I like the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact. It’s a nice phone. But I have an issue with this little guy. He’s really not that little in all respects.

Calling an 8.6mm-thick phone fat may sound like playground bullying, but the Z5 Compact really does feel like a little bit of a brick. A chubby funster next to the slick ’n’ svelte full-size Z5.

It’s not unusual for smaller phones to be a bit chunky, but the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact emphasises this with its very rectangular shape. It may have virtually the same dimensions as the Xperia Z3 Compact, but in the year since that phone’s release plenty of 5in skinny phones have arrived, almost (but not quite) bridging the size gap.

This kind of chunk factor does make the Xperia Z5 Compact feel like lesser hardware than the Z5.

Sony pretty much endorses this idea too. Where the big brother has metal sides, this one has plastic sides, which feel more ordinary. On the positive side, using plastic also gets rid of the hard ‘lip’ the Z5 has on its back.

Enough of the bad-mouthing: there’s still a lot to like about the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact hardware. Top of the list is the back style. It’s covered with frosted glass. It looks great, feels great and comes in a few different colours.

I’ve been using the boring black version, but you can also get pink, yellow and white. It’s also a must-try for those who find today’s phones that bit too big. While brick-like, the Z5’s still petite.