Mike Adams Live: Sony Xperia Z3 + Z3 Compact review

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Sony Xperia Z3 + Z3 Compact review

Sony returns with its best high-end smartphone yet — in two sizes

Over the past year, Sony has shown a quiet determination to claw its way to the top of the smartphone food chain. The Japanese electronics giant may be in a sticky financial situation at present, but in 2014 it's fielded some of the most compelling high-end smartphones on the market. At CES this January it was the first big Android player to offer a true flagship smartphone in a smaller form factor with the Xperia Z1 Compact. A few months later it improved on the Z1 in a few important areas with the Xperia Z2, one of the most balanced Android flagships of the year.

Six months later, Sony's back with another fall refresh, and two new smartphones in different form factors. There's the Xperia Z3, the latest iterative update for Sony's Z series, and the Xperia Z3 Compact, which takes the guts of the Z3 and transplants them into a smaller chassis.

Given the similarities between the two, the Xperia Z3 and Z3 Compact call for a different kind of review, and as such we're going to present a mega-review of sorts, covering all the usual areas, as well as the differences between the two.

Read on to find out how Sony's latest handsets shape up.