22.10.2014

Brief, formal...

Lyrical introduction

Synthetic tests:

Sensors In addition to the traditional set of accelerometer, gyroscope and compass, there is also a barometer. But, unfortunately, there is no thermometer. There is also no infrared port.

The light sensor and proximity sensor, of course, are also in place.

Communication with the outside world

Mobile internet works well. Both LTE (4G) and its younger brother 3G.

Regarding LTE, it makes sense to pay attention to the following. In our country now, the main LTE band is the seventh (2600 MHz), plus the twentieth (800 MHz) has been actively developing lately. Those varieties that are officially sold with us (single-SIM model D6603 and dual-SIM D6633) can work in both of these ranges. Similarly, in both ranges, a certain model with number D6643 works (but it is not visible for sale in our country at all).

But the D6653 device I’m studying, apparently, only knows about the seventh LTE band. At least judging by the data from the official website. I did not find any information about this on the device itself or on the packaging.

Wi-Fi dual-band, a/b/g/n/ac 2.4 + 5 GHz. Sensitivity is perhaps slightly below average (judging by the number of grids that the smartphone saw). Naturally, there are no problems with speed.

The smartphone can only connect to a computer via USB in MTP mode; there is no support for Mass Storage.

It is possible to connect external USB devices such as mice and flash drives (USB-OTG).

There is MHL, i.e. You can use a special cord that plugs into the Micro-USB connector to duplicate the picture from the smartphone screen to the TV screen. It works well, you can watch videos and play toys. The only thing is that almost always the picture on the smartphone (and TV) screen is forcibly rotated horizontally, even if you don’t really want it. The exception is toys like Temple Run, where horizontal position is not provided for by the design at all.

There is Bluetooth version 4.0, there is NFC.

Screen

IPS screen with a diagonal of 5.2" and a resolution of 1080x1920 (i.e. FullHD). The screen is good, but, how can I put it, strange and unusual.

Excellent brightness (540 cd/m2) with good contrast (850:1). The minimum brightness is extremely low - less than 4 cd/m2, also a great result. There is no air gap, a high-quality matrix - as a result, the screen is visible always and everywhere. Look at the next frame. It's cloudy outside, but it's the middle of the day! And I didn’t use any HDR; in fact, the screen can be so bright against the background of the surrounding dull autumn reality:

There are no questions about the sensor, it’s good and clear. Multi-touch for 10 simultaneous touches.

What is extremely nice is the ability to work with the screen while wearing gloves. It is implemented competently, the sensitivity is good.

And then things get weird. Color temperature is as much as 12500K. In Russian, the colors are eye-catching. Moreover, Sony uses such acidic colors in the main design - it’s just wow. There are adjustments, you can slightly adjust the colors and lower the color temperature. But you still can’t reach the ideal 6500K, and besides, the brightness will suffer. And the adjustment is surprisingly inconvenient. Instead of one slider that would move exactly the color temperature, it is proposed to separately adjust the blue, green and red colors.

However, if you replace the design from Sony with some nice neutral cats, you can come to terms with the screen colors. Although, of course, a sediment remains.

The second oddity is the oleophobic coating. When I first picked up the smartphone, I was naturally shocked - it was so quickly covered with fingerprints, which were also difficult to erase. And this is on a smartphone for 30 thousand rubles?? But over time, oddly enough, everything became much better. No, I'm not used to it. It seems that the oleophobic coating needed time to “work in”.

Well, as usual, Sony screens love to attract dust. But there’s probably less of it in your pockets.

Operating system and other software

Operating system Android 4.4.4 KitKat plus a proprietary shell and some software from Sony.

What's valuable is that this software also includes a file manager. Why is it valuable? Because in Android 4.4, third-party software (including my favorite file manager ES Explorer) is deprived of the ability to write anything to the memory card. In particular, you cannot just copy and copy a file from the internal flash memory to your Micro-SD. But the “branded” file manager does not have this stupid limitation.

Applications cannot be installed on a Micro-SD card.

Battery

The battery capacity seems to be not very impressive these days - 3100 mAh - we've seen more. But the test results are impressive and warm the heart like a warm mitten. As much as 179% of the standard (Galaxy S4) and more than 11 hours of video - the result is extremely pleasant.

Based on the results of long walks around Paris, I can say that the battery capacity from morning until late evening was always enough for me. And this despite the fact that, in addition to constantly working with the camera and more or less regularly shining the screen at high brightness when working as a navigator, the device also constantly and without interruption wrote a GPS track from morning to night. However, the battery was enough - yes, but without a large reserve. There were a couple of days when, towards the evening, I began to nervously glance at the amount of remaining charge. Although - it would seem - why be nervous if there are two more spare smartphones in your backpack?

Video. It can shoot video in FullHD resolution (1920x1080) at 60 frames per second. An example of such a video. I can’t say that I’m delighted with the quality of the videos, but it’s quite suitable for adding to your home video collection.

Detailed testing of the new mini version of the flagship in the Sony Mobile line of smartphones

The new line of Sony Xperia Z3 mobile devices was presented at the very beginning of autumn during the IFA 2014 world exhibition. Among other things, it includes three main top devices: the flagship Sony Xperia Z3, its compact version Xperia Z3 Compact, as well as a new eight-inch tablet called Sony Z3 Tablet. As for the most important device of the new line, the flagship Z3, we have already published a review of it. Now it’s time to look at its miniature version in detail, which was presented simultaneously with the flagship during an exhibition in Berlin.

In this regard, it is worth immediately noting two points. Firstly, the Z3 Compact can be called a “miniature” only according to its status in the line and the positioning established by the creators for this model in relation to the flagship. The device received the prefix “Compact” in its name, but this does not mean that the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact smartphone is small. In terms of size and screen area (4.6″), this is a completely ordinary smartphone, although it cannot be classified as a “shovel phone”.

The second interesting point is that the Japanese, having again updated the entire main line of Xperia Z mobile devices, gave all devices included in the updated series, without exception, the serial number 3. Thus, the miniature version of the Xperia Compact “jumped” one digit in its index , so as not to differ from its comrades in the line, and there will never be a model called Xperia Z2 Compact.

Video review

First, we suggest watching our video review of the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact smartphone:

Main characteristics of Sony Xperia Z3 Compact (Model D5803)

	Sony Xperia Z3 Compact	ZTE nubia Z7 mini	HTC One mini 2	LG G2 mini
Screen	4.6″, IPS	5″, IPS	4.5″, IPS	4.7″, IPS
Permission	1280×720, 319 ppi	1920×1080, 443 ppi	1280×720, 326 ppi	960×540, 234 ppi
SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (4 Krait 400 cores) @2.5 GHz	Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (4 Krait 400 cores) @2.0 GHz		Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 (4 cores ARM Cortex-A7) @1.2 GHz
GPU	Adreno 330	Adreno 330	Adreno 305	Adreno 305
RAM	2 GB	2 GB	1 GB	1 GB
Flash memory	16 GB	16 GB	16 GB	8 GB
Memory card support	microSD	microSD	microSD	microSD
operating system	Google Android 4.4	Google Android 4.4	Google Android 4.4	Google Android 4.4
Battery	non-removable, 2600 mAh	non-removable, 2300 mAh	non-removable, 2100 mAh	removable, 2440 mAh
Cameras	rear (20.7 MP; 4K video), front (2.2 MP)	rear (13 MP; 4K video), front (5 MP)	rear (13 MP; video 1080p), front (5 MP)	rear (8 MP; video 1080p), front (1.3 MP)
Dimensions and weight	127×65×8.6 mm, 129 g	141×69×8.2 mm, 143 g	137×65×10.6 mm, 137 g	130×66×9.9 mm, 121 g
average price	T-11028554	N/A	T-10829000	T-10833941
Sony Xperia Z3 Compact offers	L-11028554-10

• SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974AC), 2.5 GHz, 4 cores
• GPU Adreno 330
• Operating system Android 4.4.4 KitKat
• Touchscreen IPS display, 4.6″, 1280×720, Triluminos
• Random access memory (RAM) 2 GB, internal memory 16 GB
• MicroSD card slot up to 128 GB (SDXC)
• Protection against dust and moisture according to IP 65/68 standard
• Communication GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
• Communications 3G UMTS HSPA+ 850, 900, 1700, 1900, 2100 MHz
• LTE Band 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17, 20 (2600/800 FDD are used in the Russian Federation)
• Bluetooth 4.0, NFC
• Support DLNA, MHL 3.0, OTG, Media Go, MTP, Miracast
• Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5 GHz), Wi-Fi hotspot
• GPS/Glonass
• Exmor RS 20.7 MP camera, autofocus, LED flash, 4K video
• Front camera 2.2 MP
• Non-removable battery 2600 mAh
• Dimensions 127×65×8.6 mm
• Weight 129 g

Contents of delivery

The Sony Xperia Z3 Compact smartphone is packaged in a fairly simple-looking, flat and square box made of thin unvarnished cardboard, which has already become classic for the latest products in the Sony mobile line, with a cardboard tray and three different-sized compartments inside, separated by thin partitions.

The contents of the smartphone are extremely modest: in the box you can only find a compact charger and a Micro-USB connecting cable, nothing more. Sony has decided not to include headphones in the package with its flagship products; they will be offered separately at a fairly reasonable price, as an additional accessory.

Appearance and ease of use

Unlike the flagship Xperia Z3, the changes in relation to its predecessor are almost exclusively cosmetic, the difference between the compact modifications is more significant. The new Xperia Z3 Compact has changed not only the hardware platform, but also the most noticeable element - the display, which has increased the diagonal size. At the same time, the dimensions of the device remained unchanged, but the frames around the screen became narrower, which made it possible to integrate a larger screen into the same body dimensions - everything is logical.

As for the appearance of the device, changes are noticeable here too. If the flagship only had its flat side edges redone, which now became rounded and pleasant to the touch, but remained the same metal, then the Xperia Z3 Compact also changed the materials of the side frame. Now it is made not of metal, but of polycarbonate, and besides, it has become transparent, which has radically changed the status perception of the device.

If the previous smartphone Xperia Z1 Compact really looked and was perceived as a serious, expensive product, like a real miniature version of the flagship, with the same materials, with the same heavy metal frame that gave the device brutality, then transparent plastic ran along the entire side perimeter of the case The new Xperia Z3 Compact is simply not able to give such a serious look. On the contrary, it seems to simplify and reduce the cost of the device in appearance, transferring it into the category of youth solutions. Of course, colorful and transparent plastics may well captivate the younger generation, but for a high-status, serious item such changes in appearance are disastrous. As a result, if you put the Z1 Compact and Z3 Compact side by side, they will look like two products of completely different levels, especially considering the variety of colors that have appeared in the latter, including green and carrot-orange options.

But there is also a positive aspect to all this: the corners of the side frame are now made of polycarbonate material, so that they play the role of a kind of shock absorbers, supposedly helping the smartphone “survive” after falls from a height.

The side plastic frame feels hard and slightly rough to the touch, so the smartphone is held quite securely in the hand, this cannot be taken away. In general, the dimensions and thickness of the new Sony Xperia Z3 Compact are such that the smartphone can be comfortably held in your hand and carried in a pocket of any size. Compared to most modern mobile devices, the smartphone is indeed quite compact, although not the thinnest solution on the mobile market.

As for the general structure of the body, the smartphone is still a non-separable candy bar, consisting of two glass plates and a wide frame running along the entire side perimeter. The non-separable nature of the case also implies the method of installing cards: the SIM card and memory card are inserted into the side slots; no paper clips are required to remove them; you just need to open the covers covering the slots from the outside.

The covers on the side frame are made of the same transparent polycarbonate and equipped with rubberized gaskets, since the smartphone, like its predecessors, is provided with maximum protection against water and dust according to the IP 65/68 standard. There are two covers; they hide slots for a memory card and SIM card, as well as a Micro-USB connector. By the way, changes have occurred here too: now top-end Sony mobile devices use Nano-SIM cards, obviously with an eye to a painless possible transition for some users from the Apple iPhone. The rest will have to go to the communication store again and change their SIM card to a new one.

There is another very noticeable improvement that should please fans of mobile devices of the Japanese brand. Now the back surface, like the front, is made not of plastic, but of real glass. Both glasses do not have a factory protective film; the characteristics of the glass are similar to the famous Corning Gorilla Glass.

There have also been changes in terms of sound. Now the smartphone has two grilles for sound output, they are located above and below the screen; the role of the grilles is played by two symmetrical slits cut directly into the glass. A completely logical solution is to turn the speakers “facing” the user, and there are now two speakers themselves.

Another change: previously, it was through the top slot of the speaker that the light of the alert indicator came through, but now it is brought out into the traditional separately located round peephole. There is an item in the settings menu where you can disable some of the indicator’s functions, leaving it to notify only about the charging status.

There are traditionally no hardware buttons below the screen; control is carried out using virtual buttons on the screen.

The only functional elements on the back side are the camera window and the flash eye. The flash here consists of one section and is located a little further from the camera than before. It can be used as a flashlight; for this purpose, the smartphone has a corresponding pre-installed program.

There are no changes in terms of mechanical hardware controls. The power and lock button is still located on the right side; traditionally for the latest Sony smartphones, it looks like a metal round, but in the third series models it is slightly different in appearance. Next to it you can find a double volume rocker. All the keys are large, easy to feel blindly, have a distinct springy action, there are no complaints in this regard.

At the bottom of the right side there is a dedicated hardware camera control key; with its help, the smartphone can be used to shoot even underwater, although the screen at this time becomes insensitive to touches. The ability to shoot underwater is a signature feature of Sony mobile devices, constantly played out in advertising and on posters.

A special connector with an open pair of contacts for installing a smartphone in a docking station has not been forgotten. The connector is universal: most modern Sony devices, including tablets, can be installed in the same docking station, purchased separately.

The headphone audio jack (3.5 mm) is located on top here, and it is not covered by any plugs. However, it is also protected from water entering the housing. At the bottom end you can only see the microphone hole - a universal Micro-USB connector that supports connecting external devices in OTG mode is hidden under a cover on the left side. For daily charging, you will have to open this cover every time - or use a separately purchased docking station.

There is also another hole at the bottom - this is a traditional strap mount, which is present in all Sony smartphones, and it is a pity that other manufacturers neglect this useful element.

The color scheme of the new mini-flagship has undergone significant changes. The smartphone is presented not only in traditional black and white, but also in completely unexpected bright cucumber-green and carrot-orange colors, which, coupled with transparent plastic, is clearly designed to attract the interest of a young audience.

Screen

The Sony Xperia Z3 Compact smartphone is equipped with an IPS touch matrix. The screen dimensions are 57x101 mm, diagonal - 4.6 inches, resolution - 1280x720 pixels. The pixel density here is 319 ppi, which by modern standards is not so much. The developers themselves call this type of display Triluminos. Naturally, there is also proprietary X-Reality image enhancement software technology for mobile devices.

The outside of the screen is covered with protective glass without a factory protective film - Sony finally decided to abandon it. The thickness of the side frames from the edge of the screen to the edge of the body is approximately 3 mm - the frames are very narrow.

The display brightness can be adjusted manually, or you can use automatic adjustment. Multi-touch technology here allows you to process up to 10 simultaneous touches. The display can be operated with gloves or wet fingers. When you bring the smartphone to your ear, the screen is locked using a proximity sensor.

A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the “Monitors” and “Projectors and TV” sections, Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the sample under study.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface that is scratch-resistant. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are no worse than those of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) screen (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photograph in which a white surface is reflected in the switched off screens of both devices (Sony Xperia Z3 Compact, as it is not difficult to determine, is on the right; then they can be distinguished by size):

Both screens are dark, but the Sony screen is still darker (its brightness in the photo is 119 versus 122 for the Nexus 7). The tripling of reflected objects in the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact screen is very weak, this indicates that there is no air gap between the outer glass (also known as the touch sensor) and the surface of the matrix (OGS - One Glass Solution type screen). Due to the smaller number of boundaries (glass-air type) with very different refractive indices, such screens look better under strong external illumination, but their repair in the case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be replaced. The outer surface of the screen has a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (very effective, much like the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much more easily and appear at a slower rate than with regular glass.

With manual brightness control, its maximum value was about 530 cd/m², and the minimum was 3.5 cd/m². The maximum value is high, and, given the good anti-glare properties, the image on the screen should be clearly visible in bright daylight. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable level. Automatic brightness adjustment works based on the light sensor (it is located in the upper left corner on the front panel). In automatic mode, as external lighting conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. The operation of this function depends on the brightness adjustment position. If it is at maximum, then in complete darkness the auto-brightness function reduces the brightness to 100 cd/m² (a bit too much, but it will do), in an artificially lit office (about 400 lux) it sets it to 200 cd/m² (normal), in a very bright environment (corresponds to lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more) increases to 450 cd/m² (sufficient). If the brightness slider is at half the scale (it is very non-linear - after 50% the brightness goes up sharply as the setting value increases), then the screen brightness for the three conditions indicated above is as follows: 50, 125 and 450 cd/m² (suitable values). If the brightness control is set to minimum - 4.5, 40, 450 cd/m². As a result, the auto-brightness function works absolutely adequately. At any brightness level, there is no significant backlight modulation, so there is no screen flickering.

This screen uses an IPS type matrix. The microphotographs show a typical IPS subpixel structure:

For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.

The screen has good viewing angles without inverting shades and without significant color shifts, even with large viewing deviations from perpendicular to the screen. For comparison, here are photographs in which the same images are displayed on the screens of the Nexus 7 and Sony Xperia Z3 Compact, while the brightness of the screens is initially set to approximately 200 cd/m² (across the white field in full screen), and the color balance on the camera is forcibly switched to 6500 K. White field perpendicular to the plane of the screens:

Note the good uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field. And a test picture:

The colors on the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact's screen are oversaturated, skin tones are heavily red-shifted, and the color balance is different from the standard. Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen:

It can be seen that the colors have not changed much on both screens, but on the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact the contrast has decreased to a greater extent due to the strong highlighting of blacks. And a white field:

The brightness at an angle for both screens has noticeably decreased (by at least 4 times, based on the difference in shutter speed), but in the case of the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact the drop in brightness is less (brightness according to photographs is 232 versus 214 for the Nexus 7). However, the color tone did not change much. When deviated diagonally, the black field brightens greatly and acquires a violet or red-violet hue. The photographs below demonstrate this (the brightness of the white areas in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the screens is the same for the screens!):

And from another angle:

When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the black field is average, since there are areas with slightly increased brightness along the edge:

The contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) is high - about 900:1. The response time for the black-white-black transition is 32 ms (18 ms on + 14 ms off). The transition between halftones of gray 25% and 75% (based on the numerical value of the color) and back takes a total of 46 ms. Constructed using 32 points with equal intervals based on the numerical value of the shade of gray, the gamma curve did not reveal any blockage in either highlights or shadows, and the index of the approximating power function was 2.48, which is higher than the standard value of 2.2, while the real gamma curve strongly deviates from the power law:

The smartphone has a dynamic (and cannot be turned off!) adjustment of the backlight brightness depending on the nature of the displayed image. The general tendency is that in dark images the brightness is reduced, but the algorithm is somewhat complex, and as a result, periodically the brightness jumps noticeably, which is annoying, and decreasing the brightness in dark images reduces the visibility of gradations in the shadows under external illumination. That is, there is zero benefit from this function, only harm. As a result, we carried out a number of tests - determining contrast and response time, comparing black illumination at angles - when displaying special templates with a consistently average brightness, and not monochromatic fields in the entire screen. Of course, the resulting dependence of brightness on hue (gamma curve) most likely does not correspond to the gamma curve of a static image, since the measurements were carried out with sequential display of shades of gray on almost the entire screen.

The color gamut is noticeably wider than sRGB:

Let's look at the spectra:

They are very atypical. As they write on the Sony website, this screen uses LEDs with a blue emitter and green and red phosphors (usually a blue emitter and a yellow phosphor), which, in combination with special matrix filters, allows for a wide color gamut. Unfortunately, as a result, the colors of images - drawings, photographs and films - oriented to the sRGB space (and these are the vast majority) have an unnatural saturation. This is especially noticeable on recognizable shades, such as skin tones. The result is shown in the photo above.

The balance of shades on the gray scale is not ideal, since the color temperature is significantly higher than the standard 6500 K. True, the deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) is less than 10, which is considered an acceptable indicator for a consumer device. At the same time, the variation in color temperature and ΔE is small, which has a positive effect on the visual perception of color balance. (Dark areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since color balance there is not very important, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

This smartphone has the ability to adjust the color balance by adjusting the intensities of the three primary colors.

That's what we tried to do, the result is data signed as Corr. in the graphs above. As a result, we reduced ΔE a little and set the white point to 6500 K (but also greatly reduced the brightness):

However, this correction did not reduce the oversaturation of colors. If someone still finds the image on the screen of this smartphone not bright enough, you can turn on the proprietary mode X-Reality for mobile. The result is shown below:

Saturation and contour sharpness are software enhanced, and there are fewer discernible gradations in the area of ​​saturated colors. But the picture, yes, has become brighter. There is also a “maximum brightness” mode, in which color contrast increases even more:

And alternately (if you have scripts enabled) all three modes on the gradient:

Turned off:

Let's summarize. The brightness adjustment range of this screen is wide, and the anti-glare properties are all right, which allows you to comfortably use the smartphone both on a sunny day outside and in complete darkness. It is permissible to use a mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works absolutely adequately. The advantages also include an effective oleophobic coating, no flicker and no air gap in the layers of the screen. The disadvantages are a strong highlighting of black color when the gaze deviates from perpendicular to the surface of the screen and aggressive dynamic brightness adjustment. Color rendering is not all right, as the colors are oversaturated (skin tones are especially affected) and the color temperature is too high. The presence of appropriate adjustments allows you to adjust the balance to almost ideal, but at the expense of reducing brightness. Taking into account the importance of the characteristics for this particular class of devices (and the most important thing is the visibility of information in a wide range of external conditions), the quality of the screen can be considered high.

Sound

While I was pleased with the significant improvement in the sound of the flagship Sony Xperia Z3, the sound of the compact version remained so inexpressive, even with two stereo speakers. Low frequencies are present, but the speakers sound somewhat muffled, they do not impress with either the clarity of sound or power, and at the maximum volume level they even wheeze slightly. In conversational dynamics, the interlocutor’s speech, intonation and timbre remain distinguishable and recognizable, however, it also sounds rather muffled.

The internal arrangement and sound settings remain the same. To play music, the device traditionally uses its own proprietary Walkman player. The standard audio player is rich in settings and additional software sound improvements, such as a built-in equalizer with a lot of preset values ​​(you can set your own), Clear Phase, xLoud technologies and virtual surround sound. Control of most settings is available if the complex ClearAudio+ function is turned off, otherwise all settings are left to the machine. It is worth noting that the new “compact”, like the new flagship, implements Sony’s proprietary digital noise reduction technology. The developers promise that when using a special headset MDR-NC31EM, the level of external noise can be reduced by 98%.

FM radio is included as standard with the smartphone. Traditionally, it only works with connected headphones as an antenna; it does not have the ability to record programs. There was no voice recorder included as standard with the smartphone, just like the main version of the Xperia Z3, by the way.

Camera

The Sony Xperia Z3 Compact is equipped with the same two digital camera modules with a resolution of 20.7 and 2.2 megapixels, which were equipped with previous flagships and which are now installed in the Xperia Z3. The hardware here is exactly the same, only software effects have been added. The main 20.7-megapixel camera is equipped with a G Lens series lens with a focal length of 27 mm and an aperture of F2.0. The camera uses a 1/2.3-inch Exmor RS for mobile sensor and a Bionz for mobile processor.

By default, the cameras of all Sony devices operate in the so-called super auto mode (iauto) with a wide aspect ratio, but you can switch the shooting to manual settings. It is noteworthy that when the hardware button on the side of the device is activated, the camera quickly turns on, but is always activated in automatic shooting mode, even if the manual setting mode was previously enabled. If you launch the camera application from the desktop or from the program menu, then in this case everything goes as usual, and the camera leaves the previous settings intact, that is, it starts in manual mode, if one was set earlier. Note that there is a big difference between automatic and manual modes, because the maximum resolution can only be set in manual adjustment mode. When shooting in automatic mode, which is set by default, photos are obtained with a size of 3840 × 2160 (8 megapixels), and in manual mode the maximum possible resolution is exactly the same 20.7 megapixels (5248 × 3936).

The camera can shoot video in 1080p and UHD (4K) resolution, but the main thing is that it also has the ability to shoot in the most interesting mode - 1080p at 60 frames/s. An example of such a video is presented below.

• Video No. 1 (85 MB, 1920×1080, 60 frames/sec)

	Good and uniform sharpness across the entire field of the frame, it only falls off a little in the corners.
	The handling of foliage in the distance hurts the eye a little.
	The camera works well near foliage, but you can find areas of blur.
	Good work with shadows and noise in them.
	Sharpness is good in almost all plans.
	Good dynamic range - the camera handles shadows.
	You can find slight sharpening on the wires.
	The text is worked well, but the sharpness drops a little towards the bottom of the frame.
	The outbreak does little to improve the situation.
	The camera copes well with macro photography without a flash.
	Still, the flash helps a little with macro photography.

	Lighting ≈3200 lux. The camera does a good job.
	Lighting ≈1400 lux. The situation is not changing.
	Lighting ≈130 lux. The noises are still not noticeable.
	Lighting ≈130 lux, flash. The flash hardly helps.
	Lighting<1 люкс, вспышка. В темноте хорошо видно, что вспышка очень слабая. Единственное заметное падение разрешения.

The compact model managed to rehabilitate its older brother in terms of camera. The Z3 Compact's camera isn't perfect. Or rather, it’s not perfect yet. But it is clear that it is well designed. In some places you can find echoes of the unpleasant moments that were pronounced in the Z3, but overall the camera is ready for use.

However, oddly enough, the Z3 Compact has a different module installed than the Z3. At the same time, it is very similar to the Z1 Compact and Z2 modules. This assumption can be made from the size of the resulting image. On the other hand, it is possible that all the latest flagships have the same modules, since the size of a full image of 20 megapixels is no different. And since in Superior Auto mode only the Z3 stood out in image size, we can assume that all flagships, starting with the Z1 Compact, work according to the same program with minor differences, and only the Z3 should be fundamentally different from them (and its program is fully we haven't seen it yet). However, all these guesses are partly confirmed by the graph.

The camera itself does a very good job, which is quite expected. Its graphical resolution curve is almost perfect. And although the gap with the leader is slightly more than 0.1 lines per pixel, the dependence is almost constant, which indicates equally good performance in different conditions. Field photographs confirm this, although in their case there is still something to complain about. As already mentioned, echoes of the Z3's shortcomings are also present here, but are much less pronounced. You can find barely noticeable sharpening, sometimes there are small areas of blur, and the program does not work very smoothly over foliage in the distance. But there is practically no noticeable noise, and by and large the camera does not have any significant problems. So it's still great for shooting a variety of subjects.

Telephone and communications

The smartphone works as standard in modern 2G GSM and 3G WCDMA networks, and also has support for fourth generation networks (LTE) used in Russia. In practice, with a SIM card from the domestic operator MTS, the smartphone confidently recognizes and works with 4G networks. The network capabilities of the smartphone are extensive and correspond to a truly top level: there is support for the 5 GHz Wi-Fi band, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi Display, and as a standard you can organize a wireless access point via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth channels. The mode for connecting external devices (USB Host, USB OTG) is supported, so you can connect flash drives and mice with keyboards to the Micro-USB port. The navigation module works with both GPS and the domestic Glonass system.

There were no spontaneous reboots/shutdowns observed during testing, as well as system slowdowns or freezes. When you bring the smartphone to your ear, the screen is blocked by the proximity sensor. The LED indicator at the top of the front panel provides notification of charging status and incoming events.

There is no dedicated top row with numbers on the standard keyboard - you need to switch the layout every time. The layout itself and the location of the keys are standard: to switch the language layout, just click on the button with the corresponding icon. The phone application supports Smart Dial, that is, while dialing a phone number, a search is immediately carried out by the first letters in contacts. There is a convenient option to move the keyboard closer to one of the sides to make it easier to reach with the fingers of one hand. Naturally, the ability to continuously enter by sliding your finger from letter to letter is also supported - Swype.

OS and software

The operating system is the latest version of the Google Android 4.4.4 KitKat software platform, on top of which is traditionally installed its own proprietary graphical user interface. The internal structure of the shell, all menus, settings items and pop-up contextual submenus - everything remains exactly the same. However, the external shell has undergone significant measurements. Previously, Sony's graphical interface elements were drawn quite finely. Now, unexpectedly, all the elements on the screen, and most importantly the application icons themselves, began to look much larger and clearer. The fonts have increased; such sudden transformations have only benefited the smartphone. There are also less obvious, but in some ways more useful, improvements. For example, the menu finally has a function to reboot the device, because before this only Sony smartphones lacked such an option.

New Sony mobile devices now have close integration with the Sony PlayStation 4 game console. If you already have one in your home, then the new Xperia Z3 line of smartphones or the Xperia Z3 Tablet will be able to act as a “portable screen”, that is, everything that happens begins to be displayed on the mobile screen devices. This is convenient when, for example, you need to free up the TV if one of the family members suddenly wants to watch some program. For this use, Sony will produce a special fastener that will allow you to connect a smartphone or tablet to the joystick of a game console. This mode is called PS4 Remote Play.

Performance

The Sony Xperia Z3 Compact hardware platform is based on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 single-chip system (SoC) with four Krait 400 cores, like the flagship Xperia Z3 (the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact was based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800). Here, the maximum frequency of the processor cores is a maximum of 2.5 GHz, since the most advanced version of Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974AC) is used.

Graphics processing is handled here by the same Adreno 330 video accelerator. About 11 out of 16 GB of own memory for the user’s needs are initially available in the device. The smartphone's RAM capacity is 2 GB, and this makes the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact unfavorably different from the company's flagship, which has as much as three gigabytes of RAM. MicroSD memory cards in this model are supported up to 128 GB; you can also connect external flash drives, keyboards and mice to the Micro-USB port using a special adapter in OTG mode.

To get an idea of ​​the performance of the platform of the smartphone under test, we will conduct a standard set of tests.

For convenience, we have compiled all the results we obtained when testing the smartphone in the latest versions of popular benchmarks into tables. The table usually adds several other devices from different segments, also tested on similar latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the obtained dry figures). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison it is impossible to present the results from different versions of benchmarks, so many worthy and relevant models remain “behind the scenes” - due to the fact that they once passed the “obstacle course” on previous versions of test programs.

Testing in MobileXPRT, as well as in the latest versions of AnTuTu and GeekBench 3:

In the AnTuTu test, the smartphone demonstrates very high numbers, but it is worth considering that the new, fifth version of the popular benchmark is now used, and all previous models were tested in the fourth version. The resulting numbers have increased greatly, so it is not worth directly comparing such results. (We will mark in the tables which versions of the benchmark this or that model was tested with, until there are again enough models tested in the fifth version of the test for comparison.) In any case, all top smartphones based on the Snapdragon 801 are the most powerful and Today's productive mobile devices, the power of which will be enough for a long time to complete any assigned tasks.

When testing in 3DMark, the most powerful smartphones now have the ability to run the application in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (which can cause the speed to rise above 60 fps).

Results of testing the graphics subsystem in the Epic Citadel gaming test, as well as Basemark X and Bonsai Benchmark:

Browser cross-platform tests:

As for benchmarks for assessing the speed of the javascript engine, you should always make allowance for the fact that their results significantly depend on the browser in which they are launched, so the comparison can only be truly correct on the same OS and browsers, and this is possible during testing not always. For Android OS, we always try to use Google Chrome.

Playing video

To test the omnivorous nature of video playback (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Internet. Note that for mobile devices it is important to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is most often impossible to process modern options using processor cores alone. Also, you shouldn’t expect a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it.

According to the test results, the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact smartphone was not equipped with all the decoders necessary for full playback of most of the most common files on the Internet. To successfully play them, you will have to resort to the help of a third-party player - for example, MX Player. True, even in it you will first have to change the settings, switching from hardware decoding to software or to a new mode called Hardware+(not supported by all smartphones), only then will sound appear. All results are summarized in a table.

Format	Container, video, sound	MX Video Player	Standard video player
DVDRip	AVI, XviD 720×400 2200 Kbps, MP3+AC3	plays normally	plays normally
Web-DL SD	AVI, XviD 720×400 1400 Kbps, MP3+AC3	plays normally	plays normally
Web-DL HD	MKV, H.264 1280×720 3000 Kbps, AC3	Hardware+
BDRip 720p	MKV, H.264 1280×720 4000 Kbps, AC3	plays fine with decoder Hardware+	The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹
BDRip 1080p	MKV, H.264 1920×1080 8000 Kbps, AC3	plays fine with decoder Hardware+	The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹

¹ MX Video Player only played sound after switching to software decoding or a new mode Hardware+; The standard player does not have this setting

Additionally, the MHL interface was tested. To test it we used a monitor ViewSonic VX2363Smhl, supporting direct MHL connection (in version 2.0) using a passive adapter cable from Micro-USB to HDMI. In this case, output via MHL was carried out at a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels at a frequency of 60 frames/s. Regardless of the actual orientation of the smartphone, the image is displayed on the smartphone and monitor screens only in landscape orientation with the connector on the smartphone facing down.

In this case, the image on the monitor fits exactly within the boundaries of the display area (if you don’t forget to set the Image Size 100%) and one to one repeats the image on the smartphone screen in an interpolation variation from 1280 by 720 to 1920 by 1080 pixels.

When connecting via MHL, an icon for accessing MHL settings and an icon for launching several selected programs appear in the list of events:

Traditionally, in the case of Sony, a smartphone connected via MHL can act as a remote control for a TV, if the latter supports such a function.

Sound is output via MHL (in this case, the sounds were heard through headphones connected to the monitor, since there are no speakers in the monitor itself) and is of good quality. In this case, sounds are not output through the loudspeaker of the smartphone itself, and the volume is not adjusted using the buttons on the smartphone body, but is turned off. In our case, the smartphone with the MHL adapter connected was charging, judging by the charge indicator.

Next, using a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “Method for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices)”), we checked how the video is displayed on the screen of the smartphone itself. Screenshots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped determine the nature of the output of frames of video files with various parameters: the resolution varied: 1280 by 720 (720p), 1920 by 1080 (1080p) and 3840 by 2160 (4K) pixels and frame rates of 24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 fps. In the tests we used the MX Player video player in the “Hardware” mode. The results of this (block entitled “Smartphone Screen”) and the next test are tabulated: excellent

No 720/50p Fine No 720/30p Fine No 720/25p Fine No 720/24p Fine No

Note: If in both columns Uniformity And Passes Green ratings are given, this means that, most likely, when watching films, artifacts caused by uneven alternation and frame skipping will either not be visible at all, or their number and visibility will not affect the viewing comfort. Red marks indicate possible problems with playback of the corresponding files.

According to the frame output criterion, the quality of playback of video files on the screen of the smartphone itself is good, since frames (or groups of frames) can be output with more or less uniform alternation of intervals and without skipping frames. The displayed brightness range is equal to the standard range of 16-235; in the shadows, only a couple of the darkest shades are indistinguishable in brightness from black, but in the highlights all gradations of shades are displayed. When playing video files with a resolution of 720p (1280 by 720 pixels), the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly on the edge of the screen, in the original resolution.

With a monitor connected via MHL, when playing video, the monitor displays an exact copy of the smartphone screen, but the output is already in true Full HD resolution in the case of 1080p files.

The brightness range displayed on the monitor is equal to the standard range of 16-235; in the shadows, again, only a couple of the darkest shades are indistinguishable in brightness from black, but in the highlights all gradations of shades are displayed. The results of the monitor output tests are shown in the table above in the “MHL (monitor output)” block. The output quality is good.

The conclusion is typical - an MHL connection can be used for games, watching movies, displaying web pages and other activities that benefit from an increase in screen size.

Battery life

The lithium-ion battery installed in the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact has a capacity of 2600 mAh, not the maximum, but quite decent for a modern smartphone - this is even more than that of the previous model (2300 mAh for the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact). As a result, the smartphone demonstrated excellent results in terms of battery life, which is due to the screen being not the largest in area and the resolution being far from Full HD.

	Battery capacity	Reading mode	Video mode	3D Game Mode
Sony Xperia Z3 Compact	2600 mAh	22:00	10:00 am	5:00 a.m.
ZTE nubia Z7 mini	2300 mAh	13:20	7:20 am	4 hours 50 minutes
HTC One mini 2	2100 mAh	15:20	8 a.m. 20 p.m.	3 hours 50 minutes
Alcatel Idol 2 mini S	2000 mAh	15:50	9:00 a.m.	4:00 am
Asus Padfone E	1820 mAh	15:20	7 h. 10 m.	3 hours 50 minutes
Samsung S4 mini	1900 mAh	16:40	10:30 a.m.	4 hours 40 minutes
LG G2 mini	2440 mAh	16:00	10:00 am	5:00 a.m.

Continuous reading in the FBReader program (with a standard, light theme) at a minimum comfortable brightness level (brightness was set to 100 cd/m²) lasted 22 hours until the battery was completely discharged, and when continuously watching videos from YouTube in high quality (HQ) The device lasted 10 hours at the same brightness level via a home Wi-Fi network. In 3D gaming mode, the smartphone worked for about 5 hours. The smartphone charges quite quickly; a full charge takes less than 3 hours.

Bottom line

Sony Mobile has released another compact smartphone that is quite good in terms of all its characteristics. Unquestionable workmanship, body materials, highest performance and maximum autonomy, comfortable dimensions and excellent ergonomics - these are the strengths of the new product, which it adopted from its predecessor, and improved some things (the rear window, for example). As usual, the camera and screen quality can be criticized when compared with products from other market leaders, but overall they are quite consistent with the high level of the smartphone. We were very surprised by the sudden transition from a metal frame, as a visual basis, giving the smartphone the status of an expensive thing, to transparent, cheerful teenage plastic, but perhaps many will like it, because the ergonomics, in general, did not suffer. The price of the device, at which the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact will be officially presented in our stores, was announced just the other day: the smartphone on the Russian market will be sold at a price of 24 thousand rubles. The start of sales was scheduled for September 19, so by the time of publication of this article, retail did not experience a shortage of offers. At the same time, the flagship Xperia Z3 appeared on store shelves, the recommended price of which was set at 30 thousand rubles. It is worth noting that the flagship will also be offered in a version with two SIM cards at a price of 31 thousand rubles, but the Z3 Compact is not expected to support two SIM cards.

While conducting a review of the Sony Xperia Z3 black, we noticed that the characteristics have remained virtually unchanged compared to the previous model, but the design has changed. The device has become thinner and lighter, the side frames around the display have become smaller. The degree of protection against water exposure has also been improved, and the metal ends have become smoother. Xperia Z3 is a stylish flagship made of premium materials. The model was developed to compete with existing models at that time, such as the HTC One M8 and Samsung Galaxy S5. Let's review the Sony Xperia Z3 d6603 and find out how the main parameters of the device have changed.

Design Sony Xperia Z3

Even with a faint acquaintance with the new model, you can notice changes in the design. The metal edging has rounded ends, and the thickness of the body has been reduced. If you held the previous model in your hands, you probably remember that the angular body was one of its main drawbacks. The Z3 is much more comfortable to hold in your hand. Narrow frames and lower weight are already significant advantages that have a positive impact on ergonomics.

The back cover is still made of glass, but now it is more organically installed in a metal frame. Thanks to this feature, the phone should be better able to withstand falls. If in the Z2, in the event of a fall, the impact force was distributed over the entire surface, including the glass, which became covered with cracks, then in the Z3 the problem was eliminated with the help of polycarbonate inserts in the corners. The package includes the smartphone itself, documentation for it, simple headphones, a charger and a cable for it.

The company decided to transform the color scheme by adding copper and silver-green shades. For fans of classic solutions, there is a black and white version of the device. The thickness has decreased to 7.3 mm. The changes are felt thanks to the smoothed corners; the phone fits like a glove in the hand, despite the 5.2-inch display. But everything has its price, because for the sake of a thinner case, the manufacturer has reduced the battery capacity by 100 mAh.

The plugs turned out to be more accurate. At the same time, after reading the Sony Xperia Z3 review, you will be convinced that the price perfectly matches the stated characteristics. On the Aliexpress website, the model can be purchased at a price of 13,500 rubles. Traditionally, the smartphone has protection against water and dust, made according to the IP65/IP68 standard. The device can withstand immersion to a depth of 1.5 meters for 30 minutes.

The front and back panels are made of DragonTrail glass, which is not inferior in its characteristics to Corning Gorilla Glass 2. The oleophobic coating is of mediocre quality, the body collects handprints well. In the sun or light, this moment is not so noticeable, especially if you have chosen a white device.

On the left side there is a microUSB port covered with a plug.

This is what the connector for connecting the docking station looks like:

Hidden on the right behind a wide flap is a slot for a nanoSIM and there is also a slot for a memory card.

Above the display there is a speaker, under the mesh of which there is a notification light indicator. It can flash red, green or blue, highlighting various notifications. If desired, you can disable it in the settings. On the front panel you can find a selfie camera and a proximity sensor, but it is almost impossible to see the latter. It is hidden behind glass.

The control keys remain in their original places, including a separate camera button.

The manufacturer equipped the new model with a pair of stereo speakers located at the bottom and top of the front panel.

The build quality is excellent. The glass does not fit tightly to the ends everywhere, but this is not a defect at all, but a characteristic feature of the device, which provides protection in the event of a fall. There are no connectors or holes at the bottom. The microphone is hidden behind the grille of the lower speaker, covered with a membrane. The second microphone is located on top near the 3.5 mm jack.

Sony Xperia Z3 display

The screen size remains unchanged - 5.2 inches. It used all proprietary technologies and has an excellent brightness reserve. The display of the Sony Xperia Z3, as well as its characteristics, correspond to the level of a flagship, which is confirmed by reviews. The display operates at a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels, the pixel density is 423 ppi. The display uses proprietary Triluminos technology. Its peculiarity is that the image has better RGB coverage than standard LCD TVs.

The main problem with the Z2's screen was that it exaggerated the colors, making them overly bright, which caused them to lose their realism. The result is a situation where the display is capable of more, but is limited by the capabilities of the technology. In Z3, the manufacturer made an attempt to cope with this problem, but it turned out to be doubtful, because the colors are still distorted. The settings in the menu don't really change the situation. But most users will find the display excellent.

The Sony Xperia Z3 has changed the picture display mechanism. Now each point can change the brightness of the backlight, resulting in a more believable picture in any lighting conditions. If in Z2 in the bright sun you had to turn the brightness up to maximum, then here it increased by 20%. This had a positive effect on the screen experience both indoors and outdoors. The data always remains readable. In the settings, you can activate the option to work with gloves and with wet hands.

Battery

Sony Z3 review shows that the smartphone has a lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 3100 mAh, which is 100 mAh less than the Z2. Nevertheless, this is a good result for a flagship, and in terms of battery life it is by no means inferior to its competitors. A full charge using a standard 2A charger takes about 3 hours, although 90% is charged in just over 2 hours. In terms of autonomy, the device surpasses all competitors. It can only be compared with the Note 3.

Despite the reduced capacity, it holds a charge even better than the Z2. This is due to the fact that extensive work has been done to save the processor power. In standby mode, the charge is practically not consumed. If you use Stamina's proprietary technology, you can further increase autonomy. When watching videos at a comfortable brightness level, the smartphone lasted 10 hours. It has a talk time of about 16 hours and a standby time of 920 hours. Music playback time is about 130 hours. The smartphone demonstrated excellent results. With active use, it will quietly last until the evening or last several days with moderate use. If you barely use it, it will last about a week.

Memory

Sony Z3 technical specifications include 3 GB of RAM, which was a record at the time of release. The main competitor, the Galaxy S5, has only 2 GB installed. But just increasing the amount of memory does not change anything. It is important that it works harmoniously with the processor. Based on the testing results, it becomes clear that the memory increase had virtually no effect on overall performance. After turning on the system, only 1 GB is available for use.

The amount of built-in memory is 16 GB, of which 11.57 GB is available. The volume can be expanded with a memory card up to 128 GB.

Sony Xperia Z3 hardware and performance

The smartphone is built on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor based on 4 cores with a frequency of up to 2.5 GHz. This is a slightly modified version of what was used in the Z2, but there are no significant differences. In synthetic tests, the new model scores better, but the difference is not so great. When the interface operates, the differences are almost invisible or non-existent.

In demanding games or recording 4K video, the device gets noticeably warm. This is more noticeable in a glass case than in a metal or plastic case. If you shoot 4K video for a long time, the camera application closes spontaneously, which is due to overheating.

Cameras

While conducting a review of the Sony Xperia Z3 smartphone, we tested the camera's capabilities by shooting in various conditions. The main disadvantage can be considered the fact that in manual shooting mode the maximum resolution is only 8 megapixels. The manufacturer increased the viewing angle to 25 mm and added several new modes, including multi-camera (recording from different points), AR entertainment (shooting with virtual objects), unique self-portraits and others. If you use a mechanical key to take pictures, the pictures are taken in 8 megapixel resolution. If you need a photo in higher quality, then set this in the parameters. In manual mode, the manufacturer has provided many options: adjusting ISO, white balance, changing modes, and even slow-motion video shooting.

Camera interface:

All photographs below were taken in automatic mode, when data from a 20 MP matrix is ​​collected to create 8 MP images. As a result, noise is minimized and the image is smoother.

Example photo:

Interface

When reviewing the Sony Xperia Z3 d6633 phone, one cannot help but mention the user-friendly interface, based on the Android OS, but with proprietary changes. It will appeal to fans of uncluttered interfaces that contain everything you need. Compared to Z2, the icons have been enlarged, making them easier to navigate.

The user can customize each element, change design themes, wallpaper, and the number of desktops. In the application menu you can sort them by date added, alphabet and other criteria. The interface is designed in the same style, everything works quickly and stably. As before, mini-widgets of some applications remain available, which are called up using the open applications window. You can download new ones from Google Play.

It is worth noting that all multimedia applications here are branded. Among the interesting features, it is worth noting the ability to record video of the screen, as well as direct video blogging to the Youtube service.

Sound

The technical characteristics of the Sony Z3 phone are also good regarding sound, because it uses the new Sony DSEE HX codec. It reproduces sound at the highest level of quality, comparable to High-Resolution Audio. Users have access to proprietary digital noise reduction technology: when listening to music from a special MDR-NC31EM headset, the level of external noise is reduced by 98%. The Walkman music player has a stylish design and an interesting equalizer. The ClearAudio+ option improves sound quality, but makes it quieter.

Conclusion

The review of the Sony Z3 smartphone showed that the model turned out to be very unusual; it has everything for success in the global market. The manufacturer not only visually improved the case, but also improved protection against falls and exposure to water. The changes also affected the camera, but we didn’t find any significant differences. The display has become brighter, but the problem with over-saturated colors is still relevant. It is worth noting that the sensor mesh was removed from the display, which many did not like about the Z2. The proprietary energy saving mode and autonomy are the strengths of the device. The smartphone turned out to be better than the previous model in everything and is in many ways superior to its competitors. It is definitely worth paying attention to even now, because its price is more affordable than ever, and its characteristics are suitable for solving any tasks and demanding games.

The following factors speak in favor of buying a phone:

• Thin and light body
• Premium materials
• Dust and water protection
• Powerful filling
• High quality sound and non-overlapping stereo speakers
• Excellent battery life
• User-friendly interface and many proprietary technologies

Flaws:

• You expect better quality from the camera, although many will definitely like it;
• Oversaturated display colors.

Sony is currently modernizing its mobile device business and shifting its focus to upper and mid-range solutions. Sony Mobile Communications plans to sell 38 million smartphones this fiscal year. Despite rumors of abandoning the strategy of releasing new flagship models every six months, Sony Vice President of Global Communications and Public Relations Tim Harrison said in one of his latest interviews that the company has decided to release flagship models more often than once every 12 months. On the one hand, such a solution allows us to quickly take into account past mistakes and impose worthy competition on other manufacturers. But can we then count on fundamental improvements compared to the previous model? This could also lead to competition between devices within the line itself. We will try to find out how justified this is in modern market conditions using an example that we tested.

From the point of view of dry technical characteristics, this model is not much different from its predecessor -. It still has the same 5.2-inch Full HD IPS display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor and 20.7 megapixel main camera. Then the logical question arises: “What is the difference?” It lies in a number of design improvements, the proprietary Xperia Home shell and several technical nuances. We will talk about all this in more detail below. To begin with, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the technical characteristics of the Sony Xperia Z3:

Manufacturer
	Xperia Z3 (D6603)
Type, form factor	Smartphone, monoblock
Communication standards			850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz
			850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100 MHz
			700 / 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1800 / 1900 / 2100 / 2300 / 2600 MHz
High speed data transfer	GPRS (32-48 Kbps), EDGE (236 Kbps), HSDPA (up to 42.2 Mbps), HSUPA (up to 5.76 Mbps), LTE Cat.4 (up to 50 Mbps UL, up to 150 Mbit/s DL)
SIM card type
CPU	Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974AC): 4 Krait 400 cores, up to 2.5 GHz, 2 MB L2 cache, 28 nm HPm process technology
Graphics adapter	Qualcomm Adreno 330: up to 578 MHz, support OpenGL ES 3.0, OpenVG 1.1, OpenCL 1.1 and DirectX 9.0c
	IPS, 5.2" TRILUMINOS, 1920 x 1080 pixels (423 ppi), touch, capacitive, multi-touch up to 10 touches, Asahi DragonTrail X protective glass, X-Reality and Live Color technologies
RAM	3 GB, dual channel LPDDR3
Persistent memory
Card reader	microSD (up to 128 GB)
Interfaces	1 x 3.5mm mini-jack audio jack
Multimedia	Audio processing
	Acoustics
	Microphone
	Main	Exmor RS (1/2.3"): 20.7 MP, BSI, f/2.0 aperture, autofocus, LED flash, SteadyShot digital image stabilization, HDR shooting, 4K Ultra HD video recording (30 FPS)
	Frontal	2.2 MP, f/2.8 aperture, fixed focus, 1080p video recording
Communication capabilities		802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 / 5 GHz) (Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot)
	Accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, LED indicator, geomagnetic sensor (compass), barometer
Battery	Lithium-ion, non-replaceable: 3100 mAh
Charger	Input: 100~240 VAC eg at 50/60 Hz Output: 5 VDC e.g. 1.5 A
	Dust and moisture protection according to IP65 and IP68 standards
	146 × 72 × 7.3 mm
	Black / White / Olive / Copper / Purple
operating system	Android 4.4.4 KitKat + Xperia Home v7
Official guarantee	12 months
Products webpage

Delivery and configuration

The tested smartphone comes in a traditional small square box. The packaging is made of fairly thick matte cardboard and is characterized by a discreet and laconic design. On its front side there is a partial image of the smartphone, as well as the model name and manufacturer’s logo. The side edges are reserved for stickers with service information (IMEI, S/N, Model, Color and country of origin). On the reverse side (in the form of icons) you can familiarize yourself with the main features of the Sony Xperia Z3 and legal information about the manufacturer. There is also an image of the new product in several color variations. This packaging style hints that this is a premium device.

Along with the smartphone, a potential buyer will find the following accessories in the box:

• user guide;
• warranty card;
• charger (5 V; 1.5 A);
• micro-USB↔USB cable.

We express our gratitude to the Ukrainian representative office of the company Sony Mobile Communications AB for the smartphone provided for testing.

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Specifications

• Android 4.4.4
• Screen 5.2 inches, 1920x1080 pixels, IPS, automatic brightness adjustment
• 3 GB RAM, 16 GB internal memory, memory cards up to 128 GB
• Chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 MSM8974AC, 4 cores, 2.5 GHz, GPU Adreno 330
• Bluetooth 4.0 LE, NFC, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, MHL 3.0, USB on the Go, GPS/Glonass, ANT+;
• LTE Band 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17, 20
• Camera 20.7 megapixel Sony Exmor RS, autofocus, LED flash
• Front camera 2.2 megapixels
• IP68 protection
• Battery 3100 mAh Li-Pol
• Dimensions – 146x72x7.3 mm, weight – 152 grams

Contents of delivery

• Telephone
• Charger with USB cable
• Instructions
• Table stand (not for all countries, not in Russia)
• Wired stereo headset (not for all countries, not in Russia)

Positioning

Sony has chosen a six-month pace of updating its flagships, unlike all major manufacturers, which can only afford to release flagships once a year. With such a rate of release of new models, one cannot expect that the number of changes will be large; each subsequent device will be perceived as a slightly improved version of the previous one. If you read reviews of the Sony Xperia Z2, most of them call the device a work on the bugs of the Z1, which is quite logical. A dozen reviews of the Sony Xperia Z3 use the same phrase - work on bugs, a corrected version of the Z2. I am sure that in January 2014, if Sony does not change anything in its approach, we will see feedback that the Z4 is also a work in progress. For Sony, this becomes a serious problem, since such a perception makes sales of the flagships of the Z line difficult, and the release of new models leads to lower prices for old ones, making them more profitable. It’s curious that Sony unwittingly created more than just a headache for itself - the company, with its flagship release schedule, has formed a whole galaxy of those who are waiting for prices for previous models to drop and choose them.

Given the relatively identical characteristics of the models, the promiscuity of buyers and the selection of goods from the shelf, the same design is already becoming a problem. But for Sony Z2 and Z3 we can also talk about comparable characteristics; the buyer in the store does not realize the difference between these devices, he simply does not see them. But he will feel the difference in price of 5,000 rubles and the fact that the Z3 package is noticeably poorer.

Sony is in the grip of its own choice - they need to release a flagship every six months. Sales of the Z line have long been minimal, the device is a competitor to the same Samsung Galaxy S5, but while the first Z was sold in small but noticeable quantities, the same Z2 dropped to minimal volumes (the reasons are described above). In Russia, the sales ratio of Z2 to Galaxy S5 is 1 to 12. And here we come to the conclusion that when releasing a new flagship, Sony cannot position it higher than the market and other models that are present on it, for example, the same Galaxy S5 , which is the leader in the segment.

Compared to Samsung Galaxy S5

It becomes vital for a company to achieve the minimum cost for its product - therefore, a proven solution is used, reducing the scope of delivery. The Sony Z2 came with branded headphones with a noise reduction system along with the phone, which were of high quality and separately cost about 1,700-2,000 rubles. And this was a serious plus, an argument in favor of the Z2.

In the Z3 they were removed from the package for Russia; the savings for the manufacturer are noticeable and quite justified in the struggle for price on the shelf. It is interesting that a similar approach was used in later deliveries of Z2 - in Svyaznoy at a price of 24,990 rubles you can find Z2 sets both with and without headphones. The black device is sold without headphones, which is perceived by many as an initiative of the retail chain; there are often comments from those who purchased such a phone that, apparently, the sellers stole the headset. But this is just a kit that was created in the struggle for efficiency.

Sony discussed the possibility of putting the Z3 on the shelf for 32,990 rubles, but retail chains dissuaded the company from this step and did so quite sensibly. Few people will be interested in the package, the initial price will scare them away, as was the case with HTC with the flagship HTC One M8, which is excellent in terms of performance, but is not popular, its sales are similar to the Z2.

In 2014, Sony consistently misses the mark in terms of time to market. For example, Sony Z2 was supposed to be released earlier than the flagships of other companies, but it turned out the other way around. With the Z3, everything is going according to plan, but the model is not perceived as something new, and hence there are many different problems; the volume of its purchases by distributors is minimal. But the most important thing is that such products are perceived only by those who remain loyal to the Sony brand; this is a small audience that continues to buy Sony devices in different segments, adherents of Sony Style. It is impossible to say that Sony plays in the mass market, comparable to other manufacturers. Of the successful products of 2014, I’ll highlight the Compact series, which had an impact on the market, but everything else passed by and did not attract the attention of the general public. In this aspect, the Z3 becomes exactly the same device, and a number of fans of the brand who previously purchased Z/Z1/Z2 say that they see no reason to change their devices to a new product. This trend is observed not only for Sony, new products from all companies are perceived critically by customers, they do not see much difference with their current devices, but for Sony this is much more pronounced.

The bottom line is that we have the Z3 model, which is positioned as a flagship and is such for a small audience of Sony fans. It is impossible to say that this is a device for the mass market. Moreover, with the release of this model, the attractiveness of previous devices is growing, and Sony is partly to blame for this, which has worsened a number of characteristics in its flagship. Let's figure out in order what has changed.

Design, dimensions, control elements

Externally, the device has hardly changed, you look at it and see the same Sony Xperia Z2.

Sony Xperia Z2 and Z3

Phone dimensions – 146x72x7.3 mm, weight – 152 grams (Z2 – 146.8x73.3x8.2 mm, 158 grams). The side edges have been made rounded, the metal frame is no longer rectangular, and the device fits very well in the hand. But this also brings another problem: lifting it from a flat surface is noticeably more difficult; your fingers slide along the side edge, you have to spread them in the shape of a crab and grab the phone.

Compared to Samsung Galaxy Note 3

In addition to changing the outer frame, Sony has almost completely redesigned the body design, which may not be noticeable and which an inattentive person will definitely not notice. Let me start with the fact that in the Z2 review I said that the device has a rather fragile inside due to its design - when dropped, the shock is transferred to the internal board, and the electronics quickly die. It happens that the glass does not crack, but the electronics fail. The Z3 has plastic inserts on the corners and is painted to match the color of the body. This does not mean that the phone has become shockproof; rather, it has received additional protection from falls. This approach can only be welcomed; similar inserts will be used on many models with a frame body design from Sony.

The model is available in four colors - white, copper, black and emerald.

Let's return to the changes in the design - one of the weak points in the Sony Z1/Z2 was sea water - the salt corroded the plugs, and despite supporting the IP58 protection standard, it was definitely not worth swimming with these phones in the sea. Protection was from fresh water. The Z3 tried to correct this shortcoming; to do this, they changed the characteristics of the rubber inserts that are on all connectors. This even made it possible for the Z3 to receive an IP65/IP68 protection standard - that is, dust protection has increased, all connectors are covered more tightly, and at the same time the location of the microphones has been changed. There are no holes at the bottom end; the microphone is hidden behind the grille of the bottom speaker; both the speaker and the microphone are covered by one membrane. The second microphone is located at the top end, it is located next to the 3.5 connector.

You can swim with this device in fresh water without worry, especially if you close the caps before diving. In real life, the device is quite slippery, on par with the iPhone 6, but better due to its larger size. In water it stops being slippery, I noticed this even during tests of the Z2, when I swam with it in the pool.

The front panel, as well as the back, is made of DragonTrail glass, it is no different from the second generation of Corning Gorilla Glass, but less promoted, in fact it is an analogue. The oleophobic coating is rated C, which is typical - hand marks remain with ease. This is not always visible in the sun or light, especially if your device is not black.

On the left side there is a microUSB connector, it is covered with a cap. On the right side, behind a wide flap, there is a slot for nanoSIM, it is in a plastic tray, and there is also a slot for a microSD memory card.

Above the screen, where the speaker grille is, there is a light indicator - it is wide and can blink in red, blue and green. You can turn it off in the settings, but I really like it, as it gives the device a certain charm. This is a typical Sony Style element. On the front surface you can see the front camera, the proximity sensor is hidden behind the glass and cannot be seen.

This model has no complaints about the build quality - there are no noticeable gaps, the glass does not fit tightly to the metal frame everywhere, this is not a defect, but a feature of the device so that it does not break when dropped. But the gaps are minimal, it’s almost impossible to see them without looking closely. In the same Z2 they were noticeably larger.

Display

The technical characteristics of the screen in the Z3 are the same as in the Z2: 5.2 inches, resolution – 1920x1080 pixels (423 dpi versus 440 in the Z1). The screen uses the famously named Triluminos technology, which suggests that the picture has better RGB coverage than conventional LCD screens. In theory, this is true, in practice there are certain flaws. An explanation of the technology can be seen in a promotional video from Sony.

Also in connection with this device, Live Color Led technology is often mentioned, which, in fact, is responsible for the color gamut, which is somewhat misleading to the user - these names make your head spin. From a marketing point of view, it is noted that the red and green subpixels are made using phosphor, which improves the quality of the color gamut; colors look saturated.

One of the main problems with the Z2 for the screen was that it distorted the colors - it made them bright, but they were not reliable. The built-in tool for adjusting color profiles turned the picture completely indigestible; it was not worth using. It turned out that a good screen, due to shortcomings in technology, did not give out the maximum of what it was capable of. The Z3 tried to overcome this problem, but it didn’t work out very well - the colors are still distorted, fine-tuning in the menu does not work. Separately, I want to emphasize that for most people this does not play any role - they will find the screen good.

Check out the screen comparison between the Galaxy S5 (top) and Note 4 (bottom).

Comparison of Samsung Galaxy S5, Sony Xperia Z3 and Samsung Galaxy Note 4

Comparison of Sony Xperia Z3 and Samsung Galaxy S5

You can find a comparison of the Z2 screen with other devices at this link.

The Z3 has changed the way the picture is analyzed; each point can change the brightness of the backlight, which creates a more reliable picture in different lighting conditions. It was not possible to notice an improvement in the picture; in the sun the previous device behaved well, although there was clearly not enough brightness here, it had to be turned up to maximum, there was no reserve.

The Z3 decided to solve this problem and increased the screen brightness by 20 percent (650 cd/m2 maximum value with manual adjustment). Now the device is quite comparable with other flagships of 2014, there are no complaints about this characteristic. This improves the viewing experience of the screen both indoors and outdoors, and information is easy to read.

The settings include a mode for working with gloves; you can set a mode for working with wet hands.

In the Z2 review, I called the device's screen not ideal, but for Sony it was an obvious breakthrough - the abandonment of unnecessary film, improved quality, but the presence of such drawbacks as insufficient brightness and poor color rendition. The Z3 got rid of one of the shortcomings, now the screen is bright, they tried to play with color reproduction, but the result was not too different from the previous model. We are waiting for the Z4, in which the company will try to correct this defect again. As mentioned, this is a continuous work on bugs.

Battery

The phone has a lithium-polymer battery with a capacity of 3100 mAh (Z2 has 3200 mAh). For a flagship, this battery capacity is excellent, it is quite comparable to Note 3/4, however, these devices are similar in operating time.

In the description of this device, Sony says that it is capable of providing two days of full-time work, with up to 5 hours a day of active work. Unfortunately, the methodology is not given, but here is a screenshot from the company’s website.

My first impression of the battery was fantastic - it lasted a very long time in standby mode, I inserted a card and barely used the phone, and it barely drained.

When I began to actively use the device, it showed slightly better results than the Z2, but nothing fantastic happened. The reason is that Qualcomm has worked on the energy saving of the processor, and in standby mode the device consumes almost nothing. That is, in fact, one processor core operates at a very low frequency. They conjured a wonderful spell; in standby mode the device works just fine.

But in normal modes the miracle did not happen; it is not so much the processor that affects the brightness of the screen backlight and your settings. Considering that the brightness of the screen has increased, the consumption has also become slightly higher, which neutralizes all the chipset settings.

So, the video viewing time is the standard 10 hours (without sound or with headphones). The declared operating time in talk mode is up to 16 hours, in standby mode – up to 920 hours (for the previous model – 740 hours). Music playback time is up to 130 hours.

In practice, the phone showed excellent results, it performs at the level of Galaxy Note 3/4, depending on the load. You can easily count on one day of work with active use or two days of work with moderate use. If you don't use your phone, it will last much longer.

Full charging time (2A charger) is about 3 hours to one hundred percent. Up to 90 percent will be enough in just over 2 hours. From my observations, the device is very sensitive to the quality of the network and its coverage; if you have data transmission and the network is not of very high quality, then the discharge will go faster than on other phones. But if the network is good, then the operating time, on the contrary, will increase. In any case, this device differs in operating time compared to its classmates (Galaxy S5, HTC One M8), beats them and is comparable only to Note 3.

In my opinion, this phone can be recommended to anyone who wants to quietly live until the evening without charging during the day; this is a huge plus of the model. Among the proprietary features, I would like to note the ability to see approximately how long the device will work in the selected mode; there is also a Stamina function, which increases operating time by disabling data transfer in the background, unloading applications from memory, and so on. This is a lifesaver if you need to hold out until the outlet appears. In principle, the function works, although there are some rough edges in the implementation. Most people don’t use it, especially since this device will rarely need it.

There is an intelligent mode when charging, then you can change profile settings and the like.

Memory, memory cards

The phone has 3 GB of RAM (933 MHz, dual channel), which is unusual for models of this level; until recently, only Note 3 could boast of this, and the Galaxy S5 had only 2 GB. Simply increasing the amount of RAM does not solve anything; it all depends on how it works with the processor and what the overall system performance is. Below in the tests it will be clear that the memory increase did not provide a breakthrough in performance. After startup, about 1 GB of RAM is free.

The built-in memory is 16 GB, of which 11.57 GB is free for you, this can be considered a sufficient amount and typical for Android smartphones. You can connect memory cards of any capacity (up to 128 GB), which is also not bad.

Hardware platform, performance

The model is built on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974AC) chipset; it is a quad-core processor with a frequency of up to 2.5 GHz per core. This is a different version of the processor, a slightly upgraded version than the Sony Z2, but there is not much difference. In synthetic tests, the performance of this solution is higher than that of its predecessor, as well as its competitors, but the difference is very insignificant.

In real life, when working in the interface, the difference is almost unnoticeable; if it exists, it is minimal. Some say Sony is faster, others say Galaxy S5, and others praise HTC ONE M8. As for me, they are all approximately comparable and the difference can only be felt in individual applications, and then it will be measured in fractions of a second.

In resource-intensive applications (games, 4K video recording), the device heats up, due to the glass of the case this is more noticeable than in the same HTC M8 or Galaxy S5, where the heat is not so strongly felt on the surface of the case. Sony has already responded to this complaint and suggested not shooting 4K video for more than a few minutes, since then overheating can cause applications to spontaneously close, plus the camera will turn off automatically.

Unlike the Z2, the reduced processor frequency in most cases makes warming up almost impossible; the device heats up, but not as much as its predecessor. This can only be noticed when the camera is working; in other modes and even in games it is not so noticeable.

Communication capabilities

The device has NFC, which has already become a good tradition, Bluetooth version 4.0 with ANT+ support. The microUSB connector supports the MHL v3.0 standard, which allows you to output video to external sources. USB 2.0 version, USB Host supported. LTE Cat 4 support, download speed up to 150 Mbit/s. Wi-Fi version – a/b/n/ac.

Camera

Despite the fact that it is written on the body that this is a 20.7-megapixel module and a 1/2.3-inch matrix, the EXMOR RS module itself has been redesigned, plus the optical group has changed, it has been simplified and made wide-angle. It is clear that Sony tried to achieve the same image quality as on previous devices, while reducing the cost of the matrix and simplifying its production. I haven’t made a direct comparison with the Z2/Z1, but according to subjective impressions, the only advantage is rather noisy shooting in night mode (ISO 12800 versus ISO 6400 in the Z2 - achievable only in automatic shooting mode, manual selection is not available).

There is a camera button on the body of the device; when pressed, the automatic shooting mode is always selected, in which the resolution is set to 8 megapixels. If you want to take a picture in manual mode and maximum resolution, then you need to select the appropriate item in the menu. This is terribly inconvenient, but exactly the same approach was in previous models. Look at the difference in pictures when shooting in automatic and manual modes.

Auto	Manual

The camera interface has not undergone major changes, everything is quite simple and clear.

Check out the camera shots, as well as comparisons with the Galaxy S5.

Among the new modes, it is worth noting the simultaneous shooting from the cameras of two devices (“Multi-Camera” mode), in which you can connect another device to the phone and receive pictures simultaneously from two cameras.

Just like in previous models, there is an AR Effects option, these are drawings that are superimposed on a photo in real time, you can create a background of flowers or something similar - a great option for entertainment, however, the same can be done in any graphic editor .

TimeShift video – high frame rate and slow motion effects may be of interest to some, especially when filming sports events.

Defocusing the background is implemented quite controversially - you adjust the focus with the slider, then there is blur, you can choose the geometry of this blur.

Artistic effects are a whole range of different effects, each of which can be applied to a photograph. It also replaces a graphic editor, but usually they don’t use effects, since they spoil the original photo; it’s easier to edit it than to get a modified photo.

Info-eye - the ability to point the camera at a famous building or something similar and get a quick hint about what it is. Explicit borrowing from the Googgles program.

For those who want to upload photos and videos to the network, there is a proprietary PlayMemories service, also familiar from cameras. You can set downloading only via Wi-Fi, but I prefer to use DropBox for these purposes, it is more convenient.

Videos can be recorded in FullHD, the quality of video recording is not bad, there are no complaints here.

I can’t say that the camera in the Z3 has become noticeably worse than in the Z2 - they are slightly different, but this, in principle, is normal for cameras and the perception of images from them. In automatic mode, the Z3 produces very good 8-megapixel images, which, like its predecessor, are liked by many people - this is above average quality among many devices, close to the best cameras on the market. No comparison with the Chinese, just head and shoulders above, regardless of the fact that they use Sony Exmor with similar or similar characteristics. For normal everyday use, this is an excellent camera; few people need to stretch pictures from mobile cameras to some standard of quality. This may seem like heresy, but the current generation of flagships is very close in its characteristics; the convenience of shooting and the quality of images in different conditions come to the fore. On a sunny day the Z3 is excellent, in the dark it is noisy, but this is an expected result. The bottom line is a good camera, which is quite at the level of its price segment.

Multimedia capabilities – sound, PS4 games

If the Z2 came with noise-canceling headphones and a 5-pin connector, then the Z3 needs to be purchased separately. To fully experience the quality of music on this model, I tried the MDR-NC31EM noise-canceling headphones, as well as the regular Monster DNA.

Technically, previous models in the line could support Hi-Res Audio and Sony DSEE HX technology, which is used in Walkman players and can “finish” MP3 songs to high-quality sound, that is, it tries to restore lost frequencies. It doesn’t always work error-free, but for those who listen to MP3s of unknown quality and have not yet switched to lossless formats, this is a real opportunity to get high-quality sound on your phone.

Unfortunately, on third-party headphones the sound is not fully revealed, even if you take quite expensive models from Sony - it feels like the sound was optimized specifically for the 31st model, the phone sounds great in them. Having tried different headphones, I can say that they sound from good to very good on this model, but the 31s always win due to noise reduction, the sound is cleaner.

Sony was at the forefront of the music revolution in the phone market, and it was then that the Walkman brand was returned to the market and made sound quality important to millions of people. But if you pay attention, no one has been talking about this for the last few years. Cause? The sound of phones has reached its theoretical limit for large companies, and now either it is necessary to change DSP processors and move to another level, or be content with expanding the number of supported codecs. Sony took the second route, also adding a perfect pairing with headphones, and this is a winning strategy. The only pity is that now you have to buy headphones separately, they are not included.

For example, comparing the sound of the Z2 with Note 4, Galaxy S5 with third-party headphones, one cannot say that the Z2 has an advantage - the sound is quite comparable. But with branded headphones from Sony, everything changes dramatically. Therefore, it is worth remembering this when choosing the Z3 as a player - you should buy original headphones, which, however, will not suit everyone. And one more important point - if you purchase headphones of a higher class ($200 or more), you will not get a qualitative leap in the sound of the Z3, it will play about the same.

The Walkman player has a large number of settings and is familiar to all models from Sony.

Another feature that until recently was not found in phones from Sony is support for PS4 Remote Play. You can install the program on your phone, connect it to the DualShock4 joystick via Bluetooth and, by inserting the device into it, play the game on PS4 - a kind of additional screen. That is, the picture, instead of your TV, will be broadcast to your phone - what is the point of this approach is absolutely unclear to me, this is a very far-fetched function. Why? Yes, because it’s more pleasant to play PS4 on a big screen at home, and it’s not clear to me why a small smartphone screen is needed. Of course, there are very limited use cases where this might be useful. But these are such rare cases that it’s not even worth remembering about them. Sony tried to create a feature, but it was not very successful.

Software

The device runs Android 4.4.4; a full description of standard functions and the Xperia UI shell can be found in a separate article.

Among the new and unusual features, I would like to note the ability to make screencasts, that is, record videos of all actions on the screen - this function has been found on a number of phones from other manufacturers, but for Sony it appears here for the first time. Press the power key and select “screen recording” from the menu. You can also record a picture from the front camera, plus your voice is recorded.

Impression

The stereo speakers sound noticeably louder and better in this device than in the Z2. In terms of sound quality, the device is not bad, it is loud, conveys speech well during a conversation, and cuts out unnecessary noise. The vibration alert is average and can be skipped.

The Z3 model turned out to be interesting - the case has been greatly redesigned, the standard of protection against water has been increased, and the protection against falls has been strengthened (the device is still fragile, so this is relative). The camera was changed, but there was no significant or catastrophic deterioration in shooting quality. The screen has been noticeably improved in terms of backlight brightness, the colors still have the same problem, they are not very natural. And they also removed the sensor grid on the screen, it is now not visible - this could irritate someone in the Z2. They did a good job on the power saving mode and standby time.

In my opinion, the Z3 wins over the Z2 in almost everything, but both devices are not popular on the market; in the “Positioning” section I gave the sales ratio with the same Galaxy S5. This is a systemic problem for Sony, which concerns not only the quality of products in previous periods, the erosion of the customer base, but also the inability to highlight its strengths. These devices have Sony Style, they have their own characteristic and different face. But the irony is that traditional buyers of Sony smartphones are already fed up with them; the question is in appearance. And that’s why many people fall in love with the Z3 Compact, but don’t pay attention to the “simple” Z3.

With a price of 29,990 rubles and a very limited supply package, this device is five thousand rubles more expensive than the Z2. Despite the obvious advantages, it’s still worth buying the Z2, especially since it can be found cheaper, and if you buy the Asian version, you’ll also get a desktop charging stand. The real difference is 6,700 rubles, since it is worth taking into account the cost of the headset, which is included in the Z2 kit.

It is necessary and possible to compare this device with other flagships of the season, taking the same iPhone out of the equation; it exists in a different universe. I can hardly imagine a person who can choose between Sony or iPhone (in fact, I know only one - Sergei Kuzmin, by the way, many Sony Mobile employees carry an iPhone, and not only in Russia). You can see the comparison with the Galaxy S5 below.

Here everyone chooses their own, I would consider the Sony Z3 as an alternative not only to the S5, but also to the HTC One M8, these are products of the same level. Another thing is that the late release with a six-month cycle makes the Z3 more expensive than its competitors - the same S5 costs 28,000 rubles. In my opinion, in this price segment this difference is not so critical.

The review turned out to be detailed, with all the “little things” that are important for this device. The choice, as always, is yours; our task was to talk about all the pitfalls, show the pros and cons of this decision.

This model has a version for two SIM cards (one radio module), while maintaining support for memory cards, perhaps someone will be interested in such a device.