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Sony Xperia Z3
88
Engadget Review
For a phone that, initially at least, looks a lot like the one it's meant to replace the Z3 has a few tricks up its sleeve. Best of all is the standout battery life. Android photographers will love the camera too. It's easy to recommend the Z3, unless you're upgrading from the Z2, of course.
Pros
- Fantastic battery life
- High-quality finish
- Great camera
Cons
- Software feels a little dated
View All Critic & User Reviews
Sony Xperia Z3
- Critic Reviews (8)
- User Reviews (18)
- 88AVERAGE CRITIC SCORE8 ReviewsEngadget90Sony Xperia Z3 review: a classy flagship with great battery lifeFor a phone that, initially at least, looks a lot like the one it's meant to replace the Z3 has a few tricks up its sleeve. Best of all is the standout battery life. Android photographers will love the camera too. It's easy to recommend the Z3, unless you're upgrading from the Z2, of course.CNET90Sony's Xperia sequel hits all the right notesThe Sony Xperia Z3 is Sony's most formidable to date with a formidable display and promising features that easily give Android competition from HTC, LG and Samsung a run for their money.The Guardian90Sony Xperia Z3 review: great battery life and qualIt has a tough job on its hands battling with Samsung and Apple, but the Z3 is comparable in most ways short of a fingerprint sensor. A worthy contender for the next six months with the great battery life making it one of the best smartphones currently available.TechRadar80Has Sony added enough to warrant a Z2 sequel alreaWhile not a mind-blowing step forward, the Z3 is a real improvement on the Z2. However, without Remote Play and the slight bugs in the OS, it's not a top phone yet - when PS4 functionality appears, we'll update the review.phoneArena90Sony Xperia Z3 ReviewThe Z3 has a thinner chassis, faster processor, brighter display and better photo and audio quality than the Z2, while keeping everything else great intact. These might not seem significant upgrades each on its own, but the cumulative effect is pretty powerful.Digital Versus80Review: Sony Xperia Z3, More of the Same Great StuThe Xperia Z3 is a top-tier smartphone with solid performance, speed and versatility thanks to its software and multimedia services. The camera is also a little bit better, but there are still a couple hicks here and there that make it difficult for us to give the Z3 all five stars.Stuff100Sony Xperia Z3 reviewRefinement more than revolution, the Xperia Z3 is the phone the Z2 should have been and every bit as good as that sounds.NDTV Gadgets80Sony Xperia Z3 Review: The Pursuit of RefinementSony really has managed to improve a phone that was already pretty impressive. We enjoyed using the Z3, but we have a feeling that Sony's pricing and pace will make it easier and more sensible for a lot of people to keep themselves one step behind the curve.
- 81AVERAGE USER SCORE18 ReviewsEngadget Reader100July 11, 2015Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I have had my phone now for two months. My battery lasts two days. The battery life is absolutely amazing. I dont even have to have it in any type of battery saving mode. One time I ran the phone down to 14% and then imposed the battery saving mode it stayed at 14% for the two hours I had left at work. The UI is very neat and clean. The sound quality is very good but not quit as good as the HTC M8. All the comments about smashed screens are what they are. <<-- Handled by users who didnt take care of their phone. If you are surprised that the screen smashed when you drop or throw it then a phone with a large screen is not for you. The WiFi hot spot has the best range of all the phones I have owned to date. I just traded in a NOTE 3, HTC M8 and IPHONE 6+ for three Sony Z3's. The Iphone 6 at my house location only gets 1 bar of 4g and the Sony's get four full bars. The call quality is awesome. My Note 3 had the best quality for its day and the Sony easily bests the Note 3.Camera quality is the best in its class. I closely compared pics form the S6, Note 4, Iphone 6+ and Sony Z3. All the camera features are loaded with the native OS on the Z3 where the other phones seemed to need downloads to make all the extra features work. Pictures are super crisp and clean on the Sony.Professional feel of the phone is what makes it so comfortable. The phone is very thin, even with a case attached. Accessories are very cheap too. I highly recommend this phone to anyone that is a pro or novice in the cell phone world. Sony really took their time to craft this deviceEnsure you update to Android 5.0.2 after getting your phone. This new OS is what gives the sony its long battery life. The OS loaded drains the battery at average speed but the new OS gives power management a real boost.Engadget Reader60June 13, 2015Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!PRO:Battery, looks great, waterproofCONS:Reported mic issues (mic input too low), Loud speaker not loud enough on speakerphone, bend easily, Low GSM signal when compaired to iPhones/Note 4/ASUS PadFone on the same network. Rubber cap broke off after few months of use.Yes...beware of bending!Check out my phone bend :/http://oi61.tinypic.com/fofax2.jpgAnd the tab, being retardedhttp://oi62.tinypic.com/2u75e84.jpgSony do not cover any physical form of damage. Spent around $150 to fix the bending, but now the phone looks like it have small gap between the top part of the glass and the side aluminium chassis.Engadget Reader80May 27, 2015Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I love all the features, water resistant, battery life, speaker, rear camera, almost everythings.But i really hate that is easy to crash and the front camera is not so good if compare with other phones.Engadget Reader80May 2, 2015Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The all glass is just a disaster waiting to happen.Engadget Reader90May 2, 2015Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I will not write about the design because it is personal. The phone is not perfect, but it delivers a competent camera, the system flows, the battery can handle one day quietly, even with moderate / heavy use. And it's waterproof. The sound quality is good, but it could be higher.Engadget Reader90March 29, 2015Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader20March 23, 2015Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Had my Z3 for 2 whole months before the screen cracked while it was in my hoodie pocket. After sending my phone to sony for assessment and repair, Sony refused to cover what they called physical damage. I ended up having to fork over $240 cdn after tax, as well as the $30 cdn it cost me to ship it to them. Now I'm terrified when i get it back that this delicate screen will crack again. I will NEVER buy a sony product knowingly again. Next time it's either the galaxy s5 active or the droid turbo.Engadget Reader90February 4, 2015Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I've had my Z3 since early November and can find very little fault with it. The display is large and beautiful, the ergonomics for a phone this size are very good... I use it one-handed with only a little bit of stretching necessary, and I have pretty average sized hands for a guy. The UI is a bit disjointed, but perfectly usable, and the camera takes some very, very nice pictures - although the UI and options are a little more complicated than they need to be. The stand out feature of this phone is the battery life... I can easily get a day and a half of moderately heavy use on a single charge. It's so freeing not to have to worry about the battery running out! Performance has also been phenomenal... I've noticed few, if any, stutters or lags. Sony really got almost everything right with this phone!Engadget Reader100January 25, 2015Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best Android on the market. The cam and battery life is just a dream... The only thing I can criticise is the back of the phone due to the glass => very slippery. Watch where you put the phone or it starts sliding all over the place :-)Engadget Reader90January 21, 2015Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Had this phone for over 3 months now and can safely say I've never been so satisfied with a almost perfect devise. Having tried or had many past and current offerings to the high end smartphone market; various Samsung galaxy series and notes, HTC sensation xe and m8, crApple iclones, Nokia N series and Lumia's, Nexus 4 & 5 and the LG G3, I can confidently say thus far the Sony xperia z3 is the most complete device of the lot. Essentially what do I, as with most people want in an expensive pocket filler. I want a good multimedia devise displaying whatever media I choose to play beautifully whether visual or auditory, a good camera, good fast browsing and connectivity, at this price stylish and durable, a battery that doesn't render half your day seeking the nearest socket, easy smooth user experience and occasionally as an actual phone. When taking these desired features/functions into account, the z3 is either best in class or at worst a close second.As a media player it plays virtually any files (video or audio) beautifully. The screen is excellent and where it may not be ultra HD or 4k (like the G3) it has an impressive pixel density put next to the G3 (for example) hardly anyone would tell the difference plus it has I feel more natural colour reproduction and a super bright screen. More so sony have incorporated some extremely clever technology which maintains this stunning display without the battery drain trade-off. Perhaps more impressive is the audio reproduction, the z3 has its own quality amp and DAC and is able to play large files l ike flac at a super fast bit rate. The upshot What Hifi rated the music/audio player the best of all Smartphones and even rated as a top portable music player as a stand alone. Again sony have added some wizardry with the ability to boost poorer more compressed recordings, this function is amazing and is pure witchcraft. As a camera it may not be the best friend to the narcissist selfy fiends out there or simple point and shoot but carries a genuinely impressive 20.7mp large cmos sensor and excellent lens that produces results better than most high end compacts (following prints I've found it produces clearer, more detailed shots in with excellent colour reproduction than my similar speced well rated nikon coolpix). With the 2.5g quad core snapdragon processor and 3gb ram it's buttery smooth, never laggy and can take on any task, multitask or resource heavy game I've thrown at it. It may not have the specs of the note 4 but it's cheaper and easily fast enough for any apps likely to be produced for years and more useful as an actual phone than these phablets. More so it's a thing of beauty and simple classic styling and has a more robust feeling than any plastic fantastic Samsung whilst having a top waterproof rating. This is no gimmick, I have no intention of diving to the depths with my z3 but how many of us have had faulty phones that have seen not a drop of moisture yet the manufacturer turns round and voids it due to so called 'water damage', I feel confident this will not happen here. Last but definitely not least the battery life does live up to sony's claims and you can easily stretch to 2 days of use on 1 charge if your not hammering it. The only downside is the trade off of non removable battery to ensure its water resistance, a lack of IR blaster and until the lollipop update like most android phones there's no app to sd function (hopefully scheduled for early Feb in uk).All in all it ticks all the boxes for me and have that rare feeling of genuine consumer satisfaction😊Engadget Reader30January 9, 2015Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!It claims it is water proof and dust proof but inferior glass used to build the phone doesn't allow much outdoor/sport use.Do not recommend this phone unless you are very cautious and never will drop your phone.https://www.google.com.sg/?gfe_rd=cr&ei=cIavVJSgPIuW8Qeso4HICQ&gws_rd=ssl#q=sony+z3+front+glass just google on " Sony Z3 front glass" - many users has reported how their glass had shattered and the digitizer is not usable at all. this is alot weaker than any other phone.Engadget Reader100January 4, 2015Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I thing this is the best SMARTPHONE even its better than S5 active,but ofc Z3 cant campqre with Note 4 or Nexus 9 they are phablet and tablet :)Engadget Reader90December 18, 2014Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Excellent and best Xperia to date. Sony has definitely worked on the design and fine-tuned it for the Z3 - a step in the right direction.Software can be a bit unresponsive/glitchy at times but something minor and ignorable. Otherwise efficient and responsive.I will post a full review on my website in a few days. I have so far reviewed the design only.Engadget Reader90December 10, 2014Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader60November 18, 2014Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Overall nice phone, particularly the one with 2 Sim support. Pros: good built quality, 2 sim cards, speakers truly excellent, as are the playing capabilities of the Walkman app, very capable hardware (processor, ram, screen). Waterproof is a pro and also a con. Materials used too. Cons: absence of KNOX technology means most corporations will not certify it for corporate emails. Materials are of good quality but very vulnerable to damage (including the waterproofing sealing, in case of falls). Accessories scarcely available.Engadget Reader90October 19, 2014Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I have owned almost all the flagships in this category and this one is the most trouble free and has the best battery life of them all.Engadget Reader100October 2, 2014Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Perfect phone of 2014 will use this phone as my daily driver and would highly recommend it!Engadget Reader100September 30, 2014Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A gadget unicorn - Engadget
Key Specs
TYPE
Smartphone
OPERATING SYSTEM
Android
SCREEN SIZE
5.222
CAMERA
Yes
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