Sony Xperia 5 V
While not available in the US, the Sony Xperia 5 V packs tons of high-end hardware into a reasonably sized package that’s easy to use with one hand. It’s equipped with the latest Snapdragon SoC, a capable camera configuration, and a rare (for a flagship) microSD storage expansion slot.
Sony Xperia 1 V
Tons of screen real estate occupied by an impressive number of pixels makes the Sony Xperia 1 V one of the best phones to look at in recent memory. Supporting the pristine display panel are oodles of RAM, up to 5X optical zoom, and even a headphone jack.
You’d be forgiven for forgetting that Sony still makes smartphones, but they’ve actually had a modest but dedicated following over the past few years. That’s partly because Sony’s (thankfully) living in the past when it comes to convenient features like microSD expansion and a headphone jack. It’s also due to the incredible amount of effort Sony puts into outfitting itsphones with great cameras. After all, we are talking about the world’s largest manufacturer of digital image sensors.
When it comes to price, Sony’s flagships are borderline exorbitant, so they’d better be packing some impressive specs and a refined user experience. They definitely succeed at the former, and in terms of usability, they’re rock-solid devices with somewhat of a throwback flair in terms of design.
But although Sony’s done agoodjob with the Android implementation on its slightly differently sized phones, there are a few quirks. That is to say, not everybody will like both of these phones, but if you do like one, you’ll probably love it.
Price, availability, and specs
Sony’s Xperia 1 Vis a beast of a phone in more ways than one. Its eye-watering $1,400 price tag makes a big promise, which is at least backed up by competent hardware decisions. For the most part, there’s only one main configuration available in each region, with Sony offering exclusively 256GB model in the US. It is possible to import a 512GB model, but then you won’t have a functioning warranty.
Sony does engage in some market segmentation by SIM compatibility, though. Europe’s model, for example, supports the simultaneous use of a SIM, eSIM, and microSD expansion card, but not two concurrent physical SIM cards. The USA version, by comparison, allows for two physical SIMs or SIM + microSD card, but lacks eSIM capability. There’s even a rare model with 16 GB of RAM, but that’s only available from select retailers in Japan.
Revealed on September 1, theSony Xperia 5 Vsports a lineup of the most advanced hardware in today’s market in a smaller body. It’s remarkably similar to the 1 V in every aspect other than size and camera hardware. The 5 V comes in just two models, with either 128 or 256 GB of storage.
But there’s one big problem that makes the 5 V a non-starter for many readers. We recently received confirmation from Sony that it’s “not carrying the Xperia 5 V in the North American market this year,” in order to “focus on our flagship Xperia 1 V.” So unless you’re willing to spring for an imported model that won’t have any applicable warranty, the 1 V is your only choice.
Speaking of availability, Sony’s complete lack of US carrier partnerships does its smartphones and their fans somewhat of a disservice. You’re not able to offset the cost of a Sony device with any carrier’s contract, which means trade-ins are minimal or non-existent, too. You’ll have to purchase the Xperia 1 V at or near full price to get your hands on its top-tier imaging hardware.
Watch out for that bezel
You might notice a recurring theme throughout this comparison, as the Xperia 5 V is essentially just a shrunken version of the Xperia 1 V, with only a few features stripped. Both relatively nondescript phones have a standout design feature that is, while by no means Earth-shattering, a bit of a departure from its flagship competitors.
With screen-to-body ratios of right around 84%, both new Xperias have noticeable bezels. The pickiest smartphone enthusiasts might balk at this, but at least you can hold the thing in one hand without getting fingerprints on the screen. And there’s no major functional downside other than the (probably negligible) loss of screen space.
Physically speaking, both are wrapped entirely in glass, withGorilla Glass Victus 2protecting the touchscreens. The Xperia 1 V sports Victus 2 glass on the back, too, while the 5 V uses standard high-hardness glass. The two are each rated IP65/IP68. We don’t know what that means either, even after a call with Sony reps, who failed to really explain themselves.
The two phones look almost identical, with the Xperia 5 V’s two camera lenses the only giveaway (other than the size) as to which you’re looking at. This similarity is the first of many. But the admittedly dated design is also the first of several old-school features on display that the most practical among us might find genuinely useful.
Chiefly, these are two of the increasingly rare high-end smartphones with microSD card slots. Assuming you’re not using dual SIMs in the USA, you may expand your storage up to 512 GB with one of the varioushigh-quality microSD cards. Even further, the SIM card tray boasts tool-free removal.
Near the SIM card tray, you’ll find another practical dinosaur in 2023: none other than a real-life, living, breathing 3.5-millimeter headphone jack. Sony’s been doing fans ofhigh-end headphonesa big favor for a few generations now, even as other premium manufacturers rely on newfangled Bluetooth codecs to simulate the higher fidelity of wired audio. In a final nod to phones of days gone, both feature front-facing stereo speakers for enjoying media without headphones.
As far as colors and looks go, there aren’t many options. Actually, there are only two, and one’s only available directly from Sony. Most consumers will end up with a matte black back panel, although Sony does sell an exclusive green color (that actually looks a lot like black in some lighting). But don’t let the straightforward color scheme fool you; these phones actually look really nice. They don’t come with any of the pastels of other popular flagships, but there’s a decidedly utilitarian and professional appearance to both.
A tale of two displays
The Xperia 5 V’s 6.1-inch, 1080 x 2520 OLED display is nothing to sneeze at. It produces up to a billion colors at 120Hz and, in real-world testing,reaches about 900 nitsin auto brightness mode. While functionally similar to the 5 V, the 1 V’s screen is noticeably bigger at 6.5 inches, and its 1644 x 3840 resolution yields a nearly 50% increase in pixel density. In fact, its roughly 640ppi density blows nearly every other phone out of the water. It seesnearly identical brightness measurementsand is one of the best ways to enjoy HDR media on the go.
These specs are just about in line with what we’d expect from a top-dollar flagship, but the displays aren’t quite perfect. Not only does the optional 120Hz mode drain the battery significantly faster than the 60Hz mode, but there’s also no variable refresh rate. Instead, the OS defaults to 60Hz for apps playing 60 FPS media or for incompatible apps like some games.
And remember those real-world brightness measurements? They’re decent, but only half of what similarly priced flagships like theGalaxy S23 Ultraoffer. They both work OK in sunlight, but for $1,000 or more, we’d hope for a bright, shining star of a display.
The difference between the two comes down more to aspect ratio than anything else. The high pixel density is great, but the Xperia 1 V’s display is almosttootall. Between the slim aspect ratio and slightly intruding bezels, it feels a little skinny and introduces significant wasted space in landscape orientation.
There’s nothingobnoxiouslywrong with the 1 V’s screen, but it sure doesn’t feel like an extra centimeter of vertical space compared to the 5V is worth a premium of $300 or more. So we’ll give a slight edge to the 5 V’s display.
A simple but quirky Android implementation
Some heavy hitters (we’re looking at you, Samsung) heavily redesign the Android interface to closely match their vision for a discrete user experience. That delivers great results when done right, but Sony takes a more laissez-faire approach.
You’ll recognize the shipped OS as Android 13 quite clearly, and it provides a passable day-to-day experience. But there’s a constant trickle of odd quirks and inconsistencies that build up over time. Shifting search bars, some slightly esoteric and unremovable options in the quick settings menu, and other minor but real issues can leave the average user a little overwhelmed.
For that matter, Sony’s chosen to continue pulling double duty with its combination power button and fingerprint sensor, which has been a mess for years and has never performed as quickly or consistently as the majority of in-display fingerprint sensors. We even saw intermittent (and seemingly random) freezing when switching out of some apps, which is inexcusable for a flagship from a tech giant like Sony in 2023.
With that said, Sony’s Android flavor isn’t all bad. The newest Xperias (in particular the 1 V) are geared somewhat toward audiovisual hobbyists, evidenced by Sony’s pre-loaded creation tools, like Photo Pro and Cinema Pro, that help you take advantage of the great camera hardware and processing power.
However, Sony’s software experience is not a bright spot for either Xperia, and that’s compounded by the below-average promise of just two complete Android updates. Since both phones share the same software and its ups and downs, they come out equal in this category.
Inarguable performance
Equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, both devices can rip through today’s most resource-intensive apps without skipping a beat. Other than the odd software quirk, we never saw any meaningful slowdowns or hitches in real-world usage.
The 1 V goes all out, offering 12 GB of RAM to make multitasking a breeze, and its 256 and 512 GB storage options are what we’d expect. The 5 V doesn’t quite reach the same heights, offering up to just 8 GB of RAM and 128 or 256 GB of storage. That’s not terrible, but it’s not quite the memory availability we’d hoped for from a $1,000+ device.
If you’re into being productive on your phone, you’ll probably appreciate the added RAM (and screen space, for that matter) of the Xperia 1 V. If you prefer to keep a laptop or tablet on hand for getting more intensive work done, though, you should get by just fine with the performance of the 5 V. After all, the two share most components.
Battery life to write home about
A 5,000mAh cell starts both Xperias off on the right foot. Coupled with the impressively efficient Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, that’s enough to last an entire day without blinking an eye. And that doesn’t change after activating the display’s 120Hz mode. Even power users like the dedicated expert reviewers here at Android Police had a hard time killing the battery during regular use.
And when it does get low, 30-watt fast charging makes short work of top-ups, netting you 50% charge from zero in just 30 minutes and about 90 minutes to go from empty to full. Since both phones share batteries and charging circuits, they’re identical here, too.
Where they’re not identical is in actual battery life. The Xperia 1 V has more than double the pixel count of the 5 V, and that makes a notable difference in time between charges. Of course, that’s entirely affected by how much screen time you actually use, and both last similar amounts of time at standby. But if you’re into actively using your phone all day and don’t need the 1 V’s extra-tall display, you’ll be even happier with the marathon-runner Xperia 5 V.
Cameras: the reason the Xperia 1 V exists
Sony’s gotjust a bitof a reputation as a camera company, so it’s no surprise it went all out on camera hardware in its top-level phones. The 1 V, in particular, gets a noteworthy 12 MP telephoto lens that delivers up to 5.2X optical zoom.
The 5 V lacks that telephoto lens, but both have the same 48MP primary sensor that usespixel binningto create well-balanced 12MP images in almost any lighting. And we’re not just talking about photography when it comes to Sony’s impressive technology. Both the 1 V and 5 V boast 4K HDR recording at up to 120fps, something no other manufacturer currently offers.
In that light, the Xperia 1 V has a slight edge over the 5 V just due to its telephoto lens. But the more pressing issue involves Sony’s actual camera implementation. Smartphones are essentially pocket-sized, point-and-shoot cameras that even photography pros love to whip out at a moment’s notice and take great pictures.
The Xperias' issue is that neither one’s automatic mode competes with the likes of other photo-forward smartphones. Sure, if you jump into manual mode every time you take a snap, you might get better results than with a Samsung, but who wants to mess with exposure and f-stop when they’re in the moment, making memories? Unfortunately, even manual picture-taking isn’t that straightforward, with a less-than-stellar camera app design that’s not very intuitive.
At the end of the day, the Xperia 1 V’s optical zoom means it wins the camera comparison, but at what cost? These are both clearly geared toward photography enthusiasts, but unless you plan to adjust the parameters of most of your everyday photos, you’re better off with a Google Pixel for sunset shots and pictures of friends.
Which is right for you?
It’s easy to boil down the differences between the Xperia 1 V and 5 V. The 1 V has more screen space, a higher resolution, and a telephoto lens with 5X optical zoom. The 5 V is smaller, easier to use one-handed, lasts longer per charge, and sports a more broadly useful aspect ratio. But the real kicker is in the availability. Since the Xperia 5 V’s not officially sold in the US, the 1 V’s your only choice if you want a functioning warranty.
So if you know how to work with the settings and parameters on the average DSLR, and want a precisely controlled camera using some of the best hardware on the market, you can’t beat the Xperia 1 V. Once you figure out the somewhat quirky interface, you’ll be able to take pro-level pictures without issue.
The only choice in North America
Old-school features like a headphone jack, microSD card slot, and pair of front-facing stereo speakers turn the Xperia 1 V into a celebration of retro devices in a modern package. It’s also equipped with 5X optical zoom and an extra-all, 120Hz OLED screen.
By comparison, the 5 V is easier to handle, has nearly all the same features, and costs $300 less. If you don’t demand a telephoto lens, get the Xperia 5 V. Unfortunately, you can only do so if you live outside the US or are willing to import a global-version Xperia 5 V without a warranty, since Sony’s not offering it in North America.
Top-of-the-line hardware, and not too big
Despite being one of the smallest flagships of 2023, the Xperia 5 V boasts top-of-the-line performance and high-quality camera hardware, and we’re especially fond of its ability to capture 4K HDR video at 120 FPS. But it’s not sold in the United States.
