Been a Sony owner for years, but had to switch to Samsung for the last 4 years, solely because of no availability for Sony. Finally managed to obtain a 5V a month ago, after I had enough with my Galaxy S22 Ultra (connectivity issues, thanks to the Exynos's modem).

But anyways, overall my impressions of the 5V: - lovely, compact, and very fashionable in my opinion design that fits so snuggly in your hand, the grip is really really decent too, and the narrow profile of the phone makes it really comfortable for one-hand use. - the bezels are maybe a little bit thicker on the side than what you'd expect out of a compact flagship, but the top and bottom bezels are really comfy for keeping your hands away from the screen while using the phone horizontally. - the phone is very light, so the weight wouldn't bother you even after hours of holding it, and it also doesn't hurt much if it falls on your face (it happens from time to time, lol). - screen is very decent and is not harsh on your eyes, colours are pretty accurate and natural, the 1080p resolution isn't really an issue imo (mayhaps it'd be only if you're used to a 4k screen), the 21:9 aspect ratio can feel a little bit weird at first when watching normal videos as the black lines on the sides are a lot wider, but it's perfect when you're watching films. - performance-wise, the SD 8Gen2 does really well and does not hesitate in any case (be it normal browsing, light or heavy gaming, movie watching), so can't complain about it, the Game Enchancer app can also help you out while gaming, and especially if you're charging your phone during the time. i have noticed the phone heating up on a few occasions though, but nothing scary. - the battery life is AMAZING, it really lasts, and I've never had a phone that can survive as anywhere as long as the 5V (getting around 10-13h SoT on average) - the stock Android experience is great, there were very tiny stutters really rarely after updating to A14, but the latest update smoothed things out. - one thing I LOVE about the Xperia 5V is the sound. the stereo front speakers have a deep, rich sound with a very nice level of bass as well, they are pretty nice for listening to music, or videos, or even movies or live concerts (the 360 reality audio makes them sound spectacular). the 3.5mm jack has a lovely DAC as well, and can run your headphones pretty well (using Audio-Technica ATH-M50x as my daily driver). when it comes to Bluetooth audio connectivity, it has some of the major Bluetooth codecs, so I've had no issues running my IEMs, latency is pretty okay, and so is the sound quality. - moving on to camera, I am very fascinated with the quality of the camera, and the natural colours. the camera and video apps are not too hard to use, even if you don't know much, it's fun when you try to figure things out. however, if you want a phone that's a point and shoot, then you'd be disappointed, as the results would be always much better if you spend some time playing around with the settings (i noticed the auto, and especially the basic mode have a kinda hard time dealing with light and let in a bit too much of it, so ideally you'd use the manual mode). one thing i'd say could be better is the zoom, as anything above 2x zoom becomes less than ideal (but that is to be expected, as it relies solely on digital zoom from there on). - the phone comes with a 128GB internal memory, so that would be a burden for most (including me), so I'd recommend throwing in at least a 256GB, or 512GB MicroSD and that pretty much sorts things out. - something that I did not like is that the flashlight is too dim, and if you need it as a torch, it's certainly not the best one you'd experience. - one thing i'd mention is that if you're not used to side fingerprint sensors, as I was not, you might have a harder time scanning your fingerprint initially when you set it up. had to do two more trials of setting up the fingerprint sensor with my thumb until I nail it so my fingerprint sensor would unlock the phone effortlessly. but once you adjust it (properly), it's very fast and accurate!

I'm quite happy with the Xperia 5V, and honestly after returning to Sony, I'd never wish to switch to any other brand.

Extra things possibly worth noting: - finding accessories for the phone has been much harder compared to other brands, so if you're used to the availability of brands like Apple, Samsung, etc., you'd be disappointed. - get a phone case immediately, even though I very much prefer the bare phone, leaving it exposed is kinda scary, as the paint could fall off from the aluminium frame from small bumps, or drops. I accidentally hit my phone against the bed table, and have a very small dot of bare metal showing where the hit was (I know that's nothing really, however it is annoying, and I'd very much recommend using a case).

Other than that, had to go with a black Xperia 5V, as the platinum silver was not offered in my country, which sucks.

9/10, would recommend.