Sony launched two new flagship smartphones, Xperia Z5 and Z5 Premium, last month even as the competition in the high-end segment continues to rise. The 2015 flagships will compete against the Apple iPhone 6s, Samsung Galaxy S6, Galaxy Note 5 and others.
We received the Xperia Z5 Dual for review and here's our take on the handset, its performance, benchmark scores, battery life and design.
The Sony Xperia Z5 Dual is available for purchase in India for Rs. 52,990.
Design and display
Sony is probably the only company to pull off a complete rectangular design in a smartphone without making it look or feel weird. The Xperia Z5 Dual follows the company's signature design strategy, differentiating itself from the whole lot. The changes are minimal compared to its predecessor, so fans won't notice much of a difference overall.
Diving into the details of the design, Xperia Z5 Dual features a sealed unibody with a metal frame and new frosted glass back instead of a glossy one. The frosted glass back is really impressive and keeps the fingerprint smudges away from the handset, giving you a clean look all the time. The sealed unibody helps Sony achieve IP68 certification for dust and water resistance.
The metal frame surrounding the handset is smooth and slippery, which also makes it hard to pick up the Xperia Z5 Dual when placed on a table. You will need to tilt lift one end of the phone to pick up the handset. This can be tiresome at times. The very frame houses some important buttons on the sides. On the right hand side of the device, you find the power/lock button at the center and the volume controls at the lower side of the device, which is kind of odd considering most phones place them at the top. The Home button also integrates a fingerprint scanner, which is quite accurate in scanning your finger from different angles. There is a dedicated camera shutter button, which activates the camera with double click on a lock screen. It's works extremely well and the placement of the button makes it convenient to snap photos like a real camera.
On the left hand side of the device, you find a SIM card tray, which also houses a microSD card slot. They are well protected with a flip cover to keep dust and water from entering inside.
Moving on to the front side of the Xperia Z5 Dual, it has a simple edge-to-edge glass with a slim line for speaker and microphone at the top and bottom of the handset. You will be thankful for the missing screen guard on the display in the Xperia Z5 Dual, which gives a much better look. There are no physical buttons, as expected, but the on-screen buttons take care of the Home, Back and Recent functions.
Sony Xperia Z5 Dual packs a 5.5-inch Full HD display with 1920 x 1080 pixels. Do not get confused with the Xperia Z5 Premium, which packs a 4K resolution. The display clarity isn't too great or too bad. The default setting of the display resolution might throw a tad blue tint but the adjustable colour balance will help you achieve much natural colours.
Using the handset in bright daylight with 670 nits brightness did not hinder the readability and low brightness levels are best suited for low-lit environment.
