I read somewhere today that Sony xperia z5 and z5 premium are coming on the market next month. Would anyone know how s6 compares to the sony's flagship? I guess it's really hard to compare them with z5 not on the market yet, but raw characteristics might be enough for some of you.
I use a Sony Z3 Compact. I will not be buying any of the Z5 line. And I'll tell you why: camera and build quality.
Sony insists in not adding OIS or full manual controls to the camera. Or RAW support. Or to completely re-do the TERRIBLE post-processing that the camera does. As the camera is the feature I value most in phones, I would not recommend the Z5 series over the S6 to anyone (let alone over the G4). Even with the "new sensor" and all the Sony propaganda, you can bet the camera will be a disappointment.
So if like me the camera is something you deeply value, skip Xperias until Sony comes to their senses.
The build quality on Sony phones is great BUT I feel the Z5 series (namely the Z5 and Z5C) got a downgrade in terms of material quality. The new "frosted glass" on the back just feels like cheap plastic, contrary to the old glass they used.
However, if you don't care about the camera and the "frosted glass" doesn't bother you, then the Z5 series will be, to me, a better option than the S6.
The battery life, at least on the Z5, will last you for 2 days of medium usage (but easily last you a full day). It has quick-charge but unfortunately Sony also insists in not adding Qi charging to it.
The screen will look beautiful even at 1080p (2K displays are a gimmick) although they'd look even better if they used AMOLED.
I would be cautious about the Snapdragon 810. People swear Sony fixed the overheating problems (I honestly don't really believe it. Wait for reviews).
If you like stock Android, then the Z5 series has you covered because Sony is moving more and more towards stock Android (another reason why I won't buy a new Xperia). You will find very little bloatware too. Just a couple of Sony's own offerings. On the S6 you'll have to put up with TouchWiz (although when it comes to the Theme engine, if you hate Lollipop's design colours as I do, TouchWiz might be a necessary evil since the Theme engine on Xperia phones became a lot more limited since Lollipop.)
The phone also has 32GB+microSD which is a lot better than the S6 limited storage options.
The fingerprint scanner is also in a much more logical place, though the volume keys are in a really dump position (bellow the fingerprint/power button, above the dedicated shutter key).
The Z5P is just a Z5 with a 4K capable display. And I say "4K capable" because the screen will only be in 4K when you're viewing 4K content. The rest of the time it will be downscaling to 1080p for the battery. The Z5P is the only one that doesn't have the "build quality" downgrade to me and the Chrome Z5P is just awesome.
However, unless you have a vast library of 4K films (which you certainly don't) or if you think a Chrome finish is worth the extra 100€ they charge on top of the Z5 (or if you think 0.3" of extra screen makes any difference), the Z5P is not worth it over the normal Z5.
Samsung fanboys will tell you the S6 is vastly superior, Sony fanboys will tell you the Z5 is much better.
Once again, it comes down to what YOU value on a phone. If I had to chose between an S6 EDGE (and I'm talking about the Edge on purpose) or a Z5, even though (and because) I have a Z3, I would go for the S6 Edge only because of the camera. If the camera was not that important to me though, I'd pick the Z5 without ANY hesitation.
It is a fragile phone though, and apparently the Gorilla Glass 4 that Samsung used for the back isn't as resistant as the DragonGlass Sony used in their Xperias, judging by the amount of people who broke their S6's.
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram