Review and testing of the Sony Xperia Z5 Dual smartphone. Functions of the Sony Xperia Z5 4g smartphone in Sony Xperia z5

The new model from Sony represents a comprehensive work on the errors of previous devices. The company tried to create a device that retains all the advantages and successful ideas of its predecessors. But at the same time it eliminates the problems of older devices from the line. The Sony Xperia Z5 (Sony Experia) smartphone turned out to be unusual and is distinguished by its innovations. In the new version, attention was paid to the functions of ergonomics and ease of daily use. According to the manufacturer, the phone should become one with its owner, not only in terms of design, but also in the quality of tactile sensations and software. Let's try to carefully study the review, delve into the detailed description, compare with other models and understand whether these statements are true or not.

Design

We should start this review with the appearance of the smartphone. The new Sony Xperia Z5 (Sony Experia) has retained the traditional concept of OmniBalance designers. The appearance of the smartphone is made in a variation of Sense of Unity. This mobile phone looks truly presentable, luxurious and solid. Strict contours with straight lines emphasize the high cost and sophisticated style of the case. So visually the cost of this model looks higher than its real price.

In the Xperia Z5 series, special emphasis in design was placed on individual details. So the rear window got a matte and foggy look. The original idea allowed not only to refresh the appearance of Sony smartphones, but also to solve one of the key problems. There are practically no traces or fingerprints left on such a surface. Even if they appear, they are easily erased with simple movements.

The back panel conveys excellent tactile sensations. The surface feels rough. When viewed from a distance, frosted glass can easily be confused with plastic or metal. Only touch can convey the quality of a material. It is especially pleasant that it did not greatly affect the final cost of the smartphone.

As a nice innovation in the design, it is worth noting the presence of a built-in fingerprint scanner in the power button on the side panel. This made it possible to emphasize the originality of the style and give a new look to boring functions. The scanner is responsive and uses Qualcomm Sense ID technology. True, its implementation made the lock button more rigid. Pressing requires some effort, so unlocking the screen sometimes does not work the first time.

The new smartphone does not have annoying plugs. The standard package includes a common slot for SD and SIM cards. There is also a modification for sale with a slot for two SIMs - Sony Xperia Z5 Dual. According to the manufacturer, the device has waterproof properties. The smartphone can easily survive a fall into water. This feature was a signature feature in all the company’s stylish models.

Among the shortcomings of the design, we can highlight the protrusions along the perimeter of the frame. They were made in order to prevent the smartphone from sliding on the surface and causing scratches. However, the price of this innovation turned out to be high and cost users the usual comfort: when you take the Xperia Z5 in your hands, the size and edges cause inconvenience, which slightly spoils the experience. A similar thing happens when you work with the display sensor. When you move your finger across the screen, you involuntarily touch these protrusions. Although this design is practical, it takes time to get used to the device. This disadvantage also includes the inconvenient location of the volume keys. The buttons are located significantly lower than usual in other models.

Screen

The display uses a Sony Triluminos touchscreen IPS matrix with Live Color LED & X-Reality technology. Here, of course, we cannot fail to mention the dimensions: the screen diagonal is 5.2 inches. The image is transmitted in FullHD 1920×1080 resolution. The pixel density is 424 ppi.

The Xperia Z5 has built-in ambient light sensors that are responsible for automatically adjusting the brightness of the display. At the same time, the possibility of precise manual adjustment is preserved. The multi-touch sensor is capable of perceiving and processing up to 10 simultaneous touches. When you hold the phone to your ear during a call, the sensors automatically lock the screen. A nice plus is the ability to operate the smartphone with gloves.

In general, the quality of color rendering and brightness of the model is excellent. The shades are rich, the colors are bright, the image is excellent. The anti-glare screen and a wide range of brightness settings will allow you to comfortably use the phone in direct sunlight.

Sound

The Sony Xperia Z5 has deservedly received praise for its stereo sound quality. And no matter how many there are, it will not be enough. The speakers and overall sound of the smartphone deserve applause. The Japanese company was able to realize clear and loud sound with a good bass range. Not a single smartphone from all Sony lines could boast of such properties.

The mobile phone is equipped with S-Force Front Surround sound system and DSEE HX quality enhancement technology. To listen to your favorite music and tracks, there are wide options and as many different options for improving the sound using personal settings and a built-in audio player as a smartphone can have. The entire sound palette is revealed well when you connect headphones to your smartphone.

As for communicating on the phone, the Xperia Z5 is doing great. The interlocutor's voice is recognizable and retains familiar intonation and timbre. Noise-canceling technology protects conversations from wind gusts and outside sounds in open spaces.

Camera

The smartphone uses two digital cameras with resolutions of 23 MP and 5 MP. The developers have placed emphasis on the quality and detail of the resulting photos. The main camera uses the new Sony Exmor RS with a 1/2.3 sensor and a 24mm G Lens. The aperture has an f/2.0 setting. Hybrid autofocus along with LED flash ensures high focusing accuracy and speed.

The front camera uses the same wide-angle 25 mm G Lens and a 5 MP Exmor R module. There is no flash and a fixed focus.

For shooting photos and videos, there is an HDR mode and an electronic SteadyShot image stabilization system with Intelligent Active Mod function. The camera interface has flexible settings, as well as options for recognizing smiles and “soft skin”.

In general, each camera copes well with its responsibilities and demonstrates the good quality of the resulting photos and videos in 4K resolution. The picture is detailed and sharp. In poor lighting, frames lose quality, but remain at an acceptable level. If we compare the Z5 with other smartphones, it outperforms its younger predecessors, but is still inferior to the flagships of other companies. And at the same time it is inferior significantly.

Specifications and performance

The hardware of the smartphone is based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chipset. The x64 platform is made using a 20 nm process technology and consists of eight ARM Cortex cores. They reliably cope with assigned tasks and demonstrate good performance. The smartphone's RAM is 3 GB. Flash memory is designed for 32 GB. You can expand the volume up to 200 GB using additional microSD.

The Sony Xperia Z5 (Sony Experia) went on sale with an operating system based on the 5th version of Android LolliPop. The changes affected the interface with a description and the processing of the existing shell. All innovations in the menu and sections are designed to improve style and ease of use. At the moment, a software update to the sixth version of Android Marshmallow is available for the smartphone.

The Adreno 430 video accelerator is responsible for the work in the graphical aspect. AnTuTu tests give top results. When running gaming applications at high graphics settings, the smartphone behaves perfectly. FPS drops and performance drops occur due to gradual heating. This problem is typical for all Snapdragon 810. Heating is more localized in the upper part of the device, where the SoC is located. The temperature of the smartphone reaches 45-47°C. At the same time, the device feels significantly hot and you can only get rid of this feeling with the help of a case.

But, despite this drawback, the Xperia Z5 hardware demonstrates excellent performance and a high performance margin. This guarantees owners reliable performance and the ability to run the most demanding applications. This mobile phone will be able to adequately withstand comparison and compete with other representatives of the flagship series, and will also retain the relevance of its technical content for many years to come.

Accumulator battery

And finally, we should conclude this review with a description of the battery parameters. Autonomy is ensured by a battery with a capacity 2900 mAh. Its capabilities are enough for standard daily work with an active screen. The smartphone lasts for 40 hours without additional charging. But if you increase the intensity of the load, the battery discharges quite quickly. This is due to the demanding platform, as well as the large FullHD display.

In standby mode, the charge will last 540 hours, but if you start watching videos in high resolution FullHD, the phone will last only 7.5 hours. You can relax with continuous games with the device for no more than 3.5 hours.

conclusions

The Sony Xperia Z5 smartphone has emerged as a successful leader in the flagship series and has earned positive reviews. Price in 25 thousand rubles justifies all possible functions, so this cost can be counted as a definite plus in the treasury of this model. However, there are a number of contradictions here. The phone has a truly cool and original design, acceptable dimensions, interesting colors, but a number of innovations at the same time spoil the good impression. This applies to the side frames on the case, the tight power button with a fingerprint scanner, and constant heating during operation. It seems that a 23 MP camera is a new product for Sony smartphones, but in terms of quality they are still inferior to their competitors.

Let me remind you that when testing battery life, all energy-saving functions were disabled. For everyday use, it's best to leave Stamina Mode enabled. If you don’t watch videos or play heavy games, you can count on two days of battery life, but in a more intensive format, the Xperia Z5’s battery easily lasts for a day of work. You don't even have to carry a charging cable and power bank with you.

conclusions

It is very difficult to find pronounced flaws in the Sony Xperia Z5. Externally, it is impeccable - high-quality materials, perfect assembly, original finish. After the Z3, it was inconvenient for me to use the volume key - now it is located too low, but this is a very conditional disadvantage, rather a matter of habit. On forums, users complain about the screen, saying that the flagship in 2015 will not have Full HD, but at least a QHD screen. But in my opinion, Sony solved this problem in the best possible way. For those who need a high-resolution screen, there is a separate model - the Xperia Z5 Premium. But in general, 1080p is enough for comfortable work and to achieve a good balance between convenience, performance and autonomy.

The Sony Xperia smartphone is difficult to call affordable. $750 is not a price that everyone can afford. But it's not that. When you open Sony's sleek packaging, you'll be surprised. Few people can afford such a bold range of colors. We came across a sample of dark turquoise color for testing. The frosted glass on the back and aluminum on the edges are really classy. To say that the Sony Xperia looks rich is an understatement. Even the iPhone 6S is difficult to compete here.

The new Sony model has a fingerprint scanner. It's built into the lock button on the right side of the phone. A very interesting solution, it works without delay. At the top left there is a slot for one nano-SIM and a MicroSD card. At the bottom right there is a button for taking photos.

Ergonomics at a high level. The LED event indicator is bright and easy to see. The phone does not slip in the hand, only the slightly protruding edges cut the hand a little. Thanks to the frosted glass, there are no fingerprints on the back.

Hardware platform

operating system
	5.2"" Full HD 1920x1080
CPU	Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 2 GHz
RAM
Built-in memory	32 GB, microSD support up to 200 GB
	GSM 850/900/1800/1900 | UMTS 850/900/1900/2100 | LTE 3, 7, 20, one Nano-SIM
Radiation level, SAR (EU)	0.751W/kg (head), 0.781W/kg (body)
	23 MP and 5 MP
Battery
	146x72x7.3 mm

The hardware of the smartphone is currently the most powerful chipset from Qualcomm - Snapdragon 810. Previously, it was distinguished by high heating, but in the current revision all problems have already been solved. The phone easily shoots 4K video for more than 10 minutes and does not overheat. All resource-intensive games are going great: Dead Trigger 2, Asphalt 8: Airborne, WoT Blitz, Godfire: Rise of Prometheus. 3 GB of RAM is enough for any application.

Interface

The shell from Sony evokes pleasant associations: lightness, speed, simplicity. Programmers from the Japanese company tried to bring it as close as possible to the “factory” Android. Almost the same curtain, a minimum of third-party applications. The keyboard, contacts, and music player are well designed and comfortable. The gallery could have been implemented better. “Dialer” is 4 out of 5. There is support for themes.

In the video below you can see the logic of the interface and the smooth operation of the smartphone.

Video Sony Xperia Z5: interface, performance, ergonomics

The screen has a standard FULL HD resolution (1920*1080). There is no QHD here, and there is no need for it. Sony saved the 4k screen (for the first time on a mobile phone) for the Sony Z5 Premium. In terms of contrast and brightness, Sony squeezed out everything it could from IPS. Sony's proprietary image enhancer X-reality for mobile is present and makes the picture even more juicy. There is nothing to complain about.

Sound

The sound in the headphones is clear and loud. The speakers were a pleasant surprise - high-quality stereo and good detail. Sony is at the highest level here - it uses ClearAudio+ technology.

Camera

The Sony Xperia Z5 camera is worth a special mention here. The latest generation 23 megapixel sensor Exmor RS IMX 300 produces a very high-quality image. For comparison, the Galaxy S6 only has an IMX 240 sensor. According to rumors, it doesn’t even have a 23 megapixel sensor, but a 25 megapixel sensor that was deliberately cropped. The camera produces clear images in all lighting conditions. 192 focus points allow you to instantly photograph dynamic scenes. It’s not for nothing that the foreign website DXOmark ranked the Sony Xperia Z5 camera in 1st place in the ranking of mobile sensors. In the evening there are noises, but they are incomparably less than those of competitors.

There is a manual shooting mode, but saving in RAW is not supported. For entertainment, there are many modes that will make you smile. “AR Mask” allows you to put a mask of your friend or animal on your face. “Portrait in Style” allows you to superimpose painted lips, vampire eyes or native paint on your selfie in real time. "AR effect" is augmented reality in your photo or video. For example, when taking a photo of an ordinary empty lawn, a smartphone can add gnomes and mushrooms directly onto it. Very funny features. We recommend.

Examples of pictures (23 MP, during the day):

Examples of pictures (23 MP, evening):

Example video (daytime, 4K)

Sample video (evening, 4K)

Autonomy

The Sony Xperia Z5's battery life is fine. The battery, although a little smaller than in the Z3, is enough for 1 day. And in case of rare calls, it will be enough for 2 days. The proprietary Stamina and Ultra Stamina modes will help you with this.

conclusions

“Flagship”, “flagship”, “flagship” - these are the only thoughts that come to mind after meeting the Sony Xperia Z5. The high price is offset by an excellent camera, outstanding materials and stylish design. And even though the Sony Xperia Z5 is similar to previous models, we will forgive Sony for that too. Because he is beautiful. And period.

Thank you for the provided smartphonefirst official retail storeSony Center inMinsk.

Having announced the Xperia Z5, Sony once again tried to work on the mistakes of the past, bringing to the ideal all the familiar and characteristic features of the Xperia Z line, diluting them with a couple of new features. Some things turned out well, some not so much, but it should be noted that the Z5 is quite different from the company’s previous flagships, although it is similar to them in many respects. The main emphasis was placed on the tactile sensations of the device, its unity with the owner both in terms of appearance and software, as well as advanced camera capabilities. Let's take a closer look at each aspect of the new product.

Technical characteristics of Sony Xperia Z5:

• Network: GSM/GPRS/EDGE, WCDMA/HSPA, LTE
• Platform (at time of announcement): Android 5.1.1 Lollipop
• Display: 5.2", 1920 x 1080 pixels, 700 nits, IPS, 424 ppi
• Camera: 23 MP, Sony IMX300 sensor 1/2.3” with 1.1 micron pixels, f/2.0, LED flash, hybrid autofocus, G Lens optics, electronic SteadyShot stabilizer, 5x Clear Image Zoom, 4K@ video recording 30fps, video recording 720p@120fps
• Front camera: 5.1 MP, focal length 25 mm
• Processor: 8 cores, 4 x 2.0 GHz + 4 x 1.5 GHz, Qualcomm Snapdragon 810
• Graphics chip: Adreno 430
• RAM: 3 GB
• Internal memory: 32 GB
• Memory card: microSD (up to 200 GB)
• A-GPS and GLONASS
• Bluetooth 4.1
• Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n)
• microUSB 2.0
• 3.5mm jack
• IPX5/IPX8 and IP6X protection
• Fingerprint scanner
• Battery: non-removable, 2900 mAh
• Dimensions: 146 x 76 x 7.3 mm
• Weight: 154 g

Video review and unboxing

Design and Construction

We can talk for a long time about the fact that the OmniBalance design concept is outdated, tired and generally no longer impressive, but all its variations, including the new Sense of Unity used in the Z5 line, still look solid, expensive and nice. This time Sony tried to pay more attention to detail. The rear glass became frosted and fogged up, which not only greatly refreshed the appearance of the Xperia Z5, but also benefited practicality. On such a surface, traces and prints are almost invisible, and if they are noticeable, they are easily wiped off. The back feels pleasantly rough, but does not look glassy at all. In appearance, it can be confused with plastic or painted metal, and only tactile sensations can convey its true essence. Alas, the whole charm of the experience is somewhat spoiled by the very small protrusions of the frame, designed to provide the device lying on the table with better resistance to scratches and slipping. That's true, but every time you take the Z5 in your hand, these edges literally dig into your palm and fingers. On the front side, such screen protection also leaves mixed feelings when swiping and touching close to the edges of the display. In general, in this case, practicality won over design. After the smooth and licked Xperia Z3, similar protrusions in the Xperia Z3+ and Xperia Z5 feel unusual.

Another nice addition is the laser engraving of Xperia on the left side of the metal frame of the device. According to the company's plan, this should become a kind of label and an important fashion detail in the design of Xperia smartphones. It really looks great, but this inscription will not be noticeable except to the owner of the smartphone. It is almost always closed with one hand or the other, and it looks quite inconspicuous; it is unlikely to add recognition to Sony smartphones. A nice little thing, nothing more. The main design innovation of the Xperia Z5 is the fingerprint scanner built into the side power button. This demonstrated Sony's originality and adherence to its corporate style. It’s great that they didn’t introduce it at the back or front. The scanner works quickly, but not always clearly, often not perceiving touches. The nature of its origin remains unknown. At the first meeting with the device, company representatives announced Qualcomm Sense ID ultrasonic technology, but it was not mentioned in any further information materials or advertising. Most likely, a regular capacitive scanner is used here, since there is no impressive speed or accuracy of operation; this is not the level of the iPhone 6S with the second generation Touch ID, for example, and not even the level of the latest Meizu and Samsung smartphones. Due to the introduction of the scanner, it was necessary to make the power button more rigid, as a result of which, to unlock, turn on or turn off the screen, a strong deep press is required, which is not always done the first time.

I'm glad that Sony managed to almost completely get rid of the plugs, leaving only one common for memory cards and nano-SIM, while maintaining moisture protection. It’s not encouraging that from now on Sony doesn’t place much emphasis on security, modestly advising not to expose the smartphone to extreme moisture. Forget about swimming, washing under the tap and underwater filming. The phone will most likely survive them, but you will most likely bear responsibility for the drowned person. Rain, accidentally spilled liquids (excluding alcoholic beverages) - from now on this is the element of Sony Xperia. It goes without saying that almost all modern smartphones provide this level of protection. Sony's trick was precisely in the rather extreme security of stylish smartphones, but, apparently, having seen enough of drowned people in service centers, the company decided to protect itself from possible risks, and at the same time warn users against careless handling of devices. That's basically all the key design changes. The volume keys should still be moved to the other side; it would be much better than their current lower position, which is completely inconvenient to use.

The front panel of the smartphone inherits the appearance of the Xperia Z2. The shape and placement of the stereo speakers are similar. The sound quality of the speakers is comparable to the Xperia Z3 (only a little louder); fortunately, both speakers now work when making calls. The screen remains the same size and resolution (5.2" with Full HD), but now it is Sony's brightest screen and one of the brightest on the market, color rendition is close to natural, but still a little cool. There are no complaints about the assembly of the smartphone, everything fits as tightly as possible, without cracks or gaps. Our test Z5 Compact, for example, could not boast of such build quality, but everything is fine with the two test Z5s.

Software

The Xperia Home shell, which hides Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, in the latest version has become much simpler and closer to a naked “robot”, while retaining the entire set of Sony software and services. The advantage of this approach was the ability to update some system components over the air, bypassing full firmware updates. For example, this is how updates to the camera interface, application update service, and a couple of other internal utilities arrived that were not previously separately updated. As a result, the user receives the latest versions of the software without being tied to the system version. Meanwhile, an update to Android 6.0 is already in development. According to rumors, the update will arrive in January.

I was very pleased with the new setup wizard, which introduces all the main features of the device. In the settings themselves, everything remains the same, but I would like to note the corrected X-reality Pro mode, which allows you to immediately visually evaluate its work using the example of test photographs and videos. From now on it works smoother and more accurately. There is support for working with gloves, a more useful feature than ever in the Russian climate. The fingerprint scanner settings are hidden safely and allow you to add up to 5 fingerprints. For better accuracy, it is worth adding one finger several times. It is most convenient to use the thumb of the right hand or the index/middle finger of the left hand for these purposes. It is also worth registering the middle or index finger of your right hand, which will make it more convenient to unlock your smartphone when it is lying on the table if you are right-handed. It would seem like nothing special, but Sony was able to surprise here. If the phone is unlocked by the owner, then any stranger can go to the security section and remove all fingers from there, because entering the fingerprint manager does not require password confirmation! This cannot be done on Samsung devices, this is impossible on the iPhone and even on Huawei. However, the same careless attitude towards security is found, for example, in OnePlus 2 with almost naked Android. This is probably a problem with bare Android 5.1, to which the Xperia Home shell has become very close. Full system support for finger scanners appeared only in Android 6.0, and until that moment all manufacturers were forced to create their own data storage. Some tried, some didn't.

There are fewer built-in applications, now they are grouped into folders and occupy only two menu screens. A full set of Google utilities and all Sony branded applications are available.

Camera

The main trump card of the new line of Sony smartphones was supposed to be a 23-megapixel camera. The company is pushing the cutting-edge capabilities of its sensors and modules more than ever, touting the world's fastest autofocus, 5x lossless zoom, and good low-light photo quality. All this is seasoned with words about the work on camera software by people from the Sony Alpha photographic department. In general, everything was stated very seriously and promised us a completely different level of photography. But in practice, is everything so good? Since the statements are so loud, they need to be assessed to the fullest extent.

To evaluate the quality of the photos, I took the Xperia Z3 (look at Sony's progress) and the iPhone 6S (this is one of the most popular phones with an excellent camera). Some photos were taken in the "Auto 8 MP" mode for Sony, since the Xperia Z3 does not allow you to set a higher resolution for this mode, unlike the Z5, but the iPhone only shoots at 12 MP and that's it. Full-size pictures in full resolution of all devices are also attached, look and rate (open by click). Sony hardly notices any difference between 8 megapixels and 23 megapixels, but first things first.

Examples of photos from Xperia Z5:

Examples of photos from Xperia Z3:

Examples of photos from iPhone 6S:

The Z5's autofocus really works quickly, but at times it makes mistakes and cannot focus on simple objects for several minutes, showing results even worse than the Xperia Z3, not to mention the iPhone 6S. For example, a glass of coffee from Starbucks was only normal for the iPhone, with fast, even instant focusing the first time and correct color reproduction. Two Sony smartphones failed to focus quickly and clearly, the Z3 had blur, and the Z5 could not catch focus properly and out of about 10 attempts, no more than 2-3 were successful. In the case of a sandwich on a plate, all smartphones handled it quickly, clearly and well. Color rendition is more correct in the Z5. Photos with a 5x zoom are not amazing, the quality drops noticeably and a similar result can be achieved by simply cropping a large image. Photos in low light conditions from the Z5 and Z3 are equally mediocre. Overexposure, noise, blur. Not without exceptions, but the iPhone 6S does a better job here in almost all cases. Sony smartphones really lack exposure compensation for choosing the focus point, but this feature has migrated from the iPhone to almost all modern camera phones. In addition, the incredibly castrated manual shooting mode of the Xperia Z5 is very surprising, since with a maximum 23-megapixel resolution, ISO adjustment is not possible, for some reason scenes are blocked. When set to 8 megapixels, everything works fully (although there is still no manual focus), but what kind of 23 megapixel camera is this that can only shoot best at 8 megapixels? Of course, this is enough for most usage scenarios, only when reducing the resolution I would like to see an improvement in quality, similar to PureView in Lumia. This is not observed here, and whether at 8 megapixels or at 23 megapixels, the Xperia Z5 shoots equally averagely. Daytime photographs also do not look like a breakthrough against the background of the Z3 and iPhone 6S, but you could already see night examples against the background of the LG G4 and Meizu Pro 5 from Evgeny Makarov. You can also see more comparisons in his materials (), this will allow you to finally dot all the i’s regarding the quality of the Xperia Z5 camera. Personally, I would like to finally see at least some serious work on shooting algorithms following the release of an update to the camera interface (good, smart and fast - thank you for that), and not the regular addition of yet another useless augmented reality effects. Perhaps, a strong argument for the Xperia Z5 compared to the Z3 and iPhone 6S is the wider capture angle; many more objects fit into the frame, but compared to other competitors this is not a strong achievement. In addition, due to the wide angle, the clarity of objects outside the center of the frame is lost.

As for the video quality, everything here is much better than before. The picture is clear, stabilization is smoother, focus is very fast. 4K video in daytime conditions turns out good, but when there is a lack of lighting, everything floats and becomes smeared. Shooting in 1080/60 quality seems to be the most optimal.

Performance and tests

The smartphone is built on the basis of the very controversial Snapdragon 810, which has gained notoriety. Many companies tried to cope with its overheating, but not all managed to do it in the best possible way. The Xperia Z5 loses performance when heated, and this is especially noticeable in benchmarks. In everyday work, everything is relatively fast and smooth, 3 GB of RAM makes its presence felt, but after a reboot the phone takes a very long time to come to its senses and it was not possible to understand why this is happening.

In AnTuTu, over four consecutive runs of the test, the results became worse by almost 10 thousand points - 61,756 parrots and 51,934, respectively. Three runs of Geekbench showed a drop of 200 points for one core and 400 for all cores. In other tests, everything is not so bad, the results are top-end, but comparable to devices with 2K screens. Here, taking into account 1080p, I would like to see more impressive indicators. The heating level most of the time remains within normal limits and does not exceed 45 degrees, but there are also spikes up to 48. The phone feels hot in any case (even in normal use) and this can only be corrected with some kind of case.

In the games Asphalt 8, Unkilled, Modern Kombat 5, Implosion, the smartphone performs well and only slows down a little when heating increases. When watching HD video at maximum brightness and volume, the Z5 discharges by 18% per hour, so the device will last for about 5.5 hours of viewing. At full load and games, the Xperia Z5 discharges by 20 percent in half an hour, that is, it will last for about 2.5 hours of continuous powerful games. In everyday use, you can count on 3.5-4.5 hours of screen time and a day of active use; the promised two days of work are possible only with very sluggish use. It turns out that the Xperia Z5 runs a little less than the Xperia Z3 and a lot less than the Xperia Z2. Whether it was worth installing a brighter screen and a power-hungry chip here at the cost of autonomy is a question that remains open.

As for the sound quality in the headphones, everything is good here, but it is still not the level of modern top-end music smartphones Meizu, iPhone and even Highscreen Boost 3 (review). The Xperia Z5 sounds better than the Xperia Z3 (less bassy, ​​but more uniform and clear), but there is almost no volume reserve and it will not be able to drive tight headphones. The situation is partly corrected by proprietary software automatic optimization for specific headphones (the phone itself determines what is inserted into it and builds the sound in the best possible way). It doesn’t always work exactly, but more often than not it really makes the sound more interesting and pleasant. No problems were identified with communication.

conclusions

It seems that it would be difficult to make a more controversial and controversial smartphone than the Xperia Z5. It has a great design with cool materials and colors, but the protruding edges of the frame take away from its beauty somewhat. It has a bright screen with a resolution that's comfortable for the eyes, but still cool tones. A unique fingerprint scanner, but it works only once in a while and does not have normal scan protection at the software level. Powerful hardware, but strong heating and noticeable performance losses. The world's most advanced mobile camera, which has never learned to shoot significantly better than its competitors. The history of the Xperia Z line is full of work on mistakes, maybe it’s time to somehow stop making them? I really want to believe that the company’s next flagship will be much more balanced and devoid of all controversial issues. Should this happen at some point?

The Sony Xperia Z5 smartphone differs from its predecessors not only in its updated design, but also in the fingerprint scanner built into the power button, as well as the main camera with very fast autofocus. Vesti.Hi-tech understood all the features of the new flagship.

A premium smartphone is usually accompanied by a smaller version of it, which retains the name of the flagship in its name. So, for example, I performed with the first one in a duet. But at the IFA 2015 exhibition in Berlin, the Japanese corporation Sony rolled out the original Xperia Z5, and, in addition, its premium Xperia Z5 Premium and compact Xperia Z5 Compact versions. Moreover, all these technologically advanced, convenient, productive, and simply beautiful devices are made in different form factors. Obviously, with the help of such a trio, an attempt is made to satisfy the widest range of buyers. Note that the flagship Xperia Z5, which was the first to be tested, is available with both one SIM card (models E6603 and E6653) and two (models E6633 and E6683).

Specifications

• Model: E6683
• OS: Android 5.1.1 (Lollipop) with Xperia proprietary shell
• Processor: 64-bit 8-core (4 cores ARM Cortex-A57 2.0 GHz + 4 cores ARM Cortex-A53 1.5 GHz), Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 platform (MSM8994), DSP Hexagon V56 (800 MHz)
• Graphics subsystem: Adreno 430 (650 MHz)
• RAM: 3 GB (LPDDR4, 1600 MHz)
• Storage memory: 32 GB (22.5 GB available, 21.8 GB free), microSDXC memory card slot (up to 200 GB)
• Screen: 5.2 inches, IPS Triluminos, Full HD, X-Reality, 424 ppi, 700 nits, sRGB 130%, up to 10 simultaneous touches
• Cameras: main - 1/2.3-inch sensor, 23 MP Exmor RS, f/2.0, wide-angle G Lens, 24 mm EGF, hybrid autofocus (0.03 s), flash, 4K video (3840x2160 pixels) @30fps, ISO 12,800/3,200 (photo/video), front - 5 MP, Exmor R, wide-angle G Lens, EGF 25 mm, SteadyShot stabilization, Full HD 1080p
• Network: GSM/GPRS/EDGE, UMTS HSPA+, LTE Cat. 6 (300 Mbit/s)
• SIM cards: two nanoSIM (4FF), Dual SIM Dual Standby
• Interfaces: Bluetooth 4.1, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz), Wi-Fi Direct, NFC, MHL 3.0, USB-OTG, DLNA
• Navigation: GPS/GLONASS, A-GPS
• Radio: FM tuner with RDS
• Features: dustproof and waterproof (IP65/IP68)
• Sensors: accelerometer, light and proximity sensors, gyroscope, compass (Hall sensor), barometer, fingerprint scanner
• Battery: non-removable, lithium polymer, 2,900 mAh
• Dimensions: 146x72.1x7.45 mm
• Weight: 156.5 grams
• Color: Graphite Black, White, Gold, Emerald Green

Design, ergonomics

There have been noticeable changes in the design of the Xperia Z5 compared to its predecessor (); the device is even somewhat similar to the founder of the series, .

Thus, the metal frame (here it is made of aluminum) along the perimeter of the case received a new geometry - it became more strict and less rounded.

In addition, a stylish laser engraving of the Xperia brand appeared on it next to the lower left shockproof corner. But the main change affected the power/lock button - a “metal rivet”, which, starting in the spring of 2013, has been a signature feature of Xperia smartphones. Now it has been sacrificed in favor of a built-in ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, which would be completely ineffective on the tiny surface of the “rivet”. In addition, changes affected the back panel of the case made of tempered glass, which this time was frosted.

Thanks to this operation, the smartphone immediately began to look even more stylish, and besides, numerous fingerprints on the matte glass are not at all noticeable. Moreover, matting by grinding gives the surface, along with opacity, also some pleasant roughness.

The color scheme of the device has also been updated - the Xperia Z5 is available in graphite black, white, gold and emerald green.

The last color is especially good, the smartphone in which we received for testing. Interestingly, the new flagship turned out to be thicker and heavier, for example, the “intermediate” one - 7.45 mm versus 6.9 mm and 156.5 g versus 144 g.

The entire front surface of the Xperia Z5 is covered with protective tempered glass,

where narrow cutouts were provided at the top and bottom for the speaker grilles. At the same time, a “conversational” microphone is also hidden under the lower grille.

The Sony logo was placed on the top of the panel, to the left of which was the front camera lens, and in the very corner there was an LED charging/event indicator. To the right of the logo you can see a window for proximity and light sensors. The control panel touch buttons ("Back", "Home" and "Recent Applications") traditionally remain on-screen, and are accompanied by branded icons ("triangle", "house" and "square").

The front camera moved almost unchanged to the new product. The resolution of its back-illuminated Exmor R sensor is 5 megapixels, and the EGF of the wide-angle G Lens is 25 mm. The maximum resolution with the classic aspect ratio (4:3) reaches 2592x1944 pixels.

Both cameras can shoot videos in Full HD quality, while the main camera provides frame rates of both 30 fps and 60 fps. Of course, it hasn’t lost its ability to shoot in 4K resolution (3840x2160 pixels) @ 30 fps. For the Timeshift video application, the frame rate reaches 120 fps, so playback of an HD image (1280x720 pixels) can easily be slowed down by 4 times. All content is saved in MP4 container files (AVC - video, AAC - audio).

The sound processing options in Sony flagships deserve good words. Of course, the Xperia Z5 was no exception. In addition, its built-in speakers sound quite loud and rich. The back panel of the smartphone itself seems to resonate, since when the speaker grilles are covered with your fingers, the volume level does not change very much. The settings offer to automatically optimize sound parameters by relying on the ClearAudio+ function. This can be done manually using the built-in equalizer with presets. In addition, for headphones there are surround sound options (concert hall, club, studio), as well as automatic optimization of AHC (Automatic Headset Compensation) and realistic playback settings (S Force Front Surround). But to equalize the volume of different songs or videos, a dynamic normalizer can be turned on. Let us remind you that the second microphone of the smartphone is designed for digital noise reduction.

Hi-Res Audio technology provides support for lossless formats such as FLAC. In turn, DSEE (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine) HX tries to restore cut frequencies when listening to MP3 files with low bitrates. But the LDAC (Lossless Digital Audio Coding) codec allows you to stream Hi-Res tracks via Bluetooth to a wireless LDAC-compatible headset. Note that the built-in FM tuner with RDS support only works when a wired headset is connected, which is required as a shortwave antenna.

Filling, performance

The Xperia Z5 inherited the basic hardware from its predecessor almost unchanged. Under the hood of the new flagship is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 (MSM8994) processor, known for its “hot character”.

Eight 64-bit cores are united by the ARM big.LITTLE GTS architecture, where four energy-efficient ARM Cortex-A53 cores (1.5 GHz) are complemented by a quartet of more powerful ARM Cortex-A57 (2.0 GHz). To support graphics operations on a chip designed to meet 20 nm design standards, an Adreno 430 accelerator (650 MHz) with support for OpenGL ES 3.1 is implemented. As you know, one of the features of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 is a multi-mode modem with support for LTE Cat. 6 (LTE Advanced). The base platform is also complemented by 3 GB of RAM (LPDDR4, 1600 MHz). Thus, the difference between the results of the new product and the tests is mainly due to the imperfections of the latter.

On synthetic tests AnTuTu Benchmark 5.7.1,

and Vellamo benchmarks, the new smartphone predictably ended up in the group of leaders, losing, perhaps, to the more powerful Exynos 7 Octa 7420 crystal.

On the Epic Citadel visual test with variable settings High Performance and High Quality, the average frame rate changed at the level of random measurement error - 60.8 fps and 60.4 fps, respectively. And for the Ultra High Quality setting, this parameter decreased in accordance with the increase in quality to 54.5 fps.

On the universal gaming benchmark 3DMark in the recommended Sling Shot tests, the new flagship showed a result of 1095.

The total number of points earned by the Xperia Z5 on the cross-platform benchmark Base Mark OS II was 1251.

Of the 32 GB of internal memory, approximately 22.5 GB is available, and, of course, even less is free (about 21.8 GB). To expand the storage, there is a slot for microSD/HC/XC memory cards up to 200 GB. It is gratifying that Sony responded quickly enough to the new bar that the company set this year. Thanks to the support of USB-OTG technology, it is easy to connect a regular flash drive to the device. By the way, automatic detection of USB connections is preserved only for the PC and the charger. All other devices, including USB drives, require manual intervention.

In the E6683 model, voice communication and mobile Internet functions can be divided between two subscriber identification modules in nanoSIM format (4FF) with support for fast 4G networks - LTE Advanced (Cat.6, 300 Mbit/s). As for other wireless communications, along with dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 and 5 GHz), there are also Bluetooth 4.1 and NFC interfaces. The chip for the latter, obviously, remained unchanged (from NXP), since it allows you to use the “My Travel Card” application from the Bank of Moscow, which can not only read, but also remotely top up the Troika card.

To determine location and navigation, the multi-system receiver actively uses satellites of the GPS and GLONASS constellations, as evidenced by the results of the AndroiTS GPS Test program. There is also built-in support for A-GPS technology.

The non-removable lithium-polymer battery of the Xperia Z5 has lost even more weight. Its capacity was 2,900 mAh, which is 30 mAh less than that of. This, of course, looks somewhat strange, considering that the thickness and weight of the new flagship, although not by much, have increased. A fast charging adapter supporting Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 is not included. So a device like UCH10 (5/9/12 V) will have to be purchased separately. With the help of such a device, in 10 minutes they promise to fill the battery so that it will be enough to operate the smartphone for 5.5 hours. Unfortunately, we did not have the opportunity to check this.

A slight change in battery capacity had an equally insignificant effect on the results of its tests - the smartphone earned 6,342 points on AnTuTu Tester. Without much detail, the manufacturer on its website promises the Xperia Z5 to work for two days without recharging. A test set of videos in MP4 and Full HD quality played continuously at full brightness for more than 7 hours, during which the smartphone body warmed up slightly.

Sony's proprietary power saving modes are well known. Thus, Stamina allows you to limit performance, disable background processes during inactivity, and also set a list of applications that are allowed to access the network. In turn, Ultra Stamina, leaving only basic phone functions enabled (voice calls and SMS), extends battery life even more significantly. But the “Low Battery Mode” option is activated at a predetermined battery level (for example, 20%). In this case, energy consumption is reduced, for example, by turning off wireless communication modules (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS), reducing the screen timeout, lowering its backlight level, etc.

Software Features

The Xperia Z5 smartphone runs on the Android 5.1.1 operating system with the proprietary Xperia shell.

As usual, various themes, background images, and branded widgets are available here. The set of pre-installed applications is small, but functional.

As already noted, an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor is built into the power/lock button, which allows, in particular, to quickly unlock the smartphone. There is a corresponding section in the Security settings where you can associate up to five fingerprints with this scanner.

In the procedure for preparing fingerprint data, everything is simple and clear. And it’s convenient to use the sensor built into the power/lock button; it works very quickly and almost error-free.

Purchase, conclusions

Although the Xperia Z5 turned out to be a little thicker and heavier than, its main advantages still include a high-quality display, simultaneous support for two SIM cards and a memory card, advanced sound options, as well as reliable protection from water and dust. In addition to changes in design, the obvious features of the new flagship, without a doubt, include a convenient fingerprint scanner and very fast autofocus. Although the main camera still lacks optical stabilization, and a fast charger is not included with the smartphone.

At the same time, the recommended price for the Xperia Z5 is 49,990 rubles. Its predecessor - - is now offered, according to Yandex.Market, at least 10 thousand cheaper (39,990 rubles). Even for the more productive Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, which also has a very impressive appearance (thanks to its curved screen), large retail chains ask for only 43,990 rubles. So before purchasing, you should carefully weigh all the pros and cons, highlighting for yourself the most significant qualities of the flagship.

Results of the review of the Sony Xperia Z5 smartphone

Pros:

• High quality display
• Convenient fingerprint scanner
• Very fast camera autofocus
• Simultaneous support for two SIM cards and a memory card
• Advanced sound options
• Reliable protection against water and dust

Minuses:

• High price
• Heavier and thicker than its predecessor ()
• Lack of optical stabilization for the main camera
• Fast charge adapter not included