Sony has revealed the Xperia 5 V, but how does it compare to its bigger, pricier sibling, the Sony Xperia 1 V?
While the Sony Xperia 5 V boasts various improvements compared to its predecessor, the Xperia IV, including higher processing power, improved camera technology and enhanced speakers, there isn’t much between the Xperia 5 V and the Xperia 1 V despite a rather large gap in price point.
We’re yet to go hands-on with the Xperia 5 V, but we’ve spent a lot of time with the Sony Xperia 1 V. That said, here are some of the key differences (and similarities) between the two 2023 Sony flagships.
The Sony Xperia 5 V has a more compact display
Putting the two devices side-by-side, the most obvious difference is the display size. The Sony Xperia 5 V sports a more compact 6.1-inch display compared to the 6.5-inch screen of its bigger brother, the Xperia 1 V.
Don’t let the compact nature fool you, however; it’s still very much a premium OLED display with specs to match, including HDR, a 120Hz refresh rate and Sony’s TV-based X1 for Mobile chipset to deliver high-quality video playback.
It does miss out on the 4K resolution of the Xperia 1 V, instead capping out at an FHD+ resolution, but we don’t really count that as a downside.
We’ve long thought that the Xperia 1’s 4K OLED display has been overkill for a display of its size, instead just draining the battery faster by powering more pixels. Even Sony downscales the resolution to FHD+ when not viewing native 4K content, negating any potential benefit for browsing the web and gaming.
The Sony Xperia 1 V has more cameras
Being the all-bells-and-whistles flagship, the Sony Xperia 1 V has more advanced cameras than its smaller counterpart. That includes a primary 52MP Exmor T for Mobile sensor, a 12MP ultrawide and a unique 12MP telephoto lens with adjustable zoom between 85mm and 125mm, allowing you to find the perfect fit for portrait shots and close-ups.
That primary sensor, in particular, is a highlight of the Xperia 1 V, with the world’s first stacked CMOS sensor with 2-layer transistor pixel technology. That’s a fancy way of saying that the primary lens can capture much more light than other sensors its size, with a notable noise reduction – particularly in low-light scenarios.
The Sony Xperia 5 V also sports an upgraded 48MP Exmor T for Mobile sensor that should deliver similar results from the phone’s primary camera, as well as a 12MP 16mm ultrawide. Still, compared to the Xperia 5 IV, it’s missing a dedicated telephoto lens. Instead, the primary sensor can dynamically switch between 24- and 48mm, essentially providing a digital 2x zoom in its place.
This makes the camera selection more limited than the Xperia 1 V and its predecessor, the Xperia 5 IV. However, improvements to the primary lens could still tempt owners to upgrade to the latest model.
Both sport the same flagship Snapdragon processor
Despite quite a difference in price point – something we discuss below – the Sony Xperia 5 V and 1 V sport the same flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor.
The Xperia 1 IV had severe overheating issues, so much so that it’d occasionally cause the phone to shut down, though with the addition of bigger heat sinks in the Xperia 1 V, we didn’t find that to be the case with the newer model, which ran smoothly regardless of what was happening on-screen.
We’re yet to go hands-on with the Xperia 5 V, so we can’t comment on performance just yet, but we’re expecting very similar performance from the chipset.
That’s paired with either 8GB or 12GB RAM depending on whether you go for the Xperia 5 V or 1 V respectively. The latter represents a slightly better option for particularly power-hungry tasks like video editing and exporting, though you’re unlikely to see much difference in day-to-day use.
The Xperia 1 V is much more expensive
One of the key differences between Sony’s two top-end smartphones is price – and there’s quite a jump between the two.
The Xperia 5 V is cheaper than its predecessor, dropping £100 in the UK down to £849, making the difference between the two all the more apparent. That said, the Xperia 1 V will set you back £1,299 in the UK, making it £450 more – and also one of the most expensive non-foldable flagships around.
The Sony Xperia 1 V is available to buy now following its release earlier this year, while the Sony Xperia 5 V will be available in late September from various UK retailers and Sony itself.
