Over the years, one has become accustomed to seeing screen resolutions like 720x1280, 1080x1920 or 1440x2560. But how does 2160x3840 sound to you? And a pixel density of ~806 ppi on a 5.5-inch screen?
This “4K Display” is the crowning glory on the Sony Xperia Z5 Premium, close relative of the Xperia Z5, both launched recently in India. The Z5 Premium is the first smartphone in the world to come out with this specification. And why shouldn’t it push the envelope? But the paradox is this: you can’t really tell the difference between this and a Quad-HD display. You’ll have to work very hard at it, possibly using a magnifying glass. And you’ll need 4K content — 4K video and high-res photos.
The amazing thing is, to save on battery, the Z5 Premium actually works at a 1080p resolution — until you feed it some 4K content. Obviously everything is crisp and detailed, but in a real world situation as opposed to testing, it makes too little a difference to be worth the hype and the price. Which is Rs 62,990, though you can get it for almost Rs 10,000 less on online stores.
That said, many smartphones will turn up with this resolution in the coming year, now that Sony has set the bar. If you like the boxy Xperia look, then rest assured the Z5 Premium is also wearing it. But it’s a large phone and broad as well, so the boxiness just makes it seem larger. The sides have not enough curvature to them and that feels a little uncomfortable when you hold the phone. The unit I received has a stainless steel-like back and is like a mirror. I had a tremendously enjoyable time taking photographs of the television reflected on the phone, which made for quite an interesting effect. So, what else does that leave the Z5 Premium with? Nothing that the Z5 itself doesn’t have, but if you’re a Sony fan, you may want to look at both. The phone is of course waterproof and dustproof, even though there are open slots for the charger and earphones. But with a device so expensive, it’s best to avoid the party trick of dropping it into a glass of water or taking it for a bout of underwater photography and stick to a mild splash of water.
The power button on the right now includes a fingerprint sensor. It works reasonably well but you have to get used to the placement and the fact that you’ll have to unlock your phone by touching it. Of course, there are the on-screen alternatives. The dedicated camera triggering button also remains. The dual Nano SIM trays are on the left. There’s also a memory card slot.
Goes without saying that this is a snappy performer. It’s working with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 process with 3GB of RAM and 32GB internal storage. This is also what you get with the Xperia Z5, so that bears thinking about. The cameras are 23MP and 5MP, capable of 4K recording, obviously. The camera is very fast, but there’s also enough times when images are soft.
The Xperia Z5 Premium Dual competes with its own brother, the Xperia Z5, which costs Rs 52,990 (available for less than Rs 40,000 on eBay) but also has more than enough other competition to battle including the iPhone 6S and the current Samsung Galaxy S6 line up as well as the Note 5.
mala@businessworld.in
(This story was published in BW | Businessworld Issue Dated 28-12-2015)
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Mala Bhargava has been writing on technology well before the advent of internet in Indians and before CDs made their way into computers. Mala writes on technology, social media, startups and fitness. A trained psychologist, she claims that her understanding of psychology helps her understand the human side of technology.
