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.

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  • ?
  • Anonymous
  • 0CX
  • 08 Mar 2019

Podipie, 08 Mar 2019I don't really understand the mind of these sony fansboi. W... moreThing is... I own this handset and so much from this review doesn't correspond to my experience;
-I face zero lag. I face zero unregistered touches etc. It's a very smooth phone.
-I am so used to the fingerprint scanner position that I have problems with the position of my secondary handset (a Nexus 5X. Suddenly that position seems to me too high). So it's really a muscle memory thing.
-Battery life is the best I ever had with a handset.
-The review is going on and on about several features that are actually useful. How is it fair to complain about the phone featuring sound upscaling or an extra clean up tool? Why is this such a problem, and why isn't Samsung heavy skinned and full of extras build a problem? Duplicate apps? Well, the Sony apps are very useful, because the standard Google ones try to force you into accepting a cloud service subscription, whereas the Sony ones are excellent offline options. At least, unlike 90% of competitors, Sony bothered to give to their apps and the rest of the interface a proper Material Design coat of paint in order to offer a consistent interface design. Something that so few Android OEMs bother with.
I own this phone and I enjoy a far better experience than the one described here.

    • ?
    • Anonymous
    • vxx
    • 08 Mar 2019

    Anonymous, 08 Mar 2019It's very confusing when they say... "As far as we can t... moreThey said: 'Right now, to be a clear success in sales, a device absolutely has to nail the basics. As far as we can tell..', which means they listed 'smooth and stutter-free performance' as one of features that any expensive flagship SHOULD nail, not XZ3 DOES well. Followed by the sentence 'XZ3 delivers on some of these, but it doesn't really nail all of them', it suggests smooth UI performance is not something XZ3 can deliver.

      Shui8, 08 Mar 2019Yup Mate 20 Pro doesnt have OIS as well, but it can do 5 se... moreBut have you seen any huawei image stabilization its rubbish when shooting video

        • ?
        • Anonymous
        • KSE
        • 08 Mar 2019

        Podipie, 08 Mar 2019I don't really understand the mind of these sony fansboi. W... moreAnd I don't understand why haters bash so hard on a good phone . If you give me s9 or xz3 I would pick xz3 without thinking .

          Walter C. Dornez, 08 Mar 2019Ikr? It's obvious they're trying to make an excuse that's m... moreActually funny excuse as there are absolutely new companies that perform better, feels like not enough ears for fans...

            Simply for sony to lag in bringing features from competition means users who like or wish to have those are left with only other brands to choose from. Its also not the matter of having it in pricy flagship when you can get some of those features at entry level already. For some time I already wonder if they are even trying.

              • ?
              • Anonymous
              • 7Ac
              • 08 Mar 2019

              Anonymous, 08 Mar 2019Good review. Their lower-than-rivals sales now make perfect... moreIt's very confusing when they say...

              "As far as we can tell, those are, in no particular order: a great screen, amazing camera image quality, nice and modern looks," SMOOTH AND STUTTER-FREE PERFORMANCE ", and ample battery life."

              Then he goes and say "Performance isn't bad but the constant lag and numerous stutters hinder the experience a lot."

                • ?
                • Anonymous
                • m5H
                • 08 Mar 2019

                They failed to mention the graininess on the LG panel used in the XZ3.

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                  • Victor
                  • fuj
                  • 08 Mar 2019

                  I was beginning to wonder what became of GSMA's Sony Bashing tradition. They did a fairly objective (surprisingly) review of the Xperia 1. The love didn't last long :) . I'm using a Sony Xperia XZ1. Its a great phone. The XZ3 is a couple of iterations better and looks fantastic! Most reviews say its a great phone. I've been an avid consumer of GSMA reviews from the days when Nokia N8 was it. I discovered Sonys a few years ago from. I can therfore say, as a general guide, take GSMA's reviews of Sonys with a generous pinch of salt, apply your own mind, and take any of the conclusions seriously at your own risk. Also, take time to find out what other sites have to say about the particular Sony phone. I honestly think it has to be a corporate feud between the two as the persistent hate simply makes no sense. Perhaps actual owners of the XZ3 could post their own experiences?

                    Shui8, 08 Mar 2019I know rite? What the heck they were thinking before made t... moreIkr? It's obvious they're trying to make an excuse that's most convenient.
                    "SO BASICALLY, our camera was shit! But now it's not! So upgrade!

                      • a
                      • anonymous
                      • 4S2
                      • 08 Mar 2019

                      [deleted post]well, at least you know that gsmarena and displaymate were bought by Apple and Samsung.

                        Anonymous, 08 Mar 2019Yeah, always complain when it comes to Sony's pricing. Your... moreXiaomi is one of, if not the most, reasonable company pricing-wise with their smartphones. You get much more than what you pay for, and sony simply can't or hasn't been able to do so. They're getting as bad as LG in terms of costumers trust.

                          • S
                          • Shab
                          • 6Ps
                          • 08 Mar 2019

                          I am now using Xperia z5 permium for 2 years before that I had Xperia TX. One thing there I am a satisfying customer of Xperia that is its performance. I am more then happy with Xperia.

                            • ?
                            • Anonymous
                            • 3Z%
                            • 08 Mar 2019

                            Good review. Their lower-than-rivals sales now make perfect sense, also explains why I never ever see a new Sony phone out in the city.

                            "There are stutters everywhere and a persistent lag that brought back bad memories of Samsung flagships prior to 2018. That's what you should expect because that's what you're going to get."

                            And some guys still dare to claim that what differentiates Sony from others is their "great and fast" software... Yeah, that claim lost every bit of credibility now. Apparently the reality is almost the very opposite of that.

                              Anonymous, 08 Mar 2019Bloody correct. I have DSLR now and to you honestly I purch... moreExactly. Smartphone cameras are good, but they can't stand up against a device with a much bigger sensor. Smartphones are smartphones, cameras are cameras

                                • m
                                • me345
                                • 0Ur
                                • 08 Mar 2019

                                Lol. I stopped reading when they say the phone experience it.s not smooth and that it.s constantly lagging. Lol. What kind of unit did u had? I own an xz3 and besides when the battery is lower than 5% and mega ultra giga stamina mode limits everything, i have NO LAG WHATSOEVER in 4.5 moths. Lol.
                                And that 5+ SOT, NOT BAD? i.d love to see a s9.s SOT. Oh yes, i SAW S9 SOT TO 2 OF MY FRIENDS. 3HRS AT S9 VS 5 AT XZ3. And you would love to see that "Big battery s9 has"??? How can someone say 5HR SOT it.s not as good as an S9.s screen on time, when samsung has a little bit over half of that?

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                                  • TAJUL
                                  • vTQ
                                  • 08 Mar 2019

                                  It's display will pale next to the iPhone xs or galaxy S10 hah!! Just watch it https://youtu.be/skZ9yEV09UQ

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                                    • Allan
                                    • 3}p
                                    • 08 Mar 2019

                                    This is terrible!! I remember a review on XDA (I believe) saying that the XZ2, so the previous iteration, was almost on par with Pixels as far as smoothness was concerned. It is unsettling to see such a setback in the user experience. It sounds so strange to me. Does anyone commenting here have an XZ3 in order to confirm or deny GSMArena's findings?

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                                      • Shui8
                                      • KZ8
                                      • 08 Mar 2019

                                      Walter C. Dornez, 08 Mar 2019That's such a stupid excuse. Nobody is looking to replace t... moreI know rite? What the heck they were thinking before made that statement? To promote the newer Xperia 1?

                                      Fans will get hurt, though. Especially current Xperia user, knowing that it confirms by the creator itself that previous Xperia phones camera never up there to top charts.

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                                        • Anonymous
                                        • 2Au
                                        • 08 Mar 2019

                                        Walter C. Dornez, 08 Mar 2019That's such a stupid excuse. Nobody is looking to replace t... moreBloody correct. I have DSLR now and to you honestly I purchase those phones that can satisfy my needs not the camera.

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