Unveiling Xperia C5 Ultra Specs Pricing Pros & Cons

Introduction to Sony Xperia C5 Ultra

The Sony Xperia C5 Ultra, launched in August 2015, represents one of Sony's commendable efforts to cater to the mid-range smartphone market. With its impressive large-screen display and robust media features, the Xperia C5 Ultra was targeted towards users who prioritized entertainment and photography. Despite being discontinued, it remains a notable model in Sony’s lineup, considering its specifications and capabilities.

Body and Design

With dimensions of 164.2 x 79.6 x 8.2 mm and weighing 187 grams, the Xperia C5 Ultra is relatively large but feels balanced due to its sleek design. The phone is constructed with a glass front, plastic back, and plastic frame, which strikes a balance between durability and lightweight comfort. It supports a Nano-SIM card and is available in black, white, and mint colors, adding a touch of personal style for users.

Display Features

The Xperia C5 Ultra boasts a 6.0-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels. This equates to approximately 367 ppi (pixels per inch), ensuring crisp and vivid visuals. The screen's expansive size, coupled with its roughly 75.9% screen-to-body ratio, makes it particularly well-suited for gaming, video playback, and web browsing. The scratch-resistant protection adds durability to the display, making it more resilient to everyday wear and tear.

Camera Capabilities

Main Camera

The primary camera of the Xperia C5 Ultra is a 13 MP shooter featuring an aperture of f/2.0 and a 25mm wide-angle lens. Autofocus is included, ensuring sharp and clear images. Additionally, the main camera comes with features such as LED flash, panorama, and HDR mode. It supports video recording at 1080p at 30fps, making it suitable for capturing high-definition videos.

Selfie Camera

One of the standout aspects of the Xperia C5 Ultra is its front-facing camera, which is also 13 MP with an f/2.2 aperture and a 22mm wide-angle lens. Autofocus is present here as well, enhancing the sharpness of selfies. The inclusion of an LED flash on the front camera is a significant plus for low-light conditions, and like the main camera, it can record videos at 1080p at 30fps.

Performance and Hardware

Under the hood, the Xperia C5 Ultra is powered by a Mediatek MT6752 chipset combined with an octa-core 1.7 GHz Cortex-A53 CPU. The GPU is a Mali-T760MP2, which, together with 2GB of RAM, ensures decent performance when handling most applications and games. It initially ran on Android 5.0 Lollipop but is upgradeable to Android 6.0 Marshmallow, providing a more updated user experience.

Memory and Storage

The device comes with 16GB of internal storage, which may feel limiting for some. However, Sony included a dedicated microSDXC card slot that allows users to expand storage, providing the flexibility to store more apps, photos, and videos.

Battery Life

The Xperia C5 Ultra is equipped with a non-removable Li-Ion 2930 mAh battery. It offers respectable endurance for daily use, with a standby time of up to 714 hours on 2G and up to 769 hours on 3G. Talk time is rated up to 14 hours and 24 minutes on 2G and up to 12 hours and 53 minutes on 3G. For music lovers, the device supports up to 60 hours of playback, which is quite impressive.

Connectivity and Additional Features

Connectivity options include Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1 with A2DP and aptX, GPS with GLONASS, NFC, FM radio with RDS, and a microUSB 2.0 port. The device supports multiple network bands, offering HSPA with speeds of up to 42.2/5.76 Mbps and LTE Cat4 at speeds of up to 150/50 Mbps.

The Xperia C5 Ultra also includes sensors like an accelerometer, proximity sensor, and compass. The presence of a 3.5mm jack pleases traditional audiophiles, ensuring compatibility with a wide range of headphones and audio devices.

Audio and Sound Quality

Sony has ensured good sound quality with a loudspeaker that offers voice clarity at 72dB, noise suppression at 66dB, and a ring volume of 82dB. For audio quality, the noise level stands at -92.1dB, with crosstalk at -88.7dB, providing a relatively clean audio experience for the user.

Price and Availability

Upon release, the Sony Xperia C5 Ultra was priced at approximately 200 EUR. While the device has been discontinued, it might still be available through select retailers or as a second-hand device in various markets. It remains a viable option for those looking for an affordable entry into Sony's smartphone ecosystem with a focus on display and camera quality.

Conclusion

The Sony Xperia C5 Ultra offers a commendable package with its large display, versatile camera setup, and decent performance, making it suitable for media enthusiasts and casual users alike. Despite the cessation of its production, it continues to be cherished by its user base for the value it offers in the mid-range smartphone segment. With its array of features and competitive pricing at the time of release, the Xperia C5 Ultra remains an interesting option from Sony’s diverse lineup of devices.