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The time has come to compare the Google Pixel 4 vs Sony Xperia 5. Both of these are flagship-grade devices, but both have larger flagship siblings. The Pixel 4 XL is the Pixel 4’s counterpart, while the Xperia 1 is the Xperia 5’s.
That being said, both the Pixel 4 and Xperia 5 are considered to be compact phones. We don’t really see all that many compact flagship-grade phones out there, which makes this comparison extra interesting.
Many people still want compact smartphones, as they don’t want to deal with large form factors we’re presented with nowadays. The Pixel 4 and Xperia 5 are both great choices in that regard, though each of these phones has its positive and negative sides.
That being said, let’s compare the Pixel 4 vs Xperia 5 and see which one is the better choice. As per usual, we’ll compare the two devices across a number of categories, and it’s up to you to pay attention to the categories that interest you most.
Google Pixel 4 vs Sony Xperia 5: Specs
| Google Pixel 4 | Sony Xperia 5 | |
| Screen size | 5.7-inch fullHD+ Smooth Display (flexible OLED, 90Hz) | 6.1-inch FullHD+ OLED display |
| Screen resolution | 2280 x 1080 | 2520 x 1080 |
| SoC | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 |
| RAM | 6GB | 6GB |
| Storage | 64GB/128GB; Non-Expandable | 128GB; Expandable (up to 1TB) |
| Rear cameras | 12.2MP (1.4um pixel size, f/1.7 aperture, 77-degree angle lens, PDAF, OIS, EIS) 16MP (1.0um pixel size, f/2.4 aperture, 52-degree angle lens, OIS, EIS, PDAF) |
12MP (f/1.6 aperture, 1.4um pixel size, Dual Pixel PDAF, 5-axis OIS, 26mm lens) 12MP (f/2.4 aperture, 52mm telephoto lens, predictive PDAF, 5-axis OIS, 1.0um pixel size) 12MP (f/2.4 aperture, 16mm ultrawide lens, 1.0um pixel size) |
| Front cameras | 8MP (1.22um pixel size, f/2.0 aperture, 90-degree angle lens, fixed focus) | 8MP (f/2.0 aperture, 24mm lens, 1.12um pixel size) |
| Battery | 2,800mAh, Non-Removable, 18W Fast Battery Charging (USB-PD 2.0), Qi wireless charging | 3,140mAh, Non-Removable, 18W Fast Battery Charging (USB Power Delivery 2.0) |
| Dimensions | 147.1 x 68.8 x 8.2mm | 158 x 68 x 8.2mm |
| Weight | 162 grams | 164 grams |
| Connectivity | LTE, NFC, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C | LTE, NFC, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C |
| Security | IR-based facial scanning, Titan M module | Side-facing fingerprint scanner |
| OS | Android 10 | Android 9 Pie |
| Price | $799 / $899 | $779 |
| Buy | Amazon | Amazon |
Google Pixel 4 vs Sony Xperia 5: Design
When the design is concerned, these two phones are quite different. Both are made out of metal and glass, but they feel considerably different in-hand. The Xperia 5 has way more curves, and it is considerably more slippery than the Pixel 4. The Pixel 4 comes with rather sharp corners, and painted metal frame.
The Xperia 5 is a little bit more narrow, but it’s considerably taller than the Pixel 4. That is mainly due to its 21:9 display aspect ratio, while the Pixel 4 includes a 19:9 display aspect ratio. The two devices are equally thick, and even their weight is almost equal.
Neither of these two devices have notches or display holes, which is a rarity these days. Both do feature a thicker top bezel in comparison with their bottom bezel, though. That is way more pronounced on the Pixel 4 .
Both devices include a flat display, and multiple cameras on the back. The Pixel 4 includes two, while the Xperia 5 comes with three. Rear-facing cameras are, in both cases, placed in the top-left corner.
Those camera modules on the back do protrude on both smartphones. The Xperia 5 has a visible fingerprint scanner on the right, while Google opted not to include one at all in the Pixel 4. These two phones are on the same level in our book, it all depends on what you prefer. If you don’t mind a taller phone, which delivers a fingerprint scanner and a more slippery design, the Xperia 5 is a better choice. If the opposite is true, the Pixel 4 is.
Winner: Tie
Google Pixel 4 vs Sony Xperia 5: Display
The Sony Xperia 5 has a noticeably larger display than the Pixel 4. It comes with a 6.1-inch fullHD+ panel, while the Pixel 4 includes a 5.7-inch display. Both of these are OLED panels, by the way.
The Pixel 4’s display is protected by a sheet of Gorilla Glass 5, while the Xperia 5’s comes with Gorilla Glass 6. Both panels support HDR content, but the Pixel 4 has one major advantage. The Pixel 4’s panel offers a 90Hz refresh rate, while the Xperia 5’s is limited to 60Hz.
Content on a 90Hz display looks far better, and a 60Hz display may even seem choppy after prolonged 90Hz display use. We’ve experienced that, but you may not be bothered by it. The problem is, the Pixel 4 is not utilizing that 90Hz display at all times, so that may bother some of you. You can force it to do so via Developer Settings, though.
Now, in terms of general quality, both panels are great. Both offer great viewing angles, punchy colors, and are well-balanced in general. The Pixel 4’s panel may have a slight advantage overall, though, and if you add its higher refresh rate to the mix, we’ll give this one to the Pixel 4.
Winner: Google Pixel 4
Google Pixel 4 vs Sony Xperia 5: Performance
As far as performance is concerned, both of these phones are great. Both are fueled by the Snapdragon 855 SoC, and come with 6GB of RAM. On top of that, both feature really clean versions of Android that are well-optimized. You won’t feel this while using the two phones, but neither of them comes with UFS 3.0 flash storage, unfortunately.
They both do a great job when it comes to basic tasks, such as opening apps, multitasking, and so on. When it comes to gaming, they’re on par as well. There is not a game in the Play Store that the two phones cannot handle properly.
The Pixel 4 may seem a bit smoother to some of you, mainly due to its display refresh rate, but the two phones are completely on par when it comes to performance. You won’t be left wanting in either case, and you’ll hardly ever notice performance stutters.
Winner: Tie
Google Pixel 4 vs Sony Xperia 5: Battery
Neither of these two phones has a huge battery, which is not surprising considering their display sizes. The Xperia 5 does a far better job in the battery consumption segment, though. The Pixel 4’s battery life is really bad, and it’s probably amongst the worst when it comes to flagship-grade phones.
The Pixel 4 packs in a 2,800mAh battery, while the Xperia 5 comes with a 3,140mAh unit. The Pixel 4’s battery size seemed like an issue when the phone got launched, and those fears turned out to be true.
You will struggle to get through your day with the Pixel 4. In most cases, the phone was barely able to cross 4 hours of screen on time, and only a couple of times managed to touch 5 hours of screen on time. It all depends on your usage, but if you’re heavy user, you’ll have to charge this phone during the day, at least once.
The Xperia 5 is a completely different story, though. The phone can easily make it to 5 and a half – 6 hours of screen-on-time. So even though that battery may seem small, the phone will provide enough juice during the day for most of you.
Both phones offer 18W fast charging, while both also support wireless charging. Wireless charging is considerably slower on both phones, though. All in all, the Xperia 5 is the winner here.
Winner: Sony Xperia 5
Google Pixel 4 vs Sony Xperia 5: Cameras
Both of these phones offer great camera experience, though the Pixel 4 is level above the Xperia 5. The Pixel 4 is considered to be one of the best camera smartphones in the market at the moment, for a good reason.
Google improved upon what the Pixel 3 had to offer in the camera department. The Pixel 4 delivers in basically all lighting conditions. It can take sharp pictures even when there’s not much light present, and those images are quite punchy as well. They may seem a bit unrealistic, but in a good way.
The phone’s selfie camera is also better than the Xperia 5’s. It can take relatively solid pictures even when lighting is not the best, and it retains sharpness in such situations. Video recording is on par between these two phones.
The Xperia 5 does take good pictures in all lighting conditions as well, really good, in fact… but the Pixel 4 is simply better. The Pixel 4 is the winner here.
Winner: Google Pixel 4
Google Pixel 4 vs Sony Xperia 5: Audio
Both the Pixel 4 and Xperia 5 offers stereo speakers. Those speakers are really good in both cases. The sound is crisp and somewhat accurate, while we didn’t notice any significant distortion at higher volume levels.
The main speaker is placed on the bottom of both phones, while the secondary sits above the display. Neither of these phones have a 3.5mm headphone jack, unfortunately. If you do plug in your headphones via a Type-C port, or opt for a solid pair of Bluetooth headphones, both phones will provide really good sound.
The sound coming from both devices turned out to be crisp, and well-balanced. The Xperia 5 was a bit heavier on the highs, but that’s also barely noticeable. All in all, these two phones are on par in the audio output department, at least in our book.
Winner: Tie
The overall winner
| Google Pixel 4 | Sony Xperia 5 | |
| Design | ✓ | ✓ |
| Display | ✓ | |
| Performance | ✓ | ✓ |
| Battery | ✓ | |
| Cameras | ✓ | |
| Audio | ✓ | ✓ |
The Google Pixel 4 is technically the winner of this comparison, but only barely. The Xperia 5 is a great smartphone, and it offers considerably better battery life than the Pixel 4. On top of that, the Xperia 5 is on par with the Pixel 4 in most other ways.
If you’re looking for a better camera smartphone with a better display, on the other hand, the Pixel 4 is the way to go. All in all, they’re both quite compelling, but do be warned when it comes to battery life on the Pixel 4, as it’s really not good.
Winner: Google Pixel 4