Sony Xperia 5 IV vs Samsung Galaxy S23: The Ultimate Showdown
| Phones Images | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
🏆 Quick Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy S23 emerges as the overall winner thanks to its superior performance, brighter display, and more polished software experience. However, the Xperia 5 IV remains a compelling choice for photography enthusiasts and those prioritizing a smaller, more pocketable device with unique features like reverse wireless charging.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Sony Xperia 5 IV | Samsung Galaxy S23 |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46, 66 - Europe | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 - International |
| 5G bands | 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - Europe | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 75, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - International |
| Speed | HSPA, LTE, 5G | HSPA, LTE (up to 7CA), 5G |
| Technology | GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 28, 38, 40, 41, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - Asia | 1, 7, 25, 28, 41, 66, 71, 78, 258, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - USA | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2022, September 01 | 2023, February 01 |
| Status | Available. Released 2022, September 22 | Available. Released 2023, February 17 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus), aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 156 x 67 x 8.2 mm (6.14 x 2.64 x 0.32 in) | 146.3 x 70.9 x 7.6 mm (5.76 x 2.79 x 0.30 in) |
| SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) |
| Weight | 172 g (6.07 oz) | 168 g (5.93 oz) |
| IP65/IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) Armor aluminum frame with tougher drop and scratch resistance (advertised) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2520 pixels, 21:9 ratio (~449 ppi density) | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~425 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.1 inches, 86.9 cm2 (~83.2% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.1 inches, 90.1 cm2 (~86.8% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | OLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR BT.2020 | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1200 nits (HBM), 1750 nits (peak) |
| - | Always-on display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (1x3.00 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3x2.50 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A510) | Octa-core (1x3.36 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM8450 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (4 nm) | Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm) |
| GPU | Adreno 730 | Adreno 740 |
| OS | Android 12, upgradable to Android 13 | Android 13, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 8 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot) | No |
| Internal | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM |
| UFS 3.X | UFS 3.1 - 128GB only UFS 4.0 | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Zeiss optics, Zeiss T* lens coating, color spectrum sensor, LED flash, panorama, HDR, eye tracking | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Single | 12 MP, f/2.0, 24mm (wide), 1/2.9", 1.25µm | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), Dual Pixel PDAF |
| Triple | 12 MP, f/1.7, 24mm (wide), 1/1.7", 1.8µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 12 MP, f/2.4, 60mm (telephoto), 1/3.5", dual pixel PDAF, OIS 12 MP, f/2.2, 124˚, 16mm (ultrawide), 1/2.5", dual pixel PDAF | 50 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 1/1.56", 1.0µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 10 MP, f/2.4, 70mm (telephoto), 1/3.94", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55" 1.4µm, Super Steady video |
| Video | 4K@24/25/30/60/120fps HDR, 1080p@30/60/120fps; 5-axis gyro-EIS, OIS | 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | HDR, HDR10+ |
| Single | 12 MP, f/2.0, 24mm (wide), 1/2.9", 1.25µm | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.2", 1.12µm, dual pixel PDAF |
| Video | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps, 5-axis gyro-EIS | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | Yes | No |
| 35mm jack | Yes | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| 24-bit/192kHz audio Dynamic vibration system | 32-bit/384kHz audio Tuned by AKG | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive | 5.3, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG, video output | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Fingerprint (side-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, barometer, compass | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| Native Sony Alpha camera support | Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support) Bixby natural language commands and dictation Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified) | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | Wired, PD3.0, 50% in 30 min Wireless Reverse wireless | 25W wired, PD3.0, 50% in 30 min 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Type | Li-Po 5000 mAh | Li-Ion 3900 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Green, Black, Ecru White | Phantom Black, Cream, Green, Lavender, Graphite, Lime |
| Models | XQCQ62B-GC, XQCQ62G.GC, XQ-CQ72/B2TWCX0, XQ-CQ72/C2TWCX0, XQ-CQ72/G2TWCX0, XQCQ54C0B.YD, XQCQ54C0G.YD, XQCQ54C0C.YD, XQ-CQ54, XQ-CQ72, A204SO | SM-S911B, SM-S911B/DS, SM-S911U, SM-S911U1, SM-S911W, SM-S911N, SM-S9110, SM-S911E, SM-S911E/DS |
| Price | € 248.89 / $ 999.00 / £ 189.99 | $ 237.95 / C$ 336.75 / £ 255.00 / € 322.41 / ₹ 49,990 |
| SAR | - | 0.95 W/kg (head) 0.88 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | - | 0.96 W/kg (head) 1.30 W/kg (body) |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | Endurance rating 116h | Endurance rating 101h |
| Camera | Photo / Video | Photo / Video |
| Display | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | -26.9 LUFS (Good) | -27.0 LUFS (Good) |
| Performance | AnTuTu: 835038 (v9) GeekBench: 3448 (v5.1) GFXBench: 63fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) | AnTuTu: 1231075 (v9) GeekBench: 4950 (v5.1) GFXBench: 110fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Sony Xperia 5 IV
- Compact and pocketable design
- Excellent manual camera controls
- Headphone jack
- Reverse wireless charging
- Impressive endurance rating (116h)
- Older Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset
- Lower peak brightness compared to S23
- Less polished software experience
- Slower charging speeds
Samsung Galaxy S23
- Powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset
- Brighter and more vibrant display
- Refined design and build quality
- Excellent camera with AI enhancements
- Faster charging speeds
- No headphone jack
- Reverse wireless charging slower than Xperia 5 IV
- Can be expensive
Display Comparison
The Samsung Galaxy S23 takes the lead in display quality with a measured peak brightness of 1198 nits, significantly higher than the Xperia 5 IV's 979 nits. Both offer excellent contrast ratios (infinite nominal), but the S23's brighter screen provides better visibility in direct sunlight. Both utilize OLED technology for vibrant colors and deep blacks.
Camera Comparison
Both phones offer excellent camera systems, but with different strengths. The Xperia 5 IV excels in manual controls and offers a more 'pure' photography experience. The Galaxy S23 delivers consistently excellent results with its AI-powered processing and user-friendly interface. Video recording capabilities are strong on both, but the S23 often produces more vibrant and stabilized footage.
Performance
The Galaxy S23's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset provides a noticeable performance advantage over the Xperia 5 IV's Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. The Gen 2 offers improved efficiency and raw power, resulting in smoother multitasking and faster app loading times. Both phones handle demanding games well, but the S23 has a slight edge.
Battery Life
The Xperia 5 IV boasts an impressive endurance rating of 116h, suggesting exceptional battery life. However, the Galaxy S23's active use score of 11:27h is still very respectable. While the Xperia 5 IV has a theoretical advantage, real-world usage may vary. The S23 charges faster with 25W wired charging compared to the Xperia 5 IV's 50% in 30 min PD3.0.
Buying Guide
The Sony Xperia 5 IV is ideal for photography lovers who appreciate manual controls, a compact design, and a headphone jack. The Samsung Galaxy S23 is perfect for users seeking a flagship experience with top-tier performance, a vibrant display, and a streamlined user interface.