The Xperia 5 V has a new main camera, a new chipset, and upgraded speakers, much like its larger sibling. While the Xperia 1 is Sony’s top camera phone, the Xperia 5 V features the same cutting-edge main camera. It boasts the new IMX 888 sensor, which incorporates an innovative stack design, resulting in significantly improved light-gathering capabilities and reduced noise. However, unlike both the Xperia 1 and last year’s Xperia 5, it lacks a telephoto camera, which we’ll discuss further in the camera section.
Design and Build
Compared to the Xperia 1, this phone is more compact, noticeably so when held. On the front, it features a Full HD display instead of the 4K display found on the Xperia 1. Design-wise, the phones share similarities, but there are some differences. The Xperia 5 V sports a squared-off black rectangular shape that is tall and narrow. A new addition this year is Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the back, with a smooth matte texture, which is different from the rough and grippy texture of the Xperia 1. Similarly, rather than having a ribbed texture on the aluminum frame, the Xperia 5S is smooth.
Just like on the Xperia 1, the Xperia 5 V has a microphone on the backside within the camera bump, improving voice capture when recording video. As with previous Xperia phones, it features a dedicated two-step shutter button for the cameras, and it offers solid Ingress Protection, rated at IP65 and IP68.
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Display
The Xperia 5 V sports a 1080p OLED display, measuring 6.1 inches, with a tall 21×9 aspect ratio and a 120Hz refresh rate. While it doesn’t match the 4K resolution of the Xperia 1, it still provides plenty of sharpness. The display offers excellent contrast, supports 10-bit color and HDR10 video, although it lacks Dolby Vision. There are numerous color options available, and you can achieve great color accuracy through settings. The display is adequately bright, with the maximum brightness depending on your color and white balance settings, reaching around 650 nits with the manual slider and nearly 910 nits in auto brightness mode in bright lighting conditions.
Similar to previous Sony phones, there’s only one high refresh rate option, either enabled or disabled. When it’s on, the display operates at a 120Hz refresh rate, even when idling, except for frame rate-specific content and apps.
storage
On the storage front, you get 128GB of onboard storage, which is expandable through a MicroSD card slot, a feature not commonly seen on flagship phones. Additionally, the Xperia 5 Mark V includes a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack, and it features a pair of front-facing stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support. This year, the speakers are upgraded with a new amplifier that provides them with a higher driving voltage, resulting in improved loudness.
Chipset on Xperia 5 V
With the Xperia 5 V, you’re getting the latest flagship chipset, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. It’s both more powerful and more power-efficient than the Snapdragon 888 from the previous year’s model, and it’s coupled with LPDDR5X RAM. In benchmarks, the Xperia 5 V performs exceptionally well, fitting into the same ballpark as other flagship devices equipped with the same chipset. There’s more than enough processing power here for multitasking and demanding gaming tasks.
However, when it comes to thermal management, the Xperia 5 V exhibits subpar performance. It displays significant thermal throttling during prolonged stress tests. Sony claims that the new chipset’s improved efficiency and a 40% larger heatsink should prevent the overheating issues that users experienced with previous models, especially when using the camera extensively.
Battery life
Like the Xperia 1, the Xperia 5 V is powered by a 5,000mAh battery. In battery life tests, it performs admirably, achieving an endurance rating of 130 hours. Charging speed maxes out at 30 watts, and there is no charger or cable included in the box. With a suitable adapter, you can charge the phone from zero to fifty percent in half an hour.
