Dust and water can’t faze Sony’s flagship Xperia range

The latest device in Sony’s flagship Xperia range, the Z5, will be appreciated by the tech cognoscenti.

Sony’s Xperia specs

Among some tech-savvy people I know, Sony’s flagship Xperia range is their favourite smartphone. While consumers generally flock towards an iPhone and Android handsets by Samsung and LG, many computer professionals and photographers would settle for a Sony Xperia Z model any day.

The first Z was announced three years ago and now we are up to the Z5, which boasts the highest resolution screen of any phone, Android or otherwise. It shoots and plays 4K video, plays high-definition audio, has a big juicy battery, can store 100GB on a ­microSD card, and there’s a 23-megapixel camera.

If being king of Android means winning a specs shootout, then Sony should be top of the tree. But it isn’t and that has much to do with the fact that Sony was late to the market with the Xperia. In 2013, Samsung was already the established Android brand and the Korean firm is a master at getting its message across with big advertising and marketing spends. Combating Samsung’s marketing muscle hasn’t been easy for Sony, which has always been rather low-key in touting the prowess of its Xperia phones.

This was borne out last weekend when I started snapping underwater photos with my current review unit, an Xperia Z5 Premium. People were aghast when I dipped the phone in water. They didn’t know a water-resistant phone existed.

Sony’s decision to cut back Xperia phone production after a financially disastrous 2014, ­mobile-wise, hasn’t helped the Xperia’s cause either. At the time Sony was even thinking of ditching the mobile phone division altogether but it is persisting with its efforts for the time being. That’s fortunate because the Xperia phones really are good — they are dust-resistant, can stay in water for up to 30 minutes to a depth of 1.5m and have a high-quality camera.

The original Xperia Z had a 13.1-megapixel back-facing snapper, when it made its debut in 2013, while its immediate successor, the Z2, introduced the ability to shot 4K video. The Xperia Z5, both the compact and premium models, sport 23-megapixels sensors and the premium model is the first to hit the market with a 4K display. It’s a noteworthy feat but seems rather unnecessary. The tech cognoscenti will no doubt appreciate the effort but most consumers won’t get the point. Going beyond 2K (Quad HD) display is unnecessary on a phone this size and most of us won’t appreciate the extra quality.

4K makes sense on larger displays such as TVs and 8K sharpens up massive ones. Frankly, the only justification for a 4K screen on a 5.5-inch display is crowing rights. Still, the screen is stunning. The original Z boasted a pixel density of 441 pixels per inch. Now the density is 806 ppi — double that of the iPhone 6s Plus.

There’s another string to the bow with the three Z5 models: high-definition audio. I can’t vouch for just how high the quality is and there’s evidence to suggest we can’t distinguish above CD quality. But that’s a discussion for another day. All I can say is that listening to music with clear textured sounds of instruments and vocals was a pleasure. Part of the pleasure was from using a Sony digital noise-cancelling headset, which this phone supports. You can set the noise environment to bus/train, aeroplane or office.

As for the Z5 Premium itself, it’s probably the best smartphone that Sony has made. It’s similar in size to the iPhone 6s Plus. If anything it’s a tad shorter and narrower, and a smidgen thicker. Its power button also doubles as a fingerprint sensor — press it and you’re authenticated and logged in very quickly.

Sony has moved the buttons on the right-hand side and they sit way down so you can access them when holding the unit in one hand. There’s sufficient bezel at the bottom of the phone so you can also hold it without triggering the soft selection buttons.

Sony promises up to two days’ use from its big 3430 mAh battery, but that depends on how you use the phone — whether you’re mostly making calls or watching 4K movies. Without an adaptor, we couldn’t test the promise of a quick charging in 45 minutes to get a full day’s usage.

You’d expect the 4K display to soak up lots of juice, but as Sony revealed in October, the screen only operates at 4K resolution when watching 4K movies; for most of the time it functions at 1080p. Some owners may feel cheated by this, but on the other hand, it enhances power ­efficiency.

Other features include a ­microSD card slot that can support cards up to 200GB, stereo front-facing speakers, FM radio, support for ANT+ sport and health measurement devices, and a fast 8-core Cortex processor with four cores at 2 GHz.

There are, however, some negatives with the Z5 Premium. Our review unit did get noticeably warm when playing 4K video and the reflective glass back is a fingerprint magnet. I felt obliged to carry around a microfibre cloth to polish it up. There’s also only 32GB of internal memory, which will disappoint some.

When you compare spec with spec, the Z5 Premium outshines the opposition. It is Sony’s classiest phone to date. But whether the sum of these brilliant parts equals a brilliant whole is the issue.

The Z5 Premium comes in chrome, black and gold. Buy from JB Hi-Fi (chrome), The Good Guys (chrome) and from Sony centres, kiosks and online (chrome, black and gold). RRP is $1199.