Review | Xperia 5 review: Sony’s best phone for some time, uniquely designed but hard to recommend

Why are smartphone model names so confusing? Samsung and OnePlus have each skipped a number in recent years; LG and Huawei started counting in multiples of 10; and Apple went from Roman to Arabic numerals. But perhaps no other brand has shown a disregard for logic and numeric continuity like Sony has. The company’s latest, the Xperia 5, is a follow up to the Xperia 1, which was launched alongside the Xperia 10, which came after the Xperia XZ 2. Confused yet? The silver lining to all of this confusion, though, is that the Xperia 5 is Sony’s best smartphone in a while. Hardware and design The Xperia 5 continues the design language set by the Xperia 1 and 10: it is a boxy, rectangular slab with an extra-long, narrow aspect ratio of 21:9, with top and bottom bezels that are small by Sony’s previous standards, but still chunky compared to every other phone. It’s not the sleekest, curviest, sexiest design by any means, but it is unique. Unlike the Xperia 1, whose 6.5-inch display made the phone awkwardly tall, the Xperia 5’s 6.1-inch OLED screen is, in my opinion, the ideal size. The elongated aspect ratio makes the phone narrower than usual, giving a unique in-hand feel that resembles older Nokia “dumb” phones. Typing with one hand is easier here than on just about any other recent release, as even small hands should be able to reach across the screen with their thumbs. The phone is mostly a glass and aluminium sandwich – a look that has become the norm – but the Sony-specific touches are still here: the fingerprint scanner is side-mounted on the right side of the chassis, and the SIM card slot can be opened without a need for a tiny tray opener pin. I switch phones often, and not needing to find a pin to take out a SIM card on a Sony device is convenient. There’s a triple camera system array – all 12-megapixel sensors – of the usual standard wide, telephoto variety, along with a Snapdragon 855 chip, and a 3,140mAh battery. Software and features The Xperia 5 runs Android 9, which by now is dated, but at least Sony’s skin is relatively light. The software includes specific features to take advantage of that odd 21:9 aspect ratio, such as a side short cut bar that’s activated by double-tapping or swiping along the sides of the screen. Once triggered, the menu offers short cuts to launching two apps at the same time in split-screen mode, or shrinks the screen so the top portions of the display can be easily reached. This short cut menu is a good idea in theory, but I found that the gestures required to activate are tough to get right consistently. Often, I have to double-tap four times, for a total of eight taps, before the phone registers the action. Performance and battery life For most smartphone tasks, the Xperia 5 is fine. Apps open and close without a hiccup, and games and media run well too. RAM management isn’t as sharp as other Chinese handsets, so reopening an app that has been sitting idle for over a day will usually result in the app reloading. Despite the relatively small 3,140mAh battery, the Xperia 5’s endurance is quite good. The light software skin and not-too-big screen helps, as the phone consistently lasts a full a day for me, although only just. It’s not got the great battery life of a Huawei phone, but it’s not bad. The cameras, however, disappoint. During the day, the phone can produce some lovely photos. At night, though, the camera lags behind every non-budget phone I’ve tested this year. The wide-angle camera produces noisy, grainy images at night, and there is no software-assisted night mode to at least artificially liven up the colours like you would find on mid-tier Xiaomi or Oppo phones. A top-tier phone such as the Huawei Mate 30 Pro can produce significantly better wide-angle images once the sun sets. This is baffling, as Sony is the maker of some of the best DLSR and mirrorless cameras around, and many of the top smartphones use Sony’s camera sensors. It would appear that the problem lies with Sony’s software image processing. Conclusion The Xperia 5 has some niche appeal. Its quirky, narrow form factor could be a draw for those who want a phone that can be easily used with one hand and that looks different from the sea of smartphones out there. Still, the mediocre camera performance and relatively high price compared to other Chinese Android options makes the Xperia 5 hard to recommend. Dimensions: 158mm x 68mm x 8.2mm Weight: 164g Display: 6.1-inch 1,080 x 2,520 pixel OLED panel Battery: 3,140mAh OS version reviewed: Android 9 with Sony’s Android skin on top Processor: Snapdragon 855 Cameras: 12-megapixel f/1.6 main sensor; 12-megapixel f/2.4 wide-angle lens; 12-megapixel f/2.4 telephoto lens; 8-megapixel selfie lens Memory: 128GB ROM; 6GB RAM Colours: Black, blue, silver, purple Price: HK$5,168 (US$660)

Review | Xperia 5 review: Sony’s best phone for some time, uniquely designed but hard to recommend

The Xperia 5 feels good in the hand and generally performs fine, with a battery that will last a full day – just The relatively high price compared to other Chinese Android options and mediocre camera performance will put some people off

The Xperia 5 feels good in the hand and generally performs fine, with a battery that will last a full day – just

The relatively high price compared to other Chinese Android options and mediocre camera performance will put some people off