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Sony Xperia Z5 vs Samsung Galaxy S6: speed comparison

posted by Chris P. / Sep 05, 2015, 9:46 AM

Sony Xperia Z5 vs Samsung Galaxy S6: speed comparison

Gigabytes upon gigabytes of RAM, newer and fancier storage, more processor cores than a preschooler can count — all of this specs talk is supposed to coax you into buying this or that company's new Android smartphone. And while this is an effecting marketing method, the power users in the crowd know better: it counts for nothing if, at the end of the day, the software on board is not optimized to take full advantage of all that raw power.

This isn't the first you hear of this, we're sure, and you know that the editorial team at PhoneArena tends to favor real world performance over synthetic scores from benchmarks. What's real world performance, though? Anything from navigational fluidity, through frame rate within apps, down to the speed of execution of common tasks such as launching A, B, or C. Since we're limited in terms of what we can do whilst on the show floor at IFA 2015, we only had option C at our disposal — to test and compare app launch times between Sony's brand-new Xperia Z5 and the Android juggernaut that is the Samsung Galaxy S6.

So which is faster? The answer lies right below, so do take a look!

Sony Xperia Z5 vs Samsung Galaxy S6, first look

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View Full specs

PhoneArena Rating:

7.0

Read Full Review

User Rating:

9.0

Based on 12 Reviews

Display 5.2" 1080 x 1920 pixels

Camera 23 MP / 5 MP front

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 810, Octa-core, 2000 MHz

Storage 32 GB + microSDXC

Battery 2900 mAh(17h 3G talk time)

View Full specs

PhoneArena Rating:

9.3

Read Full Review

User Rating:

8.9

Based on 61 Reviews

Display 5.1" 1440 x 2560 pixels

Camera 16 MP / 5 MP front

Processor Samsung Exynos 7 Octa, Octa-core, 2100 MHz

Storage 128 GB

Battery 2550 mAh(23h 3G talk time)

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44 Comments

1. arch_angel

Posts: 1651; Member since: Feb 20, 2015

I Don't Want To Watch So Someone Just Tell Me Witch Was Faster And Don't Be Biased.

posted on Sep 05, 2015, 9:49 AM 8

9. bur60

Posts: 981; Member since: Jul 07, 2014

They were equally fast, music opened faster on s6 and also gallery (sonybhad a lot of pictures while s6 only had 5 pics so only half screen). I'd say both phones are the fastest android phones right now.

posted on Sep 05, 2015, 10:21 AM 5

10. Taters

Posts: 6474; Member since: Jan 28, 2013

Just watch it. Shouldn't be a surprise by now that the GS6 and Note 5 win all speed tests that don't involve recent apps.

posted on Sep 05, 2015, 10:21 AM 10

34. nahusiv

Posts: 100; Member since: Apr 20, 2015

"that don't involve recent apps." exactly, cuz samsung is cheating on it, they close apps in the background, redraw things, etc etc, ofc they are gonna win, the Z5 Premium doesnt, and still compete... with a 4K display

posted on Sep 05, 2015, 8:14 PM 1

36. rd_nest

Posts: 1656; Member since: Jun 06, 2010

Read this: http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/IFA-2015-Android-laeuft-auf-dem-4K-Smartphone-Sony-Z5-Premium-nicht-in-4K-2803891.html > Z5 premium home screens have a resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels > the Android system run even with 1080p, only the pre-installed video and photo apps could drive the display with 4K > screenshots of 4K video app only have 1920 × 1080 pixels

posted on Sep 06, 2015, 2:15 AM 0

40. Trex95

Posts: 2383; Member since: Mar 03, 2013

So the 4K display only for watching 4K videos that taken with camera.

posted on Sep 06, 2015, 8:38 AM 0

11. hamboza

Posts: 25; Member since: Oct 17, 2012

It's pretty much a tie, the only noticeable difference was the S6 launching the camera app slightly faster than the Z5. But considering this is a preproduction Z5 I'd wait for comparing review units.

posted on Sep 05, 2015, 10:28 AM 4

16. maherk

Posts: 6965; Member since: Feb 10, 2012

It was a tie in 2 apps, 1 for Sony, and the rest for the S6. I don't take these speed test seriously, and I do agree that it is pointless since the Z5 is running on a preproduction software. But it is kinda ironic that we have been attacked before when the S6 and and Note 4 lost the same kinda tests before, and calling them laggy before even hitting the market. Anyways, anyone who takes these tests seriously, and bashing a phone for being 0.00005 seconds slower than the other, is nothing but a pure foolish fanboy.

posted on Sep 05, 2015, 10:56 AM 16

17. PapaSmurf

Posts: 10457; Member since: May 14, 2012

You. Yes you. Take this +1 and just walk away.

posted on Sep 05, 2015, 10:58 AM 3

24. skrug

Posts: 3; Member since: Sep 05, 2015

Well to be fair, there's more stuff needed to be loaded in apps on the Z3. Like the music app, there's 4 album pictures + a background, while on the S6 it's has 1(?) [looks to be generic album art, 3 white and 1 black] album pictures and just a gradient background.Same with the gallery app, where there's 13 thumbnails + header image on the Z5 vs 5 thumbnails on the S6. And the rest looks to be a toss up, other than the camera app.

posted on Sep 05, 2015, 12:27 PM 8

27. xgrgtr

Posts: 43; Member since: Sep 04, 2015

stop crying

posted on Sep 05, 2015, 1:51 PM 2

19. arch_angel

Posts: 1651; Member since: Feb 20, 2015

which*

posted on Sep 05, 2015, 11:14 AM 0

2. gazmatic

Posts: 818; Member since: Sep 06, 2012

sony ftw

posted on Sep 05, 2015, 9:52 AM 9

3. amansingal14

Posts: 309; Member since: Sep 08, 2012

A preproduction unit standing upto what maybe is the fastest phone right now. I guess I'll be recommending this now.

posted on Sep 05, 2015, 10:03 AM 7

4. letosaw

Posts: 135; Member since: Aug 05, 2014

Even my grandpa could have done a better speed test

posted on Sep 05, 2015, 10:05 AM 0

6. ihavenoname

Posts: 1693; Member since: Aug 18, 2013

Phonebuff speed test, that's what we are waiting.

posted on Sep 05, 2015, 10:12 AM 3

8. Taters

Posts: 6474; Member since: Jan 28, 2013

Phone buff speed tests are kind of lame because switching between open games really shouldn't be in there. I don't know about you but I would never play one level of gets 3, then switch to final fantasy play an hour of that, and then switch to temple run....that's retarded and nothing like every day use. If they add recent apps switching in speed tests, then they should add recent apps closing too. The iPhone 6 with IOS 8 would lose so badly because all android flagships have a close all while IOS you still have to close them one by one. iOS 9 is going to be a joke if they don't have a close all button for recent apps finally. Lol

posted on Sep 05, 2015, 10:18 AM 7

18. Carlitos

Posts: 673; Member since: Oct 23, 2011

Lol yea, no one switches from games like that, never liked phonebuff videos because of that. A more accurate to real world scenerios would be switching between social media apps (twitter, fb, instagram, g+, youtube and the browser). And also at least 95% of people don't go down 10-15 apps down their recent application list. By that time they are done using that app all together. Most people switch between there 5 most recent apps

posted on Sep 05, 2015, 11:03 AM 2

31. Diezparda

Posts: 941; Member since: Oct 23, 2013

Yup, that's why i prefer samsung... why bother switching when you can run popular social media apps simultaneously (plus mini floating apps). In day to day usage i think which phone who can opening apps faster is what really matter.

posted on Sep 05, 2015, 5:25 PM 0

35. MedLEB unregistered

Yeah right, I think they are using games to simulate heavy apps like Photoshop, ...

posted on Sep 05, 2015, 8:41 PM 0

5. Cheezwiz

Posts: 500; Member since: Dec 29, 2014

We're almost into the last quarter of 2015 and I haven't seen a single thing that has impressed me about the Snapdragon 810. As a mobile non-gamer, the SD808 looks like the much smarter choice if I had to buy. Either that or wait another 6-8 months for the SD820

posted on Sep 05, 2015, 10:06 AM 1

7. Taters

Posts: 6474; Member since: Jan 28, 2013

Why is your quick launch task bar so ugly on your GS6 with just the 3 icons with empty spaces instead of the much more even looking standard of 5? Lol

posted on Sep 05, 2015, 10:13 AM 0

12. JMartin22

Posts: 2372; Member since: Apr 30, 2013

This is a kind of moot comparison. We don't know what the transition speed is by default on the Z5 in the developers settings and it's obvious they're using different types of animation transition effects.

posted on Sep 05, 2015, 10:33 AM 0

14. PapaSmurf

Posts: 10457; Member since: May 14, 2012

I'm willing to bet transition speed is kept at 1x like all stock Android phones do... Just saying.

posted on Sep 05, 2015, 10:41 AM 0

20. JMartin22

Posts: 2372; Member since: Apr 30, 2013

I believe some HTC flagships used 0.5x settings to make their Sense UI appear more snappy.

posted on Sep 05, 2015, 11:15 AM 0

13. D-SHEL

Posts: 23; Member since: Sep 14, 2014

HTC with Snapdragon 400 like here or faster.

posted on Sep 05, 2015, 10:39 AM 0

30. lpratas

Posts: 398; Member since: Nov 09, 2011

''HTC with Snapdragon 400 like here or faster'' you must be joking or drunk. Faster than a Exynos 7420? You are nuts or what?

posted on Sep 05, 2015, 4:27 PM 0

41. D-SHEL

Posts: 23; Member since: Sep 14, 2014

Try to open Messages, Phonebook etc. Sense with old CPU faster. Who need crар benchmarks?

posted on Sep 06, 2015, 12:42 PM 0

15. danielxxi

Posts: 183; Member since: Feb 13, 2013

Sony's Camera, album and Music app has much more animation to boot and there's alot of pictures on the album of xperia Z5, and the device could be overused time overtime so there's a slighlty downgrade in performance and the most important is, that is Pre-production unit