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It’s time to compare the Sony Xperia 5 vs OnePlus 7T. These are both flagship-grade devices, even though they’re technically not the most powerful ones their companies offer. The Xperia 1 and OnePlus 7T Pro are a level above these two, at least as far as market placement is concerned. Many would say that these two phones are on the same playing field as their siblings, though.
In any case, these two phones are not exactly similar. They’re quite different, in fact, and that should make this comparison rather interesting. The two devices are quite different in both terms of the design, and specifications, but they provide really compelling Android experience overall.
As per usual, we’ll compare these two devices across a number of categories. We’ll start by listing their specifications, and then move to the design, display, performance… and various other sections. That’s it, let’s kick off the Xperia 5 vs OnePlus 7T comparison.
Sony Xperia 5 vs OnePlus 7T: Specs
| Sony Xperia 5 | OnePlus 7T | |
| Screen size | 6.1-inch FullHD+ OLED display | 6.55-inch fullHD+ Fluid AMOLED display (90Hz) |
| Screen resolution | 2520 x 1080 | 2400 x 1080 |
| SoC | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ |
| RAM | 6GB | 8GB |
| Storage | 128GB; Expandable (up to 1TB) | 128GB/256GB; Non-Expandable |
| Rear cameras | 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) |
48MP (0.8um pixel size, f/1.6 aperture, PDAF, OIS, EIS, Laser AF) 12MP (f/2.2 aperture, 1.0um pixel size, PDAF, 2x optical zoom telephoto) 16MP (f/2.2 aperture, 17mm lens, ultrawide) |
| Front cameras | 8MP (f/2.0 aperture, 24mm lens, 1.12um pixel size) | 16MP (f/2/0 aperture, 25mm lens, 1.0um pixel size) |
| Battery | 3,140mAh, Non-Removable, 18W Fast Battery Charging (USB Power Delivery 2.0) | 3,700mAh, Non-Removable, 30W Fast Battery Charging |
| Dimensions | 158 x 68 x 8.2mm | 160.9 x 74.4 x 8.1mm |
| Weight | 164 grams | 190 grams |
| Connectivity | LTE, NFC, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C | LTE, NFC, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C |
| Security | Side-facing fingerprint scanner | In-display fingerprint scanner (optical) |
| OS | Android 9 Pie | Android 10 OxygenOS 10 |
| Price | $779 | $599 |
| Buy | Amazon | OnePlus |
Sony Xperia 5 vs OnePlus 7T: Design
Both the Sony Xperia 5 and OnePlus 7T are made out of metal and glass, but they’re not similar at all. The in-hand feel is different, while the Xperia 5 is a considerably smaller device, mainly thanks to its smaller display.
Both phones are quite curvy, and both are quite slippery. The Xperia 5 is considerably easier to operate in one hand, though, and it feels less slippery due to its size. It is just as slippery, though.
You will notice quite a few physical keys on the right-hand side of the Xperia 5, including the power / lock button, camera shutter, volume up and down keys, and even a capacitive fingerprint scanner. The OnePlus 7T includes a power / lock key and an alert slider on that side, while the volume up and down buttons are on the left.
The OnePlus 7T, unlike the Xperia 5, sports an in-display fingerprint scanner. The Xperia 5 does not include a display camera hole or notch, but it does have noticeable bezels above and below the display. Its top bezel is a bit thicker than its bottom one. The OnePlus 7T’s bezels are thinner in general, though the device comes with a tiny waterdrop notch.
Both phones include three cameras on the back, though the placement and design are different. The Xperia 5 offers vertically-aligned cameras, in the top-left corner. The OnePlus 7T, on the other hand, offers horizontally-aligned cameras, which are centered on the back. They’re a part of a circular camera module.
Both phones look really good, but the OnePlus 7T does seem more appealing to the eye, at least to us. The fact that the Xperia 5 is so narrow doesn’t really help, not to mention that its bezels are quite noticeable. Its top bezel is also thicker than the bottom one, which doesn’t help. If that doesn’t bother you, though and you want a smaller of the two phones, the Xperia 1 is a great choice.
Some of you may be bothered by a huge camera module on the back of the OnePlus 7T, or by its notch. It’s all a matter of preference, as these two phones are considerably different, even though they both look really good. It’s a tie in our book.
Winner: Tie
Sony Xperia 5 vs OnePlus 7T: Display
These two handsets feature fullHD+ panels. The Xperia 5 comes with a 6.1-inch 2520 x 1080 OLED display. The OnePlus 7T, on the other hand, includes a 6.55-inch fullHD+ (2400 x 1080) Fluid AMOLED display. The Xperia 5’s panel comes with a 21:9 aspect ratio, while the OnePlus 7T’s offers a 20:9 ratio.
The Xperia 5’s display is protected by the Gorilla Glass 6, while the OnePlus 7T’s comes with a sheet of Gorilla Glass 5. Both devices offer support for HDR content, but only the OnePlus 7T comes with HDR10+ support. The Xperia 5’s display does support X-Reality Engine, though.
The one major difference between these two panels that you should be aware of is in the refresh rate. The Xperia 5’s panel is limited to 60Hz, while the OnePlus 7T’s panel offers a 90Hz refresh rate. The content on the OnePlus 7T’s display will move with silky smoothness on the OnePlus 7T thanks to this. Once you use a high display refresh rate, it’s really difficult to go back.
OnePlus also managed to decrease blue light emission from the OnePlus 7T’s display. That display actually beat displays from much more expensive phones, from a technical standpoint. It looks really sharp, and the decrease in blue light emission definitely helped.
Both of these displays offer great colors, contrast, white balance, and viewing angles. We do prefer the OnePlus 7T’s panel, though. Not only because of its refresh rate, but it also looks a bit sharper, even though it’s technically not.
Winner: OnePlus 7T
Sony Xperia 5 vs OnePlus 7T: Performance
The Sony Xperia 5 and OnePlus 7T are both beasts in terms of performance. They come with high-end specs, both of them, even though the OnePlus 7T has an advantage in that regard. Both devices are fueled by Qualcomm’s flagship processors, while the OnePlus 7T packs in more RAM (8GB vs 6GB).
The OnePlus 7T also includes UFS 3.0 flash storage, while the Xperia 5 is limited to UFS 2.1. You won’t feel that as much while using the two devices, but it does make the OnePlus 7T a bit more future proof.
Both devices can handle anything you throw at them, without a problem. That goes for graphically-intensive games as well. The OnePlus 7T does feel a bit more fluid, though. It can open up apps a bit quicker in most cases, and general usage seems a bit snappier. The Xperia 5 does run without any considerable hiccups, though, it’s really smooth.
The OnePlus 7T’s display only helps with the overall smoothness and performance. The OnePlus 7T does seem to be a bit smoother in general performance, but only by a hair. Both of these phones are great in terms of performance.
Winner: OnePlus 7T
Sony Xperia 5 vs OnePlus 7T: Battery
Sony, for some reason, decided to include a rather small battery in the Xperia 5. The device does include a somewhat smaller display than most other flagships, but still, a 3,140mAh battery is not exactly generous on a 6.1-inch panel.
The OnePlus 7T’s battery is not exactly huge, but it’s considerably larger at 3,800mAh. The OnePlus 7T does have a larger display as well, a 6.55-inch panel. Some would say that the 700mAh difference wouldn’t really be important having in mind the display size difference and the OnePlus 7T’s high refresh rate display.
Well, they’re not exactly on the same playing field, but the Xperia 5 offers much better battery life than you’d think. The will get you over 6 hours of screen on time without a problem (well, most of you), and the same goes for the OnePlus 7T. Your mileage will vary, of course, based on your usage.
The OnePlus 7T did offer a bit more juice, but that difference is almost negligible. Both of them are really good in terms of battery life, and should be able to get you through a full day of use. As already mentioned, the OnePlus 7T pulls ahead a bit, but not much.
The OnePlus 7T offers faster charging than the Xperia 5. It comes with Warp Charge 30T, which is 30W charging. The Xperia 5 offers 18W fast charging. The Xperia 5 does support wireless charging, while the OnePlus 7T does not.
We’ll give this one to the OnePlus 7T, as its battery did last a bit longer in our experience, while the phone offers faster charging in general. If you really want / need wireless charging, the Xperia 5 is a better choice for you.
Winner: OnePlus 7T
Sony Xperia 5 vs OnePlus 7T: Cameras
Both of these devices have three cameras on the back. Both of them have a main sensor, a telephoto camera, and an ultrawide camera. Sensors on these two phones are different, though, and so are the results.
The Xperia 5 includes three 12-megapixel cameras, while the OnePlus 7T sports 48MP + 12MP + 16MP combo. Each of them includes a single camera on the front. Now, in daylight conditions, we’d say that both phones perform really well.
Both can offer great dynamic range, with plenty of detail, and beautiful colors. White balance is also spot on, and there’s really not much to complain about here. That actually goes for the ultrawide and telephoto cameras as well.
When it comes to shooting objects from a “normal” distance, the Xperia 5 tends to do a better job. The OnePlus 7T still has some blur on the edges, for some reason, not much, but you can notice it on occasion. When it comes to macro shots, though, the OnePlus 7T shines. It comes with a special camera motor for macro photography, and it shows. The device can capture really great macro shots, and get much closer to the subject than the Xperia 5.
The OnePlus 7T does a better job when it comes to ultrawide shots. The Xperia 5 images tend to be a bit distorted on the sides, it’s barely noticeable, but still… it’s there. The OnePlus 7T’s colors are also a bit more vibrant in ultrawide shots.
When it comes to low light, both phones are good, but not amongst the best. The Xperia 5’s is a bit slower to take a picture in low light conditions than the OnePlus 7T. It does not offer a low light mode like the OnePlus 7T, but it optimizes its shooting when it detects low light scenarios. The OnePlus 7T low light images are a bit less noisy, while the Xperia 5’s tend to be a bit more balanced overall.
As you can see, each phone wins in some categories, as they both have their strengths and weaknesses in the camera department. We could not choose between the two, both are quite solid in the camera department.
Winner: Tie
Sony Xperia 5 vs OnePlus 7T: Audio
Both the Xperia 5 and OnePlus 7T offer stereo speakers. In fact, those speakers are placed in similar spots on both phones. The main speaker sits on the bottom, while the secondary one is included with the earpiece.
Both devices come with Dolby Atmos support, by the way. Their speakers are quite good, they can get pretty loud, and offer really clear sound. The output is a bit different, of course, but they both offer really quality speakers, and are on the same playing field.
You will not find a 3.5mm headphone jack on either of these two phones, though. You’ll either need to use a Type-C USB port, or Bluetooth connection for audio. Speaking of which, if you do own a good pair of headphones, you can get some really quality sound out of these two phones.
We’ve noticed that the Xperia 5 can bet a bit louder, and it also has less distortion at high volumes. The sound also seems a bit cleaner, while the mids and highs are better on the Xperia 5. Not to say that the OnePlus 7T’s audio is bad, quite the contrary. The difference is not that noticeable, and the OnePlus 7T is really good in this regard as well. Still, this category goes to the Xperia 5.
Winner: Sony Xperia 5
The overall winner
| Sony Xperia 5 | OnePlus 7T | |
| Design | ✓ | ✓ |
| Display | ✓ | |
| Performance | ✓ | |
| Battery | ✓ | |
| Cameras | ✓ | ✓ |
| Audio | ✓ |
The OnePlus 7T is technically the winner of this comparison, but it all depends on what you’re looking for in a device. The Xperia 5 is better in the audio department, as is the phone you should consider getting if you want a smaller phone. The OnePlus 7T is considerably larger than the Xperia 5.
The OnePlus 7T is the hands-down winner in the display department, while the phone is also better in the performance segment. Cameras on both phones are great, while both devices are also really nice-looking. Both devices also offer really great battery life, so… it’s up to you.
Winner: OnePlus 7T