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Sony makes it simple with the Xperia series – you get one storage option and that's it. The rest has to be down to microSD. Some people don't like this, but I think it makes it easier on the user and Sony certainly offers a lot of microSD space to make up for a lack of a larger option.
The Xperia Z5 series is the first mainstream smartphone line to support 200GB microSD cards so you can fill it up with a load of different apps and media. There are only or two microSD cards that large in the world but it's good to see Sony offering support for them early, as the options will only increase in the coming months.
Some aren't a fan of the microSD route of getting more storage but I personally like it and being able to swap in and out my media is a big benefit.
LTE 4G is covered here so if you've got a 4G contract you'll be able to access the super fast internet speeds whenever you need them. You're not going to find any problems with internet here. You've got Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/c/n/ac that offers up the fastest Wi-Fi internet on a smartphone so far.
Bluetooth connectivity is the latest 4.1 technology. I did find a few issues when using a pair of Bluetooth headphones though, as I had to manually connect again every time I turned the phone off.
I'm used to just switching my headphones on and them automatically working and it was frustrating fiddling to set them back up on a regular basis - this is a definite bug though and one I'm sure Sony will fix soon.
Charging and data transfer is through a microUSB 2.0 slot at the bottom of the phone and everything seems to work just fine there.
Sony hasn't switched to USB-C and that's a shame. I now want to see USB-C technology on every phone, even if it's just so I don't end up scratching up the bottom of my phone trying to put the cable in.
There has also been a lot of hype around the front-facing speakers on the Xperia Z5, but these are something of a disappointment.
Ever since using HTC BoomSound speakers it will take a lot to convince me there's anything better out there, and the front-facing speakers on the Xperia Z5 are mediocre at best. There's nothing that makes me nod with approval sonically and I even struggle to hear audio when running a tap at the same time.
Phone calls were clear and crisp – there were no complaints from my recipients and I didn't experience any issues on my end either. That's probably down to the active noise cancellation with dedicated mic inside the phone.
Everything you need to have is here with the Xperia Z5. There are just a few more extravagant features I'd like to have seen, but clearly there's no desire to supply them from camp Sony.
