'Sony Xperia Z5 Premium' specs, release date, & price: Sony unveils world's first 4K smartphone

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Sep 03, 2015 06:05 AM EDT

Sony's "Xperia Z5 Premium" might just give other smartphone companies a run for their money. According to Trusted Reviews, Sony recently unveiled three flagship phones at the IFA 2015 show in Berlin. Besides the Z5 Premium, the company also announced the "Xperia Z5" and the "Z5 Compact."

While all three phones are worth a look, the Z5 Premium has garnered more attention, partly due to its 5.5-inch 4K screen display. The Verge explains that the 4K resolution gives an impressive pixel density of 805 ppi. Trusted Reviews states that the Premium doubles the resolution of the iPhone 6, which has a pixel density of only 401 ppi.

While Sony has marketed the Z5 Premium with the tagline "the world's first 4K smartphone," most users feel that it is just hype. Trusted Reviews points out that such an sharp resolution is ludicrous to place on an small screen.

The Verge points out that the Z5 Premium might experience the same problems seen on 4K TV's. Tech Radar explains that there is one main issue with 4K TV sets: viewers will not see a difference in resolution unless they are watching 4K content or sitting close to the screen.

However, there is one use for the 4K screen that users might enjoy: virtual reality. For instance, Google's Cardboard VR application would work well with the Z5 Premium, states Trusted Reviews.

Another issue with the 4K screen revolves around how much battery life it will take to power such an impressive display. Sony has promised that all the phones in the Z5 series will have a battery life that lasts up to two days. Even though the Premium version is packed with a 3,430 mAh battery, it might not be enough to keep a 4K screen running for two days.

So, although a 4K screen might seem impressive at first glance, it might be more trouble than it is worth. Luckily, the Premium has some other more notable specs to consider before purchase.

Trusted reviews states that the Premium runs on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 810 and 3GB or RAM. The 810 has received some negative press lately. However, Sony seems to have fixed the major problems previously seen on their smartphones running on Snapdragon 810.

The Premium has a 23 MP camera, which Sony claims to have the fastest autofocus on the market at 0.03 seconds, reports The Verge.

One of the more thoughtful features of the phone is the microSD slot that can support cards up to 200GB. External memory has been out of fashion lately for flagship phones, even though consumers like having the option of upgrading their memory.

There is also a fingerprint scanner located quite strategically near the power button for easy access. All three smartphones in the Z5 series will be released for purchase on November 2015. The prices of the phones have yet to be announced.

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