Nexus 5x or Sony Z5 compact

Soldato
Joined
10 Aug 2003
Posts
2,696
Location
London
I am after a new phone, which out of these two would you guys recommend, Nexus 5x or Sony Z5 compact?
Thanks
 
Still Camera on the Nexus 5X outshines the Z5.

The Nexus 6P and 5X are renowned for their camera. The Z5 not so much.
 
Really?

I know MP isn't everything, but 12 vs 23. I was under the impression that all of the Z5 range have the same, highly rated camera. I've had Nexus phones since the Nexus S and they've never impressed wrt cameras.

Then looking at the SoC, 6 core 1800MHz vs 8 core 2000MHz, Adreno 418 vs 430 - the Z5 wins there.

Considering the IP68 rating too, I'd get the Z5C and not even consider the 5X
 
Really?

I've had Nexus phones since the Nexus S and they've never impressed wrt cameras.

That changed with the 5X and 6P.

I'd think the main deciding factor here is what size handset you'd prefer. The Z5C being water proof is also a nice plus, and I'd suggest better build quality. Also depends if you care about stock android and fast updates, which would sway you to the 5X.
 
Yeah - I'm aware they upped the price point and target market with the 5X and 6P, not denying they're not better cameras than the older Nexus devices - just not sure they compare to a sensor with nearly double the effective MP. (I know there's more to it than MP).

WRT stock Android, I've been a fan of it since.. Nexus S - but Sony's phones (from what I've seen) don't run a mess of Android like Samsung's do. I think it's the only OEM that'll tempt me away from stock.
 
Yeah - I'm aware they upped the price point and target market with the 5X and 6P, not denying they're not better cameras than the older Nexus devices - just not sure they compare to a sensor with nearly double the effective MP. (I know there's more to it than MP).

The double effective MP is why the 5X/6P are better. They have less pixels but a very large sensor meaning they capture a lot of light. MP over 8.X (whatever it takes for 4K) start too mean less, instead you need better quality pixels. You can see a lot of big players around the 12/16 MP range because after that it starts too lose some meaning because the sensors are already so tiny.

Also software, Sony makes basically everyones camera's but then someone like Apple/Samsung will take that and pair it with better software and the end result is something much better then what Sony has on their own phones.
 
WRT stock Android, I've been a fan of it since.. Nexus S - but Sony's phones (from what I've seen) don't run a mess of Android like Samsung's do. I think it's the only OEM that'll tempt me away from stock.

Yep I agree, Sony don't mess with it much, but you're still likely to have a wait for updates such as Android N. (Although personally I went from a Nexus device to a Samsung device and am more than happy, but lets not get into that debate)
 
The double effective MP is why the 5X/6P are better. They have less pixels but a very large sensor meaning they capture a lot of light. MP over 8.X (whatever it takes for 4K) start too mean less, instead you need better quality pixels. You can see a lot of big players around the 12/16 MP range because after that it starts too lose some meaning because the sensors are already so tiny.

Ack, I'm aware of the impact of sensor size - the 5X doesn't have a 'very large sensor' next to Z5C though. They're both the same size;

Nexus 5X
12.3 MP, f/2.0 aperture, 1/2.3" sensor size, 1.55 µm pixel size, dual LED flash, IR laser-assisted autofocus, Sony Exmor IMX377

Z5C
The rear-facing camera of the Xperia Z5 is 23 megapixels with sensor size of 1/2.3 inch and an aperture of f/2.0, featuring a newer Sony Exmor RS image sensor, instead of the 20.7 megapixels image sensor which was used in all of its predecessors, starting from the Xperia Z1.

Also software, Sony makes basically everyones camera's but then someone like Apple/Samsung will take that and pair it with better software and the end result is something much better then what Sony has on their own phones.

This is a good point, we're not talking about Apple or Samsung here though - we're talking about the stock camera app on Android, which is something that can be installed on the Z5C.

Looking at other threads;

http://forum.xda-developers.com/z5-compact/help/z5-compact-nexus-5x-t3247205

the same thing about the camera keeps coming up, I've not been able to find side by side comparisons though. I'm not intending to try and call anyone out, or push that I think I'm right - I'm curious about the cameras on these phones as I was seriously considering the Z5C.
 
Last edited:
its the pixel size on the new nexus that do them the good


HTC 10 has the same sensor plus OIS and still is not as good as the 6P/5X.

This is where the image processing make all the difference.

12MP/2.3" sensor is definitely the sweet spot at the moment.
 
I have the Z5C and the camera is fairly good but not amazing. Much better than the 5MP on my old moto G but in all my testing with it I've found picture quality to be better at 8MP compared to 23MP. There is only so much you can do with such a small sensor.

The main advantages on the Z5C are the miniature size, good battery (dunno about 5x battery) and SD card slot.
 
I was also deciding between these two phones. I went for the Z5C because:
- size: want to be able to use it in one hand, and fit it in my pocket easily
- SD card slot: espeically useful if you want to shoot video at 4K, or 1080p at 120fps
- battery: a colleague just bought the 5X and said he has to charge it every day
 
I bought a 5X last year before swapping to a 6P. My girlfriend has a Z5C.

Cameras:
The 5X and 6P are better - no contest. Where the Z5C struggles with focus sometimes and performs poorly in low light, the sensor in the Nexus phones regularly manages to capture good photos. The camera app is probably better on the Z5C but I'd rather have better photos.

Performance:
The 5X and the Z5C seemed pretty evenly tied to be honest. They both have the same amount of RAM. However, since the Marshmallow update my girlfriend's Z5C has been crashing and rebooting itself once or twice every day. We can't work out what's causing this. But it may be worth noting that others have had problems with the 5X's performance too, although not as bad as random reboots.
 
I've not had any crashing issues with the Z5C. The main issue I have is the headphone jack is unreliable with 3 pole headphones so will have to RMA the phone.
 
Sorry to hijack the thread but is there anything the same/very similar in size to the Z5Compact that can compete with it? The Nexus 5x is a chunky bit bigger.
 
how does the huawei P9 compare to the nexus 5x, i am guessing the p9 being a flagship phone will get the android N?? If the nexus 5x had a sdcard slot and a bigger battery it would be a no brainer for me.
 
Back
Top Bottom