Sony Xperia XZ3 long-term review

08 March 2019
We used the Sony Xperia XZ3 as our main smartphone for an extended period of time, trying to evaluate whether it might serve most people well in day to day use, away from benchmarks, sales numbers, and objective tests. So join us over the next few pages as we explore what the Xperia XZ3 has to offer in 2019.

Sort by:

  • ?
  • Anonymous
  • kxg
  • 10 Mar 2019

Khoo, 09 Mar 2019This is the first time i see review that sony phone is lag ... moreMay be it has heating issue. All sony flagships have heating issues and when it heat up, the temperature goes to more than 65°C and lags a lot. Thanks god, it has ip68 water resistant, I threw it in water everytime it heats up and it works like a charm in bringing the temperatures down.

    • ?
    • Anonymous
    • kxg
    • 10 Mar 2019

    Finally, a review not paid by sony. Good job GSMA for unbiased review.

      • B
      • Boss
      • LHe
      • 10 Mar 2019

      davidletterboyz, 09 Mar 2019As an ex-owner of Sony Xperia Z3 and recently, the XZ2 (and... moreWhat you are saying really doesn't make any sense. All those things you numbered are not gimmicks but software additions that actually make the difference. Differences are subjective but they are there and they are not intrusive so I don't know what makes you think that phone was not conceived as a whole. I fail to see fragmentation.

        • S
        • Slayer
        • F35
        • 10 Mar 2019

        Anonymous, 08 Mar 2019And I don't understand why haters bash so hard on a good ph... moreI have to agree with that. XZ3 no lag, speedy up dates, close to stock, amazing screen. What's not to like. Haters gonna hate.....!!!

          [deleted post]Right... It's a speculation only... I am not that techy as my wife, and she will probably fix up the Gibberish I might post on behalf of her account...
          I think since S6 the lag issue on FLAGSHIP was fixed up, and 2017 was the last year of laggy UI on a general Samsung phone. I prefer in general android. So Neither me or my wife would be a fan of just one brand.

            Hey. It's Kiyasuriin's husband. Hijacked her account just for this post. And god dammit I agree. I love the XZ3 BUT that lag. I am considering to swap for the Mate 20 or maybe just grab the S10...

              • L
              • Lord Bohomez
              • d@7
              • 09 Mar 2019

              https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bm2nmea8rZQ

              Self owned...

                • L
                • Lord Boruta
                • d@7
                • 09 Mar 2019

                Khoo, 09 Mar 2019This is the first time i see review that sony phone is lag ... moreThe same. XZ premium vs Wife's S9 - EVERY APP run faster than on S9.
                now I have XZ2 and If I compare it to S9, all photos looks better. especially colors and clairity...

                  kupfernigk, 09 Mar 2019Z5 has the 810, which was not a good cpu. Otherwise, both s... moreOh sorry for the mistake. It has the 810, which has overheating issues, but no lag of whatsoever(It is not working perfectly, but it works good even today).

                    Mobilemaster, 09 Mar 2019It is weird this one lags, because I have used an old Z5, a... moreZ5 has the 810, which was not a good cpu. Otherwise, both sizes of Z5 were pretty good and it's a pity Sony don't make anything in that form factor any more.

                      • ?
                      • Anonymous
                      • 4ST
                      • 09 Mar 2019

                      [deleted post]Yes, so true and I like what Apple has been quoted saying in past about Sony... 'encouraged by SONY' something great to acknowledge since Apple's greatness in cell biz!

                        Ascheron, 09 Mar 2019Why not post the name of the reviewer? The review is very n... moreWhat can be know about the reviewer is that he is from Romania, as me. It kinda shock me as well(the kinda negative review).

                          It is weird this one lags, because I have used an old Z5, and it work good even today, with the old SD801 CPU. What I have liked the most about it is is the Bass Booster. It has some amazing bass, Samsung is still not on the same level.
                          The direction Sony is heading is kinda weird. I mean all of their flagships will be bricks. To me a 167 mm tall device is overkill!!! It would stand out from my pocket lol.

                            • K
                            • Khoo
                            • UG0
                            • 09 Mar 2019

                            This is the first time i see review that sony phone is lag compare to others flagship. There have been many criticized on dated design, screen ratio etc, but lag and shutter? First time.

                            I had use Sony Z2 (2014) along with Samsung S7 (2016), clear winner for Sony

                            Recently use Sony XZ Premium (2017 Feb) along with Samsung Note 9 (2018 Aug), also clear winner for Sony.

                            I really doubt the credibility of this reviewer.

                              • Z
                              • Zteam
                              • CM0
                              • 09 Mar 2019

                              Anonymous, 08 Mar 2019Enjoy your Xiaomi while it's still cheap! https://www.x... moreThis was a very suprising article to read as Lei Jun earlier said that Xiaomi will try to never raise it marginals above 5%. at the same time article appars to be backed with a video where indeed suggests we may see a little bit pricier Xiaomi devices.

                              Looking at Xiaomi Mi 9 it's price seems very fair if you compare Mi 9 to Samsung Galaxy S10+, but if Xiaomi believes it can go near Samsungs price, then I believe they are making a big mistake.

                                • P
                                • Pixie
                                • LHe
                                • 09 Mar 2019

                                "Performance isn't bad but the constant lag and numerous stutters hinder the experience a lot. With a top of the line SoC inside, there's really no excuse for this."

                                In my case stuttering only happens in Settings > Apps & Notifications > App Info > When you click on any app

                                That's the only place I've seen stuttering, Maybe reviewer has some memory exhausting Apps that run in the background.

                                  • ?
                                  • Anonymous
                                  • Nj5
                                  • 09 Mar 2019

                                  Ascheron, 09 Mar 2019Why not post the name of the reviewer? The review is very n... moreLong term reviews are always negative
                                  They are trying to find every con in the phone

                                    In conclusion reviewer pointed out exactly what I was thinking about sony smartphones for the past 4-5 years.
                                    Sony mobile division deserves it's fate, they fail to learn from their own mistakes year after year.

                                      • d
                                      • davidletterboyz
                                      • IV5
                                      • 09 Mar 2019

                                      As an ex-owner of Sony Xperia Z3 and recently, the XZ2 (and a lot of other phones), I wholeheartedly agree with the conclusion of this article. With the XZ2, one gets Triluminos, X Reality Engine, BT.2020, DSEE HX, Crystal Clear+, S Force Surround, Dynamic Vibration, Stamina mode, ABCDEFG, yada yada etc. Basically lots of marketing gimmicks. The product is like assembled from various departments' engineering products but never thought out as one complete product. The phone was not bad, but it's just simply not worth it and has a few quirks. Companies like Samsung and Huawei had long overtaken them.

                                        • ?
                                        • Anonymous
                                        • vjw
                                        • 09 Mar 2019

                                        Commented that the reviewer is biased earlier. Comment swiftly removed. Same will happen to the comments below.

                                        P.S. I don't like Sony phones but even then I think the reviewer did not give an objective review.