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If you’re into compact smartphones, and you also want a powerful smartphone at the same time, there are not a ton of choices out there. Luckily both Sony and Apple did release such devices in the last year or so. In this article, we’ll compare the Sony Xperia 5 V vs Apple iPhone 15. The Xperia 5 V is Sony’s most powerful compact device, while the iPhone 15 is inferior to the iPhone 15 Pro, but still quite compelling. Also, we’ve already compared the ‘Pro’ model with the Xperia 5 V, in case you’re interested in that.
As per usual, we’ll first list their specifications, and will then move to compare them across a number of other categories. We’ll compare their designs, displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio performance. These two devices are quite different, which should make things interesting. Let’s get down to it.
Specs
Sony Xperia 5 V vs Apple iPhone 15, respectively
– Screen size:
6.1-inch OLED display (120Hz, 1B colors, HDR10)
6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display (60Hz, HDR, 2,000 nits)
– Display resolution:
2520 x 1080
2556 x 1179
– SoC:
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
Apple A16 Bionic
– RAM:
8GB
6GB
– Storage:
128GB/256GB (UFS 3.1)
128GB/256GB/512GB
– Rear cameras:
48MP (wide, f/1.9 aperture, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS), 12MP (ultrawide, f/2.2 aperture, Dual Pixel PDAF)
48MP (f/1.6 aperture, sensor-shift OIS), 12MP (ultrawide, f/2.4 aperture)
– Front cameras:
12MP (f/2.0 aperture, 1.25um pixel size)
12MP (f/1.9 aperture) + TrueDepth
– Battery:
5,000mAh
3,349mAh
– Charging:
30W wired, 15W wireless, 5W reverse wireless (charger not included)
20W wired, 15W wireless (charger not included)
– Dimensions:
154 x 68 x 8.6mm
147.6 x 71.6 x 7.8mm
– Weight:
182 grams
171 grams
– Connectivity:
5G, LTE, NFC, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C, Bluetooth 5.3
– Security:
Side-facing fingerprint scanner
Advanced facial scanning
– OS:
Android 13
iOS 17
– Price:
$849.99+
$799+
– Buy:
Amazon
Apple
Sony Xperia 5 V vs Apple iPhone 15: Design
As you can see, these two devices look entirely different. They’re both made out of aluminum and glass, but that’s where their similarities end, basically. The Sony Xperia 5 V doesn’t have a display camera hole or notch, but it has slightly thicker bezels above and below the display. It also has a 21:9 display aspect ratio, so it’s quite tall and narrow. The iPhone 15 has a pill-shaped display camera hole aka Dynamic Island. The display aspect ratio here is 19.5:9.
Both smartphones have two cameras on the back, but they look very different. Sony’s are placed in the top-left corner and are vertically aligned. The iPhone 15 cameras have a diagonal setup, but also sit in the top-left corner. Both smartphones do have flat sides, but they’re different. The Xperia 5 V has chamfered edges, while the ones on the iPhone 15 have a slight curve towards the sides. Both smartphones are fairly comfortable to hold.
The fact these two phones are not heavy definitely has something to do with comfort. The Xperia 5 V weighs 182 grams, while the iPhone 15 weighs 171 grams. The Xperia 5 V is considerably taller, and noticeably narrower, while it’s also a bit thicker than the iPhone 15. Both smartphones are IP68 certified for water and dust resistance. If you’re looking for a one-handed smartphone, both of these fit the bill. They’re amongst the best compact devices out there.
Sony Xperia 5 V vs Apple iPhone 15: Display
The Sony Xperia 5 V includes a 6.1-inch fullHD+ (2520 x 1080) OLED display. That panel is flat, and has a 120Hz refresh rate. It also supports HDR10 content and can project up to 1 billion colors. The Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protects this display. We’re looking at a 21:9 display aspect ratio, which makes the phone narrow and tall. The screen-to-body ratio here is around 83%, in case you were wondering.
The Apple iPhone 15 has a 6.1-inch 2556 x 1179 Super Retina XDR OLED display. This panel is also flat, but it has a 60Hz refresh rate. It doesn’t offer a high refresh rate. HDR10 content is supported, and so is Dolby Vision. This panel goes up to 2,000 nits when it comes to brightness, and has a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The screen-to-body ratio is 86.4%. The Ceramic Shield glass is placed on top of the display in order to protect it.
The iPhone 15’s panel does get brighter than Sony’s, but not by that much. Both displays are very much usable outdoors, even in direct sunlight. There are brighter displays out there, though, of course. The Xperia 5 V has the advantage of high refresh rate. If you’re used to high refresh rate displays, you may be underwhelmed with the iPhone 15. Other than that, both displays are quite good. They are vivid, have good viewing angles, and the blacks are deep, as they should be on AMOLED panels.
Sony Xperia 5 V vs Apple iPhone 15: Performance
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 fuels the Sony Xperia 5 V. That handset comes with 8GB of RAM, and UFS 3.1 flash storage. The iPhone 15, on the other hand, includes 6GB of RAM and NVMe flash storage. That handset is fueled by the Apple A16 Bionic processor. Neither of these two chips is the latest and greatest at this point, but they’re right next to the most powerful offerings from Qualcomm and Apple.
Truth be said, both smartphones do offer flagship-level performance. We did not notice any performance problems during regular, everyday use. Everything is nice and snappy, ranging from web browsing, to consuming multimedia, and multitasking. The same can actually be said for gaming as well. Both smartphones can handle even the most demanding games that are available for them, in their respective stores.
Do note that both phones do get quite warm during intense use, but neither gets too hot to handle or anything of the sort. There’s really nothing to worry about when it comes to performance, even though neither phone has the bleeding edge spec sheet at this point in time. They’re close enough to that, though.
Sony Xperia 5 V vs Apple iPhone 15: Battery
A 5,000mAh battery sits inside the Sony Xperia 5 V. The iPhone 15, on the flip side, includes a 3,349mAh unit. Apple’s handsets usually have smaller battery packs, but that’s because iOS handles battery consumption differently. You’ll be glad to know that the battery life on both smartphones is good. In fact, the two phones are on the same playing field when it comes to battery life.
Crossing the 7-hour screen-on-time level is possible on both devices. Do note that gaming could impact that number in a negative way, though. Getting over 7 hours of screen-on-time is possible even with more intense usage, both of these smartphones can handle it. That’s not nearly the best we’ve seen when it comes to higher-end phones, but it’s good. Most people will be more than happy with the battery life here. Do note that your mileage may vary, though, of course. You’ll be using different apps, in a different way, with different signal strengths.
The Sony Xperia 5 V supports 30W wired, 15W wireless, and 5W reverse wireless charging. The iPhone 15, on the other hand, supports 20W wired, 15W wireless (MagSafe & Qi2), 7.5W wireless (Qi), and 4.5W reverse wired charging. Neither of the two phones includes a charger in the box, though. So you’ll have to get one, if you don’t already own it.
Sony Xperia 5 V vs Apple iPhone 15: Cameras
Sony’s handset includes a 48-megapixel main camera and a 12-megapixel ultrawide unit. This handset also comes with Zeiss optics. The Apple iPhone 15, on the flip side, has a 48-megapixel main camera, and a 12-megapixel ultrawide unit (120-degree FoV). So, both smartphones include two cameras on the back. A 12-megapixel unit is included on the front of both phones, while the iPhone 15 also has a sensor for advanced facial scanning.
The camera performance is really good on both phones. It is different, though. During the day, both smartphones do try to keep things closer to real–life and provide detailed images with good exposure and white balance. They also do a good job with HDR content. Images from the Xperia 5 V are usually more contrasty. Images from the iPhone 15 do end up being a bit warmer, though.
In low light, both phones attempt to provide more realistic shots, the same as in the daytime. That’s why they may seem a bit darker than low-light shots on most other flagships, and many people would agree that’s a good thing. Both smartphones are capable of pulling plenty of details from the shadows, though. Those low-light shots end up looking really good, and both devices handle street lights with style.
Ultrawide cameras are very good during the day and manage to keep up with the color science of the main shooters. They are visibly worse than main cameras in low light, but still very usable.
Audio
There are stereo speakers included on both of these phones. Those speakers provide basically the same level of loudness, and both sets are really well-balanced. There’s not much to complain about here, you’re even getting a bit of bass. The thing is, they’re not the best out there, but are more than good enough for most people.
The Xperia 5 V even has a 3.5mm headphone jack. So you can connect your wired headphones. The iPhone 15 does not, but you can always utilize its Type-C port. For wireless connections, both smartphones are equipped with Bluetooth 5.3.