Full feature of sony xperia z5. Sony Xperia Z5 Smartphone Features

New flagship in the old design, but with updated features

At the very beginning of autumn in Berlin, during the traditionally held IFA exhibition in the German capital, Sony Mobile Communications ("Sony Mobile") finally presented another update to its flagship smartphone family: Xperia Z5, Xperia Z5 Compact and the world's first smartphone with 4K display - Xperia Z5 Premium.

The main smartphone of the new line, the Xperia Z5, which will be discussed today, in a sense put everything in its place. The fate of his predecessor, who logically should have received the fourth serial number, was not easy. The steady annual update of the Xperia Z model line was suddenly cut short this year when the world did not see on MWC in Barcelona, ​​the fourth Xperia model with the Z4 index. At the same time, Sony could not refuse this pleasure to the Japanese market, and in its own market the smartphone was named Xperia Z4. Later, the company still released this model and to the global market, but called it Xperia Z3 +, and it happened not so long ago.

Towards the end of the year, the position of Sony's mobile division seems to have straightened out, plans have stabilized, and the world saw not only the next, already the fifth flagship model of the Xperia Z series, but also an expanded set of its varieties. To the already familiar reduced-in-size version of the Z5 Compact, a much more unusual model has been added this time with a huge screen with an advanced 4K resolution. We have yet to explore both of these models, but for now let's get acquainted with the basic, "classic" version of Japanese flagship smartphone — Sony Xperia Z5.

To get started, we offer our brief video review of the Sony Xperia Z5 smartphone:

Main characteristics of Sony Xperia Z5 (model E6653)

	Sony Xperia Z5	Huawei p8	LG Nexus 5X	Meizu MX5	Samsung Galaxy S6
Screen	5.2 ″, IPS	5.2 ″, IPS	5.2 ″, IPS	5.5 ″, Super AMOLED	5.1 ″, Super AMOLED
Permission	1920 × 1080, 424 ppi	1920 × 1080, 424 ppi	1920 × 1080, 424 ppi	1920 × 1080, 401 ppi	2560 × 1440, 577 ppi
SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 (4x Cortex-A57 @ 2.0GHz + 4x Cortex-A53 @ 1.5GHz)	HiSilicon Kirin 930 (8 cores ARM Cortex-A53 @ 2 / 1.5 GHz)	Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 (2 cores Cortex-A57 @ 1.8 GHz + 4 cores [email protected], 5 GHz)	Mediatek MT6795T Octa-core (8 cores Cortex-A53 @ 2.2GHz)	Exynos 7420 (4x Cortex-A57 @ 2.1GHz + 4x Cortex-A53 @ 1.5GHz)
GPU	Adreno 430	Mali-T624	Adreno 418	PowerVR G6200	Mali-T760
RAM	3 GB	3 GB	2 GB	3 GB	3 GB
Flash memory	32 GB	16 GB	16/32 GB	16/32/64 GB	32/64/128 GB
Memory card support	microSD	microSD	—	—	—
Operating system	Google android 5.1	Google Android 5.0	Google Android 6.0	Google Android 5.0	Google Android 5.0
Battery	non-removable, 2900 mAh	non-removable, 2680 mAh	non-removable, 2700 mAh	non-removable, 3150 mAh	non-removable, 2550 mAh
Cameras	main (23 MP; 4K video), front (5 MP)	main (13 Mp; video 1080p), front (8 Mp)	main (12.3 megapixel; 4K video), front (5 megapixel)	main (20.7 Mp; video 4K), front (5 Mp)	main (16 Mp; video 4K), front (5 Mp)
Dimensions and weight	146 x 72 x 7.3mm, 154g	145 x 72 x 6.4 mm, 145 g	147 x 73 x 7.9mm, 136g	150 x 75 x 7.6 mm, 149 g	143 x 70 x 6.8mm, 138g
average price	T-12741399	T-12435227	T-12911710	T-12675734	T-12259333
Sony Xperia Z5 Retail Offers	L-12741399-10

• SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 810, 2x4 cores, ARM Cortex-A57 + Cortex-A53 @ 2.0 / 1.5 GHz
• GPU Adreno 430 @ 600 MHz
• Operating room Android system 5.1.1
• Touchscreen IPS, 5.2 ″, 1920 × 1080, 424 ppi
• RAM(RAM) 3 GB, inner memory 32 GB
• Nano-SIM support (1 or 2 pcs.)
• Support for microSD memory cards up to 200 GB
• 2G communication: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
• 3G connection: WCDMA 850/900/1700/1900/2100 MHz
• Data transmission LTE Cat.6, LTE FDD (Band 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 20, 28)
• Wi-Fi 802.11a / b / g / n (2.4 / 5 GHz) MIMO, point Wi-Fi access, Wi-Fi Direct
• Bluetooth 4.1, NFC
• DLNA, Media Go, MTP, Miracast, MHL 3.0
• GPS (A-GPS), Glonass, BDS
• 23 MP camera, Sony Exmor RS, autofocus, LED flash
• Camera 5 MP, Sony Exmor R (front)
• Proximity sensor, lighting, accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer, electronic compass, fingerprint scanner
• Non-removable battery 2900 mAh
• Dimensions 146 x 72 x 7.3mm
• Weight 154 g

Package

The Sony Xperia Z5 is shipped in a familiar flat, small box made of thin unvarnished recycled cardboard. The packaging is extremely simple and laconic in design, which is typical of Sony.

Appearance and usability

The appearance of Sony's flagships has not changed for several years, and no matter how much the creators claim that in the fifth version of the Xperia Z there have been some drastic changes, in fact they are not. New smartphone is still a very simple rectangle with practically no roundings (in plan), there are no smooth contours and bends - all lines are straight, all surfaces are flat. If we compare it with the previous model Xperia Z3 +, which received the Z4 index for the Japanese market itself, here the body became half a millimeter thicker and 7 grams heavier, that is, in general, the dimensions and weight remained, by and large, the same.

The back wall is also traditionally flat, without bends, so lifting the smartphone from the table is extremely inconvenient. It is also inconvenient that the corners in all models of the flagship Xperia Z series do not have rounding, which makes the smartphone take up a lot of space in your pocket, and sometimes it bumps into the body unpleasantly, being in the pockets of clothes. It is clear that the designers tried to preserve some of their own special style, but still, resorting to the use of rounded corners and streamlined shapes, the developers modern smartphones they think not only about beauty, but also about the practical side of the issue, which in this case fades into the background. However, all this does not prevent true fans of the Sony brand from truly loving and admiring the design of smartphones from this company, and the protruding corners do not bother them at all.

As for ergonomics, there have indeed been some notable changes. This mainly concerns the back wall: it is still made of glass, and still absolutely flat. However, the glass surface has now become matte, it is painted in the general color of the case. Due to this, the rear wall is now completely non-soiled, and fingerprints are practically invisible on it. The side metal frame has also become matte, there is no rubberized effect, all surfaces are solid. The body of the device remains, however, extremely slippery, it does not hold well in dry hands.

One more thing can be noted about the side frame. The developers made it so that the frame just slightly, barely noticeably protrudes above the glass in front and behind, forming a kind of microscopic protective border. This is enough for a flat front and rear panel have lost the former "air cushion" effect, when smartphones literally "crawled" by themselves on hard, smooth surfaces. Now the device lies securely and does not slip, but the solid metal edges of the frame have become quite noticeable and unpleasant to cut into the palm.

The materials of the case have not changed: front and back - glass panels, on the sides - a wide metal frame with angled polycarbonate insets, painted to match the overall color of the frame and the entire case. Such corners made of a different material are inserted into a solid metal frame in order to damp the impact energy when the device falls. You can also note the fact that the profile of the side rim has become much flatter, even in comparison with the previous model Z3 +, the side edges have practically lost their roundness. It is because of this that it became very difficult to lift the smartphone off the table: both the edges and the back wall are flat here, there is nothing to grab onto.

The Sony Xperia Z5 case has no removable parts, cards are installed in the side slot, sliding into it on a plastic pallet. This pallet is equipped with two compartments for one Nano-SIM card and one microSD memory card, which cannot be replaced with a second SIM card. The second SIM card (not the memory card) can be installed in another version of the smartphone called the Xperia Z5 Dual.

The card slot itself is covered on the outside with a cover with a rubberized gasket that protects the inside from water and dust. The Xperia Z5, like its predecessors, has certified protection: According to the description on the company website, the device has been assigned protection class IP65 / 68.

However, there is a certain inconsistency in this, since there is literally the following written there: "It is forbidden to completely submerge the device under water." At the same time, compliance with the degree of protection IP68 assumes that the product is suitable for immersion in water to a depth of 1.5 m for half an hour. Sony, on the other hand, only allows its smartphones to "stay in the pouring rain and wash under the tap."

Concerning individual elements buildings, then their number and location have changed, and the latter - for the worse. The volume rocker was lowered so low that with any grip and any size of the hand, it is not under the fingers, but somewhere in the middle of the inner side of the palm. Accordingly, to get to it, you need to touch the smartphone in your fingers, and do not forget that it has a rather slippery body.

The second news is more positive: finally, following Apple, Samsung and others, in Sony smartphones a fingerprint scanner appeared, which is responsible for unlocking the device. It also supports the FIDO standard - fingerprint authentication for online payments. True, the scanner area is limited by the width of the power button cut into the side edge, so you will have to get used to working with such an unusual shape at first. If you put your finger a little wrong, and the fingerprint will not be recognized. If you adapt and put your finger in the same way every time, there will be no special problems with identification, but still, mistakes sometimes happen.

We invite you to evaluate the operation of the fingerprint scanner in our video, which compares the implementation of this element in Sony Xperia Z5 smartphones, Apple iPhone 6s Plus and Huawei mate S:

This is where the innovations end. All other elements are familiar, their arrangement is familiar. On the front panel, at the top, there are sensors, a front camera and an LED event indicator. The operation of the indicator is adjusted by the user in the section on sound in the settings.

There are no touch-sensitive hardware buttons at the bottom, but there is a speaker output here. Thus, two speakers are embedded on the front panel, top and bottom. Exactly the same arrangement of stereo speakers was observed in the previous flagship model of the manufacturer.

On the back side there are camera windows and flashes; Sony did not dare to install a double LED even this time. The camera module is flush with the glass surface and does not protrude beyond its limits. Sony does not spoil its users with any other additional functions such as the presence of laser rangefinders, heart rate sensors or infrared transmitters.

Interface connectors are located on the upper and lower ends of the device; they are not covered with plugs for protection from water. Nevertheless, we repeat, the device is protected from water and dust - Sony calls it Capless. Micro-USB connector supports connection external devices v USB mode OTG, but the organization of this connection is unusual. Just like that, the smartphone does not recognize any connected OTG devices, for this you need to guess go to the "Connecting devices" section in the menu and find the USB device detection function there. After physically connecting, for example, a flash drive through an OTG adapter, you should start a search, and only then the smartphone will see the device connected to it. The detection function can be launched with a separate button in the shutter quick access, but in general, such a complication of the process is quite unusual, not everyone will be able to complete this quest.

As for the color variety of the design of the novelty's cases, here the developers, as always, showed their imagination: in addition to the classic black and white, there are also golden and turquoise-green options on sale. Sony Xperia Z5 smartphones do not have any physical differences depending on the color of the case.

Screen

The Sony Xperia Z5 smartphone is equipped with a Sony Triluminos IPS sensor for mobile devices with proprietary technologies Live Color LED and X-Reality. The screen dimensions are 64 × 114 mm, the diagonal is 5.2 inches, the resolution is 1920 × 1080 pixels. Accordingly, the dot density is 424 ppi.

The width of the frame around the screen is quite standard: on the sides it is about 3.5 mm, top and bottom - about 15 mm.

The device has an ambient light sensor, on the basis of which it functions automatic setting brightness of the screen, there is also the possibility of manual adjustment. The multitouch technology here allows you to process 10 simultaneous touches. There is a proximity sensor that locks the screen when you bring the smartphone to your ear. The smartphone screen can be operated with gloves. In the previous model, Xperia Z3 +, it became possible to activate the display by tapping on the glass, but here it disappeared again.

A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the "Monitors" and "Projectors and TV" sections Alexey Kudryavtsev... Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the test sample.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface, resistant to scratches. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are slightly better than that of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected in the turned off screens of both devices (Sony Xperia Z5, as it is easy to determine, is on the right, then they can be distinguished by their size):

Both screens are dark, but Sony's screen is slightly darker (its brightness in the photo is 109 versus 111 for the Nexus 7). Triple the reflected objects in Sony screen The Xperia Z5 is very weak, which means that there is no air gap between the outer glass (aka touch sensor) and the matrix surface (OGS-type screen - One Glass Solution). Due to the smaller number of boundaries (such as glass / air) with very different refractive indices, such screens look better in strong ambient light, but their repair in the case of cracked outer glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be changed. On the outer surface of the screen there is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (very effective, slightly better than the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are much easier to remove and appear at a slower rate than in the case of regular glass.

With manual brightness control and with the display of the white field in full screen, its maximum value was about 660 cd / m², and the minimum - 4.9 cd / m². The maximum value is very high, and given the excellent anti-glare properties, the screen should be clearly visible in bright daylight and even in direct sunlight. In complete darkness, the brightness can be lowered to a comfortable level. Automatic brightness control works according to the light sensor (it is located to the right of the logo on the front panel). V automatic mode when the ambient light conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. The operation of this function depends on the position of the brightness adjustment. If it is at the maximum, then in complete darkness the auto brightness function reduces the brightness to 26 cd / m2 (normal), in an office illuminated with artificial light (about 400 lux) it sets to 320 cd / m2 (a little high), in a very bright environment (corresponds to outdoor lighting on a clear day, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more) increases to 560 cd / m2 (this is enough, if you want brighter - increase manually, but take responsibility for quickly discharging the battery). If the brightness slider is at half the scale (it is very non-linear - after 50% the brightness goes up sharply with an increase in the setting value), then the screen brightness for the three conditions indicated above is as follows: 17, 150 and 460 cd / m² (suitable values). If the dimmer is set to a minimum - 9.7, 16, 350 cd / m² (only the average value is greatly underestimated). As a result, the automatic brightness control function works absolutely adequately, and it is possible to adjust the nature of the brightness change to the user's requirements. Significant modulation of the backlight appears only at a very low brightness level, but its frequency is high, about 2.3 kHz, so there is no visible screen flicker (but, perhaps, it can be detected in the test for the presence of a stroboscopic effect).

This screen uses an IPS type matrix. The micrographs show the typical IPS subpixel structure:

For comparison, you can see the gallery of photomicrographs of screens used in mobile technology.

The screen has good viewing angles without inverting tints and without significant color shift, even with large gaze deviations from the perpendicular to the screen. For comparison, here is a photo in which the screens of the Nexus 7 and Sony Xperia Z5 display the same images, while the brightness of the screens was initially set to about 200 cd / m2 (across the white field across the entire screen), and the color balance on the camera was forcibly switched to 6500 K . White field perpendicular to the plane of the screens:

Note the good uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field. And the test picture:

The colors on the Sony Xperia Z5's screen are oversaturated, skin tones are strongly redshifted, and the color balance is noticeably different from standard. Of course, judging the color rendition of a screen from a photograph is like judging Bach by the way his neighbor sang, but the tendency is reproduced correctly. Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen:

It can be seen that the colors did not change much on both screens, but on the Sony Xperia Z5 the contrast decreased to a large extent due to the strong black highlighting. And white box:

The brightness at an angle on both screens has noticeably decreased (at least 5 times, based on the difference in shutter speed), but in the case of the Sony Xperia Z5, the brightness drop is less (brightness in photos is 243 versus 234 for the Nexus 7). When deviated diagonally, the black field lightens very strongly and takes on a purple tint or remains approximately neutral gray. The photos below demonstrate this (the brightness of the white areas in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the screens is the same for the screens!):

And from a different angle:

When viewed from a perpendicular view, the uniformity of the black field is good:

Contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) is normal - about 740: 1. The response time for the transition black-white-black is 18 ms (10 ms on + 8 ms off). The transition between gray tones of 25% and 75% (based on the numerical value of the color) and back takes 29 ms in total. Constructed from 32 points with equal intervals by the numerical value of the shade of gray, the gamma curve did not reveal a blockage either in highlights or shadows, and the exponent of the approximating power function turned out to be 2.25, which is slightly higher standard value 2.2, however, this does not matter, since the real gamma curve noticeably deviates from the power dependence:

This is due to the presence of an aggressive dynamic adjustment of the brightness of the backlight in accordance with the nature of the displayed image (the brightness decreases on dark). As a result, the obtained dependence of brightness on hue (gamma curve) does not correspond to the gamma curve of a static image, since the measurements were carried out with sequential display of shades of gray on almost the entire screen. For this reason, we carried out a number of tests - determining the contrast and response time, comparing the black illumination at angles - when displaying special templates with a constant average brightness, and not single-color fields across the entire screen. In general, such a non-switchable brightness correction does nothing but harm, since a decrease in brightness in dark images reduces the visibility of gradations in shadows under ambient light conditions, and constant jumps in brightness are very annoying. That is, there is zero benefit from this function, only harm.

The color gamut is noticeably wider than sRGB:

We look at the spectra:

They are very atypical for Sony's top-end mobile devices. Apparently, this screen uses LEDs with a blue emitter and a green and red phosphor (usually a blue emitter and a yellow phosphor), which, in combination with special matrix light filters, allows obtaining a wide color gamut. The red phosphor apparently uses the so-called quantum dots. Unfortunately, as a result, the colors of images - drawings, photographs and films - oriented to the sRGB space (and there are the overwhelming majority of them) have an unnatural saturation. This is especially noticeable on recognizable shades, such as skin tones. The result is shown in the photo above. It is worth noting that there is some progress, since in this case the coverage is still slightly reduced due to the cross mixing of the components. At this rate, maybe in the Sony Xperia Z10 we will finally see sRGB coverage and a natural picture.

The balance of shades on the gray scale leaves much to be desired, since the color temperature is much higher than the standard 6500 K, and even the deviation from the spectrum of the absolute black body (ΔE), which is not very large on white, grows rapidly as the brightness of the hue decreases. But at least the color temperature variation is small. (The dark areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since the color balance there is not very important, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

This smartphone has the ability to correct the color balance by adjusting the intensities of the three primary colors.

Which is what we tried to do; the result is data signed as Corr. in the graphs above. As a result, we adjusted the color temperature and slightly reduced the ΔE. This is a good result, however, the brightness (as well as the contrast) has greatly decreased - from 660 to 470 cd / m². However, such a correction did not reduce the oversaturation of colors. If to someone the image on the screen of this smartphone still does not seem "bright" and "juicy" enough, then you can turn on the proprietary mode X-Reality for mobile... The result is shown below:

Saturation and contour sharpness are programmatically increased, and there are fewer discernible gradations in the saturated color area. But the picture, yes, has become brighter. There is also extreme Extreme brightness mode, in which the trend of "improving" the image reaches its peak. Here's what we got:

Let's summarize. The brightness adjustment range of this screen is very wide, the anti-glare properties are excellent, which allows you to comfortably use your smartphone both on a sunny day on the beach and in complete darkness. It is permissible to use a mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works absolutely adequately. The advantages also include a very effective oleophobic coating, no air gap in the layers of the screen and no flicker. The disadvantages are strong black lightening when the gaze deviates from the perpendicular to the screen surface and aggressive dynamic brightness adjustment. With color reproduction, everything is very bad, the colors are oversaturated (especially skin tones), the color balance is poor. The presence of appropriate adjustments allows the balance to be slightly straightened, but at the expense of a very strong decrease in brightness (and contrast). Nevertheless, taking into account the importance of characteristics for this particular class of devices (and the most important thing is the readability of information in a wide range of external conditions), the screen quality can be considered high. It is better not to watch movies and photographs on this and not to show it to anyone, but the text or, for example, the map will be clearly visible.

Sound

The Sony Xperia Z5 is perhaps the first in this lineup to sound impressive. Finally, a smartphone with water protection from the Japanese played loudly, basso and cleanly, before that Sony flagships their external sound, to put it mildly, did not amaze. Here, a pair of stereo speakers produces a powerful, bright, thick and rich sound that remains clear at any volume level, the margin of which, it should be noted, is quite satisfactory.

In the sound settings, as usual, there is the largest possible number of various possibilities to improve the sound, but firstly, most of them are available only when headphones are connected, and secondly, turning them on and off, we still did not notice much difference. However, the very presence of S-Force Front Surround possibilities here, as well as various additional functions like the DSEE HX (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine) sound enhancing technology should make the owner of Sony's leading flagship smartphone proud. You can access these parameters through the standard section of settings, or you can find them in the proprietary audio player, which for the first time is called not Walkman, but simply "Music".

In the conversational dynamics, the voice of a familiar interlocutor, timbre and intonation remain recognizable, while the noise reduction system copes with the surrounding noise in general adequately. The smartphone has an FM radio that works only with headphones connected as an antenna.

Camera

Sony Xperia Z5 is equipped with two modules digital cameras with a resolution of 23 and 5 megapixels. The front 5-megapixel Exmor R module is equipped with a 25mm wide-angle G Lens with f / 2.4 aperture and fixed focus, it does not have its own flash. The front camera, like the main one, can operate in manual and automatic shooting control modes. The physics module here is exactly the same as in the previous model, the control menu is also not much different. There is an HDR mode, for video there is a function of electronic stabilization SteadyShot with Intelligent Active Mode, the camera is able to recognize a smile, and it is now possible to add a “soft skin effect”. The camera copes well with taking selfies, the pictures are quite sharp, bright and detailed.

The main camera is equipped with a new, previously not used in smartphones, 23-megapixel Sony Exmor RS module for mobile devices with a 1 / 2.3 ″ sensor and a wide-angle G Lens (24 mm) with f / 2.0 aperture, hybrid autofocus and 1-section pulse LED flash. Autofocusing is fast enough, on this occasion, the developers separately note the presence of a hybrid autofocus in the Sony Xperia Z5, combining the capabilities of contrast and phase focusing technologies: the former is responsible for accuracy, and the latter for speed. And with focus points all over the viewfinder, it takes less than a second (0.03 s) to bring a subject into focus anywhere in the frame.

Also noteworthy is the presence of the Bionz image processor, in addition, the technology for shooting in low light conditions has been improved, which provides better photos without distortion and blurring at night or in the dark. All Xperia Z5 smartphones feature an updated version of SteadyShot technology with Intelligent Active Mode for smooth, distortion-free stabilization. And, of course, do not forget that Sony is practically the only manufacturer that still installs a separate hardware camera control button in their smartphones. Some of the shooting settings can be transferred for management third-party applications via Camera2 API (RAW recording is not supported).

In the settings, you can traditionally choose between automatic and manual control modes, only this time the maximum resolution in automatic mode is not limited to 8 Mp, but is the same 23 Mp as in manual mode... In manual mode, you can set ISO, white balance, change the type of focus. There is a 5x digital zoom using Clear Image scaling technology.

In addition, the settings traditionally contain a lot of additional modes, including entertainment ones, such as, for example, an augmented reality mode called AR effect, which makes it possible to combine real pictures with animation. Recently, the choice of options for AR has been greatly expanded.

The camera can shoot video in maximum 4K resolution, and this mode is traditionally not found among general settings, it is displayed as a separate icon in the additional modes menu. There is also a shooting mode at a speed of 60 frames per second, and you can already switch to it in regular menu camera control. The camera copes with video shooting in all the above modes with dignity, the sound is recorded cleanly and efficiently, the noise reduction system in general copes with its tasks adequately. Shooting is quite smooth, the new Sony Xperia smartphones use SteadyShot technology and Intelligent Active Mode, which smooth out the shooter's movements, although the result of hand shaking in the final video is still noticeable.

Examples of videos are presented below.

• Movie # 1 (100 MB, 1920 × 1080, 60 fps)
• Movie # 2 (140 MB, 3840 × 2160, 30 fps)

We invite you to evaluate the work of the stabilizer iPhone cameras 6s Plus and Sony Xperia Z5 with Full HD 30fps movie recording:

	Good sharpness according to plans, but the camera of the test sample traditionally fulfills the corners poorly.
	Good detail even in the shadows.
	Good sharpness in the distant shots.
	If you look closely, you can find residual noise, but most likely this is also a feature of the test sample.
	The camera works well for shadows.
	The numbers of not the closest cars are distinguishable.
	Sharping on wires is practically absent.
	Apart from the corners, the text is well done.
	The camera is good at macro photography in room lighting, although we have seen better results.

We also tested the camera on a laboratory bench using our method.

Illumination ≈3200 lux.
Illumination ≈1400 lux.
Illumination ≈130 lux.
Illumination ≈130 lux, flash.
Lighting<1 люкс, вспышка.

The change of the module in the new model of Sony's flagship did not have a very noticeable effect on the image quality. It is still high, sometimes even higher than in the models of the third series. If it were not for the problems with sharpness in the corners of the frame, which have already become traditional for Sony presale samples, the sharpness could be called almost ideal, not only in plans, but throughout the entire field of the frame. Surely in production samples, this problem has already been fixed.

Of course, it is still supposed to shoot at 8 megapixels. Although now it is possible to set the maximum resolution in the intelligent auto mode, there is not much sense in this, since the real resolution of the picture becomes slightly lower, and the size increases almost three times.

Despite not the most pleasant testing conditions, the camera performed well enough. The program works without significant artifacts, although the result could be better with room lighting. The detail of the images is quite high even in the distant shots. Of course, much of this is achieved by shooting at lower resolutions, but fortunately, such shenanigans are not prohibited. In general, the quality of the images can be considered quite high, however, it will be possible to speak of superiority over competitors only when comparing serial samples.

Telephone part and communications

Since the new model in the series, the Xperia Z5, is built on the same hardware platform as its predecessor (Xperia Z3 +), there are also minimal differences in terms of communication services. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 platform (still the top-tier), which runs the Sony Xperia Z5, boasts all the most advanced networking and communications capabilities: it supports LTE Cat 6 (up to 300 Mbps) with integrated link aggregation technology, and dual-band dual-stream Qualcomm VIVE 2-stream Wi-Fi 802.11n / ac with MU-MIMO, and Bluetooth 4.1. There is also NFC support. As a standard, you can organize a wireless access point via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Most LTE frequencies are supported (FDD LTE Band 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 17, 20, 28, TDD LTE Band 40), that is, this smartphone has full support for all three most common ranges among domestic operators ( B3, B7 and B20). In practice, with a Beeline SIM card in the Moscow region, the smartphone confidently registered and worked in 4G networks. The quality of signal reception raises no objections, the device confidently maintains communication in rooms and does not lose signal in areas of poor reception. Hot swapping of SIM cards in Sony smartphones is not possible, because when the card is removed or inserted, the device automatically initiates a system reboot.

The navigation module works not only with GPS (with A-GPS), but also with the domestic Glonass, as well as the Chinese Beidou system (BDS). There are no complaints about the speed of the navigation module, the first satellites are detected during a cold start within the first tens of seconds. The smartphone is equipped with a magnetic field sensor, on the basis of which the compass of navigation programs functions.

The phone application supports Smart Dial, that is, when dialing a phone number, a search is immediately carried out by contacts. Supports text input by the method of continuous sliding from letter to letter (Swype), and you can also reduce in size and close to one of the edges of the display virtual keyboards for easy control with one hand. The type and organization of the keyboard itself is traditional for Sony smartphones, you can choose from several options. It is worth noting that there is also a modification of the Xperia Z5 Dual with support for two SIM cards.

OS and software

The fifth version of the Google Android software platform (LolliPop) is used as the operating system, but here the interface unexpectedly differs from the already familiar interface of the proprietary shell for Sony smartphones. The changes are rather cosmetic in nature, subtle, but they are still there.

The most noticeable difference is the absence of the usual slide-out panel from the left with settings in the application menu. You can arrange applications and remove unnecessary ones by clicking the icon with three dots in the upper right corner, but that's all. Also moved to the left side is a large widget called What’s New, offering announcements of the most interesting (in the opinion of developers) programs and games. The small applications menu, called in the same place as the menu of the last open applications, remained in its place, but its appearance has changed significantly.

Owners of smartphones of the top Sony Xperia family traditionally have access to exclusive offers and materials from the Xperia Lounge and the ability to find and lock a lost device using the my Xperia program. It is worth noting that although the Xperia Z5 goes on sale running the fifth version of Android OS, it should soon receive an update to the latest version six (Marshmallow), one of the first in the Sony smartphone family.

Performance

The hardware platform of the Sony Xperia Z5 is based on the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 SoC as the previous Sony flagship, although it will soon be replaced by the Snapdragon 820. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 is a powerful 20nm 64-bit platform with four high-performance 64-bit ARM Cortex-A57 cores up to 2 GHz, complemented by four simpler 64-bit Cortex-A53 cores with frequency up to 1.5 GHz, providing high energy efficiency or performance depending on the specific application.

The video accelerator Adreno 430 is responsible for processing graphics in the SoC. The volume of the smartphone's RAM is 3 GB. The user initially has about 21 GB of free flash memory out of the total 32 GB. The memory can be expanded by installing microSD cards with a capacity of up to 200 GB, in practice, our Transcend Premium microSDXC UHS-1 test card with a capacity of 128 GB was confidently recognized by the device. Connecting external devices to the USB port in OTG mode is also supported, but for this you need to manually start the search for devices through the section in the settings. In the same way, it was implemented in the Xperia Z3 +, and now it is clear that this is not an accident, but such an idea of ​​the developers.

According to the test results, the still remaining top-end platform Qualcomm Snapdragon 810, as expected, showed fairly high results, comparable to the results of other modern flagship platforms HiSilicon Kirin 930/935 and MediaTek Helio X10, but lagging behind the indicators of the currently most powerful SoC Samsung Exynos 7420, although in specialized graphics tests, the powerful Adreno 430 video accelerator shows even better results.

In any case, the hardware stuffing of the smartphone has a sufficient margin of performance to cope with any tasks set by the most demanding modern programs, including heavy 3D games, without exception. The hardware platform of the Sony Xperia Z5 will not lose its relevance for a long time.

Testing with the latest AnTuTu and GeekBench 3 Benchmarks:

All the results obtained by us when testing the smartphone in the latest versions of popular benchmarks, we have summarized in tables for convenience. Several other devices from different segments are usually added to the table, also tested on similar latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the obtained dry numbers). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison, it is impossible to present the results from different versions of benchmarks, therefore, many worthy and relevant models remain behind the scenes - due to the fact that they once passed the “obstacle course” on previous versions of test programs.

Testing the graphics subsystem in 3DMark gaming tests,GFXBenchmark, and Bonsai Benchmark:

When testing in 3DMark for the highest performing smartphones, it is now possible to run the application in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (which can cause the speed to rise above 60 fps).

	Sony Xperia Z5 (Qualcomm Snapdragon 810)	LG Nexus 5X (Qualcomm Snapdragon 808)	Honor 7 (HiSilicon Kirin 935)	Samsung Galaxy S6Edge (Exynos 7420)	Meizu MX5 (Mediatek MT6795T)
3DMark Ice Storm Extreme (more is better)	Maxed out!	Maxed out!	6922	Maxed out!	Maxed out!
3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited (more is better)	19945	18840	12113	21773	16390
	1053	1149	289	—	—
GFXBenchmark T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Onscreen)	49 fps	—	13 fps	38 fps	27 fps
GFXBenchmark T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Offscreen)	50 fps	—	12 fps	50 fps	27 fps
Bonsai benchmark	4273 (61 fps)	3950 (56 fps)	3310 (47 fps)	4155 (59 fps)	3966 (57 fps)

Browser cross-platform tests:

As for benchmarks for evaluating the speed of a javascript engine, you should always make allowances for the fact that the results in them significantly depend on the browser in which they are launched, so that the comparison can be truly correct only on the same OS and browsers, and this possibility is available when testing not always. In the case of Android OS, we always try to use Google Chrome.

Heat images

Below is a thermal image of the rear surface taken after a 10 minute battery test in GFXBenchmark:

Heating is highly localized in the upper part of the device, which apparently corresponds to the location of the SoC chip. According to the heat chamber, the maximum heating was 45 degrees (at an ambient temperature of 24 degrees), which is significantly higher than the average value in this test for modern smartphones.

Video playback

To test the "omnivorous" video playback (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Web. Note that it is important for mobile devices to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is often impossible to process modern versions using processor cores alone. Also, do not expect a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it. All results are summarized in a single table.

According to the test results, the subject was not equipped with all the necessary decoders, which are necessary for full playback of most of the most common multimedia files on the network. To play them successfully, you will have to resort to using a third-party player - for example, MX Player. True, it is also necessary to change the settings in it and manually install additional custom codecs, because now this player does not officially support the AC3 audio format.

Format	Container, video, sound	MX Video Player	Native video player
DVDRip	AVI, XviD 720 × 400 2200 Kbps, MP3 + AC3	reproduced normally	reproduced normally
Web-DL SD	AVI, XviD 720 × 400 1400 Kbps, MP3 + AC3	reproduced normally	reproduced normally
Web-DL HD	MKV, H.264 1280 × 720 3000Kbps, AC3		video plays fine, no sound¹
BDRip 720p	MKV, H.264 1280 × 720 4000 Kbps, AC3	video plays fine, no sound¹	video plays fine, no sound¹
BDRip 1080p	MKV, H.264 1920 × 1080 8000Kbps, AC3	video plays fine, no sound¹	video plays fine, no sound¹

¹ sound in MX Video Player was played only after installing an alternative custom audio codec; the standard player does not have such a setting

Testing of video output features was carried out by Alexey Kudryavtsev.

Additionally, the MHL interface was tested. Apparently, only Sony still supports image transmission using a wired connection, since the number of devices supporting image output via MHL or Mobility DisplayPort is rapidly decreasing. For testing MHL we used a monitor ViewSonic VX2363Smhl that supports direct MHL connection (in version 2.0) using a passive Micro-USB to HDMI adapter cable. In this case, the MHL output was carried out at a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels with a frequency of 60 fps. Regardless of the actual orientation of the smartphone, the display of the image on the screens of the smartphone and the monitor is carried out in landscape orientation with the connector on the smartphone to the right. In this case, the image on the monitor is precisely inscribed in the boundaries of the display area and repeats the image on the smartphone screen one to one. The exception is the start screen and, apparently, the windows of programs that, in principle, do not support landscape orientation. They are still displayed in portrait orientation, on the monitor - with wide black borders on the sides:

MHL sound is output (in this case we used headphones connected to the monitor) and is of good quality. At the same time, sounds are not output through the loudspeaker of the smartphone itself, and the volume is not regulated by the buttons on the smartphone body, but is turned off. In our case, a smartphone with an MHL adapter connected, judging by the charge indicator, was charging.

Then, using a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see "Testing methods for video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices)"), we checked how the video is displayed on the screen of the smartphone itself. Screenshots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped to determine the frame output of video files with various parameters: the resolution was 1280 by 720 (720p), 1920 by 1080 (1080p) and 3840 by 2160 (4K) pixels and the frame rate was 24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 fps. In our tests, we used the MX Player video player in the "Hardware" mode. The results of this (block entitled "Smartphone Screen") and the following test are tabulated:

No 720 / 50p OK No 720 / 30p OK No 720 / 25p OK No 720 / 24p OK No

Note: If both columns Uniformity and Skips green ratings are set, this means that, most likely, when watching movies, artifacts caused by uneven alternation and skipping of frames will either not be visible at all, or their number and visibility will not affect the viewing comfort. Red marks indicate possible problems with the playback of the respective files.

According to the criterion for displaying frames, the quality of video playback on the screen of the smartphone itself is good, since frames (or groups of frames) may output with a more or less uniform alternation of intervals and without skipping frames. In the case of files with 60 fps, one frame per second is displayed longer than the rest, apparently, the screen refresh rate is for some reason set to about 61 Hz. The brightness range displayed on the screen corresponds to the standard range of 16-235 - in the shadows only a couple of shades closest to black do not differ from it in brightness, in the highlights all gradations of shades are displayed. When playing video files with a resolution of 1080p (1920 by 1080 pixels), the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly on the edge of the screen in the original Full HD resolution.

With a monitor connected via MHL, during video playback, an exact copy of the smartphone screen is displayed on the monitor, that is, the output is carried out in true Full HD resolution in the case of 1080p files.

The brightness range displayed on the monitor is the same as that displayed on the smartphone itself. The results of the monitor output tests are shown in the table above in the "MHL (monitor output)" block. The output quality is good, and even 60fps files are outputted perfectly smoothly, without jerking. Recall that traditionally, to control playback from a smartphone, you can use a TV remote control (from Sony, apparently).

The takeaway is typical: an MHL connection can be used to play games, watch movies, display web pages, and other activities that benefit from increased screen size.

Battery life

The rechargeable battery installed in the Sony Xperia Z5 has a slightly smaller capacity than the previous flagship model Xperia Z3 + at 2900 mAh. The capacity is quite decent by modern standards, but a powerful and demanding platform, sometimes overheating, as well as a large high-resolution screen did not allow the hero of the review to demonstrate any record indicators of autonomy. Everything here is at a confident average level, but nothing more.

The developers themselves assure that in normal operation the Sony Xperia Z5 is able to function up to two days without power supply, up to 17 hours of talk time and up to 540 hours of standby time - everything is almost like the Xperia Z3 +. In fact, with an eventful schedule, the device confidently survives only until the evening charge. Testing has traditionally been carried out without using any energy-saving features, although there are several options for them in Sony smartphones, including the proprietary Stamina mode and its more extreme version Ultra Stamina. With the arrival of the fifth version of Android OS, it has its own standard energy-saving mode, but in this case, of course, it loses in terms of its capabilities to the proprietary modes of Sony itself with a large number of settings.

	Battery capacity	Reading mode	Video mode	3D Game Mode
Sony Xperia Z5	2900 mAh	17h 00m	7h 30m	3h 30m
Huawei p8	2680 mAh	13h 00m	9h 00m	3h 10m
Lg g4	3000 mAh	17h 00m	9h 00m	3h 00m
LG Nexus 5X	2700 mAh	14h 30m	6h 00m	4h 00m
HTC One M9	2840 mAh	11h 00m	8h 20m	3h 50m
Samsung Galaxy S6	2550 mAh	20 h 00 m	12h 00m	4h 00m
Meizu MX5	3150 mAh	15h 00m	11h 00m	4h 10m
Honor 7	3000 mAh	13h 00m	10h 40m	3h 50m
Oneplus 2	3300 mAh	14h 00m	11h 20m	4h 30m

Continuous reading in FB Reader (with a standard, light theme) at the minimum comfortable brightness level (the brightness was set to 100 cd / m²) lasted more than 17 hours until the battery was fully discharged, which is quite good. But when continuously watching YouTube videos in high quality (HQ) with the same brightness level over the home Wi-Fi network, the device lasted only 7.5 hours. In 3D games mode, the smartphone also worked no longer than 3.5 hours.

The smartphone supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 fast charging technology, but we could not verify this, since the test sample arrived to us without a complete power supply unit. A third-party standard charger with an output current of 2 A charges the device in about 2 hours.

Outcome

This is not to say that the release of the fifth version of the flagship smartphone Sony has presented us with something really new. The Japanese have once again released a solid product in a familiar design on a powerful platform and with the characteristics of a flagship device, which fans of this brand will surely like. But, as usual, there were some drawbacks. Experts always have complaints about the camera, as well as about the color rendering of the kind of displays used by Sony in their smartphones; autonomy without appropriate optimization of the work of the extremely demanding top-end platforms Qualcomm can also sometimes "limp". There are no complaints about the sound, it is excellent here, as well as the perfect set of communication interfaces for all occasions. It's nice that Sony has finally taken care of the fingerprint scanner, now this is already a sign of "good form" for smartphones that claim widespread attention of users. No wonder Google has introduced support for the default fingerprint scanner in the new version of its Android OS.

As a result, we have a smartphone that is very similar in appearance, positioning and characteristics to last year's flagship model Xperia Z3 +. There are not many differences, but all of them, one might say, are positive. The Russian retail price for Sony smartphones is always quite high, and it is not surprising that the new product is now offered for almost 50 thousand rubles. The cost of the model with support for two SIM-cards Xperia Z5 Dual does not differ from the cost of the "main" version.

In the second half of 2015, Sony introduced three flagship smartphones at once: Xperia Z5 Compact, Z5 and Z5 Premium. Each of them has its own characteristics, but it is the Xperia Z5 that will fight the popular ones, and. The Z5 does not have so many trump cards in its assets - high performance, camera and corporate design. Is this enough to gain popularity in the presence of such serious competitors? In the review, we will try to answer this question.

Appearance

In the fifth generation of flagship smartphones, Sony has stayed true to its design and continues to refine it to perfection. In fact, the Xperia Z5 is not much different from its predecessors.

The main differences are in the little things. First of all, it is worth noting the new body colors. There are four colors available: white, black, gold and dark green, which has been with us for testing.

Unlike previous generation models, the body of the smartphone is completely matte, including the back panel made of glass. Sony's green is definitely a success and can be emerald or nearly black in different lighting conditions.

Visually, the smartphone turned out to be very elegant and neat, despite its considerable size. Along the perimeter, the body is surrounded by metal sidewalls separated by plastic corners. They are painted in the color of the case, only the silver power button stands out.

I liked the build quality and material handling very much. According to this parameter, the smartphone fully justifies its positioning. Even the traditional Xperia cover for the SIM and memory card slots is neatly built-in and practically does not stand out on the sidewall. The case is protected from moisture and dust according to the IP65 / 68 standard, while the company's engineers managed to protect the microUSB and 3.5 mm connectors from moisture without using plugs.

It is worth noting the change in the manufacturer's warranty policy. For example, with the Xperia Z3, you could swim and take photos underwater with ease. In the case of the Z5, the company clarifies that this smartphone is not intended to be completely immersed in water - if it stops working after swimming in a river or sea, this will not be considered a warranty case.

The back cover is pretty practical. As we already mentioned, it is glass, but processed to a matte finish. As a result, fingerprints are hardly visible on it. The glass is also well protected from scratches. The level of durability of the smartphone pleased us, the test copy came to us not new, but there were no visible traces of use on it.

The convenience of use

Sony continues to experiment with placement of controls and the Xperia Z5 is no exception. Traditionally, on the right side there is a power button, a volume rocker and a two-position shutter button and turning on the camera.

The power key has undergone the biggest change. For the first time in the Xperia Z line, it is recessed into the body and received an elongated shape. Obviously, the change in shape was dictated by the desire to build a fingerprint sensor into it. We had no complaints about the location of the key, regardless of the size of the palm, the thumb of the right hand always rested on the button. I didn’t like the short and uninformative move.

The placement of the volume rocker was the most questionable. Unlike its predecessors, it was moved closer to the shutter release button. When working with a smartphone, you almost always have to grip the case with your right hand to change the volume, and in horizontal orientation it is convenient to use it only if you have a long index finger. This remark also applies to the photo mode, during which the rocker acts as a zoom. In general, no matter what hand you take, but you will have to get used to it and not the fact that this will happen quickly.

Another nuance is the rather slippery materials of the case. Painted sidewalls and frosted glass, coupled with dimensions, do not give a feeling of grip. The straightened shape of the sidewalls also does not contribute to a comfortable and confident grip, because of this it is inconvenient to lift the smartphone from the table. As for the rest, we had no questions about the layout of the case. The micro-USB connector is located on the bottom edge, there is also a place for attaching the strap. On the top is a microphone and a 3.5mm audio jack.

Display

2015 can rightfully be called the year of 2K displays. Despite the fact that the use of such screens entails losses in autonomy and performance, there is a certain wow effect from such a solution. But Sony decided to keep its trump card for the Xperia Z5 Premium, and the "regular" Z5 has equipped a 5.2-inch IPS Full HD display.

The screen in the Xperia Z5 is not bad, but the smartphone, which costs about 700 euros at the time of its launch, should give a better impression, especially considering the quality of the matrixes of its main competitors. The main disadvantages of the display, in our opinion, are the inaccurate color reproduction, many noted too "acidic" colors, in this sense the screen is more like the early samples of AMOLED-matrices. I also did not like the display of white. However, the company has provided several settings for adjusting the color reproduction.

The measured contrast level is also far from ideal, in the test sample it was 1: 779. But the range of brightness control pleased. Thus, the maximum level was 520 cd / m2, and the minimum was 4 cd / m2. This range allows you to choose the right level for any situation. The display remains readable in the sun. The Z5 has excellent viewing angles.

Equipment, hardware platform

The Xperia Z5 is powered by Qualcomm's most powerful processor yet, the Snapdragon 810 (MSM8994). The graphics accelerator Adreno 430 works in tandem with it.

Recall that this processor consists of 4 Cortex-A53 cores operating at 1.5 GHz and 4 Cortex-A57 at 2 GHz. This allows the smartphone to demonstrate excellent performance, both in games and in other tasks. At the moment, in any game at the maximum or close to it the level of graphics, you can count on a smooth frame rate. The payment for this was the heating of the case in the area of ​​the camera. Sometimes the smartphone warmed up quite noticeably, but it still did not reach critical overheating.

The amount of RAM is 3 GB, after downloading the user has about 1.7 GB. The volume of permanent memory is 32 GB, there are no other configurations on sale. Although, their absence is not so critical, because the Xperia Z5 is equipped with a slot for microSD memory cards.

The smartphone supports wireless interfaces Wi-Fi 802.11ac, NFC, Bluetooth 4.1, as well as ANT + for connecting sports accessories and, of course, LTE and HSPA. We tested the version with two SIM-cards. At the software level, the work is implemented similarly to other Android smartphones. In standby mode, both cards are active, you can assign call forwarding for the duration of the call.

The Xperia Z5 may well please music lovers. It is worth noting the very high-quality sound in the speakers, there are two of them for playing music, and both are located on the front panel. In terms of volume, they do not match the HTC M9, but they have clear sound. The sound in the headphones is excellent, with good detail and a sufficient volume level. The volume of the spoken speaker is sufficient in almost any situation, except for the metro and the noisy road nearby. I didn't really like the work of the noise reduction system, many interlocutors noted the loss of voice in noisy situations. The vibrating alert is strong, you can almost always feel it in your pocket. An LED is provided to indicate missed events. It is bright and can be distracting in the dark.

For the first time for the Z series, the smartphone received a fingerprint sensor. The device can store 5 prints. Scanning speed is fast, but not maximum. The accuracy is at an average level, it is worth considering that to guarantee quick response on the first try, you should put your finger on the sensor in the exact position in which you scanned it.

Operating system, shell

The smartphone got into the editorial office with Android 5.1.1 on board. Sony still uses its own skin for smartphones, but with each new model it looks more and more like pure Android. The number of preinstalled software is minimal. The speed and smoothness of the interface are at the highest level.

Photographic capabilities

Sony's advertising campaign focused on the quality of the images captured by the main camera, which is represented by a 23-megapixel Exmor RS3 sensor with an f / 2.0 aperture. For autofocusing, a hybrid system is used that combines contrast and phase focusing types. Sony claims that it achieves a minimum focusing time of 0.03 seconds by using Hybrid AF. And this is true, but adjusted for the amount of light. So, during the day, the camera can focus so quickly that sometimes it seems that it is not equipped with autofocus at all. In low light with focusing, the camera already has problems, both with speed and accuracy.

Photographing is possible in automatic and manual modes. In fact, manual mode simply provides a little more options. In particular, exposure and sensitivity can be selected. Moreover, the ISO value is adjusted only if the selected frame resolution is no more than 8 MP.

The camera starts up and focuses in less than 2 seconds. For quick launch, you can use the dedicated shutter key. The Z5's camera interface is simple enough, but not intuitive and thoughtful enough. In the viewfinder mode, 4 main modes are available - photo in automatic mode, manual mode, video and a selection of additional effects, in the selection window of which both entertainment options and 4K video recording are mixed.

Moreover, in the main settings, you cannot choose to record video in the maximum resolution, you need to switch to the additional effects mode. Also, you will not be able to immediately start shooting video after starting the camera, you will have to first select the mode. Unfortunately, there are many such software flaws.

There are no complaints about the quality of video recording. Video recording is possible in 2160/30 fps, 1080/60 fps and 720/120 fps modes. You can find examples below.

Unfortunately, for the entire time of use in Kiev, the weather was mostly cloudy and rainy, so the presented photos will not please with bright colors. But on the other hand, taking pictures well in bright sunlight is not an achievement, especially for a flagship. Therefore, you can clearly see the real level of image quality with reduced illumination.

The front camera is represented by a 5-megapixel sensor. Its quality is at a good level, but with a decrease in illumination, a mechanism of rather aggressive noise reduction comes into play, which naturally reduces detail.

In fact, despite all the loud claims about the quality of the camera, we were left somewhat disappointed. No, actually the camera is not bad. But in fact, she does not demonstrate anything supernatural, especially with a lack of lighting.

Autonomy

The Sony Xperia Z5 is equipped with a 2900 mAh non-removable battery. Initially, we had serious doubts about the combination of the Snapdragon 810 processor and not the most capacious battery. However, during testing, they were dispelled. In reality, the smartphone has demonstrated the ability to work independently for a whole day with very intensive use.

The usage model included the following functions: up to 30 minutes of calls, about 2 hours of surfing the Internet both when connected to 3G and Wi-Fi networks, up to half an hour of games, synchronization with an email account and social networks, a total of 5 minutes of video recording and about 20 pictures. The brightness of the display was adjusted automatically. After removing the smartphone from charging at 9 am, after using it in the described mode, we had approximately 30% of the charge left by midnight. Fully charging the battery takes approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes using a conventional 2A charger. By the way, the Xperia Z5 supports Quick Charge.

The numbers speak for themselves, the smartphone lives the whole day without any problems and you do not need to start charging after lunch. If a connection to a charger is not expected in the near future, then the proprietary energy saving modes Stamina and Ultra Stamina can come to the rescue. In the first, the wireless interfaces are periodically disabled, the display brightness is lowered, and the second works more aggressively, leaving only basic functions.

Outcomes

The Xperia Z5 is the best smartphone Sony has ever made. The thin and beautiful body combines high power and good autonomy. The display let us down a bit, or rather its color rendition. In addition, the presence of a 2K display would certainly add points to the smartphone. The camera turned out to be not as good as we were promised, but for most users its capabilities and equipment will be enough for the eyes. Otherwise, it is a well-equipped, modern smartphone. At the moment, the main problem with the Sony Xperia Z5 is cost. With the disadvantages described, at first it will be very difficult for the smartphone, especially given the fact that competitors managed to fall in price and gain popularity, but after the price drop for Z5 it is worth paying attention.

Liked:

High performance and smooth operation

Autonomy

Quality of multimedia speakers and headphone sound

Smartphone

- Do you remember how it all started?
Everything was for the first time and again ...

Sony promised to make new Xperia Z often - Sony keeps its word. It seems that yesterday we scolded the Z3 + for its boring design, and today we are waiting for a whole family of Z5 devices. It includes three smartphones: the flagship and main Xperia Z5, which we will talk about today, the Xperia Z5 Premium with a royal 4K display and the tiny Xperia Z5 Compact, which has no analogues on the market at all. It's great that all three gadgets turned out to be completely different, with a different target audience; we will talk about each of them, respectively, in separate materials. However, recall that we already briefly got acquainted with all three gadgets of the Z5 family at IFA 2015. If you haven’t heard about them before, we strongly recommend that you study that material to make it clearer what it is all about.

⇡ Comparison table of specifications Xperia Z2, Z3, Z3 + and Z5

	Sony Xperia Z2	Sony Xperia Z3	Sony Xperia Z3 +	Sony Xperia Z5
Touch screen	Capacitive,	5.2 inches, 1080x1920 pixels, IPS; Capacitive, up to ten simultaneous touches	5.2 inches, 1080x1920 pixels, IPS; Capacitive, up to ten simultaneous touches	5.2 inches, 1080x1920 pixels, IPS; Capacitive, up to ten simultaneous touches
Air gap	No	No	No	No
Oleophobic coating	There is	There is	There is	There is
Polarizing filter	There is	There is	There is	There is
CPU	Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 MSM8974AB v3: frequency 2.27 GHz; process technology 28 nm HPm	Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 MSM8974AC: four Qualcomm Krait-400 (ARMv7) cores, frequency 2.5 GHz; process technology 28 nm HPm	frequency 2 GHz + frequency 1.5 GHz; technical process 20 nm HPm; 32- and 64-bit computing	Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 MSM8994: four cores ARM Cortex-A57 (ARMv8), frequency 2 GHz + four cores ARM Cortex-A53 (ARMv8), frequency 1.5 GHz; technical process 20 nm HPm; 32- and 64-bit computing
Graphics controller	Adreno 330, 450 MHz	Adreno 330, 578 MHz	Adreno 430, 650 MHz	Adreno 430, 650 MHz
RAM	3 GB LPDDR3-1600	3 GB LPDDR3-1600	3 GB LPDDR3-1600	3 GB LPDDR3-1600
Flash memory		16 GB (about 11.5 GB available to the user) + microSD	32 GB (about 20.5 GB available to the user) + microSD	32 GB (about 20 GB available to the user) + microSD
Connectors	1 × micro-USB 2.0 (MHL) 1 × microSD 1 × micro-SIM	1 × micro-USB 2.0 (MHL) 1 × 3.5 mm headset jack 1 × microSD 1 × nano-SIM	1 × micro-USB 2.0 (MHL) 1 × 3.5 mm headset jack 1 × microSD 1 × nano-SIM	1 × micro-USB 2.0 (MHL) 1 × 3.5 mm headset jack 1 × microSD 1 × nano-SIM
cellular	2G / 3G / 4G One SIM card micro-SIM	2G / 3G / 4G There is a dual version	2G / 3G / 4G One SIM card nano-SIM There is a dual version	2G / 3G / 4G One SIM card nano-SIM There is a dual version
Cellular 2G		GSM / GPRS / EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz	GSM / GPRS / EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz	GSM / GPRS / EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
Cellular 3G	DC-HSPA + (42.2 / 5.76 Mbps)	WCDMA 850/900/1700/1900/2100 MHz DC-HSPA + (42.2 / 5.76 Mbps)	WCDMA 850/900/1700/1900/2100 MHz DC-HSPA + (42.2 / 5.76 Mbps)	WCDMA 850/900/1700/1900/2100 MHz DC-HSPA + (42.2 / 5.76 Mbps)
Cellular 4G	(2100/1900/1800/1700/850/ 2600/900/700/800 MHz) LTE Cat. 3 (150/50 Mbps)	LTE FDD band 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17, 20 (2100/1900/1800/1700/850/ 2600/900/700/800 MHz) LTE Cat. 3 (150/50 Mbps)	(2100/1900/1800/1700/850/ 2600/900/700/800/2300 MHz) LTE Cat. 6 (300/50 Mbps)	LTE FDD band 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 20, 28, 40 (2100/1900/1800/1700/850/ 2600/900/700/800/2300 MHz) LTE Cat. 6 (300/50 Mbps)
Wi-Fi		802.11a / b / g / n / ac, 2.4 and 5 GHz + Wi-Fi Direct	802.11a / b / g / n / ac, 2.4 and 5 GHz + Wi-Fi Direct	802.11a / b / g / n / ac, 2.4 and 5 GHz + Wi-Fi Direct
Bluetooth	4.0	4.0	4.1	4.1
NFC	There is	There is	There is	There is
Infrared port	No	No	No	No
Navigation	GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS	GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou	GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou	GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou
Sensors		Light sensor, proximity sensor, accelerometer / gyroscope / pedometer, magnetometer (digital compass), barometer	Light sensor, proximity sensor, accelerometer / gyroscope / pedometer, magnetometer (digital compass), barometer	Light sensor, proximity sensor, accelerometer / gyroscope / pedometer, magnetometer (digital compass), barometer
The fingerprint scanner	No	No	No	There is
Main camera	Autofocus, diode flash	20.7 MP (5248 × 3936), Sony Exmor RS matrix back-illuminated, 1 / 2.3 in; Autofocus, diode flash	20.7 MP (5248 × 3936), Sony Exmor RS matrix back-illuminated, 1 / 2.3 in; Autofocus, diode flash	23 MP (5520 × 4140), Sony Exmor RS sensor back-illuminated, 1 / 2.3 in; Hybrid autofocus, diode flash
Front-camera	2.1 MP (1920 × 1080),	2.1 MP (1920 × 1080), Sony Exmor R back-illuminated sensor	5.1 MP (2592 × 1944), Sony Exmor R back-illuminated sensor	5.1 MP (2592 × 1944), Sony Exmor R back-illuminated sensor
Nutrition	Non-removable battery: 12.16 Wh (3200 mAh, 3.8 V)	Non-removable battery: 11.78 Wh (3100 mAh, 3.8 V)	Non-removable battery: 11.13 Wh (2930 mAh, 3.8 V)	Non-removable battery: 11.02 Wh (2900 mAh, 3.8 V)
The size	147 × 73 mm Case thickness: 8.3mm	146 × 72 mm Case thickness 7.3 mm	146 × 72 mm Case thickness 6.9 mm	146 × 72 mm Case thickness 7.3 mm
Weight	163 g	152 g	144 g	154 g
Hull protection	IP55, IP58 Up to half an hour at a depth of 1 m	IP65, IP68	IP65, IP68 Up to half an hour at a depth of 1.5 m	IP65, IP68 Up to half an hour at a depth of 1.5 m
Operating system	Android 4.4 KitKat	Android 4.4 KitKat Sony Xperia proprietary skin	Android 5.0.2 Lollipop Sony Xperia proprietary skin	Android 5.1.1 Lollipop Sony Xperia proprietary skin
Actual price	25,990 rubles	34,990 rubles	39,990 rubles	49,990 rubles

⇡ Details about the appearance, ergonomics and the fingerprint scanner

Let's go back a couple of years, at the time of the first Xperia Z. We loved them for their design: they were strict, stately "bricks", the sharp edges of which could cut a hand. And it was really good - the smartphones from the Japanese company turned out to be very, let's not be afraid of this terrible word, stylish. Not even that: they were distinctive. With the increase in the serial number, the Sony pipes became more and more sleek, ordinary. Although, of course, Sony could still be distinguished from any other devices.

“Probably rectangular bricks like the original Sony Xperia Z are completely gone in the River of Times,” we thought when we tested the Z3 +. It is not clear: either the head office of the company is reading our reviews, or they themselves have come up with the same ideas; the fact of the matter is that Sony has fixed it - the Z5 looks great.

You can safely greet the straight side edges, matte surfaces, sharp corners with a small radius of curvature and strict straight lines. We missed them. The gadget has added both weight and thickness compared to its predecessor: 154 against 144 g and 7.3 against 6.9 mm. In general, the Xperia is "okay" again, and, in our opinion, this is very correct. At the same time, it is quite convenient to work with the device with one hand: it has the same dimensions as the previous Xperia, the hand does not get tired of it even after long communication, and the edges do not dig into the palm. All in all, the Z5 is a pleasure to deal with.

There are no hardware keys on the front panel of the device - the navigation keys of the system are "virtual", and an external speaker is brought out to the space under the screen. At the top of the panel is the lens of the front, 5-megapixel camera and a slot for the earpiece. The front side of the Z5 is covered with a protective glass with a grease-repellent coating that is resistant to damage and collection of "fingers". As usual, Sony does not specify its manufacturer.

The layout of the controls remains the same - the power, volume control and camera activation / shutter buttons are located on the right side. The shape of the lock button has changed, and this is in a sense a landmark event - the round bulging power key has not been changed since the first Xperia Z. The Z5 has an oblong shape and, moreover, is somewhat recessed into the body. Such changes are associated with the fact that a capacitive fingerprint scanner was built into it.

As you probably already understood, in terms of the exterior, the Xperia Z5 is very reminiscent of the first "Sockets". However, he also got something from the new smartphones from Sony. For example, polycarbonate inserts at the corners of the case - in theory, they soften the impact when the device falls.

Sony Xperia Z5, like many other gadgets of the company, is protected from dust and moisture - the device can be immersed in fresh water to a depth of one and a half meters, the degree of protection is IP65 / 68. However, you should first make sure that the cover of the slot for Nano-SIM and microSD cards on the left side is firmly pressed against the body. The Micro-USB connector has no cap - the connector is waterproof, Sony calls it Cap-less. It is located at the bottom end, next to it there is a strap mount so that the smartphone can be worn around the neck - a rare attribute among modern gadgets. The universal 3.5 mm audio jack is located at the top end.

The back panel of the Xperia Z5 is covered with a frosted protective glass, which does not collect fingerprints at all - no matter how much you slide your fingers over the panel, you will not spoil the pristine beauty of the device. At the back is the lens of the new 23MP camera and a single LED flash.

The frame and ends of the device are made of aluminum. The Z5 is assembled well - there is no lack of rigidity in the structure during operation. Nevertheless, if you press on the sides of the device, characteristic colored streaks will appear on the screen - the display is not protected very well, so you should handle the device carefully, despite all the "protective corners". The Sony Xperia Z5 is available in white, black, gold (as in our photos) and turquoise colors.

Revolutionary camera and innovative design. Meet the smartphone with which every shot is a masterpiece.

Sony Xperia Z5 Smartphone Features

Capture life's moments with our fast autofocus. The Sony Xperia Z5 lets you capture life's important moments before they pass. Thanks to the hybrid autofocus technology, the Sony Xperia Z5 is rightfully considered the best camera phone, the champion in speed and accuracy. With a 23MP camera and powerful 5x zoom function, the Xperia Z5 can capture even the fastest moments. Very clear and on the first try.

The Xperia Z5 combines two technologies to deliver extremely accurate and fast (0.03 sec) autofocusing.

You can zoom in on your subject up to five times without losing quality thanks to the power of Sony innovations: image sensors, lenses and exclusive Clear Image Zoom technology.

Best Sony technology for low light shooting. The night does not lose its charm with the Xperia Z5. With Sony's next generation image sensor, you can capture the beauty of the night in your photos. No noise or blur.

Feel the unique design of the Sony Xperia Z5. Metal case with high quality engraving. Smooth outlines, simple shape. And the frosted glass back cover is elegant in appearance and pleasant to touch.

Light rain is not a problem. With a waterproof and dustproof design, you don't have to worry about the weather.

Sometimes you can get wet in the rain, and the device gets splashed with water or spilled drinks. The Xperia Z5 has the most water resistant (all ports and covers must be tightly closed) housing from Sony, meeting the IP68 standard. Light rain will not interfere with you.

The Sony Xperia Z5's power button features a new fingerprint sensor. It is conveniently located on the side of the phone, so you can pick up your phone and unlock it safely with one easy swipe.

The battery has also become more efficient, the charge of which lasts for two days. The Sony Xperia Z5 delivers an incredibly long battery life of two days (calling, texting, browsing the web, social media, gaming, music, taking photos and viewing snapshots, watching videos online, recording and playing videos) on a single charge. Listen to more music, talk all day long, and don't worry about running out of power wherever you are. If you need to charge your Xperia Z5, use the quick charger: just 45 minutes and your smartphone will last all day.

Only the best sound

Thanks to Hi-Resolution Audio technology, your music will sound in its original quality. By encoding audio at a higher sampling rate than a regular disc and recovering compressed files, Sony products deliver detailed and perfect sound.

DSEE HX intelligent technology enhances low quality audio and compressed audio files to near the highest level by automatically matching the missing data to each song. And ClearAudio + technology optimizes frequency balance for perfect stereo sound.

Bright colours

Bring the best Sony television technology to your smartphone. A crisp, bright display in the palm of your hand. The Xperia Z5 Premium's 4K Ultra HD display - four times the Full HD resolution - delivers an unmatched viewing experience.

Our 4K display represents a huge technological leap forward. By increasing the total number of pixels, the image has an extremely high resolution of 806 dpi. That's about 10 times the pixels of Full HD TV and more than double the number of most smartphones.

Colors are faithfully rendered for a vibrant viewing experience. They can change moods, animate images. This is why Sony has developed TRILUMINOS Display for mobile devices. Live Color LED and Live Color Creation are combined in this unique color enrichment design.

From low-quality photos and videos to high-resolution movies, the unique X-Reality image processor optimizes color, sharpness, contrast and noise reduction to capture your favorite moments in Full HD.

Any lighting, any angle, any content. The Sony Xperia Z5's display handles all your calls with ease. A contrast filter enhances viewing from any angle, and blacks appear blacker and sharper than ever.

The Xperia Z5's display features powerful LCD backlighting, and a unique filter keeps more of that light from scattering. What's the bottom line? Stunning contrast and impressive black depth from any viewing angle.

Play anywhere

With the PS4 Remote Play function, you can access your PS4 console via your smartphone and play in any room.

Get to know distant galaxies from the kitchen. Score spectacular goals on the balcony. PS4 Remote Play lets you fully immerse yourself in the game. From any part of your home.

The setup is pretty straightforward. Make sure your PS4 and Xperia device are connected to your home Wi-Fi network. Then download the Remote Play software from the Google Play website and start playing.

Specifications Sony Xperia Z5

Memory and storage: 3 GB of RAM and up to 32 GB of flash storage.

Supports microSD cards up to 200GB.

Supported SIM cards: One nano SIM card.

Operating system: Google Android ™ 5.1 (Lollipop).

Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 (MSM8994).

GPU: Adreno 430 64-bit octa-core processor.

Battery: 2,900 mAh.

Protection: Waterproof and dustproof. Protection class IP65 and IP68 (Smartphones and phones with a similar protection class in a wide range are presented at http://beconnect.com.ua/).

Weight: 156.5 grams.

Dimensions: 146 x 72.1 x 7.45mm.

Color: graphite, white, golden, green.

Display: Triluminos Display 5.2 inches, Full HD 1080p (1920 x 1,080).

Main camera: 23MP Sony Exmor RS sensor:

• Hybrid AF (0.03 sec);
• Fivefold Clear Image Zoom;
• 8x digital zoom;
• 24mm wide-angle G Lens;
• ISO sensitivity up to 12800 for photos and 3200 for video;
• SteadyShot with Smart Motion Capture - Image stabilization on video;
• 4K video recording;
• Pulse LED flash.

Front camera: 5MP front camera with Sony Exmor R sensor (Full HD video, SteadyShot, 25mm wide-angle lens).

Networks: GSM GPRS, UMTS HSPA (3G), LTE (4G) / LTE (4G) Category 6.

Connection: aGPS, wireless Bluetooth® 4.1, DLNA Certified, Wi-Fi MIMO, MHL 3.0, NFC.

Fingerprint sensor.

Sound: High-Resolution Audio (LPCM, FLAC, ALAC, DSD), DSEE HX, LDAC

Entertainment:

• PlayMemories;
• Remote Play PS4.

Main accessories:

• SmartWatch 3;
• Audio headset with high quality sound (MDR-NC750).

Sony Xperia Z5 packaging and arrangement

A premium smartphone is supposed to have the appropriate packaging. However, this is hardly applicable in this case, since the box is made of too thin cardboard. The lid covers the box along with the ends, but there are clearly some problems with the fit of these parts. The quality of the packaging, perhaps, would correspond to the apparatus for 15 or 20 thousand rubles. But it clearly does not fit the flagship.

The front side is reserved for the logo, model name and a large image of the smartphone itself

On the ends there is only a sticker with service information. The back side will inform the buyer that the device is presented in several color modifications, here are also several features, such as the type of camera, the manufacturer of the central processor and the ability to record videos in 4K format.

True, to study all these features, you will have to look closely, because the logos are small and unobtrusive.

After opening two factory seals, we remove the lid and first of all we see the gadget itself. It is protected only by an opaque transport film on the display.

Below is a modest delivery set. Each item has its own place.

It is immediately evident that the manufacturer could have placed the accessories more tightly, the packaging would have turned out to be more compact, and the experience would have been better.

The package includes:

• Power adapter;
• USB cable - microUSB;
• Technical documentation.

The packaging is quite capable of protecting the device during transportation. However, buying a model of this price segment, you expect a better quality packaging from a thicker cardboard. And the package could have been packed more carefully.

As already mentioned, traditionally for Sony, the novelty is presented in several color variations.