Almost all big phone makers now offer compact versions of their flagship smartphones. While these phones share the premium name, most of them are mid-range offerings with much inferior hardware. So, if you longed for a flagship Android phone with compact form factor, there were hardly any options. Sony's Xperia Z1 Compact was one of the first aberrations and it won't be wrong to say that it was in fact the first 'real' high-end compact Android phone.
The company is back with the Xperia Z3 Compact, as it aims to take the experience to the next level coinciding with the release of its new flagship, Xperia Z3. We've been using the phone for a couple of weeks and will help you in deciding if it's a good buy.
Build & design
In terms of design, Sony Xperia Z3 Compact is loyal to the company's OmniBalance' design philosophy which is minimalist, yet premium. The phone looks very similar to the Z1 Compact but is almost 1mm slimmer and weighs less (129gram vs 137gram). A major change visible change is that the phone's frame is covered with translucent, silicon material. Just like the Xperia Z1 Compact, the Z3 Compact's frame is also made of metal but the silicon material hides it and gives the phone a softer feel. The edges as well as corners are rounded.
Xperia Z3 Compact also features a glass panel at the back, just like some other premium Xperia phones. We found Sony Z3 Compact's back prone to smudges and even scratches so you'd be better off with a protective guard or cover.
The Xperia Z3 Compact has a water and dust-resistant body (IP65 and IP68). Sony says that the phone can be kept under 1.5m of fresh water for up to 30 minutes. Sony has used protective flaps over all ports (barring the headphone jack) to achieve this. Some users may find it cumbersome, but the flaps offer a big utility.
The 3.5mm headset jack is placed at the top on the Xperia Z3 Compact, while the micro-USB and microSD card ports are placed at the left edge under a flap.Another flap on the same edge hides the nano-sim card slot. It also features a dock connector.
The typical watch crown-shaped, metallic power button is at the right edge along with the volume rocker key. The keys offer good tactile feedback although the volume rocker key could have been a little longer. Sony Z3 Compact sports a hardware button for the camera and is also located at the right edge. The key offers two-stage press similar to camera shutter keys to allow users to focus with soft press and shoot by pressing the key further.
The front of the phone is dominated by its 4.6-inch display. It's interesting to see how Sony has managed to fit in a slightly bigger display and has still managed to retain the dimensions of the Xperia Z1 Compact. The Z3 Compact also comes with two front-facing speaker outlets. Thankfully, these are very subtle and you may not even realise that they're present till you look carefully. The screen is slightly prone to smudges.
Barring the smudge prone front and back panels, Sony Xperia Z3 Compact exudes a premium feel and is also good to hold and use. The phone is available in red, green, black and white colour options.
Display
Sony Xperia Z3 Compact sports a 4.6-inch TRILUMINOS display with a resolution of 720x1280p and pixel density of 320ppi.
While the phone doesn't sport a full-HD display, the bright and vivid panel makes up for it. We would have to say the Z3 Compact's display is a delight to look at with its extremely wide viewing angles, optimum brightness levels, and almost perfect colour rendering.
Text and graphics look really crisp and sharp and outdoor legibility was also good. It won't be wrong to say that the Z3 Compact's display is one of the best among the ones we've seen.
Software
Xperia Z3 Compact runs Android 4.4 KitKat. Sony has skinned the user interface and has added its own apps for music, videos and gallery. The Indian edition of the phone also comes with additional content stores for downloading music and streaming TV shows.
Xperia Z3 Compact also has a separate Games Store and What's New apps, which show curated content (such as apps, music, games) that users can buy.
Sony's UI skin is not very heavy and doesn't hog on system resources. The experience of navigating across the UI was very smooth.
The UI elements, including the notifications tray, app launcher and settings menu have been skinned and look good. The transition effects visible during launching and minimising apps are also pleasant to look at.
Xperia Z3 Compact features Sony's Xperia keyboard which offers a fast typing experience and even offers a Swype-like mode for entering words by sliding fingers across keys. We found the typing experience to be swift and intuitive.
The app switcher button also gives access to small apps, which can float on top of other running apps. The phone ships with some small apps,including a browser, timer, calculator and screen grabber. One can download additional small apps from the Play Store, or even turn a widget into a small app.
While small apps are useful on large screens, they make the screen look crowded on small screen phones like the Z3 Compact. It's good that Sony still offers an option to users.
We'll have to say that we found Sony's UI skin less intrusive and well-balanced. It is among our favourite Android skins.
Camera
Sony Xperia Z3 Compact sports the same 20.7MP rear camera with Sony's G lens that the company offers on the Z3. While the megapixel count remains almost the same as that of Xperia Z1 Compact, the camera module has been enhanced. Sony has increased the maximum ISO sensitivity setting from 6400 to 12,800 for enhanced low-light images. The phone also has a new wide-angle, 25mm camera lens to capture more area.
The camera app offers a plethora of settings in addition to Sony's Superior Auto mode that chooses the best settings as per the ambient light.
We recommend the Superior auto mode for taking pictures unless you want to control granular settings. In that case, you can use the Manual mode.
You also get different scene options and the ability to switch the resolution of the pictures. Scene modes also include night mode, anti-motion blur, high sensitivity and backlight correction HDR, among others.
The other modes that the app offers include Timeshift burst, Timeshift video, Sound Photo, Multi-camera, Sweep Panorama, AR Effect, Creative effect, Background defocus, Face in, Social Live and Picture Effect. The time shift video helps you create time-lapse videos while background defocus lets you take DSLR-like bokeh pictures with defocussed background. The Multi-camera mode lets you hook other Xperia devices (phones or tablets) or a Sony Wi-Fi/NFC camera and record the same scene with multiple cameras.
Sony Xperia Z3 Compact takes great pictures in daylight and good quality noisy pictures in low-light conditions. The Superior Auto mode has improved and is more consistent when it comes to focusing but low-light pictures still look over processed because of the noise reduction. By default, photos are taken in 8MP resolution.
Pictures show accurate colours, incredible amount of detail, great contrast and pretty good white balance.
The phone supports 4K video recording. The 4K (or movie hall-quality) recording gives you extremely high-resolution videos. No doubt, this makes the phone future proof (at least for some time!), but there are very few monitors or TVs that can support the playback of this video, at this time. We also found that the phone got a little warm while capturing videos in this mode.
The phone's 2.2MP front camera takes good quality selfies and is good for video chats.
Overall, we feel the Xperia Z3 Compact has one of the best smartphone cameras available right now.
Performance
Sony has made no compromises with the Xperia Z3 Compact when it comes to hardware. The phone comes with a 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor and 2GB RAM. The phone comes with 16GB internal storage and a microSD card slot that supports cards up to 128GB. The user gets 11.57GB of free space.
Thanks to all the power under the hood, we did not notice any stutter or lag while launching and switching between apps, editing photos, browsing the web, clicking pictures, watching high definition videos or playing graphics-heavy games.
In terms of synthetic benchmarks, it scored 18,182 in Quadrant Standard, 40,837 in AnTuTu, 2553 in Geekbench 3(Multi-core) and 58.5 in NenaMark 2. Some benchmark scores are comparable to that of HTC One (M8) and higher than Sony Xperia Z2. We don't endorse benchmark tests and do not recommend a phone based solely on benchmarks as real world performance is different at times.
We were able to play videos of popular file formats without any hiccups. Additional file formats can be played through third party video player apps.
The sound output through the phone's front-facing stereo speaker grills was also loud and clear, a much needed change from the less loud output of previous-generation Xperia phones. Thanks to the new positioning of the speaker outlets, sound doesn't get muffled when the phone lies on its back.
Call quality was very good and the phone works well even in weak signal areas. We also observed that the phone catches signal even weak Wi-Fi signals. It also supports 802.11ac Wi-Fi, which means it will work new routers capable of offering higher transfer speeds.
The phone comes with GPS and A-GPS for navigation and maps and was easily able to lock a signal. It also comes with NFC connectivity to initiate file transfers to other NFC-enabled phones and receive data from NFC tags. It worked as promised.
The phone comes with a 2600mAh battery with a claimed standby time of up to 920 hours and talk time of up to 14 hours on 3G. With moderate to high usage, including about one to two hours of making calls, playing games, checking Twitter and Facebook feeds, clicking some pictures, listening to music and browsing the web, the Xperia Z3 Compact will easily last you a full working day, even if you put the screen brightness at the highest level and keep 3G turned on. It delivered a total backup of about 13.5 hours with screen-on time of 3.5 hours on a typical work day.
You can boost the battery backup by using Sony's Stamina mode that shuts down battery-draining apps and data transfer when the screen is turned off and starts them again when it is turned on.
Gaming
We did not experience any lag whatsoever and were able to play graphics-intensive games like Riptide GP2 and Asphalt 8 without any frame drops or delays. The phone is a smooth performer when it comes to gaming.
Xperia Z3 Compact also supports PS 4 Remote Play, acting as a remote screen to connect to and control games on Sony PlayStation 4 gaming console. You'll need to put both of the devices on the same Wi-Fi network. You can attach the phone with the PS4 controller through an adapter and make it a portable console.
Verdict
Sony Xperia Z3 Compact is without doubt the best compact smartphone available at the moment. It comes with top-of-the-line hardware, a brilliant display, fluid user interface, an incredible camera and delivers punchy performance. Having said that, at Rs 44,990, we feel that the phone is overpriced, especially with some current and last generation premium phones available online at a much lower price.
So what are the other alternatives? If you're open to a non-Android phone, Apple iPhone 5S is still one of the best smartphones available in the market. It has a great camera, impressive build quality and features like a fingerprint sensor but has a smaller (4-inch) display, and a battery that doesn't last a full day. The phone is now available at prices close ti Rs 35,000, online.
You can also choose to wait for the iPhone 6 but we expect the phone to be priced about Rs 10,000 higher than the Xperia Z3 Compact.
If you don't want to look beyond Android, the metal-bodied, Samsung Galaxy Alpha is also expected to be available soon.
Don't want to spend a lot and still need a good compact smartphone? The Xperia Z1 Compact is still a great option.
The company is back with the Xperia Z3 Compact, as it aims to take the experience to the next level coinciding with the release of its new flagship, Xperia Z3. We've been using the phone for a couple of weeks and will help you in deciding if it's a good buy.
Build & design
In terms of design, Sony Xperia Z3 Compact is loyal to the company's OmniBalance' design philosophy which is minimalist, yet premium. The phone looks very similar to the Z1 Compact but is almost 1mm slimmer and weighs less (129gram vs 137gram). A major change visible change is that the phone's frame is covered with translucent, silicon material. Just like the Xperia Z1 Compact, the Z3 Compact's frame is also made of metal but the silicon material hides it and gives the phone a softer feel. The edges as well as corners are rounded.
Xperia Z3 Compact also features a glass panel at the back, just like some other premium Xperia phones. We found Sony Z3 Compact's back prone to smudges and even scratches so you'd be better off with a protective guard or cover.
The Xperia Z3 Compact has a water and dust-resistant body (IP65 and IP68). Sony says that the phone can be kept under 1.5m of fresh water for up to 30 minutes. Sony has used protective flaps over all ports (barring the headphone jack) to achieve this. Some users may find it cumbersome, but the flaps offer a big utility.
The 3.5mm headset jack is placed at the top on the Xperia Z3 Compact, while the micro-USB and microSD card ports are placed at the left edge under a flap.Another flap on the same edge hides the nano-sim card slot. It also features a dock connector.
The typical watch crown-shaped, metallic power button is at the right edge along with the volume rocker key. The keys offer good tactile feedback although the volume rocker key could have been a little longer. Sony Z3 Compact sports a hardware button for the camera and is also located at the right edge. The key offers two-stage press similar to camera shutter keys to allow users to focus with soft press and shoot by pressing the key further.
The front of the phone is dominated by its 4.6-inch display. It's interesting to see how Sony has managed to fit in a slightly bigger display and has still managed to retain the dimensions of the Xperia Z1 Compact. The Z3 Compact also comes with two front-facing speaker outlets. Thankfully, these are very subtle and you may not even realise that they're present till you look carefully. The screen is slightly prone to smudges.
Barring the smudge prone front and back panels, Sony Xperia Z3 Compact exudes a premium feel and is also good to hold and use. The phone is available in red, green, black and white colour options.
Display
Sony Xperia Z3 Compact sports a 4.6-inch TRILUMINOS display with a resolution of 720x1280p and pixel density of 320ppi.
While the phone doesn't sport a full-HD display, the bright and vivid panel makes up for it. We would have to say the Z3 Compact's display is a delight to look at with its extremely wide viewing angles, optimum brightness levels, and almost perfect colour rendering.
Text and graphics look really crisp and sharp and outdoor legibility was also good. It won't be wrong to say that the Z3 Compact's display is one of the best among the ones we've seen.
Software
Xperia Z3 Compact runs Android 4.4 KitKat. Sony has skinned the user interface and has added its own apps for music, videos and gallery. The Indian edition of the phone also comes with additional content stores for downloading music and streaming TV shows.
Xperia Z3 Compact also has a separate Games Store and What's New apps, which show curated content (such as apps, music, games) that users can buy.
Sony's UI skin is not very heavy and doesn't hog on system resources. The experience of navigating across the UI was very smooth.
The UI elements, including the notifications tray, app launcher and settings menu have been skinned and look good. The transition effects visible during launching and minimising apps are also pleasant to look at.
Xperia Z3 Compact features Sony's Xperia keyboard which offers a fast typing experience and even offers a Swype-like mode for entering words by sliding fingers across keys. We found the typing experience to be swift and intuitive.
The app switcher button also gives access to small apps, which can float on top of other running apps. The phone ships with some small apps,including a browser, timer, calculator and screen grabber. One can download additional small apps from the Play Store, or even turn a widget into a small app.
While small apps are useful on large screens, they make the screen look crowded on small screen phones like the Z3 Compact. It's good that Sony still offers an option to users.
We'll have to say that we found Sony's UI skin less intrusive and well-balanced. It is among our favourite Android skins.
Camera
Sony Xperia Z3 Compact sports the same 20.7MP rear camera with Sony's G lens that the company offers on the Z3. While the megapixel count remains almost the same as that of Xperia Z1 Compact, the camera module has been enhanced. Sony has increased the maximum ISO sensitivity setting from 6400 to 12,800 for enhanced low-light images. The phone also has a new wide-angle, 25mm camera lens to capture more area.
The camera app offers a plethora of settings in addition to Sony's Superior Auto mode that chooses the best settings as per the ambient light.
We recommend the Superior auto mode for taking pictures unless you want to control granular settings. In that case, you can use the Manual mode.
You also get different scene options and the ability to switch the resolution of the pictures. Scene modes also include night mode, anti-motion blur, high sensitivity and backlight correction HDR, among others.
The other modes that the app offers include Timeshift burst, Timeshift video, Sound Photo, Multi-camera, Sweep Panorama, AR Effect, Creative effect, Background defocus, Face in, Social Live and Picture Effect. The time shift video helps you create time-lapse videos while background defocus lets you take DSLR-like bokeh pictures with defocussed background. The Multi-camera mode lets you hook other Xperia devices (phones or tablets) or a Sony Wi-Fi/NFC camera and record the same scene with multiple cameras.
Sony Xperia Z3 Compact takes great pictures in daylight and good quality noisy pictures in low-light conditions. The Superior Auto mode has improved and is more consistent when it comes to focusing but low-light pictures still look over processed because of the noise reduction. By default, photos are taken in 8MP resolution.
Pictures show accurate colours, incredible amount of detail, great contrast and pretty good white balance.
The phone supports 4K video recording. The 4K (or movie hall-quality) recording gives you extremely high-resolution videos. No doubt, this makes the phone future proof (at least for some time!), but there are very few monitors or TVs that can support the playback of this video, at this time. We also found that the phone got a little warm while capturing videos in this mode.
The phone's 2.2MP front camera takes good quality selfies and is good for video chats.
Overall, we feel the Xperia Z3 Compact has one of the best smartphone cameras available right now.
Performance
Sony has made no compromises with the Xperia Z3 Compact when it comes to hardware. The phone comes with a 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor and 2GB RAM. The phone comes with 16GB internal storage and a microSD card slot that supports cards up to 128GB. The user gets 11.57GB of free space.
Thanks to all the power under the hood, we did not notice any stutter or lag while launching and switching between apps, editing photos, browsing the web, clicking pictures, watching high definition videos or playing graphics-heavy games.
In terms of synthetic benchmarks, it scored 18,182 in Quadrant Standard, 40,837 in AnTuTu, 2553 in Geekbench 3(Multi-core) and 58.5 in NenaMark 2. Some benchmark scores are comparable to that of HTC One (M8) and higher than Sony Xperia Z2. We don't endorse benchmark tests and do not recommend a phone based solely on benchmarks as real world performance is different at times.
We were able to play videos of popular file formats without any hiccups. Additional file formats can be played through third party video player apps.
The sound output through the phone's front-facing stereo speaker grills was also loud and clear, a much needed change from the less loud output of previous-generation Xperia phones. Thanks to the new positioning of the speaker outlets, sound doesn't get muffled when the phone lies on its back.
Call quality was very good and the phone works well even in weak signal areas. We also observed that the phone catches signal even weak Wi-Fi signals. It also supports 802.11ac Wi-Fi, which means it will work new routers capable of offering higher transfer speeds.
The phone comes with GPS and A-GPS for navigation and maps and was easily able to lock a signal. It also comes with NFC connectivity to initiate file transfers to other NFC-enabled phones and receive data from NFC tags. It worked as promised.
The phone comes with a 2600mAh battery with a claimed standby time of up to 920 hours and talk time of up to 14 hours on 3G. With moderate to high usage, including about one to two hours of making calls, playing games, checking Twitter and Facebook feeds, clicking some pictures, listening to music and browsing the web, the Xperia Z3 Compact will easily last you a full working day, even if you put the screen brightness at the highest level and keep 3G turned on. It delivered a total backup of about 13.5 hours with screen-on time of 3.5 hours on a typical work day.
You can boost the battery backup by using Sony's Stamina mode that shuts down battery-draining apps and data transfer when the screen is turned off and starts them again when it is turned on.
Gaming
We did not experience any lag whatsoever and were able to play graphics-intensive games like Riptide GP2 and Asphalt 8 without any frame drops or delays. The phone is a smooth performer when it comes to gaming.
Xperia Z3 Compact also supports PS 4 Remote Play, acting as a remote screen to connect to and control games on Sony PlayStation 4 gaming console. You'll need to put both of the devices on the same Wi-Fi network. You can attach the phone with the PS4 controller through an adapter and make it a portable console.
Verdict
Sony Xperia Z3 Compact is without doubt the best compact smartphone available at the moment. It comes with top-of-the-line hardware, a brilliant display, fluid user interface, an incredible camera and delivers punchy performance. Having said that, at Rs 44,990, we feel that the phone is overpriced, especially with some current and last generation premium phones available online at a much lower price.
So what are the other alternatives? If you're open to a non-Android phone, Apple iPhone 5S is still one of the best smartphones available in the market. It has a great camera, impressive build quality and features like a fingerprint sensor but has a smaller (4-inch) display, and a battery that doesn't last a full day. The phone is now available at prices close ti Rs 35,000, online.
You can also choose to wait for the iPhone 6 but we expect the phone to be priced about Rs 10,000 higher than the Xperia Z3 Compact.
If you don't want to look beyond Android, the metal-bodied, Samsung Galaxy Alpha is also expected to be available soon.
Don't want to spend a lot and still need a good compact smartphone? The Xperia Z1 Compact is still a great option.
