latest
LineageOS is one of the most popular custom ROMs available, with somewhere around two million active installations. It typically takes a while for the project to update to newer versions of Android, since development is largely done by maintainers in their spare time. Six months after the public release of Android 9 Pie, it looks like LineageOS is about ready to make the jump — but not before dropping older devices.
The last time we covered LineageOS, the project had started supporting seven new phones, including the Xperia Z5 Compact and LG K10. Since then, several additional devices have been added to the official build roster. These include the Sony Xperia Z5, Samsung Galaxy S6, and Redmi 3S/3X.
Sony was one of the first OEMs to focus on designing water-resistant phones, but they weren't always resistant enough. Consumers were brushed off by Sony when their water-resistant phones and tablets showed evidence of water damage. Now, there's a class action lawsuit wrapping up that could result in affected Sony owners getting a 50% refund on their devices.
When it comes to software updates, Sony is on the job. The company is always one of the first to release updates for its recent flagship devices and is great at updating even relatively older-generation devices quickly too. Take the Xperia Z3 Plus, Z4 Tablet, and Z5 family which were announced sometime between May 2015 and September 2015, making them nearly 2 years old. They got the update to Android Nougat 7.0 back in February and they're now following the footsteps of the XZ and X Performance and getting upped to the more recent Android 7.1.1.
Read update
- According to Xperia Blog, the Android 7.0 Nougat update OTA has also started rolling out to the Xperia Z3+ and Z3+ Dual. It has the same firmware number 32.3.A.0.372 and weighs a little more at 1347MB.
The Xperia Z5 series (Z5, Z5 Compact, and Z5 Premium) was on the list of devices that Sony promised to bring Android 7.0 Nougat to. After releasing the update to the more recent X Performance and XZ, then the X and X Compact, Sony is now ready to bring Nougat 7.0 to the Z5.
With Android 7.0 now officially rolling out to devices, you might wonder which non-Nexus phones will see the update some day. Sony has released a list of devices it intends to update to Nougat at some point in the not too distant future. The gist: if you've got a Sony phone from 2015 or 2016, you'll probably get the Nougat update.
How would you like to grab a flagship Android device for $100 less than its retail price? No, I'm not talking about the Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge, nor the LG G5, and not even the HTC 10. As the title says, we're here to talk about the Sony Xperia Z5.The phone was announced back in September of 2015, but only came to the US in January of 2016. Even though it's half a year old by now, it still carries a lot of cool specs, like water-resistance and a 23MP camera sensor. The rest of the specs seem a tad less impressive now, but they're still more than adequate: a 5.2" 1080p display, a Snapdragon 810 processor, 32GB of storage, 3GB of RAM, and a 2900mAh battery.The Z5 usually retails for $599 on Amazon, but today the price has dropped to $499 on all three colors: black, gold, and white. Actually, $499 is the regular retail price of the Z5 Compact, so you can grab the regular Z5 for the price of the smaller sibling today. Ain't that sweet? Shipping is free but you may need to pay taxes depending on where you live. Also keep in mind that these are the unlocked models with GSM compatibility, so Verizon and Sprint are out the picture.Source: Sony Xperia Z5 Black, Gold, White
Sony is sometimes a little slow to release new devices everywhere, but at least its Android update schedule is on par with other OEMs. That is to say, it's annoyingly slow, but not unusually so. The Z5, Z4 Tablet, and Z3+ are all getting Android 6.0 right now, but as usual, it's a staged rollout that will vary by country.
Few would be surprised to hear that the Xperia Z5, Sony's latest flagship, would eventually get Android 6.0. The question is when that update will arrive.
After taking its sweet time releasing the Xperia Z5 and Z5 Compact in the US, Sony thought charging $600 and $500 respectively for the devices seemed like a good idea. Well, they're already discounted via Amazon for $50-60 off after going on sale February 7th.These are the same basic devices you could get previously as international models. However, you get a US warranty in case something goes wrong. Sony also removed the fingerprint sensor from these devices because it hates making money. I don't know this to be true, but it sure seems that way. At any rate, you can pick up a Z5 for $539.99 ($60 off) in black, white, or gold. The Z5 Compact is $449.99 ($50 off).The Z5 Compact is in stock, but the larger Z5 is almost gone. There are a few more of the black, but the other colors have a 2-5 week wait. You can order any of them now and they will ship as soon as Amazon has them available.Source: Xperia Z5, Xperia Z5 CompactVia: XperiaBlog
While they don't carry the same popularity as flagships from Samsung, HTC, and LG, Sony still has some dedicated fans of its unique hardware. Those fans will be glad to know that the Xperia Z5 and its smaller cousin the Xperia Z5 Compact are now on sale in the United States, right on time. According to Sony's blog post, both phones should now be available at Amazon, Best Buy, B&H Photo, and other electronics retailers. They're both being sold as unlocked GSM phones. At the time of writing Amazon only has the international version (without a US warranty) and Best Buy's website is only showing the Z5 Compact, but B&H seems to have all of the current US models.
Sony made some tweaks to its design aesthetic this year to accommodate the inclusion of a fingerprint sensor in the power button of the Z5. It's not as accurate as I'd like, but it's still nice to have. However, a number of reports claim that Sony will not include this feature in the newly announced US variants of the phone. We reached out to Sony and got confirmation: no fingerprint reader for the US.
Sony unveiled the Xperia Z5 series way back in September 2015, and they're finally coming to the US. The Z5 and Z5 Compact will go on sale February 7th at Amazon, Best Buy, and B&H. The Z5 will be $599 and the Z5 Compact will run you $499.These should be essentially the same phones that have been available in other markets for the last few months. Although, there's no mention of the Z5 Premium. Perhaps that phone won't be making it to the US at all. Here are the specs of the Z5 and Z5 Compact as a quick refresher.Xperia Z5:
Sony is making a quick stop off before moving on to the Xperia Z6 (you know it's happening) to add a new color to the Xperia Z5 line. The previously teased pink variant is official, and it will be available starting next month. It isn't coming to any new markets, though. So if you can buy a Z5 now, you'll be able to get the pink one. If not, then you won't.
Writing an unbiased review is a lot easier said than done. Every reviewer, myself included, has their own preferences, opinions, and experiences that will in some way affect his or her attitudes and conclusions. So rather than pretend that I am an unbiased reviewer, I will begin by telling you a little about the phones I have owned for the last few years. My hope is that this information will lend you greater insight into my thoughts and feelings regarding the Sony Z5.
The Sony Z5 currently reigns as the king of smartphone camera quality according to DxOMark. I've had the opportunity to use a review unit as my daily driver for the past week, and I have been pretty impressed with the image quality thus far.
The Xperia Z5 and its variants are great looking devices, but for those of us in the US, they're just that—great looking. Sony hasn't started shipping them our way, no matter how far open we stretch our wallets.But that doesn't mean there aren't ways to get the hook up in the States. A seller on eBay is offering the Xperia Z5 for 0 and the Xperia Z5 Compact for 0. The former is slightly cheaper than what you can order on Amazon, though the price for the latter remains about the same. On eBay though, you're stuck with black.Alternatively, you can now get the phones from Expansys USA. The retailer offers the Sony Xperia Z5 and Z5 Compact for around the same price as Amazon and eBay. Like the former, you have your choice of colors. Whichever seller you go with, the prices look better than what we've seen in Europe. And as for the Xperia Z5 Premium, it's available as a pre-order.These GSM phones are compatible with both AT&T and T-Mobile. That said, they don't come with a warranty in the US. You're paying a lot of money and going out on a limb. If Sony really doesn't want to sell you the phone, you're probably better off not giving them (or a third-party seller) your money, but the option is there.Source: eBay - Xperia Z5, eBay - Xperia Z5 Compact, Expansys USA
Read update
Sony's open device project was launched to allow developers to run AOSP Android builds on many of Sony's devices. The company has been keeping up the software support for this program, and has even added new devices frequently. Now, Sony's latest flagships are joining the open initiative. You can grab the Marshmallow software binaries for the Xperia Z5 and Z5 Compact right now.
Google has shown off what's in Android 6.0. Factory images and over-the-air updates are popping up for Nexus devices. That means the time is ripe for smartphone makers to announce when they're going to bring Marshmallow to their devices.