The predecessor and the successor of Sony’s Xperia M series will face-off in this ultimate comparison, as Sony Xperia M4 Aqua (priced at around Php 10-11K) squares-off with its successor, the Sony Xperia M5 (SRP price at around Php 18-20K). Check out their specs, features, prices and overall performances and find out which device favors you.
Table of Contents
Design and build
Exterior design-wise, both devices are identical in almost every possible way, with their differences, only on the Xperia M5’s front cam lens, which is relatively larger than the Xperia M4 Aqua. The Xperia M5 now has oleophobic coating in its arsenal, that prevents any smudges that might interfere with your enjoyment of the Xperia M5.
The rounded frame on the M5 is now glossy, in comparison to the M4 Aqua’s rounded frame, however, both devices are still made from polycarbonate/plastic material. The microUSB port and mono speakers are now located right at the bottom of the Xperia M5, which with the M4 Aqua, the speaker is the only present feature at its bottom part. There were many improvements in terms of feature positioning and exterior design in the Xperia M5, thus, the Xperia M5 takes the design round.
The winner: Xperia M5, for its overall upgraded exterior design and better feature positioning
Display
Both the Xperia M4 Aqua and M5 delivered excellent quality in their respective, 5-inch IPS display screens, however, in terms of resolution, the Xperia M5 trumps the M4 Aqua, with its sharper resolution. In the brightness department, in can be deduced that the Xperia M5 provides a bit improvement, in comparison to the Xperia M4 Aqua’s current brightness capability.
Although, in terms of viewing angle capabilities, we can clearly see that both devices delivered excellent and an on point performance, which they delivered under natural light. Overall in terms of display, the Xperia M5’s improvements shine once again over its predecessor, with the latter, taking the display round off of the M4 Aqua.
The winner: Xperia M5, for overall better and improved display qualities.
Camera
In terms of camera performance, the Xperia M5 delivered a more upgraded performance than the Xperia M4 Aqua, with the Xperia M5 able to provide color accurate and sharp outputs, that the M4 Aqua could not par up with. However, the M4 Aqua was able to edge out its successor on night shot and front-facing wide angle cam capability, with the latter able to deliver better outputs than its successor. However, overall verdict was for the Xperia M5, since the latter, provided an overall better performance in many scenarios, which is an obvious improvement on the Xperia M5.
The winner: Xperia M5, for its overall better still image outputs
In video performance, the Xperia M5’s 4K resolution played a vital role, with the Xperia M5’s overall more dynamic range and sharper outputs, in comparison to the Xperia M4 Aqua’s outputs. Another thing to look at is the Xperia M5’s faster and more accurate focusing capability, in comparison to the M4 Aqua’s, which will be beneficial to those who’ll shoot moving subjects.
The winner: Xperia M5, for its 4K resolution capability and quick and accurate focus feature.
Performance and benchmarks
Despite being the Xperia M5’s predecessor, the Xperia M4 Aqua ain’t a lowdown in terms of system, with both devices having an Android 5.0 lollipop. However, the Xperia M5 is now powered by MediaTek MT6795 Helio X10 chipset, which is quite a leap from the Xperia M4 Aqua’s Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 octacore empowered chipset. There is also an improvement in terms of RAM capacity and microSD storage, with the Xperia M5, now having a 3GB RAM capacity and 200GB microSD maximum storage, in comparison to the M4 Aqua’s 2GB RAM capacity and 128GB microSD maximum capacity. However, the Xperia M4 Aqua provided options, in terms of internal storage, with the latter having either a 16GB internal storage or an 8GB internal storage.
For the boot up speed tests conducted on both devices, it seems that the upgraded system of the Xperia M5 was too much for itself to bear, since the Xperia M4 Aqua trumps the M5 hands down, with the Xperia M4 Aqua beating its successor by a few close seconds.
For the benchmark tests conducted on both devices, the Xperia M5, this time, was able to showcase its improved system, with the latter cleanly beating its predecessor, in both benchmark tests. This showcases that there were major improvements in terms of system performance, on the Xperia M5, which surpasses its predecessor.
AnTuTu ratings
- Sony Xperia M5 – 40851
- Sony Xperia M4 Aqua – 34098
Basemark OS II ratings
- Sony Xperia M5 – 880
- Sony Xperia M4 Aqua – 744
On the application speed tests conducted on both devices, the Xperia M5 trumps its predecessor, yet again, with the latter, able to deliver a more efficient and quick loading time than its predecessor, although, it wasn’t exactly a sweep, with the Xperia M4 Aqua, trailing to the M5 by only a few seconds. This shows that the Xperia M4 Aqua is no pushover, when it comes to system performance, the only problem that it has is the Xperia M5 is a bit more advanced than it, thus, was able to surpass the M4 Aqua.
Speaker
Both devices provided excellent sound quality, in terms of volume power and clearness of audio. This shows, that not much is changed in terms of speaker quality on the Xperia M5, since the M4 Aqua already delivered a decent speaker performance. This was one of the beloved features of the M4 Aqua that was kept for the Xperia M5, since it already delivered a successful performance.
Price and Conclusion
There is no doubt that the Xperia M5 provides huge improvements in both system and specs. however, in this comparison, the Xperia M4 Aqua also showcased a few of its interesting features and specs, that even at times, pared up or even surpassed its successor. This shows that the Xperia M4 Aqua still has some life in it and should not be forgotten, despite the presence of a new successor.
The Sony Xperia M4 Aqua is available in the grey markets and online stores in the Philippines, while the Xperia M5 is currently only available in the Sony PH store. with the M4 Aqua pricing at around Php 11-12K and the Xperia M5 at around $400 or Php 18-20K.
Please leave your comments and suggestions on the comments section below, feedbacks are always obliged
And also, check out the video version of this review comparison:
Sony Xperia M4 Aqua Dual specs PH Price |
Sony Xperia M5 Dual specs PH Price |
| 5-inch HD IPS display, 294ppi | 5-inch IPS 1080p LCD display, 441ppi |
| 7.3mm thick, 135g | 7.6 mm thickness, 142.6g weight |
| Water & dust proof up 1.5m and 30min, metal frame, all glass | scratch-resistant glass |
| Snapdragon 615 1-1.5GHz octacore chipset | MediaTek MT6795 Helio X10 |
| 2GB RAM | 3GB of RAM |
| 8/16GB internal, microSD card up to 128GB | 16GB internal storage, microSD up to 200GB |
| 13MP camera, 1080p video, HDR, LED flash | 21.2MP 5312 x 3984 pixels, phase detection autofocus |
| 5MP selfie camera, 720p video | 13MP, 1080p@30fps video |
| 4G LTE Dual SIM, WiFi n Bt 4.1, FM Radio, GPS | 4G LTE Dual SIM, WiFi n, Bt 4.1, FM Radio, GPS, GLONASS |
| Android 5.0 Lollipop | Android 5.0 Lollipop |
| 2400mAh battery | 2600mAh battery |
| Black, White, Silver, Coral/Pink | Black, White, Gold |
| Php 11,380 price at Hotgadgets as of September 19 | $400 (P18-20k) official SRP from Sony |
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