[Gadgets] Sony Xperia 5 V review: Compact and powerful with a great camera

[Aronus]

Sony's Xperia 5 V was described to me by a representative as their more trendy flagship, designed for younger people and influencers. Well, on the first part, I feel like I'm the target market; the second part perhaps not so much. Priced at £819 and seemingly only available in the UK at present, the Xperia 5 V represents the mid-range option with Sony's latest Xperia lineup of handsets, flanked by the flagship Xperia 1 V and the much more affordable Xperia 10 V.

The Xperia 5 V comes with last year's flagship Qualcomm chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor (the same as the recently reviewed Honor Magic V2 RSR Porsche Design), 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. There's a reasonable dual camera setup with a 48MP main snapper and 12MP ultrawide, while the display is a tall and skinny 6.1-inch 2560x1080 OLED. You also get a Micro SD card slot and a headphone jack, rarities on any phone these days.

In the hand, the Xperia 5 V feels excellent. Its matte finish is smooth to the touch and is comfortable to hold. In terms of its looks, the Xperia 5 V is reminiscent of Sony phones from years gone by, opting for a thin slab with more rounded corners. This design may be a little out of kilter compared to more modern flagships and mid-range choices, but I don't mind it.

The 6.1-inch panel makes this a compact handset next to my Galaxy S21 Ultra, while the slightly smaller size of the Xperia 5 V makes it a little difficult to hold one-handed. The boxier shape and taller feel takes some getting used to, but it's only a matter of moments before I was up and away with it. The Xperia 5 V is also well-constructed, complete with aluminium sides and front glass that's Gorillla Glass Victus 2. The back side is also comprised of frosted glass, which provides a nice contrast to the shiny aluminium.

 

Sony Xperia 5 V review: Compact and powerful with a great camera | Eurogamer.net