In several major international manufacturers, Sony's control of the flagship product cycle is undoubtedly the shortest, to maintain the rhythm of two updates a year, and such an iterative speed also allows its flagship products to maintain a relatively small amount of differentiation, more of its own continuous improvement, as well as bold attempts at cutting-edge technology. So when Sony launched the Z5 and Z5 Premium (aka Z5 Premium), we saw similar design elements and product features, but we also saw Sony's bold attempts at a 4K screen, a move that also made Sony's Z5 Premium the world's first Ultra HD-rated product, which really attracted a lot of consumers.
In fact, Sony mobile for this year's Z5 series launched three new products, respectively, Sony Z5, Z5 Premium Edition (Premium), Z5 Compact, and only the first two products listed in the domestic market, as for the Compact (Compact, mini) model Sony does not seem to be listed as the focus of the year, so that when the introduction of the Z1 Compact (aka Z1 Compact (also known as Z1 Colorful Edition) in China after the introduction of no other, for users who like the small screen experience is indeed a pity. For the Sony Z5 and Z5 Premium Edition, there is not much difference between the two in terms of design and experience, the main difference lies in the screen size and related hardware adjustments.
"Comparison of the parameters of the three phones in the Sony Xperia Z5 series
Mobile phones
Sony Z5
Sony Z5 Premium Edition
Sony Z5 Compact
Screen sizes
5.2 inches
5.5 inches
4.6 inches
Resolution
1920x1080
1920x1080 (4K in some scenarios)
1280x720
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 2.0GHz
Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 2.0GHz
Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 2.0GHz
SIM
NanoSIM Dual SIM
NanoSIM Dual SIM
NanoSIM Single SIM
RAM
3 GB
3 GB
2 GB
Body memory
32 GB
Main Camera
23MP, IMX330 sensor, Hybrid Relative and Contrast Focus, 0.03 sec Rush Photo
Front Camera
5.1MP, Beauty Support
Operating System
Customized based on Android 5.1.1
Body Size <
146x72x7.3mmmm
154x76x7.8mmmm
127x65x8.9mm
Body weight
154g
180g
138g
Battery
2900 mAh
3430 mAh
2700 mAh
Body color
Black/Silver/Gold/Green
Black/Silver/Gold
Black/White/Red/Yellow
Features
Side fingerprint recognition, IP68-rated triple-proofing, dual-side glass unibody*, robust battery life
NetworkMobile/Unicom Dual 4G
Price
RMB 4,699 (to be negotiated)
RMB 5,699 direct
Approximately Rmb 3,500 (non-existing)
Of course for the user, the most attractive thing about Sony Z5 Premium is undoubtedly the screen resolution of up to 4K, and has a "Mirror Silver" optional, in addition to 23 megapixels, triple defense body is also a point of attraction, and as Sony's flagship in the second half of the year, it is also naturally expensive, as high as 5,699 yuan price almost hit the highest flagship of Sony's generation. Whether or not this product lives up to its name, and for which consumer groups, perhaps our simple, lightweight review article can answer your questions.
"1. What are the main selling points of the Sony Z5 Premium?
Looking at each generation of Sony's flagship, in fact, no matter the design, appearance, performance and other aspects of the industry's top level, and the Sony Z5 Premium Edition in the continuation of the above characteristics at the same time, to further upgrade and improve, can be said to be the second half of the most comprehensive and comprehensive a flagship model. If we can use a few words to briefly summarize the characteristics of the Sony Z5 Premium Edition, perhaps we can use the following words: exquisite design, excellent performance (Snapdragon 810), excellent photographic, unique triple-proof, innovative 4K screen, etc.
"2. What are the characteristics of the 4K screen of the Sony Z5 Premium Edition?
If we say that the biggest difference between Sony Z5 Premium and other flagship models, there is nothing more than its hardware using 4K (3840 × 2160 pixels) resolution screen, with a display density of up to 841.9PPI, a one-off the strongest high-definition phone at present. In addition in addition to 4K resolution, Sony Z5 Premium Edition also has the same Terry Phantom Color (Triluminos) display technology, in addition to high-definition (X-Reality), high contrast, high brightness, and the display of the built-in memory, video/image since the enhancement of the 4K and many other characteristics of the screen in the industry is definitely a unique performance.
Since the Sony Z5 Premium Edition's 4K screen is so powerful, whether there are any relevant drawbacks, I believe that this point has also been the concern of many users. After all, in the current 2K screen has become the main reason for power consumption of cell phones, 4K screen power consumption performance more or less let a person some concern, and Sony in this point cleverly carried out a treatment.
Sony's Z5 Premium screen hardware, whose physical resolution does reach 4K levels, is forced to render at 1080p in everyday displays, which can be said to be not too far from a normal 1080p phone, so if you're expecting it to be a true 4K-level performance right out of the box in your everyday experience, you're probably going to be disappointed. But the relevant advantages come out when viewing HD images and videos. For example, if we take the iPhone 6s Plus and compare it with its pictures, we can clearly see the obvious gap between the two, the same 4K pictures, but the Sony Z5 Premium Edition can show more details, and the color is also more vivid and excellent compared to the iPhone 6s Plus, the advantage is very obvious. So the Sony Z5 Premium Edition is actually very suitable for use when there are 4K scenes, such as building a home theater, business office system, etc..
While the current Sony Z5 Premium Edition's 4K-level display will also temporarily only appear in video playback, image browsing and other situations (requires the system comes with the relevant programs, not third-party), and even be understood by many users as a 1080p cell phone that supports 4K video/picture display, and we also admit that such a solution is indeed discounted, but in fact, Sony's biggest consideration lies in the battery aspect. The selective 4K display can effectively solve the power consumption problem of the Sony Z5 Premium, so there's basically no need to worry about its battery life. (That being the case, is it possible to force a 4K display through software? In principle, you can, but we don't recommend it; after all, the power consumption of a 4K screen is horrendous.)
"3. What's the effect of the Sony Z5 Premium's mirror display?
Sony Z5 Premium Edition total **** launched three colors, respectively, gold, black and silver, and one of the silver version of the exclusive mirror display by many users. This mirror effect is mainly realized by the high-intensity reflective glass on the back of the phone, and its display is really comparable to a mirror, and this is the first time that Sony Mobile has launched a version with this feature, which is believed to be mainly for the fashion group and female users.
▲Sony Z5 Premium Edition Silver Edition exclusive mirror reflection effect (image from the network)
But we need to point out that, although the Silver Edition enjoys a mirror display effect on the back, but its fingerprints on the ease of staining is also regrettable. A casual touch will leave a thick trail of fingerprints on the phone, a common problem with current mirror phones, so you may want to keep a cleaning cloth handy. As for the gold and black versions, they don't have a mirrored display, so they don't have these problems.
"4. What are the special features of the Sony Z5 Premium Edition?
From the heart, both the Sony Z5, Z5 Premium Edition or not listed in the domestic Z5 Compact, and the previous generations of Sony Xperia Z series of products do not have the essential appearance of the difference, due to the continuation of Sony's previous "simple full-balance" design, so the design of the design can be seen in many Classic style, and can still feel the pursuit of Sony's exquisite. Japanese companies have always been rigorous in this regard, and in addition to similar design, we honestly do not have much to criticize.
While the appearance may not seem to have changed much, there are actually some improvements in the details, such as a special plastic sandwich between the screen display panel and the metal frame, which is supposed to take into account the protection of the 4K screen, as well as to strengthen the quality of the screen (including light leakage, seams, and even color). In addition to the corners of the fuselage, although there are still "patches" exist (to protect the drop cushion and signal overflow), but in fact the processing of this process than previous generations of products has been a great improvement, although it is still a hard plastic material, but according to the Sony staff, in fact, the Z5 Premium Edition has been upgraded to a mixture of plastics, and the interior of which has been coupled with a metallic color tint, so the corners and the screen are not as good as they should be. Color toning, so the color difference between the corners and edges has been relatively small.
But it's worth praising that Sony has etched a delicate "XPERIA" brand logo in the lower left corner of the frame, which can be said to be the finishing touch. In addition to being a design differentiator, it's also a metaphor for Sony's emphasis on the independence of its Xperia lineup.
In fact, the biggest feature of Sony's Z5 series is the power button with a fingerprint recognition module on the side of the body, which is the first time it has appeared in an international brand (as for domestic brands, there are already a number of products using this design). Such a design is really unique, coupled with Sony's exquisite processing, so that it blends into the unibody, and does not bring too much abruptness on the bezel, but instead creates a different visual effect. But in fact such a style also has its obvious shortcomings, for example, the fingerprint module is relatively small, resulting in a slight discount in recognition speed and experience, sometimes it often takes 2-3 times to unlock properly (recording fingerprints need to be repeated 15 to 20 times), in addition, due to the presence of this module, the Sony Z5 series of the body can not be controlled to be thinner. However, in the current industry generally design the fingerprint area on the front or back, Sony's move is a more personalized and balanced choice.
Additionally for this fingerprint, we need to make a special note that at present
Sony Z5 Premium Edition fingerprint function only supports the system unlock, and can not support WeChat micro-payment, payment card payment like other domestic mobile phones
This point is relatively regrettable. The main reason for this is that Sony's system software uses the original underlying layer of Android, and is limited by the fact that the native version can't extend the fingerprint feature, so it only stays on the unlock function. As for when the fingerprint application can be upgraded, I believe that until the Android 6.0 native system to support fingerprint related extensions can be realized. (
As for the back of the body is Sony's old style, to be honest, if you only look at the back, you can hardly recognize which generation of Sony products, so the appearance of the silver mirror version seems to have become the only feature of the Sony Z5 Premium Edition in the product recognition.
Other aspects of some details also include dual Nano card slot (plastic card tray), support for mobile / Unicom dual 4G, still not very convenient to take the card, although it is for waterproof considerations, but after many generations of products of the user spit, Sony has not taken into account the design of the design changes, it is really puzzling. In addition to hanging body hole, exposed USB, physical photo button and other excellent small design is not missing, is also gratifying. Overall, the Sony Z5 Premium Edition and the products in the series don't have a lot of new design ideas, but they basically continue Sony's usual quality, and there really isn't much to complain about, except for some visual fatigue.
"5, the exclusive enjoyment of 23 megapixel lens (IMX330), photographic aspects can boast?
This 23-megapixel camera can be said to be one of the highlights of the Sony Z5 series (the three products remain consistent in terms of camera), the Sony Z5 Premium Edition's 23-megapixel lens uses the latest IMX300 sensor, 1/2.3-inch size, built-in 6p lens, the current fastest 0.03s Extreme Speed Focusing (Phase Detection and Contrast Mixing), Multi-point Multi range focus detection, and up to ISO12800 for nighttime photos, etc., can be said to have the most luxurious configuration of the current smartphone in terms of camera. This is actually quite rare. Previously rumored Apple and Samsung are very interested in the IMX330, but unfortunately, only Sony Z5 series exclusive enjoy at present, so it can be seen that Sony is actually very hard work on their own products.
In addition to these hardware advantages, the Sony Z5 Premium Edition also supports 4K video recording, has a large F/2.0 aperture for adaptive noise reduction, etc., and also supports the full pixel level of advanced auto mode (23 megapixels in 4 to 3 mode, 20.3 megapixels in 16 to 9 mode), but still only 8 megapixels are available in the manual mode, and the currently popular Manual focus, focus separation and other features have not been added, the experience is still a little lack of, but the overall compared to the previous flagship product does have some progress.
While having 20 million pixels, Sony's pixels and actual photographic results seem to be quite a bit of criticism from previous users, and having a high pixel does not give Sony an overwhelming photographic advantage, which we also compared with the iPhone 6Plus, to briefly understand the differences between the two photographed.
From the comparison of the two samples, the Sony Z5 Premium Edition has a lot of improvement compared to the previous Z series flagship products, and in the comparison with the iPhone 6 Plus does not take advantage of the overall realism and details of the samples are slightly better. However, the white balance still does not seem to be stable enough, for example, in the stone elephant scene, the sample film shows a yellow effect, slightly deviating from the real scene; while in the table lamp part, but the performance is more in line with the real situation, while the iPhone 6Plus appears to be color deviation. As for the details, it is obvious that the base of 23 megapixel hardware gives Sony Z5 Premium Edition absolute physiognomy, which is the advantage of high pixel.
Additionally according to our photographic experience, Sony Z5 Premium Edition has 0.03s very fast focus, this point in comparison with the iPhone 6Plus does have a certain advantage, mainly in the dim and complex environments, Sony can be quickly find the focus point, and can choose more than one place to focus, while the iPhone 6Plus at this time both the focus capture and the focus point are relatively weak. Focus is relatively weak. But the good thing is that the iPhone's photo speed is very fast, while the Sony Z5 Premium Edition seems to be slightly slower. In addition, the iPhone's focusing and metering is very fast, while the Sony's manual metering has some delay, and this has been a problem for many generations of products, and has not yet been improved, which is a bit puzzling.
Below is a brief sample of the accompanying photos, taken in the system's auto mode and uploaded in their original form, which can be clicked on to enlarge for more information.
While there are still some problems, we can still see some improvements in the Sony Z5 Premium compared to its predecessors, such as more accurate focusing speed and a wider focus range, as well as a very good reproduction of the real scene in normal/well-lit scenes, and an accurate grasp of white balance, which is a pleasant improvement. As for indoor low light/bad light and night scenes, Sony still has a high-brightness processing style, and the finishing looks brighter than it actually is, but the image also shows a noticeable smearing, and the anti-glare ability needs to be strengthened. At night with the help of a tripod and the use of manual mode, I believe that the imaging effect can be further, and you can shoot more creative works, which is not much different from before. Sony's strengths in camera hardware are self-evident, but if the camera software continues to improve, the potential of the camera may be realized to a greater extent.
"6, based on Android 5.1.1 software system, compared to the previous differences?
In many international brands, Sony's system software has always been in a state of nonchalance, and the current hot domestic third-party customized system is really inferior compared to a lot. Currently Sony Z5 Premium Edition software based on Android 5.1.1 customization, but its customization scope to achieve a limited, in addition to some application improvements and system fine-tuning, basically and the previous did not have too many changes, the overall is still relatively close to the native Android system.
But while the software is largely free of in-depth customization, Sony's own featured programs are still worthy of praise, such as the built-in WALKMAN player, video player, etc., and in order to incorporate Sony's strengths in multimedia, here you can really see that it's had some meditative optimization done. In addition to this, Sony's excellent power-saving "STAMINA Mode" has been further optimized to allow only core system functions to be enabled in low power mode, in addition to restricting applications and networking, which is a mainstream practice nowadays.
Overall, Sony's system software still largely belongs to the category of lightweight customization, although in order to comply with the domestic market there is also a symbolic localization of the use, but not this customization and optimization to cover the whole situation, inevitably let the domestic users some disappointment, after all, Sony Z series of products have had a number of products to pave the way, but Sony has never been focused on software customization and optimization. In the face of the current domestic excellent perfect third-party custom system experience, even as a first-tier manufacturers of Sony also inevitably appear slightly "blank" some.
Preparation: It is reported that Sony will be upgraded to Android 6.0 at the end of the year at the earliest, and the Z5 series should be in the first batch of updates, when the experience should be more different from now.
"7. What are the core features of the Sony Z5 Premium?
While the 4K screen, fingerprint, and camera are all highlights of the Sony Z5 Premium Edition, they may not be inherently superior to other competitors, so we don't consider them to be its core features. From the aspect of product advantages to see, Sony's core part should still be in the multimedia part, including audio, video and other functions closely related to Sony's own business, and Sony Z5 Premium Edition also exclusively enjoys Hi-Res Audio features (support for 3.5mm headphones and USB output), LDAC lossless bluetooth playback technology, DSEE HX mellow sound technology, digital noise reduction, dynamic equalizer, headphone auto optimization and so on. Equalizer, headphones automatic optimization and other comprehensive features, coupled with the Sony Z5 Premium Edition use of dual surround speakers, in this point to beat other smartphones, can be said to be an excellent player for high-quality demand for music enthusiasts users.
Of course, we need to be objective here is that the Sony Z5 Premium Edition in the hardware has these advantages, but also need to be used in conjunction with the supporting external equipment in order to play its maximum effect, if you use a more common headphones or output devices, even if Sony can be automatically optimized, but still can not experience the true high sound quality listening. In addition, because the Sony Z5 Premium Edition does not provide headphones as standard, you can only buy the relevant equipment, generally speaking, headphones/output devices in line with the above technical characteristics, may require you to spend an additional thousand dollars or more.
"8. How is the performance and cooling associated with the Sony Z5 Premium Edition?
Sony Z5 Premium Edition uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor with an integrated Adeno 430 graphics chip, paired with 3GB of running memory and 32GB of onboard storage, in addition to a 1080p display (4K only in some scenarios) and a 3430 mAh battery, and the running scores don't differ too much from the rest of the Snapdragon 810 devices, with AnTuTu scoring around 61,300. Geekbench 3 also gives a single-threaded score of 1,271 and a multi-threaded score of 4,355, which is top-notch at the moment, so you don't need to worry about its performance.
As for the Snapdragon 810, the biggest concern is the heat issue, and the Sony Z5 Premium Edition uses the same situation? It actually seems to have improved based on our testing. This is mainly due to the fact that the Sony Z5 Premium Edition uses dual heatpipes with silicone heat dissipation, which was previously even a solution used by PC computers, and apparently Sony has also focused on the issue. After 10 minutes of recording 4K video it was also controlled at around 37 degrees and did not show a high temperature warning, which is clearly a significant improvement over the previous product (which was previously around 50 degrees). For those worried about temperatures, you can put your doubts to rest.
As for daily use, in addition to the camera part of the camera can feel a certain temperature when taking pictures for a long time (about 40 degrees), most of the use of the scene does not appear to heat up the situation, as for the daily WeChat, microblogging and other basic applications, and will not have an abnormal temperature performance.
"9, Sony Z5 Premium Edition of the relevant version and price?
Sony Z5 Premium Edition in China is still only mobile / Unicom dual 4G version, support for 4G / 3G + GSM dual SIM dual standby, to provide black, gold, silver (mirror) optional, the new listing retail price of 5,699 yuan, has been available in the official website of Sony, Jingdong Mall, Tmall flagship store and other channels to buy. The other ordinary version of the Sony Z5 is available in black, gold, silver and dark green color options, the retail price is currently undecided, but according to Sony's usual strategy, at least in the 4500 yuan.
So for mobile and Unicom users, there's really not much to choose from, as there's only a dual 4G version this year, and both are compatible. As for telecom users, it seems that Sony's Z series flagships have never had a CDMA version, so it's inevitable that they'll have to regret it once again.
"10, how to review the Sony Z5 Premium Edition, is it worth getting?
For Sony Z5 Premium Edition this product, in fact, its product characteristics are very obvious, we have said above, exquisite design and workmanship, excellent performance, excellent photography, unique three defense, etc., all make it stand out, and the innovative 4K screen is unique, is still the flagship model of Sony Mobile deserved.
While there are many inherent advantages, but Sony Z5 Premium Edition in the lack of software localization is also really one of its biggest drawbacks, in the case of domestic cell phones have been focused on spelling experience, as an international manufacturer of Sony in turn does not have much of an advantage, even if it is the same level of Samsung, LG compared to the speed of its growth is also relatively stagnant. Coupled with the design is difficult to have a major breakthrough, the market strategy is relatively conservative, if not painful reform, I'm afraid it will further become a fan brand, and this is also Sony mobile face must be a serious review of the problem.
To the product level, if you have been a Sony user, Sony Z5 Premium Edition has its upgrade. For Sony users with a certain economic ability, it is worth recommending the update, but if the economic and practical point of view, the price of 5699 yuan is not cheap, may wish to continue to wait and see. For non-Sony users, if you hover between the iPhone, Samsung and Sony, then the Sony Z5 Premium Edition is not a bad choice, just you can wait a little, choose the right price and then start.
Remarks: This article reviews the prototype for the Sony Z5 Premium Edition China line 4G dual SIM version, software version 32.0.A.6.160, because the evaluation device is not the final retail version, so the data in the text only provides reference to the use of the text, does not represent the final attributes. (IT168 Leng Xi/2015.11.9)