Sony Xperia Z5 Compact review: The overachiever

3. Display, battery life, connectivity

Display

Display size has always been a big part of the Compact series and its allure, but definitely not in the conventional "the bigger, the better" way. As already mentioned, loyal fans of the Compact line and especially the Z3 Compact value it as a representative of a rare breed of small and pocket-friendly devices with powerful hardware.

As such, it is great that Sony has realized the need to retain the phone's small footprint and consequently, its sub 5-inch display, though we gotta tell you that we would say the perceptions have been on the move this past year and now a 5-incher can easily pass as a compact device in a flagship duo. Then again, that may have put it way too close to the Xperia Z5.

The screen on the Xperia Z5 Compact is 4.6 inches in diagonal and with the same 720 x 1280 pixel resolution as a year ago. It is also the same IPS LCD variety, but that is not necessarily a bad thing, especially considering the name length of all the tech Sony has reportedly put inside - things such as Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2, Triluminos technology and X-Reality engine for mobile come to mind (and being able to quote those on the top of our heads can't be a healthy thing for sure).

That aside, we would have appreciated a higher resolution screen, especially considering that more budget-friendly phones are rocking FullHD panels nowadays. The size of the screen could have also used some improvement, or rather its proportions relative to the bezels, which seem to be bigger compared to those of the Z3 Compact (68.9% screen to body ratio, instead of 70.65). But that may be us just nitpicking.

The Sony Xperia Z5 Compact's IPS LCD has an ordinary RGB matrix and our tests revealed that it is a pretty nice panel. The maximum display brightness is spectacularly high at 680 nits. Unlike some other Xperia phones we've seen, this brightness level is available in both auto and manual brightness modes. The display contrast ratio in both modes is very good but not excellent mostly due to the comparatively grayish blacks.

Color rendering without image enhancements is off to a higher extent than we're used to seeing lately (Avg deltaE 6.3 for the primary colors plus black and white). It's the whites to blame as they have a relatively high purplish tint (deltaE 14.5). Still, you would certainly have a hard time noticing the color cast without some sort of a reference.

Color accuracy of course takes an extra hit when you turn on the screen image enhancements such as the X Reality for mobile mode. The maximum brightness however is reduced in these modes down to about 630-640 nits but the overall contrast is improved (blacks get deeper) as long as you're checking out photos or watching videos.

Display test	50% brightness			100% brightness
Display test	Black, cd/m²	White, cd/m²	Contrast ratio	Black, cd/m²	White, cd/m²	Contrast ratio
Sony Xperia Z5 compact	0.10	106	1060	0.65	680	1053
Sony Xperia M5	0.08	110	1392	0.63	527	839
Sony Xperia Z3 Compact	-	-	-	0.77	725	942
HTC One M9	0.15	175	1180	0.44	534	1221
OnePlus Two	0.16	180	1139	0.30	399	1334
ZTE Nubia Z9	0.29	258	893	0.49	440	898
Lenovo Vibe X2	0.16	188	1196	0.38	447	1188
LG G4	0.09	108	1240	0.43	532	1238
LG G Flex2	0.00	152	∞	0.00	398	∞
Xiaomi Mi 4	0.17	164	940	0.73	679	929
Huawei P8lite	0.09	73.7	784	0.45	362	802
Samsung Galaxy Alpha	0.00	228	∞	0.00	456	∞
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML	0.13	107	796	0.44	390	879
Samsung Galaxy S5	0.00	274	∞	0.00	529	∞
Motorola Nexus 6	0.00	149	∞	0.00	372	∞
Motorola Moto X (2014)	0.00	167	∞	0.00	358	∞

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 Z5 Compact 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.

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
Apple iPhone 6s
3.783
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
Apple iPhone 6s Plus
3.53
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
Sony Xperia Z5 compact
2.784
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
Motorola RAZR i
2.366
Meizu MX4
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
Xiaomi Redmi Note
2.119
Sony Xperia acro S
2.119
Nokia Lumia 1020
2.103
Oppo Find 5
2.088
Sony Xperia SL
2.078
Huawei P8lite
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
Meizu m2 note
1.892
BlackBerry Leap
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
LG Optimus 4X HD
1.691
Oppo Find 7
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
Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo
1.393
Sony Xperia M2
1.393
Microsoft Lumia 535
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

Sony Xperia Z5 Compact battery life

The Sony Xperia Z5 Compact is powered by a 2700 mAh battery, sealed-in, as expected. That is just a tad less than the Z5 at 2900 mAh, but still poses an upgrade over the Z3 Compact, with its 2600 mAh battery.

Overall, the phone offers excellent battery performance with a total endurance rating of 86 hours, but sadly, if we measure it by the high standards set by its predecessor and its whopping 101 hours, it is not nearly as impressive.

Still, it is a nice and solid performance and well above average too. It means that the Z5 Compact should be more than happy to facilitate two days of average use, or at least our understanding of it - one hour of browsing, video playback and calls a day, respectively and the rest - standby.

Such usage pattern is of course entirely artificial, but we've established it so our battery results are comparable across devices.

We were particularly impressed with the 28 hours of talk time the Z5 Compact managed to score. The web browsing and video playback performance are also solid, but if you are a heavy talker, it is worth noting that the small phone excels in this department.

And if the aforementioned usage scenario, just doesn't fit your bill, you can easily hop on to our battery life chart and adjust the pattern to your liking for an even more comprehensive comparison.

Connectivity

The Sony Xperia Z5 Compact comes only in a single SIM variant, which was also the case with its predecessor. Perhaps, Sony could have spiced things up in this generation with a dual-SIM offer.

The handset offers quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE/HSDPA support. LTE is enabled and Sony has multiple regional models to make sure the Xperia Z5 Compact will work with the most widespread 4G networks.

Local connectivity features dual-band Wi-Fi b/g/n/ac and Wi-Fi Direct. There is also support for Bluetooth 4.1 with A2DP. Satellite navigation is also a given, with additional A-GPS and GLONASS or Beidou (market dependent) support.

The Xperia Z5 Compact also has an FM radio with RDS. The phone doesn't offer an IR port, but it does come with NFC.

There is a microUSB 2.0 port for charging and data connections and now, thanks to special coating, it no longer needs to be covered by a flap. Media transfer mode is supported for accessing the phone's built-in memory and microSD card over the USB cable. USB host functionality is present, but requires a little more work than simply plugging in a device. There is a special menu under Xperia Connectivity in the setting that allows you to "discover" a plugged USB device. It still works as expected, but it requires some extra legwork.

Being part of the premium "Z" line has a few other benefits, like MHL 3 TV-out support. You can also 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

Next Page » 4. User interface

3. Display, battery life, connectivity

Reviews Sony Xperia Z5 Compact reviewPage 3