The year is about to turn around for Sony with the new line of Xperia Z5 unveiled today at the Sony Mobile Communications launch yesterday. The heroes of the day are three variations of the Z5 family coined Xperia Z5 Premium Dual, Xperia Z5 Dual and Xperia Z5 Compact.
The Xperia Z5 Premium Dual is the world’s first smartphone with 4K display (3,840×2,160 pixels). It offers 10x the pixels of a Full HD TV that deliver stunning super-vivid pictures with no details left out. Boasting 5.5″ touchscreen, watching movies on the Z5 Premium Dual is an experience you will not get from any other device. You can also shoot 4K videos with the smartphone and if you capture a screenshot of any 4K video, you will get an 8MP still image.
Snap, snap, snap
The camera on these smartphones is the selling point for Sony’s latest flagships. All of the Z5 series are armed with 23MP main camera and 5MP front camera. That’s not all. The Hybrid Autofocus technology has 0.03 seconds autofocus speed, faster than the blink of a human eye (average 0.1-0.4 seconds). You can take photos in fast motion, whether you’re diving into a pool or whizzing by on your bicycle, Xperia Z5 cameras will never miss a moment. Combined with 5x sharper zoom, you’ll get DSLR-capabilities with the Xperia Z5 camera, which also intelligently adjusts the focus based on the proximity of an object to the lens and responses instanty to moving objects.
To make things even better, the camera comes with Sony’s SteadyShot with Intelligent Active Mode for video that allows you to capture fast motion smoothly free from jolts and shudder. It also has improved low light photography, which picks up more light with its extra large sensor to give you better reproduction of night scenes. However, the front camera packs only 5MP lens so you’ll notice a huge difference in image quality when you shoot or take a selfie with it.
Look at those colours
If the camera hasn’t won you over, the design of the phone might just do that. The Xperia Z5 smartphones are designed with a svelte continuous plate form and frosted glass back, finished with a metal frame. Sony has also came out with some unconventional, beautiful colour ranges for its smartphones. The Xperia Z5 Premium Dual comes in three luxurious colours of black, gold and chrome. Xperia Z5 Dual looks gorgeous in white, graphite black, gold and green while Xperia Z5 Compact is not missing out with graphite black, white, yellow and coral.
It’s trademark squarish shape complements the frosted glass back very nicely to give the phone a stylish look while providing a comfortable grip for users. There’s also a fingerprint sensor integrated into the power key at the side of the device, a definite deviation by Sony from other smartphone makers who put the fingerprint sensor on the front Home button. This positioning should make it more convenient for users to unlock the phone with a single touch.
In your hands
The band of smartphones may cause confusion with the shared Xperia Z5 nametag, differentiated only by unmemorable characterisation like premium dual and compact. However, one look at the three devices and you’ll notice the difference immediately.
The Xperia Z5 Premium Dual has the biggest display at 5.5″ and also the biggest smartphone of the three with 154mmx76mm dimension to do justice to the 4K Full HD display geared into it. However, the wide unused space on the top and bottom of the phone makes me wonder if the phone would look less chunky if these were reduced. But the size may be necessary to fit the massive 3,430mAh battery into the back of the Xperia Z5 Premium Dual.
The Xperia Z5 Dual is only a little less of a phablet with 5.2″ display and 146mmx72mm dimension. However, it is the thinnest of the three smartphones with 7.3mm thickness. It comes with 1,920×1,080 Full HD display. If you want a lighter handset, then Xperia Z5 Compact is a better option, which weighs a little as 138g. It has 4.6″ HD display with 1,280×720 pixels.
Performance
All the devices will come with Android Lollipop and Sony has been silent about upgrade to the latest OS, the Android Marshmallow. On the other hand, the Xperia Z5 Premium Dual racks some serious power with 3GB RAM and Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 Octa-core 64-bit CPU. It also has up to 32GB internal memory you can expand it up to 200GB with microSD card. You can multitask over ultra-fast 4G LTE network with incredible speed, no delays and minimal bufferring, either while you’re gaming or video streaming.
The Xperia Z5 Dual has 3GB RAM and the same Octa-core processor, while Xperia Z5 Compact has 2GB RAM. Both come with the option to increase the storage capacity externally up to 200GB.
The battery on the Xperia Z5 Dual is not as powerful as most of phones its size at 2,600mAh, but it is incorporated with innovative power-saving technology that will help the phone to last up to two days. The Xperia Z5 Premium Dual also has memory on display feature, which preserve battery life by remembering the display of images seen on your smartphone and caches it so that you don’t need to reload the full image each time you view it. The Xperia Z Compact has 2,700 mAh battery.
It’s just water
Sony has introduced waterproof smartphones and the blatant advertising of this feature has prompted many daring users to drop their Xperias into water or swim with it fully submerged. The result has been unsavoury, to say the least. With its latest line of smartphones, the company has been milder about its aqua protection technology. A little rain? Don’t worry, Xperia Z5 can handle it. A little spill of drink? A drop in the sink? Bring it on. And that’s as far as it goes.
The waterproofing has IP65/68 level, which in less technical terms means you will not ruin your new Xperia Z5 if it’s only in the water 1m deep for no more than 30 minutes. This time, Sony made clear the limit of its waterproof smartphones.
The Xperia Z5 series also have dust-resistant capability and the metal frame is fit with nylon corners to absorb the impact of a drop to the floor.
When you can buy it
The Xperia Z5 Premium Dual will be available later towards the end of the year with pricing still unknown. On the other hand, the Xperia Z5 Dual and Xperia Z5 Compact will be released in Malaysia starting November for RM2,699 and RM2,299 respectively.
Waste no time if you want to get the new Xperia Z5 because Sony is launching the phones with special promotions alongside the Bond Spectre 007 launch beginning 31 October. Purchasers can receive free limited edition Spectre merchandise while Xperia Lounge offers exclusive contents, such as free three movie downloads worth R229 and RM30 shopping voucher from Zalora.
