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Does anybody have the Z5?

Had a few different phones. Giving the Z5 a go. Had the Z3 which I liked.

Been sunning myself with an iPhone for the last few months. Mainly as I was beta testing for them.

Had the LG G4 very briefly. Didn't like it. The last phone I had before going over to the dark side was the OnePlus One (I think) I lose track.

Anyway, back to the Z5, very nice build. Like the frosted back, no fingerprints, although I've stuck a tempered screen on so fingerprints.

I find it elegant and sleek. OS good, could do with a few tweaks here and there; mainly on Sony apps, calendar and the like. Screen excellent.

If I'm being honest I would have preferred the Z5 Premium but budget constraints dictate.
 
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My ageing Galaxy S3 had a heart attack just before the Z5 came out (right in the middle of backing up my stuff - AAAARGH!) so obviously it died at just the right time.

I looked at a few phones (S6, LG G4, HTC One M9) and although I wanted the RAW photo support of the LG and HTC, I couldn't resist up to 2 day battery, 23MP camera, the fact it looks slick as hell AND dust/waterproofing. I really don't think Sony get enough credit for making a gorgeous-looking phone that you can take pictures of the inside of a fish's house with! It's truly impressive. Oh yeah, and 200GB SD support, too.

Anyway, add all that up and it was a no-brainer; none of the competitors had ALL those elements. It's fast and fluid too, could be slightly better perhaps, but more than good enough for my needs.

I didn't see the point in going for the premium for 4K - it's only 4K when displaying that content, although I was tempted. I couldn't hold on for the release as I needed a phone immediately. The screen is so good, it's hard to tell anyway.

Also loving the frosted back, although I'm paranoid that I'm going to crack it.

On the flipside though: it heats up quite a bit due to the 810 processor (still) but it's not uncomfortable, hasn't shut down at any point and only happens when I'm doing something particularly processor-intensive. So at least they have tempered the issues that made the Z3+ such a disaster.
 
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Hi, I currently own and use a Sony Xperia Z5 (Jan 2016), I am a tech-blogger and have personally used several devices recently including Z3, M9, N6, S6, G4 and OnePlus 2 lately.

Z5 is a little refined version of Z3 in terms of design and feel - so better slightly but feels very similar in looks. Same squarish style by Sony. At 7.3mm depth, it feels good in hand.

The real downside for me is the camera. If I am spending a decent money on this phone in flagship market, I want a top notch experience in camera sector. Although it is 23MP and Sony's sensors are famous, it is the software side which lets it down a bit. The end results are not as sharp and deep as S6 or G4. (G4 sits on the top in camera quality at the moment).

Battery life - some found it to be better than competition but I personally do not think that it is substantially better. Perhaps marginally better than the competition.

It does heat up - which is not very good.

OS is acceptable - no complaints.

Overall it is 7 to 8 out of 10 phone. If you are a Sony fan, it is worth considering, if you are not a Sony fan specifically, it is worth considering other devices.

My two pence, should be treated as my personal opinion, good luck.
 
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I have had a z5 since November of 2015 and have been pretty pleased with it. I opted to not go with the generally preferred Samsung S6 or OnePlusTwo that most people I knew were using.
So far I've been pretty content.
1. The biometric scanner hasn't been an issue unless my fingers are wet but that tends to be an issue with most biometric scanners.
2. Sound is pretty damn good and front facing speakers help with that
3. Battery life can be fantastic. Depends on your settings. I've definitely used the phone for over a day with relatively frequent use but if spend extensive time with the screen on watching videos etc, it'll drain quickly. Still lasts longer than my nexus 4 ever did or the iphones my parents own.
4. Screen quality and clarity is pretty solid. Sure you don't get the vividness that higher resolution phones provide but the trade off seems to be in a longer battery life. My friends with S6s are constantly plugging their phones in for a quick charge or use external batteries. I haven't had a need for any.
5. Size seems to be alright for me and I know some people complain about the shape and how it feels in their hands but I haven't had any issues with this. I have fairly big hands though so that may play a role.
6. The software seems pretty slick, I wish they'd push the latest android OS updates faster. It's a big step down from a nexus in that regard. Plus there is some bloatware that I had to remove (Recommended apps from Sony etc.)

I do love and hate the camera. It definitely needs a big fix in software to make it really fantastic. I chose the green color which is unique among smartphones and I'm pretty pleased with that. Mine is Dual Sim which works well for me, and the expandable memory slot has been great for 4K recording.

I wouldn't strongly recommend this phone to anyone, but I wouldn't write it off either. Sony definitely needs to push their bar further up to become a real class phone. My biggest grievance with the phone has to do with the way the screen is embedded. There are these tiny places between the frame and the screen that attract dust or tiny particles and anything that gets inside drives me nuts. (I'm fairly obsessive compulsive about my electronics)
 
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I've just got my z5 for about 3 weeks now.
I love it a lot.
I updated it immediately to Android 6.0.
I have no complain with the camera. In fact I think it takes great pictures.
But of course if you zoom way in checking the pixels you cannot compare the sharpness with photos from a DSLR.
No cellphone camera can do that yet.
dwtkbo.jpg
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Here are a couple shots I snap with my Z5.

The phone is fast and responsive. Storage space is great for apps and their data. I put all pics and mp3s on sd card though.

One more thing, it's rare. You are not going to run into too many people with the same phone as yours if you get this phone.
 
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