Sony Xperia Z3 Compact?

Quiz

Gawd
Joined
Aug 25, 2010
Messages
640
I'm thinking about possibly getting this phone. Currently, I use a BlackBerry Bold 9780. I don't have a data package on my phone, I basically only use it for calls and SMS. If I must use the Internet, I use Wi-Fi.

Anyway, how is the Z3 Compact? I despise massive phones and this seems to be what is called "small" nowadays. Don't really want an iPhone. Is the Z3 Compact powerful enough for a very smooth and responsive experience? How is Sony's own UI "overlay" over the stock Android UI? Is Sony good/quick with Android updates? Any other phones I should consider or look at?

By the way, if I am not wrong, the Z3 Compact was released not too long ago. However, any guess on when (and if) there will be a Z4 Compact?
 
By the way, as I was researching the phone on the Internet, I came across all the reports of the screen "self cracking". It seems the pressure applied to the screen for waterproofing ends up cracking the screen without the user applying any sort of pressure or strain the screen. Anything on this?
 
Haven't heard much about that screen issue myself. I know the phone is pretty well done as a whole. Sony's Android variant isn't the lightest out there, but it's speedy and makes it fairly easy to get rid of a lot of the cruft. The camera is exceptional for something that size, although the iPhone 6 will have more vibrant colours and better low light performance.

As for a Z4? Not expecting one for awhile. The Z3C just showed up in September, and it's hard to say if Sony will unveil something at Mobile World Congress in February. My guess is that it'll wait until at least a a couple of months later. You're safe.
 
Haven't heard much about that screen issue myself. I know the phone is pretty well done as a whole. Sony's Android variant isn't the lightest out there, but it's speedy and makes it fairly easy to get rid of a lot of the cruft. The camera is exceptional for something that size, although the iPhone 6 will have more vibrant colours and better low light performance.

As for a Z4? Not expecting one for awhile. The Z3C just showed up in September, and it's hard to say if Sony will unveil something at Mobile World Congress in February. My guess is that it'll wait until at least a a couple of months later. You're safe.

the z (fullsize) series has been on a 6-month refresh cycle. the z compact series has been on a 1-year refresh cycle

rumor is that Sony will shift to a 1-year refresh cycle after the z4/z4c.... leaks of z4/z4 ultra have come out for CES 2014, which might mean a march-june release

either way, what are you seriously missing from the z3 compact? can you live without them?

  • 64-bit cpu
  • 1080p screen
  • wireless charging
  • more battery
  • band 12 LTE (for t-mobile)
  • more ram
 
the z (fullsize) series has been on a 6-month refresh cycle. the z compact series has been on a 1-year refresh cycle

rumor is that Sony will shift to a 1-year refresh cycle after the z4/z4c.... leaks of z4/z4 ultra have come out for CES 2014, which might mean a march-june release

either way, what are you seriously missing from the z3 compact? can you live without them?

  • 64-bit cpu
  • 1080p screen
  • wireless charging
  • more battery
  • band 12 LTE (for t-mobile)
  • more ram

The only one on that list that sticks out to me is not having a 64-bit CPU. What disadvantages will I have by not having a 64-bit CPU with Android (especially with Android 5.0 coming soon)?
 
By the way, as I was researching the phone on the Internet, I came across all the reports of the screen "self cracking". It seems the pressure applied to the screen for waterproofing ends up cracking the screen without the user applying any sort of pressure or strain the screen. Anything on this?
I have owned 5 smartphones. Every single one has all sorts of claims about screens "spontaneously cracking". I have yet to see any sort of evidence of this actually being the case
 
Well, my suggestion, is if you are looking for a fast/smooth Android phone with incredible battery life, jump on it.

About a month ago I purchased a Z3 for myself (coming from an S4) and a Z3c for my wife (coming from iPhone 5). My wife had no desire for anything Android as she had been on the iOS phones for about 6 years. I got tired of always having hardware issues, crappy battery life, and manipulative accessory sales because it has a piece of fruit on the back of it....

Now, in testing out the phones, I have to say I was more impressed with the Z3c than I was the full size Z3. That little phone really made an impression. The battery life is stupid good on it. My wife would go through her battery twice each day on a brand new Apple battery. She would have to fully charge her phone in the middle of the day. This phone, she comes home and plugs in....every other day. She unplugs her phone at 6 am. When she gets to bed at 10pm, she always has more than 60% battery left on day one.

She gripes about the phone, but it isn't the physical phone itself, it is the Android OS, as it isn't iOS.... I know in time she will get used to it. Everyone I have shown the phone to that likes Android OS has made positive comments, except the people whom use Note phones. It just isn't big enough for them.
The physical feel of the phone is really good. The size of the screen seems perfect for the "smaller" phone segment. Screen quality looks good. It actually feels smoother and snappier compared to my Z3 (same CPU/GPU, but 1GB less ram).

I know you said you have a BB Bold, but I broke it down to my wife like this. It is the physical size of an iPhone 5/5s. It has the screen size and resolution of an iPhone 6 (close enough), and it has better battery life than the iPhone 6+. The camera quality, I would put on par with an iPhone 5. It is also $200 cheaper than an iPhone 6..

I have messed with many of phones from all 4 major mobile OS' (Many different Galaxy's, HTC One, Lumia's, Notes, One+, iPhone's, BB Bold, etc). There is just something about the feel of the Z3c that captures my respect and admiration.

The tough part about this phone, is that no one carries it for you to walk into the store and mess with it, except a Sony store of course....

IMO, it does the best job of minimizing compromises while giving you the best features capable.
Incipio makes a pretty good DualPro case for it as well.


I hope that helps you out!
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I'm selling my 7 month old Z1 . The Z3 is (IMO) an incremental update to the Z1 so you could save yourself a chunk of change. I really liked the phone but I needed something with a bigger screen to make it easier to reference documents quickly. I really liked the Sony UI because it's very close to stock android. It was the first android phone that I never rooted/rom'd because I felt that there was no need to.
 
Z3 seems like a pretty solid phone from all the reviews I've read. Not many downfalls to it at all. Battery life on the Z3s is considerably better than the Zs before them though due to the new (more power efficient, but also brighter) display panel they use.

The only thing I don't like about them is the camera. Their cameras get a lot of attention and praise by reviewers, but after seeing some of my friend's Z3 shots, they're really washed out looking and colors are extremely muted, esp in outdoors shots. He showed me a comparison between his wife's Z3's shots and his Note 4s, and the Note 4's pics were night and day better; much richer and true to life colors. Both cameras were used in their "auto" configs with no custom settings.
 
Thanks for all the replies.

Regarding the camera, I've heard it can take amazing shots but you have to manually tweak the settings in Manual mode. Don't know if it true though.

Secondly, what exactly do all these UI overlays from Sony, Samsung, etc. change? Is it still stock Android layout but with different options in menus/settings or do they even change around the way you navigate the OS?

How do Google Now, Siri, and Cortana compare? I've read/heard that Google Now has no "personality" (i.e. you cannot ask it jokes or whatever and it is only used as a informative tool).

Lastly, I ended up ordering a black Z3 Compact. I also got 1 year extra warranty but I'm sorta regretting it now. Oh well. The phone was for AED 2,099 ($572) and the 1 year extra warranty was for AED 167 ($45). Can't wait to receive it.

One more thing! What is the best 128 microSD card? And what about a case? The case should be "minimalist".

And how is the Magnector X cable or adapter for the Z3 Compact? Should I get the cable version or the adapter version (that connects to the end of the micro-USB cable that comes with the phone)?
 
Devilcase make high quality aluminum bumpers, that are very sleek. I have one on each of my honami and amami
 
Thanks for all the replies.

Regarding the camera, I've heard it can take amazing shots but you have to manually tweak the settings in Manual mode. Don't know if it true though.

That is the entire point of shooting in manual.
 
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Got the phone today. :D

Played around with it for an hour or two. It's my first time with Android but I got a hang of it pretty quick. Liking it quite a bit so far. Seems far more interesting than iOS.

Question: Since Android phones don't come with a "desktop manager software", how do you do a factory reset? I'm not just talking about resetting the settings but also (adding back) all the stock apps and stuff I deleted that I didn't want.
 
Question: Since Android phones don't come with a "desktop manager software", how do you do a factory reset? I'm not just talking about resetting the settings but also (adding back) all the stock apps and stuff I deleted that I didn't want.
The noob way of factory reset is Settings - Backup and reset - Factory data reset. However I have never had an unrooted phone, so can't say how it works!
 
Thanks for the replies.

Some questions that were missed:

1. I know Hamateer recommended a case but how is this one? http://www.amazon.com/Xperia-Compac...d=1420903704&sr=8-1&keywords=z3+compact+clear

2. What is the best 128 GB microSD card for the phone? Do the speed capabilities of the card matter?

3. Is this a good buy? If yes, should I buy the cable version or the adaptor version? http://www.amazon.com/Magnector-Imp...8&qid=1420897800&sr=8-1&keywords=magnector+x2



I purchase a case for my wife, the Incipio DualPro. It isn't a minimalist case, but it isn't big either. It protects it well and isn't obtrusive.
The cables are tough. Do you plan to use the magnetic connection? If so I would suggest the dock instead as most of the magnetic USB cables are rather "clunky" IMO. It just attaches to the side. It isn't like it fits in a recessed area or anything. They can fall off if handled at all and they are very vague when you attach them. I just open up the flap on it and plug the USB cable in, on both my Z3 and her Z3c.

As far as the best Micro SD card.....It will cost some money. The Sandisk Extreme Pro's are top notch, but I don't believe they come in 128GB sizes yet. Only up to 64, which is what I bought for our phones.
http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Extreme-Memory-Speeds-Ready-SDSDQXP-064G-G46A/dp/B00NUB3530

The Samsung Evo's are great too.

I went with the 64GB sizes for now as that is enough for us atm and they have faster speeds for a much lower price. In a year or two when we are ready for the larger size we will upgrade to the larger cards.

I hope that helps. Congrats on the Phone. It truly is an awesome one!!
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Got the phone today. :D

Played around with it for an hour or two. It's my first time with Android but I got a hang of it pretty quick. Liking it quite a bit so far. Seems far more interesting than iOS.

Question: Since Android phones don't come with a "desktop manager software", how do you do a factory reset? I'm not just talking about resetting the settings but also (adding back) all the stock apps and stuff I deleted that I didn't want.


This phone actually does come with a desktop software of sorts. Sony PC Companion. It is actually pretty nice. It will transfer over absolutely everything from your old phone, and can do many other things. If you haven't already, plug your phone into your PC and it will prompt you asking if you want to install the software. Pretty nice stuff IMO.

I didn't realize they even had this until a few days after we first got the phones.

§
 
I purchase a case for my wife, the Incipio DualPro. It isn't a minimalist case, but it isn't big either. It protects it well and isn't obtrusive.
The cables are tough. Do you plan to use the magnetic connection? If so I would suggest the dock instead as most of the magnetic USB cables are rather "clunky" IMO. It just attaches to the side. It isn't like it fits in a recessed area or anything. They can fall off if handled at all and they are very vague when you attach them. I just open up the flap on it and plug the USB cable in, on both my Z3 and her Z3c.

As far as the best Micro SD card.....It will cost some money. The Sandisk Extreme Pro's are top notch, but I don't believe they come in 128GB sizes yet. Only up to 64, which is what I bought for our phones.
http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Extreme-Memory-Speeds-Ready-SDSDQXP-064G-G46A/dp/B00NUB3530

The Samsung Evo's are great too.

I went with the 64GB sizes for now as that is enough for us atm and they have faster speeds for a much lower price. In a year or two when we are ready for the larger size we will upgrade to the larger cards.

I hope that helps. Congrats on the Phone. It truly is an awesome one!!
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Is this the 128 GB version of the SanDisk you are referring to? http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Extre...sd+128gb&pebp=1421490123483&peasin=B00NP63Y4K

There are also 256 GB and 512 GB versions available. Does the phone support higher than 128 GB microSD cards?

Lastly, does the speed of the card actually matter with the Z3 Compact (or phones in general)?

This phone actually does come with a desktop software of sorts. Sony PC Companion. It is actually pretty nice. It will transfer over absolutely everything from your old phone, and can do many other things. If you haven't already, plug your phone into your PC and it will prompt you asking if you want to install the software. Pretty nice stuff IMO.

I didn't realize they even had this until a few days after we first got the phones.

§

Thanks!
 
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Is this the 128 GB version of the SanDisk you are referring to? http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Extre...sd+128gb&pebp=1421490123483&peasin=B00NP63Y4K

There are also 256 GB and 512 GB versions available. Does the phone support higher than 128 GB microSD cards?

Lastly, does the speed of the card actually matter with the Z3 Compact (or phones in general)?



Thanks!


Actually, no that isn't the card. Be careful as that is an "SD" card and it is too large to fit into the slot for the phone. The phone requires a "Micro SD" card.

The speed of the card does matter. If you want to actually do any recording in 4k, you need to have something fast enough to process the information.

Also, when you store large amounts of information and start accessing some files that are larger, you want it to be quicker. It isn't going to be a huge difference, but why not have it be quicker while you can?

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Actually, no that isn't the card. Be careful as that is an "SD" card and it is too large to fit into the slot for the phone. The phone requires a "Micro SD" card.

The speed of the card does matter. If you want to actually do any recording in 4k, you need to have something fast enough to process the information.

Also, when you store large amounts of information and start accessing some files that are larger, you want it to be quicker. It isn't going to be a huge difference, but why not have it be quicker while you can?

§

Yikes! Thanks for correcting me.

I've been told that with 4.4.4 you cannot install apps on a microSD card but you can with 5.0. Can you install all apps on a microSD card with 5.0 or does the developer decide?
 
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