Sony Xperia 5 V ***

[Pouty_preface12]

My thoughts on the Xperia 5 V

So recently, I upgraded to the Xperia 5 V from the Xperia 5 II, and I'm a bit disappointed with the new model because the display looks outdated and very narrow. That's because the bezels have increased for some reason; viewing content doesn't seem immersive; the screen looks good, but it could have been made to provide more vibrant and accurate colours. The camera has only two lenses. I was expecting a third lens, which could've been an optical telephoto zoom camera, but it is what it is. The two most painful things Sony does every time in their compact flagships is provide 128GB of storage and only provide two years of Android updates. First of all, the storage of 128 GB isn't enough for most people. I transferred all my data from my old phone to my new Xperia 5 V device, and the storage was almost full. I used 124 GB on my new device, so that ****. Sony needs to provide more years of Android updates; otherwise, the reliability of their phones will come to an end as the years pass. So I'm sad to say this new flagship didn't meet my expectations and standards, and I decided to return the device; it's not worth the money. I'll just stick to my Xperia 5 II for the time being. Overall, it's a 5 out of 10. Sony, you can do better.

[daveyh64]

Is there a reason you are reposting exactly the same post as yesterday.

It seems to me all the faults or failings you describe with this phone could have been realised before you purchased it.

[Pouty_preface12]

I'm reposting this to reach out to Sony to make a change; they never listen to their fans or aim to please fans, and I'm giving my thoughts and my experiences with the device so people realise what I'm saying is fact.

As a fan of compact flagships, I decided to give the latest flagship a shot and compare it with my previous device, and honestly, it feels less like an upgrade.

[uybhege]

in Asia you get the 256GB version which is OK.

[BahnStormer]

Storage at 128Gb is fine for me as I always put a 1Tb SDXC card into the 2nd SIM slot. Apps shouldn't take more than 128Gb and photo's and media are FINE on the SD card - probably a little slower for some video scrubbing, etc... but very much worth the performance sacrifice to have that much space.

My problem was that when I needed to replace my Xperia 5 iii I couldn't get the Xperia 5 V, so ended up going with the Xperia 1 V... it's got "more features" (none of which I really need), but also a 0.3" bigger screen... I didn't realise how much difference that would make: it was so useful it was to be able to type one-handed!! The wider screen isn't useful in any meaningful way and now the phone is also more awkward to use as an extra screen in my trackday car (heavier and also protrudes behind the steering wheel - can't be moved out the way as it's too big). Niche use-case, but it was so nice to have... I've had to put an old Galaxy S4 in place of that and now just leave my Xperia 1 under a seat as an overpriced WiFi hotspot 😞

As per the previous comment - something I could have worked out before purchase, so I'm not going to complain too much about that.... but definitely a step backwards in useability.

I am just hoping there will be a current-gen Xperia 5 the next time I need to replace my phone! I'll use this post as a warning that some things might have moved backwards though: ideally I just want another Xperia 5 iii with a modern CPU (for power efficiency) and ideally also still with all the features that my Xperia 5 iii had: headphone jack and SD card slot are complete deal-breakers for me and the display-out and telephoto lens are strong nice-to-haves that would have me looking at competitors if they've been removed.... or more likely, sacrificing some CPU efficiency and getting a reconditioned 2nd hand phone.

If the Xperia 5 is being made that much of a 2nd tier product (still has 128Gb storage or if I'm going to lose features like telephoto / display out), then the Xperia 10 seems to a similar set of features as the Xperia 5... and usable screen size. Plus I could replace it more often as the Xperia 10 is refreshed more often.

For context even if the Xperia 5 and Xperia 1 were the same price for the same features as each other (except for screen size), I would gladly take the Xperia 5 every time... that screen size is more usable and would probably give me longer battery life.