Sony releases flagships at a breakneck pace and in a sense it’s pulled out all the stops this time by announcing the Sony Xperia Z5, Sony Xperia Z5 Compact and Sony Xperia Z5 Premium all at once.
But it’s the Sony Xperia Z5 that’s its main flagship and it’s this phone which is set to replace the still-quite-new Sony Xperia Z3+. Both phones launched this year, so in such a short time has Sony really done enough to tempt Z3+ owners to upgrade?
Sony Xperia Z5 (146 x 72 x 7.3mm 154g metal and glass) vs Sony Xperia Z3+ (146 x 72 x 6.9mm 144g metal and glass)
The two phones have very similar designs, so that’s one area where upgrading is hard to justify. They both have metal frames and glass backs and they’re both IP68 certified dust and water resistant, meaning they can be plunged up to 1.5 metres deep in water for up to 30 minutes.
There are some slight differences in their weight and dimensions though, but surprisingly these actually work out in the Xperia Z3+’s favour. It’s 146 x 72 x 6.9mm and 144g, while the Xperia Z5 is 146 x 72 x 7.3mm and 154g, so it’s a little thicker and heavier.
Sony Xperia Z5 (5.2-inch 1080*1920 428ppi) vs Sony Xperia Z3+ (5.2-inch 1080*1920 428ppi)
Little has changed on the screen either, with both phones offering a 5.2-inch 1080 x 1920 display with a pixel density of 428 pixels per inch. They’re similarly bright too, with both offering decent outdoor visibility.
Sony Xperia Z5 (2.0GHz octa-core 3GB RAM) vs Sony Xperia Z3+ (2.0GHz octa-core 3GB RAM)
Both the Sony Xperia Z5 and the Sony Xperia Z3+ have 3GB of RAM and an octa-core Snapdragon 810 processor with four cores running at 2.0GHz and the other four at a slightly slower 1.5GHz. They even both have the same Adreno 430 GPU. That gives them plenty of power, but there’s nothing to choose between the two in this area.
Sony Xperia Z5 (23MP rear 5MP front-facing) vs Sony Xperia Z3+ (20.7MP rear 5MP front-facing)
One of the biggest improvements to the Sony Xperia Z5 is its camera. Sony has stuck with the same sensor for a long time but it’s finally changed it here, giving the Sony Xperia Z5 a 23 megapixel one. It’s designed to perform well even in low light and its hybrid autofocus can lock on in 0.03 seconds. Sony has also upgraded the digital zoom and image stabilisation on the Xperia Z5. Check out the video above to see it in action.
It’s a definite improvement on the 20.7 megapixel snapper in the Sony Xperia Z3+, but that one’s still pretty good and they can both shoot video in 4K and both have 5 megapixel front-facing cameras.
Sony Xperia Z5 (2,900 mAh 32GB 4G) vs Sony Xperia Z3+ (2,930 mAh 32GB 4G)
The two phones have similar though not quite identical battery sizes, with the Sony Xperia Z5 coming in at 2900 mAh and the Sony Xperia Z3+ weighing in at 2930 mAh.
Both phones have 32GB of built in storage, but the Sony Xperia Z5 supports microSD cards of up to 200GB, while the Sony Xperia Z3+ tops out at 128GB cards. Both offer an enormous amount of expansion potential then, but the Xperia Z5 has the edge.
For connectivity there’s Wi-Fi, 3G, 4G, Bluetooth 4.1 and NFC on both handsets, however Sony has added a fingerprint scanner to the Xperia Z5. It’s housed in the power button on the side and makes unlocking your phone faster and more high tech than ever.
There’s no fingerprint scanner on the Sony Xperia Z3+ so if that’s something you care about it’s a big reason to make an upgrade.
If you currently have a Sony Xperia Z3+ then it’s probably not worth upgrading to the Sony Xperia Z5 unless you’re really desperate for a fingerprint scanner or a slightly better camera, as those are the main changes.
Almost everything else is the same or similar, so given the flagship price of the Z5 it’s hard to justify the expenditure. It might be worth considering the even more high-end Sony Xperia Z5 Premium though.
If on the other hand you’re using an older phone than the Sony Xperia Z3+ then it could be worth an upgrade, as aside from the Z5 Premium the Z5 is easily the best smartphone Sony has ever made.
