What are the pros of Sony Xperia Z5 — Side-Mounted Fingerprint & 23MP Flagship Review?

Innovative side-mounted fingerprint sensor embedded in the power button , Gorgeous frosted matte glass back finish that resists fingerprint smudges , IP68 dust and water resistance with a physical 3.5mm headphone jack , Loud front-facing stereo speakers , Fast 23MP camera with 0.03s hybrid autofocus

What are the cons of Sony Xperia Z5 — Side-Mounted Fingerprint & 23MP Flagship Review?

Snapdragon 810 chip is prone to thermal throttling under heavy workloads , Battery endurance is modest from the 2900 mAh cell , Software skin feels dated relative to modern stock interfaces

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Sony Editor's Choice 2015

Xperia Z5

Q: How much does Sony Xperia Z5 — Side-Mounted Fingerprint & 23MP Flagship Review cost?

The Sony Xperia Z5 — Side-Mounted Fingerprint & 23MP Flagship Review is priced at $699 – $799.

Sony Xperia Z5 — Side-Mounted Fingerprint & 23MP Flagship Review

Display 1080 x 1920 pixels 16:9 ratio (~428 ppi density)

Performance Qualcomm MSM8994 Snapdragon 810...

Battery 18W wired charging Quick Charge 2.0

Size 5.2 inches

Expert Score

4.3

89% Confidence

Community Score

3.7

0% Confidence

AI Score

4.3

88% Confidence

Final Score

4.2

89% Confidence

Storage

RAM

Color

Regional

In Stock

$699 – $799

Lowest $80 Best: Amazon Refurbished

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Category Scores

Overall hardware score: 87/100 — distinctive frosted glass finish, innovative side-mounted fingerprint biometric sensor, 23MP hybrid autofocus camera, and IP68 water resistance.

Performance Great

Snapdragon 810 processor executes everyday tasks...

Display Excellent

Crisp 5.2-inch Full HD IPS Triluminos display wi...

Camera Great

23MP Exmor RS sensor with ultra-fast 0.03s hybri...

Battery Great

2900 mAh battery offers moderate day-to-day endu...

Gaming Great

Adreno 430 graphics handle mobile titles capably...

AI Great

Standard Xperia assistant and predictive camera...

Security Excellent

Pioneering side-mounted capacitive fingerprint s...

Value for Money Great

Solid legacy value for fans of Sony's industrial...

Design Excellent

Sleek OmniBalance design featuring a tactile fro...

Repairability Good

Sealed glass sandwich construction requires prof...

Software Support Great

Officially upgraded up to Android 7.1.1 (Nougat)...

Connectivity Great

4G LTE, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, and a 3.5mm...

Audio Excellent

Front-facing stereo speakers with Hi-Res audio s...

Durability Excellent

IP68 water and dust resistance rating.

Charging Great

18W wired fast charging via Qualcomm Quick Charg...

Specifications

Display 4

Size 5.2 inches

Type IPS LCD, Triluminos display, X-Reality Engine

Resolution 1080 x 1920 pixels, 16:9 ratio (~428 ppi density)

Protection Scratch-resistant glass, oleophobic coating

Processor 3

Chipset Key Qualcomm MSM8994 Snapdragon 810 (20 nm)

CPU Octa-core (4x1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 & 4x2.0 GHz Cortex-A57)

GPU Key Adreno 430

Memory 2

RAM Key 3GB

Type LPDDR4

Storage 3

Internal 32GB

Expandable microSDXC up to 200GB (dedicated slot)

Standard eMMC 5.0

Battery 2

Capacity 2900 mAh non-removable

Wired charging 18W wired charging, Quick Charge 2.0

Camera 1

Main 23 MP, f/2.0, 24mm, 1/2.3", phase detection autofocus

Front Camera 1

Sensor 5.1 MP, f/2.4, 1080p video

Video 1

Max resolution 4K at 30fps, 1080p at 60fps, 720p at 120fps slow-motion

Connectivity 4

Network 4G LTE, HSPA, GSM

Wi-Fi Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band

Bluetooth 4.1, A2DP, aptX

USB microUSB 2.0, USB OTG

Sensors 1

Fingerprint Side-mounted capacitive power button sensor

Dimensions 3

Height 146.0 mm

Width 72.0 mm

Depth 7.3 mm

Weight 1

Weight 154 g

Materials 3

Frame Key Aluminum frame

Back Frosted glass back

Water resistance IP68 dust tight and water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 mins)

Colors 1

Options Graphite Black, White, Gold, Green, Pink

Operating System 1

OS Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, upgradable to Android 7.1.1 (Nougat)

Expert Review

By Mutwassim

Design

The Sony Xperia Z5 features Sony's refined OmniBalance industrial design, combining a tactile frosted matte glass back panel, aluminum framing, and a convenient side-mounted power button housing the fingerprint sensor.

Display

It packs a crisp 5.2-inch IPS LCD display with Full HD resolution (1080 x 1920 pixels), Triluminos color tech, and X-Reality for Mobile processing.

Performance

Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor and 3GB RAM, handling daily tasks capably though prone to thermal throttling under sustained heavy loads.

Gaming

Adreno 430 graphics handle standard mobile games smoothly.

Camera

Equipped with a 23MP Exmor RS sensor featuring wide 24mm lens optics and ultra-fast 0.03-second phase-detection hybrid autofocus.

Battery

The 2900 mAh battery delivers standard working-day endurance supported by Quick Charge 2.0.

Software

Runs Sony's clean Xperia UI on top of Android, officially upgradable up to Android 7.1.1 (Nougat).

Ai

X-Reality processing engines optimize image and video clarity dynamically.

Pros

Innovative side-mounted fingerprint sensor embedded in the power button
Gorgeous frosted matte glass back finish that resists fingerprint smudges
IP68 dust and water resistance with a physical 3.5mm headphone jack
Loud front-facing stereo speakers
Fast 23MP camera with 0.03s hybrid autofocus

Cons

Snapdragon 810 chip is prone to thermal throttling under heavy workloads
Battery endurance is modest from the 2900 mAh cell
Software skin feels dated relative to modern stock interfaces

The Sony Xperia Z5 refined Sony's signature OmniBalance design language while introducing major hardware updates, most notably a responsive side-mounted fingerprint sensor embedded into the power button. Powered by the Snapdragon 810 processor, it featured a 5.2-inch 1080p Triluminos display, a high-resolution 23MP main camera with hybrid autofocus, front-facing stereo speakers, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and IP68 dust and water resistance.

Verdict

The Sony Xperia Z5 stands out as a handsome flagship that introduced the industry-standard side fingerprint reader and a gorgeous frosted glass finish.

Final: 4.2/10 Best for: General users Segment: Premium

Product Intelligence

Innovative Side-Mounted Fingerprint Sensor Integrated in Power Button Tactile Frosted Glass Back Panel with OmniBalance Design 23MP Exmor RS Main Camera with 0.03s Hybrid Autofocus 5.2-inch Full HD Triluminos Display IP68 Water & Dust Resistance with Front Stereo Speakers

Who Should Buy

Sony design collectors, fans of tactile frosted glass unibody phones, and users looking for a physical headphone jack and front stereo speakers.

Who Should Avoid

Buyers seeking modern app compatibility, high-refresh-rate display panels, or protection against Snapdragon 810 thermal throttling.

Key Takeaways

Pioneered Sony's iconic side-mounted fingerprint sensor layout
Introduced a gorgeous frosted matte glass texture that eliminated fingerprint smudges
Equipped with the heat-prone Snapdragon 810 processor