I'm a former iPhone 5 owner and I bought this phone because I wanted an android smartphone with the same compact form factor, without sacrificing the features I'd gotten used to. The Xperia z5 compact is slightly taller and wider than the iPhone 5, but still very easy to use with one hand (the same can't be said for most other smartphones on the market!)
The build quality of this phone feels great - it's got a slick glass body with a hard plastic bumper around the edge. The phone is water-resistant while still leaving the headphone and microUSB charging ports uncovered, which is a nice upgrade from the previous model (Z3 compact). Note that the phone is rated to be dust and water resistant, but not completely waterproof - Sony will not guarantee protection from activities like taking photos underwater. While I would've liked to be able to take my phone swimming with me, it's nice to know it'll hold up to rain, sweat and spills that could damage most other devices. The only flap on the phone's body covers the SIM card tray and SD card slot, but it's not a major inconvenience as you shouldn't need to access these often. It's tempting to carry this phone with no case but I'm cautious with glass-backed phones so I purchased a cheap TPU case for it in case I drop it and it hasn't been a huge compromise, it's still very pocketable. The power button, volume controls and camera button are all along the right side of the phone - another reason I like having a case on this phone is that it's possible to trigger the camera button accidentally if you aren't used to a hardware camera button.
The 23 megapixel camera was one of the main selling points for me, and it's by far the best camera I've had on a smartphone! The hardware button is convenient for capturing photos quickly, although the camera interface takes a little longer to capture photos than the one built into iOS. The automatic camera settings do a decent job at capturing most photos, but if you'd like more custom options a fully manual mode is available with the swipe of a finger, along with a slew of presets for different subject matter. I replaced the stock camera app with an open source alternative because it's a little bit faster and compatible with some other apps I've installed on my phone.
I've seen people complaining about bloatware, but in my experience just about every smartphone comes with some pre-installed apps. At least most of the pre-installed apps on the Xperia z5 Compact can be deleted, unlike Apple's stock apps (which I always end up putting in a folder out of my way, where they still take up precious memory). This phone comes with a generous 32gb of storage on board, but can be expanded up to an additional 200gb with a microSD card. Out of the pre-installed apps there were a few I found useful, including Sony's lifelog app, which acts as an activity counter and lets you compare your physical activity with smart detection of walking, biking or time spent in a car - as well as the activities you use your phone for, such as web browsing, gaming and listening to music. The 4.6" 720p screen might not be the best on the market for gaming or viewing media, but the on board speakers impressed me compared to most other phones I've used, and screen size is a compromise I'm willing to make for a phone so small. Also packaged on board is Sony's Playstation remote play app, which allows Playstation 4 owners to play Playstation games on their phone. I can't speak to how well this works because I don't own the console, but I haven't experienced any lag so far playing mobile games on this phone (although the handset will heat up a little during more graphically intense titles).
Overall, the Z5 compact has given me everything I want out of a smartphone during the first couple of weeks I've owned it, but I will update this review if I run into any issues. If you're looking for a small but powerful android phone that will survive daily life and occasional accidents, this is the one!
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This Item  Sony Xperia Z5 Compact Unlocked Phone - Black (U.S. Warranty) | ![Sony Xperia 1 V 256GB 5G Factory Unlocked Smartphone [U.S. Official w/Warranty],Black](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31uQ5sIV+-L._AC_.jpg) |  |  |  | |
| Price | — | $1,198.00 | -7% $91.94 Typical price: $98.96 | $119.99 | $149.99 |
| Delivery | — | — | Get it as soon as Wednesday, Mar 27 | Get it as soon as Saturday, Mar 23 | — |
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| Sold By | — | Focus Camera LLC | thegadgetdeals | NUU Mobile | Deal Depot Plus |
| display size | 4.6 inches | 6.5 inches | 6.49 inches | 6.5 inches | 6.8 inches |
| memory capacity | 32 GB | 256 GB | 64 GB | 128 GB | 4 GB |
| model name | Xperia Z5 Compact | Xperia 1 V | Nord N200 5G | A15 | Moto G Stylus 5G |
| operating system | Android | Android 13.0 | Android 11.0, OxygenOS | Android 13 | Android 11.0 |
| connectivity tech | Wi-Fi | Bluetooth, USB, Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi | Wireless | Networks + Bands 5G: 2/5/25/26/41/66/71/77/78 4G: 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/14/17/18/19/20/25/26/29/30/38/39/40/41/48/66/71 3G: 1/2/4/5/8 Bluetooth Technology Bluetooth 5.0 Wi-Fi Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac | 2.4GHz & 5GHz | Wi-Fi hotspot Location Services GPS (L1), A-GPS, LTEEP, SUPL, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou SIM Card Single SIM (1 Nano SIM + 1 microSD) |
| display type | LCD | OLED | LCD | LCD | LCD |
| input interface | touch screen | touch screen, microphone | touch screen | — | touch screen |
From the manufacturer
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What is an unlocked phone?An unlocked phone is a device that is not bound to any carrier or plan. It allows you to choose your phone first and your carrier second. Upon selecting a plan, simply insert the carrier's SIM card into the phone and you're ready to go. If you decide you want to change carriers down the road or want to take an international trip, it's as simple as replacing your existing SIM card with a new SIM and activating your new plan. |
What are the benefits of an unlocked phone?Freedom: Choose the carrier with the best service or price. If you find a better deal later, you have the ability to change to a different carrier. Travel: Take your phone internationally and use the carrier of your choice. It's as easy as inserting an active SIM card. Selection: Choose the phone with the features you want, whether or not your carrier sells it, and get more service options without a contract. |
How do I set up my unlocked phone?The first thing you’ll need is a SIM card for your desired carrier. When activated, the SIM card will let your phone connect to your carrier’s network. If you decide to upgrade to a newer unlocked phone in the future, you can easily remove the SIM card from your old phone and put it in your new phone—just make sure you get the right size of SIM card (nano, micro, or standard) for your phone. If you want to use your phone while traveling internationally, you can easily buy a SIM card for a carrier that operates where you’re traveling. As long as it’s activated, you can just swap SIM cards when you arrive at your destination. |
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Reviews with images
Update to marshmallow fixed 90% of the bugs
I want to write an update for this phone. I now had this phone for 8 months. The marshmallow update 6.0.1 fixed all of the cons of this phone. Phone does get warm to the touch but that is during heavy usage. This happens when you spend 2 hours streaming or playing games and the battery drops down to 10%. You then plug it in to charge and resume your constant streaming and games.The phone does get slow when you have like 10 apps running at once. But that's with every phone. What I did enjoy was some photos i took underwater. See Photos. I really enjoy how it is somewhat water proof. Please know that it was under water for maybe less than 20 seconds.__________________________________________________________I just recently bought this phone 7 days ago. The shipping was prompted and the item looked well. This phone is really good but once the memory usage gets past 80 percent, it lags. If you are going to buy this phone, take out all the preinstalled app you wont be using and only install apps you will be using on a regular basis. It worked better after i got my memory uses below 70%
