Many smartphone manufacturers have deeply been buried into the standard that claims the best phones must actually be bigger.
However, this seems not to be the case as far as Sony and Apple are concerned. Last year saw the Japanese tech giant come in with the flagship Xperia Z5. This phone was accompanied by a premium version and a compact version – the latter is our point of interest. Dubbed the Xperia Z5 Compact, the phone basically comes with everything that the flagship version comes with, expect the size – hence the tag “Compact.”
Apple recently bought the notion that “better phones must be bigger” as it unveiled a 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus, shifting from the usual 4-inch standard. This went on for a second year, with the company following up the 2014 models with iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus. However, this year saw something different as Apple went back to its traditional 4-inch size with a new iPhone SE. Just like Sony did with the Xperia Z5 Compact, Apple packed the iPhone SE with the same flagship hardware available in the iPhone 6S.
For once, let’s push aside the debate of Android vs. iOS and agree that both of these platforms have their strong sides and weak sides. In iPhone SE and Xperia Z5 Compact, for once we have small phones that pack the best features, which quash away the earlier “standard” that claims better phones must be bigger. So, which phone should you choose, given the opportunity to?
Xperia Z5 Compact vs. iPhone SE
There are very many things that could probably influence your choice when it comes to Sony’s Xperia Z5 Compact and Apple’s iPhone SE. If size is your thing, the smaller iPhone SE would do a lot better than the slightly larger Xperia Z5 Compact. The SE offers the convenience that has been taken away by the emergence of huge phones, however, you might want to look at the Z5 Compact if design is your thing.
Of course, you will still notice some similarities between the Z5 Compact and older Compact models. However, unlike the huge similarities between the iPhone SE and older iPhone models, Sony made some redesigns on the phone’s subtle elements. For instance, you will now find both the SIM and microSD card slots under one cover, square edges and no more of the smart connector. Further, you have less to worry with the Xperia Z5 Compact when around water pools and in the rain as the phone comes with an IP68 rating, which is a huge win for Sony compared to the SE, which has little resistance.
Larger devices have for long suffered from the fact that they lack the sharpness the displays on smaller devices come with. However, Apple has totally failed on this part with the iPhone SE, despite the phone having only a 4-inch display size. The company chose to stick with the same design as that used on the iPhone 5S and went for a poor resolution of 640 pixels. Sadly, Apple also excluded the 3D Touch feature from this phone.
When compared to what Sony has to offer in the Xperia Z5 Compact, Apple is still on the losing end. Sony’s 4.6 inches of display on the Z5 Compact is without doubt classy, boasting bright colors and vibrancy with its 720 by 1280 pixels of resolution.
Moving onto the hardware part, both phones are packed with the latest standards. The iPhone SE took most of what is already available on the iPhone 6S, for instance, the A9 chipset and 2GB of RAM. You will enjoy multitasking when using this tiny phone and there is basically no day-to-day task this device can’t handle perfectly. On the other hand, the Snapdragon 810 SoC used on the Xperia Z5 Compact does the job well. However, given that this chipset had some issues that even led to Samsung dropping it in its 2015 flagships, it means users might at times encounter slight problems, especially when multitasking or even switching between apps.
As far as the cameras are concerned, Sony is known for its prowess when it comes to photography. In fact, the camera sensors used in the iPhone SE are supplied by Sony, but this doesn’t mean the two phones have the same sensor installed. The rear snapper of the iPhone SE is the same as the 12MP iSight snapper used on the iPhone 6S, boasting the same aperture of f/2.2 as well as the same software. It gets even better as far as the Xperia Z5 Compact is concerned. Sony packed a massive 23MP rear sensor on the device, boasting an aperture of f/2.0, stronger zoom levels, better color rendition and faster autofocus. However, as you may have noticed in recent times, a larger megapixel count doesn’t translate to better photos.
So, still keeping off the Android vs. iOS debate, it is true that the iPhone SE has the style that most down-to-earth users will enjoy; however, the Xperia Z5 Compact has some nifty additions that make it a much better option.