreover, the power button which was previously circular has become flat and much better. Placed close to the center of the right edge the new power button fits flush to the side edge. The volume rocker is better with a thin and protruded nob and just below that you will find the new camera button which is half the length of the volume rocker.

On the other side, on one end you will see a deeply engrained "XPERIA" branding and on the other there is a latch that opens up for SIM and MicroSD card. The bottom of the phone houses a microUSB port. The top edge towards the left-hand side, you will see a 3.5mm headphone port and beside it is a microphone as well. The 23MP camera with a LED flash is fitted on the top-left part of the rear panel while the NFC logo is just an inch or two away towards the center.

Sony Xperia Z5 First Impression: A Device with Monster Lens

The 5.2-inch display makes the Xperia Z5 quite handy compared to its premium sibling Xperia Z5 Premium. The metal frames do make the device sturdy and also add a kind of a design factor. The pocketable device is much better to use with one-hand.

One of the best things that Sony has done with the Xperia Z5 to fit in the current market is the implementation of the fingerprint sensor engraved in the power button. However, we couldn't see much of the use of the new hardware apart from the regular lock and unlock.

Perhaps, there wouldn't be Xperia Z series if it wasn't waterproof. Hence, even the new one come with an IPX5 / IPX8 rating for dust and water resistance. Frankly, the Xperia Z5 is quite impressive in terms of design and build. More importantly, the company's choice of the size of the device is quite smart.

Sony Xperia Z5 First Impression: A Device with Monster Lens

Display

One wouldn't be much impressed in the display department because the Sony Xperia Z5 comes with a 5.2-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) Triluminos Display. The display was pretty sharp and crispy but the brightness level of the display was not quite enough under the direct sunlight. The color reproduction was good enough and the contrast of the display was better than the older Xperia Z phones. The tough response was quite smooth and fast but not the best that we've seen so far.

Power, Processor and OS

Powered by one of the latest Qualcomm processors - the Snapdragon 810, the Xperia Z5 is for sure one of the most powerful devices. The octa-core chipset does offer a lot of features. Besides being a 64-bit chipset that complements the 4G LTE connectivity and 4K video play back facility, it also offers a great feat for gaming to the phone..

Sony Xperia Z5 First Impression: A Device with Monster Lens

Additionally, the Adreno 430 GPU further makes the device one of the best ones for graphic centric game players. Well, we did use the device for a while and opened quite a lot of apps at the same time to see how the device can handle multi-tasking. Well, it did make us happy in this aspect. However, there weren't any games available due to the technical difficulty at the venue, hence we couldn't do a lot to test the graphics.

Anyway, it could be the 3GB RAM that could be responsible for the smooth multi-tasking experience.The new Xperia Z5 gets all the rich features of the Android Lollipop V5.1. The intricately slapped native UI appears very similar to the ones that we have seen in the other Xperia Z phones in the past. However, we didn't see a great deal of improvement in this aspect.

Sony Xperia Z5 First Impression: A Device with Monster Lens

Camera

Similar to its premium model, the Xperia Z5 also features a large 1/2.3 Exmor RS 23MP sensor and F2.0 G Lens. The device is capable of 4K video recording and much more. The camera is a complete re-invented. There is a better image stabilizer and new modes as well. You can check out the camera samples that we clicked with it as well. The camera UI is simple and easy to use, but there as a mild heating when the camera was left switched on for a while. Well let's hope that there wouldn't be any such scenarios in the marketed units. The 5MP frontal camera on the device takes care of the selfies if in case you are wondering.

Sony Xperia Z5 First Impression: A Device with Monster Lens

Anyway, this is a first impression and we couldn't do much of a testing with it in a short span of time. But we will shortly come up with the full review of the camera soon with the proper feedback on the imaging capabilities of the phone.
Storage and Connectivity

As far as the internal memory is concerned, the Sony Xperia Z5 features 32GB of native storage which can be further enhanced up to 200GB via microSD card. This gives the device a better market prospect.

As far as the connectivity options are concerned the Xperia Z5 features 4G LTE / 3G HSPA+, WiFi 802.11a / b / g / n / ac (2.4GHz / 5GHz) MIMO, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS/ GLONASS, MHL 3.0, and NFC. Moreover, the device is also capable of taking 2 SIM card and a microSD card.

Sony Xperia Z5 First Impression: A Device with Monster Lens

Battery

Although, we are not sure how it serves the best to the Xperia Z5 at the moment, the 2900mAh Battery seems not quite befitting the strength of the device. However, you will get the Sony's proprietary STAMINA mode for battery management. Perhaps, another addition to the battery is the feature that is popular these days - the quick charge. This is achieved courtesy of the Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0. Sony could have given a larger cell in this particular device.

Sony Xperia Z5 First Impression: A Device with Monster Lens

Conclusion

Frankly, the Xperia Z5 is a very user friendly device in terms of size and the usability. The smartphone has a high chance of making a dramatic entry in the market. Moreover, the monstrous camera and its components jell quite well to deliver the best image. However, looking at the contemporary market, Sony should have offered a QHD display if not 4K that is being used by the Xperia Z5 Premium. That doesn't, however, imply in anyway, that the Full HD panel is not enough. Leaving all the grievances apart, the new device is worth the market attention and we are looking forward to review it and share the full feed back to you guys.

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