Iterative products are just a way of life these days. We get a new slightly updated device every few months, sometimes every six months, sometimes even every year, Sony have mastered the iterative product cycle, releasing new products every six months ensuring they stay current.
A manufacturer finds a new niche or use case and sometimes it’s a hit with the consumer, the Sony Z1 Compact was one such phone, for a while to buy a small compact Android device meant you'd have to compromise on specs, build quality and design. A few companies had tried something different but none had really made a success with them.
Sony last year decided to offer a high spec device in a small chassis that would appeal to those people who wanted the latest flagship spec and high performance, but didn’t want a huge great 5″+ device that needed two hands to operate.
This year they’ve gone and updated it, on paper it’s basically the same as the larger Xperia Z3 that was announced a few weeks ago at IFA, only a few minor details are different. Anyway I’ve been using one for a few weeks now, thanks to getting one pre-ordered with Clove, I ordered the red one, I just wanted something a bit different and it kind of matched my watch.
So onto to the review, as always starting with my good and bad points.
Good Points
- Great size, great feel in the hand, great design.
- Great build quality.
- The display despite being 720p is sharp, colourful and bright.
- Feels really quick through the UI.
- Software is pretty intuitive.
- Micro SD slot.
- Water and dust proof.
- Great sound quality with either speakers or headphones.
- In the right conditions the camera is great.
- Some of the Sony software is really rather nice, such as the Gallery and Walkman apps.
Bad Points
- The camera seems to be a little bit off in certain conditions.
- Front speakers distort at high volume.
- Flap longevity is a concern after having to replace my Z2 flaps recently.
- The Sony launcher and bundled software is getting a little much.
Design
The Sony Xperia Z3 Compact or Z3C as I'll call it from now on, is a great looking piece of kit. It is a mix of nice soft touch plastic, some underlying metal and two panes of glass. I was quite surprised when I took the Z3C out of its box, mainly because small devices always surprise me and also that the edges were made of plastic.
I had seen them on various hands on videos from IFA but seeing it in the flesh was quite a shock. Not that the translucent plastic doesn’t look nice, I just expected something a little bit more premium feeling.
The sides of the Z3C are made of a soft touch translucent plastic, which is convex so if you were to drop the phone it might protect the phone much like a bumper case would. I did say might though, you'd more than likely smash the glass if you dropped it.
The left hand side house two flaps and the magnetic charging point. The top flap houses the Micro SD slot and the Micro USB charging port. The bottom flap houses the Nano SIM slot. Both flaps are opened from the ends with this generation as opposed to the sides. This might help phantom opening, I don’t really know yet.
The right hand side of the phone is where you find the various buttons, arranged in the same order as before, the round power button at the top, volume rocker just below that, some may say almost too close to the power button and then the camerabutton at the bottom.
The camera button still triggers the camera from sleep or within any app, which is quite handy. The volume and camera buttons are made of plastic this time round, in the same colour as the side panels, if anything these buttons add to the “Not as premium as I‘d hoped for” feeling I have with the Z3C. If they were metal like the power button it’d be better.
The top and bottom of the phone don’t really hold many surprises; the top has a microphone and the headphone socket. The bottom has another microphone hole.
The front of the phone is pretty basic, the Z3C now has front facing stereo speakers, which are inset from the edge. The back of the phone is a sheet of coloured glass, which feels nicer than last years plastic back. The back bares branding for Sony,Xperia, NFC and also the camera and flash are in the top left.
Overall the Z3C looks nice, it feels nice and you can use the entire screen with one hand, which is always fun.
Hardware
Spec wise the Z3C is pretty much perfect. With only really the screen lacking in any way. Although saying that you can’t tell it’s a 720p display, it’s bright, colourful, crisp, viewable from all angles and fairly readable outdoors.
- Display: 4.6″ display (1280×720 pixels),with TRILUMINOS and X-Reality tech built in.
- Processor: Qualcomm Quad-core Snapdragon 801 at 2.5 GHz.
- GPU: Adreno 330 GPU.
- Internal Memory: 16 GB (about 11 GB free out of the box).
- RAM: 2 GB.
- Rear Camera: 20.7 MP camera with auto focus, 8x digital zoom, IS0 12800 maximum, Sony Exmor RS.
- Front Camera: 2.2 MP, HD 1080p for video.
- Sound: Sony 3D Surround Sound technology (VPT), Clear Audio+, xLoud Experience, DSEE HX, High-res audio.
- Connectivity: GSM GPRS/EDGE (2G), UMTS HSPA (3G), LTE (4G) (not available in all markets), aGPS, Bluetooth 4.0, 3.5 mm audio jack with Digital Noise Cancelling (DNC), DLNA Certified, NFC, GLONASS, Native USB tethering, ANT+ wireless technology.
- Battery: 2600 mAh non removable, Talk time: up to 14 hours, Standby time: up to 920 hours, Music listening time: Up to 110 hours, Video playback time: Up to 10 hours.
- Dimensions: 127 x 64.9 x 8.6 mm.
- Weight: 129 g.
- Extras: Micro SD slot up to 128 GB (inc SDXC), PlayStation(r) Certified for PS4 Remote Play, Waterproof and dust tight (IP65 and IP68).
Republished with permission from CoolSmartphone. Read the original.
