Review the Sony Xperia 5 V – a great camera smartphone for a limited audience

Sony Xperia Five five, So. or rather: Mark 5. Device series with smartphones that often fail. Because even though the Sony Xperia 5 V is cheaper than the Sony Xperia 5 V Sony Xperia 1VThe difference in specifications and capabilities is very modest. The screen is slightly smaller (making the device more compact), you get less RAM and storage, and you miss out on the lens. The price of the Xperia 1 V is 1,399 euros, while the price of the 5 V is 999 euros.

Since Sony with Sony Xperia 10V Already offering a much cheaper alternative, the question arises: who will Sony launch the Xperia 5 V for? Admittedly, with a discount of more than 400 euros (so we’ll see), the device may be within the reach of more people. And consumers looking for a good camera on their smartphones won’t have to dig too far into their pockets. Plus: Compact size fits best in a pocket or handbag.

Specific target group for Sony Xperia 5 V

It’s not that Sony releases smartphones without thinking about it. But what has distinguished the Xperia series for years is that the target group is limited. Given the price, it should also be a fairly affluent target group, but the question remains whether these are people who regularly buy new smartphones. Since the company’s smartphone division is making a loss year after year, this does not seem to be the case. Moreover, the market itself still exists It is in a minor key.

So you might expect manufacturers to come up with exciting updates for their smartphones, but nothing could be further from the truth. And this is not a mockery of Sony – no smartphone manufacturer offers truly innovative or progressive features for its devices. Perhaps smartphones have been over-developed for this purpose and their parts have become too expensive. Anyway, imagine you’re in the market for a new smartphone and the Xperia 5 V catches your eye. What do you get then?

Expectation line

However, little has changed compared to last year. Looking at the market, this is completely in line with expectations. The design is almost unchanged, except for the more compact camera module. Although it is technically improved, it is also much smaller. The important difference is that the Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection layer this time is present on the back and front. The matte finish is nice too. This makes the device look sleek and fingerprints are almost unnoticeable.

Furthermore, the device has a distinctive 6.1-inch OLED display, with a 21:9 screen design. Watching movies on this screen is and will continue to be fun. Not only because HDR colors appear on the screen, but also because most movies are recorded in this format. This means you won’t be bothered by black bars. Other content (such as series, images, games) may display black bars. Sound quality is generally respectable, but it’s missing some warmth and depth.

The audio jack remains important

Unlike many other smartphones, Sony continues to add an audio jack to its Xperia phones. This lets you listen to high-quality music wired, thanks to support for Sony’s LDAC format, DSEE Ultimate (for upscaling lower-quality music), Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res Audio. Moreover, this device supports 360-degree spatial audio. And with headphones that support these formats as well, you’ll get your money’s worth here.

When it comes to media consumption, the Sony Xperia 5 V excels. But the previous ones already did that, and in fact nothing has changed in terms of the screen compared to it last year. Then a therapist may be able to provide relief. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is more efficient than its predecessor and well suited for gaming and everyday tasks. Also good to know: This CPU does not overheat. In terms of battery life, the devices are equal; You can easily fill two days.

A few useless apps

Sony also isn’t making any significant software updates. It is still very clean and elegant. The unique feature within Sony’s software remains the side sensor, which allows you to quickly open applications, with or without two windows. Due to this tall screen, it can be difficult to reach some apps with one hand, but thanks to this sensor, you can still open them effortlessly. Moreover, it is good to see that the manufacturer pre-installs a few useless apps.

You’ll have to make do with the standard range of Google apps, as well as Facebook, LinkedIn and of course Sony’s own camera software. You also need to make the most of your camera system (which we’ll discuss in more detail later). Unfortunately, you can’t remove pre-installed apps, just disable them. This still bothers us, especially because you’re simply paying €1,000 for this device. This is the premium part, so you should have more control over which apps you use and which you don’t want to use.

Moreover, Sony doesn’t really cater to the premium segment when it comes to its update policy. It’s nice to see that we’ve gotten at least two Android upgrades and three years of security updates, but that’s a very low number by any standards. The Sony Xperia 5 V comes with Android 13, while Android 14 is just around the corner. Now Sony isn’t the fastest updater on the market, so it might not be too bad emotionally. But competitors do it better.

16mm, 24mm, 48mm

However, the camera experience is always key for Sony. This cheaper model has the same main sensor as the Xperia 1 V. It has 52 megapixels, of which 48 megapixels are actually used. via Pixel binding The system mainly produces clear, colorful, and detailed 12-megapixel images. In addition, the sensor can enlarge the image (up to 2 times) without losing quality. Unfortunately, everything after that is done digitally.

In combination with the wide-angle lens, which is also 12MP, the camera system uses three focal lengths: 16mm, 24mm and 48mm. Last year we also had 60mm, which the Xperia 5 IV did well. Now there is an option to go up to 144mm; But everything between 48 and 144mm is done digitally. Then there’s a good chance that artifacts will appear, especially when you’re shooting in an environment with little (natural) light, which is a big shame.

Image quality in general 👌

We can’t stress enough how good the overall picture is (during the day). The Sony Xperia 5 V captures small details perfectly. The autofocus works great, and the images don’t look too sharp. Colors look natural and bright, while HDR mode makes everything stand out. But once darkness falls, the smartphone falls through the cracks. This makes the Xperia 5 V very similar to the Xperia 1 V, which has almost the same advantages and disadvantages.

Finally, Sony devices can sometimes overwhelm consumers with features. The single camera and two video apps offer professional options, in terms that not everyone is familiar with. It goes without saying that if you know what you’re doing, you can take beautiful shots with it. But we see few people actually using it. Fortunately, the basic modes work well and you can download other camera apps that give access to the photo and video experience.

Do you want to buy a Sony Xperia 5 V phone?

At the bottom we are left with a two-sided smartphone. At first glance, the device doesn’t go much wrong. The processor is fast and capable and fortunately does not heat up quickly. The screen looks great, the audio experience is top notch and the camera quality is the same. Although there are obvious caveats, especially if you often shoot in the evening. However, the biggest stumbling block for the Sony Xperia 5 V is price: €999 is simply too expensive.

Then the negative aspects will be calculated more. Yes, the battery lasts a long time, but unfortunately it also charges slowly (although that is healthier for the battery). The modernization policy was and still is scattered and limited, and the form is not for everyone. Additionally, it’s unfortunate that there’s so little storage space. This device won’t convince anyone who wasn’t already interested and may only be interesting to people who want to upgrade from the Xperia 5 III or lower.