The Sony
Xperia Z5 release date in the US was February 7. Sony announced the release
via Facebook, stating that Amazon, Best Buy and also
B&H would all be stocking this device. It will be available as an unlocked
device, but supporting only GSM networks. Its price is set at US$599.99, and making it a rather high-end purchase.
Bizarrely, Sony has decided to ditch the
fingerprint scanner feature
on the US devices. All we know
so far is that it was about
a "business
decision". We've reached out to Sony for further comment,
and we will update this page with more information as we receive it. Especially for the information about Sony Xperia Z5.
Sony Xperia Z5 design and build quality
At first glance, the back of the sony
Xperia Z5
looks like it's made from metal, but it is actually just frosted matte glass. This looks good but also makes it really smooth and very slippery. The sides of the phone are slipper
still. The edges of this phone – where the sides meet the front and the back –
are slightly yet significantly pronounced.
These raised Sony Xperia Z5 edges do at least give you something to grip onto, but they
also accumulate the grit and grime. They also like to snag our hair,
both above our ear and, if we have a beard, on the side of our chin, which
can get annoying.
The Sony Xperia Z5 looks great, but the finger sensor located in
the power button is its best feature.
Despite these peculiar design choices, the Sony
Xperia Z5 is
the best-looking Xperia device yet. It stays true to Sony's Omnibalance design
but really boasts some subtle improvements. The Xperia Z5
is very good and put together, with Gorilla Glass 4 on the front
and back, and also an aluminum frame and rubber bumpers on the
corners to help absorb shock if the phone is incidently dropped.
Sony released a pink version of the Sony
Xperia Z5 on
January 12, 2016. The release came later in the phone's lifecycle, potentially
as a draw card for those
potential buyers who prefer a
more eye-catching color to the frosted glass but not metal materials.
The Sony Xperia
Z5 is also dustproof and waterproof (it has an IP rating of IP68, which means
it is dust-tight and protected against continued immersion in more than 1 m of
fresh water), although we should observe Sony's advice regarding
water-resistance on
their Xperia devices.