Review Sony Xperia Z5

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.