14 DAY TRIAL // Back at IFA 2015 last month, Sony pulled off the veil the world’s first 4K display coming in the form of the Xperia Z5 Premium handset. But while the device is touting such an amazing display, it soon became apparent that the phone doesn’t always make use of its full 4K capacity.
And Sony backed up the claims by explaining why that is the case. The device only renders media in 4K, while the vast majority of smartphone apps are being experienced at just 1080p.
Now the company has issued another statement in which it further details why the 4K Xperia Z5 doesn’t always take advantage of its amazing resolution standard.
First stop, battery life. As you might have guessed, a 4K display could wreak havoc as far as the life cycle of the device is concerned. Sony promised a 2-day life cycle for the 4K smartphone at launch, which seemed odd back then, but makes sense when told that most content runs at 1080p anyway.
Sony says:
“There’s a few reasons - first up, after extensive user research and testing we found that rendering entertainment content in 4K, but still being able to access and use all the other great Sony smartphone features as normal without compromising on battery life, was an absolute priority for users.”
The Xperia Z5 Premium is a visionary device, according to Sony
Furthermore, the Japanese device maker draws the attention to the fact that most apps aren’t built for 4K displays, anyway, so rendering apps and games in 4K mode would just end up wasting resources.
Sony speaks again:
“Many third-party apps are not designed or capable of running at 4K resolution (yet), but as the Xperia Z5 Premium display hardware has a 3840 x 2160 resolution (4K SID standard) with 806ppi, we feel we’ve created a future-proof device for the imaginations, developers and apps of the future.”
We have to grant it to Sony, the “paving the way towards the future” line is pretty sleek. Clearly, Sony is trying really hard to build hype around the product, after the failed launch of the Xperia Z3+ and Xperia Z4. And on paper, the Xperia Z5 Premium seems to have the right ingredients. Who wouldn’t be attracted to a 4K device these days?