Sony Xperia C5 Ultra Review

The C series of the Xperia line has always been focused on large displays and front camera for selfies. Jumping to its 4th version, Sony Xperia C5 Ultra is ready to battle the world of phablets, 6 inches to be exact. If you’re looking for something like this smartphone, read our review to see if it will fit you and your palm.

Table of Contents

Design and Construction

The Japanese phone maker has been loyal to its design language for most of its devices. While the C5 Ultra doesn’t have the OmniBalance design that the Z series has, its ridiculously thin side bezels are a beauty of its own.

XperiaC5Ultra_front

Upon seeing the device, we noticed how the large display dominates the front. The display measures 6 inches diagonally and has virtually no bezels, at least on the side. Above it is where the 13-megapixel selfie camera and LED flash sits along with the earpiece and multiple sensors while the loudspeaker is below the display.

XperiaC5Ultra_topfront

Going to the right, we have the two-stage shutter key, volume rocker, and power button. The left side has the slot for the microSD card and nano-SIM card, both are covered by a protective flap. There’s a reset pinhole hidden there as well.

XperiaC5Ultra_bottomfront

The 3.5mm jack is placed on top of the device, and the micro-USB port for charging and data transfer is at the bottom with the primary microphone.

XperiaC5Ultra_top&bottom

Lastly, the back of the device is the home of another 13-megapixel shooter and LED flash, noise-cancelling microphone, and NFC chip (marked by a stylized N).

XperiaC5Ultra_leftside

Holding the 6-incher feels outright good thanks to its aluminum frame. Additionally, the thin bezel contributes to better handling despite having a large panel. Most of us thought than the C5 Ultra has a removable battery but, to our disappointment, its glossy back panel gives no access.

Display

The 6-inch display is an IPS LCD panel with a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels. While the full high definition glory is stretched to 6 inches, the 367ppi density is still sharp and crisp. Like any other IPS panels, the display is viewable from any angle, thus making the phablet ideal for content sharing which could be the main reason why Sony released a big smartphone. Outdoor visibility is also great unless you’re under direct sunlight.

XperiaC5Ultra_screen

Sony’s Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 is onboard to improve overall quality when viewing photos and videos on the device. Aside from the BRAVIA Engine, under the display settings panel is a Super-vivid mode that punches the saturation level to the top. We suggest the Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 for most cases, although we encountered an issue in a YouTube video playback causing the skin and lips to soften like those Camera 360 beauty selfies. You can turn down any screen optimization in the settings anytime. Keep in mind, BRAVIA Engine and Super-vivid mode only applies during media playback.

You can also adjust the white balance according to your liking and there’s a glove mode for increased touch sensitivity. A smart backlight control is available too. It automatically detects if you’re holding the smartphone to keep the screen on until you place it down.

Next Page: OS, Apps and UI, / Camera and Multimedia

Daniel Morial

This article was contributed by Daniel Morial, a film school graduate and technology enthusiast. He's the geeky encyclopedia and salesman among his friends for anything tech.

http://www.yugatech.com

13 Comments

IVM says:

9 years ago

I saw this in the mall. It looks great and build quality is ok. But why 18k for Mtek processor and 2G ram? That’s not gonna get you far! Before this year ends, with all the updates you sure will be receiving, those specs will fail you soon enough!
- Reply
C5 user says:

9 years ago

I was so excited when I purchased Sony C5 last October because of its superb features but a month after, the delay in auto rotate started til it finally wont rotate. Various problems came in, one after another; battery drains faster, back is extremely hot while watching video, jack rejects earphone plug . So I took it to Sony sevice center, there I found 2 other customers having almost same isue as mine. Also, my friend got one too and having issues also, sigh. I love Sony and it’s my fourth Sony phone but never had this issue before. I’m dismayed but I still believe in Sony, I hope they will fix it.
- Reply

Teeyoy says:

9 years ago

Dear C5 user, planning to get this for my wife (camera/selfie buff). Any updates on the service status? thanks

MhaskEdRider says:

9 years ago

Ganda ng spex…. mukhng mas mgnda sa hands on lolz
- Reply
kabebegirl says:

9 years ago

Anguapo naman ng phone na’to, parang yong author ng article lang hihihi *kiligmats*
- Reply

mac ho says:

9 years ago

Best Comment foe the author… reply naman jan author para di masayang ang effort ni KABEBEGIRL! hehehe

James says:

9 years ago

2gb ram and a mediatek cpu? Good luck Sony.
- Reply
Roni says:

9 years ago

Sony Pricing is its biggest problem. Some say it’s because they are more durable. From a c4 user I can say its not true.
- Reply
John E. Decena says:

9 years ago

Beautiful body and screen but with less than 10k specs…
- Reply

FIELDER says:

9 years ago

So ano ngang sub10K na phone ang itatapat mo sa C5?
John Decena says:

9 years ago

Its the inside that counts and not the brand, sony nga ganda ng design pero midrange lang ang loob, there are mediatek phones that are way powerful for a 10k price tag…you want the rel deal??? Get the sony premium flagship phones if the price doesn’t matter to you…
Fielder says:

9 years ago

Get out of here if you think this phone have less than 10K specs.

anong itatapat na phone mo dito worth 10k or less?

Sony phones are way overpriced but this is not a sub-10K phone.

IMO i think this should be somewhere around 13.5k-15K with official Sony warranty. Around 11-12K for grey units.