Sony Xperia 5 V: ideal for content creation

The Sony Xperia 5 V is a more modest version of Sony's current number one, the Xperia 1 V. Its cameras tickle my ambitions as an amateur photographer. The editing applications allow you to rework the results directly on the smartphone. It's perfect for creating content.

Smartphones

EUR972,90

Sony Xperia 5 V

128 GB, Blue, 6.10", SIM + eSIM, 48 Mpx, 5G

61

Smartphones

EUR972,90

Sony Xperia 5 V

128 GB, Blue, 6.10", SIM + eSIM, 48 Mpx, 5G

61

Here's an overview of the main specifications:

• SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2;
• Screen: 6.1-inch OLED, 1080 × 2520 pixels, 21:9 aspect ratio, 120 Hz, Gorilla Victus 2 glass (double-sided);
• memory: 128 GB internal storage, 8 GB RAM ;
• cameras: wide-angle: 48 MP, ultra-wide-angle: 12 MP, selfie: 12 MP;
• ports: SIM and microSD, (eSIM available) ;
• protection standards: IP65 and IP68 (dustproof, protected against water jets, protected against short-term immersion);
• battery: 5000 mAh;
• dimensions: 15.4 × 6.8 × 0.86 centimetres, 182 grams.

Design and size: handy and weatherproof

The Sony Xperia 5 V's format is unusual compared to what other brands offer. At 15.4 × 6.8 × 0.86 centimetres, it's certainly average in height, but thinner than other smartphones and about a centimetre shorter than the Xperia 1 V. At 182 grams, it's lighter than some of its rivals. Thanks to its compact size, the device fits easily in your pocket and feels good in your hand, although the 21:9 aspect ratio may take a little getting used to. This aspect ratio means you can watch videos in cinema mode without the black bars at the top and bottom.

The smartphone is protected by Gorilla Victus 2 glass on the front and back. This should ensure that it can withstand drops from two metres onto floors that aren't too hard, such as wood. For concrete, the limit is set at one metre. Of course, it is also possible to use a shell. The only problem is that this covers the back of the phone, which is pleasant to the touch and not very sensitive to fingerprints.

The device is top notch when it comes to protection ratings: with IP65 certification, it's protected against dust and jets of water, and IP68 even gives it protection against immersion. It is supposed to withstand accidental immersion in fresh water up to 1.5 metres.

Well equipped despite the lack of a telephoto lens

The Xperia 5 V features a dual camera system. This gives you a wide-angle lens and an ultra-wide-angle lens.

The main camera is equipped with the same 48-megapixel (MP) sensor as the brand's flagship. Sony is working with pixel binning here. This technique involves grouping pixels together. These capture more light and provide a cleaner signal. The result is transposed into a smaller format. On the Xperia 5 V, 48 MP corresponds to a resolution of 12 MP.

The extra pixels in the main camera are used for digital zoom so that quality is not affected. However, at 6x zoom, which is the highest, the loss of quality is clearly visible, even with the AI super-resolution zoom that's supposed to improve rendering.

The main camera's extra pixels are used for the digital zoom so that quality is not affected.

If you think you can get more out of a telephoto lens, you should know that both the 1 V and 5 IV have an additional telephoto lens. Note, however, that this one didn't win us over during our test with the Xperia 1 V. So the fact that there's none here is tolerable.

On the other hand, the Sony Xperia 5 V is capable of superb close-ups without macro mode. The phone achieves clear lines on a flower and a superb digital blur effect in the background. In my portrait, you can even make out my hair. It's less obvious on the smartphone screen. You can measure the intensity of the bokeh effect on a graduated ruler before taking the photo.

You can see that the Xperia 5 V is geared towards content creation thanks to the pre-installed Pro apps. You'll also find them on the Xperia 1 V. The Photo-Pro application menu is inspired by Sony's Alpha series of cameras. If you're familiar with it, you'll quickly find your feet. The Video Pro application also offers a range of settings for filming. With the Music Pro application, you might just create the next summer hit with one or more audio tracks.

All this can be a lot at once for novices. If the options are too complicated, we can rely on automatic settings. There are two options for this. The normal Basic mode works like ordinary smartphone cameras and adjusts everything automatically. Then there's Auto mode. This also works with presets. It lets you take photos in RAW format and deactivate the flash and night mode. What's more, Auto mode directly corrects the sky, which is generally overexposed by the Xperia 5 V.

You can explore the generous menu in the Camera app. With exposure time in particular, I tested different effects on a fountain. Unfortunately I don't have a tripod to keep the image sharp with longer exposure times.

All in all, I take nice, natural photos with the Sony Xperia 5 V when the light is right and I have a bit more control over the settings compared to other smartphones. But Sony's smartphone content creation is no substitute for a real camera. The camera settings make most sense in daylight and with a maximum focal length of 24 millimetres.

Powerful chip and handy SIM slot

The Sony Xperia 5 V is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which is found in many other devices in addition to its own flagship model. For comparison, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is in the same performance range. It's true that one of Samsung's cores is clocked at 3.36 GHz instead of 3.19 GHz in Sony's device, but that doesn't matter. In my performance tests, all three smartphones are in the same range.

The eight gigabytes (GB) of RAM are also wonderfully sufficient. In practice, the Xperia 5 V is fluid, I can access my applications quickly, switch between them and open several in parallel without any problems. The high performance really comes into play when editing videos.

The easy opening of the Sony Xperia 5V's SIM and microSD slots requires no special tools. The 128GB internal memory can thus be expanded up to a terabyte. For all you music lovers out there, the smartphone has a 3.5mm jack socket for headphones, which is rare on today's smartphones.

Good battery life

The battery is generous. With 5000 mAh, I get 12-16 hours of battery life with two hours of social media, a movie, the occasional text and a slightly longer call, all taking into account the refresh rate of up to 120 hertz, which gives me a smooth user experience. If I lower it to 60 hertz, the smartphone can last up to 24 hours maximum. This is on a par with the Xperia 1 V. I also noticed a very good standby time of several days.

The Xperia 5 V charges via USB-C or wirelessly. The charging cable is not included. Depending on which one you get, charging time can vary by around two hours. Thanks to USB 3.2 (Gen 1), you can transfer your photos and videos to your PC at speeds of up to five gigabits per second.

Entertainment isn't left out

I can also use my smartphone for entertainment in between. I play Genshin Impact and benefit from the assistance of Sony's game optimiser, which informs me of the number of frames per second in real time and gives me the option of taking a video capture of my game.

Video is displayed on the OLED screen in vivid colour and with a rich black. This is where the 21:9 aspect ratio really comes into its own, I find. On Sony's streaming service, Bravia Core, I can download five films for free with a new account and do a year's worth of streaming. The resolution of 1080 × 2520 pixels is slightly lower than that of its big brother, the Xperia1 V, which boasts 1644 × 3840 pixels, but it still guarantees a sharp image thanks to its 449 PPI. For videos, the stereo speakers are decent. For music, I recommend headphones or external speakers. For me, to get the most out of music, the sound needs to be even a little better than that of a smartphone.

Software updates

The Sony Xperia 5 V runs Android 13 with its own Xperia UI user interface. Sony promises two years of Android updates and three years of software updates. If you ask me, that's not enough. Other manufacturers are offering at least a year more.

After the usual Google services, I find a couple of Sony apps for my photos and videos. As well as the aforementioned Camera app, the separate Video app is great for some creative work. It allows me to edit videos created directly on my mobile phone. The phone performs wonderfully and responds quickly and reliably.

Conclusion: top smartphone for creative work

The Sony Xperia 5 V has everything it takes to be an exceptional lightweight. Its size and format are very pleasing. The available cameras are convincing and allow you to take beautiful shots. RAW images are a plus. The 1V's telephoto lens is replaced by an all-digital zoom whose quality is not entirely convincing.

Where the Sony Xperia 5 V scores points is in hardware and software: great battery life, a powerful chip for multitasking and video editing, and an audio jack just the way we like them. The Xperia 5 V also serves pure entertainment wonderfully with games and cinema format video.

What I don't like about this smartphone is that it only gets two years of Android updates and three years of security patches. For a smartphone in this price range, I find that unacceptable. What's more, the price is relatively high.

If you're into content creation and looking for a practical smartphone, especially to replace the camera occasionally, the Xperia 5 V is a great choice. It also offers some excellent apps for formatting your creative photos and videos and making them compatible with social media.

But it is rather expensive. Compared to smartphones with similar hardware, its price is slightly above average. That said, it offers features that you'll hardly find on other high-end smartphones. Like a jack or the ability to physically expand memory. If you can forgo these features and would rather spend a little less on good photos, I recommend the Samsung Galaxy S23 or the Google Pixel 8. These have the same screen diagonal and score points with also eightGB of RAM and the IP68 water protection of the Xperia 5 V.