Xperia Z3 good but rivals at cutting edge

WHEN Sony released the Xperia Z2 smartphone in February, we said the Japanese electronics maker finally nailed it and awarded it 8 out of 10.

The Xperia Z3.

WHEN Sony released the Xperia Z2 smartphone in February, we said the Japanese electronics maker had finally nailed it and awarded it 8 out of 10. Seven months later, with its successor the Z3 available, we’re not saying quite the same thing.

There’s nothing bad about the Z3, and its smaller Mini-Me like companion, the Xperia Z3 Compact. But with the smart handset market even more competitive and new features on other handsets, we feel Sony has missed a golden opportunity to make the Z3 even more cutting edge.

The Z3 has the same screen size and resolution, the same chip set, the same front and rear-facing cameras, and a slightly smaller but longer-lasting 3100 milliampere-hour battery.

The display has great resolution, 424 pixels per inch, but it’s not Quad HD like the new Samsung Note 4 and LG G3 screens — rather 1080p. That’s a pity because the Z3 and the Z2 before it shoot 4K resolution video, well in excess of 1080p screen resolution.

The Z3 body is beautiful. It’s 0.9mm thinner and 11 grams lighter than the Z2 and it takes a nano-SIM rather than micro SIM card.

The water resistance and dustproof rating is improved: IP68 instead of IP58, which equated to increased dust resistance. It’s rated to survive submerged 1.5m in fresh water for 30 minutes.

Note the rating says fresh water; but you can use it in your chlorinated pool or the beach provided you quickly rinse the phone afterwards to avoid corrosion. Sony says it would pressure test any phone that leaked and check its seals to decide if it would replace for water damage.

The main new feature is PS4 Remote Play, which lets you continue a game started on the PS4 on your Xperia Z3. It’s basically a remote screen connection and is designed for when mean-minded family members commandeer the TV you use for gaming. You need to be on the same WiFi network as your PlayStation.

Our gripe is that Sony hasn’t added an awful lot to the great Z2 to make the Z3 truly sensational by late 2014 standards. Features such as the previously mentioned quad HD screen, super-fast VOOC rapid charge that can recharge a phone to 75 per cent in 30 minutes (as on the Oppo Find 7), USB3 instead of USB2, and phase detection autofocus are found on iPhone 6 and Galaxy S5. It snaps photos a lot faster.

Am I being unreasonable? If you’re trying to knock off Samsung or Apple you must aggressively pursue every advantage you can muster.

Sony’s top-notch device is beautiful, rugged, thin, elegant, and great for devouring media — a good phone. But it’s not at the cutting edge in the way Apple, Samsung and now LG strive to be.

Price: $849, $699 (compact model) or telco plan
Rating: 7/10