Sony Xperia Z5 Compact Review

Performance and Benchmarks

Our experience with the Z5 Compact, sporting a 2GB RAM configuration, was really smooth and fluid, and there were no signs of hiccups or lags experienced when playing games or multitasking. The phone quickly heats up at the back though, but it’s nowhere near uncomfortable levels. Our AnTuTu benchmark test gave the device an almost-60K score, and that makes it one of the best configurations to date. Here are the results of our benchmark tests:

AnTuTu – 59,431
3DMark – 988 (Slingshot ES 3.1)
Quadrant Standard – 36,608
Vellamo – 5,044 (Chrome), 2,667 (Multicore), 2,267 (Metal)
Max Phone Temperature – 40.3°C

The Z5 Compact’s Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chip did wonders for the small phone as it shoots up into the benchmark rankings along with the Z5, surpassing other flagship phones with the same chip such as the OnePlus 2 and the LG G Flex 2. The benchmarks also prove that the new Compact device is miles ahead of its predecessor in terms of performance, if we’re basing it at that.

Call Quality, Connectivity and Battery Life

Calls made using the Xperia Z5 Compact were as good as a sunny day. The call speaker was loud enough for listening even on a busy area. A few connectivity options were also great: connecting to an available WiFi spot is really fast, and the same goes with turning the mobile data on. Signal reception can be a bit picky at times, but these are minor issues since it is dependent on signal strength and location. The fingerprint scanner blends in pretty well with the OS, and it can store up to five fingerprints. A few issues on Bluetooth though, as the phone can’t recognize my Bluetooth headset (Samsung Galaxy Circle) which has worked fine on other phone brands except this device.

Equipped a non-removable 2,700mAh Li-Ion battery, we were expecting an average battery life on the Z5 Compact. True enough, the phone lasted for around 20 hours on moderate use which involved music playing, sending calls and SMS, and using mobile apps while connected to 4G and WiFi.

Luckily, the phone has a built-in Stamina Mode which aims to prolong the operation of the device. When we activated this setting, we were able to last up to one and a half day on the same use. If you need more juice, an Ultra Stamina mode is present, trading off other non-essential smartphone functions for a longer battery life.

Our battery benchmarks put the phone on the middle ranks of the battery list we’ve been compiling: It only gained 7 hours and 47 minutes with our PCMark Battery test. Our video loop test isn’t any different, as the phone only clocked in more or less 9 hours and 20 minutes. Recharging the phone with its provided cable and adapter will give you around 2 hours from 0% to full.

Conclusion

Sony is known for its elegant smartphones, and it’s astonishing that the Japanese company has managed to make the Xperia Z5 Compact a waterproof device despite not having cover flaps on some of its ports without altering much of its current design. It’s a wonderful device worth checking out, and with the inclusion of a fingerprint scanner, its seamless performance and an impressive camera, there’s no doubt that this phone is on a league of its own.

With all the praises so far, this phone also has a few shortcomings — fast heat-ups, slow shoot-outs on the camera app, and the awkward volume rocker placement can make you think twice, but those are minor details that can be overshadowed by the overall performance and software tweaks that Sony has implemented.

Needless to say, the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact is one of the most powerful pocket-friendly phones in the market today, and that could mean a price tag that would be as high as its AnTuTu benchmark score. It’s still an expensive phone despite being cheaper than the Z3 compact when it first launched last year. At Php29,990USD 511INR 43,324EUR 487CNY 3,722, the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact is a great buy for those looking for a smaller alternative to the Goliath flagship smartphones: A David without sacrificing design, quality, and performance.

Sony Xperia Z5 Compact specs:
4.6-inch IPS LCD @ 720×1280 pixels, 323ppi
Qualcomm MSM8994 Snapdragon 810
ARM Cortex A53 1.5GHz quad-core, ARM Cortex A57 2.0GHz quad-core
Adreno 430 Graphics
2GB LPDDR4 RAM
32GB internal storage
Up to 200GB via microSD
LTE Cat. 6
Single SIM, Dual-SIM
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, WiFi Direct, DLNA
NFC
Bluetooth 4.1, A2DP, apt-X
ANT+ support
GPS with aGPS, GLONASS/Beidou
IP68 certified
23MP rear camera, autofocus, LED flash
5.1MP front-facing camera
Fingerprint Sensor
FM Radio Tuner, RDS
microUSB v2.0 (MHL 3 TV-out)
2,700mAh Li-Ion battery
Android 5.1.1 Lollipop
127 x 65 x 8.9mm (dimensions)
138 grams (weight)

What we liked about it:
* Beautiful aesthetics
* Impressive camera
* Great performance
* Good display

What we didn’t like:
* Volume rocker placement
* Slow camera shootouts
* Fast heat-ups