Sony Xperia 1 V
If you’re looking for an all-singing, dancing flagship with a big screen then the Sony Xperia 1 V is worth a look. You can expect a top-quality display, an advanced camera system, more than a whole day’s battery, and seriously speedy performance.
Sony Xperia 5 V
For those who like the idea of Sony’s flagship but who aren’t so keen on the price or size, the Sony Xperia 5 V packs a lot of the same specs into a much smaller, cheaper package.
Sony is no stranger to top-performing tech, and its Xperia smartphones have been a big player right from the start. Every year we’re impressed by what Sony pulls out of the bag and its most recent releases are no exception.
In May 2023, Sony launched the Sony Xperia 1 V, a top-of-the-line flagship phone with all sorts of bells and whistles allowing it to compete with thebest phonesin the world. But for some, the price might be a little too steep and the phone itself might be a little too big. To fill that space, Sony has the Xperia 5 V, a slightly cheaper alternative that manages to pack everything we loved about the flagship into a much smaller handset. But which is right for you? Read on to find out how the two compare.
Price, specs & availability
you may buy theSony Xperia 1 Vglobally right now from $1,399 / £1,299 / €1,399. The Sony Xperia 5 V will be available to buy soon starting from £849 / €999 (approx $1,085).
Both come in various configurations: the Sony Xperia 1 V is available with 12GB of RAM and either 256GB or 512GB of storage, while the Sony Xperia 5 V will come with 8GB of RAM and either 128GB or 256GB of storage. You can buy them in a few different colours as well. The Xperia 1 V comes in Black, Khaki Green, and Platinum Silver. The Xperia 5 V comes in Black, Blue, and Platinum Silver.
As you might have guessed, with a lower price comes a few sacrifices but not quite as many as you might expect. For a more detailed breakdown of each device’s specs, take a look at the chart below. Each difference will impact how you use the phone, which we will go through step by step as you keep reading.
You won’t see too much dissimilarity between the two phones in terms of the overall design, one is pretty much just a shrunken version of the other. Both have a sleek flat back, both look much narrower than the majority of handsets and both have a new grippy textured coating on the back. You’ll get a side-mounted fingerprint sensor and thankfully, both have anIP65/IP68 ratingwhich means they’re waterproof so they’ll survive everything from rainfall to full submersion.
Perhaps the most significant difference between the two phones is their size. The Sony Xperia 1 V measures 165 x 71 x 8.3mm, and the Sony Xperia 5 V measures 154 x 68 x 8.6mm, so the latter is not only smaller but also thinner than the flagship.
Whether this appeals to you or not will depend largely on who you are and what you’re looking for. Those with smaller hands are likely to prefer a smaller device because you’ll be able to use the phone one-handed, reaching both sides of the screen with your thumb. A smaller smartphone will also be much more pocket-friendly. On the flip side, if you have bigger hands then you won’t mind having a bigger device. It could also be that you would rather have more screen real estate to work and play on.
These two handsets don’t differ too much in terms of weight, though. The Xperia 1 V weighs 187g, and the Xperia 5 V weighs 182g, so neither is particularly bulky and neither weighs anywhere near as much as the majority of flagships. If you’re after something lightweight then you’re already heading in the right direction.
Whether the Sony Xperia 1 V or the Xperia 5 V is the better choice for you will undoubtedly be influenced by the size of the display, but what about the quality?
The Sony Xperia 1 V sports a 6.5-inch OLED screen with a 4K resolution of 1644 x 3840 pixels, the Xperia 5 V on the other hand, has a 6.1-inch OLED display with an FHD+ resolution of 1080 x 2520 pixels. Both have a 21:9 ratio, a 120Hz refresh rate and both will handle a few knocks and bumps thanks to Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2.
Naturally, the Sony Xperia 1 V will deliver slightly better quality overall, which will come in handy if you spend a lot of time editing photos or streaming 4K movies (if you may find them for mobile) but truth be told, fewer pixels won’t make that much difference, especially if you mostly use your phone for simpler tasks like scrolling, browsing, and messaging - the smaller FHD+ handset will certainly be good enough for most people.
Performance and software
Thanks to the latestSnapdragon 8 Gen 2, the Xperia 1 V and the Xperia 5 V look set to be pretty powerful and should be able to handle everything from mobile gaming to video editing.
We’ve already tested the Xperia 1 V and it was super quick across the board, as you can read in the review: “It didn’t struggle with anything I threw at it, whether it was Mario Kart, photo shooting, or mindlessly scrolling through Threads.” You’re likely to get a similar experience with the Xperia 5 V.
Because the Xperia 1 V comes with 12GB of RAM as opposed to the Xperia 5 V’s 8GB, we’d expect the 5 V to be slightly slower than its bigger sibling but not so much so that it dramatically affects how you’d use it day-to-day. You’ll also get more storage on the flagship with options ranging up to 512GB instead of the 5’s maximum of 256GB.
Software-wise, you’ll get a consistent experience across both handsets with something very close to stock Android 13 as well as a few Sony-specific apps thrown in like Photography Pro and Video Creator.
Battery life
You can look forward to a strong battery life because both handsets pack a 5,000mAh battery. During our testing of the Xperia 1 V, the battery lasted more than a day of casual use, which included sending messages on WhatsApp, scrolling social media, and a bit of mobile gaming. It’s likely to be a similar story when it comes to its miniature counterpart.
To recharge the phones, a 30W wired connection will take you from 0 to 50 per cent in about half an hour, which isn’t best-in-class but it’s fast enough. Both support wireless charging and reverse charging.
Given Sony’s expertise in the realm of photography, it’s no surprise that its flagship phone is out to impress in terms of its camera setup. But one thing we really love about the Sony Xperia 5 V is that despite being a fair amount cheaper than the Xperia 1 V, you don’t lose out too much in that department.
The camera system is almost identical on both phones with a 48-megapixel main sensor (f/1.9, 1/1.35in), a 12-megapixel ultrawide lens (f/2.2, 1/2.5), and 4K video up to 120fps, as well as a 12-megapixel selfie camera. If you were to buy the Xperia 5 V, the only thing you lose out on is the Xperia 1 V;s 12MP (f/2.3-f/2.8, 1/1.35in) telephoto sensor. What that means is its zoom setup is different, using the main sensor for that function instead. We’ll have to fully test the Xperia 5 V to determine just how good the quality is when it comes to zoom.
Generally where Sony smartphone cameras thrive is in their level of manual control. Professionals and enthusiasts can tweak settings like ISO, white balance, shutter speed, and so on, to capture their perfect image. For those who are less in tune with the advanced settings, the Basic Mode allows for effective point-and-shoot photography. Whichever phone you settle on, you’ll be able to use the camera in a way that suits your level of knowledge.
Which is right for you?
Ultimately the Sony Xperia 1 V and the Xperia 5 V aren’t that different, but that could make deciding between them all the more difficult. What you may be sure of is that both devices will give you a hand-friendly design, a bright and vibrant display, speedy performance, a decent battery life, advanced camera settings, and intuitive Android software.
If you’d prefer to have a big, high-quality display with a camera that has everything you could ask for, and you don’t have a budget in mind, it’ll be worth spending the extra cash on the Sony Xperia 1 V.
The Sony Xperia 1 V is the company’s latest flagship smartphone with a huge 6.5-inch 4K screen, a killer camera, and impressive performance.
If you’re looking to keep the price as low as possible, you’d rather have a smaller handset and you don’t mind losing out on the telephoto lens, then the Xperia 5 V will be the better choice. Thanks to its impressive list of specs and features, it’s still a very worthy buy.
Anyone looking to save a bit of cash, or anyone who would prefer flagship-level specs in a smaller piece of kit should buy the Sony Xperia 5 V. It’s still by no means ‘cheap’ but it’s much better value than Sony’s Xperia 1 V.
