Sony Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z3 Compact

Available now
3th September 2014

Sony is on a mission to upgrade their flagship device once every six months, and the Sony Xperia Z3 comes almost exactly half a year after the Z2. As such, it isn't a massive leap forward from the Z2, it's a little faster and a little better looking, but not the sort of thing that will see people upgrading from their Z2s or even Z1s or original Zs.

The Xperia Z3 has a 5.2" 1920 x 1080 pixel TRILUMINOS display, a 20.7 megapixel primary camera (capable of 4K video recording) plus a 2.2 megapixel secondary one, a 2.5GHz quad-core CPU with 3GB of RAM with 16GB of internal storage plus a microSD slot.

Inside, the Z3 has NFC and LTE support, plus all the other features that were in the Z2. There is a 3100 mAh battery, and the Z3 weighs 152 grams and is dustproof and waterproof to IP68 standards, it is available in single-SIM or dual-SIM versions (the latter being the Sony Xperia Z3 Dual).

Launched alongside the Z3 is the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact. Sony are almost unique with their "mini" devices in that they have almost all the features of their bigger siblings, but with a smaller size (unlike the substandard handsets that Samsung try to sell).

The screen on the Z3 Compact is a 4.6" 720 x 1280 pixel panel, internal RAM is down to 2GB and it has a smaller 2600 mAh battery, but all the other features are essentially the same as in the Z3. The Compact version is about 15% lighter than the bigger version and around 20% smaller too.

Joining the club is the Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact, which is a really a different thing despite the "Z3" name, but it does give you a choice of three different screen sizes on devices with similar features.

There are a range of accessories to go with these Z3s, including gaming attachments, wireless speakers and smartwatches. More than most manufacturers, Sony believe in putting the phone at the heart of an ecosystem of add-ons.. which they can then sell you.

As far as updates go, this is a minor one and Sony fans must be hoping for something more exciting in another six months time. But these are still pretty decent handsets, which should be available very soon for roughly the same price as the versions they are replacing.