The Sony Xperia Z5 Premium – you know, the monster 5.5-inch phone with a 4K display – is now officially available in the UK. Offered by retailer Carphone Warehouse, the ultra flagship phone as a recap offers a 23-megapixel rear-camera that can shoot in 4K, 64-bit Octa Core processor with 3G RAM, and 32GB internal storage that’s expandable via microSD with Android 5.1 as the core OS.
If you’re interested, I talk price and an interesting cross promotion after the jump.
Originally destined for Asia, Sony has begun a slow expansion into Europe with the entry level Xperia C4. Unlike the premium mid-range Xperia C5 Ultra and Xperia M5, the C4 is much more a traditional mid-range unit as its price reflects. Luckily Sony didn’t skimp on some of the more routinely-used features and packs a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.
After the jump, details on price and availability.
Partially late to this story and partially on time – Sony has announced the Xperia Z5 Dual and Xperia Z5 Premium Dual for India. The former had an October 23rd release date which means those in India have been able to enjoy the flagship smartphone from Sony for nearly two weeks. The Xperia Z5 Premium Dual, the 4K screened monster device however arrives tomorrow, November 7th.
After the jump, let’s talk color options and prices.
Back in July, Sony would launch the SCR30 Style Cover Window for their latest flagship smartphone, the Xperia Z3+. Made from PU leather, the colorful cases which come in black, white, copper, and aqua only weigh 40 grams and have been available for purchase for some time now. With more Xperia Z3+ units in the wild, I figured this would be a good time to revisit the cases again with a picture gallery after the jump so you can decide if they’re right for you.
In the past two months, Sony unfolded a fairly aggressive rollout strategy for their high-end mid-range Xperia C5 Ultra and Xperia M5 throughout Asia. With the phone have launched in many of its intended countries, the Japanese giant is now turning its attention towards its most recent flagship device, the Xperia Z5 family.
Beginning today, those in Singapore and Hong Kong can pre-order the Xperia Z5 with a lot of goodies to go along with them. After the jump, we reveal the bonus add-ons and Z5 pricing.
To go along with the Xperia Z5 unveiling and hype, Sony has released a near 7-minute video where they put their latest flagship to the test. Hosted by Maddie Moate, a self proclaimed “technology presenter and YouTube educator,” we see the Xperia Z5 used in a series of differing real world scenarios like going down the streets of Berlin in a bumpy and colorful Trabant to help showcase the phones SteadyShot Intelligent Active Mode and 0.03s hybrid autofocus.
More after the jump, including the video.
It’s hard to think of a time when the Xperia Z hasn’t been part of the mobile landscape, yet the phone series isn’t even 5 years old. Unveiling at CES 2013, the original Xperia Z went on sale in February of the same year in Japan and from there slowly expanded to Europe. Since that time, we’ve had many (some might say too many) iterations of the phone in such a short time, including the
and the just announced Xperia Z5 series (Xperia Z5, Xperia Z5 Compact and Xperia Z5 Premium). While consistent with their Omni design Sony has championed, with each new model, the design, feel, and materials used to craft the flagship product have propelled the Z family forward. What has stayed consistent, though changed in placement, are volume up/down, camera, and the power button which has seen the most departure in terms of design since it now doubles as a fingerprint scanner.
After the jump, a high resolution image of the series awaits you.
If you live in the Nordics and you’ve been eyeing the Xperia Z5 Compact then listen up. If buying a premium flagship phone with all of its features wasn’t compelling enough, Sony is sweetening the deal by throwing in a free pair of their MDR-10RC headphones. Keep in mind, the Z5 Compact already comes with a pair of in-ear headphones – though the sound quality from the over-the-ear 10RC is far superior to that of the stock headphones. Valued at SEK 990 (around €105), if you’ve been eyeing a deal or a new pair of headphones, this might not be a bad offer to take Sony up on.
A promo video and the specific countries the promotion runs in await you after the jump.
Sony has released a new video to promote and educate us about the camera and technology that’s built into the Xperia Z5. In the video, Sony goes as far as to claim that the Z5 offers the
best camera in a leading smartphone
That’s a large claim, but who am I to judge? Instead, what I find confusing and borderline stupid is frankly the entire video that’s all tech in a confusing manner, hence “techfusing.” I’m not sure who the video is aimed at but throughout the one minute video, we’re treated to dazzling/unnecessary sound effects, long drawn out visuals, and a lack of narrative on why we should care about what’s happening on screen, other than the reason that these things will make your photos better.
The offending video and my thoughts can be found after the jump.
It may have not been the most scientific test but a video from IFA 2015 compared the image stabilization found in the Xperia Z5 against its predecessor, the Xperia Z3. Now, Sony has stepped into the ring by showcasing its SteadyShot Intelligent Active Mode which can be found on all three Xperia Z5 models.
It’s worth noting that neither model offers OIS (optical image stabilization) which is done via hardware and instead, rely on the SteadyShot software to help stabilize the video. In short, the results are pretty impressive, showcasing the power of the algorythem Sony is utilizing which in turn will allow for far smoother videos when you’re on the move.
After the jump, a video which pits two Xperia Z5 models against each other. One with SteadyShot turned on and one with it off.
Long before the Xperia Z5 family was unveiled, there were rumors of the next flagship Sony smartphone appearing in Spectre, the upcoming James Bond film. With the phones having now been unveiled, Sony Mobile is running an advertisement campaign with the slogan “Made for Bond.”
After the jump, let’s talk about the 1 minute ad which can also be found there.
One of the flagship features on the newly announced Xperia Z5, Xperia Z5 Compact and Xperia Z5 Premium is their 23-megapixel front shooter that’s capable of focusing anywhere on screen in just 0.03 seconds. With smartphones replacing our compact cameras and perhaps even our DSLR in our daily lives, the camera on a smartphone is perhaps the most important feature. To that end, the camera on the Xperia Z5 series needs to not only shine, but perhaps offer a few extra functionalities for those who crave more than just an auto setting.
Luckily, Sony has just the thing in store for us.
I was a bit skeptical when news initially leaked that Sony would be incorporating a 4K display in their upcoming flagship smartphone. Besides a lack of 4K content that’s easily accessible, battery life and heat played the most prominent role in my dismissal of the news. With the Xperia Z5 Premium, Sony proved that they had the technical prowess to design a smartphone with two day battery life and a 4K display.
However, that appears to be the case mostly because that 4K display isn’t driving 4K at all times. I explain after the jump.
Sony has been on a bit of a roll with a fairly aggressive Asia release schedule. In just the past month, they’ve announced the Xperia C5 Ultra Dual & Xperia M5 Dual for Hong Kong and Taiwan with India soon to follow. Now the wait is partially over as the Xperia M5 Dual arrives in Hong Kong, Malaysia, and India.
More details on their release after the jump.
Much like the Xperia Z3+ (Z4) received a Style Cover Window case from Sony, so will the Xperia Z5 family. Designed to accommodate the Xperia Z5, Xperia Z5 Compact, and Xperia Z5 Premium, the Style Cover Window cases take everything you’ve known about them from previous models and built them to fit the new varying screen sizes.
After the jump, details on the new cases await you.
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