Sony Reveals The Xperia Z5 Premium, The World’s First 4K Smartphone

Sony has dealt a major blow to its rivals in the premium smartphone world with the release of its latest flagship device.

The Xperia Z5 marks the company’s latest attempt to keep pace with the likes of Samsung and Huawei in the Android smartphone market, featuring more power and detail than any of its devices so far.

And Sony has revealed that the device will be available in a budget version, the Xperia Z5 Compact, and premium edition, the Xperia Z5 Premium, the latter of which will be the first smartphone in the world to feature a 4K display, meaning users will be able to watch video or play games in richer detail than ever before.

The Xperia Z5 and Z5 Compact will launch globally from October 2015, and Xperia Z5 Premium from November, with all the main UK carriers confirming they will stock the devices, although Sony isn’t divulging any information on price yet.

High-powered

The standard Xperia Z5 (pictured left) will feature a 64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 810 processor, 3GB RAM, 32GB storage (expandable to 200GB via microSD) and a 2,900mAh battery. Weighing in at 154g and just 7.3mm across, the device has a 5.2in FHD 1080p (1920×1080) display and also comes with Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC capability.

There is also a seriously impressive camera which Sony says is the best on the market today, with a 23MP rear lens that focuses in a mind-blowing 0.03 seconds, and can also record 4K video. On the front, there is a 5MP sensor that is capable of recording FullHD video, making this one of the best photo camera of all time.

Running Android 5.1 Lollipop, the Xperia Z5 (and its variants) also comes with Remote Play function, meaning you can use it to play games from your PS4 console simply by connecting a DualShock controller.

Crystal clear

The slightly heavier (180g) and thicker (7.8mm) Z5 Premium version (pictured right) marks the entry of some serious power alongside the highly-detailed screen, starting with a 5.5in 4K Triluminos display which offers four times the detail of a normal FullHD display.

Under the hood, there are many of the same parts as in the standard Z5, but with the addition of a 3430 mAh battery which Sony says will last up to two days and come with quick charge capability to eliminate the need for regular charging.

The Xperia Z5 Premium will also come with Sony’s ‘memory on display’ feature, which helps save battery life by caching images or video you have viewed on your device so that you don’t need to reload the full image each time you view it.

As you might expect, the Xperia Z5 Compact (pictured left) is smaller, lighter and less powerful than its bigger brothers, coming in at 138g and 8.9mm thick.

Inside, however, there is still a 64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 810, 2GB RAM and 32GB of storage, all backed up by a 2,700mAh battery, meaning it is no slouch. The 4.6in HD 720p (1280×720) screen also comes with Sony’s Triluminos display, and the 23MP rear camera and 5MP front lens from the more premium devices are still present, making this a very amiable proposition indeed.

“Smartphones are part of people’s lives” said Hiroki Totoki, President and CEO at Sony Mobile Communications. ”Since users already create, share and enjoy most of their content on the go – we’ve set out to bring Sony’s latest innovations in camera, design and display to ensure the Xperia Z5 series is the best possible lifestyle and entertainment platform.”

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