Sony's Xperia portfolio of smartphones is plentiful to say the least. There are numerous options available, from budget devices to mid-range, all the way up to super flagship, making working out the right one for you pretty tough. 

Adding to the confusion, four new smartphones have launched at Mobile World Congress 2017, one of which is the Xperia XZs, which succeeds IFA 2016's Xperia XZ and the even older Xperia Z5. Here is how the three devices compare to help you decide which is the right one for you.

Sony Xperia XZs vs Xperia XZ vs Xperia Z5: Design

  • All have same measurements and weights
  • Xperia XZs and XZ have full metal body
  • All IP65 and IP68 rated

The Sony Xperia XZs and Xperia XZ feature the same design, which in turn follows the same OmniBalance design Sony smartphones are distinguished by. The two devices opt for a flatter and squarer top and bottom however and their sides are more rounded like the rest of the X series, with the right side featuring the power button and the built-in fingerprint sensor.

The Sony Xperia XZs and XZ both feature a brushed metal finish, measure 146 x 72 x 8.1mm and weigh 161g. They are both IP68 water and dust resistant and USB Type-C is present for charging and data transfer.

The Sony Xperia Z5 also has an OmniBalance design but it features a tempered glass rear with a metal frame rather than an all metal finish. The side button is present with the fingerprint sensor but the Z5 offers a slightly more rounded top and bottom compared to the newer devices.

The Z5 measures 146 x 72 x 7.3mm, meaning it has the same footprint as the Xperia XZs and XZ but it is slightly slimmer. The Z5 weighs 154g, features Micro-USB and it too is IP68 water and dust resistant.

Sony Xperia XZs vs Xperia XZ vs Xperia Z5: Display

  • All 5.2-inch displays
  • All Full HD resolutions
  • Xperia XZs and XZ have Loop design

The Sony Xperia XZs and XZ both feature a 5.2-inch display with a Full HD resolution. This puts their pixel densities at 424ppi, which is lower than competitor devices like the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the new LG G6.

There is no edge-to-edge display like the Xperia XA range but the display on the Xperia XZs and XZ does wrap around to the edges thanks to a design feature called Loop, resulting in almost bezel-free sides even if the top and bottom are far from bezel-free.

The Sony Xperia Z5 comes with a 5.2-inch Full HD display, which puts its pixel density at the same as the Xperia XZs and XZ. There are a couple of Sony technologies on board, including X Reality and Triluminos, again like the Xperia XZs and XZ, but all-in-all, the Z5 has a pretty standard display with no fancy features.

Sony Xperia XZs vs Xperia XZ vs Xperia Z5: Camera

  • New camera on Xperia XZs with 960fps slo-mo video
  • Xperia XZ and Z5 have 23MP rear camera
  • Xperia XZs and XZ have higher resolution front camera

The Sony Xperia XZs comes with the company's new Motion Eye camera sensor, which has also been added to the Xperia XZ Premium. It has a 19-megapixel resolution with 1.22µm pixels and it is capable of shooting 4K video, along with super slow motion video at 960fps.

The Sony Xperia XZ features the same sensor as the Xperia Z5 on the rear, meaning a 23-megapixel resolution, which is also capable of 4K video recording but not the new super slow motion feature. It does have support from two other additional sensors however, one for colour and the other for depth of vision, which the Xperia XZs also has.

The front-facing camera resolution of the Xperia XZs and Xperia XZ is 13-megapixels and there is a wide-angle front lens, a sensitivity of ISO 6400 and it is capable of Full HD video recording.

The Xperia Z5 features a single sensor 23-megapixel rear camera, coupled with a 5-megapixel front camera. It is capable of Full HD video recording from both cameras but not 4K. It also isn't possible to manually control shutter speed or ISO, which you can on the XZs and XZ.

Sony Xperia XZs vs Xperia XZ vs Xperia Z5: Hardware

  • Xperia XZs has more RAM
  • Xperia XZs and XZ have USB Type-C
  • All have 2900mAh battery

The Sony Xperia XZs and XZ both have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor under their hoods but the new model has 4GB of RAM support, while the XZ is supported by 3GB of RAM. 

Both come in 32GB or 64GB storage models and they both have a battery capacity of 2900mAh, charged via USB Type-C. There is microSD support on both models for up to 256GB storage expansion.

The Xperia Z5 on the other hand, comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and a 2900mAh battery. There is microSD support for storage expansion too so the biggest differences in terms of hardware are the upgraded processors, extra RAM in the case of the XZs and USB Type-C.

Sony Xperia XZs vs Xperia XZ vs Xperia Z5: Software

  • Software experience should be similar across all three
  • All three will eventually run on Android Nougat

The Sony Xperia XZs will launch on Android Nougat from the box with Sony's bloatware over the top. The Xperia XZ launched on Marshmallow but it will see an update to Nougat soon, as will the Xperia Z5 that launched on Lollipop.

There will be a couple of new features on the XZs including camera functions, as well as battery management features, but the experience between these three devices should be pretty similar overall.

Sony Xperia XZ vs Xperia Z5: Conclusion

The Sony Xperia XZs improves on the Xperia XZ by adding the new Motion Eye camera, as well as 1GB extra RAM, meaning it improves on the Z5 in a couple of areas including the processor, camera and some might say the design, though the latter is subjective.

There isn't a huge change in hardware between all three devices though, with the battery, display size and resolution, as well as the internal memory all remaining the same.

The Xperia XZs and XZ do introduce USB Type-C, the display do offer a nice curve into the side, and there is a nice metal body, but internally, these three devices are pretty similar, aside from the camera on the new model.