Sony Xperia Z3

“The Xperia Z3v on Verizon Wireless marks Sony's long-awaited return to a major U.S. carrier not named T-Mobile. It's big, beautiful, and packed with thoughtful features without going overboard. There are three major Android handsets to contend with: the GS5, M8, and LG G3. All four phones share similar guts and features, but each comes with its own set of compromises. The GS5's build quality is lamentable and its software load can be offensive to discerning Android fans. The M8 is beautifully crafted, but has the worst rear camera of the bunch. The G3 is a technical marvel, but its GPU can struggle to keep up with the Quad HD display, and its design doesn't exactly scream high-end. Though it's not quite the class leader in any single respect, the Z3v avoids any glaring deficiency. That might not sound exciting, but in a market with so much parity between devices, a lack of weaknesses can be a great strength.”

“Sony's timing for the Xperia Z3 pair is spot on if they're trying to make a statement that they don't fear Apple. Our gut feeling is the Z3 Compact just might do better against the iPhone 6, the full-size Xperia Z3 struggling against the 6 Plus. The late arrival compared to the major Android flagships, whose premium features (fingerprint scanners, QHD screens) it fails to match, could possibly raise questions too.Sony probably have it all figured out, with a holiday season sale that can possibly do wonders for the Xperia Z3 - giving the company a good deal of publicity right on time for the Xperia Z4 announcement at CES or MWC early next year.”

“Existing customers might take offense that Sony rapidly updates their products: They might just have bought the Xperia Z2 and the new model is already available, which is even better in several aspects.Sony actually satisfied many of our wishes raised during our test of the Xperia Z2: better connection with Sony's own game force, the Playstation, a better, yet still not perfect, display, longer battery life with high performance. The rounded edges of the case are comfortable. The elegant, yet slippery and fingerprint prone back side is still a double-edged sword.Camera and software are still great. You can really enjoy phoning thanks to the excellent voice quality. In addition, the case is slim, light and now even better protected against water and dust. All things considered, the Xperia Z3 takes another step towards the perfect smartphone as we wished for in May. However, it is not absolutely perfect yet. It still lacks better speakers, a more stable case, a better GPS module and probably also a replaceable battery.For the great software, which is highly configurable, many settings and free gifts like virus protection and navigation, it got an upvaluation of 1% in total. In addition, many available accessories and the possibility to stream games from the PS4 to the smartphone convinced us and had an influence here.User of the Xperia Z2 even have a reason to replace it with the Xperia Z3 since the latter is even better in many aspects. If you can choose between Sony's old model, which is now 100 Euro cheaper than the Z3, and the Z3, you should better take the new generation. Sony significantly improved details. But, we want to see a real innovation next time, Sony. Will you also satisfy this wish?”

“The Xperia Z3 is one of the best Android phones you can currently buy. It's quite nice looking (even if the glass back is kind of a miss for me), performs well, and has battery life that puts it a cut above rivals like the One M8, Galaxy S5, and G3.That said, those phones came out significantly earlier in the year, when the Z2 was still Sony's top-of-the-line model. The Z3 isn't a huge evolution over its predecessor, though, so I've got to say it: isn't spitting out phones rapid-fire style exactly the kind of thing we get miffed at Samsung for? Sony doesn't release a massive breadth of phones, but updating your flagship twice a year as Sony has done since the first Z last January is not a strategy that makes me feel at ease in terms of post-purchase support. Especially on the subject of updates - an area where Sony still seems to be trying to get into the swing of things.”