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You've come a long way, Baby. Xperia XZ3

viridis
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You know, I remember my last Pre-order i went and collected in store on release day, yeah i've had pre orders since, but the last one that i didnt want to chance UKMail messing up somehow, was the Xperia Z3 in Mint silver from O2, and it was so, so great. sold at the very peak of the smartphone boom, reviewers, tech sites and many more praised its ability to perform better than most, and protect against all of lifes mishaps. it was seen, as one of Androids finest, and became symbolic of what Xperia was about. The best of Sony, in a Smartphone.

But then, it seems others started seeing the ''gimmicks'' it had, as actually pretty useful additions to have, IP ratings on phones became the norm, as did advanced camera controls and functions, suddenly 4K recording actually was useful and hi res audio wasn't ''too niche'' anymore. The best of Sony, became The best of anyone and everyone, and the fruits of Sony's work, never truly came to pass.

Roll the clocks forward 4 years, past many technical advancements in the Smartphone world and we come to the now, the present, and with as much bias put aside as i physically can, I believe, truly as much as i can, Sony has done it again. They have released to the world the Xperia XZ3, and it is immediately proving its worth, proving its power and proving that sometimes waiting for something, such as an OLED screen, can be worth every second in its rewards. This is my review, of 2018's most beautiful phone.....

Xperia XZ3

 

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So, Let's get it out the way, this phone is IMMENSELY good looking, with a far thinner design than XZ2, the device now sits more ergonomically in the hand, its narrow frame sandwiched between two pieces of curved Gorilla Glass 5 with the rear having a more curved appearance, though not as protruding as the XZ2, its narrow shape is attained by adopting the same 18:9 aspect ratio (or 2:1 as cinema goers know it) with some portions of the display curving round the sides. the top and bottom portions of the front panel also curve onto the mid-frame creating a seamless feel to a device from a family known for their squared, industrial look. and its a thing of pure design beauty, Each colour variant is anodised on the frame and the rear panel in the most metallic of metallic colours, adopting the same style we've seen in the XZ2 Premium but with a slightly different finish. They still reflect light in an amazing way, but its not like a NASA mirror, but more like a deep colour shifting iridescent wet oil paint, again.. its so pretty.

lets take a usual look at the box and more importantly.. the device.

 

Heres ya box

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some basic specs

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and box contents

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inside you will/might* find:

Xperia XZ3

Paperwork that everyone reads

Power adapter

USB-C Power lead

Headphones

That funny Dongle adapter that converts USB-C to 3.5mm

*Contents vary by retailer

 

And now the Device

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Obviously Sony has taken note of the current trend of adding ''Notches'' to devices, and i'm pleased to reveal the XZ3 has a notch too, thankfully Sony has placed the 'notch' where it belongs, and you can find it on the XZ3's backside, where notches belong.

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The Family portrait

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Apologies for the angle, its hard to find one where you can see the colours at the same time.

 

 

Ive covered design, so lets take a look at some of the other features of XZ3

 

Pie, Android 9

The Xz3 is the first phone to ship with the latest version of Android, Pie. its a brilliant match with Pies user interface looking amazing on the 6'' OLED display, the animation is fluid and the overall feel is one of speed without any stutters or glitches anywhere to be seen. Apps load fast, really fast, thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 inside, paired with 4GB of LPDDR4 ram. the device feels very well optimised, and makes every use act and feel exactly as it should. Pie also brings enhanced learning for aspects of the phone that utilise learning AI functions, the device learns your regular apps, battery charge use, brightness preferences as well as the setting you use most and adapts itself to these preferences, meaning less fumbling around for the end user. 

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The ui also includes a handy small screen control method for one handed use, simply swipe left or right on the navigation bar to enter this mode. also along for the ride, is Side Sense, a function built in to XZ3 that registers a double tap on the side of the device and brings up a popup overlay that displays all your most used phone features. Apps, settings, and quick functions can be found here and whilst i did find it a bit hit and miss at first, it now feels a lot easier to control.

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You can also use this mode to operate the camera for either recording or taking photos, speaking of photos...

The XZ3 will also detect when you're taking your phone out to take a photo and will automatically open the camera, and it actually really works well, in fact i haven't had a false register or it not worked once, it's pretty awesome. The device registers going from a static position, to a landscape orientation facing outwards and then opens a small window asking for confirmation by tapping the screen, even if it does auto misread the scenario and you're not taking a photo, leaving the landscape upward orientation will immediately cancel the auto capture. this feature also uses learning AI to adjust to the users standard position for photo taking.

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Camera

The camera inside XZ3 is the same Motion eye camera seen in XZ2 but has clearly been tweaked in both lens glass and the Processing of images, now you'll find much better depth of field in some scenarios, great bokeh without app control in others, you'll also find a much more true to life colour enhancement thanks to the better tuning of the RGB sensor, and much better low light shots, thanks to the advancement learned through development of XZ2 Premium. the Video can record in 4K HDR using the HLG standard as well as the usual super slow motion shots in up to 1080p at 960fps.

hand on heart truth, I feel a new camera will appear soon as Motion eye has served Xperias well, providing great technology advancement to Xperia and other manufacturers alike, whilst others may not like images from Motion eye, I have always believed it to be one of the best sensors in the business, providing stepping stones for other manufacturers to create their own form of instant motion video in the blink of an eye, as well as Xperia customers to create HDR content, in an age where HDR video cameras cost huge amounts. I'm sure whatever comes next, will not only be awesome, it will be epic for all consumers of all Exmor RS sensors, in whatever device.

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Display

It's the big one isn't it, the main talking point... the first OLED display on a Sony Phone.

Are the stories true?, is it really better than any other?, what OLED is it?, Does this mean an XZ4 Premium with 4k OLED?.... it's a HUGE selling point and talking point, so lets talk about it.

Firstly, ..Yes, Yes it is a nicer looking panel than the S9, Note9, IphoneXS. I sit here in a very biased position, but .. you all know where i do have bias, i dont lie, it just looks better. I cant fully explain why when the note9 is the ''most accurate display ever'' the XZ3 looks better? maybe its because we dont look at displays though Displaymates spectrum monitoring station, we use eyes, and to my eyes as well as a few thousand others tested by an independent body, the XZ3 IS the best looking display on any phone right now, it just is. But does it really surprise people that the team behind Bravia would tune an oled panel to be this good? not really.

The panel itself is a 6'' P-OLED manufactured by JDI and then tuned by Sony's Bravia team, it is a 1440p HDR10 compatible display running at 537ppi. it upscales any media content to near-HDR colour and can natively play just about any HDR10 encoded content, without additional apps.

when displaying the same video on two separate devices, using the same settings, the XZ3 does output better colour, better contrast and better adaptive brightness, some comparisons...

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the Note9 loses definition of colour separation on the DJ booth, it also somewhat crushes the very dark top right of the scene where the very faint blue lights are still visible on XZ3

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The XZ3 adds vibrancy to highlighted colours, and maintains definition in smoke clouds.

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colour overall is more evident, the background and light reflecting on rear window just has a bit more ''punch''

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The XZ3 adapts the contrast so the background sky is more colourful, but also that the space between the bright points is more contrasted.

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slight contrast adjustments make the actual firework more defined, and sharper... but if honest. not by much in this scene.

 

Burn in prevention is also a discussion point many raise, the XZ3 prevents burn in by using a pixel shifting method seen in many smartphones today, where static images such as nav bar icons, or notification icons, the XZ3 shifts then slightly to avoid burn in, The Always On Display also shifts positions, allowing a clock, notifications and pictures to be displayed always on a locked screen, with no risk of burn in

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Sound

The sound coming from XZ3 is the best I've heard from a sony to date, by far. the speakers sound so rich that I suspect they might be Hi-Res speakers, i've actually gotta find that out. the overall sound is boosted by 20% more than XZ2, and is as clear as ever in mids and highs, the bass is acceptable but can be further boosted in the audio options equaliser, i also found the DSEE HX to be especially pleasing on the XZ3 as well as clearaudio+ when listening to higher fidelity tracks. USB-C to 3.5mm is included for favourite 3.5mm headphones, and bluetooth audio is supported by all standards including Sony LDAC codec for HI-Res audio support.

 

Conclusion.

I love it, I love every d@mn thing about it, the look, the feel, the performance, the display, the camera, the sound and the overall ability to do more than ever before. it's a truly amazing device and if i wasn't already as biased as someone could be, I actually would be after using this thing. Sony has done something, for me, that I last physically saw with the release of Z3, 4 years ago. I feel excited for the future of Sony, after a few wobbly years, they have come back and presented something that has woken everyone up once more. people can't comprehend that the first OLED on Xperia, looks so much better than anyone else's, including the OLED kings, Samsungs. It's an exciting device, in an exciting time where everyone is reaching for the £1,000+ category, Sony bangs this one out at £699.00, even less in some cases. They hit the nail on the head, once again proving that 3, is indeed the magic number, and once again made October, a special month for Xperia fans, especially this year....

 

but thats another story......... for a different date.

Xz3 is available now from O2 in Midnight black and Bordeaux Red, and Forest green on O2 from Carphone warehouse

peace out.

 

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23 Comments
Glory1
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Another brilliant, comprehensive review @viridis with superb photographs. You are quickly converting this Samsung lover into a Sony lover. Well done. My next phone could well be a Sony 👍

RCL
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I got this phone on release day, and it is awesome. I've used Sony/erricson phones for a long time. I was due upgrade last month and wavered for the first time over the one plus, but when I read about this phone, I'm glad I waited, it is so smooth and fast.
Cleoriff
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Wow just wow!! What a superb review. I expect nothing else from you, so I'm not surprised at all.

You have the ability to encourage people to READ your reviews instead of looking at the photographs.

A rare skill. Obviously the photographs are more then excellent. I love the comparison shots.

£699 for this? Makes a mockery of those other ridiculous high prices

The phone itself looks stunning. I love the Forest green and the Bordeaux red.

Well done @viridis A review worthy of publication.

Cleoriff
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PS. I have now changed my vote for the best review. Damn. joy

Glory1
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@Cleoriff wrote:

PS. I have now changed my vote for the best review. Damn. joy


Well @Cleoriff as I didn't do my voting until the early hours of this morning I don't have to change a thing. But I was greedy and voted for both of the recent reviews by the Review King Fantastic

MI5
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Another brilliant review mate and phone looks gorgeous too.
EmilieT
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Fantastic review yet again, @viridis!

 

It was really interesting to read, and stunning photos as always. I'll echo @Cleoriff's thoughts as well on the colours, Forest green and Bordeaux red are beautiful - some very autumnal shades wink 

 

Thanks!

Anonymous
Not applicable
What they said!
viridis
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Thanks all,
gmarkj
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Another Sony, another superb review from the expert.

How are they "only" charging £699 for this when a fruity company want over £1k for their (2 year old) offering? Madness!

jonsie
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Some people just like to buy into a name. ...

viridis
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giphy.gif

Martin-O2
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Cracking review @viridis! Really informative and an enjoyable read too. Thanks for posting. smiling

Marjo
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Well done @viridis, I really enjoyed reading this while enjoying my morning coffee. Very comprehensive and engaging. How long does it take for you to write these usually if I may ask? Including the testing of the different aspects of the device? slight_smile

viridis
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Well I like to get a few weeks use out of them first, just in case anyone asks a question. I used to include battery life but aside from the S9+ all have lived up to today's standards which are all pretty much "you'll get a day, easy) with the inclusion of wireless charging in places like some Starbucks and Costa coffee places, and the all common fast charging, it's not worth adding anymore.
I then take any more device photos I may need (the boxes and contents are taken as unboxed) and then I process those photos to get the look of the other reviews I've done (they all now have that table, less saturation, bit of DOF, and a light vignette) then I'll start writing one night and go through until finished. I used to be able to save them on forum but that feature has gone so it's a straight through now, only thing I make sure to do is copy it all just before posting, incase the forum has timed me out, as it has done once before, meaning a review was lost. Then I go sleep. Innit
viridis
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Oh and I have to make these.

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Using actual promo shots, cut them out, arrange then using the Xperia font and another narrow one I can't remember, make the name badge, give each a glow and drop Shadow, then place on a PNG no colour background .

Cleoriff
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One clever guy. Everything you do with your reviews makes for a great dramatic effect as well as a damn good interesting read.

I always read your reviews more than once by the way. I learn something new each time I read them.

Congratulations to you.:smileywink:

viridis
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Thanks, of course tho... There's more to come..
jonsie
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I love all your reviews @viridis, they are so professional, well laid out and you must be the most technical on the community with regards to computer use. I would have no idea on photos being layered and placed on png with no background. That knowledge I couldn't learn unless shown how to do it. Those type of technical skills are way above my paygrade and as much as I would like that level of knowledge, I very much doubt I could learn from tutorials on the web and it's very doubtful that I would ever need such skills. Top man!!

viridis
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Thanks dude
Cleoriff
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Only one gripe and it's nothing to do with the review. It's the way you have to scroll all the way through the review to get to the last thing posted. We keep being told this is going to be fixed and still waiting @Martin-O2

jonsie
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Yes, damned annoying when someone makes a new post. Like all fixes o the community, Lithium are a total waste of space. I'm still seeing the unread posts being shown unread when I've replied. This is intermittent and happens whether a thread has been moved or not.

Sorry, you need to scroll a long way to read this.

ps ....it's even more annoying when there are multiple pages! I've changed my settings to show 50 posts in a thread so this one is still on the first page.

Martin-O2
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Hey @Cleoriff@jonsie this issue has been reported to the platform provider who have logged it as a bug. Unfortunately we don't have an ETA on when this will be resolved yet but the problem is being worked on.