Sony Xperia 5 V: Small smartphone with flagship camera and Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

Sony is taking an unusual approach with the Xperia 5 V. The 6.1-inch Android smartphone not only has the main camera of the Xperia 1 V flagship, but also the same high-end SoC, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. It also boasts features that are rare in the premium class, such as a 3.5 millimeter jack connection and a microSD slot. This is complemented by fantastic stereo speakers and a bright OLED panel with 120 Hz

Slim 21:9 housing with large battery

The Sony smartphone's case is also unusual. The Xperia 5 V, which weighs 182 grams, uses a slim, high-quality chassis in 21:9 format. Both the display and the back are protected by Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and are connected via a metal frame.

The display edges are somewhat thicker than on other upper-class smartphones. In return, the Xperia 5 V does without a punch hole recess or a notch for the selfie camera, which is instead inconspicuously integrated into the display frame.

The Xperia 5 V has a large battery despite its small case. This has a capacity of 5000 mAh and ensures excellent battery life, with which it can even beat similarly compact and powerful competitors such as the Apple iPhone 14.

Optical zoom via software

The main camera of the Xperia 5 V uses the Sony Exmor T IMX 888 (1/1.35", f/1.9, OIS) and thus the same sensor in the Xperia 1 V flagship. The camera does not use the full 52 MP resolution, but only a section of it with a maximum of 48 MP to simulate a 48 MP telephoto lens.

In the default setting, the Xperia 5 V produces 12 MP photos via 4x pixel binning. If you use zoom software in the standard setting of 2x, the main camera switches to a focal length of 48 mm and thus simulates an optical zoom with virtually no loss of quality.

Read the full review of the Sony Xperia 5 V here.