Xperia Z3, The (kind of) guided tour.

[viridis]

OK, whilst at the moment I'm unable to go through the Z3's dedicated apps and features dependant on hardware(ps4 remote - maybe soon, cam iso 12,000 - maybe not).

I have now got what is as close to 100% of the system ui running on the z2.

I'll run through as many of the different visual differences the Z3 has in comparison to the current Sony ui presently on the Z series.

The home screen.

 

The new home screen is near enough exactly the same as the current Z series however larger icons allround is a slight change. The font is also narrower and seems sharper (it's not, but appears sharper). Also the new clock is present and looks that little nicer than previous stock clocks.

The wallpapers

 

Similar to the current range, the Z3's wallpapers have been refined and now look even sharper, the usual waves have had a slight overhaul and look more clearer and defined on the new ui.

The live wallpaper no longer changes colour but instead you now have the option of choosing the waves colour, and there's quite a selection to choose from. The live wallpaper also is a LOT smoother when swiping and looks great.

 

The themes have also been updated with less fancy farty names and instead themes are now simple colour names.

 

The app drawer

 

Nicely filled with the larger icons and clearer font, it's a nice difference and scrolls smoother.

On the whole, the look is not an upgrade, it's not different... It's refined. Everything from the visual range has been made clearer, smoother and optimised for a large display.

I'll hopefully be adding more to this thread before the Z3 launches with (hopefully) a few more of the new features tested out.

As a first glance opinion, I like what I see.

[Cleoriff]

In terms of photography I much prefer the first image. The 2nd two look unreal ...and yes, as if they have been enhanced (when no enhancement was needed)

[jonsie]

The 'natural' picture is the better one for me too. I'm not a great lover of enhanced images.

[viridis]

A  shot not from the preinstalled samples.

Again enhancements off

X-reality on

Super-vivid on

[MI5]

I'd go for x-reality in both cases (but I am used to Samsung screens) as I like a bit of vibrancy but not too much....

[viridis]

As, what I would call, a Sony "fanboy" my honest opinion of Super-vivid is, it's disgusting and makes colours "pop out" to the point of losing fidelity in images, I realise some people like that kind of colour, but I guarantee those that are buying the phone for its camera, dont.

[viridis]

@MI5 I've had galaxy's this is another level, X-reality was perfect as it was on z1,2.
Imo that's one area Sony didn't need to improve.
I prefer the X-reality without vivid.

[viridis]

You can see how a smooth gradient has lost its fidelity and detail in the last pic. Instead of a seamless gradient, the image is broken into bands of over saturation.

[viridis]

Soft bricked at copying over some settings ui stuff lol.
Will recover backed up image and try,try,try again.

[MI5]

We've all been there before

[Toby]

Very nice review viridis!

I'll see if I can acquire some for Try the Tech