Help choose between Xperia Z5 compact vs Xperia X compact

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DaRuSsIaMaN

[H]ard|Gawd
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I'm in the market for a compact Android phone, and I've come up with these two options.
Sony Xperia Z5 Compact (Oct 2015)
Sony Xperia X Compact (Sept 2016)

Right now I'm wondering about the relative performance -- snappiness, less lag etc. The Z5 has a snapdragon 810, whereas the X has a 650. Is the 810 in the older model actually a better processor?? Or am I misunderstanding something? Also the GPU in the older Z5 gets higher benchmarks according to notebookcheck. However, the X has 3GB of RAM but Z5 only 2GB... So which one will perform better? (I'm not planning on playing games, btw.)
 
The Z5 Compact is a top tier, flagship model from last year.

The X Compact and the entire X series is good but not QUITE as high-specced as the Z series was, as the X series is mid-range. The X series is not meant as a direct replacement for the Z5 series but as a slight step down (great but affordable) line of phones, with some new features thrown in to keep things enticing but without breaking the bank.

This is kinda like comparing a Fury X videocard and a 480. While the 480 is newer and boasts more VRAM and is pretty damn good, the Fury X is a flagship card from the previous year and still beats the 480 handily in overall performance.

I had to go through this same comparison (Z5 Compact vs X Compact) when looking at these two phones for my girlfriend. I'm getting her the Z5 Compact.
 
I see. So the extra RAM in the X is not enough to make up for the better CPU/GPU in the Z5?

The other perks I can identify in the X is that the camera seems to be better? According to this review, it seems it has some features added on that Z5 didn't have. (Not completely sure though.) And secondly it has the USB Type C connector. Maybe that will be less prone to getting worn down, like my current droid mini's port did?

Thanks for the help!
 
Another question. Why is it that an "unlocked" phone really only works on just 1 of the big 4 US carriers? (According to Amazon)

I don't mind switching to AT&T but it's kind of annoying to be locked into them for as long as I would use the phone...
 
I'm really glad you asked this question. I've been wondering pretty much the exact same thing. My Z3 was near indestructible, and you can't compare any other phones to this kind of water resistance.

The big tip off for all of us should be the price on Amazon. Right now you can buy the Xperia X and the Xperia X Compact cheeper than a Z5. I'm really hoping for someone to talk up the XZ or X Performance so I have an excuse to spend that much money!
 
I'd buy the Z5 compact. I lived very fine with 2 GB RAM on both my Xperia ZR and Galaxy S5, and i did quite some multitasking.
 
Good to know. Yeah I've settled on the Z5 compact, just about to pull the trigger. Everyone who recommended the X (on another forum) didn't really give a (good) reason.
 
I have a Z5 Compact. Don't buy it.

Over the past year the phone has gotten consistently worse with every update. At this point Sony is shoving ads into the notification shade every day using their "what's new" app. Other minor niggles are the abysmal performance, questionable-at-best fingerprint scanner, and irritating Headphone notifications.

Sony made the best compact phones for years, but after this I've given up on them.
 
Ah man... Well, too late. I actually ordered the Z5C just last night, finally. (Was waiting to see if there'd be any price drops.) But in any case, since the alternative is also a Sony -- X Compact -- sounds like your concerns wouldn't be alleviated anyway, if I got the X Compact instead. There are no other compact Android phones out there (that are not cheap and shitty), and I'm not willing to get anything bigger.

I'll be on the lookout for this ads thing. That does sound very irritating, but there must be a way to disable it.
 
IIRC the catch with disabling what's new notifications is you also won't receive notifications for updates (which are delivered via What's New). This is less of a problem as updates will likely become scarce soon.

I also remember one pop-up notification being impossible to disable, but I'm fairly certain that was the "Headphones plugged in" notification.
 
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