Sony Targets Vloggers and Other Content Creators With Xperia 5 V Smartphone

Sony's got a brand new phone in its lineup and it's called the Sony Xperia 5 V, the successor to the Sony Xperia 5 IV. The company positions its Xperia 5 series as a phone for creators and this latest version is no different.

A Focus On Imaging

Sony has always been serious about smartphone photography, which is why you'll find two cameras on the back of the Xperia 5 V. The first one is a 52MP shooter that effectively takes 48MP shots, which are then quad-binned to produce 12MP images. The other is a 12MP ultrawide shooter with a 123-degree field of view. Sony says this dual-camera combo can shoot at three focal lengths equivalent to 16mm, 24mm, and 48mm. The 12MP front-facing camera has a focal length of 24mm.

For video, the Sony Xperia 5 V can handle up to 4K at 120fps, but that is limited to the 16mm and 24mm focal lengths. Sony includes a product showcase setting in the main camera that should focus on the center of the frame, so if you are showing off an item to the audience, the camera will focus on the object and not you. The company stole this feature from its own vlogging camera line. A Video Creator app will automatically generate video clips or let you take control of the edit. Good video needs good audio, so the Xperia 5 V has a dedicated voice recording mic that Sony claims will key in on voices over background noise.

Compact But Powerful

Measuring in at 6.06 by 2.68 by 0.34 inches and weighing about 6.42 ounces, the Sony Xperia V 5 has a 6.1-inch display with a resolution of 2,520 by 1,080 pixels and a 120Hz refresh rate. The right side features a volume rocker and fingerprint sensor/power combo button. A combined SIM and microSD card tray are on the top of the device along with a 3.5mm headphone jack. The latter has become an exceedingly rare feature on today's phones. For content consumption, there are stereo speakers. The Xperia V 5 handles up to two SIMs at once, one nano SIM and one eSIM. The device is IP65/68 rated, which means it is fully dust- and waterproof (including immersion).

Recommended by Our Editors

Hands On With the Withings ScanWatch 2, ScanWatch Light Smartwatches

Hands On With Roborock's Zeo One Washing Machine and Dryer Combo

Honor Shows Off the World's Thinnest Book-Style Folding Phone at IFA

The Sony Xperia V 5 runs Android 13 and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 system on a chip, has 8GB of RAM with 128GB internal storage that can be expanded via microSD card up to 1TB. There is a huge 5,000mAh battery inside this phone and Sony says its charging tech will keep that battery healthy for up to three years. On top of that, this phone can handle both Qi wireless charging and reverse wireless charging. For connectivity, it includes Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi 6, NFC, 5G (including C-Band support) and a USB-C port.

Sony says the Xperia 5 V will come to Europe in black, silver, or blue and cost approximately €999 ​/ ​£849, with the price varying by country. Certain UK retailers will run a promotion between Sept. 28 and Oct. 26 during which they will sell a bundle that includes the Xperia 5 V and a pair of WH-CH720N headphones, which are pretty good active noise cancelling headphones. Sony made no mention of US availability for the Xperia 5 V.