Aside from the 13MP front camera with flash, the Xperia C5 Ultra is interesting in no small part because of its huge and almost bezel-free display. It has a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels and that's good for 367ppi. It's got nice colors, though a bit subdued at the default setting. You do get the option to tweak the white balance with RGB sliders but there are no presets.
Viewing angles are quite wide and the inevitable loss of contrast and color shift don't get in the way of sharing the content on that fine display.
There aren't many display options you can fiddle with but there is a dedicated glove mode.
Under the microscope, we observed the standard arrangement of red, green and blue pixels, equal in number and size.
The maximum display brightness of the Sony Xperia C5 Ultra is relatively good (422nits), though not outstanding. Interestingly, these levels are only achievable in manual brightness mode. The Auto mode can only deliver a brightness of up to 335nits. The display contrast ratio in both modes however is excellent (slightly lower in Auto mode).
Color rendering without image enhancements is quite accurate (Avg deltaE 3.8 for the primary colors plus black and white), with white being the worse (deltaE 9.1). It’s slightly on the cooler bluish side, but nothing major and certainly not noticeable without a reference.
As we’ve seen on other Xperia smartphones, color accuracy of course takes only a slight hit when you turn on the screen image enhancements such as the Mobile BRAVIA mode.
As usual, display colors are a matter of personal taste and perception so if you don't need calibrated color output, you will probably be quite happy with the default settings of the Xperia C5 Ultra display.
You can fine tune the display color rendering to an extent as Sony gives you fine grain sliders for adjusting the Red, Green and Blue channel, but the UI is far from user friendly and unlikely to produce any serious results without a reference point sitting side by side with the display. Even worse, as soon as you start fiddling with those sliders, the maximum brightness will take a hit.
Display test
50% brightness
100% brightness
Black, cd/m2
White, cd/m2
Contrast ratio
Black, cd/m2
White, cd/m2
Contrast ratio
Sony Xperia C5 Ultra
0.18
219
1203
0.37
422
1144
Motorola Nexus 6
0.00
149
∞
0.00
372
∞
Meizu MX5
0.00
117
∞
0
346.00
∞
Oppo R7 Plus
-
171
∞
-
351
∞
Samsung Galaxy A8
0.00
169
∞
0.00
367
∞
LG G Flex2
0.00
152
∞
0.00
398
∞
Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro
0.23
196
846
0.64
562
876
Sony Xperia T2 Ultra
-
-
-
0.49
634
1287
Sony Xperia Z Ultra
-
-
-
0.47
467
1001
Sony Xperia C4 Dual
0.30
347
1174
0.53
635
1192
Not one to excel at sunlight legibility, the LCD tech inside the C5 Ultra still managed a decent score in our test.
Sunlight contrast ratio
Nokia 808 PureView 4.698
Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ 4.615
Samsung Galaxy E7 4.485
Samsung Galaxy A3 4.241
Samsung Galaxy S6 edge 4.124
Samsung Galaxy S6 4.124
Samsung Galaxy Note5 4.09
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 4.033
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 3.997
Apple iPhone 5 3.997
Samsung Galaxy A5 3.895
Samsung Galaxy J7 outdoor 3.879
Samsung Galaxy A8 3.859
Apple iPhone 6 3.838
Motorola Moto X (2014) 3.816
Samsung Galaxy Note Edge 3.799
Vivo X5Pro 3.706
Samsung Galaxy A7 3.679
Oppo R5 3.678
Samsung Galaxy K zoom 3.675
Nokia Lumia 930 3.567
Apple iPhone 5s 3.565
Samsung Galaxy S5 3.549
Nokia Lumia 735 3.547
Motorola Nexus 6 3.543
Alcatel Idol X+ 3.527
Apple iPhone 5c 3.512
Samsung Galaxy Alpha 3.509
Oppo R7 Plus 3.499
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo 3.487
vivo X5Max 3.472
LG G Flex2 3.465
YotaPhone 2 3.453
Samsung Galaxy J7 3.422
Motorola RAZR MAXX 3.42
Samsung I9300 Galaxy S III 3.419
Meizu MX5 3.416
Samsung Galaxy S5 Active 3.406
Nokia Lumia 925 3.402
Gionee Elife S5.5 3.386
Samsung I9505 Galaxy S4 3.352
Oppo R7 3.32
Samsung Omnia W 3.301
Samsung Galaxy S5 mini 3.174
Samsung I9000 Galaxy S 3.155
Samsung Ativ S 3.129
Samsung I9190 Galaxy S4 mini 3.127
Samsung Galaxy S4 zoom 3.118
Nokia N9 3.069
Microsoft Lumia 640 XL 3.065
Apple iPhone 6 Plus 3.023
Samsung Galaxy Note 2.97
Samsung Galaxy Premier 2.958
Sony Xperia Z1 2.95
HTC One S 2.901
Lenovo S90 Sisley 2.892
Samsung I8730 Galaxy Express 2.861
BlackBerry Q10 2.856
Samsung I9100 Galaxy S II 2.832
Sony Xperia Z3+ 2.824
HTC Desire Eye 2.815
Gionee Elife S5.1 2.812
Samsung Galaxy S II Plus 2.801
BlackBerry Z30 2.79
Meizu MX4 Pro 2.765
Sony Xperia M5 2.69
Sony Xperia ZR 2.672
Huawei Ascend P1 2.655
Xiaomi Mi 4i 2.641
Sony Xperia Z3 2.618
Sony Xperia Z3 Compact 2.616
Sony Xperia T3 2.609
BlackBerry Passport 2.595
Microsoft Lumia 640 2.563
Nokia Lumia 900 2.562
Motorola Moto G 4G 2.546
HTC One Max 2.537
Nokia Lumia 720 2.512
HTC One 2.504
Sony Xperia M4 Aqua 2.503
Motorola Moto G 2.477
vivo Xshot 2.465
Sony Xperia Z 2.462
Xiaomi Mi 4 2.424
Samsung Galaxy S III mini 2.422
Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro 2.416
LG G Flex 2.407
Huawei Honor 7 2.406
HTC Desire 820 2.372
HTC One (M8) 2.371
Meizu MX4 2.366
Motorola RAZR i 2.366
Meizu m1 note 2.362
Sony Xperia ZL 2.352
HTC One M9 2.334
LG G4 2.317
Samsung Galaxy Note II 2.307
HTC One E9+ 2.305
HTC One (M8) for Windows 2.291
Oppo R1x 2.281
Oppo Find 7a 2.279
Alcatel One Touch Hero 2.272
Apple iPhone 4S 2.269
HTC Desire 600 dual sim 2.262
Sony Xperia C5 Ultra 2.253
Nokia Asha 311 2.25
Sony Xperia C4 Dual 2.235
Xiaomi Mi Note 2.234
Motorola Moto G (2014) 2.233
LG Nexus 5 2.228
Huawei P8 2.196
Nokia Lumia 820 2.193
HTC One (E8) 2.185
Oppo N3 2.181
Nokia Lumia 920 2.17
Huawei Honor 6 2.169
Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 2.166
OnePlus Two 2.165
HTC One X 2.158
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML 2.149
LG Aka 2.145
Nokia N8 2.144
Nokia Lumia 620 2.142
Nokia 515 2.134
Archos 50 Diamond 2.134
HTC Desire 500 2.129
Sony Xperia C3 Dual 2.12
Sony Xperia acro S 2.119
Xiaomi Redmi Note 2.119
Nokia Lumia 1020 2.103
Oppo Find 5 2.088
Huawei P8lite 2.078
Sony Xperia SL 2.078
Nokia Lumia 630 2.056
BlackBerry Z10 2.051
Moto G 3rd gen max manual 2.026
Huawei Ascend Mate7 2.024
Samsung I9295 Galaxy S4 Active 2.022
Apple iPhone 4 2.016
HTC One mini 2.003
Xiaomi Mi 3 2.001
Huawei Ascend P7 1.992
LG G2 1.976
Sony Xperia E4g 1.972
OnePlus One 1.961
Oppo R819 1.957
Sony Ericsson Xperia ray 1.955
Lenovo Vibe X2 1.952
Sony Xperia Z2 1.944
Sony Xperia E3 1.943
Nokia Lumia 1320 1.941
HTC One mini 2 1.94
Samsung Galaxy Camera 1.938
Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime 1.935
Sony Xperia J 1.932
Acer CloudMobile S500 1.931
ZTE Blade S6 1.927
LG Nexus 4 1.926
LG G Pro 2 1.922
Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 1.913
Nokia Asha 308 1.911
HTC Butterfly 2 1.905
Sony Xperia T 1.894
BlackBerry Leap 1.892
Meizu m2 note 1.892
Nokia Lumia 830 1.887
HTC Desire X 1.878
HTC Windows Phone 8X 1.873
HTC Butterfly 1.873
HTC Butterfly S 1.867
Huawei Ascend P6 1.865
Huawei Ascend Mate 1.845
LG G2 mini 1.838
LG G3 1.82
Nokia Lumia 1520 1.813
HTC Desire 616 dual sim 1.797
Sony Xperia V 1.792
HTC Desire 816 1.783
Sony Xperia Z1 Compact 1.772
HTC Desire 700 dual sim 1.769
ZTE Nubia Z9 mini 1.759
Sony Xperia U 1.758
Meizu MX3 1.754
LG Optimus G 1.753
Sony Xperia T2 Ultra 1.74
Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact 1.735
Acer Liquid Jade S 1.734
Sony Xperia SP 1.733
Oppo Find 7 1.691
LG Optimus 4X HD 1.691
HTC One V 1.685
BlackBerry Q5 1.682
LG Optimus Vu 1.68
Motorola Moto E (2nd Gen) 1.675
Xiaomi Mi Pad 7.9 1.672
LG Optimus GJ 1.666
ZTE Nubia Z9 1.659
LG Optimus 3D Max 1.658
HTC Desire V 1.646
Samsung Galaxy Xcover 2 1.632
Samsung Galaxy Ace 3 1.622
Microsoft Lumia 532 1.615
Jolla Jolla 1.605
Microsoft Lumia 435 1.598
Sony Xperia Z Ultra 1.578
Sony Xperia go 1.577
Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 I8160 1.566
Samsung Galaxy Core 1.563
LG Optimus G Pro 1.552
Motorola Moto E 1.545
LG Optimus 3D 1.542
Nokia Asha 302 1.537
Samsung Galaxy Core Prime 1.507
BlackBerry Curve 9320 1.488
Sony Xperia M 1.473
Oppo N1 1.47
Sony Xperia E4 1.467
Meizu MX 4-core 1.462
Nokia Lumia 610 1.432
Samsung Galaxy S Duos 1.4
Microsoft Lumia 535 1.393
Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo 1.393
Sony Xperia M2 1.393
Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 1.38
Sony Xperia E1 1.372
Nokia Lumia 625 1.371
Gigabyte GSmart G1355 1.361
Sony Xperia L 1.351
Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 1.35
Xiaomi Redmi 1S 1.35
HTC Desire 510 1.34
Sony Xperia M2 Aqua 1.331
Sony Xperia miro 1.324
Samsung I9082 Galaxy Grand 1.321
Samsung I8530 Galaxy Beam 1.315
Xiaomi Redmi 2 1.311
HTC Desire C 1.3
Nokia X 1.291
Sony Xperia C 1.283
Nokia Asha 503 1.281
Nokia Asha 501 1.27
LG Optimus L7 1.269
Nokia Lumia 510 1.268
Samsung Galaxy Fame 1.245
LG Optimus L9 1.227
Meizu MX 1.221
Samsung Galaxy Young 1.22
Sony Xperia E 1.215
Nokia XL 1.204
Sony Xperia E dual 1.203
Asus Memo Pad 7 ME176C 1.198
Samsung Galaxy Pocket 1.18
Nokia Asha 305 1.178
Nokia Asha 306 1.175
Sony Xperia neo L 1.169
Sony Xperia tipo 1.166
Nokia Lumia 520 1.161
Samsung S6802 Galaxy Ace Duos 1.148
Samsung Galaxy mini 2 1.114
Battery life
The Sony Xperia C5 Ultra has a 2,930mAh battery, a little more than the Xperia C4's 2,600mAh unit, which scored an overall rating of 53 hours powering a smaller 5.5-inch display. The Xperia T2 Ultra in comparison had a 3000mAh battery but only a 720p screen to worry about.
With virtually the same hardware and Android version, the Xperia C5 Ultra was unfortunately closer to the C4 in terms of battery backup than the T2 Ultra. We found it struggling to deliver more than 7 hours of on-screen time.
Our web browsing test depleted the battery in about that much time, while the video playback stopped just shy of the 8-hour mark.
The 3G talk time is only average and, while the Xperia C5 Ultra redeemed itself at standby, the final endurance rating of 62 hours is far from the best performers in its class.
Overall, you can get two and a half days on a single charge out of the Xperia C5 Ultra if you do an hour each of 3G calls, web browsing and video playback each day.
With a second SIM card in and therefore lower standby times, the endurance rating dropped to 56 hours.
Our proprietary score also includes a standby battery draw test, which is not featured in our battery test scorecard but is calculated in the total endurance rating. Our battery testing procedure is described in detail in case you want to learn more about it.
Connectivity
The Sony Xperia C5 Ultra comes in single and dual SIM flavors. Both the versions offer quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE/HSDPA support. Cat.4 LTE support is also present, though only one of the SIM is graced with it in the C5 Ultra Dual model.
Local connectivity includes dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n with Wi-Fi Direct and hotspot. There is also support for Bluetooth 4.1 with A2DP. Satellite navigation comes with additional A-GPS and GLONASS support. The Xperia C5 Ultra also has an FM radio with RDS. It doesn't offer an IR port, but it does come with NFC.
There is a microUSB 2.0 port for charging and data connections. Media transfer mode is supported for accessing the phone's built-in memory and microSD card over the USB cable. USB OTG functionality is also present and it works fine should you decide to chain-link a mouse and a flash drive in a keyboard and connect the lot, if that's your thing.
The microUSB port doesn't have any TV-out functionality but if you own a compatible HDTV you can output your phone's screen wirelessly via the Miracast protocol or Sony's Xperia Connectivity Throw option.
The app also lets you share your media over DLNA by creating a media server, as well as connect to a PlayStation DUALSHOCK 3 (or 4) wireless controller.
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