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Sony owes Xperia owners a refund over faulty water resistance
When you buy a phone billed as water-resistant, you generally expect it to survive accidental dunks. Some Sony phone owners have a very different story, though -- their supposedly resistant phones took water damage that required an expensive fix. If you're one of them, we have good news. A preliminary settlement in a class action lawsuit will offer a 50 percent refund of the retail price to US customers who bought a water-resistant Sony Xperia device and had to file water damage claims. The list of affected hardware covers a whopping 24 phones and tablets sold in the US, ranging from the Xperia Z1 through to relatively recent devices like the Xperia Z5.
Sony Xperia Z5 and Z5 Compact arrive in the US
As promised, Sony has brought its latest and greatest smartphones to the US. Both the Xperia Z5 and Xperia Z5 Compact are now on sale in unlocked form through Amazon, Best Buy, B&H and other shops at respective prices of $599 and $499. Both pack a fair punch for the price between their Snapdragon 810 processors, 32GB of storage and 23-megapixel rear cameras. The big differences are the displays (5.2 inches on the Z5 versus 4.6 on the Compact) and RAM (3GB versus 2GB). They should work nicely on AT&T, T-Mobile and other American networks that share their frequencies. However, you shouldn't expect exactly the same phone that you'd get elsewhere -- there's a catch.
Sony's Xperia Z5 and Z5 Compact will hit the US unlocked
They've been available in Europe and beyond for months, but we in the US are only now getting our chance to pick up Sony's newest smartphones. Sony just announced that the Xperia Z5 and its tiny cousin the Z5 Compact will be available unlocked from Amazon, Best Buy and B&H on February 7 for $599 and $499, respectively.
Sony Xperia Z5 review: A decent phone overshadowed by the competition
At the start of 2015, Sony effectively gave up on making smartphones in the hope of recapturing former glories. Its mobile division now loses the company nearly $2 million per day even after being slimmed down to a fraction of its former size. The few devices that it launches each year are merely placeholders; products designed to keep the company's hand in just in case the next next big thing requires mobile expertise. It's an unenviable position for Sony's employees, knowing that they're effectively operating in a vacuum. When faced with that truth, there are only three options available to them: give up, throw every mad idea at the wall, or build a grand valediction and go out on a high. This is the starting point from which we will begin our examination of the mid-range Xperia Z5.
Don't use Sony smartphones underwater
If you head on over to Sony's website today, the company will warn you not to use its Xperia smartphones while underwater. That might come as a surprise, especially as Sony has repeatedly touted the waterproof capabilities of its devices in the past. But really, you shouldn't be doing it. XperiaBlog points out that the handset maker is now taking additional measures to discourage the practice, and has updated its website to help customers avoid making a costly mistake while at the pool.
Sony Xperia Z5 UK pricing: that 4K display will cost you £699
With its mobile division not enjoying much success over the past couple of years, Sony knew it needed to wow consumers with its latest round of Xperia smartphones. Yesterday, the company hoped to do exactly that by unveiling the Xperia Z5, Xperia Z5 Compact and the Xperia Z5 Premium, the last of which being the world's first 4K smartphone. So far, the only hint we've been given regarding pricing is that it "will reflect the premium quality" of the Xperia range, but today the Japanese phone maker has lifted the lid on what that pixel-rich screen will cost when it hits the UK.
Sony's Xperia Z5 family includes the world's first 4K smartphone
To say that Sony's mobile division has had a tough time lately would be an understatement. As the company puts out half-hearted efforts like the Z3 and Z3+, sales have been dropping steadily. We're now at the point where Sony is losing more than $1 million per day just keeping the division going. Something has to change. Sony has to take smartphones seriously, and this is its attempt to do just that. Meet the Xperia Z5 family, which includes the world's first 4K phone display, "next-generation" cameras and some tiny, tiny fingerprint scanners.
Sony spokesman says the Xperia Z5 'Premium' has a 4K screen
Sony's incoming Xperia Z5 flagship will be the first smartphone with a 4K screen, according to a leaked video from Clubic.com. In it, Sony's marketing director says the company will release both a 5.2-inch Z5 and 5.5-inch Z5 'Premium,' and the video (below) is focused on the larger model. On top of the 4K screen (which yields over 800 pixels per inch), the device also packs a 23-megapixel camera with a 0.03 second autofocus and 5X digital zoom, confirming a previous leak. The new flagship will be just as waterproof and dustproof as the Xperia Z3+ model, but with an interesting twist -- the micro-USB connector is waterproof, even without a cover.
Sony's next phone is yet another rectangular slab
If you were hoping for a radical change in Sony's Xperia formula, bad news -- it looks like the company is sticking with its blocky "Omnibalance" design for now. A tweet from Sony UK is teasing a new smartphone that will be unveiled on September 2nd, immediately before the IFA trade show. It shows a blurry handset capturing a photo, with the tagline "a smartphone with greater focus" underneath. The combination would suggest an upgraded camera, although it's possible the message is also hinting at the new, stripped back Android skin it's been testing recently. Regardless, we're expecting this to be either the Xperia Z5 or Z5 Compact -- perhaps both, if Sony mimics last year's reveal. The photo might be a little blurry, but it's obvious Sony is preparing another rectangular slab. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but given the Xperia Z4/Z3+ is only a few months old, we're hoping Sony has made some changes elsewhere to make this model a worthy upgrade.
