Sony today unveiled its latest compact flagship – the Xperia 5 V is here. The cell phone has a revised camera system without a telephoto lens in the new model, but has a much larger main sensor. The 6.1 inch OLED display, on the other hand, is identical with an FHD+ resolution, 120 Hz refresh rate and a 21:9 format. Sony installs front-facing stereo speakers in the bezels.
The Sony Xperia 5 V is powered by Qualcomm’s current flagship chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. There is also 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage, which can be expanded via a microSD card slot. The 3.5 mm headphone jack is also still on board.
The lack of a telephoto camera on the back of the Sony Xperia 5 V is immediately noticeable. But there is a much more powerful main camera sensor on board. In fact, it’s the same 1/1.35-inch, 52-megapixel chip found in the Xperia 1 V. By default, the 24mm lens outputs 12-megapixel images, and with 2x digital zoom (48mm effective) it should still produce better shots than the telephoto camera of the Sony Xperia 5 IV.
The second camera is a 12 megapixel ultra wide camera with a focal length of 16 mm and a 1/2.5 inch sensor. Sony also uses the same camera with dual-pixel autofocus in the Xperia 1 V and Xperia 5 IV. Like last year, a 12-megapixel front camera with a 1/2.9-inch chip snaps selfies on the front.
Sony Xperia 5 V prices
Thanks to the screen diagonal of only 6.1 inches, the Sony Xperia 5 V keeps its compact size. However, the Sony cell phone is 11 grams heavier and a bit thicker than before, but still a bit shorter than its predecessor. In the shrinking market for compact flagships, it has to compete against Samsung’s Galaxy S23 and soon Apple iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro.
The battery is the same 5,000 mAh package as before. Thanks to the energy-saving Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in the Xperia 5 V, the cell should last a little longer than before. According to Sony, the separately available 30 watt charger recharges 50% in 30 minutes. Prices start at €999/£849, but should soon fall in our Sony Xperia 5 V price comparison. Sales start at the end of September.
