Sony Xperia Z3 Review,

Sony has released not one but two Z3 handsets recently. The other is the Z3 Compact, but this one is the hero device -- bigger, but does that mean it's necessarily better? 

The Xperia Z3 looks similar to its predecessor, with the same glass back and front on a metallic casing. But this time the edges are a little more rounded, taking the edge off the overall 'slabness' of what is, let's face it, a pretty hefty phablet. That's a welcome addition, as is the sliver sliced off the thickness bringing it down to a whisker over 7mm and the 9g reduction in weight.

Screen & chassisThe screen size remains the same at 5.2 inches, though the resolution has been beefed up to 1,920x1,080 pixels. It's strikingly clear and sharp, using Sony's telly technology to deliver deep contrasts and vivid colours. The pixel count may not be as high as some, but Sony's defence that the supposed (very small) improvement in picture quality delivered by resolutions significantly higher than full HD just isn't worth the price of reduced battery life does seem to hold some water here.

Like other high-end Xperias, it's waterproof and dustproof, capable of surviving a freshwater dunking of up to half an hour in 1.5m of fresh water -- meaning it can survive much more than getting splashed a spilled drink or an accidental dip in the bath.

Software & processorThe Z3 is running the very latest 4.4.4 version of Android KitKat with the usual design tweaks from Sony, plus a whole slew of extra features, including the Lifelog health tracker, Sony Select -- which pulls together various apps -- and PlayStation, so you can play your PlayStation games on your phone anywhere around your home.

The quad-core processor is clocked at 2.5GHz and backed by 3GB RAM. That means it's fast, basically, and it delivered a score of 42,276 in our usual AnTuTu benchmark test. That's not quite up there with Samsung's latest Galaxy designs like the Alpha or Note 4 but it's still impressively slick and powerful, whipping through menus and balancing a handful of apps simultaneously with no sign of slow down.

Photography

At first glance the 20.7-megapixel camera appears to be the same as the Z2's, but closer inspection reveals that there have been some improvements -- the lens is a little wider and the ISO sensitivity has been bumped up to 12,800. This being Sony it has plenty of options to play with, including Smile Shutter and face registration, as well as a wide range of modes and effects like timeshift video and background defocus.

The wider lens, along with that additional ISO sensitivity, plus Sony's Exmor RS sensor all make for better quality snaps in low light, but the autofocus isn't quite as fast as we'd like and we often found ourselves with a frustrating wait of a second or two while it got itself together. In general, the auto settings could often be a bit hit and miss, especially if you're in a hurry, but if you're prepared to take some time to play with the settings, the Z3's camera has plenty to offer, with realistic colours and plenty of detail to reward your patience. And of course, the physical shutter button on the side means you can take underwater shots too.

The Z3 comes with 16GB of in-built memory, which might not sound like much to app fiends, but you can add up to 128GB via microSD card.

The 3,100mAh  battery held up very well in our testing, and if we didn't quite the full two days that Sony suggests, we were close enough to believe that with a little care it can easily be done. And for a high-end, demanding handset like this, that's impressive. 

ConclusionSony has been revising its Z series and it's getting steadily better. The distinctive blocky shape has been softened and the specs remain impressively high, with a terrific screen, powerful processor, waterproofing and outstanding camera. And of course, if you already happen to have a PlayStation at home, your next quality handset is really just a choice between the Z3 and its Compact cousin.

SPECIFICATIONS

Software

Android 4.4.4 KitKat

Processor

Quad-core 2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon

Memoryslot

Yes

Display

5.2in Full HD TRILUMINOS with X-REALITY, 1920x1080pixels

Connectivity

Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0

Ports

microUSB, 3.5mm headphone jack

Camera

20.7megapixel with autofocus, Exmor RS sensor, LED flash; 2.2 megapixelfront-facing camera

Videoplayback

3GPP, MP4, M4V, MKV, AVI, XVID, WEBM

Audioplayback

AAC, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, FLAC, MIDI, MP3, PCM,Vorbis, WMA

Radio

Yes

Battery

3100mAh

Size

146x72x7.3mm

Weight

152g