Sony Xperia Z3 Compact review
With its new Xperia Z3 Compact, Sony has produced an all-round performer: a small smartphone with uncompromised performance in a compact design.
The Compact is a smaller, 4,6-inch version of the flagship 5,2-inch Z3, designed for those who require a pocket sized smartphones. But in no way has Sony cut any corners. The new Compact features the Z ranges iconic tempered glass panels on the front and rear, while a translucent rounded frame protects the device if it happens to get dropped. In terms of hardware, the Z3 Compact is no slacker. This is a fully featured smartphone, with premium components, that just happens to ship in a small compact body weighing in at 129g and is 8,6mm thick.
The power button is very comfortably situated on the right side of the phone, near the volume control and the dedicated camera button. The LCD has a resolution of 720—1 280 pixels for a pixel density of 319ppi which is crisp and perfectly clear. This models feature a 2,5GHz quad-core processor and has 2GB of RAM. The Z3 Compact has 16GB of flash storage, which can be expanded by way of a microSD card up to a very generous 128GB.
Thumbs up for photographers and videographers. The phone runs the latest but one version of Android OS 4.4, also known as KitKat but the South African version will be released with the newest version names Lollipop. Sonys Xperia smartphone range houses the impressive 20,7-megapixel rear camera, capable of taking fantastic pictures, even in low-light conditions thanks to its 12 800 ISO rating. There are also loads of picture modes and other software features users can choose from to improve their images. Videographers will excite at the thought of using the Z3 Compact to shoot 4K videos.
The Z3 Compact features all the options one could want from a high-end smartphone, including dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, near-field communication, GPS and Bluetooth 4. It also supports just about all 3G and 4G/LTE bands, including Telkoms 4G band at 2,3GHz. One of the greatest features is the Compacts surprisingly good battery life. Its 2 600mAh lithium-ion battery is capable of delivering a two-day charge, or slightly less for heavy use. There are also a range of handy low-power modes that preserve battery life even further.
With the highest waterproof rating, the Compact lets you answer calls in the rain or take pictures in the pool, It can handle all the drops into the sink, bathtub and toilet inbetween. The Sim, charger and microSD card ports and slots are protected by sealed covers, while the 3,5mm headphone jack is sealed internally, so no cover is necessary.
Expect to pay from about R6 700 for the Xperia Z3 Compact out of contract and much less when TechTrader gets its hands on those perfectly priced demo units. Until then browse our large collection of Sony devices and let us know when you’re ready to trade in that old feature phone for a 20th century smartphone.
