Sony Xperia Z5 deals and reviews

Expert Reviews | Katharine Byrne

While it's slightly disappointing that Sony continues to persist with the same screen size and resolution, the display itself is the best LCD panel in the business and it's great to see the company finally moving the Z series forwards with its new fingerprint sensor and camera module.

Recombu | Chris Barraclough

Sony's Xperia Z5 is one of the most desirable and feature-packed phones of 2015, boasting a strong everyday camera, sharp visuals that can be customised how you like and an improved (but still gorgeous) design that incorporates one of the best fingerprint sensors yet. The few drawbacks, such as a lack of wireless charging, seem quite petty.

S21

It brings a new, less flashy design with a fingerprint sensor built into the power button, and sports an upgraded 23 megapixel camera too. It's one of the fastest smartphones available, with an excellent screen and plenty of memory.

TechRadar | James Peckham

If you're going to buy a Sony phone, make it this one. The Xperia Z5 is the best phone Sony has ever produced and it's up there as one of the better Android phones on the market right now... The Xperia Z5 is a huge improvement on the predecessor with a new fingerprint sensor and a sexy design, but there are still a few little issues stopping it from getting that perfect score.

Mobile Choice | Sunetra Chakravarti

The Xperia Z5 is not the phone it could have been. You cannot tag a phone at its' price while it still runs an older version of Android and Sony have still not addressed the over-heating issue.

NotebookCheck | Michael Moser

If you are not scared of the high price and you are not allergic to glass and metal, then it is really hard to ignore the Sony Xperia Z5 when you are looking for a flagship smartphone.

MobileTechTalk | Mark Ramos

I'm going to miss the Z5 when it goes back, while I find the line-up confusing there isn't any doubt that Sony have produced a very fine device, with a very fine screen and for a phone, very fine audio quality.

Android Authority | Krystal Lora

The Sony Xperia Z5 is a great smartphone, but once again is an incremental update from its predecessor - the fingerprint scanner being the biggest new feature. Although the Z5 is a durable device with fast and clean software, you'll have to ask yourself if it's worth it's price tag.

The Mobile Indian | Anil Satapathy

... if you are not bothered about money then better go for the Xperia Z5 Premium which is world's first phone with 4K resolution or something else or the older Xperia Z3+ which now seems like the twin of Xperia Z5 Dual.

Alphr | Jonathan Bray

Fast, fabulous and long-lasting, the Sony Xperia Z5 mixes it with the best handsets in the business. If you like the combination of weatherproofing and the microSD slot, then this is the phone for you, but for me, it isn't quite the match of its rivals.

Android Central | Richard Devine

It can be said that the Z5 is good phone, because it is. Generally. And it has a very good camera. But we're still waiting for that 'wow' factor. For Sony to do something to blow us away... The Z5 is a handsome phone. But I'd be lying if I didn't say the lack of anything truly new on this front disappoints.

What Hi-Fi?

A solid flagship smartphone, but not the innovator we hoped for....It's a good phone and one that offers some really good flagship-like features: fingerprint scanner, 23MP camera, above-par battery life. But we don't feel as though Sony has moved things on enough.

Trusted Reviews | Max Parker

A major step-forward from the Z3+, Sony's latest Xperia has an excellent camera and a fast fingerprint scanner, yet it struggles to stand out from the crowd.

The Telegraph | Sophie Curtis

The Xperia Z5 is a sleek, stylish phone with a handful of great features and a camera that blows the competition out of the water. In spite of a few small niggles, it is a device that can be proud of.

The Guardian | Samuel Gibbs

The Xperia Z5 is a great flagship smartphone, and arguably the best Sony smartphone yet... fast, great camera, microSD card, waterproof and the most convenient fingerprint scanner in the business make for a solid, if unremarkable smartphone

Stuff | Andrew Williams

It's no pack leader but the Xperia Z5 is a good choice if you love Sony's style.

Pocket-lint | Chris Hall

We'd happily recommend to Sony fans looking for an upgrade. But it lacks the panachewe're seeing elsewhere in Android, which makes us a little bit sad in wondering what could have been.

International Business Times | Alistair Charlton

The Z5 is a stylish smartphone with a great skin over the Android operating system, and a good screen. Many consumers should look past some issues and towards the good phone the Z5 fundamentally is.

Digital Spy | Luke Johnson

The Sony Xperia Z5 is a solid phone that never quite blows us away. That is until you get to its camera. A feature good enough to recommend the phone on outright, this stunning shooter is let down by the phone's wider overheating and UI problems.

Engadget | Daniel Cooper

... Sony is an engineering firm, and that engineering-led approach means that the Xperia Z5 is a beautifully constructed piece of hardware. The downside to that is that the device lacks any sense of personality, and that puts it behind some of its more popular rivals. It's certainly a good phone, but I'd struggle to say that it's a great one.

What Mobile | Thomas Wellburn

We really wanted to love the Sony Xperia Z5 simply because of the brilliant camera quality but it's incredibly difficult to do so when the performance is so mixed.

TechSpot | Tim Schiesser

The Xperia Z5 isn't the easiest smartphone to recommend this year, which may come as a surprise considering it's arguably the best device Sony has produced. But with great devices in the market to choose from, being merely 'good' isn't enough to take out the win.

Mobile Syrup | Patrick O'Rourke

The Xperia Z5's impressive looks and phenomenal camera are muddled by performance and build-related issues...this device is a missed opportunity.

CNET UK | Andrew Hoyle

The Sony Xperia Z5 isn't a bad phone by any means, it just doesn't do much to stand out anymore. Its blocky design remains too similar to past generations to really generate much excitement, and its display and processor are pretty much unchanged from its predecessor.

The Verge | Vlad Savov

The Xperia Z5 is a phone without a home. It's comfortably beaten by Samsung's Galaxy S6, whether you're talking design, ergonomics, performance, or price. I'd also prefer to buy an LG G4, if camera performance is paramount, or an iPhone 6 or 6S, if the fluidity of the user experience is the primary objective.

Gadgets Now

...a good smartphone by all measures, offering a decent display, great battery life, smooth performance, good camera, and quality audio in a package that is not too big for the hands. However, the price tag ...can be its bane, considering several smartphones offer similar features and performance at a lower price.

PC Mag | Ajay Kumar

The unlocked Sony Xperia Z5 is an attractive Android phone with solid performance, but there are better options available for the price.

Digital Trends | Ted Kritsonis

The Sony Xperia Z5 isn't a flagship phone, and is also too expensive to be considered a true mid-range handset.

Android Headlines | Tom Dawson

An elegant piece of hardware with great battery life and an excellent camera, the Xperia Z5 is a good phone. Compared to how the rest of the pack have evolved over the past 12 – 18 months however, and it's clear Sony is still in need of some fresh blood where their mobile offerings are concerned. For now though, this represents the absolute best Xperia Z smartphone so far, and even though it's taken them countless versions before it, the Xperia Z5 has the best elements of Sony's brand rolled into one smartphone.

Brighthand | Dragan Petric

The Sony Xperia Z5 is one of the most powerful smartphones released in the second half of 2015. Its biggest selling-points are the fantastic design finish and the 23-megapixel camera.

phoneArena | Ray S.

there seem to be few reasons to go with this phone, aside from the fact that it's Sony, and it's water-resistant; neither of which are that high up in our priorities. The Z5 gives off the impression that it's been built to merely keep Sony in line with the times, in case it eventually decides to invest itself more significantly in smartphones.

AndroidPit | Eric Ferrari-Herrmann

The Xperia Z5 is a great smartphone with great features. It has an excellent display, above-average battery life, competitive performance and the best camera on Android. The main problem is this phone should have come to the US months ago.