The Sony Xperia Z5 Compact is a smaller version of Sony's flagship Xperia Z5. The developers went along the beaten path, limiting themselves to reducing the size and cutting down the characteristics. The smartphone looks stylish and fresh, besides its software stuffing hides some interesting innovations. Within the Z5 family, the gadget has a lot of overlap with its older brothers, but this "baby" has its own character.

Model
Dimensions, weight	64.7 x 127.3 x 8.99mm, 138g
Screen	4.6", IPS, 1280×720, 319 PPI, 16:9
OS	Android 5.1
Chipset	Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 MSM8994
GPU	Adreno 430
RAM/ROM	2/32 GB with the possibility of installing a memory card up to 200 GB.
Interfaces	Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, USB, NFC, GPS/GLONASS/BeiDou
cameras	Main: 23 MP, front camera: 5 MP
battery	2700mAh non-removable

Design and management

Sony Xperia Z5 Compact is a fairly presentable model in the family. In the photos, the smartphone looks simpler than in reality. Perhaps the whole point is its compact dimensions, which visually simplify the case in the photograph. gadget almost completely copies his relative. However, a certain similarity can be found in the whole family. In some details, for example, edges and ends, there is some continuity with the previous generation.

Important! The front and back of the phone is covered with tempered glass. On the glossy surface, fingerprints remain, so it will have to be wiped frequently.

On the back of the cover, in the upper left corner, there is a camera and a flash. Front top front-camera. There are no physical buttons on the screen. The fingerprint scanner is still tied to the power button. This button is on the left side. It is no less convenient to use the camera, launching it from a button specially dedicated to it. She was right there on the left. There is only one slot for a memory card - this is a nano-sim, and it is placed on the right side. You can also install a memory card under the cover. The charger is on the bottom and the headphone jack is on the top.

An unusual solution from Sony is pre-installed theme color schemes. For example, a smartphone with a white case will have a light color scheme, preferably white. Themes for each color are selected individually.

The gadget fits perfectly in the hand, it is pleasant to use it. Even with prolonged work, the desire to let go of it does not arise.

Screen features

Sony Smartphone Xperia Z5 Compact is equipped with a small, by today's standards, screen. The 4.6-inch now doesn't look exactly compact, but rather a "mini" version of the phone. However, for such a small size, there is absolutely no need to make a high resolution, the existing 1280 by 720 is enough. The screen bezels look small, the bottom and top parts also do not hide the usable screen space. As promised by the manufacturer, the entire Z5 family supports TRILUMINOS and X-RealtyEngine technology.

At the first acquaintance with the device, it may catch the eye some unnatural color rendition, but for its adjustment there are automatic modes or manual adjustment of the main parameters. Viewing angles are natural. Of course, if you fix the device at an extreme degree of inclination, the images will fade, the colors will change. However, in everyday use, the viewing angle most often remains traditional.

Important! The screen fades when exposed to direct sunlight. The image can be read, but using the phone on the street is not very convenient. Matrix manufacturing technology is more adapted to work in a room with artificial lighting.

In general, the screen makes a good impression. It is quite bright, if desired, all the main functions can be customized.

Memory and performance

The characteristics of the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact allow us to conclude that we have a reduced copy of the flagship. Of course, you should not count on the same uncompromising performance as the older brother. In principle, taking into account positioning, the model faces completely different tasks.

810 "Dragon" is a pretty hot processor. Many technical publications have already brought down a flurry of criticism on manufacturers who equipped their gadgets with these particular chips. With the lack of cooling, the smartphone works fine with applications, especially in multitasking mode. Also worth noting good energy optimization.

Two gigabytes random access memory may not be enough for the most demanding games, but, on the other hand, the phone is not positioned as a gaming phone. 32 GB of permanent memory is enough to accommodate photos and a medium-sized music collection. If the user yearns for more, then the slot for memory cards is at his service.

A graphics accelerator is a compromise solution between maximum performance and optimization of device resource consumption. Play on phone can, most releases will run on it without problems on medium settings. The desktop responds quickly, does not slow down.

Synthetic tests will not please lovers of performance solutions. However, in real life, all the potential power that new items often have has nowhere to go. So, the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact smartphone turned out to be moderately productive. For most everyday tasks, it is more than enough.

Operating system

Sony Xperia Z5 Compact review continues with features operating system. The manufacturer said that out of the box, the smartphone will come with a pre-installed version of Android 5.1. Perhaps in the future, the device will receive a full upgrade to the sixth version and beyond. Everything will depend on the device support time.

A lot has been said about pure Android, free from the manufacturer's graphical modifications. First of all, the system is stable. Unlike the legendary Kit-Kat (ver. 4.4), in the fifth version of the OS, it is again possible to install applications on a memory card without resorting to root manipulations with the system itself. This is very convenient, given that 32 GB of memory, of which there is even less free space for applications, may not be enough for modern toys.

On a note! Sony Xperia Z5 Compact is equipped with support for fourth-generation set-top boxes. This means that in order to enjoy exclusive action movies, now you don’t need a TV at all, just a screen mobile phone. However, the size of the smartphone raises serious doubts about how to play full-fledged console games on such a small display.

The menu of the gadget is very responsive, fast, it is pleasant to work with it. Desktops are flipped in an instant without delay. It's very nice when, due to the small screen for 2018, You can reach the top curtain control with your thumb. The operating system starts and runs optimally quickly and stably.

Communication and sound quality

Reviews about Sony Xperia Z5 Compact speak of the high quality of communication. The device receives high-speed traffic, perfectly catches the signal mobile operators and outputs it to the speaker with minimal loss and distortion. Talking on the phone is quite comfortable, audibility is at a decent level. Reception of Internet packets is carried out without delay, therefore This device can be safely used as a modem.

The sound from the speaker is loud, without hoarseness. The user will always be able to hear the call, even if the volume is set to medium or even low.

Important! The smartphone has retained the classic 3.5mm headphone jack. Therefore, to play high-quality music, you can not purchase modern Type-C-compatible models, but limit yourself to the headset that is already in stock.

The player from Sony can be called exemplary. It should be the reference point for many companies producing all-in-one combines. Everything here is very ascetic, but at the same time thought out. Even an inexperienced user who has never used players from the aforementioned brand before will be able to figure out the settings and choose the playback principle they like. Sony Xperia Z5 Compact phone sounds very decent. It's nice to know that Sony leaves the development of the musical direction of their gadgets as one of the priorities.

Battery and autonomy

The device is equipped with a rechargeable battery with a capacity of 2700 mAh. Unfortunately, this is exactly the area where problems can arise. The fact is that all modern devices, due to the constantly increasing power, remain very voracious.

The declared capacity, of course, enough for one working day but don't expect more. Of course, if you turn on all the battery saving features and use your phone only when necessary, the device can last longer. The only question is whether it is worth limiting yourself in this way.

At maximum load (Internet, high-definition video playback, games, instant messengers), the smartphone hardly survives until the end of the working day. Unfortunately, in the existing production budget, for obvious reasons The fast charging function did not fit.

Camera Specifications

The camera on the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact is pretty standard across the range. It, of course, is no better than in older models. The main photomodule has resolution 23 MP. This will be enough to make interesting landscape shots.

For self-portraits, there is a 5-megapixel front camera. It's hard to say anything special about this module. He is, and he is able to take relatively good photos. Perhaps, for a compact model, this is quite enough. If the user wants to get better pictures, he needs to choose a photo-oriented model.

However, the front camera cannot be called purely nominal either. Thanks to good automatic image optimization and an abundance of manual settings, the user can significantly expand the basic capabilities of the gadget.

Conclusion

Despite its compactness, which is put at the forefront and is the main marker of the device, there is something to praise it for. The model is not without attractiveness and a number of software advantages. Hardware characteristics can not be called high, but the power of the device is enough for daily use.

On a note! The price at the time of release was 39,990 rubles. Subsequently, the device could be bought at a discount for 25,000-29,000 rubles.

• attractive appearance;
• lies comfortably in the palm of your hand;
• good camera;
• fast OS;
• great sound;
• high-quality main camera;
• strength and durability.

• high price at the start;
• low autonomy;
• average front quality.

The size race that started in the world of smartphones 8 years ago pushed small devices into a narrow niche. Powerful models with a screen less than 4.5 "can only be found today at Apple. Others produce only ultra-budget handsets with modest hardware in this size. Against this background, Sony looks worthy, which traditionally makes smaller versions of flagships.

The Sony Xperia Z5 Compact has become another modification of the new top-end device released in September 2015. The price of the smartphone corresponds to the class and is now about $ 500. This is a lot, but in a small case it is difficult to find something cheaper (with the same power). Of course, the smartphone came out larger than the iPhone 5s, but against the backdrop of "shovels" and 4.6 "- already something. Our review is designed to figure out how the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact differs from the older version, is it worth the money, and how this smartphone is special.

In terms of hardware equipment, the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact received characteristics close to the full-size model, and corresponding to the flagship. But they are not identical, due to size there are differences.

Design, body materials, dimensions and weight

The smartphone is made in the tradition of previous Sony flagships and is distinguished by a rectangular body, the side edges of which are only slightly rounded. There are options with black, white, red and yellow body. Glass on the front and glass on the back. The frame, unlike the "big brother", is not metal, but plastic. The height of the smartphone is 12.7 cm, the width is 6.5 cm. The thickness of the Xperia Z5 Compact is 8.9 mm, and the weight is 138 grams (which is a lot for this size).

There are no physical buttons on the front, above the screen there is a manufacturer's logo, a camera eye in the corner. There are two speakers, both in front, but they almost do not catch the eye, and that's good. The panel seems to be monolithic, and the speakers do not look like a "foreign body".

The back surface is also no frills. Its coating is glass, but matted, which is not as impressive as gloss, but more practical. A camera with a flash is placed on the panel in the corner, below are the Sony and Xperia logos.

On the right sidewall there is a power / lock button, combined with a fingerprint sensor and highlighted in color. Below it is a small swing to control the volume and a camera button. On the left side there is a slot for cards, next to it there is a hole for a strap. The MicroUSB interface connector is installed at the bottom, the headset jack is at the top.

CPU

Like the older version, the smartphone received the top-end Snapdragon 810 as a chipset. This is a fast but hot octa-core, consisting of 4 Cortex A53 1.5 GHz cores and the same number of Cortex A57 2 GHz cores. To cool the chipset, a heat pipe is used in the case. In everyday life, this solution works, but if you heavily load the smartphone, it will be hot in your hand.

The Adreno 430 video processor is good both in its class and in general. He is able to handle any modern game on advanced graphics settings. In AnTuTu, the result is about 80 thousand points, which is the best result for 2015.

Memory

RAM in the Xperia Z5 Compact is not so much for a flagship, only 2 GB. DDR3L chip is used. At the start, only about 800 MB are free, which is not very much. Programs work without crashes, they have enough memory, but the RAM consumption by the system seems to be large.

Built-in memory in the smartphone 32 GB, of which 24 is available to the user. There is a slot for a memory card, any size is supported. But when connecting OTG drives, you will have to conjure with the settings: by default, the function is disabled.

Battery

The battery capacity of the smartphone is 2700 mAh, the battery is non-removable. Autonomy does not cause claims, two days of work in a moderate load mode is quite feasible. Videos can be watched for about 10 hours, games will drain the battery in 5 hours. The smartphone supports the QuickCharge function, but the bundled charger is normal, 2 A. From it, the capacity is replenished in about 1.5 hours.

cameras

The Xperia Z5 Compact has a new 23 MP camera. Its lens is quite typical, the aperture value is F / 2.0, the pixel size is also standard, 1.1 microns. The manufacturer positions the device as a camera phone with fast autofocus, there is some truth in this. Phase-detection autofocus mechanism works quickly and accurately. The flash is standard LED.

The device shoots well, but there is a slight deviation in color reproduction. The pictures are clear, the amount of noise is within tolerable limits, but their brightness is insufficient, and the colors are darker than the competition. Although the overall camera is decent, it can compete with the Galaxy S6 or iPhone 6s.

The front camera is unremarkable: 5 MP, modest F / 2.4 aperture, no autofocus, but there is HDR. It is enough for shooting self-portraits, especially for Skype. The main camera records video in 4K at 30 FPS, FullHD at 60 and HD at 120 fps. The front shoots videos in FullHD with 30 FPS.

Screen

The difference between the Xperia Z5 Compact and the older version is the screen resolution. The smartphone uses a 4.6" HD IPS matrix (323 PPI). As practice shows, on diagonals up to 5" FullHD is not a necessity (iPhone 6s is an example of this), but 1280x720 may not seem enough to a picky buyer. After all, the full-size Z5 has a FullHD matrix, and the premium version has UHD 4K at all.

The screen is covered with tempered glass with an oleophobic coating (quite effective). The sensor supports multi-touch up to 10 points and work with gloves. There is no reason to complain about the quality of the screen: it is excellent. And viewing angles, and color reproduction and brightness of the backlight on top.

Communications

The Xperia Z5 Compact is equipped with one NanoSIM SIM card slot, there is no dual-SIM modification. Given the official deliveries to the European market, there are no problems with network support. All GSM, 3G HSPA and LTE operators work. Wi-Fi supports both 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks. Navigation capabilities are provided by a module that works with GPS, BDS and GLONASS. The quality of its implementation is impressive: satellites are located very quickly, and up to three dozen satellites are available at the same time.

Despite the fact that the interface connector is a regular MicroUSB, there is MHL support. This means that you can connect your smartphone to a TV or monitor through an adapter. There is NFC on board, OTG is also supported.

Sound

Xperia Z5 Compact is equipped with stereo speakers located on the front panel. Unlike similar solutions from HTC, the Japanese have done everything more subtly. The volume, of course, leaves much to be desired, but the frequency range is good, even the bass is felt. In headphones, the sound is very good, the dedicated 24-bit / 192 kHz DAC copes with its functions with a bang.

Operating system

Initially, the Xperia Z5 Compact was running Android 5 with an interface close to the standard one (but with changing themes). Later, an update to Android 6 appeared. There is only one complaint about the system - not the most economical consumption of RAM. Otherwise, there are no problems, the OS is very stable and works as it should.

Peculiarities

Traditionally for Sony flagships, the Xperia Z5 Compact received IP68 water resistance. This means that it will withstand immersion in water to a depth of a meter for at least half an hour. It is due to the fault of the case sealing that the sound volume leaves much to be desired. For the same reason, you need to “dance with a tambourine” a little when connecting OTG. After all, the port does not have a plug, and in order to avoid a short circuit when water gets in, current is not supplied to the contacts during normal use of the smartphone.

The European version of the smartphone has a fingerprint scanner. It works quickly, but has limited functionality. In addition to locking / unlocking, the fingerprint sensor can do nothing.

Pros and cons of the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact

Pros:

• Compact dimensions;
• Powerful iron;
• Quality screen;
• Good camera;
• Clear sound;
• Waterproof.

Disadvantages:

• There is no version for 2 SIM cards;
• Silent call;
• Not enough RAM.

Who is a smartphone for?

The bulk of potential buyers of the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact are people who need a powerful but small smartphone. It was for them that the device was specially created. Music lovers, amateur photographers, gamers, and those who use their smartphones on the Internet will be satisfied.

Our review of the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact

Sony Xperia Z5 Compact is a compact smartphone with flagship hardware, which is a rarity these days. In general, the review did not reveal any major flaws in it: everything is normal and balanced. Yes, I would like 3 or 4 GB of memory, the screen is FullHD, and the sound is louder. But even without this, the gadget deserves attention.

As for the price, Sony flagships have never been cheap, and there is not much else to choose from. There is an iPhone SE, we sell it for about the same money as the Z5 Compact. But this is a completely different device. Another option is the iPhone 6s, but it is more expensive and larger. Samsung, LG or HTC have a compact size and do not fit in at all with the filling of the flagship, they do not have such devices.

The compact waterproof case of this smartphone has received a real flagship stuffing. Moreover, even a camera with fast autofocus and a fingerprint scanner built into the power / lock button have been preserved. What else was the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact good for, Vesti.Hi-tech found out

As you know, at last year's IFA 2015 exhibition in Berlin, the Japanese corporation Sony introduced three modifications of one device - the original, as well as its premium and compact Xperia Z5 Compact versions. Reviews of the first two have already been published on our website (and). Now it's the turn of a smaller version, which, nevertheless, without much exaggeration can be called a "small flagship". For testing, we got the E5823 model, which supports LTE Cat. 6.

Specifications

• Model: E5823
• OS: Android 5.1.1 (Lollipop) with proprietary Xperia shell
• Processor: 64-bit 8-core (4x ARM Cortex-A57 2.0GHz + 4x ARM Cortex-A53 1.5GHz), Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 Platform (MSM8994), DSP Hexagon V56 (800MHz)
• Graphics subsystem: Adreno 430
• RAM: 2 GB (LPDDR4, 1600 MHz)
• Storage Memory: 32 GB, card slot microSD memory XC (up to 200 GB)
• Screen: 4.6 inches, IPS Triluminos, 720p (1280x720 pixels), X-Reality, Dynamic Contrast Enhancer, 319 ppi, up to 10 simultaneous touches
• Cameras: main - 1/2.3-inch sensor, 23 MP Exmor RS, f/2.0, wide-angle G Lens, 24 mm EFR, hybrid autofocus (0.03 s), pulsed LED flash, 4K video (3840x2160 pixels) @30fps, ISO 12 800/3 200 (still/video), front 5 MP, Exmor R, G Lens, 25mm EFR, SteadyShot, Full HD 1080p
• Network: GSM/GPRS/EDGE, UMTS HSPA+, LTE Cat. 6 (300 Mbps), Band 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 20, 28, 40
• Interfaces: Bluetooth 4.1, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz), MIMO, ANT+, Wi-Fi Direct, NFC, MHL 3.0, USB-OTG, DLNA
• SIM card format: nanoSIM (4FF)
• Number of SIM cards: 1
• Navigation: GPS/GLONASS, A-GPS
• Radio: FM tuner with RDS
• Features: dustproof and waterproof (IP65/IP68)
• Sensors: accelerometer, light and proximity sensors, gyroscope, compass (Hall sensor), barometer, fingerprint scanner
• Battery: non-removable, lithium polymer, 2,700 mAh
• Dimensions: 127.3x64.7x8.99 mm
• Weight: 138 grams
• Color: graphite black, white, yellow, coral

Design, ergonomics

The chubby little Xperia Z5 Compact seems to leave no one indifferent. I just want to turn it in my hands, where, thanks to its "correct" size, it feels very comfortable.

It's interesting that new smartphone turned out to be not only slightly thicker (8.99 mm versus 8.6 mm), but also slightly heavier (138 g versus 129 g) of its predecessor - . Such a price had to be paid for the increased capacity of the built-in battery. Unlike its "senior comrades" - and - the appearance of the compact version of the flagship, let's say, is less premium. Having retained the main features of the corporate design, including even Xperia laser engraving on the left edge, the developers used for the case not a metal, but a polymer frame, where they did without pronounced shockproof corners.

Yes, and the colors for the Xperia Z5 Compact are more youthful, focused mostly on the beautiful half of humanity - for example, yellow and coral, although, of course, there are also classic ones - white and black. We got a device in a coral color for the test (it will also fit under the "louboutins").

The glass on the back of the case was frosted, which provided not only a pleasant roughness to the touch, but also a fairly neat appearance (without the ubiquitous fingerprints). With the protection of this small smartphone from water and dust, everything is also "in an adult way." The Xperia Z5 Compact is IP65/IP68 certified, which guarantees complete dust resistance (IP6x), protection against low pressure water jets (IPx5) and even submersible operation (IPx8). The manufacturer promises the performance of the device after being in fresh water for half an hour at a depth of one and a half meters.

The entire front surface of the Xperia Z3 Compact is protected by mineral tempered glass, where barely noticeable narrow cutouts for speaker grilles are provided at the top and bottom.

The Sony logo was placed on the top of the panel, to the left of which is the front camera lens. To the right of the logo, you can see a window for proximity and light sensors, and in the very corner - a tiny LED indicator for charging / events.

The touch buttons of the control panel ("Back", "Home" and "Recent Applications") have traditionally remained on-screen and are accompanied by icons already familiar to Android ("triangle", "house" and "square").

At the bottom, a "conversational" microphone and a microUSB connector for charging / synchronization took their places. By the way, the lack of a plug on the latter is due to Capless USB technology.

In turn, the upper end was occupied by holes for the second microphone (noise reduction) and a 3.5 mm audio headset jack.

At the bottom of the left edge, a hole was made for attaching a strap, which will undoubtedly come in handy when using the Xperia Z5 Compact as a camera. Just above this hole, a combined slot closed with a plug was placed.

Here, one after the other, there is a slot for a microSD memory card and a tray for a subscriber identification module (nanoSIM format). Nearby you can see the yellow cap of the OFF button for emergency shutdown of the device.

As already noted, the upper part of the left rib is decorated with an Xperia laser tattoo.

On the right edge, in addition to the volume rocker and a dedicated key for shooting, there was a place for the power / lock button of an oblong shape. Like the full-sized Z5 flagships, it has an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner built into it. Unlike other controls, this button is almost completely recessed into the case. The only problem is that the volume rocker turned out to be very low, so you have to manage it by intercepting the smartphone in your hand. With a different placement of this key (higher or on a different edge), there would be no need to do extra gestures.

On the frosted glass back, adorned with the Xperia logo at the bottom and Sony in the middle,

holes for the main camera lens and LED flash were provided in the upper left corner. A little lower there was a place for the NFC antenna area, which is marked with the corresponding logo.

The design of the case and the dimensions of the screen diagonal make it quite comfortable to hold the Xperia Z5 Compact in the palm of your hand and operate it with one hand.

However, in the future, developers should have taken into account the inconvenient placement of the volume rocker.

Screen, camera, sound

The back-illuminated Exmor R front sensor has a resolution of 5 megapixels, while the EGF of its wide-angle G Lens is 25 mm. The maximum resolution of a selfie with a classic aspect ratio (4:3) reaches 2592x1944 pixels.

Both cameras are capable of shooting videos in Full HD quality, while the main camera provides both 30 fps and 60 fps frame rates. In addition, with the help of the appropriate application ("Video 4K"), it allows you to shoot in 3840x resolution [email protected] fps.

But for the Timeshift video application, the frame rate reaches 120 fps, so it is easy to slow down the playback of an HD image (1280x720 pixels) by 4 times. All content is stored in MP4 container files (AVC - video, AAC - sound).

Audio processing options in the Xperia Z5 Compact also remain at the flagship level. At the same time, the built-in speakers sound quite loud and juicy. In the settings, it is proposed to automatically optimize the sound parameters, relying on the ClearAudio + function. Manually, this can be done using the built-in 5-band equalizer with presets. In addition, there are surround sound options for headphones, as well as automatic optimization of AHC (Automatic Headset Compensation) and realistic playback settings (S Force Front Surround). To equalize the volume of different songs or videos, as usual, a dynamic normalizer is provided. Recall that the second microphone of the smartphone is used for digital noise reduction.

Support for lossless formats such as FLAC or LPCM is provided by Hi-Res Audio technology. In turn, the DSEE (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine) HX algorithms try to recover cutoff frequencies when listening to low-bitrate MP3 files. But the LDAC (Lossless Digital Audio Coding) codec broadcasts tracks in high quality via Bluetooth to a wireless LDAC-compatible headset. Note that the built-in FM tuner with RDS support only works when wired headphones are connected, which are needed as a shortwave antenna.

Filling, performance

Despite modest Xperia dimensions Z5 Compact, in its body hides one of the most powerful systems-on-a-chip - Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 (MSM8994), which, by the way, was equipped with other members of the Z5 family. Recall that in the previous version of the "compact" - - Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974AC) was chosen as the base platform, which the full-size flagship was content with.

The ARM big.LITTLE GTS architecture combines eight 64-bit cores on the MSM8994 chip, while four energy-efficient ARM Cortex-A53 (1.5 GHz) cores are complemented by a quartet of more powerful ARM Cortex-A57 (2.0 GHz). The Adreno 430 accelerator with support for OpenGL ES 3.1 has been implemented to support graphics operations on a chip designed to 20 nm design standards. One of the "highlights" of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 is considered to be a multi-mode modem with support for LTE Cat. 6 (LTE Advanced). True, the base platform is no longer supplemented by 3 GB of RAM, like the "large" Z5 flagships, but only 2 GB (LPDDR4, 1600 MHz). Nevertheless, the results obtained on the popular tests for the Xperia Z5 Compact are practically the same as the flagship ones.

This applies, for example, to AnTuTu Benchmark synthetic tests and Vellamo (Multicore, Metal) benchmarks, where the resulting discrepancies can be attributed to random or methodological errors.

On Epic Citadel's visual test at variable settings of High Performance, High Quality and Ultra High Quality, the average frame rate changed slightly - 57.7 fps, 57.0 fps and 55.5 fps, respectively, which is largely due to a powerful processor and low screen resolution.

On the 3DMark universal gaming benchmark in the recommended Sling Shot tests, the new flagship showed a result (1,013), which also differs little from the flagship indicators.

The total number of points earned by the Xperia Z5 Compact on the Base Mark OS II cross-platform benchmark was no exception - 1,390.

Of the 32 GB of internal memory, approximately 20.3 GB are available, and, of course, even less is free. For storage expansion, there is a slot designed for microSD / HC / XC memory cards up to 200 GB. Thanks to the support of USB-OTG technology, you can also connect a regular USB flash drive to the device. Recall that connecting USB drives requires manual intervention, in other words, in the "Quick Settings" you must first activate the "Detect USB device" option.

In the smartphone model E5823, the functions voice communication And mobile internet assigned to one subscriber identification module in nanoSIM (4FF) format with support for LTE Advanced networks (Cat.6, 300 Mbps). In the 4G frequency band set, among others, there are also FDD-LTE Band 3 (1800 MHz), Band 7 (2600 MHz) and Band 20 (800 MHz).

As for other wireless communications, along with 2-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac (2.4 and 5 GHz), the small flagship supports, among other things, ANT + interfaces, Bluetooth 4.1, DLNA and NFC.

The GPS and GLONASS constellation satellites are used by the smartphone for positioning and navigation, as evidenced by the results of the AndroiTS GPS Test program. There is also built-in support for A-GPS technology.

The capacity of the non-removable lithium-polymer battery in the Xperia Z5 Compact has increased by 100 mAh compared to its predecessor -- -- to 2,700 mAh. The smartphone comes with a regular power adapter (it seems to be 1.5 A, although it was not included in our test kit). To take advantage of Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0, please purchase UCH10 (5/9/12V) separately.

In terms of the number of points earned on AnTuTu Tester tests (7,416), the compact flagship is ahead of its colleagues in the Z5 family. However, for all three models, the manufacturer on its website promises to work for two days without recharging. At the same time, a test set of videos in MP4 format (hardware decoding) and Full HD-quality at full brightness spun continuously for about 8 hours.

Stamina's proprietary power-saving mode limits performance, disables background processes while idle, and sets the list of applications that are allowed to access the network. Much more significantly extends the autonomy of Ultra Stamina, leaving only the basic functions of the phone enabled. The "Low battery mode" option is activated at a predetermined battery level (for example, 20%). In this case, power consumption is reduced, for example, by switching off modules wireless communication, reducing screen timeout, lowering the brightness of the screen backlight, etc.

Software Features

The Xperia Z5 Compact smartphone runs on the Android 5.1.1 operating system with the proprietary Xperia shell.

With security settings with a built-in fingerprint scanner, it's easy to link up to five fingerprints to use them to unlock your smartphone.

The procedure for preparing fingerprint data is intuitive. The ultrasonic scanner works very quickly and almost error-free.

Purchase, conclusions

In the trio of flagships of the new generation Z5, the compact version has confidently occupied its niche. Indeed, in its miniature body they managed to place a rather powerful filling, without forgetting, at the same time, about advanced sound options, a convenient fingerprint scanner, a camera with fast hybrid autofocus and a dedicated button for shooting. In addition, the "compact" showed a very good autonomy.

Unfortunately, the Xperia Z5 Compact does not have a version that supports two subscriber identity modules. Other shortcomings of this smartphone, perhaps, include the inconvenient location of the volume rocker and the lack of optical stabilization for the main camera.

As you know, Sony smartphones have never been distinguished by social prices. Moreover, it would be ridiculous to expect them in the current economic situation. It is clear that the compact version of the new generation flagship was obviously priced lower than its full-size counterparts in the Z5 family. According to Yandex.Market, at the time of testing in large retail chains, the Xperia Z5 Compact was offered for 35,990 rubles. Note that last fall, at the start of sales, the price of this smartphone was 4,000 higher (39,990 rubles).

The results of the review of the smartphone Sony Xperia Z5 Compact

Pros:

• Compact housing dimensions
• High performance
• Fast autofocus and dedicated camera button
• Sound Options
• Convenient fingerprint scanner
• Good autonomy

Minuses:

• Inconvenient location of the volume rocker
• Lack of optical stabilization for the main camera
• No dual SIM support

Miniature waterproof flagship

The smartphone under consideration today does not need a special introduction. Perhaps there is no person now who has not heard anything about the unusual series of mobile devices Xperia Z Compact, produced by the Japanese company Sony Mobile. These devices are unusual primarily due to the combination of miniature dimensions and powerful, truly flagship filling. It should be noted that today we have the third incarnation of this model, although its name contains the number 5 - Sony Xperia Z5 Compact. You can count such devices on the market on one hand, and of the modern current models on the Android OS, the hero of the review, perhaps, is the only one left: for people who consider an exceptionally small, but at the same time fully powerful flagship as a mobile assistant, manufacturers almost did not leave alternatives. On iOS, things are better with this: the iPhone 5s was discontinued, but the baby was immediately returned in the form of the iPhone SE. But in the camp of Android-smartphones, devices with a screen size of 5 inches or more are now considered medium-sized. Anything less than five is automatically counted as budget models, and they certainly cannot find the flagship filling.

However, in fairness, it is also worth noting that in reality there are fewer and fewer users with such requirements every year: gradually everyone felt the benefits of large screens and are not going to go back. Apparently, Sony itself also felt this: in the updated line of smartphones recently presented at MWC 2016, there was no place for a compact modification. It is difficult to say whether the Japanese company will support the interest of buyers in its "compact" in the future, but for now it is the Z5 Compact that is the very "last of the Mohicans".

	Sony Xperia Z5 Compact	Sony Xperia Z5	Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
Screen	4.6" IPS	5.2" IPS	5.5" IPS
Permission	1280×720, 319 ppi	1920×1080, 424ppi	3840×2160, 806 ppi
SoC		Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 (4x Cortex-A57 @2.0GHz + 4x Cortex-A53 @1.5GHz)	Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 (4x Cortex-A57 @2.0GHz + 4x Cortex-A53 @1.5GHz)
GPU	Adreno 430	Adreno 430	Adreno 430
RAM	2 GB	3 GB	3 GB
Flash memory	32 GB	32 GB	32 GB
Memory card support	microSD	microSD	microSD
Operating system	Google Android 5.1	Google Android 5.1	Google Android 5.1
Battery	non-removable, 2700 mAh	non-removable, 2900 mAh	non-removable, 3430 mAh
cameras		main (23 MP; video 4K), front (5 MP)	main (23 MP; video 4K), front (5 MP)
Dimensions and weight	127×65×9 mm, 138 g	146×72×7.3mm, 154g	154×76×7.8mm, 181g
average price	T-12840987	T-12741399	T-12840934
Sony Xperia Z5 Compact Retail Deals	L-12840987-10

Key Features of Sony Xperia Z5 Compact (Model E5823)

• SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 810, 8 cores: 4×2.0 GHz (ARM Cortex-A57) + 4×1.5 GHz (ARM Cortex-A53)
• GPU Adreno 430
• operating room android system 5.1
• Touch display IPS 4.6″, 1280 × 720, 319 ppi
• Random access memory (RAM) 2 GB, internal memory 32 GB
• SIM cards: Nano-SIM (1 pc.)
• Support for microSD memory cards up to 200 GB
• GSM networks 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
• WCDMA networks 850/900/2100 MHz
• LTE Cat.6 FDD networks 800/850/900/1800/2100/2600
• Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct
• Bluetooth 4.1, NFC
• Micro-USB 2.0, OTG
• DLNA, Media Go, MTP, Miracast, MHL 3.0
• GPS/A-GPS, Glonass, BDS
• Direction, proximity, lighting sensors, accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer, magnetic compass, fingerprint scanner
• Protection against ingress of water and dust (IP65 and IP68)
• Camera 23 MP, Sony Exmor RS, autofocus, LED flash
• Camera 5 MP, Sony Exmor R (front)
• Battery 2700 mAh, non-removable
• Dimensions 127×65×9 mm
• Weight 138 g

Appearance and usability

In terms of design as a whole, the Z5 Compact version, of course, resembles its older comrades in the line - Z5 and Z5 Premium, but there are also moments due to which the compact model stands out among its brethren. The main difference is the thickness: the considerable thickness of the body of the Z5 Compact is noted by everyone who encounters this model. The fact is that the faces of all representatives of the fifth Xperia Z series, including the Z5 Compact, have become almost completely flat. The roundings that hide the thickness on the sidewalls have disappeared, and with flat edges, the overall thickness of the body becomes, of course, much more noticeable.

Thus, unlike its ultra-thin counterparts, the Z5 Compact looks like a sort of box: a small and plump parallelepiped with straight edges and corners without rounding (in plan), which visually makes it even thicker than it really is.

But in width and length, the baby differs from its full-fledged counterparts in the expected direction: the device is noticeably smaller in these parameters, which makes it not only comfortable to hold in your hand, but, in principle, one of the smallest smartphones of our time.

Pictured: Sony Xperia Z5 Compact (right) compared to regular Z5

As for the materials of manufacture, they here also differ from older models. The Z5 Compact does not have a metal frame on the sides; polycarbonate is used for the rim. Accordingly, there are no separate plastic inserts at the corners of the sidewalls of the case to dampen the impact energy during a fall, since the entire frame is entirely made of this material. The smartphone is very solidly tailored, it looks and feels like a monolithic and reliable product in operation, no cracks, deflections and squeaks are observed.

Separately, it is worth noting the back wall of the case: Sony decided to add variety to the line, so that some of its representatives (Z5 Premium) received the usual smooth glass as the back panel, while others (regular Z5) got matte opaque coated glass. So, it is the option with a matte back wall that is used here, exactly repeating that of the usual one. Xperia models Z5. This is a rather interesting design in terms of visual appeal, but the frosted wall actually turns out to be much more slippery than ordinary smooth glass. At least, this happens if the hands are dry - in wet fingers, everything can be exactly the opposite.

Otherwise, there are no noticeable differences in related Sony models no. Card slots are usually covered with a cover with a rubberized gasket, since the device has been assigned an IP65/68 protection class. As before, this does not mean at all that you can swim with a smartphone and take pictures with it under water - the official signature on the company's website literally reads: “The device is not allowed to be completely submerged under water, and also not to be exposed to sea, salt, chlorinated water and such liquids. like liquor."

SIM-cards here, unlike the usual Z5 model, are installed not in one side slot one after another, like in a holder, but in two adjacent slots. The first inserts a plastic sled with a Nano-SIM SIM card, and the second, which is a slotted slot with a spring-loaded grip mechanism, can only insert a memory card. The microSD card should be pushed in until it clicks, no sled in this case no. There is no hot-swapping of cards, as such, because any tray is removed, even empty, the device reboots itself.

Mechanical keys are usually located on the opposite side, there are three of them here: Sony continues to support the idea of ​​a dedicated photo button. Two buttons are ordinary, and the third is flat, with a built-in fingerprint scanner. It is important to note that all three keys here are much softer and more pleasant to work than the rest of the models from the Xperia Z5 line. The scanner does not work out touch as clearly as conventional modules with wider areas do, but over time you can get used to bringing your finger at a certain angle, which will reduce the number of errors.

The front panel is covered with tempered glass, which has two narrow cutouts at the top and bottom for sound output from the speakers, for which the proprietary S-Force Front Surround technology is implemented. There are no hardware buttons at the bottom of the screen.

Also on the front panel at the top are sensors, a front camera and an LED event indicator, which you can turn off yourself in the sound settings section.

The camera module does not protrude beyond the rear surface of the body, the device lies steadily on any surface. The flash, located nearby, consists of only one segment, it does not shine very brightly.

The Micro-USB connector, which implements the USB 2.0 specification, is located at the bottom of the case. It supports connection external devices in USB OTG mode, which must be initiated manually (Detect USB device in the smartphone settings).

At the top end there is nothing but an audio output for headphones and holes for a second, additional microphone.

As for the colors of the case, here, unlike the older models, bright colors have been added. In addition to classic white and black, less traditional yellow and coral versions are also on sale.

Screen

The Sony Xperia Z5 Compact smartphone is equipped with touch screen with IPS matrix. The physical dimensions of the display are 57 × 101 mm, the diagonal is 4.6 inches. With a screen resolution of 1280×720, the dot density is approximately 319 ppi. The black frame of the panel under the glass on the sides of the screen looks very thin, only about 2 mm, while the entire width of the sidewalls from the edge of the screen to the edge of the body is about 3.5 mm. From the top, the distance to the screen is approximately 14 mm, and from the bottom - only 11 mm.

The display brightness is automatically adjusted based on a light sensor. There is a proximity sensor that blocks the screen when you bring the smartphone to your ear. Multi-touch technology allows you to handle 10 simultaneous touches. Operation modes with gloves and wet fingers are supported.

A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the "Monitors" and "Projectors and TV" sections Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the test sample.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface, resistant to scratches. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are slightly better than the screen of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected in the off screens of both devices (Sony Xperia Z5 Compact, as you can easily determine, is on the right, then they can be distinguished by size):

Both screens are dark, but the Sony screen is still slightly darker (its brightness in the photo is 111 versus 113 for the Nexus 7). The tripling of reflected objects on the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact screen is very weak, which indicates that there is no air gap between the outer glass (it is also a touch sensor) and the matrix surface (OGS type screen - One Glass Solution). Due to the smaller number of borders (glass/air type) with very different refractive indices, such screens look better with strong external illumination, but their repair in case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be changed. There is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating on the outer surface of the screen (very effective, slightly better than the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much more easily, and appear at a slower rate than in the case of ordinary glass.

With manual brightness control and with a white field displayed in full screen, its maximum value was about 660 cd / m², and the minimum - 5.2 cd / m². The maximum value is very high, and given the excellent anti-reflective properties, in bright daylight and even in direct sunlight, the image on the screen should be clearly distinguishable. In complete darkness, the brightness can be lowered to a comfortable level. The automatic brightness control works according to the light sensor (it is located in the upper right corner on the front panel to the left of the indicator). IN automatic mode as the ambient light conditions change, the brightness of the screen both increases and decreases. The operation of this function depends on the position of the brightness control. If it is at maximum, then in complete darkness the auto brightness function reduces the brightness to 26 cd / m² (normal), in an artificially lit office (about 400 lux) it sets it to 360 cd / m² (a little high), in a very bright environment (corresponds to lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more) increases to 550 cd / m² (this is enough, if you want it brighter - increase it manually, but also take responsibility for the rapid discharge of the battery). If the brightness slider is at half the scale (it is very non-linear - after 50% the brightness goes up sharply as the setting is increased), then the screen brightness for the three conditions indicated above is as follows: 15, 170 and 480 cd / m² (suitable values). If the brightness control is set to a minimum - 4.8, 16, 370 cd / m² (only the average value is greatly underestimated). As a result, the auto-brightness function works absolutely adequately, and to some extent it is possible to adjust the nature of the brightness change to the user's requirements. Significant backlight modulation appears only at a very low brightness level, but its frequency is high, about 2.3 kHz, so there is no visible screen flicker (but can possibly be detected in a test for the presence of a stroboscopic effect).

This screen uses an IPS type matrix. Micrographs show a typical IPS sub-pixel structure:

For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.

The screen has good viewing angles without hue inversion and without significant color shift even at large deviations of the gaze from the perpendicular to the screen. For comparison, here is a photograph in which the same images are displayed on the screens of Nexus 7 and Sony Xperia Z5 Compact, while the brightness of the screens is initially set to about 200 cd / m² (white field in full screen), and the color balance on the camera is forcibly switched to 6500 K. White field perpendicular to the plane of the screens:

Note the good uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field. And a test picture:

The colors on the screen of the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact are oversaturated, the skin tones are heavily shifted to the red, and the color balance is noticeably different from the standard. Of course, it is necessary to evaluate the color reproduction of the screen from a photograph with great care, but the trend is conveyed correctly. Now at an angle of about 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen:

It can be seen that the colors have not changed much on both screens, but on the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact, the contrast has decreased to a greater extent due to strong black highlighting. And the white box:

The brightness at an angle for both screens has noticeably decreased (at least 5 times, based on the difference in shutter speed), but in the case of the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact, the brightness drop is less (brightness in photos is 246 versus 235 for Nexus 7). The black field, when deviated diagonally, is highlighted very strongly and acquires a purple or reddish tint. The photos below demonstrate this (the brightness of the white areas in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the screens is the same for the screens!):

And from another angle:

When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the black field is average, since black is noticeably brightened along the edge in places (here the brightness of the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact screen is increased to compensate for the dynamic adjustment of the brightness of the backlight):

Contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) is good - about 890:1. The response time for the black-white-black transition is 29 ms (16 ms on + 13 ms off). The transition between grayscale 25% and 75% (according to the numerical value of the color) and back in total takes 43 ms. The gamma curve constructed from 32 points with equal intervals according to the numerical value of the gray tint did not reveal a blockage either in the highlights or in the shadows, and the exponent of the approximating power function turned out to be 2.41, which is higher than the standard value of 2.2, however, this does not have any values, since the real gamma curve deviates noticeably from the power law:

This is due to the presence of an aggressive dynamic adjustment of the brightness of the backlight in accordance with the nature of the displayed image (brightness decreases on dark ones). As a result, the resulting dependence of brightness on hue (gamma curve) does not correspond to the gamma curve of a static image, since the measurements were carried out with sequential grayscale output almost on the entire screen. For this reason, a number of tests - determining the contrast and response time, comparing black light at angles - we carried out when displaying special patterns with a constant average brightness, and not monochromatic fields in full screen. In general, such a non-switchable brightness correction does nothing but harm, since reducing the brightness in dark images reduces the visibility of gradations in the shadows under ambient light conditions, and constant brightness jumps are very annoying. That is, the benefits of this function are zero, only harm.

The color gamut is noticeably wider than sRGB:

Let's look at the spectra:

They are very atypical for top Sony mobile devices. Apparently, this screen uses LEDs with a blue emitter and a green and red phosphor (usually a blue emitter and a yellow phosphor), which, in combination with special matrix light filters, allows you to get a wide color gamut. Yes, and in the red phosphor, apparently, the so-called quantum dots are used. Unfortunately, as a result, the colors of images - drawings, photographs and films - oriented to the sRGB space (and the vast majority of them) have an unnatural saturation. This is especially noticeable on recognizable shades, such as skin tones. The result is shown in the photo above.

The balance of shades on the gray scale is average, since the color temperature is much higher than the standard 6500 K, but at least the deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) is less than 2 units, which is very good. At the same time, the variation in color temperature and ΔE is small - this has a positive effect on the visual assessment of the color balance. (The dark areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since the color balance does not matter much there, and the measurement error of color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

This smartphone has the ability to correct the color balance by adjusting the intensities of the three primary colors.

What we tried to do, the result is data signed as Corr. on the charts above. As a result, we corrected the color temperature (slightly overshot), but on average ΔE became higher and the spread of this characteristic increased. At the same time, the brightness (as well as the contrast) has greatly decreased - from 650 to 400 cd / m². Such a correction, of course, did not reduce the oversaturation of colors. If someone still finds the image on the screen of this smartphone not “bright” and “juicy” enough, then you can turn on the proprietary mode X-Reality for mobile. The result is shown below:

Saturation and contour sharpness are programmatically increased, and there are fewer distinguishable gradations of shades in the area of ​​saturated colors. But the picture - yes, became brighter. There is also an extreme Extreme brightness mode, in which the trend of "improvement" of the image reaches its peak. Here's what we got:

Let's summarize. The brightness adjustment range of this screen is very wide, anti-glare properties are excellent, which allows you to comfortably use your smartphone both on a sunny day on the beach and in complete darkness. It is permissible to use the mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works absolutely adequately. The advantages also include a very effective oleophobic coating, the absence of an air gap in the layers of the screen and flicker. The disadvantages are a strong lightening of the black color when the gaze deviates from the perpendicular to the screen surface, aggressive dynamic brightness adjustment, oversaturated colors (skin tones especially suffer) and an average color balance. The presence of appropriate adjustments allows you to slightly correct the balance, but at the expense of a very strong decrease in brightness (and contrast). Nevertheless, taking into account the importance of the characteristics for this particular class of devices (and the most important thing is the visibility of information in a wide range of external conditions), the screen quality can be considered high.

Sound

The Sony Xperia Z5 Compact sounds even more interesting than the Z5 Premium, which is unexpected, especially considering its small size and the presence of special membranes to protect the speakers from water. Finally, smartphones with protection from the Japanese sounded worthy. A pair of stereo speakers directed towards the user from the front panel produces a powerful, bright, thick and rich sound, clear and quite bassy, ​​not deprived of low frequencies. The sound remains clear at any volume level, the headroom is not excessive, but in general it is enough for any environment.

The device uses its own branded player to play musical compositions. There is, as usual, a huge variety of technologies to improve sound, including the aforementioned S-Force Front Surround, as well as additional functions settings - like DSEE HX (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine) sound quality enhancement technology. The user is traditionally given the choice between manual adjustment and automatic optimization of all sound parameters using the integrated ClearAudio + function (which includes a lot of different technologies, you can read more about this on sound technologies used in all modern top-end smartphones of the manufacturer.

There is an FM radio in the smartphone; there is no recording of telephone conversations from the line using regular means.

Camera

The Sony Xperia Z5 Compact features the same 23MP and 5MP digital camera modules found in both the regular Z5 and the Z5 Premium. The front-facing 5-megapixel Exmor R module is equipped with a 25mm wide-angle G Lens with f / 2.4 aperture and fixed focus, it does not have its own flash. The quality of shooting for the selfie level is excellent.

The main camera is equipped with a 23-megapixel Sony Exmor RS module for mobile devices with a 1/2.3-inch sensor and a wide-angle G Lens (24mm) with f/2.0 aperture, hybrid autofocus and single-section burst LED flash. Autofocus is very fast (0.03 s), using hybrid autofocus technology that combines the capabilities of contrast and phase focusing technologies.

All Xperia Z5 series smartphones share the same set of modules and technologies, including the Bionz image processor, advanced low-light technology, and updated SteadyShot with Intelligent Active Mode for smooth, distortion-free stabilization. And of course, do not forget that Sony is practically the only manufacturer that still installs a separate hardware camera control button in its smartphones. Part of the shooting settings can be transferred to third-party applications for control via the Camera2 API (RAW recording is not supported).

The camera can shoot video in the maximum resolution of 4K, as well as Full HD at 60 frames per second. From your own videos, you can save individual frames as 8-megapixel photos.

The camera copes with shooting video in all these modes with dignity, while recording sound cleanly and efficiently, the noise reduction system copes with its tasks adequately. Thanks to the SteadyShot technology with Intelligent Active Mode, shooting on the move is very smooth, this is truly one of the strongest points of Sony's mobile cameras.

• Clip #1 (61 MB, 1920×1080 @60 fps)
• Video #2 (107 MB, 3840×2160 @30 fps)

	Good sharpness in the field and in plans, but it drops a little towards the edges of the frame.
	There are areas of blur around the edges and slight noise in the shadows.
	Problems with sharpness in the shadows and at the edges of the frame occur when shooting at maximum resolution.
	Numbers of not the closest cars are distinguishable.
	Good detail in medium shots.
	The camera does a good job of shooting indoors.
	The text is well done.
	Aside from the edges of the frame, shot sharpness is not bad, although the branches of the trees begin to merge in the middle shots.

As we have repeatedly noted, cameras Xperia smartphones Z is best shot in 8MP mode, which gives the best ratio of image quality to image size. As the image size increases, the resolution begins to drop, and in 22 megapixel mode, the camera shoots at the level of current flagships, but no more. In addition, when shooting at maximum resolution, blur zones appear at the edges of the frame and other shortcomings become noticeable, which are not present when shooting at a lower resolution. The camera can be described as good and quite flagship, but without any frills. We have already seen all this. The camera will certainly cope with many different scenes.

Telephone part and communications

Built on Qualcomm's flagship Snapdragon 810 chipset, the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact can operate on most 2G GSM, 3G WCDMA and 4G networks. The device supports LTE Cat.6 FDD with a maximum download speed of up to 300 Mbps. At the same time, the smartphone has support for all three of the most common LTE bands among domestic operators (B3, B7 and B20). In practice, with the SIM card of the MTS operator in the Moscow region, the smartphone was confidently registered and worked in 4G networks. The quality of signal reception does not cause any complaints, the device confidently maintains communication indoors and does not lose the signal in areas of poor reception.

Also, the smartphone has support for Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, dual Wi-Fi bands (2.4 and 5 GHz) and 2 × 2 MIMO speed mode, Wi-Fi Direct, you can organize a wireless access point via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth channels. Micro-USB 2.0 connector supports OTG connection.

The navigation module works with GPS (A-GPS), Glonass and Beidou (BDS). There are no complaints about the speed of the navigation module, the first satellites are detected during a cold start within the first tens of seconds. The smartphone is equipped with a magnetic field sensor, on the basis of which the compass of navigation programs functions.

The phone application supports Smart Dial, that is, while dialing a phone number, a search for contacts is also carried out immediately. Text input is supported by seamless sliding from letter to letter (Swype), and virtual keyboards can also be reduced in size and brought closer to one of the edges of the display for ease of control with the fingers of one hand. The look and organization of the keyboard itself is traditional for Sony smartphones, you can choose from several options.

OS and software

In terms of software platform, there are no differences from older versions of Xperia Z. True, the regular Z5 has already received an over-the-air (OTA) update to Android 6.0, and for the compact version, such an update has not yet been proposed. Here, the same fifth version of Google Android (Lollipop 5.1.1) with its own shell is still used as the operating system. The shell is well known from previous generations of Sony smartphones, there are no noticeable differences from model to model.

Performance

The hardware platform of the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact is based on the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 SoC as its older brothers in the line. This 64-bit SoC is made on a 20 nm process technology, it consists of four powerful 64-bit ARM Cortex-A57 cores with a frequency of up to 2 GHz, which are complemented by four simpler 64-bit Cortex-A53 cores with a frequency of up to 1.5 GHz , providing high energy efficiency or performance depending on specific tasks.

The Adreno 430 video accelerator is responsible for processing graphics in the SoC. The smartphone has 2 GB of RAM. The user is allocated just over 21 GB of flash memory out of a total of 32 GB. The memory can be expanded with microSD cards up to 200 GB, in practice our 128 GB Transcend Premium microSDXC UHS-1 test card was recognized by the device. It is also supported to connect external devices to the USB port in OTG mode, but for this you need to manually start the search for devices through the settings (Search for external USB devices).

According to the results of AnTuTu, the Sony Xperia Z5 is clearly not the champion among modern flagships. Our test specimen scores less than 70K points where the leaders show 85K or more. It is noteworthy that the device lost to its own older brother in this test - however, the test results can vary significantly from time to time.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 can still be considered a flagship platform, and even for such a small one as the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact, its capabilities are even redundant. A powerful processor has not bothered anyone yet, but massive complaints about overheating for this model, unfortunately, are not uncommon. And with a screen resolution of only 720p, the performance of the Adreno 430 GPU is perhaps excessive. A smartphone with such a small screen, and even with a resolution less than Full HD, is definitely not bought for 3D games and not for comfortable playing high-definition video.

In any case, if you close your eyes to the overheating that occurs, then the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact smartphone definitely does not suffer from a lack of performance, and its hardware capabilities will definitely be enough for a couple of generations to perform any tasks, including demanding games.

Testing in latest versions complex tests AnTuTu and GeekBench 3:

For convenience, we have summarized all the results obtained by us when testing a smartphone in the latest versions of popular benchmarks in tables. Several other devices from various segments are usually added to the table, also tested on similar latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the obtained dry numbers). Unfortunately, within a single comparison, it is impossible to present the results from different versions benchmarks, so many worthy and relevant models remain “behind the scenes” - due to the fact that they once passed the “obstacle course” on previous versions test programs.

Testing the graphics subsystem in gaming tests 3DMark, GFXBenchmark and Bonsai Benchmark:

When testing in 3DMark for the highest performing smartphones, it is now possible to run the application in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (due to which the speed can rise above 60 fps).

	Sony Xperia Z5 Compact (Qualcomm Snapdragon 810)	Meizu Pro 5 (Exynos 7420)	Huawei Mate S (HiSilicon Kirin 935)	samsung galaxy S7 edge (Samsung Exynos 8890 Octa)	Letv1s (Mediatek MT6795T)
3DMark Ice Storm Extreme (more is better)	Maxed out!	Maxed out!	6292	6292
3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited (more is better)	26175	25770	12553	22540	16574
	1162	1340	—	2130	542
GFXBenchmark T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Onscreen)	58 fps	52 fps	16 fps	52 fps	26 fps
GFXBenchmark T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Offscreen)	55 fps	57 fps	12 fps	84 fps	27 fps
Bonsai Benchmark	4277 (61fps)	4130 (59 fps)	3396 (48 fps)	(59 fps)	3785 (54 fps)

Browser cross-platform tests:

As for benchmarks for evaluating the speed of the javascript engine, you should always make allowances for the fact that the results in them depend significantly on the browser in which they are launched, so that the comparison can only be truly correct on the same OS and browsers, and this possibility is available when testing not always. In the case of Android OS, we always try to use Google Chrome.

thermal images

Below is a thermal image of the back surface, obtained after 10 minutes of running a battery test in the GFXBenchmark program (the lighter, the higher the temperature):

Heating is localized approximately in the center of the device. At the same time, a large area with approximately the same temperature suggests that heat distributing elements are used. According to the heat chamber, the maximum heating was 46 degrees (at an ambient temperature of 24 degrees), which is significantly higher than the average value in this test for modern smartphones.

Video playback

To test the "omnivorous" when playing video (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Web. Note that for mobile devices it is important to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is most often impossible to process modern versions using processor cores alone. Also, do not expect everything from a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it. All results are summarized in a single table.

According to the test results, the subject was not equipped with all the necessary decoders that are required for the full playback of most of the most common multimedia files on the network. To successfully play them, you will have to resort to using a third-party player - for example, MX Player. True, it also needs to change the settings and manually install additional custom codecs, because now this player does not officially support the AC3 audio format.

Format	container, video, sound	MX Video Player	Regular video player
DVDRip	AVI, XviD 720×400 2200 Kbps, MP3+AC3	plays normally	plays normally
Web-DL SD	AVI, XviD 720×400 1400 Kbps, MP3+AC3	plays normally	plays normally
Web-DL HD	MKV, H.264 1280x720 3000Kbps, AC3		Video plays fine, no sound¹
BDRip 720p	MKV, H.264 1280x720 4000Kbps, AC3	Video plays fine, no sound¹	Video plays fine, no sound¹
BDRip 1080p	MKV, H.264 1920x1080 8000Kbps, AC3	Video plays fine, no sound¹	Video plays fine, no sound¹

¹ Audio in MX Video Player only played after installing an alternative custom audio codec; The regular player does not have such a setting.

Video output features tested Alexey Kudryavtsev.

Additionally, the MHL interface was tested. Apparently only Sony more supports image transmission via a wired connection, as the number of devices that support image output via MHL or Mobility DisplayPort is rapidly decreasing. For MHL testing, we used a monitor ViewSonic VX2363Smhl, which supports direct MHL connection (in version 2.0) using a passive Micro-USB to HDMI adapter cable. At the same time, MHL output was carried out at a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels at a frequency of 60 fps. Regardless of the actual orientation of the smartphone, the display of images on the screens of the smartphone and monitor is carried out in landscape orientation with the connector on the smartphone to the right. At the same time, the image on the monitor has an actual resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels (which is higher than the resolution of the smartphone screen), fits exactly into the boundaries of the display area and repeats the image on the smartphone screen one to one. The exception is the start screen and, apparently, the windows of programs that, in principle, do not support landscape orientation. They are still displayed in portrait orientation, with wide black borders on the sides of the monitor:

Sound is output via MHL (in this case, we used headphones connected to the monitor) and has good quality. At the same time, multimedia sounds are not output through the loudspeaker of the smartphone itself, and the volume is not adjusted by the buttons on the smartphone case, but is turned off. In our case, a smartphone with an MHL adapter connected, judging by the charge indicator, was charging.

Further, using a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see "Methodology for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices)"), we checked how the video is displayed on the screen of the smartphone itself. Screenshots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped determine the nature of the output frames of video files with various parameters: the resolution varied 1280 by 720 (720p), 1920 by 1080 (1080p) and 3840 by 2160 (4K) pixels and a frame rate of 24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 fps. In tests, we used the MX Player video player in Hardware mode. The results of this (block titled "Smartphone screen") and the following test are summarized in the table:

No 720/50p Okay No 720/30p Okay No 720/25p Okay No 720/24p Okay No

Note: If both columns Uniformity And Passes green ratings are set, this means that, most likely, when watching movies, artifacts caused by uneven alternation and dropping frames will either not be visible at all, or their number and visibility will not affect viewing comfort. Red marks indicate possible problems with the playback of the respective files.

According to the frame output criterion, the playback quality of video files on the screen of the smartphone itself is good, since frames (or groups of frames) may output with a more or less uniform alternation of intervals and without frame drops. The brightness range displayed on the screen corresponds to the standard range of 16-235 - in the shadows, only a couple of shades closest to black do not differ from it in brightness, in the highlights all gradations of shades are displayed. When playing video files with a resolution of 1280 by 720 (720p), the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly on the border of the screen in its original resolution.

With an MHL-connected monitor, when playing video, the monitor displays an exact copy of the screen of a smartphone, and the output is in true Full HD resolution in the case of 1080p files.

The range of brightness displayed on the monitor is the same as when displayed on the screen of the smartphone itself. The results of the monitor output tests are shown in the table above in the "MHL (monitor output)" section. The output quality is good.

The conclusion is typical: the MHL connection can be used for games, watching movies, web browsing and other activities that benefit from a larger screen size.

Battery life

The capacity of the built-in battery installed in the Sony Xperia X5 Compact differs markedly from the older brothers in the line down and is only 2700 mAh. Nevertheless, the device demonstrates a very decent time in all scenarios. battery life. Testing was conducted without using Sony's proprietary power-saving modes.

	Battery capacity	Reading mode	Video mode	3D game mode
Sony Z5 Compact	2700 mAh	15h 40m	8 a.m.	3h 50m
Sony Z5 Premium	3430 mAh	16h 20m	7h 50m	4h 30m
Sony Xperia Z5	2900 mAh	17:00	7:30 a.m.	3h 30m
Huawei Nexus 6P	3450 mAh	15:00	8:30 a.m.	4h 30m
LG Nexus 5X	2700 mAh	2:30 p.m.	6 a.m.	4 a.m.
LG G4	3000 mAh	17:00	9 a.m.	3 a.m.
One Plus 2	3300 mAh	14:00	11:20	4h 30m
Huawei Mate S	2700 mAh	12:30 pm	9 a.m.	3h 20m
Samsung Note 5	3000 mAh	17h 10m	10:40	5 a.m.
Google Nexus 6	3220 mAh	18:00	10:30	3h 40m
Meizu Pro 5	3050 mAh	5:30 p.m.	12:30 pm	3h 15m

Continuous reading in the Moon + Reader program (with a standard, light theme, with auto scrolling) at a minimum comfortable brightness level (brightness was set to 100 cd / m²) lasted until the battery was completely discharged for 15 hours and 40 minutes. When continuously watching Youtube videos in high quality (720p) with the same brightness level through the home wifi network the device lasted almost 8 hours. In the 3D gaming mode, the device did not last up to 4 hours.

The device supports the Qualcomm Quick Charge 2 fast charging function. The smartphone came to us for testing without a complete charger, and using a third-party charger with an output current of 2 A, the initial charge is carried out with a current of 5.1 V 1.5 A, but as you charge, these values ​​\u200b\u200bare reduced, and as a result, the smartphone battery is fully charged in approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes.

Outcome

Sony Xperia Z5 Compact is now offered in official Russian retail at a price of about 35 thousand rubles. Regardless of the set of its advantages and disadvantages, this mobile device deserves the closest attention. It will definitely be of interest to a certain circle of users - those who, for some reason, do not want to deal with either “shovels” or iOS, but want to have a decent and at the same time miniature smartphone that is not inferior in performance to the most modern flagships. And the hero of the review is basically capable of giving all this to its owner: the screen, sound system, both cameras, communication capabilities, autonomy and, of course, the hardware performance of the Xperia Z5 Compact is at a decent level. And nit-picking like the wrong color rendering of the screen and the possible overheating of the SoC will surely seem like not so significant trifles against the background of the lack of alternatives to the product itself. The only real downside to the Xperia Z5 Compact is its hefty price tag. But, firstly, if there is no choice from the buyer, you can take more, and secondly, the hero of the review is practically not inferior to the same Xperia Z5, but at the same time it costs much cheaper. In a word, a smartphone called Sony Xperia Z5 Compact turned out to be quite good and, perhaps, one of the last of its kind.