Sony Xperia XZ3 review

13 September 2018
Few phones can claim they caused quite as big of a stir as the Xperia XZ3. After Sony dropped its first curved OLED Xperia, seemingly out of the blue at IFA 2018, reactions have ranged from overwhelming excitement, through confusion and all the way to denial and anger. That's a level of drama typically reserved for soap operas or celebrity gossip and it all spells out one thing - a massive wave of exposure for Sony.

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  • ?
  • Anonymous
  • IW@
  • 15 Sep 2018

Dual camera setup + 4000mAh + 6GB+256GB/ 8GB+512GB would've been made this phone the best today.

    kakouille, 15 Sep 2018"When Automatic Brightness is turned On, the Galaxy S9 has ... moreWhen the.xz3 activates the HDR mode it goes up to 1000 nits, but como no tiene el hardware ni el software necesario no puede medirlo.

    Lol The 1000 nits are measured in 1 % , All oled augmentan de nits the less% of white you see on the screen lol

      Pcworldjames, 15 Sep 2018Where are the 1000 nits of note 9? https://youtu.be/16JpVrp... more"When Automatic Brightness is turned On, the Galaxy S9 has a High Brightness Mode that produces up to a very impressive 1,130 cd/m2 (nits) in High Ambient Light, which is where high Brightness is really needed, up to 20% Brighter than the Galaxy S8."
      http://www.displaymate.com/Galaxy_S9_ShootOut_1s­.htm
      Quote from the gsmarena review:
      "the XZ3 lags a bit behind in the brightness department. The panel Sony chose only goes up to 440 nits or so and has no "max auto" overdrive mode."

        kakouille, 15 Sep 2018370 is when set to manual. lol. Auto can boost that all the... moreWhere are the 1000 nits of note 9? https://youtu.be/16JpVrpLU5A lol

        the 1000 nits I do not see them but their saw teeth if lol

          Pcworldjames, 15 Sep 2018Lol not the s9 has 370 nits, only the sun 600 nits but it ... more370 is when set to manual. lol. Auto can boost that all the way up to 658nits.
          Check the gsmarena review because you have no idea what you're talkin about.
          The S9 High Brightness Mode delivers up to 1,130 nits and the Sony only 440 nits.
          "When Automatic Brightness is turned On, the Galaxy S9 has a High Brightness Mode that produces up to a very impressive 1,130 cd/m2 (nits) in High Ambient Light, which is where high Brightness is really needed, up to 20% Brighter than the Galaxy S8."
          http://www.displaymate.com/Galaxy_S9_ShootOut_1s­.htm
          Quote from the gsmarena review:
          "the XZ3 lags a bit behind in the brightness department. The panel Sony chose only goes up to 440 nits or so and has no "max auto" overdrive mode."

            kakouille, 14 Sep 2018370 is when set to manual. lol. Auto can boost that all the... moreLol not the s9 has 370 nits, only the sun 600 nits but it is the same as the XZ3 with 450 nits lol All oled have 1000 nits 1% of whites screen lol.the oled work different to the lcd, the less% of white on the screen gives more nits lol
            To measure one of the nits it is recommended that 17% of the screen be only white but gsmarena does not know or has manipulated the measurements because he hates sony.

            Amoleds display are poor in nits, subpixels and colours.
            If you want to enjoy a 10-bit RGB oled with real HDR and 1000 million colors there is only one xz3 option

              Pcworldjames, 14 Sep 2018Lol 1000 nits lol, s9 only 370 bits 600 nits In the sun and... more370 is when set to manual. lol. Auto can boost that all the way up to 658nits.
              Check the gsmarena review because you have no idea what you're talkin about.
              The S9 High Brightness Mode delivers up to 1,130 nits and the Sony only 440 nits.
              "When Automatic Brightness is turned On, the Galaxy S9 has a High Brightness Mode that produces up to a very impressive 1,130 cd/m2 (nits) in High Ambient Light, which is where high Brightness is really needed, up to 20% Brighter than the Galaxy S8."
              http://www.displaymate.com/Galaxy_S9_ShootOut_1s.htm
              Quote from the gsmarena review:
              "the XZ3 lags a bit behind in the brightness department. The panel Sony chose only goes up to 440 nits or so and has no "max auto" overdrive mode."

                kakouille, 14 Sep 2018370??? Where did you get that from???? looooool!!!!!!!!!!... moreLol 1000 nits lol, s9 only 370 bits 600 nits In the sun and looks like the 450 nits of the XZ3 lol troll display 10 bits rec 2020> 8 bits
                2k RGB> 2k amoled pentile .

                Enjoy the XZ3 and its perfect 10-bit screen lol

                https://youtu.be/W6c66UpIeok

                From its HDR of 1000 billion colors lol

                It does not even surpass the IPS screen of the xz2

                https://youtu.be/RocwlhQ0WGE

                  Pcworldjames, 14 Sep 2018S9 1000 bits? Lol no only 370 nota troll370???
                  Where did you get that from????
                  looooool!!!!!!!!!!
                  370 is when set to manual. lol, Auto can boost that all the way up to 658nits.
                  The S9 High Brightness Mode delivers up to 1,130 nits and the Sony only 440 nits.
                  You can check all the S9 reviews, its 1,130 nits.
                  Quote from the review
                  "the XZ3 lags a bit behind in the brightness department. The panel Sony chose only goes up to 440 nits or so and has no "max auto" overdrive mode."

                    Kiyasuriin, 14 Sep 2018Was kind of my dream getting the XZ3 before opting to get N... moreSony's phones were basically useless for quality(hi res!) shots in the past, performing good enough only at 8mp, same with the low light shots or videos. Though they lack serious stacking, long exposure and raw option, they finally offer this, and with it not just being even, but the best low light performance now, same with detail captured without it being destroyed. And not just amount of detail, colors seems like next gen too, since introduction of that triple layer sensor, the getting better with color spectrum sensor and now with ~f1.8 on premium. Not sure about accuracy, but seems more natural to the eye, most visible now in extreme low light comparison. Compared even using test shots here, couldn't find anything better.

                      kakouille, 14 Sep 2018Where did you get the 370 nits from???? loooool!!!!!!!!!! ... moreS9 1000 bits? Lol no only 370 nota troll

                        Anonymous, 14 Sep 2018DM measure it at a spot of 1% of screen. Full screen cant... moreWhere did you get the 370 nits from????
                        loooool!!!!!!!!!!
                        The S9 High Brightness Mode delivers up to 1,130 nits and the Sony only 440 nits.
                        Quote from the review
                        "the XZ3 lags a bit behind in the brightness department. The panel Sony chose only goes up to 440 nits or so and has no "max auto" overdrive mode."

                          • ?
                          • Anonymous
                          • JpI
                          • 14 Sep 2018

                          kakouille, 14 Sep 2018S9 370??? The S9 High Brightness Mode delivers up to 1,13... moreDM measure it at a spot of 1% of screen.
                          Full screen cant reach that.

                            Anonymous, 14 Sep 2018Display XZ3 IS 2K RGB Display s9 IS 2k pentile. XZ3 Wi... moreS9 370???
                            The S9 High Brightness Mode delivers up to 1,130 nits.
                            looooooool!!!!!
                            Did you read the review?
                            Read the conclusion from the gsmarena Sony Xperia XZ3 review:
                            "The S9+ does have the superior display, though. And with the Galaxy already being a few months old, it can also be had for less than the Xperia pretty much in every market."

                              Shanti Dope, 14 Sep 2018A Note 9 with better primary and front camera A Note 9 wit... moreNot going to touch on the subjective topics, but the blatant ones...

                              Sony has had faster updates than Samsung for over the past 2 years. They updated their entire line to Oreo months before Samsung. And Samsung still hasn't finished.

                              Battery management is also historically better on Sony. Sony acheives nearly the same endurance score with a battery size nearly 20% smaller. If it had a 4000mAh battery as well, it'd be acing all endurance charts.

                              Sony's phone scored higher in performance on many of the tests.

                                • A
                                • Anonymous
                                • 4S2
                                • 14 Sep 2018

                                AnonD-772315, 14 Sep 2018Damn the number of Sony fanboys bashing Samsung S9, Note 9 ... moreThe reason why the reviewer said that is because they don't want to create any backlash like saying Sony Oled is better than the rest. Instead, they would rather cater to the majority who like the familiar display of the Galaxy, Apple, Huawei, and etc...But, who knows, deep down inside the reviewer could have prefer the oled on the XZ3 better than the rest?

                                  So, they made "measurements"...
                                  And made a funny conclusion on a set of numbers.

                                  Interestingly enough tho, in real life eye test, when put side by side, Sonys Galaxy just looks sharper, brighter, more colourfull than Samsungs Galaxy:

                                  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wlONO8Hd17Y

                                  Funny ha?

                                    • D
                                    • Daany
                                    • r3a
                                    • 14 Sep 2018

                                    Kiyasuriin, 14 Sep 2018Headphone jack: 1:0 to S9 Secondary camera on back: 2:0 ... moreOk

                                      Anonymous, 14 Sep 2018I prefer LCD ... Pure black does not exist in reality.... moreActually "pure black" stands for pixels that their Hex value don't rise even one bit from value 000000.
                                      And Amoled screen INDEED allows such an option of having pixels with such RGB code.
                                      Just google the information my friend. ^^

                                        Daany, 14 Sep 2018I intentionally had to check the stars on the S9 review. It... moreHeadphone jack:
                                        1:0 to S9
                                        Secondary camera on back:
                                        2:0 to S9
                                        Better FP location:
                                        3:0 to S9
                                        Better sensing of taking Slow mo.*
                                        4:0 (kind of?)
                                        (Ofcourse: Sony xperia XZ3 can take far better Slow mo videos than S9. I am taking about the camera "Noticing" a good moment to capture a Slow Mo event. And even here it's mentioned that Xperia XZ3 lacks that feature. So to have that excellent moment of Super-slow-motion vid on an Xperia device. The USER have to be skilled in capturing it in the right moment)
                                        And the shift in color: a nicely calibrated screen on S9 has less shift than on XZ3. That'd make 5:0.
                                        Anything else you'd like to be recalled of? I am no fan of either Samsung nor Sony. For me. I seek the ultimate device that has the least compromises.