Sony Xperia Z5 Compact Review

I have been using Sony Xperia devices for at least the last 6 years and every time I pick up a new model, I remember why I continue to do so.  Value for money. Phones cost an arm and leg and you always want to ensure that you are getting the right phone for your buck. While there are many great phones on the market today you will probably look for one lucky phone that gets to fill your pocket. Unless you are a magician, I am assuming your pocket has limited space. Which means you may want your phone to be compact so that you can fit the device into most pockets.

Sony have been releasing the compact versions of their flagship devices for quite some time now. These devices have 99% same specs as the flagship models but they come in a compact design.

Picking up the Z5 Compact, one can tell that this is premium device The body features a block design compared to the more rounded design featured on the Z5. The device is easy to hold and at 138 grams, the device is the perfect weight for its size. The device looks pretty much the same as the Z5 from the front except the back has frosted glass.

The 4.6 inch 720 x 1280 pixels display has a Scratch-resistant glass with oleo phobic coating to ensure that your display stays scratch free. The display is rich and shows colours off really nicely and watching videos is enjoyable though I do prefer a bigger display when doing so.

The Z5 Compact comes loaded with Android Lollipop but is up-gradable to Android Marshmallow and soon to be Android Nougat. The Quad core 1.5GHz processor is nippy and with 2GB Ram doing pretty much anything that you would do on the Z5 is possible.

With a 23 MP front and 5.1 MP secondary camera, the Z5 Compact may just be the perfect device for those wanting a great camera on a smaller device. Phase detection auto-focus ensures that you always have the right subject in focus quickly. If you are an avid video creator like myself, you will be pleased that you can shoot videos in 2160p@30fps, 1080p@60fps, 720p@120fps.

The Z5 Compact is IP68 certified – dust proof and water resistant over 1.5 meter and 30 minutes. Sony used to encourage one to take their water resistant devices in the swimming pool but these days they are saying the IP68 certification should be used in that situation where your phone gets wet by accident.

Storage will not be a problem for the Z5 Compact. The devices comes with 32 GB internal storage and supports a microSD card up to 256GB! That is a lot for a phone.

The Non-removable Li-Ion 2700 mAh battery claims to give 48 hours battery life. On normal usage this is possible. Watching continuous videos, I managed to get around 13 hours out of the battery which is not bad at all! The Z5 Compacts battery is only slightly smaller in capacity than the battery of the Z5 which is understandable considering the Z5 Compact is a smaller device and has a smaller display. As always you can use the nifty Stamina energy saving profiles to save juice and get even more than 48 hours. The battery can be charged to 60% in 30 minutes which is perfect for those times when you come back home after work and head out after a quick shower!

Sony have once again done a great job in shrinking a premium flagship device into a smaller device that is still able to perform. If you are looking for a smaller device that is still capable of keeping up with you and your busy lifestyle, then you should consider the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact. What is the damage? This nifty device will only set you back R7900!