Aside from Samsung and Google, Sony is one of the few manufacturers that still makes compact flagship phones, and the company has announced the general availability of the Sony Xperia 5 V in Malaysia, and as you’d expect, it costs a hefty price tag of RM4,999.
However, before you go all ‘Why would you buy a Sony phone for RM5,000’, the Xperia 5 V has several things that might be worth your consideration. First of all, the phone is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset paired to 8GB RAM and 256GB of storage, and unlike most flagship phones, it can be expanded by a MicroSD card up to 1TB of storage, not to mention a 3.5mm headphone jack, and Sony is still ensuring the phone is IP68 water and dust resistant.
The display size is similar to the Galaxy S23 at 6.1-inches but uses a cinematic 21:9 aspect ratio and pushes FHD+ resolution at 120Hz, but also comes with Sony’s exclusive display technologies such as 240Hz motion blur reduction and Creator mode powered by CineAlta, it is also protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and should sustain scratches and drops better.
However, the camera department has gotten one less camera compared to its predecessor, though the main sensor has been upgraded to a 52MP 1/1.35″ Exmor T sensor with a f/1.9 aperture and ZEISS T* coating, it retains the same secondary 12MP ultrawide camera from the Mark IV but omits the telephoto camera, which is disappointing, but you can thankfully still record up to 4K 120fps video.
The front camera is a 12MP sensor that can take 4K 30fps video and is assisted by a 5-axis gyro-EIS.
Lastly, a 5000mAh battery powers the Xperia 5 V and can be fast charged with a 30W adapter, there is also wireless charging if you prefer to do so, and having such a large battery on a compact phone is truly commendable.
The Sony Xperia 5 V can be purchased at Sony Malaysia’s online store here, and the company is of course throwing in some attractive early bird free gifts, including a Premium Clear Casing, Tempered Glass Screen Protector, RM50 TnG e-wallet credits and a Sony WF-1000XM5 headphones worth RM1,399.