OnePlus has announced its new "flagship killer" smartphone in the form of the OnePlus 5. The new device will hit shelves on 27 June for under £500, but how does it compare to its competition?

We've put the OnePlus 5 up against the LG G6, Galaxy S8 and iPhone 7 in separate features, all of which you can find in our OnePlus Hub, but here we are looking at how the OnePlus 5 compares to the Sony Xperia XZ Premium.

OnePlus 5 vs Sony Xperia XZ Premium: Design

  • OnePlus 5 is smaller and lighter
  • Sony Xperia XZ Premium is waterproof
  • OnePlus is all aluminium, Sony is aluminium and glass

The OnePlus 5 features an anodised aluminium build, rounded corners and a chamfered hard edge. A horizontal dual camera is positioned in the top right corner of the rear, while a fingerprint sensor is situated within a capacitive button on the front of the device beneath the display.

Measuring 154.2 x 74.1 x 7.25mm and weighing 153g, the OnePlus 5 is slightly smaller than the Sony Xperia XZ Premium. There are two colours available, comprising Midnight Black and Slate Grey and there is no official IP rating for water or dust resistance.

The Sony Xperia XZ Premium measures 156 x 77 x 7.9mm and weighs 191g, making it quite a bit heavier than the OnePlus 5. It features an aluminium frame with 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass on both the front and the rear and it offers the signature Xperia OmniBalance flat-slab design as well as a side-mounted fingerprint sensor built into the power button.

There are three colour options available comprising Luminous Chrome, Deepsea Black and Bronze Pink, all of which are IP68 rated for both water and dust resistance.

OnePlus 5 vs Sony Xperia XZ Premium: Display

  • Both have 5.5-inch displays, 16:9 aspect ratio
  • Sony Xperia XZ Premium has much sharper, 4K resolution
  • Mobile HDR compatibility on Sony Xperia XZ Premium

The OnePlus 5 has a 5.5-inch AMOLED display with an 16:9 aspect ratio and a Full HD resolution. Its pixel density is 401ppi, which is the same as the OnePlus 3T

There is no Mobile HDR compatibility on board, but the OnePlus 5 does have 2.5 Corning Gorilla Glass protection for a seamless design finish between the screen and the edge of the device. 

The Sony Xperia XZ Premium has a 5.5-inch display too, also with a 16:9 aspect ratio but it opts for an LCD panel over AMOLED, meaning the OnePlus 5 should deliver more vibrant and punchier colours in comparison, even if not as realistic. 

Sony offers Mobile HDR compatibility however and it also has a 4K resolution, resulting in a super sharp pixel density of 801ppi. Like the OnePlus 5, Sony's Xperia XZ Premium also has 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass Protection.

OnePlus 5 vs Sony Xperia XZ Premium: Camera

  • Dual camera on OnePlus 5 for bokeh effect and optical zoom
  • Higher resolution front and rear snappers on OnePlus 5
  • Sony has 960fps super slow-motion video feature

The OnePlus 5 has a dual rear camera featuring a 16-megapixel main sensor with a f/1.7 aperture, coupled with a 20-megapixel telephoto sensor offering a f/2.6 aperture. There is a dual-LED flash on board, up to 4K video recording capabilities and up to 8x optical zoom.

The front camera on the OnePlus 5 is 16-megapixels with a f/2.0 aperture and it is capable of video recording up to 1080p. The OnePlus 5 has a Portrait Mode for bokeh images, along with a Pro Mode for manually adjusting settings such as ISO and shutter speed.

The Sony Xperia XZ Premium has a 19-megapixel f/2.0 main single sensor on the rear, capable of up to 8x digital zoom and 4K video recording. It is a memory-stacked sensor, which means it is capable of recording slo motion video at 960fps compared to the standard 240fps, making for one of its best features. 

The front camera is a 13-megapixel sensor, also with a f/2.0 aperture and like the OnePlus 5, it is capable of shooting video up to 1080p. Sony also offers manual control of certain settings for its rear camera.

OnePlus 5 vs Sony Xperia XZ Premium: Hardware

  • More RAM and internal storage on the OnePlus 5
  • Both Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 and similar battery capacity
  • MicroSD on Sony Xperia XZ Premium, as well as high-res audio support

The OnePlus 5 features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor under its hood, coupled with either 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage or 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, depending on the model selected. 

There is a 3300mAh battery capacity under the hood, which is charged via USB Type-C and compatible with the company's fast charge technology, Dash Charge. A 3.5mm headphone jack is also present.

The Sony Xperia XZ Premium also features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, but it is supported by a little less RAM than the OnePlus 5 with the only one model available at 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Sony offers microSD support for storage expansion though, something OnePlus doesn't provide.

An ever so slightly smaller battery capacity is also on board the Sony Xperia XZ Premium compared to the OnePlus 5 at 3230mAh, but it too is charged via USB Type-C and it also supports a form of fast charging with Quick Charge 3.0 on board. The Sony device has a 3.5mm headphone jack too and it supports 32-bit audio and digital noise cancelling. 

OnePlus 5 vs Sony Xperia XZ Premium: Software

  • Both Android Nougat at core, but different experiences 
  • Sony adds bloatware, OnePlus modifies Android for OxygenOS

The OnePlus 5 runs on OxygenOS, which is a modified version of Android Nougat 7.1.1, while the Sony Xperia XZ Premium runs on Android Nougat with Sony's software over the top.

Both therefore have Android at their core, though Sony will offer a closer to pure Android experience with some bloatware. The OnePlus 5 on the other hand will deliver a slightly different experience, with a few extra features.

OnePlus 5 vs Sony Xperia XZ Premium: Price

  • OnePlus is £200 cheaper for same internal storage

The OnePlus 5 will start at £449 for the 64GB model, creeping up to £499 for the 128GB model.

The Sony Xperia XZ Premium meanwhile costs £649, making it £200 more expensive.

OnePlus 5 vs Sony Xperia XZ Premium: Conclusion

The OnePlus 5 and the Sony Xperia XZ Premium are both all about the specs, with both devices offering plenty of power. The OnePlus 5 is the smaller of the two devices, whilst also offering more RAM, more storage, higher resolution cameras and a slightly larger battery capacity.

The Sony Xperia XZ Premium is waterproof though, whilst also offering a super sharp HDR display, a brilliant 960fps super slow motion video recording feature, microSD for storage expansion and high-resolution audio support.

The decision between these two handsets will therefore come down to what smartphone features are more important to you and how much you have to spend, especially as the Sony comes with a £200 price hike over the OnePlus 5.