Nexus 5X vs. Sony Xperia Z5 Compact?

[lazypapichulo]

Nexus 5X vs. Sony Xperia Z5 Compact

Sometime within the next few months, I want to get my girlfriend a new smartphone. She currently has the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact, which I got for her Christmas 2014.

I got her this phone because the only other smaller sized flagship smartphone that was out was the iPhone 6 (and she didn't want the iPhone). Every other top-shelf smartphone was (and still is) huge and unwieldy, and her small hands don't prefer that. So, based on all my research, I got her the Z3 Compact and she loved it.

The Z3 Compact's petite and colorful design, great battery life, and solid camera are all likable qualities about the phone. Overall, she likes it but the phone has not been perfect, by any means.

The magnetic charging port broke on her after using it for only a few weeks. Constantly having to open and close the flap on the side of the phone to charge it is annoying. And for some reason, the phone's location services and GPS do not work correctly.

Despite rebooting the phone, the phone was still giving her issues. So, we exchanged her phone for a new Xperia Z3 Compact directly from Sony (covered under the warranty). Yet, the phone's GPS still did not work properly.

And more recently, weird and random things have persistently been occurring. For example, her alarms only vibrate rather than project sound, even though she sets all her alarms on loud. The alarm's vibration still manage to wake up her up on time, but this should not be happening, either way.

So now, I want to upgrade her phone but I am not sure exactly what to get her. I want to get her the Xperia Z5 Compact because it's still the smallest flagship smartphone out there. She still doesn't want an iPhone lol.

The Z5 Compact seems to have rectified most of the flaws of the Z3 Compact (i.e. micro USB port is no longer covered with a silly flap and the phone remains "waterproof"). Nonetheless, I don't want to risk getting her another Xperia phone because it may yet again prove to be a somewhat broken smartphone experience.

At this point, I'm not sure what new phone to get her. Other than the Z5 Compact (maybe), there aren't any other smartphones that are as pocketable as the Xperia phones. So now, I'm just looking at other phones that come moderately close. I may consider getting her a Samsung Galaxy S6 (or S6 Edge), but I am also considering getting her the Nexus 5X.

The Nexus 5X is a reasonably priced phone that, while not as petite as the Z3 or Z5 Compact, is still fairly manageable to use with small hands. From my research, I've learned that it has a decent battery life (no where near as good as the Xperia phones, but most smartphones in general aren't as good with battery life), a pretty good camera, and quick software updates.

Even though my girlfriend is not a tech nerd like me and doesn't really care about the stock Android experience (she just wants a phone that simply works), the quick updates may help just in case some issues do arise with the Nexus 5X.

As you can see, I've done a lot of thinking and researching about this whole situation. If anybody can give me some input as to what phone I should get her and why, I'd greatly appreciate it. Thank you!!

 

[Bob Garon]

I've had both and prefer the 5X. It's a little tall, but other than that it's a much better phone.

Posted via my Nexus 5X & T-Mobile Unlimited

 

[fonejacker77]

Re: Nexus 5X vs. Sony Xperia Z5 Compact

I just got my wife who had a Z1 compact for the last 2 years the Nexus 5X. My daughter has the Z3 compact. My wife's been using the 5X for almost a week and really likes it.
Much better camera than Z1 or Z3 (and judging from pictures I've seen online the Z5 too).
Battery life is almost as good.
Screen is better, although wife says not for typing with 1 hand (might have to get her a 1 handed keyboard like SwiftKey).
My wife isn't techie at all so just wanted something that works easy and (like yours) didn't want iPhone.
If in doubt, go to a store and try a demo model.
1 thing my wife and I would recommend if you do get the 5X is a gel case for grip and protection but without the bulk/weight, I got 1 for £2 and it came with a screen protector too.
Overall my wife with her little lady fingers prefers it to a Sony compact. Hope this helps you.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[anon(464338)]

I have the 5x and sold my z5c because I wanted to try stock Android. I have been sort of missing the Z5c because the 5x is imo too big for one handed use. It's unnecessarily big for a 5. 2". The top has a speaker grill and no speaker almost like it was in the works and they scrapped it last minute. The screen resolution is better than the Z5c but on a small 4.6"@ 720p ypu can't really tell the difference other than the 5x has a yellow tint and Sony a cooler bluish tint. Speed wise, Nexus is a bit smoother but not by much. I think the z actually goes in and out of apps faster. Marshmallow is supposed to be coming to the z5 series this month though and this should improve performance. The build quality is kinda equal but the z5c feels much more solid and the 5x has some weird feedback when you tap the back almost Spring like.. Hard to explain but it doesn't exude "quality" The Sony also has some useful features like little apps which I use the calculator app constantly for my business and to pay bills(very useful) My big gripe with the z5c is that the fingerprint sensor is ok at best in that it works flawless sometimes and others misses every single time so you have to put your password in (very annoying). The US version is going to ship without the fingerprint scanner and I'm wondering if they found a flaw. I'd lean toward the z5c if I was to do it all over and buy the US version without the sensor. For me, the difference between the performance and screen is negligible. It really comes down to size and there, there's nothing on the market like the z compact. It really is a joy to use and carry.

Posted via the Android Central App