Sony Xperia XZ3 Review - Sony Xperia XZ3 is now available to buy in the UK, but is it a big upgrade over a selection of slightly disappointing Sony flagships?
Key Features
-6-inch OLED display
-Snapdragon 845
-19-megapixel f/2.0 camera
-3300 mAh battery
-Wireless charging
-Android 9 Pie
If it comes to its smart phones branch, you couldn't accuse Sony of resting on its laurels. Certainly, the company launches new phones more frequently than some individuals have hot dinners. The Xperia XZ3 follows hot on the heels of this Sony Xperia XZ2, giving Sony another stab at going up against the likes of this Samsung Galaxy S9, Huawei P20 and Google Pixel 3.
We could also find the Sony Xperia XZ4 sooner rather than later. Rumours suggest it will observe a release at MWC 2019, that takes place in Barcelona towards the of February.
Because of a gorgeous brand new OLED screen, a modern layout and top specifications, Sony eventually feels like it's a matching flagship. It is not quite ready to usurp its rivals but it is a significant step in the ideal way -- even if, ultimately, it isn't that thrilling.
Sony Xperia XZ3 -- Design
Until before in 2018, Sony was clinging on its OmniBalance design language -- using its acute angles and sharp borders -- for approaching half a year. That is almost a lifetime when it comes to tech. Simply compare an iPhone 5 to anything you see today and you receive an impression of just how quickly tastes change.
Thankfully, it appears that Sony is ready to proceed. Even the Sony Xperia XZ3 feels like a much more modern phone, even though it still is not quite current. Its layout features strong parallels with previous year's Google Pixel 2 and also the Samsung Galaxy S8.
I mention that the Galaxy S8, and not the newer Galaxy S9, since the S9 has reduced those top and bottom bezels. Placed next to smartphones such as the OnePlus 6, it's in this regard that the Xperia XZ3 can nevertheless look somewhat dated.
Comparatively thick top and bottom bezels aside, the considerably higher screen-to-body ratio does make the XZ3 feel as a modern mobile. It remains svelte, and it is a huge positive thinking about the unwieldy heft of this Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium.
This is a handset that is covered in Gorilla Glass 5, both the front and back, and kept together with a tough aluminium rim. It seems well made, however that glass will make it a little slippery from the hand.
Flip the phone around and one of my biggest grievances becomes apparent. The fingerprint scanner is placed, smack in the centre of the trunk.
Grabbing the phone for the very first time, it's very likely that nearly all people will find they naturally assume the camera is, in fact, the fingerprint scanner. With the scanner so low down, You Need to hold the phone lower, which can be awkward
The speaker is flat with all the power button on the best, which I will also argue is also put in an unnatural position.
All the phone's buttons sit along the right border, making it feeling a little busy and unbalanced. The best half of houses a volume rocker, the above power button sits in the middle, then towards the bottom, there is a dedicated camera button for your camera.
The camera can be half-pressed for focusing because it's on a totally enclosed camera, and provides good tactility for snaps. But, I need the button hadn't been physically equal to the button.
Like the XZ2 Premium, the headset jack was omitted, however you do receive a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter included in the box. Even the XZ3 supports LDAC over Bluetooth for better quality, therefore audiophiles may not be as perturbed if they've compatible headphones (most models are far from Sony).
Sony has bundled into its Dynamic Vibration System again here, and I actually quite enjoy it. It is certainly gimmicky, but also sort of fun. It frees up the haptic vibration in line with the audio you have playing for a few additional sensory comments.
Actually, it's a shame the feature only works with the screen on. I can imagine it would be battery-wasting entertaining to have it in your pocket while you listen to songs, almost like the trance vibrator packs for everyone who remembers the movie game Rez. If you are going to do something as gimmicky as this, Sony, you might also go all in.
The display is flanked by stereo speakers integrated into the bezel, and those produce a good quantity of volume. A little bit of how Dynamic Vibration does actually help round out the low-end when watching movies. Luckily, you may select the amount of Dynamic Vibration you want; insert too much and you will likely find it a diversion.
Sony Xperia XZ3 -- Screen
The screen from the Sony Xperia XZ3 has come on leaps and bounds in preceding Sony flagships, thanks in no small part to this transfer from LCD into OLED technology. The blacks are so deep as you'd expect and colors are much richer than previous Sony attempts.
The screen supports HDR, therefore compatible content appears fantastic. Brightness levels are excellent, too, or so the screen is simple to see outside, and offers decent viewing angles complete.
There is an ambient screen mode which may show the time permanently, once you pick up the telephone, or whenever you double-tap the screen. There is also a nifty photo playback mode for your ambient display that shows off a number of your photographs.
The edge of the display now curves around the sides slightly. Sony makes use of the 'Side Sense'; double-tap both sides of this screen to bring up a menu with shortcuts to apps, notifications and settings.
It's a feature I could see myself with. However, getting this to work was bothersome, requiring me to maintain the device in a really particular manner. I am not certain it may handle numerous components of your hand touching the display at precisely the same time, which will be almost impossible to prevent.
It is a shame since it is difficult to attain the notification color on such a huge phone one-handed. On other phones -- Huawei or OnePlus versions, for example -- I've become used to a swipe down on the back fingerprint detector, but this is not a choice here. Instead, there's a notification shortcut concealed in the Side Sense menu.
You're also able to swipe down the edge of the display as a'Back' shortcut, but I kept tripping this by accident.
When it comes to specifications for a flagship smartphone in 2018, the XZ3 checks virtually all the boxes. It is still a plenty powerful chip.
Perhaps the only shortcoming is that the 4GB of RAM, that pales against the OnePlus 6 -- but then the Galaxy S9 likewise makes do with 4GB. It is not something which will impact day-to-day performance. The normal 64GB of storage is expandable through microSD too, which is welcome.
In the below comparison table, you can see the Xperia XZ3 acquits itself nicely against its rivals:
I didn't encounter any stutters leaping between apps. Oddly, the only minor hiccup involved bringing in the keyboard when tapping on a text field in some specific apps such as WhatsApp. There's a temporary stutter, which could well just be a bug.
In the same way, games run without a hitch. Frame prices in PUBG and Asphalt 9 were slick smooth.
The Xperia XZ3 includes Android 9 Pie from the box, and it can be a step upward from the Xperia XZ2. But some of the Android updates found in Pie for other mobiles -- like Google's Pixel 2 -- are also absent. By way of instance, there's no indication of this new gesture controllers.
Besides all these are Sony's package of programs, the majority of which you probably won't take care of. There are gimmicky alternatives such as AR Effect and 3D Creator, and Xperia Lounge -- whose purpose appears to be just to function you Sony-related advertising. Notice, too, that it may be impossible to uninstall some of those apps; you might only have the ability to disable them.
It is not all bad information on the software front, yet. Sony has added handy features such as a Glove mode choice, which is handy for prodding away at the touchscreen when the weather turns colder.
Then there is the Photo Playback option for the nearby display. This may pull in photos from your camera roll to show when the phone is in standby; them can be geolocated so that you obtain photos taken from your present site. At homethis meant being bombarded by photos of our catsin the workplace, it meant watching the head of Trusted's phones editor, Max Parker, along with photos of my lunch.
And needless to say, there's the above Negative Awareness -- that, sadly, does not work nicely.
Though the Xperia XZ2 Premium introduced a dual-camera setup, it is back to only a solo snapper for its XZ3, which is somewhat disappointing. The Xperia XZ2 Premium not just contains 2 lenses, but both have larger apertures compared to single option .
Generally, the Xperia XZ3's camera is nice -- but it never particularly contrasts. It's a custom of adding an excessive amount of comparison to photographs, which makes them look unrealistic and too processed. Under rough lighting conditions -- if the sun is relatively low in the sky, for instance -- it has a propensity to over-expose shots, too. Low-light performance isn't bad, but not as powerful because the likes of those Google Pixel two or Samsung Galaxy S9.
Also contained is a faux-bokeh mode, in which the camera uses applications to attempt and simulate a shallow depth of field, but it might get things quite wrong. That's where an instant camera sensor could have been useful for calculating thickness. The camera program may also be somewhat slow, and the auto-focus can search and fight to find a lock as quickly as I'd like.
Otherwise, the Xperia XZ3 delivers typically acceptable photos the majority of the time. They're simply nothing special.
Sony has also added some automatic gesture recognition to the camera program. Raise the phone up, as though you're going to take a photograph, and it will automatically offer up the option of the camera program. It functions semi-reliably, however, more frequently than not, I found myself resorting to the camera to start the camera.
The XZ3 can take 4K HDR video, and in addition, it can now handle 960fps super high-definition video at 1080p.
The 3300mAh battery isn't the largest apparatus however paired with the power-efficient OLED panel along with the Xperia XZ3's stamina, it is pretty respectable. With conventional use -- that for me included plenty of social networking, some Spotify streaming, and listening to podcasts -- that I can take the phone off charge in the morning at 7:30am and still have approximately 20% staying by 10pm.
I experimented with having the ambient display mode turned on permanently, with photo playback enabled. I discovered that under generally the very same conditions, I would wind up with approximately 15% battery life by 10pm.
Watch HDR articles on Netflix at around half brightness and you'll see a fall of about 10-12percent an hour, which isn't too bad.
The great thing is the Xperia XZ3 supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 for quick charging, and that glass back panel also usually means that Qi wireless charging capability is included, too.
Why buy the Sony Xperia XZ3?
In the end, the Sony Xperia XZ3 is still a capable flagship telephone. It's just a little difficult to feel especially excited about it.
It surely gets lots right, helping to bring Sony in accord with its competitors. Additionally, the transfer to OLED is a positive one.
On the other hand, the device feels obsolete already. Ultimately, the Xperia XZ3 will little to actually stick out in the crowd. On one side you've got the likes of this OnePlus 6, which delivers similar functionality and an arguably more attractive layout for significantly less. However, is that the Huawei P20/P20 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S9, phones that innovate around their cameras.
Verdict
A significant step in the ideal direction for Sony flagships.