Sony Xperia Z3 Compact review: Not your usual suspect

12 September 2014
Of all the features that set smartphones apart, screen size is as close to a decider as they get. Counter to the trend of the last decade that saw cellphones become as small as technology allowed, the...

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  • AnonD-166545
  • 4Aa
  • 13 Sep 2014

Z3C >> Galaxy Alpha >>> iPhone 6 (7...)

In fact, the Z3C looks like the best phone on the market at the moment and the foreseeable future. Until the Z4C, that is.

    AnonD-209094, 13 Sep 2014Yeah youtube is known for smooth playbacks, right? Doubl... moreWhat?! Now you're gonna tell me that Note4 obvious performance lag is due to youtube video quality?!?!?
    And you talk about my facepalm?!?!

      • D
      • AnonD-246723
      • tV3
      • 13 Sep 2014

      I use the comparism tool on exactly in the review page and z3 compact is better than alpha ? =/
      i am confuse

        AnonD-209094, 13 Sep 2014What the... Fan oriented, me? Lol. Man you are just incredi... moreWhat the....? Me a fanboy!?!
        I maybe act as a fan but there is no doubt, with a good reason when it comes to z3. And dont like gsma biased camera review,yes...

        You don't know much about photography, if you dont see the quality difference in favour of z3...
        I explained it a few comments before, if you got sth smarter to add than white ballance ( its quite yellowish there on alpha/s5),and better exposure ( overexposed on s5/alpha) please do...

        No matter of our "density", get what you want

          • D
          • AnonD-269910
          • nH{
          • 13 Sep 2014

          I will be more than happy when will change my S4 mini to Z3C

            • D
            • AnonD-209094
            • vaN
            • 13 Sep 2014

            erg, 13 Sep 2014please have your eyes checkedFor once i agree with the reviewers on this site, Alpha makes some great photos under good conditions, very impressive. My eyes are same as everyone else, i cant help that a few stubborn fanboys refuse these facts, denial is your problem and not mine.

            Apart from that i find nothing good to say about Alpha, unless i wanted a region lock so i could get stuck with a blocked phone in the middle of nowhere when abroad. Sounds tempting, since the Alpha is already out of battery anyway, it just as well be bricked in addition.

            iPhone is an alternative though, at least i wouldnt have to be associated with facepalmers like you and darkraver, would be shameful to have people think i am as dense as you just because we have the same phone.

              • D
              • AnonD-209094
              • vaN
              • 13 Sep 2014

              darkraver, 13 Sep 2014Oh but I do... I own a Z1C...and there are NULL hicckups a... moreYeah youtube is known for smooth playbacks, right?

              Double duhhhhh, thats so lame man, how do you not make facepalm to your self??

                • D
                • AnonD-209094
                • vaN
                • 13 Sep 2014

                darkraver, 13 Sep 2014Yes exactly, I call that a WIN for Z3, over alpha and s5 ... moreWhat the... Fan oriented, me? Lol. Man you are just incredible ahah. Have you heard about mirrors? have a look and you will see the person you are actually talking about here.

                Theres no more detail, just higher resolution and more noise. Alpha win, not only is the picture clearer and nicer but it also got the white balance and exposure more right. Clearly. But i know Alpha will lose under anything else than well lit conditions, all Samsungs do, they are not reliable all rounders.

                  • .
                  • ...
                  • 3PD
                  • 13 Sep 2014

                  what about sunspider? Its one of the most important benchmarks. People use smartphones to web surfing a lot.

                    • T
                    • Talax
                    • 6PG
                    • 13 Sep 2014

                    Came here looking for PS4 remote play impressions. Leaving a sad puppy. :(

                      AnonD-167142, 13 Sep 20144.6 inches is compact size???Consiering all "flagships" are 5+“ and the phablets bigger... Then is "compact" lol

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                        • arashr8
                        • avR
                        • 13 Sep 2014

                        The best of best.

                          • D
                          • AnonD-248419
                          • uCh
                          • 13 Sep 2014

                          AnonD-167142, 13 Sep 20144.6 inches is compact size???it's the overall dimension, not just screen size. it just a bit bigger than iphone5, yet it has 4.6 inch screen.

                            • D
                            • AnonD-305805
                            • mbA
                            • 13 Sep 2014

                            The battery results are truly impressive! Sony is really improving. It's a shame the camera is probably not that good, I hope it can be improved with software enhancements, but to me the upped ISO 12800 value seems a bit of a gimmick of sorts.
                            Does anyone know if the Z3(c)'s stereo speakers are actually louder than the Z2's? Is it true these speakers are among the loudest, apart from the HTC One and One M8?

                            I'm waiting for the review of the Z3 though, I wonder what that battery is capable of, I hope it performs at least as good as this Z3 compact, but we'll have to wait and see how it really turns out I guess. Plus I hope the 'selfcracking screen' issue is now history with the Z3 and Z3c releases, because of the tweaked corners of the devices.

                              • D
                              • AnonD-167142
                              • tes
                              • 13 Sep 2014

                              4.6 inches is compact size???

                                • D
                                • AnonD-248419
                                • uCh
                                • 13 Sep 2014

                                [deleted post]okeee..i see it now. why those people at dxomark give z2 high score despite those noise. and btw, i just checked at dxomark, they already tested z3 and give same score as z2. http://www.dxomark.com/Mobiles/Sony-Xperia-Z3-New-Sony-flagship-Smartphone-tested
                                thank man

                                  • D
                                  • AnonD-249431
                                  • Hkt
                                  • 13 Sep 2014

                                  Z3 Compact kicked out that alpha crap of samesung. The real compact beast is Z3 C even better than iphone 6.
                                  Z3C - 101 hr endurance rating.
                                  alpha - 52 hr

                                    • D
                                    • AnonD-248419
                                    • uCh
                                    • 13 Sep 2014

                                    darkraver, 13 Sep 2014Yes exactly, I call that a WIN for Z3, over alpha and s5 ... morecan you tell me about pic quality, you seem to know 1 or 2 about it. i know that sony's produce better color reproduction and more detail. and i know the legendary rx100 and rx1. but from all i can see, based on comparison tool, alpha produce cleaner pic than z3c. is it due to oversharpening or better noise reduction? or something else?

                                      • d
                                      • darkraver
                                      • B}Q
                                      • 13 Sep 2014

                                      AnonD-209094, 13 Sep 2014My god, you call that a win for Z3c? Samsung is excelling w... moreYes exactly, I call that a WIN for Z3, over alpha and s5

                                      Hope you can understand the following:

                                      Z3 saves more detail, and has better pixel contrast ratio on crop...
                                      has better color reproduction in color photos too...

                                      and that is best seen on a black/white photo, as shown...

                                      So, by FACT it is a better shooter

                                      stop being fan oriented and accept facts...

                                        • d
                                        • darkraver
                                        • B}Q
                                        • 13 Sep 2014

                                        AnonD-209094, 13 Sep 2014...And again we get the clear impression that you are talki... moreOh but I do...
                                        I own a Z1C...and there are NULL hicckups as you call it...no lag whatsoever...


                                        But, on the other side top Galaxy phones do
                                        It is easy to notice the difference,just you tube hands on videos of Note4 and Z3...
                                        the difference is clerarly visible

                                        So I believe you have never owned a top xperia Z1-Z3 phone yourself...but as long as you have an opinion...