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Why, just six months after it launched its last flagship smartphone, Sony has decided to push another one, is something of a mystery.
It seems to be related to the company's strategy, which one would imagine is based on market research.
Although it still remains difficult to see a pure logic point of view.
But nonetheless, the Xperia XZ3 is now available, supplementing the Xperia XZ2 that was unveiled at Mobile World Congress in February.
So if you are an upgrade, is the newer device worth a punt?
DESIGN
Sony has made decent strides in freshening up its premium design in recent times, and the XZ3 continues that trend.
The device has a curved edge-to-edge display that makes it look different to the Samsung Galaxy S9.
The screen, once again, is not quite completely bezel-less, with a strip at the top of the screen for the camera and camera lens, and at the bottom for the Sony logo.
But it does look the part.
The curved back still has the camera lens mounted in the center line, about a third of the way down.
Below is the finger print sensor.
I continue to struggle with the placement of finger-print readers in such a rental – my long fingers just do not comfortably reach it.
As a result, I regularly put my fingertip over the camera lens, which is not ideal.
The fingerprint sensor itself is accurate and fast – so no complaints there.
One design feature I did not have a SIM card and I did not have a card.
Despite this, the device carries an IP68 water resistance rating.
It is not the lightest smartphone in the clbad, but it is comfortable to hold and use.
It has Gorilla Glbad, which is most likely to be used in the future.
There's no 3.5 inch audio jack, but there is a USB-C audio adapter supplied with every handset.
It comes in four colors – Black, Silver White, Forest Green and Bordeaux Red.
DISPLAY
The biggest talking point with the XZ3 is undoubtedly the screen.
Sony has introduced OLED for the first time, putting its BRAVIA TV technology to great use.
The resulting Quad HD display is remarkably good, and places Sony right back at the top of the tree when it comes to screen quality.
It is a little late to the party on this, but its first effort at OLED.
Picture quality is incredibly vibrant and sharp, with an excellent contrast ratio.
Add in the Dynamic Vibration System introduced on the XZ2 and the result is as good as you can find on a 6 "display or similar.
The screen also features Sony's X-Reality upscaler that converts TV programs and movies to close to High Dynamic Range.
CAMERA
If the display on the XZ3 represents a step forward, the camera hardware has stood still.
It's the same 19MP Motion Eye camera sensor found on the XZ2 and XZ1.
That's something of a disappointment as it's a double-lens manufacturer.
It is a deficiency that Sony will not doubt in the next installment of the XZ range.
But in the meantime what it has done is make the implementation of the existing hardware better.
For starters, the user interface has changed making it easier to navigate and use.
And while there is not a huge amount of things in the world, everything is now just a bit of a rabbit warren of menus.
There's also a Smart Launch feature, which automatically fires up the camera's mode of sleep when the device is lifted up into landscape mode.
The hard camera button is also on the side of the device to achieve the same aim.
The quality of the images has been developed in the past.
When it comes to selfie-mode the XZ3 has also received a boost – it's now a 13MP sensor on the front of the eye. It's a self portrait with a Bokeh effect, eye enlargement and other editing gizmos.
While the device can also record 4K HDR video, which is a positive.
HARDWARE
One other sign of just how is it used to be the XZ2 and the XZ3 is that both use the same Qualcom Snapdragon 845 processor.
That, coupled with the 4GB of RAM provides plenty of power though.
We've seen no lag, hanging or other hiccups, with easy and quick multi-tasking.
There is a reasonable level of on-board storage too, with 64GB built in.
But capacity can be improved by 512GB of SD card memory.
The 3330 mAh battery, combined with the processor, is plenty big enough for an average day's use.
The device also supports fast charging and charging, with the usual features.
In the sound department the XZ3 has stereo speakers with S-Force Front Surround sound which pump out more volume than its predecessor.
High-Res Audio is still there.
OTHER FEATURES
As phones get bigger, it is becoming increasingly tricky to use one-handed ones.
To address this, Sony has taken a leaf from Samsung 's book, introducing Side Sense – an overlaid control panel that provides quick access to regularly used apps.
A double tap on the side of the screen (left or right) will cause the tray to open. You then select your app, or swipe along the edge to make it disappear.
It's a useful idea, but the execution is not fantastic. I found it difficult to use a trickier.
The phone comes with the latest version of Android on it – 9 or Pie- and Sony's own over-the-top skin is easy to navigate and pleasant to look at.
One issue is that the device comes with too much bloatware.
CONCLUSION
If you're going to have the question of why release another flagship so soon, and look really at the device itself, there is much to like about the XZ3, which is without doubt Sony's best effort yet.
It has an excellent new screen, the camera is not bad for a single lens model, it looks good and its credentials in the audio department are strong.
But Sony really did not do enough to differentiate this device from what went before it.
The company is falling behind the camera and it is another niggles of the sensory positioning and the positioning of the Sense feature which detract from the overall experience.
It is likely that we will have to wait for the next upgrade of this device.
But that's no harm at all. Sony would be advised to take a closer look at the future of the future, especially when it comes to camera technology and security features.
And if it gets that right, then there's every chance Xperia flagship could be a market leader.
Comments welcome via Twitter to @willgoodbody
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