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BB.King

macrumors regular
Jun 29, 2012
199
42
London UK
You can get a Z3 Compact for £350 at Handtec (UK/EU model)

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/xperia-z3-compact-pre-order-for-347-99-delivered-handtec-1998462

Just ordered a red one myself, looks like shipping on the 26th of this month (on XDA forum).

I had the Z1 compact, the screen is just a bit small, and the metal frame is very slippery, but it had 2 days battery life with 2300mAh battery. With 2600mAh and more efferent 801 SOC, and a transparent plastic frame, this is an excellent update of the Z1 compact.

P.S. the Z3C screen is 0.3" bigger, but it is the same size as Z1C except it is thinner and lighter (same weight as iPhone 6).
 
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Altis

macrumors 68040
Sep 10, 2013
3,167
4,898
That's a very compelling phone. I wonder what the retail price will be in Canada.

Very good battery, although I'm surprised the camera wasn't that great in these tests.. I'm curious if other reviews will be similar. It's a large sensor made by one of the best sensor manufacturers...

I'm not a big fan of Android but if this phone comes in around $500, it would stand pretty strong.
 

ozaz

macrumors 68000
Feb 27, 2011
1,615
577
Blown away by the battery life too :)

I had been thinking that if I want a phone with truly exceptional battery life (lets say a gsmarena endurance score of over 90 hours) I would have to get a phablet. But then this comes along and achieves 101 hours!

battest.jpg


Can't wait to see what the full size Z3 achieves.

For anyone not familiar with the gsmarena battery scores, here's a link to the table of previous scores: http://www.gsmarena.com/battery-test.php3


----

I've never used a Sony Xperia Android phone. Are there any considerable UI inconsistencies with regular Android? By considerable, I mean something like lack of an App drawer.

----

@danakin: Have you titled the thread Z# instead of Z3 by accident?
 

Savor

Suspended
Jun 18, 2010
3,742
918
Yup, I saw that battery life test and went WOW myself. Sony is really nailing it in that department.

I still might consider the Z3 bigger brother for a few reasons -

- Aluminum metal frame gives it a more premium feeling.

- Dimensions are quite reasonable for me coming from a Xiaomi Mi 3 which is just 2mm shorter.

- If I do PS4 Remote Play, I kinda prefer a bigger screen to play those games.

- And the biggie, the 1 GB extra RAM. We have been stuck on 2 GB for a couple years now. My Mi 3 has 2 GB but can use up 75% of the RAM available with very few apps opened. I think 2 GB is good enough but that extra RAM is slightly future-proofing for better multi-tasking, heavier games, etc.

But I think Sony did great on both devices. They certainly made the gap closer than say iPhone 6 & 6 Plus. The Z3 Compact might still be the best small/compact 2014 smartphone of the year and for lesser money too. But the bigger brother Z3 might be more useful in the longer run.
 

apolloa

Suspended
Oct 21, 2008
12,318
7,802
Time, because it rules EVERYTHING!
I am interested in this phone because of the camera, and battery life, but the review says the auto mode is poor. Having manual mode is great but mist of the time you'll want to use auto. So it's disappointing to read it's not very good.
Then again this is one review, will wait to see what others say.
 

ozaz

macrumors 68000
Feb 27, 2011
1,615
577
I still might consider the Z3 bigger brother

Yeah, I think I'd end up going for the full size Z3 too. I don't like the fact that the compact does not seem to have a 32gb variant. I know it has expandable storage, but I'd rather have 32gb internal. I believe there will be a 32gb variant of the full size Z3.
 

Savor

Suspended
Jun 18, 2010
3,742
918
Z3 vs Z3 Compact, it will really come down with two things -

- Difference in price esp since pricing varies in different countries. I can't base it on online sites.

- Battery life. I want to see some testing on the bigger Z3. The Z2 was already chart-topping in some sites. I want to see how efficient Sony became with nearly the same capacity and same SoC just higher clocked. The Z1C to Z3C did improve by 300 mAh.

Either choices are great. You really can't go wrong with either one. Except PS4 Remote Play on a bigger screen and the extra 1 GB RAM might be worth that extra cash. The differences in dimensions for one-handed use is no longer an issue for me. LG G3 dimensions is quite reasonable for me already and the Z3 does have those rounded edges that I have yearned for.
 

Savor

Suspended
Jun 18, 2010
3,742
918
After watching the Clove review of the Z3 Compact, I'm starting to prefer the style of the bigger Z3 more. The Z3 looks classier and more ergonomical to me. The Z3C has a more raised screen and the rounded edges are not as pronounced. PhoneArena did give the Z3C a longer result in battery life.

Z3 Compact
- Better battery life
- Compact
- Price

Z3
- Better design/more premium
- Bigger and sharper screen
- 3 GB RAM
- Louder external speakers

I can live with the size of the Z3 since it is about the same as the Z2 and LG G3.
 

Oohara

macrumors 68040
Jun 28, 2012
3,050
2,423
After watching the Clove review of the Z3 Compact, I'm starting to prefer the style of the bigger Z3 more. The Z3 looks classier and more ergonomical to me. The Z3C has a more raised screen and the rounded edges are not as pronounced. PhoneArena did give the Z3C a longer result in battery life.

Z3 Compact
- Better battery life
- Compact
- Price

Z3
- Better design/more premium
- Bigger and sharper screen
- 3 GB RAM
- Louder external speakers

I can live with the size of the Z3 since it is about the same as the Z2 and LG G3.

Yeah, PhoneArena do confirm that ridiculous 10 h screen on time.....impressive, to say the least!

Personally I prefer the regular Z3 too, but then I'm into large screens in general. I wasn't that hot for the Z2 but the slimmed down bezels of the Z3 really give it a much sleeker look.

It's great that Sony has a really competitive "smaller" alternative out though. For some reason I always liked Sony and I really hope they're able to stay in the game. Currently it looks like they don't have a huge budget for marketing though. I have a feeling the Z3 and Z3C could sell really really well.....if people only knew they existed. :(
 

Surface2Owner

macrumors member
Nov 18, 2013
48
1
I would love to get this phone for my dad since I can see him needing a smartphone which doesn't require charging every night. Unfortunately, I am not going wait for it to be released on AT&T or Verizon.
 

///M5

macrumors 6502
May 14, 2009
286
6
Mississauga, ON
Posting this from the Z3 compact I got in Amsterdam. Pretty little little device. I'm yet to test it fully, and especially battery life.

Will let you guys know what goes at it think of the device in a couple of days.
 

jamezr

macrumors P6
Aug 7, 2011
16,077
19,072
US
Posting this from the Z3 compact I got in Amsterdam. Pretty little little device. I'm yet to test it fully, and especially battery life.



Will let you guys know what goes at it think of the device in a couple of days.


I would love to get your thoughts on the whole Ui experience battery life and post a couple pictures thanks man!
 

navaira

macrumors 68040
May 28, 2015
3,935
5,161
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Old thread, I know.

I've been using Xperia Z3 Compact for over a year now. This phone is the best I've ever owned. Galaxy S3 was the worst, but it made me fall in love with Android. I tried to switch to iPhone 5S but just couldn't – specifically because I couldn't place a calendar widget on the main screen, which made me forget appointments one after another. So I went shopping for an Android device that would be water- and dustproof, have a microSD slot and NOT be a Samsung. And arrived here.

The one and only problem I have with my Z3 Compact is the headphones socket. I've been using Sony product for, I don't know, 15 years? and they have NEVER managed to create a headphones socket that would hold for two years. Neither Samsung nor Apple have this problem. At the moment if I slightly bend the plug, sound becomes mono and distorted. It's not bad enough to send it for repair, but it's... very Sony. Of course if you aren't a hardcore music listener like me this isn't going to be a problem.

When I can change my phone to a new one in eight months, I'm getting the latest Z-series Compact available. (Judging by Sony's speed it will be Z34 ;) ) As far as I am concerned, things don't get any better than this.
 

AppleRobert

macrumors 603
Nov 12, 2012
5,729
1,133
Bought and still own a Z3 on t-mobile, it gets a ton of free Pandora play using their network regardless that I own many higher tier smartphones. Battery life is excellent.
 
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