Sony Xperia 5 vs. Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate: A Deep Dive Comparison
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🏆 Quick Verdict
For the average user prioritizing portability and a balanced experience, the Sony Xperia 5 offers excellent value. However, the Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is the clear winner for dedicated mobile gamers, boasting significantly superior performance, a brighter display, and faster charging, justifying its higher price.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Sony Xperia 5 | Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 800 / 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 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 48, 66 - International |
| 5G bands | - | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 18, 20, 25, 26, 28, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - International |
| Speed | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE Cat19 1600/150 Mbps | HSPA, LTE (Up to 7CA), 5G |
| Technology | GSM / HSPA / LTE | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / LTE / 5G |
| - | 1, 3, 5, 8, 28, 41, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - China | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2019, September 05. Released 2019, October 05 | 2023, April 13 |
| Status | Discontinued | Available. Released 2023, May |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 6), glass back (Gorilla Glass 6), aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass 3), aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 158 x 68 x 8.2 mm (6.22 x 2.68 x 0.32 in) | 173 x 77 x 10.3 mm (6.81 x 3.03 x 0.41 in) |
| SIM | · Nano-SIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM |
| Weight | 164 g (5.78 oz) | 239 g (8.43 oz) |
| IP65/IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 mins) | Built-in motorized cooling air vent (AeroActive Portal) IP54 water resistant 2" OLED display (on the back) Pressure sensitive zones (Gaming triggers) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 6 | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2520 pixels, 21:9 ratio (~449 ppi density) | 1080 x 2448 pixels (~395 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.1 inches, 86.9 cm2 (~80.9% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.78 inches, 109.5 cm2 (~82.2% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | OLED, HDR BT.2020 | AMOLED, 1B colors, 165Hz, HDR10+, 1000 nits (HBM), 1500 nits (peak) |
| Triluminos display X-Reality Engine | - | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 485 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 485 & 4x1.78 GHz Kryo 485) | Octa-core (1x3.2 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM8150 Snapdragon 855 (7 nm) | Qualcomm SM8550-AB Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm) |
| GPU | Adreno 640 | Adreno 740 |
| OS | Android 9.0 (Pie), upgradable to Android 11 | Android 13, up to 2 major Android upgrades |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot) | No |
| Internal | 128GB 6GB RAM | 512GB 16GB RAM |
| UFS 2.1 | UFS 4.0 NTFS support for external storage | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Color spectrum sensor, LED flash, panorama, HDR, eye tracking | LED flash, HDR, panorama |
| Triple | 12 MP, f/1.6, 26mm (wide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, predictive dual pixel PDAF, 5-axis OIS 12 MP, f/2.4, 52mm (telephoto), 1/3.4", 1.0µm, predictive PDAF, 2x optical zoom, 5-axis OIS 12 MP, f/2.4, 16mm (ultrawide), 1/3.4", 1.0µm | 50 MP, f/1.9, 24mm (wide), 1/1.56", 1.0µm, PDAF 13 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide) 5 MP (macro) |
| Video | 4K@24/30fps HDR, 1080p@60fps, 1080p@30fps (5-axis gyro-EIS) | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, 720p@480fps; gyro-EIS, HDR10+ |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | Panorama, HDR |
| Single | 8 MP, f/2.0, 24mm (wide), 1/4.0", 1.12µm | 32 MP, f/2.5, 29mm (wide), 1/3.2", 0.7µm |
| Video | 1080p@30fps (5-axis gyro-EIS) | 1080p@30fps |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | No | Yes |
| 35mm jack | No | Yes |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers | Yes, with stereo speakers (2 amplifiers) |
| 24-bit/192kHz audio Dynamic vibration system | 32-bit/384kHz audio | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, aptX HD, LE | 5.3, A2DP, LE, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (L1), BDS (B1I+B1c+B2a), GALILEO (E1+E5a), QZSS (L1+L5), NavIC (L5) |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.1, OTG | USB Type-C 3.1 (side), DisplayPort 1.4; USB Type-C 2.0 (bottom), OTG, accessory connector |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Fingerprint (side-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, barometer, compass | Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 18W wired, PD2.0 | 65W wired, PD3.0, QC5, 100% in 42 min 10W reverse wired |
| Type | Li-Ion 3140 mAh, non-removable | Li-Po 6000 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Blue, Red, Black, Grey | Storm White |
| Models | J8210, J8270, J9210, SOV41, SO-01M | - |
| Price | About 500 EUR | About 780 EUR |
| Pricing | ||
|---|---|---|
| 128GB 6GB RAM | $ 409.99 | - |
| RENEWED | $ 674.00 | - |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Audio quality | Noise -93.0dB / Crosstalk -89.4dB | - |
| Battery life | Endurance rating 96h | Endurance rating 131h |
| Camera | - | Photo / Video |
| Display | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | -27.1 LUFS (Good) | -25.5 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | AnTuTu: 334809 (v7), 416601 (v8) GeekBench: 10941 (v4.4), 2825 (v5.1) GFXBench: 33fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) | AnTuTu: 1325105 (v9) GeekBench: 5139 (v5.5), 5567 (v6) GFXBench: 107fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Sony Xperia 5
- Compact and pocketable design
- Excellent battery endurance for its size
- Lower price point
- Outdated Snapdragon 855 chipset
- Significantly lower display brightness
- Slower charging speeds
Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate
- Flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 performance
- Extremely bright and vibrant display
- Ultra-fast 65W charging
- Larger and heavier form factor
- Higher price
- Gaming-focused design may not appeal to everyone
Display Comparison
The Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate’s display is a significant upgrade, achieving a measured peak brightness of 1095 nits compared to the Xperia 5’s 630 nits. This translates to vastly improved visibility outdoors. While both displays share an 'Infinite' (nominal) contrast ratio, the ROG Phone’s higher brightness and likely higher PWM dimming rate (though not specified) will be more comfortable for extended viewing. The Xperia 5’s smaller size (not specified in data, but known) is its key advantage, offering a more manageable experience for one-handed use.
Camera Comparison
Both devices offer photo and video capabilities, but the context data lacks specifics for a detailed comparison. Given Asus’s focus on gaming, the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate’s camera system is likely tuned for versatility rather than outright image quality. The Xperia 5, benefiting from Sony’s imaging expertise, likely prioritizes color accuracy and dynamic range. Without sensor size or aperture data, it’s difficult to definitively declare a winner, but the Xperia 5’s brand reputation suggests a stronger photographic experience.
Performance
The performance gap is substantial. The Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4nm) is a generational leap over the Xperia 5’s Snapdragon 855 (7nm). The Gen 2’s Cortex-X3 prime core, clocked at 3.2 GHz, delivers significantly faster processing speeds. The 4nm process also provides superior thermal efficiency, reducing throttling during demanding tasks. While the Xperia 5 remains capable for everyday use, the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate excels in graphically intensive games and multitasking. The ROG Phone's likely use of faster LPDDR5x RAM further enhances performance.
Battery Life
The Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate boasts a superior endurance rating of 131 hours versus the Xperia 5’s 96 hours, indicating significantly longer battery life. This is partially due to the more efficient Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset. Furthermore, the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate’s 65W wired charging (with PD3.0 and QC5 support) is dramatically faster than the Xperia 5’s 18W PD2.0 charging, achieving a full charge in just 42 minutes. The ROG Phone also offers 10W reverse wired charging, a feature absent on the Xperia 5.
Buying Guide
Buy the Sony Xperia 5 if you need a premium smartphone experience in a pocketable form factor, value long battery endurance over peak performance, and prefer a more understated aesthetic. Buy the Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate if you prioritize uncompromising gaming performance, a vibrant high-brightness display, and don't mind a larger, more aggressively styled device. The ROG Phone is built for sustained, high-fidelity gaming sessions.