At a time when smartphones are getting bigger and bigger, Sony seems to be the only company still investing in some sort of compact form factors. Last year, it had launched the Xperia XZ2 Compact, and this year at IFA 2019, it is following it up with another phone called the Xperia 5. At 6.1-inch, the Xperia 5 may not seem like a compact smartphone – as compact as the 5-inch Xperia XZ2 Compact - but it has a neat trick up its sleeve to achieve its goal. Like the Xperia 1, the Xperia 5 also has an extra tall screen, and that’s what makes it a compact flagship - even though it is a 6.1-inch phone. 

Like the Xperia 1, the Xperia 5’s tall 21:9 display has its advantages, and it does, provided you’re aware of its limitations. A taller screen will, for one, allow you to browse more stuff at once and the. The Xperia 5 should be an ideal smartphone to view cinematic content as well. Of course, content will be a constraint but both Netflix and Amazon Video now have 21:9 HDR content, making life sort of bearable with the Xperia 5 – a smartphone that (like any other Sony flagship) also seems to be straight out of the future in this regard. 

Sony Xperia 5 specs and features 

Like the Xperia 1, the Xperia 5 also has a triple rear camera system – consisting of a trio of 12MP lenses differing in their respective field of view (there’s a 6mm wide lens with OIS, a 52mm telephoto lens with OIS, and a 16mm ultra-wide lens). There’s also an 8MP front camera. The setup is, in fact, taken straight from the Xperia 1. Sony is also using its Sony Alpha and Eye AF tech – that's seen in its cameras - to make the Xperia 5 cameras stand out from the crowd.   

Elsewhere, the Xperia 5 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor paired with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage which is also expandable. The dual-SIM phone has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner and is backed by a 3,140mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging through USB Type-C. The Xperia 5 has a 6.1-inch OLED display with a 1080p+ resolution. 

Speaking of design, the Xperia 5 has an all glass body – Corning Gorilla Glass 6 on the front as well as on the back – with an aluminum frame.  

Sony Xperia 5 price and availability 

Sony has launched the Xperia 5 at a price of $800 (roughly Rs 57,500) for the variant with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. The Xperia 5 will be available for buying in Europe later this fall and in the US in November. 

Also Read:  MWC 2019: Sony Xperia 1, Xperia 10 And Xperia 10 Plus Launched With Unusually Tall 21:9 Cinema Wide Screens