A regular reader of the blog may remember that I reviewed Sony Xperia 1 II and Sony Xperia 5 II a while back and finally I am back to reviewing yet another Sony device – the new iteration of Xperia 5.
The Xperia 5 model is essentially the compact flagship Xperia phone from Sony. The dimension of this phone (157 x 68 x 8.2 mm or 6.18 x 2.68 x 0.32 in) feel different to me but that is primarily because I am used to using big 6.8 inch phones. However, if you are someone who prefers smaller (and narrow) android phone then this is one of the few smaller flagship android phones out there with a 6.1 inch display and 81.4% screen-to-body ratio, and weight of mere 168 g (5.93 oz).
My favorite bit of Xperia experience continues to be the software. Xperia 5 III comes with Android 12 out of the box. The Xperia software experience is minimalistic, smooth, and doesn’t get in the way of user experience. I say this as someone who uses Samsung and Pixels and occasionally I find Samsung software to be clunky.
The game mode still exists and it runs very smoothly. You can still choose “color gamut and contrast” between “creator mode” and “standard mode”. You still have 120 Hz refresh rate.
Xperia 5 III also houses a “video image enhancement” feature which claims to “improve the visual quality of videos with clearer, sharper, and more natural effect images. Here are some of the demos they provide:
I tested this feature on 2:54:43 shot of this YouTube video and sure enough the difference was noticeable enough:
The battery capacity is now at 4500 mAh (up from 4000 mAh in Xperia 5 II) and fast charting is now at 30W (up from 21 W on Xperia 5 II). There is a STAMINA mode turns off or restricts background activity, some visual effects and other high-power features to extend battery life. You can even tell your phone to kick STAMINA mode when battery drops below a certain percentage. You can also automatically turn off the STAMINA mode when battery is at 90%. You also have the option to choose “battery time preferred” or “balanced power saving” as STAMINA level.
The camera module, which is what a lot of people care for in a flagship phone, still uses12 MP for all three cameras on the back of the phone namely main, telephoto, and ultrawide. Meanwhile, the front facing camera still houses 8 MP. Yes, I am still not happy with their front facing camera. I would say that if you are someone who uses the selfie camera a lot then you might not be very please with this one. However, the main camera on the back of the phone is still as solid as ever.
Sony, like before, chooses to portray natural colors but admittingly they might not be the most flattering thing ever. I personally like the natural tone but there is a reason why almost all smartphones pop colors,
The build in pro camera app as well as pro video app still exists. They still mirror the GUI and features of Sony Alpha camera. The phone still has the shutter button which I absolutely adore. And yes, you can still take insane burst shots which make it easier to capture moving subjects. Oh and eye tracking is still a feature here.
Closing Thoughts
I continue to have a soft spot for Sony phones. Their phones come with a wide variety of features that you will not find in other phones. I find their software to be very pleasant to work with. However, I am disappointed with availability (read: good carrier deals) of Sony phones.
I should also say that if you already have Xperia 5 II then there isn’t a whole lot of reason to upgrade to 5 III. On the flip side if this phone interests you then you might consider picking up a discounted Xperia 5 II (reviewed here) or their bigger sized flagship Xperia 5 II (reviewed here) or Xperia 5 III.
