Apple iPhone SE (1st Gen) vs Sony Xperia Z5 Compact
A spec-by-spec comparison of the Apple iPhone SE (1st Gen) and the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
Head to head
| Apple iPhone SE (1st Gen) | Sony Xperia Z5 Compact |
|---|
| Price | $45 | $5,645 |
| Our rating | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Battery | 1,624 mAh | 2,700 mAh |
| Wired charging | — | 18W |
| RAM (max) | 2 GB | 2 GB |
| Storage (max) | 128 GB | 200 GB |
| Screen size | 4 in | 4.6 in |
| Main camera | 12 MP | 23 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 113 g | 138 g |
| Released | Mar 2016 | Oct 2015 |
Summary: Apple iPhone SE (1st Gen) is ahead on weight (lower is lighter). Sony Xperia Z5 Compact is ahead on battery, storage (max), screen size, main camera.
★ Which should you buy? Sony Xperia Z5 Compact is the stronger overall pick on the measured specs. If budget matters more than the extra capability, Apple iPhone SE (1st Gen) is the cheaper option.
Reviewed by the infozme.com Editorial Team — see how we research & rate phones.
Display
| Apple iPhone SE (1st Gen) | Sony Xperia Z5 Compact |
|---|
| Type | IPS LCD, 16M colors | IPS LCD |
| Size | 4.0 inches, 44.1 cm2 (~60.9% screen-to-body ratio) | 4.6 inches |
| Resolution | 640 x 1136 pixels, 16:9 ratio (~326 ppi density) | 720 x 1280 pixels (~323 ppi density) |
| Protection | Ion-strengthened glass, oleophobic coating | Scratch-resistant glass, oleophobic coating |
| Features | 500 nits max brightness (typical), Full sRGB standard, 800:1 contrast ratio (typical) | Triluminos display, X-Reality Engine |
Platform
| Apple iPhone SE (1st Gen) | Sony Xperia Z5 Compact |
|---|
| OS | iOS 9.3, upgradable to iOS 15.8.8 | — |
| Chipset | Apple A9 (14 nm) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 (20 nm) |
| CPU | Dual-core 1.84 GHz Twister | Octa-core (4x1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 & 4x2.0 GHz Cortex-A57) |
| GPU | PowerVR GT7600 (six-core graphics) | Adreno 430 |
Memory
| Apple iPhone SE (1st Gen) | Sony Xperia Z5 Compact |
|---|
| Card slot | No | microSDXC (dedicated slot), up to 200GB |
| Internal | 16GB 2GB RAM, 32GB 2GB RAM, 64GB 2GB RAM, 128GB 2GB RAM | 32GB 2GB RAM |
Main Camera
| Apple iPhone SE (1st Gen) | Sony Xperia Z5 Compact |
|---|
| Single | 12 MP, f/2.2, 29mm (standard), 1/3.0", 1.22µm, PDAF | — |
| Features | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR, five-element lens, sapphire crystal lens cover, backside illumination sensor, autofocus with Focus Pixels, tap to focus with Focus Pixels, exposure control, noise reduction, auto HDR for photos, panorama (up to 63 megapixels), auto image stabilization, burst mode, timer mode, photo geotagging, Live Photos with stabilization | LED flash, HDR, panorama |
| Video | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, 720p@240fps. Cinematic video stabilization (1080p and 720p), continuous autofocus video, face detection, noise reduction, take 8-megapixel still photos while recording 4K video, playback zoom, video geotagging | 4K@30fps, 1080p@60fps, 720p@120fps, HDR |
| Modules | — | 23 MP, f/2.0, 24mm (wide), 1/2.3", PDAF |
Selfie Camera
| Apple iPhone SE (1st Gen) | Sony Xperia Z5 Compact |
|---|
| Single | 1.2 MP, f/2.4, 31mm (standard) | — |
| Features | Face detection, HDR, Retina Flash, backside illumination sensor, burst mode, exposure control, timer mode | HDR |
| Video | 720p@30fps | 1080p@30fps |
| Modules | — | 5.1 MP, f/2.4 |
Battery
| Apple iPhone SE (1st Gen) | Sony Xperia Z5 Compact |
|---|
| Type | Li-Po 1624 mAh, non-removable (6.21 Wh) | Non-removable Li-Ion 2700 mAh |
| Talk time | Up to 14 h (3G) | — |
| Music play | Up to 50 h | — |
| Charging | — | Fast charging 18W (Quick Charge 2.0) |
Body
| Apple iPhone SE (1st Gen) | Sony Xperia Z5 Compact |
|---|
| Dimensions | 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm (4.87 x 2.31 x 0.30 in) | 127 x 65 x 8.9 mm (5.0 x 2.56 x 0.35 in) |
| Weight | 113 g (4.0 oz) | 138 g (4.87 oz) |
| Build | Glass front, aluminum back, aluminum frame | Glass front, glass back, plastic frame |
| SIM | Nano-SIM | Nano-SIM |
| Durability | — | IP65/IP68 dust and water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) |
Comms
| Apple iPhone SE (1st Gen) | Sony Xperia Z5 Compact |
|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hotspot |
| Bluetooth | 4.2, A2DP, LE | 4.1, A2DP, aptX |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS | — |
| NFC | Yes (Apple Pay only) | Yes |
| Radio | No | FM radio, RDS |
| USB | Lightning, USB 2.0 | microUSB 2.0 (MHL 3 TV-out), OTG |
| Positioning | — | GPS, GLONASS/BDS |
Launch
| Apple iPhone SE (1st Gen) | Sony Xperia Z5 Compact |
|---|
| Announced | 2016, March 21 | September 2015 |
| Status | Released 2016, March 31. Discontinued 2018, September 12. | — |
| Released | — | October 2015 |
| OS | — | Android 5.1.1 (Lollipop), upgradable to 7.1.1 (Nougat) |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, Apple iPhone SE (1st Gen) or Sony Xperia Z5 Compact?
Sony Xperia Z5 Compact — 1,624 mAh for the Apple iPhone SE (1st Gen) versus 2,700 mAh for the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact.
Which is lighter, Apple iPhone SE (1st Gen) or Sony Xperia Z5 Compact?
Apple iPhone SE (1st Gen) — 113 g for the Apple iPhone SE (1st Gen) versus 138 g for the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact.
Which is newer, Apple iPhone SE (1st Gen) or Sony Xperia Z5 Compact?
Apple iPhone SE (1st Gen) — Mar 2016 for the Apple iPhone SE (1st Gen) versus Oct 2015 for the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact.
Is the Apple iPhone SE (1st Gen) or the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact rated higher?
We rate the Apple iPhone SE (1st Gen) 7/10 and the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact 7/10.
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