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Noel Campion finds many improved features in Sony’s new Xperia XZ3, not least the ‘best in clbad’ OLED screen.
The glbad on the front of the Sony Xperia XZ3 is Gorilla Glbad 5 with a curved bevelled back, which feels fantastic in the hand and is nearly 2mm thinner than the Xperia XZ2.
Sony has continued to fight a fierce battle against stiff competition in what some speculated was a losing battle.
This year we’ve seen impressive devices like the Xperia XZ2 and now their latest flagship, the Xperia XZ3.
I’ve been testing Sony’s latest offering and although it’s not perfect, it’s a sign of better things to come from the Japanese giant.
I was impressed with the original Xperia Z, but that design has run its course and now there’s a new wave that started with the XZ2 with iterative improvements to the ZX3.
The Xperia XZ3 follows the 2018 trend of an all glbad phone sandwiching a metal band that makes it look like a shiny skipping stone.
The glbad on the front is Gorilla Glbad 5 with a curved bevelled back.
The overall fit and finish is a high gloss that makes it incredibly slippery, but it feels fantastic in the hand and is nearly 2mm thinner than the XZ2.
Minimal. Seamless. Exquisitely elegant. #Xperia XZ3 combines slim borderless beauty with a stunning look and feel. Discover the smartphone to match your lifestyle. https://t.co/wgZlSHK8Ku pic.twitter.com/zdSPCS4qRw— Sony Xperia (@sonyxperia) October 15, 2018
If ever there was a need to put a case on a phone the XZ3 is it.
On the rear, you’ll find the single lens camera with flash and the awkwardly positioned fingerprint reader.
The latter is fast and reliable, but I found I had to reposition the phone upwards to use the fingerprint reader comfortably.
As a longtime reviewer of Sony phones, it’s a real delight to finally see them move over to an OLED screen. Not only is it OLED, but it’s one of the best in clbad.
Also, the Xperia XZ3 is one of the few notch-less flagships in 2018, but this means that it’s also one of the taller ones for a 6-inch phone.
The display is Quad HD+ OLED display (2960px x 1440px) resolution with an 18:9 aspect ratio and HDR support.
The display is truly stunning with incredible colour saturation, deep space blacks, and neutral whites.
Watching video content is a pleasure from your favorite shows on Netflix to YouTube.
Although not new to the XZ3, it supports HDR content as well as simulating HDR using Sony’s X-Reality software, similarly found on their TVs.
In terms of hardware, the XZ3 has all the latest flagship specifications — including a Snapdragon 845, 4GB RAM, 64GB of storage, but it does have a microSD card slot if you need to increase this.
The battery is 3330mAh in capacity, which seems a little small compared to some flagships like the Huawei P20 Pro or Note 9, which both have 4,000mAh, but you do get USB-C fast charging and Qi wireless charging.
This does mean good battery performance, but heavy users may need a quick top up before the day ends.
However, most users will have no problems getting through a day on a single charge and there’s always Stamina mode to help stretch things even further should you get stuck for juice.
Not surprisingly, you get Hi-Res, LDAC, and aptX HD support as well as Sony’s Dynamic Vibration System, an option that adds vibration as a replacement for bbad and is intended to increase the drama when you’re watching videos, listening to music or playing games.
I generally turn this off, but your mileage may vary.
Bring entertainment to life and feel the action with Sony’s Dynamic Vibration System on #Xperia XZ2. https://t.co/6FF1Gz5Jpq pic.twitter.com/G5Wc7PgwsO— Sony Xperia (@sonyxperia) October 16, 2018
The sound quality from the speakers is excellent, reproducing a good stereo soundstage, but I would have liked just a little more volume.
One of the headline features of the Xperia XZ3 is the camera with its 19MP sensor and f/2.0 aperture. This is capable of capturing 4K HDR video.
The front selfie camera is 13MP with a f/1.9 aperture. The rear camera, like the ZX2 can capture up to an incredible 960fps super slow-motion in 1080p.
Camera performance is a mixed bag. Most photos in good light look sharp with good details in both the highlights and shadows.
However, the bokeh mode, which tries to isolate the subject from the background, like a portrait, is hit or miss. Too often it can’t cleanly map out the person from the background.
Video capture is good, however, with super colour and smooth stabilisation. It does do 4K HDR capture, but you’ll have to sacrifice stabilisation as a trade-off.
Unlike most other flagships, there’s only one camera and this feels restrictive.
No zoom, other than digital, and it doesn’t match the computational prowess of phones like the Huawei P20 Pro or new Google Pixel 3.
Additional camera features include Smart launch, which instantly gets your camera ready when you hold it up to take a shot. Also, Predictive Capture detects motion and smiles and snaps up to four images.
Finally, the XZ3 has Side Sense, which works by double-tapping the side of the display to offer access to app shortcuts as well as settings.
It also learns what apps you use and when ensuring you see those first.
This is a nifty feature that could be useful, but in my two weeks of testing, it’s one I hardly used.
Overall, there’s a lot I loved about the XZ3. The screen is outstanding and easily one of the best out there.
The camera system and software need stepping up in some areas, but has fantastic video features. And then there’s the fact that there’s no notch.
Personally, I’m okay with a notch, but for those that hate them, the XZ3 is an excellent choice.
The Sony Xperia XZ3 retails for €799 sim-free.
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