Smartphone Sony Xperia z5 compact. Sony Xperia Z5 Compact review: Tyrion Lannister from the world of smartphones

Miniature waterproof flagship

The smartphone we are considering today does not need any special introduction. There is probably not a person now who has not heard anything about the unusual series of mobile devices Xperia Z Compact, produced by the Japanese company Sony Mobile. These devices are unusual primarily due to their combination of miniature dimensions and powerful, truly flagship hardware. It should be noted that today we have before us the third incarnation of this model, although its name contains the number 5 - Sony Xperia Z5 Compact. The number of such devices on the market can be counted on one hand, and of the current current models on Android OS, the hero of the review is perhaps the only one left: for people who consider an exclusively small, but at the same time fully powerful flagship for themselves as a mobile assistant, manufacturers have left almost nothing alternatives. On iOS, things are better: the iPhone 5s was discontinued, but the little one was immediately returned in the form of the iPhone SE. But in the camp of Android smartphones, devices with a screen size of 5 inches or more are now considered small. Anything less than five is automatically classified as a budget model, and they certainly won’t have flagship hardware.

However, in fairness, it is also worth noting that in reality there are fewer and fewer users with such requirements every year: gradually everyone has experienced the advantages of large screens and is no longer going to go back. Apparently Sony itself felt this: in the updated line of smartphones recently presented at MWC 2016, there was no place for a compact modification. It’s hard to say whether the Japanese company will maintain buyers’ interest in its “compact” in the future, but for now the Z5 Compact is the “last of the Mohicans.”

	Sony Xperia Z5 Compact	Sony Xperia Z5	Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
Screen	4.6″, IPS	5.2″, IPS	5.5″, IPS
Permission	1280×720, 319 ppi	1920×1080, 424 ppi	3840×2160, 806 ppi
SoC		Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 (4x Cortex-A57 @2.0 GHz + 4x Cortex-A53 @1.5 GHz)	Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 (4x Cortex-A57 @2.0 GHz + 4x Cortex-A53 @1.5 GHz)
GPU	Adreno 430	Adreno 430	Adreno 430
RAM	2 GB	3 GB	3 GB
Flash memory	32 GB	32 GB	32 GB
Memory card support	microSD	microSD	microSD
operating system	Google Android 5.1	Google Android 5.1	Google Android 5.1
Battery	non-removable, 2700 mAh	non-removable, 2900 mAh	non-removable, 3430 mAh
Cameras		main (23 MP; 4K video), front (5 MP)	main (23 MP; 4K video), front (5 MP)
Dimensions and weight	127×65×9 mm, 138 g	146×72×7.3 mm, 154 g	154×76×7.8 mm, 181 g
average price	T-12840987	T-12741399	T-12840934
Sony Xperia Z5 Compact retail offers	L-12840987-10

Key specifications of Sony Xperia Z5 Compact (model E5823)

• SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 810, 8 cores: 4x2.0 GHz (ARM Cortex-A57) + 4x1.5 GHz (ARM Cortex-A53)
• GPU Adreno 430
• Operating system Android 5.1
• Touch display IPS 4.6″, 1280×720, 319 ppi
• Random access memory (RAM) 2 GB, internal memory 32 GB
• SIM cards: Nano-SIM (1 pc.)
• Supports microSD memory cards up to 200 GB
• GSM networks 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
• WCDMA 850/900/2100 MHz networks
• LTE Cat.6 FDD 800/850/900/1800/2100/2600 networks
• Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct
• Bluetooth 4.1, NFC
• Micro-USB 2.0, OTG
• DLNA, Media Go, MTP, Miracast, MHL 3.0
• GPS/A-GPS, Glonass, BDS
• Direction, proximity, lighting sensors, accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer, magnetic compass, fingerprint scanner
• Water and dust protection (IP65 and IP68)
• Camera 23 MP, Sony Exmor RS, autofocus, LED flash
• Camera 5 MP, Sony Exmor R (front)
• Battery 2700 mAh, non-removable
• Dimensions 127×65×9 mm
• Weight 138 g

Appearance and ease of use

In terms of overall design, the Z5 Compact version, of course, resembles its older comrades in the line - the Z5 and Z5 Premium, but there are also points due to which the compact model stands out noticeably among its peers. The main difference is the thickness: the considerable thickness of the body of the Z5 Compact is noted by everyone who comes across this model. The fact is that the edges of all representatives of the fifth Xperia Z series, including the Z5 Compact, have become almost completely flat. The thickness-concealing roundings on the sides are gone, and with flat edges the overall thickness of the case naturally becomes much more noticeable.

Thus, unlike its ultra-thin counterparts, the Z5 Compact is like a kind of box: a small and plump parallelepiped with straight edges and corners without rounding (in plan), which visually makes it even thicker than it actually is.

But in terms of width and length, the little one differs from its full-fledged counterparts in the expected direction: the device is noticeably smaller in these parameters, which makes it not only comfortable to hold in the hand, but also, in principle, one of the smallest smartphones of our time.

Pictured: Sony Xperia Z5 Compact (right) compared to the regular Z5

As for the manufacturing materials, they also differ from older models. The Z5 Compact does not have a metal frame on the sides; it uses polycarbonate for the rim. Accordingly, there are no separate plastic inserts at the corners of the sides of the case to absorb impact energy during a fall, since the entire frame is entirely made of this material. The smartphone is very well built, looks and feels like a monolithic and reliable product, no cracks, bends or creaks are observed.

Separately, it is worth noting the back wall of the case: Sony decided to add variety to the line, so that some of its representatives (Z5 Premium) received the usual smooth glass as the back panel, while others (the regular Z5) received matte opaque glass with a coating. So, here we use exactly the option with a matte back wall, exactly repeating that of the regular Xperia Z5 model. This is a rather interesting design option in terms of visual appeal, but the matte wall actually turns out to be much more slippery than regular smooth glass. At least, this happens if your hands are dry - in wet fingers everything can be exactly the opposite.

Otherwise, there are no noticeable differences between related Sony models. The card slots are usually covered with a cover with a rubberized gasket, since the device is assigned a protection class of IP65/68. As before, this does not mean at all that you can swim with your smartphone and take pictures with it underwater - the official signature on the company website reads verbatim: “The device is prohibited from being completely immersed under water, or exposed to contact with sea, salt, chlorinated water and such liquids.” like alcoholic drinks."

SIM cards here, unlike the regular Z5 model, are installed not in one side slot one after another, like in a holder, but in two adjacent slots. The first accepts a plastic slide with a Nano-SIM SIM card, while the second, which is a slot slot with a spring-loaded gripping mechanism, can only accommodate a memory card. The microSD card should be pushed in until it clicks; there are no slides in this case. There is no hot-swapping of cards as such, since whenever the tray is removed, even empty, the device reboots itself.

Mechanical keys are traditionally located on the opposite side; there are three of them: Sony continues to support the idea of ​​​​the need for a dedicated photo button. Two buttons are ordinary, and the third is flat, with a built-in fingerprint scanner. It is important to note that all three keys here are much softer and more pleasant to use than on other models in the Xperia Z5 line. The scanner does not process touches as clearly as conventional modules with wider areas, but over time you can get used to placing your finger at a certain angle, which will reduce the number of errors.

The front panel is covered with tempered glass, which has two narrow cutouts at the top and bottom for sound output from the speakers, which feature proprietary S-Force Front Surround technology. There are no hardware buttons at the bottom below the screen.

Also on the front panel at the top there are sensors, a front camera and an LED event indicator, which you can independently turn off in the sound settings section.

The camera module does not protrude beyond the rear surface of the case, the device lies stable on any surface. The flash located nearby consists of only one segment and does not shine very brightly.

The Micro-USB connector, which implements the USB 2.0 specification, is located at the bottom end of the case. It supports connecting external devices in USB OTG mode, which must be initiated manually (Detect USB device in the smartphone settings).

At the top end there is nothing except an audio output for headphones and a hole for a second, additional microphone.

As for the body colors, here, unlike older models, bright colors have been added. In addition to the classic white and black, less traditional yellow and coral options are also available for sale.

Screen

The Sony Xperia Z5 Compact smartphone is equipped with a touch screen with an IPS matrix. The physical dimensions of the display are 57x101 mm, diagonal - 4.6 inches. With a screen resolution of 1280x720, the pixel density is approximately 319 ppi. The black panel frame under the glass on either side of the screen looks very thin, only about 2mm, while the entire width of the sides from the edge of the screen to the edge of the body is approximately 3.5mm. At the top, the distance to the screen is approximately 14 mm, and at the bottom - only 11 mm.

The display brightness is automatically adjusted based on the light sensor. There is a proximity sensor that locks the screen when you bring the smartphone to your ear. Multi-touch technology allows you to process 10 simultaneous touches. Operating modes with gloves and wet fingers are supported.

A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the “Monitors” and “Projectors and TV” sections, Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the sample under study.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface that is scratch-resistant. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are slightly better than those of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) screen (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photograph in which a white surface is reflected in the switched off screens of both devices (Sony Xperia Z5 Compact, as it is easy to determine, is on the right; then they can be distinguished by size):

Both screens are dark, but the Sony screen is still a little darker (its brightness in the photo is 111 versus 113 for the Nexus 7). The tripling of reflected objects in the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact screen is very weak, this indicates that there is no air gap between the outer glass (also known as the touch sensor) and the surface of the matrix (OGS - One Glass Solution type screen). Due to the smaller number of boundaries (glass/air type) with very different refractive indices, such screens look better under strong external illumination, but their repair in the case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be replaced. The outer surface of the screen has a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (very effective, slightly better than the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much more easily and appear at a lower speed than with regular glass.

When manually controlling the brightness and displaying the white field in full screen, its maximum value was about 660 cd/m², and the minimum was 5.2 cd/m². The maximum value is very high, and, given the excellent anti-glare properties, in bright daylight and even in direct sun the image on the screen should be clearly visible. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable level. Automatic brightness adjustment works based on the light sensor (it is located in the upper right corner of the front panel to the left of the indicator). In automatic mode, as external lighting conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. The operation of this function depends on the brightness adjustment position. If it is at maximum, then in complete darkness the auto-brightness function reduces the brightness to 26 cd/m² (normal), in an office illuminated by artificial light (approximately 400 lux) it sets it to 360 cd/m² (a little high), in a very bright environment (corresponding to lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more) increases to 550 cd/m² (this is enough, if you want brighter - increase it manually, but also take responsibility for the rapid discharge of the battery). If the brightness slider is at half the scale (it is very non-linear - after 50% the brightness goes up sharply as the setting value increases), then the screen brightness for the three conditions indicated above is as follows: 15, 170 and 480 cd/m² (suitable values). If the brightness control is set to minimum - 4.8, 16, 370 cd/m² (only the average value is greatly underestimated). As a result, the auto-brightness function works absolutely adequately, and to some extent it is possible to adjust the nature of the brightness change to the user’s requirements. Only at very low brightness levels does significant backlight modulation appear, but its frequency is high, about 2.3 kHz, so there is no visible screen flicker (but could possibly be detected in a stroboscopic effect test).

This screen uses an IPS type matrix. The microphotographs show a typical IPS subpixel structure:

For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.

The screen has good viewing angles without inverting shades and without significant color shifts, even with large viewing deviations from perpendicular to the screen. For comparison, here are photographs in which the same images are displayed on the screens of the Nexus 7 and Sony Xperia Z5 Compact, while the screen brightness is initially set to approximately 200 cd/m² (across the white field in full screen), and the color balance on the camera is forcibly switched to 6500 K. White field perpendicular to the plane of the screens:

Note the good uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field. And a test picture:

The colors on the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact's screen are oversaturated, skin tones are heavily red-shifted, and the color balance is noticeably different from the standard. Of course, you need to be very careful when assessing the color rendition of a screen from a photograph, but the trend is conveyed correctly. Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen:

It can be seen that the colors have not changed much on both screens, but on the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact the contrast has decreased to a greater extent due to the strong highlighting of blacks. And a white field:

The brightness at an angle for both screens has noticeably decreased (at least 5 times, based on the difference in shutter speed), but in the case of the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact the drop in brightness is less (brightness in photographs is 246 versus 235 for the Nexus 7). When deviated diagonally, the black field becomes very bright and acquires a purple or reddish tint. The photographs below demonstrate this (the brightness of the white areas in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the screens is the same for the screens!):

And from another angle:

When viewed from a perpendicular view, the uniformity of the black field is average, since at the edge the black is noticeably brightened in places (here the screen brightness of the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact is increased to compensate for the dynamic adjustment of the backlight brightness):

The contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) is good - about 890:1. The response time for the black-white-black transition is 29 ms (16 ms on + 13 ms off). The transition between halftones of gray 25% and 75% (based on the numerical value of the color) and back takes a total of 43 ms. Constructed using 32 points with equal intervals based on the numerical value of the shade of gray, the gamma curve did not reveal a blockage in either highlights or shadows, and the index of the approximating power function turned out to be 2.41, which is higher than the standard value of 2.2, however, this has no values, since the real gamma curve noticeably deviates from the power-law dependence:

This is due to the presence of aggressive dynamic adjustment of the backlight brightness in accordance with the nature of the displayed image (in dark areas the brightness decreases). As a result, the resulting dependence of brightness on hue (gamma curve) does not correspond to the gamma curve of a static image, since the measurements were carried out with sequential display of shades of gray on almost the entire screen. For this reason, we carried out a number of tests - determining contrast and response time, comparing black illumination at angles - when displaying special templates with a constant average brightness, and not monochromatic fields in the entire screen. In general, such a non-switchable brightness correction does nothing but harm, since reducing the brightness in dark images reduces the visibility of gradations in the shadows under ambient light conditions, and constant jumps in brightness are very annoying. That is, there is zero benefit from this function, only harm.

The color gamut is noticeably wider than sRGB:

Let's look at the spectra:

They are very atypical for Sony's top mobile devices. Apparently, this screen uses LEDs with a blue emitter and green and red phosphor (usually a blue emitter and a yellow phosphor), which, in combination with special matrix filters, allows for a wide color gamut. Yes, and the red phosphor apparently uses so-called quantum dots. Unfortunately, as a result, the colors of images - drawings, photographs and films - oriented to the sRGB space (and these are the vast majority) have an unnatural saturation. This is especially noticeable on recognizable shades, such as skin tones. The result is shown in the photo above.

The balance of shades on the gray scale is average, since the color temperature is much higher than the standard 6500 K, but at least the deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) is less than 2 units, which is very good. At the same time, the variation in color temperature and ΔE is small - this has a positive effect on the visual assessment of color balance. (Dark areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since color balance there is not very important, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

This smartphone has the ability to adjust the color balance by adjusting the intensities of the three primary colors.

That's what we tried to do, the result is data signed as Corr. in the graphs above. As a result, we adjusted the color temperature (missing a little), but on average ΔE became higher and the spread of this characteristic increased. At the same time, the brightness (as well as the contrast) decreased significantly - from 650 to 400 cd/m². This correction, of course, did not reduce the oversaturation of colors. If someone still finds the image on the screen of this smartphone not “bright” and “juicy” enough, then you can turn on the proprietary mode X-Reality for mobile. The result is shown below:

Saturation and contour sharpness are software enhanced, and there are fewer discernible gradations in the area of ​​saturated colors. But the picture, yes, has become brighter. There is also extreme Extreme brightness mode, in which the trend of image “enhancement” reaches its peak. Here's what we got:

Let's summarize. The brightness adjustment range of this screen is very wide, the anti-glare properties are excellent, which allows you to comfortably use the smartphone both on a sunny day on the beach and in complete darkness. It is permissible to use a mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works absolutely adequately. The advantages also include a very effective oleophobic coating, no air gap in the layers of the screen and no flicker. The disadvantages are strong black lightening when the gaze deviates from perpendicular to the screen surface, aggressive dynamic brightness adjustment, oversaturated colors (skin tones are especially affected) and average color balance. The presence of appropriate adjustments allows you to slightly correct the balance, but at the expense of a very strong reduction in brightness (and contrast). Nevertheless, taking into account the importance of characteristics for this particular class of devices (and the most important thing is the visibility of information in a wide range of external conditions), the quality of the screen can be considered high.

Sound

Sony Xperia Z5 Compact sounds even more interesting than the Z5 Premium, which is unexpected, especially considering its small dimensions and the presence of special membranes to protect the speakers from water. Finally, smartphones with protection sound decent to the Japanese. A pair of stereo speakers, directed towards the user from the front panel, produces a powerful, bright, thick and rich sound, clear and quite bassy, ​​not deprived of low frequencies. The sound remains clear at any volume level, the volume headroom is not excessive, but in general it is enough for any environment.

To play music, the device uses its own proprietary player. There is, as usual, a huge variety of sound improvement technologies, including the aforementioned S-Force Front Surround, as well as additional settings functions, such as DSEE HX (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine) sound quality enhancement technology. The user is traditionally given the choice between manual adjustment and automatic optimization of all sound parameters using the complex ClearAudio+ function (which includes a lot of different technologies, you can read more about this, dedicated to the sound technologies used in all modern top-end smartphones from the manufacturer.

The smartphone has an FM radio; recording telephone conversations from the line using standard means is not provided.

Camera

Sony Xperia Z5 Compact is equipped with the same digital camera modules with a resolution of 23 and 5 megapixels, which are installed in both the regular version of the Z5 and the Z5 Premium version. The front 5-megapixel Exmor R module is equipped with a 25mm wide-angle G Lens lens with f/2.4 aperture and fixed focus; it does not have its own flash. Selfie quality is excellent.

The main camera is equipped with a 23-megapixel Sony Exmor RS module for mobile devices with a 1/2.3″ matrix and a wide-angle G Lens (24 mm) with f/2.0 aperture, hybrid autofocus and a single-section LED flash. Autofocus is very fast (0.03 s), using hybrid autofocus technology that combines the capabilities of contrast and phase focusing technologies.

All Xperia Z5 series smartphones have the same set of modules and technologies: here is the Bionz image processor, and advanced technology for shooting in low light conditions, and updated SteadyShot stabilization with Intelligent Active Mode, which provides smooth stabilization without distortion. And of course, we should not forget that Sony is practically the only manufacturer that still installs a separate hardware camera control button in its smartphones. Some shooting settings can be transferred for control to third-party applications via the Camera2 API (recording in RAW is not supported).

The camera can shoot video in a maximum resolution of 4K, as well as Full HD at 60 frames per second. You can save individual frames from your own videos as 8-megapixel photos.

The camera copes well with shooting video in all of the above modes, while recording sound cleanly and efficiently, and the noise reduction system copes with its tasks adequately. SteadyShot technology with Intelligent Active Mode ensures smooth shooting on the move, truly one of the greatest strengths of Sony's mobile cameras.

• Video No. 1 (61 MB, 1920×1080 @60 fps)
• Video No. 2 (107 MB, 3840×2160 @30 fps)

	Good sharpness across the field and in the shots, but it falls off a little towards the edges of the frame.
	There are noticeable areas of blur at the edges and slight noise in the shadows.
	Problems with sharpness in shadows and at the edges of the frame arise when shooting at maximum resolution.
	The license plates of cars that are not closest are distinguishable.
	Good detail in medium shots.
	The camera copes well with indoor shooting.
	The text is well done.
	Apart from the edges of the frame, the sharpness of the shots is quite good, although the tree branches begin to merge in the middle shots.

As we have repeatedly noted, it is best to shoot with Xperia Z smartphone cameras in 8 megapixel mode - this gives the best ratio of image quality to its size. As the image size increases, the resolution begins to drop, and in 22 megapixel mode the camera shoots at the level of current flagships, but nothing more. In addition, when shooting at maximum resolution, areas of blur appear at the edges of the frame and other shortcomings become noticeable that are not present when shooting at a lower resolution. The camera can be described as good and quite flagship, but without any special frills. We have already seen all this. The camera can certainly handle a variety of different scenes.

Telephone and communications

Built on the flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chipset, the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact smartphone can operate in most 2G GSM, 3G WCDMA and 4G network bands. The device supports LTE Cat.6 FDD with a maximum download speed of up to 300 Mbps. At the same time, the smartphone has support for all three of the most common LTE bands among domestic operators (B3, B7 and B20). In practice, with a SIM card from the MTS operator in the Moscow region, the smartphone was confidently registered and worked in 4G networks. The quality of signal reception is not satisfactory; the device confidently maintains communication indoors and does not lose the signal in areas of poor reception.

The smartphone also has support for Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, supports two Wi-Fi bands (2.4 and 5 GHz) and 2x2 MIMO speed mode, Wi-Fi Direct, you can organize a wireless access point via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth channels. Micro-USB 2.0 connector supports OTG connection.

The navigation module works with GPS (A-GPS), Glonass and Beidou (BDS). There are no complaints about the operating speed of the navigation module; the first satellites are detected during a cold start within the first tens of seconds. The smartphone is equipped with a magnetic field sensor, on the basis of which the compass of navigation programs operates.

The phone application supports Smart Dial, that is, while dialing a phone number, you can immediately search for contacts. Text input is supported by the method of continuously sliding from letter to letter (Swype), and virtual keyboards can also be reduced in size and brought closer to one of the edges of the display for ease of operation with the fingers of one hand. Traditionally for Sony smartphones, the type and organization of the keyboard itself can be chosen from several possible options.

OS and software

In terms of the software platform, there are no differences from older versions of the Xperia Z. True, the regular Z5 has already received an over-the-air (OTA) update to Android 6.0, but such an update has not yet been offered for the compact version. Here, the same fifth version of Google Android (Lollipop 5.1.1) with its own shell is still used as the operating system. The shell is well known from previous generations of Sony smartphones; there are no noticeable differences from model to model.

Performance

The Sony Xperia Z5 Compact hardware platform is based on the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 SoC as its older brothers in the line. This 64-bit SoC is made on a 20 nm process technology, it includes four powerful 64-bit ARM Cortex-A57 cores with a frequency of up to 2 GHz, which are complemented by four simpler 64-bit Cortex-A53 cores with a frequency of up to 1.5 GHz , providing high energy efficiency or performance depending on specific tasks.

The Adreno 430 video accelerator is responsible for processing graphics in the SoC. The smartphone's RAM capacity is 2 GB. The user is allocated just over 21 GB of flash memory out of a total of 32 GB. The memory can be expanded by installing microSD cards with a capacity of up to 200 GB; in practice, our test card Transcend Premium microSDXC UHS-1 with a capacity of 128 GB was confidently recognized by the device. It also supports connecting external devices to the USB port in OTG mode, but for this you need to manually start searching for devices through the settings (Search for external USB devices).

According to AnTuTu results, the Sony Xperia Z5 is clearly not a record holder among modern flagships. Our test sample scores less than 70K points where the leaders show 85K or more. It is noteworthy that the device was inferior to its older brother in this test - however, the test results can vary significantly from time to time.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 can now still be considered a flagship platform, and for such a little thing as the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact, its capabilities are even excessive. A powerful processor has never bothered anyone, but widespread complaints about overheating for this model are, unfortunately, not uncommon. And with a screen resolution of only 720p, the performance of the Adreno 430 GPU is perhaps excessive. A smartphone with such a small screen, and even with a resolution less than Full HD, is certainly not bought for 3D games or for comfortable playback of high-resolution videos.

In any case, if you close your eyes to the occasional overheating, then the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact smartphone definitely does not suffer from a lack of performance, and its hardware capabilities will definitely be enough to perform any tasks, including demanding games, within a couple of generations.

Testing in the latest versions of comprehensive tests AnTuTu and GeekBench 3:

For convenience, we have compiled all the results we obtained when testing the smartphone in the latest versions of popular benchmarks into tables. The table usually adds several other devices from different segments, also tested on similar latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the obtained dry figures). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison it is impossible to present the results from different versions of benchmarks, so many worthy and relevant models remain “behind the scenes” - due to the fact that they once passed the “obstacle course” on previous versions of test programs.

Testing the graphics subsystem in gaming tests 3DMark, GFXBenchmark and Bonsai Benchmark:

When testing in 3DMark, the most powerful smartphones now have the ability to run the application in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (which can cause the speed to rise above 60 fps).

	Sony Xperia Z5 Compact (Qualcomm Snapdragon 810)	Meizu Pro 5 (Exynos 7420)	Huawei Mate S (HiSilicon Kirin 935)	Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge (Samsung Exynos 8890 Octa)	LeTV 1s (Mediatek MT6795T)
3DMark Ice Storm Extreme (more is better)	Maxed out!	Maxed out!	6292	6292
3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited (more is better)	26175	25770	12553	22540	16574
	1162	1340	—	2130	542
GFXBenchmark T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Onscreen)	58 fps	52 fps	16 fps	52 fps	26 fps
GFXBenchmark T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Offscreen)	55 fps	57 fps	12 fps	84 fps	27 fps
Bonsai Benchmark	4277 (61 fps)	4130 (59 fps)	3396 (48 fps)	(59 fps)	3785 (54 fps)

Browser cross-platform tests:

As for benchmarks for assessing the speed of the javascript engine, you should always make allowance for the fact that their results significantly depend on the browser in which they are launched, so the comparison can only be truly correct on the same OS and browsers, and this is possible during testing not always. For Android OS, we always try to use Google Chrome.

Thermal photographs

Below is a thermal image of the rear surface, obtained after 10 minutes of running the battery test in the GFXBenchmark program (the lighter, the higher the temperature):

Heating is localized approximately in the center of the device. At the same time, a large area with approximately the same temperature suggests that heat distributing elements are used. According to the heat camera, the maximum heating was 46 degrees (at an ambient temperature of 24 degrees), which is significantly higher than the average value in this test for modern smartphones.

Playing video

To test the omnivorous nature of video playback (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Internet. Note that for mobile devices it is important to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is most often impossible to process modern options using processor cores alone. Also, you shouldn’t expect a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it. All results are summarized in a single table.

According to the test results, the test subject was not equipped with all the necessary decoders that are required for full playback of most of the most common multimedia files on the network. To successfully play them, you will have to resort to the help of a third-party player - for example, MX Player. True, it is also necessary to change the settings and manually install additional custom codecs, because now this player does not officially support the AC3 sound format.

Format	Container, video, sound	MX Video Player	Standard video player
DVDRip	AVI, XviD 720×400 2200 Kbps, MP3+AC3	plays normally	plays normally
Web-DL SD	AVI, XviD 720×400 1400 Kbps, MP3+AC3	plays normally	plays normally
Web-DL HD	MKV, H.264 1280×720 3000 Kbps, AC3		The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹
BDRip 720p	MKV, H.264 1280×720 4000 Kbps, AC3	The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹	The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹
BDRip 1080p	MKV, H.264 1920×1080 8000 Kbps, AC3	The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹	The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹

¹ sound in MX Video Player was played only after installing an alternative custom audio codec; The standard player does not have this setting

Tested video output features Alexey Kudryavtsev.

Additionally, the MHL interface was tested. Apparently, only Sony still supports image transmission via a wired connection, since the number of devices that support image output via MHL or Mobility DisplayPort is rapidly decreasing. To test MHL we used a monitor ViewSonic VX2363Smhl, supporting direct MHL connection (in version 2.0) using a passive adapter cable from Micro-USB to HDMI. In this case, output via MHL was carried out at a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels at a frequency of 60 frames/s. Regardless of the actual orientation of the smartphone, the image is displayed on the smartphone and monitor screens in landscape orientation with the connector on the smartphone to the right. In this case, the image on the monitor has an actual resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels (which is greater than the resolution of the smartphone screen), fits exactly within the boundaries of the display area and replicates the image on the smartphone screen one to one. The exception is the start screen and, apparently, windows of programs that, in principle, do not support landscape orientation. They still appear in portrait orientation, with wide black margins on the sides of the monitor:

Sound is output via MHL (in this case we used headphones connected to the monitor) and is of good quality. In this case, multimedia sounds are not output through the loudspeaker of the smartphone itself, and the volume is not adjusted using the buttons on the smartphone body, but is turned off. In our case, the smartphone with the MHL adapter connected was charging, judging by the charge indicator.

Next, using a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “Method for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices)”), we checked how the video is displayed on the screen of the smartphone itself. Screenshots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped determine the nature of the output of frames of video files with various parameters: the resolution varied: 1280 by 720 (720p), 1920 by 1080 (1080p) and 3840 by 2160 (4K) pixels and frame rates of 24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 fps. In the tests we used the MX Player video player in the “Hardware” mode. The results of this (block entitled “Smartphone Screen”) and the next test are summarized in the table:

No 720/50p Fine No 720/30p Fine No 720/25p Fine No 720/24p Fine No

Note: If in both columns Uniformity And Passes Green ratings are given, this means that, most likely, when watching films, artifacts caused by uneven alternation and frame skipping will either not be visible at all, or their number and visibility will not affect the viewing comfort. Red marks indicate possible problems with playback of the corresponding files.

According to the frame output criterion, the quality of playback of video files on the screen of the smartphone itself is good, since the frames (or groups of frames) can output with a more or less uniform alternation of intervals and without skipping frames. The brightness range displayed on the screen corresponds to the standard range of 16-235 - in the shadows, only a couple of shades closest to black do not differ from it in brightness, in the highlights all gradations of shades are displayed. When playing video files with a resolution of 1280 by 720 (720p), the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly along the edge of the screen in the original resolution.

With a monitor connected via MHL, when playing video, the monitor displays an exact copy of the smartphone screen, and output is in true Full HD resolution in the case of 1080p files.

The brightness range displayed on the monitor is the same as that displayed on the screen of the smartphone itself. The results of the monitor output tests are shown in the table above in the “MHL (monitor output)” block. The output quality is good.

The conclusion is typical: an MHL connection can be used for gaming, watching movies, surfing the web and other activities that benefit from a larger screen size.

Battery life

The capacity of the built-in battery installed in the Sony Xperia X5 Compact is noticeably smaller than its older brothers in the line and is only 2700 mAh. Nevertheless, the device demonstrates very decent battery life in all scenarios. Testing was carried out without using Sony's proprietary energy-saving modes.

	Battery capacity	Reading mode	Video mode	3D Game Mode
Sony Z5 Compact	2700 mAh	15:40	8:00 am	3 hours 50 minutes
Sony Z5 Premium	3430 mAh	16:20	7 hours 50 minutes	4 hours 30 minutes
Sony Xperia Z5	2900 mAh	17:00	7:30 a.m.	3 hours 30 minutes
Huawei Nexus 6P	3450 mAh	15:00	8:30 a.m.	4 hours 30 minutes
LG Nexus 5X	2700 mAh	14:30	6:00 am	4:00 am
LG G4	3000 mAh	17:00	9:00 a.m.	3:00 am
OnePlus 2	3300 mAh	14:00	11:20 am	4 hours 30 minutes
Huawei Mate S	2700 mAh	12:30 pm	9:00 a.m.	3 hours 20 minutes
Samsung Note 5	3000 mAh	17:10	10:40 a.m.	5:00 a.m.
Google Nexus 6	3220 mAh	18:00	10:30 a.m.	3 hours 40 minutes
Meizu Pro 5	3050 mAh	17:30	12:30 pm	3 hours 15 minutes

Continuous reading in the Moon+ Reader program (with a standard, light theme, with auto-scrolling) at a minimum comfortable brightness level (brightness was set to 100 cd/m²) lasted 15 hours 40 minutes until the battery was completely discharged. When continuously watching videos from Youtube in high quality (720p) with the same brightness level via a home Wi-Fi network, the device lasted almost 8 hours. In 3D gaming mode, the device did not last up to 4 hours.

The device supports the Qualcomm Quick Charge 2 fast charging function. The smartphone was sent to us for testing without a supplied charger, and with the help of a third-party charger with an output current of 2 A, the initial charge is carried out with a current of 5.1 V 1.5 A, but as charging progresses, these values decrease, and as a result, the smartphone battery is fully charged in approximately 2 hours 40 minutes.

Bottom line

Sony Xperia Z5 Compact is now offered in official Russian retail at a price of approximately 35 thousand rubles. Regardless of its set of advantages and disadvantages, this mobile device deserves the closest attention. It will definitely interest a certain circle of users - those who, for some reason, do not want to deal with either “shovels” or iOS, but want to have a decent and at the same time miniature smartphone, not inferior in characteristics to the most modern flagships. And the hero of the review is, in principle, capable of giving all this to its owner: the screen, sound system, both cameras, communication capabilities, autonomy and, of course, the hardware performance of the Xperia Z5 Compact is at a decent level. And quibbles like incorrect color rendering of the screen and possible overheating of the SoC will probably seem not so significant trifles against the backdrop of the lack of alternatives to the product itself. The only real downside to the Xperia Z5 Compact is its hefty price tag. But, firstly, in the absence of a choice, you can take more from the buyer, and secondly, the hero of the review is practically in no way inferior to the Xperia Z5, and at the same time costs noticeably less. In short, the smartphone called Sony Xperia Z5 Compact turned out to be quite good and, perhaps, one of the last of its kind.

This year, Sony presented three flagship devices from the Xperia Z5 line. These are the regular Xperia Z5 with a 5.2” screen diagonal, the large Xperia Z5 Premium with a 5.5” display and the small Xperia Z5 Compact with a 4.6” panel. The phones share most of their characteristics, and the main difference can be boiled down to size. In my opinion, of this trio, the compact version feels most at ease on the market, since there are practically no competitors. After all, almost all manufacturers have focused on producing powerful medium-format devices or powerful phablets, without giving the green light to small but cool devices. Let's find out what, besides size, might interest the Xperia Z5 Compact.

And don’t look for any clue in the title of the review. It’s just that the phrase “miniature flagship” and its variations in relation to the models of the Xperia Z Compact line are already so hackneyed that I decided to be a little original. Well, Tyrion Lannister is just a cool hero from Game of Thrones. Yes?

Technical characteristics of Sony Xperia Z5 Compact:

• Network: GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz), WCDMA/HSPA (850/900/1900/2100 MHz), LTE (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 20, 28, 38, 40)
• Platform (at time of announcement): Android 5.1.1 Lollipop
• Display: 4.6", 1280 x 720 pixels, 700 nits, IPS, 319 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: 2 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/ac)
• microUSB 2.0
• 3.5mm jack
• IPX5/IPX8 and IP6X protection
• Fingerprint scanner
• Battery: non-removable, 2700 mAh
• Dimensions: 127 x 65 x 8.9 mm
• Weight: 138 g

Video review and unboxing

Design and equipment

The smartphone is available in four colors: black, white, yellow and coral. Regardless of the color, the white Xperia Z5 Compact is displayed on the front of the box, but the whole range is displayed on the back. The scope of delivery is modest: a phone (built-in 2700 mAh battery), microUSB cable, documentation and charging (1500 mA).

Rumors that Sony is about to move away from the OmniBalance design concept appear with enviable regularity, but nothing radical is happening yet. Although I liked the flirtation with bezel-less Xperia C5 Ultra (review). The Xperia Z5 Compact plays with OmniBalance again, and this time even those who are superficially familiar with the Xperia lineup will certainly be able to distinguish the new product from other generations. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, the company was the first to use frosted glass (so-called Frosted Glass). Secondly, a fingerprint scanner appeared in the Xperia Z5 line for the first time for Sony - it is built into the greatly changed power key.

The rear panel with the effect of foggy glass was an excellent replacement for a regular glossy panel - fingerprints and stains do not remain, light sources do not glare on it, and scratches, if they appear, are almost invisible. The mechanical key with a scanner pleased me with its good response, as well as the speed and accuracy of fingerprint reading. The location, of course, is not the most convenient (it’s not very comfortable to unlock the phone on the table, and sometimes you have to grab it in your hand), but given OmniBalance it was impossible to do otherwise. At least the button on the side is still better than the button on the back.

Above the screen are light and proximity sensors, a front camera, an LED indicator and a speaker. The second speaker is located symmetrically at the bottom. Unlike the C5 Ultra and M5, where the design only depicted stereo, in the Z5 Compact the speakers play multimedia simultaneously (the ringtone from the call also comes from both sides). The volume of the baby, despite the moisture-proof membranes, is enough to immerse yourself in some action game and not miss a call. True, you are unlikely to want to play at maximum volume or watch a movie without headphones due to the strong vibration of the backrest from the sound. The unpleasant effect is literally felt at your fingertips.

On the left there is a hook for a rope and a sealed compartment where nano-SIM and microSD are inserted. On the right is the power key with a scanner, a small volume rocker and a camera button. Adjusting the volume with such a low seat is not very convenient, especially when holding the phone in your left hand. At the bottom we see a microphone and microUSB, at the top there is an audio jack and an additional microphone. Looking at us from behind is the peephole of a 23-megapixel camera, next to which there is a flash.

The only plug fits tightly and will probably not become loose over time, since you will not look there often. The audio and USB connectors are not covered with anything, but they are still not afraid of water and dirt. Sony claims protection according to IPX5/IPX8 and IP6X standards, but immediately clarifies and warns the user that “The device must not be completely submerged under water or exposed to sea water, salt water, chlorinated water or liquids such as alcoholic beverages.”(). You've probably noticed that Xperia is no longer advertised using water immersion and underwater photography. And it’s not that the defense has worsened – it has remained at the same level or even a little better. It’s just that the company decided to follow Samsung’s path with the Galaxy S5, playing it safe and relieving itself of responsibility for most of the “drowned”. The Japanese, like the Koreans in their time, now focus on protection from rain and accidental drops. True, it is not clear what the point of such positioning is. After all, even unprotected models can easily endure a walk in the rain and splashes, and now you can’t even wash the Xperia with tap water without fear ( “the model should not be exposed to chlorinated water”). In general, with the changed company policy, security is no longer a Sony feature.

The Xperia Z5 Compact's body is solidly built, although my sample raises some complaints. So the glass behind is uneven, exposing cracks on the right and bottom. And the power key sometimes has a slight play. With the dimensions of the device 127 x 65 x 8.9 mm, it is comfortable to interact with the interface with one hand, although I cannot call the ergonomics of the case ideal due to the general angularity and sides above the front and rear windows. These edges are designed to protect the panels from scratches on the surface of the table and cope with this task perfectly, but they are not very pleasant to feel with your hands. I would also like to note the manufacturer’s passion for logos. I understand that the company wants to convey to everyone that it produces such stylish smartphones, but two Sony logos and two Xperia logos on such a small body are too much. Look, after a couple of generations, all sides will occupy. And it’s still unclear why, but the company continues to indicate the location of the corresponding chip with the NFC icon. For what? If you want to help the user, then make a mark on the shipping film or stick a small sticker - this will be enough. But I’m already nitpicking.

The IPS panel has a diagonal of 4.6” and operates at a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels (HD), which provides a good pixel density per inch of 319 ppi. Of course, a Full HD display would look better, but you would have to pay for the increased clarity in operating time and performance. And yet I find the selected resolution suitable for the diagonal size. But the screen itself could be of a higher quality - some interface elements on the left side are outlined in red, and at certain angles horizontal stripes on the matrix are visible and a peculiar effect of Soviet three-dimensional postcards appears (it also looks like a stained protective matte film). The brightness is sufficient on a sunny day, you can adjust the white balance in the settings, non-critical highlights can be seen at angles, color rendering is pleasant (although the Xperia Z3+, M5 and Z3 have more contrasting panels). Overall, the display is not bad, but that’s about it.

Software

The platform program is Android 5.1.1 Lollipop with the proprietary Xperia Home interface. An update to Android 6.0 Marshmallow is already planned; specific dates have not yet been outlined by the manufacturer.

Sony's shell continues to be one of the most balanced on Android. It works quickly and smoothly (before installing the OTA update there were microlags), it is not overloaded with unnecessary elements, and the designers have taste. When using Xperia, there is no desire to replace the launcher with some third-party one - this is the main thing. Themes are available to the user, and it is possible to customize the notification shade and lock screen.

In “Settings”, it’s worth checking the “Device Connection” item, from where you can instantly connect your Xperia smartphone with another phone, TV (you can mirror the phone screen on TV, and not just open media content), car entertainment system and gamepad from PlayStation 4. Several power modes that are worth experimenting with are located in “Power Options”.

Icons of preinstalled programs are shown in the screenshots above. Applications that you can easily remove are marked with a cross. Sony seems to have everything you need in mind, not only initially but also in the long run.

The proprietary audio player is beautiful and convenient, supports many formats. The sound for a smartphone with a built-in audio codec from Qualcomm can be described as high quality - it will satisfy unpretentious listeners who are not spoiled by models with dedicated DACs and stationary amplifiers for PCs. When paired with the Denon D600 headphones, there is a slight volume reserve, but the higher the volume, the more clearly the lack of bass is felt. The highs lack transparency and elaboration - in metal compositions (for example, in Therion's track Poupee de cire, poupee the son), the cymbals are distinctly sandy, and sibilant moments emerge in some vocal parts. I liked the mid frequencies. All the tested tracks were in lossless formats, but in some places it felt like you were listening to some kind of compressed MP3. In the settings, you can enable all sorts of software enhancements, the effect of which, if you use expensive, high-quality headphones, will be the opposite. But you can experiment with cheap headphones. In particular, automatic optimization of sound parameters can be called a good option.

Screenshots of key applications:

Camera

In the Xperia Z5, the company first used the new 23-megapixel Sony IMX300 sensor measuring 1/2.3” with 1.1 micron pixels. In addition, fast hybrid autofocus (phase focus and contrast focus) was implemented, and the aperture was f/2.0. Of course, the Japanese manufacturer places special emphasis on the photo and video capabilities of the device, promising that “content shot on a smartphone will look no worse than when shooting with a full-fledged camera” (quote from the official website), however, my experience with almost all flagship Xperia made me question this bold statement. Still, the camera is traditionally the weak point of all Xperia. I didn't compare the Xperia Z5 Compact with a full-fledged camera, but simply took pictures with the phone and made some comparisons with its competitors.

The camera application is stuffed with all sorts of modes for pampering - adding virtual characters and objects to the frame, superimposing other people's faces on your selfie, applying effects to selfies, adding a head to the frame from the rear camera, and so on. Many of these modes are not found in competitors, and it’s good that Xperia has them. But the truth is that you will use them several times throughout the entire time, and the main modes will be “super auto mode” and “manual”. And they just deserve the main criticism. The first mode often tends to make mistakes in shooting conditions, seeing food or text in different objects, which naturally affects the results. Well, in difficult conditions, the auto mode simply spoils the frame with colored noise and artifacts.

pictures in manual mode at 8 MP and 23 MP, appreciate the difference in detail

The manual mode, in fact, with a huge stretch, can be called manual due to the fact that the user is not really allowed to adjust anything. When shooting at a maximum resolution of 23 megapixels, you can only change the white balance and exposure, and lowering the resolution to 8 megapixels gives access to ISO and a set of scenes with corresponding presets. Why auto-presets in manual mode? Unclear. There is no way to subtly change focus and shutter speed. Judging by the leaks, in the updated camera application the arrangement of elements will change, but the capabilities will remain the same.

23 MP: super auto with automatic “night scene” and a shot from manual mode without scenes

8 MP: a shot with a manually taken “night scene” and a shot with a manual mode without scenes

8 MP: a shot with a manually taken “night scene” and a shot with a manual mode without scenes

I praise the autofocus - the phone really quickly focuses on the subject when changing the plan. Perhaps focusing is the only thing that was definitely successful in the Z5 Compact camera (and, probably, the Z5 and Z5 Premium, which have similar modules) and does not require further improvement. SteadyShot digital stabilization does not seem to work at all when taking photos (with the function activated, of course), since out of more than three hundred frames I got a good two dozen blurry pictures taken at both 8 MP and 23 MP. In most cases, the white balance was chosen incorrectly, causing the snow to turn pink, and indoors the phone often went to extremes depending on the heat of artificial sources - it either turned blue or yellow. Errors in balance are especially noticeable in comparison with other smartphones. The optics have a wide angle and capture many objects, however, either the lenses turned out to be of poor quality, or they were not chosen very well, but in plans from medium and long distances only the center of the frame remains clear, while the side parts are blurred, which is striking when viewing shooting a wall. At night, it is almost impossible to take a good picture, despite the good f/2.0 aperture - the detail is so-so, there is no clarity, and blur is common.

23 MP on paper is certainly impressive. But in practice, the 20-megapixel Meizu Pro 5 and 16-megapixel LG G4 have higher detail, less noise, and more accurate color rendition. A detailed comparison of these smartphones is available at this link. If you are too lazy to open it, then I named the LG G4 the best in photography, the second place was given to Meizu Pro 5, and the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact came last in the top three. With all this, the Xperia Z5 Compact does not take bad pictures by any means. No, he takes photographs very well and, with the proper skill, will allow you to create real masterpieces. However, competitors from the upper echelon in most cases shoot no worse! Moreover, they are equipped with much less recent sensors from the same Sony (please do not confuse sensors and assembled camera modules). Cause? Either savings on components (cheap optics), or algorithms that are far from ideal, or some kind of systemic problem within the mobile division that prevents the cameras in Xperia from performing to their maximum. Crops from full-size photographs, which are presented in a detailed comparison:

Sony Xperia Z5 Compact – LG G4 – Meizu Pro 5:

A compact version of Sony's new flagship, that's to say officially. Unofficially, a charming smartphone is a pleasure to pick up and it’s nice to know that there are so many interesting things here...

I would like to say right away that the Z5 family has many similar features, so some chapters will be repeated. If I suddenly learn something new or get some special experience when getting acquainted with the devices of the line, I will add to the articles.

Design, construction

Of all the new products presented at IFA, my personal rating looks like this, naturally, we are talking only about Sony. For myself, I would choose the Sony Xperia Z5 Premium. The most balanced device is the simple Z5. Well, the most beautiful one is definitely the Z5 Compact. This is not easy to understand by looking at photographs or if you watch our video about the device, as they say, on the screen you will not be able to feel all the charm of the new “compact”. I would like to remind you how the story with Sony's Compact developed. The first one resembled its older brother in design, there were minor differences, but overall it was the same Sony Xperia Z1. Only small.

Xperia Z1 Compact

Consumers liked the smartphone; it has the same functions as the flagship, only in a smaller body and for less money.

In principle, a smartphone is still quite relevant, cheap, cheerful, what else is needed.

The second version of the Compact was controversial; some people certainly liked it, while others did not appreciate Sony's approach. The design of the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact was different from all other devices, perhaps even too original.

Xperia Z3 Compact

But, besides the design, it also had all the capabilities of the older device. I’ll repeat my thought: it’s quite possible to buy a Z3 Compact now. Especially if you are interested in a device with an unusual design or color.

Xperia Z3 Compact

About five people around me walk around with a Sony Xperia Z3 Compact in the same color as in the picture above (and not all of them work for Sony).

After such a digression, let's look at the new product. Sony has done enough research to understand that the small flagship should resemble its big brother in design. So that there are no complaints from consumers. But still, the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact is different from the simple Z5. Firstly, not aluminum is used here, but a special polymer, a “bumper” without seams, it looks very good. The front and back are glass; the back is polished in a special way. Looks unusual and fresh (especially bright colors). Secondly, if the Z5 is simply matte, then the Z5 Compact is very matte. How many times in reviews have I chided Sony for fingerprints, and it’s good that you don’t have to do that here - it’s very difficult to see fingerprints on a gray smartphone even after using it for a long time. They are there, they haven’t disappeared anywhere, they’re just not too noticeable. Thirdly, on a small smartphone, details and pleasant little things immediately catch your eye - you look at the Z5, start comparing with the Z3, and it seems to be the same thing, very similar. But the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact is completely different, completely, completely. I think fellow journalists will express the same opinion; this is the most beautiful smartphone at the exhibition. What details attract you, you ask? Now Xperia is engraved directly on the “bumper”. You swipe your finger and feel the letters. The power button with a different design, in general, is not only a button, but also a fingerprint scanner. It is very pleasant to press and allows you to reduce the time to unlock the display. Sony didn’t forget about a separate button for the camera; if you press and hold, you can immediately go to shooting.

You may notice that the device has only one plug at the end; underneath it hides a slot for a nanoSIM and a microSD memory card. The compact will not have a version with two SIM cards. The plug does not stick out, and you are unlikely to use it often. I would only advise you to buy a normal memory card and not skimp on microSD - in order to properly use the ability to install applications on external media.

At the bottom end there is a microUSB connector; there is no plug, but there is protection from water. Where would we be without it, it’s Sony. Starting with the Z5, Sony is starting to actively advertise the idea of ​​underwater photography and other extreme sports; the devices are protected according to IP65/IP68 standards, which means protection from dust and (in theory) the possibility of short-term immersion in water. All devices in the Z5 line are protected equally, the “compact” is no exception.

The 3.5 mm jack is on the top end; there is no plug here either. Camera lenses and flash look the same.

There is a groove for attaching the strap, well, just like in Japan without this detail. The assembly is excellent, the device is pleasant to hold in your hands. Four colors were announced: white, black, yellow and red, let me remind you that these matte bars look great in real life. People's grasping reflex is instantly triggered; even the older Z5 Premium with a 4K display does not evoke so many emotions. And someone else says that design is not that important - well, yes, of course. How important it is and will always be important. It seems to me that the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact will especially appeal to girls, especially for yellow and red devices. And there is a fingerprint scanner, the best protection against prying eyes who want to get acquainted with the correspondence.

Another innovation is pre-installed themes in smartphones. Now the white Sony Xperia Z5 Compact will have a white theme, white background and black numbers; other devices will also have themes matched to the color of the body. It also seems like a small thing, but pleasant.

The exact dimensions of the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact are 127 x 65 x 9.9 mm, weight - 139 grams, the device is not mega-thin, not the smallest, not so light, but it is pleasant to handle in everyday life. Especially after giants like the iPhone 6 Plus or Sony Xperia Z5 Premium (I didn’t use the latter, but I can imagine the process).

A little about the glass front and back. The front of the device is traditionally protected by glass; the company does not say what kind of material it is, just Glass and that’s it, no monkeys. But on the back, the glass is polished to achieve such an interesting matte finish. At the same time, the logo is made in an interesting way, the letters are just glass without polishing. Also a small detail, but interesting. The ends form a bumper, the rear and front glass are slightly recessed, not even immediately noticeable, but will protect you from microscopic scratches on the screen.

Stereo speakers are located at the front, top and bottom of the display, and all Z5 smartphones have the same design. The Sony Xperia Z5 Compact has quite loud sound; calls can be heard well on the street.

Fingerprint scanner

I tried the scanner on prototypes, I’ll tell you how it all happens. A corresponding section appears in the “Security” menu, where you can assign up to five fingerprints to the sensor. The process itself is simple, you apply your finger several times until the scale is full, everything is similar to other similar systems. Then you indicate what exactly the sensor will do, and you start using it. I like that unlocking takes a split second, you place your finger and immediately find yourself on the desktop, without pattern keys and other nonsense. I note that you don’t even have to press the button, just put your finger on it. There were practically no false positives - if there were, it was most likely my fault.

All flagship Sony smartphones have a scanner with a button, so this section is identical for the Sony Xperia Z5, Sony Xperia Z5 Compact and Sony Xperia Z5 Premium.

I note that placing the sensor in the button seems to me the most logical. The finger fits here by itself (if you are left-handed, the index finger of your left hand will be on the button), the setup is elementary, the operation does not raise any questions. Don't like the fingerprint scanner? Use a regular password - but you will only have to waste time on this every time you want to do something with your smartphone.

Display

The diagonal of the IPS display is 4.6 inches, resolution is 1280 x 720 pixels, a number of proprietary technologies are supported, these are TRILUMINOS and X-Reality Engine. Here's what they write on the official website:

• X-Reality technology for mobile devices analyzes every image on the screen and optimizes colors, sharpness and contrast. The result is photos and videos with incredible detail and low noise.
• The TRILUMINOS Display and Live Color LED technology provide the widest color gamut with vibrant reds, natural greens and blues.

There are other functions, but it’s better to talk about them in the device review. In prototypes, the display looks good, but I know that you will now start saying in the comments that you need FullHD and so on. Let me remind you that the iPhone 6 has a 4.7-inch display with a resolution of 1334 x 750 pixels, and the picture quality is very good. I also don’t see any reason to find fault with the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact, the screen here is quite normal, the brightness is not too high, the colors are natural. Let's look at the screen in commercial samples.

Cameras

For now I’ll just say that the main camera is 23 MP, the Exmor RS module is used, the front camera is 5 MP with wide-angle optics for creating excellent selfies. There is also news about the camera:

• In the Sony Xperia M5 you can see the company's approach to photography in modern devices. People want great shots even in low light, people want digital zoom, people want fast autofocus. And it's all here!
• I'll start with autofocus, which is claimed to take less than 0.1 seconds. We need to see how it works in reality; in the review I’ll tell you what kind of system is used here. Sony says that the same guys who developed various systems for Alpha cameras are now working on the camera in mobile devices.
• They also say that 5x digital zoom will not affect the quality of the pictures.
• Support for shooting video in 4K is declared (and it allegedly even supports outputting images in 4K to external sources)

There are all the usual modes for Sony, this is augmented reality and not only, many of them can be downloaded from the Play Market. In real life, autofocus really happens quickly. Another interesting innovation, it is now possible to shoot in smart auto mode with a resolution of 20 MP and an aspect ratio of 16:9, when using the maximum resolution (23 MP) it will be 4: 3. Previously (for example, with the Z3) you could use either 8 MP and 16:9, or 4:3 with full resolution. I hope I made it clear - I personally want to shoot in 16:9 aspect ratio and 20 MP resolution.

Performance

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor is used, as you know, this is a rather “warm” solution, so special attention will need to be paid to this in the review. You can read more about the processor. The remaining functions are as follows: 2 GB of RAM, 32 GB of internal memory, a microSD slot, and LTE support. The Android version will need to be checked when the device goes on sale. Adreno 430 is responsible for graphics, wireless interfaces are Bluetooth 4.1 and 802.11n/ac. Let me remind you once again that the Z5 and Z5 Premium will have two SIM cards with LTE, the “compact” only has a version with one SIM card. They say that they managed to overcome the processor heating.

Peculiarities

A little about other features of the smartphone:

• It supports working in tandem with PS4; in other words, Xperia turns into a screen, you pick up the joystick and play. Considering the diagonal of the display, it’s better not to do this on a “compact”
• Old accessories are supported - I mean, from other Z series smartphones with a five-pin connector. A noise canceling headset and microphone will work just fine.
• The new Sony MDR-NC750 headset has been announced, it has noise cancellation, and the built-in microphones can also be used when shooting video, which (as they say) allows you to record sound with unprecedented quality. Haven't checked yet. The feature only works with the Z5 family.
• There is much less pre-installed garbage, this is also noticeable.

Working hours

A 2700 mAh battery is installed, QuickCharge 2.0 fast charging technology is supported, after charging for 45 minutes the smartphone can supposedly work all day. Naturally, it all depends on your particular use. I think so, Sony wants to announce 2 days of work for the Z5 everywhere, but this is a bit far-fetched. If I take the Z5 Premium and sit down to watch a movie, then after about ten hours the device will ask to connect it to an outlet. Here we must say this, in theory, smartphones of the Z5 line can work for 2 days. In practice, everything depends on you.

The included power supply will be different; it does not support QuickCharge - you will need to buy such a power supply separately. I would like to remind you that I tested the UCH-10, a power supply with QuickCharge support, you can read it.

conclusions

Rumors about the Sony Xperia Z5 and Sony Xperia Z5 Compact have been circulating on the Internet for quite some time now, I heard the opinion that “yes, everything is the same, the same Z3, only a little different.” The same can be said about any new gadget - the same, but slightly different. What to compare the new product with? Well, let's compare with the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact:

• Completely new design - no annoying plugs while maintaining water resistance. After all, fingerprints are invisible on a matte smartphone.
• The fingerprint sensor works well.
• The camera should be better.
• The new platform, albeit controversial, but I hope Sony knows what they are doing. In addition, I didn’t experience any major heating problems with the Z3+.

Magnetic charging has disappeared, but functions associated with the PS4 and a special 3.5 mm jack remain. And I really, really, really like the look of the new compact.

The device will go on sale in October this year, the price is still unknown. And it is very difficult to predict it because of the exchange rate, I will assume that it will be about 35,000 rubles.

Well, and most importantly, what do you think of the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact?

Let me remind you that all tests are carried out with energy-saving functions disabled. But in reality, there is absolutely no need to disable the proprietary Stamina Mode. With it, the Xperia Z5 Compact works for a day and a half in active mode, but with more restrained handling, the smartphone can work for two days. Not bad for an Android smartphone, and slightly better than the original Z5.

conclusions

It’s still unusual for me to call a smartphone for 40 thousand rubles inexpensive, but this is the reality. In dollar terms, the Xperia Z5 Compact is even cheaper than its predecessor when it went on sale, so you can't accuse Sony of being overpriced. I definitely liked the new body colors (especially yellow) and the finish on the back panel. And there is nothing wrong with the screen having HD resolution - it is quite enough. Much more important is how the use of this screen affected battery life, because the Xperia Z5 Compact became one of the best devices based on Snapdragon 810 in this regard.

The compact flagship from Sony essentially has no alternatives - among smartphones with a screen diagonal of less than 5" it occupies a leading position.

Performance

The 4.6-inch screen of the “baby” has HD resolution (1280x720 pixels). This format does not require high resource consumption, so the smartphone is one of the most productive Android devices: in the AnTuTu synthetic test it scores approximately 76,500 points. The credit for such a high score lies on the shoulders of the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, which is paired with 2 GB of RAM. This combination ensures the launch of any games at maximum graphics settings. By the way, due to its low resource consumption, the smartphone is practically free of the overheating problem inherent in the 810 Snapdragon.

Jr

In addition to the screen resolution, the smartphone differs from its older brothers in the Z5 line (Sony Xperia Z5 and Sony Xperia Z5 Premium) in its plastic body. Despite this, it has dust and moisture protection according to the IP68 standard, as well as easy access to all analog control keys. There's even a responsive fingerprint scanner on the right side integrated into the power button.

Photo and video

The main camera module has increased slightly in resolution compared to the previous generation of the Z series (Sony Xperia Z3 Compact). The 1/2.3-inch sensor has a 23-megapixel resolution and is equipped with fast phase detection autofocus, capable of capturing the subject in 0.03 s. The pictures stand out with their wide dynamic range and excellent quality. But when photographing in the dark, you can feel the aggressive manner in which the noise reduction works. The camera also handles 4K video very well, filming it for at least 40 minutes at a time.

Memory and autonomy

The built-in 32 GB data storage can be expanded via microSD memory cards with a capacity of up to 200 GB. A 2700 mAh battery paired with an undemanding screen provides up to 2 days of battery life for the gadget.

Compact flagship

The waterproof smartphone from Sony's top line is ready to offer high performance in a compact bottle, for which it is appreciated.