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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Shui8, 08 Mar 2019Yup Mate 20 Pro doesnt have OIS as well, but it can do 5 se... moreThat's such a stupid excuse. Nobody is looking to replace their multi thousand dollars DSLR for a smartphone camera

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    • Jepoy86
    • t7%
    • 08 Mar 2019

    The Xperia 1 should mitigate this device's shortcomings. But I never had any issues living with this phone since I bought it at launch.

    No lags (I have deactivated all unnecessary apps I don't plan to use), used the stock Pixel Launcher and the Pixel Camera with Night Sight (which is amazing), and the FPS isn't an issue for me, seriously (does he have large hands?). What I miss dearly is the headphone jack, no use removing it in the first place. C'mon Sony.

    I might upgrade to the 1 by May if I can get one early, but hands down the XZ3 is a great overall performer of a flagship. No regrets.

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      • Marciano D.
      • t7%
      • 08 Mar 2019

      Though he did point out some facts that even I can't resist, like the more obvious poor sales and market presence. But, I can't stand the way he written the review and just clarifying that "it isn't bad" at the end. If this was an iPhone review, he would have been bombarded by hate mails right now.

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        • Alex
        • snT
        • 08 Mar 2019

        THE-TRUTH-REVEALER, 08 Mar 2019I see some Sony fanboys here but this was honestly a great ... moreWell, noone is forcing you to buy the Xperia 1. It's your money, your choice. But i will. It's my money, my choice. So, your can "steer away from any Sony phone", but don't try to sell me that marketing stuff.

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          • Shui8
          • KZ8
          • 08 Mar 2019

          Anonymous, 08 Mar 2019"The lack of OIS hurts when talking about a flagship smartp... moreYup Mate 20 Pro doesnt have OIS as well, but it can do 5 second long exposure + image stacking handheld shot by just using EIS (aka AIS) in Night Mode.

          And even without OIS, standard auto Mate 20 low lights is one of the best performer out there, while Sony? Hurmmm...

          Its funny even Sony themselves admit that their current Xperia camera cant compete with other flagship, because afraid it will hurts their Alpha camera sales, thus limit the quality in their smartphone. That statement can makes current user feels cheated lol.

          Nevertheless, at least now they learn from previous mistakes & serious about camera smartphone now in next Xperia 1. It is sad really, this is coming from an ex Sony flagship user (own a lot of it). Hopefully the best for Sony.

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            • Marciano D.
            • t7%
            • 08 Mar 2019

            As a long-time Sony Xperia owner, I find this long-term review of the XZ3 disappointing and emphasizing his negativity over nitpicky things that are easily negated. Remember that there will never be a perfect smartphone, even the most expensive one will have faults. So you, as a user, have to adjust and customize your smartphone to your preference. This reviewer clearly didn't do anything, only pointed out the negatives and got away with it. Shame.

              I see some Sony fanboys here but this was honestly a great review and directly correlates to Sony's dying smartphone sales (I have nothing against them as a company). It also reveals why several of my friends switched from a Sony flagship to a Samsung/Pixel/Apple.

              Essentially what Sony is trying to do is to introduce fancy names for the existing tech to attract new customers but not doing anything about core issues to retain existing customers.

              And I have used the XZ3 for a good 20 minutes in their well-lit showroom. I cannot comment about anything else, but their display wasn't as good as S8/S9/X/XS/XS Max. I would much rather have the earlier 1080p-4K IPS LCD panel with higher max brightness at the expense of contrast.

              But anyway this is hypothetical. Right now, I will steer away from any Sony phone. Xperia 1 definitely has potential, but I cannot buy it blindly as I would do with an S-Series or a Note series flagship.

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                • Anonymous
                • pQr
                • 08 Mar 2019

                Anonymous, 08 Mar 2019"The lack of OIS hurts when talking about a flagship smartp... moreNonetheless OIS is important and therefore theoretically the Mate 20 Pro doesn't have an advantage in low-light conditions (despite the larger sensor) compared with OIS phones, when there are no moving objects.

                  • ?
                  • Anonymous
                  • pQr
                  • 08 Mar 2019

                  "The lack of OIS hurts when talking about a flagship smartphone released in late 2018"
                  Note that the 27mm camera of the Huawei Mate 20 Pro and of the Mate 20 don't have OIS either. The Mate 20 only captures a little bit more light due to the slightly faster aperture, but this difference is not very relevant, the image processing is more important.

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                    • Love the Community
                    • Fv4
                    • 08 Mar 2019

                    Anonymous, 08 Mar 2019This phone is not available in more than half the world. Wh... moreBecause 60% of the total GSMArena Community are Sony enthusiasts.

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                      • Anonymous
                      • LQu
                      • 08 Mar 2019

                      People want bigger sensors since P20 Pro, but then complain about lack of OIS.

                      P20 does not have OIS, it does better than Mate 10.
                      Mi9 does not have OIS, it does better than mi8.

                      Coincidence? No. With more light in, you do not need 1/4s to achieve better results. I prefer having the monochrome sensor and a bigger RGB one.

                      All phones with OIS since late 2016 use 1/2.55" or smaller because OIS increases space required.

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                        • Podipie
                        • tx0
                        • 08 Mar 2019

                        I don't really understand the mind of these sony fansboi. Why do you defend a faceless company? Why? I get it if you're defending your celebrity or actors. You benefited nothing from them. They just take your money

                        I think the review is fine and just. When a review is negative it doesn't mean it's a bias review. It's just not a very good smartphone. This is why people don't review sony devices ever again. When a review got slightly negative, it will be bombed by negative comments and dislikes. The fansboi is such a childish that they can't recieve any form of criticism. Grow up

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                          • Anonymous
                          • vjw
                          • 08 Mar 2019

                          This phone is not available in more than half the world. Why even bother with a long-term review?

                            • L
                            • Love the Community
                            • Fv4
                            • 08 Mar 2019

                            Jeez! The fast paced mobile world is not about the design cues. It's not about the notch, the punch hole, the miniaturization of bezels or something. It's about raw materials (SoC and Camera for example), what it can do and how you use it.

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                              • Xiao Yuan Jia
                              • BtF
                              • 08 Mar 2019

                              I'm a sony fan.
                              Now i say "Yaay sony finally copies the beautiful samsung curved oled and tall screen, thank you, thank you sony. i love samsung"

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                                • Anonymous
                                • 7Ac
                                • 08 Mar 2019

                                Yeah, always complain when it comes to Sony's pricing. Your guys beloved Xiaomi is also increasing their prices. Soon it'll be up as high as Huawei/Samsung/Apple but you guys won't complain about that

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