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Sony's New Z3 range announced

A

apolloa

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Oct 21, 2008
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Time, because it rules EVERYTHING!
Sony just announced at it's IFA conference three new Z3 devices, the new Z3 full smartphone with 5.2" display and the best waterproofing in it's class, 20.7mpx camera etc.
The Z3 Compact with a 4.6" display and the same specs as the full Z3.

Both devices will get a full 2 day's of battery life.

And they have announced (what I want) the new Z3 Tablet Compact, an 8" tablet.

But the best bit, they also announced these will also be the ONLY devices that have Playstation 4 remote ply built in! just connect your PS4 controller and off you go, now that has got me excited :D

Z3:

sony-z3-front-2.jpg


Z3 Compact:

sony-z3-front-orange-1.png


And the Z3 8" Compact Tablet:

z3-tablet-front.png


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And an interesting way to play your PS4 games:

z3-tablet-dualshock-4.png


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Ah here we go, Sony's Z3 website:

http://www.sonymobile.com/gb/products/phones/xperia-z3/

Specs:

Camera and video
20.7 megapixel camera with auto focus
8x digital zoom
ISO 3200 maximum in manual mode
Sony Exmor RS for mobile image sensor
4K video recording
Front-facing camera, HD 1080p for video chat and 2.2 MP for camera capture
Pulsed LED flash
SteadyShot™ – video stabilisation
Superior Auto – automatic scene selection
HDR for photos and videos
Burst mode
Social live**
Image stabiliser
Geotagging – add location info to your photos
Object tracking – lock focus on a specific object
Red-eye reduction
Image capture, supported file format: JPEG
Image playback, supported file formats: BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, WebP
Video capture, supported file formats: 3GPP, MP4
Video playback, supported file formats: 3GPP, MP4, Matroska, AVI, Xvid, WebM

Networks
GSM GPRS/EDGE (2G)
UMTS HSPA (3G)
LTE (4G) (not available in all markets)

Display and design
5.2" Full HD display (1920x1080 pixels)
TRILUMINOS™ Display for mobile
X-Reality™ for mobile picture engine

Entertainment
PlayStation® Certified
PS4™ Remote Play******

Processor (CPU)
Snapdragon 2.5 GHz Qualcomm Quad-core
Adreno 330 GPU

Memory and storage
3 GB RAM
Up to 16 GB flash memory*****
Up to 128 GB microSD™ (card slot, SDXC supported)

Sound
Sony 3D Surround Sound technology (VPT)
Clear Audio+ – Sound improvement software
xLoud™ Experience
DSEE HX
High-res audio
Audio recording, supported file formats: 3GPP, MP4, AMR

Connectivity
aGPS**
Bluetooth® 4.0 wireless technology
3.5 mm audio jack with Digital Noise Cancelling (DNC)
DLNA Certified®
NFC
GLONASS**
Native USB tethering
Synchronisation via Exchange ActiveSync®, Facebook™, Google™ and SyncML™**
USB High speed 2.0 and Micro USB support
Wi-Fi and WiFi Hotspot functionality

Dimensions
146.5 x 72 x 7.3 mm

Weight
152 grams





Xperia Z3 Compact:

http://www.sonymobile.com/gb/products/phones/xperia-z3-compact/

Specs:

Camera and video
20.7 megapixel camera with auto focus
8x digital zoom
ISO 12800 maximum in manual mode
Sony Exmor RS™ for mobile image sensor
HD video recording (1080p)
Front-facing camera, HD 1080p for video chat and 2.2 MP for camera capture
Pulsed LED flash
SteadyShot™ – video stabilisation
Superior Auto – automatic scene selection
HDR for photos and films
Burst mode
Social live**
Image stabiliser
Geotagging – add location info to your photos
Object tracking – lock focus on a specific object
Red-eye reduction
Image capture, supported file format: JPEG
Image playback, supported file formats: BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, WebP
Video capture, supported file formats: 3GPP, MP4
Video playback, supported file formats: 3GPP, MP4, Matroska, AVI, Xvid, WebM

Sound
Sony 3D Surround Sound technology (VPT)
Clear Audio+ – Sound improvement software
xLoud™ Experience
DSEE HX
High-res audio
Audio recording, supported file formats: 3GPP, MP4, AMR
Audio playback, supported file formats: 3GPP, MP4, ADTS, AMR, FLAC, Matroska, SMF, XMF, Mobile XMF, OTA, RTTTL, RTX, iMelody, MP3, WAV, OGG, ASF

Networks
GSM GPRS/EDGE (2G)
UMTS HSPA (3G)
LTE (4G) (not available in all markets)

Entertainment
TrackID music recognition
xLOUD Experience – audio filter technology from Sony
FM Radio with RDS
3.5 mm audio jack for headphones
Stereo speakers
Audio playback, supported formats: MP3, 3GPP, MP4, SMF, WAV, OTA, Ogg vorbis
Audio recording, supported formats: 3GPP, MP4, AMR
3D and motion gaming
Dedicated gaming keys
Timescape with Twitter integrated
Xperia™ 2.0 with Facebook
Sony Entertainment Network (selected markets only)

Display and design
4.6" display (1280x720 pixels)
TRILUMINOS™ Display for mobile
X-Reality™ for mobile picture engine
Entertainment
PlayStation® Certified
PS4 Remote Play******
Processor (CPU)
Snapdragon 2.5 GHz Qualcomm Quad-core
Adreno 330 GPU

Memory and storage
2 GB RAM
Up to 16 GB flash memory*****
Up to 128 GB microSD™ (card slot, SDXC supported)

Connectivity
aGPS**
Bluetooth® 4.0 wireless technology
3.5 mm audio jack with Digital Noise Cancelling (DNC)
DLNA Certified®
NFC
GLONASS**
Native USB tethering
Synchronisation via Exchange ActiveSync®, Facebook™, Google™ and SyncML™**
USB High speed 2.0 and Micro USB support
Wi-Fi and WiFi Hotspot functionality

Dimensions
127.3 x 64.9 x 8.64 mm

Weight
129 g





And the new 8" Z3 Compact Tablet:

http://www.sonymobile.com/gb/products/tablets/xperia-z3-tablet-compact/

Display
8" display (WUXGA, 1920x1200 pixels)
TRILUMINOS™ Display for mobile
X-Reality™ for mobile picture engine

Entertainment
PlayStation® Certified
PS4™ Remote Play******

Camera and video
8.1 megapixel camera
8x digital zoom
Front-facing camera, HD 1080p for video chat and 2.2 MP for camera capture
HD video recording (1080p)
Exmor RS™ for mobile image sensor
SteadyShot™ – video stabilisation
Superior Auto – automatic scene selection
Image stabiliser
Burst mode
Social live**
Geotagging – add location info to your photos
Object tracking – lock focus on a specific object
Red-eye reduction
Image capture, supported file format: JPEG
Image playback, supported file formats: BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, WebP
Video capture, supported file formats: 3GPP™, MP4
Video playback, supported file formats: 3GPP™, MP4, Matroska, AVI, Xvid, WebM

On the inside
Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 2.5 GHz Quad-core
Google Android 4.4 (KitKat)

Connectivity
aGPS**
3.5 mm audio jack with Digital Noise Cancelling (DNC)
GLONASS**
MHL 3.0 support
USB High speed 2.0 and Micro USB support
Native USB tethering
Synchronisation via Exchange ActiveSync®, Facebook™, Google™ and SyncML™**
Wi-Fi and W-iFi Hotspot functionality
NFC
DLNA Certified®
Memory
RAM: 3 GB
Flash memory: Up to 16 GB*****
Expansion slot: Up to 128 GB microSD™ (card slot, SDXC supported)
Pre-loaded applications
Google Chrome**
Google Maps for Mobile with Street view and Latitude**
Google Play**

Networks
UMTS HSPA (3G)
GSM GPRS/EDGE (2G)
LTE™ (4G) (not available in all markets), TD-LTE (4G) (not available in all markets)
(Networks are not applicable for Wi-Fi versions)

Sound
Sony 3D Surround Sound technology (VPT)
Clear Audio+ – Sound improvement software
xLoud™ Experience
Stereo speakers
Audio recording, supported file formats: 3GPP™, MP4, AMR
Audio playback, supported file formats: MP3, 3GPP, ADTS, MP4, AMR, DSF, DSDIFF, FLAC, Matroska, SMF, XMF, Mobile XMF, OTA, RTTTL, RTX, iMelody, WAV, OGG, ASF

Dimensions
213 x 123 x 6.4 mm

Weight
280 grams



It seems ALL Z3 devices come with 4.4 KitKat.
 
Last edited:
S

SpoonCody

macrumors 6502
May 28, 2014
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0
Nice.

Are any of these devices coming to the US?

The Z3 Compact looks very interesting.
 
jamezr

jamezr

macrumors P6
Aug 7, 2011
16,079
19,077
US
apolloa said:
Sony just announced at it's IFA conference three new Z3 devices, the new Z3 full smartphone with 5.2" display and the best waterproofing in it's class, 20.7mpx camera etc.
The Z3 Compact with a 4.6" display and the same specs as the full Z3.

Both devices will get a full 2 day's of battery life.

And they have announced (what I want) the new Z3 Tablet Compact, an 8" tablet.

But the best bit, they also announced these will also be the ONLY devices that have Playstation 4 remote ply built in! just connect your PS4 controller and off you go, now that has got me excited :D

Z3:

Image

Z3 Compact:

Image

And the Z3 8" Compact Tablet:

Image

----------

And an interesting way to play your PS4 games:

Image
Click to expand...
I have always loved the look of the Z line of phones. But IMHO they need to reduce those bezels. Sony is missing so much market/mind share by not releasing to all the US carriers.
The Z3 Compact is very interesting. But the specs of the Z3 and Z3 Compact seem to be a little behind the curve.....
 
Cnasty

Cnasty

macrumors 68040
Jul 2, 2008
3,336
2,106
That Z3 seems very nice and they have reduced the bezels a lot from previous builds.

I am intrigued but honestly I have never seen anyone here in the states with a SONY phone so they must be hard to get or exclusive to only some carriers.
 
A

apolloa

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Yes the Z3 is coming to the US, I was watching a live stream and the interviewed a Sony guy who said it will be in America. Didn't say anything about pricing or networks though.

It looks like the tablet has front facing stereo speakers. This will replace my 2012 Nexus 7, it's only about 3mm wider and is only 12mm longer than the iPad Mini Retina.

But I will be on the lookout for the price of the WiFi only white 16GB 8" Tablet, doesn't look like they make a bigger storage model, lets hope you can move your games files to the SD card.

The main thing with Sony's phones though is the camera and it does seem to be one heck of a camera on the Z3.
 
Last edited:
Ddyracer

Ddyracer

macrumors 68000
Nov 24, 2009
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that z3 compact tablet looks juicy. i think it's a bit too wide for me though. Gonna miss the 7 inch google tablets.
 
JaySoul

JaySoul

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Jan 30, 2008
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They have reduced the bezels on the Z3 but not by that much. That's the biggest problem with it (I had a Z2 and gave it back quickly).

The Z3 Compact is an excellent phone, the Z1 Compact was fab and this is far better. It's that, the iPhone 6 and the Galaxy Alpha for that form factor.

The Z3 Tablet looks REALLY interesting, I seriously might pick one up to continue playing FIFA on the PS4 when I've been kicked off!!
 
Ddyracer

Ddyracer

macrumors 68000
Nov 24, 2009
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apolloa said:
Yeah, my 2012 Nexus 7 will be replaced with this Sony, I have read the next Google tablet will be a 9" model, no more 7" designs :(
Click to expand...

Yup very dumb since google pioneered the 7 inch tablet and iPad mini.
The sony doesn't seem to have a led notification light or 32 gb internal which is a bummer.
 
A

apolloa

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Ddyracer said:
Yup very dumb since google pioneered the 7 inch tablet and iPad mini.
The sony doesn't seem to have a led notification light or 32 gb internal which is a bummer.
Click to expand...

Yes... I've never owned a Sony Android device but I have read they had an app that let you move files to the SD card, but then I also read that was due to it being an Android feature that Google have now stopped in 4.4? So I will be looking to see if Sony do have an app again that allows this, then the 16GB doesn't matter anyway.

----------
JaySoul said:
They have reduced the bezels on the Z3 but not by that much. That's the biggest problem with it (I had a Z2 and gave it back quickly).

The Z3 Compact is an excellent phone, the Z1 Compact was fab and this is far better. It's that, the iPhone 6 and the Galaxy Alpha for that form factor.

The Z3 Tablet looks REALLY interesting, I seriously might pick one up to continue playing FIFA on the PS4 when I've been kicked off!!
Click to expand...

I looked at the Z1 compact before when I switched from iOS, but I fell in love with the Nexus 5, however whilst the Nexus 5 camera is pretty good, it's not as good as a Sony one plus these will have better battery life...

Still not sure about that screen resolution as I think it should be better, it's also an expensive phone judging by the price on Sony's UK website, it's from £429. Then again it is the full blown Z3 with a smaller screen..
 
Ddyracer

Ddyracer

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Nov 24, 2009
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apolloa said:
Yes... I've never owned a Sony Android device but I have read they had an app that let you move files to the SD card, but then I also read that was due to it being an Android feature that Google have now stopped in 4.4? So I will be looking to see if Sony do have an app again that allows this, then the 16GB doesn't matter anyway.
Click to expand...

But I like not having to go to that hassle. Also, in kitkat moving apps to sdcard is broken which is fixed with this which requires root. I don't mind rooting but just for an app not a whole bunch of tweaks i do mind. honestly, in this day and age we should be moving away from external storage and just bump the internal to 128 or at least 64 as a baseline model.
 
JaySoul

JaySoul

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Jan 30, 2008
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apolloa said:
Yes... I've never owned a Sony Android device but I have read they had an app that let you move files to the SD card, but then I also read that was due to it being an Android feature that Google have now stopped in 4.4? So I will be looking to see if Sony do have an app again that allows this, then the 16GB doesn't matter anyway.

----------



I looked at the Z1 compact before when I switched from iOS, but I fell in love with the Nexus 5, however whilst the Nexus 5 camera is pretty good, it's not as good as a Sony one plus these will have better battery life...

Still not sure about that screen resolution as I think it should be better, it's also an expensive phone judging by the price on Sony's UK website, it's from £429. Then again it is the full blown Z3 with a smaller screen..
Click to expand...

Yeah and also once the Alpha is released properly, and the iPhone 6, then it will put into context how good/not the Z3 is.

My cousin has a Z1 Compact and it's a cracking phone, really.
 
A

apolloa

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Ddyracer said:
But I like not having to go to that hassle. Also, in kitkat moving apps to sdcard is broken which is fixed with this which requires root. I don't mind rooting but just for an app not a whole bunch of tweaks i do mind. honestly, in this day and age we should be moving away from external storage and just bump the internal to 128 or at least 64 as a baseline model.
Click to expand...

Agreed, I don't root as you lose your updates then, unless you want to faff about manually doing them or un-rooting to get them. Hmm I will be reading the reviews to see if Sony have enabled the moving of files, I don't mind doing it.

JaySoul said:
Yeah and also once the Alpha is released properly, and the iPhone 6, then it will put into context how good/not the Z3 is.

My cousin has a Z1 Compact and it's a cracking phone, really.
Click to expand...

Yes, looking forward to a camera shootout, that camera add on that lets you mount your own lenses looks nuts! I bet it's price will be too mind haha.
 
A

apolloa

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I was trying to post Sony's You Tube videos in here but can't lol. Their a few now.

Oh and by the way, from the looks of it both the Z3 phones have stereo front facing speakers just like the tablets too :)
 
Ddyracer

Ddyracer

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A

apolloa

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Ddyracer said:
Yes, vey high. This tablet is really looking awesome. Stereo front speakers, very fast touchwiz like ui, I like it. So, I believe you can preorder in the uk correct?
Click to expand...

Not sure, I clicked on the buy it now button and got a website error? Not that I am going to pre-order, I'll get one for Christmas, well money towards one and then I'll buy it from John Lewis as they are giving 2 years warranty on all tablets and they price match :)
 
A

apolloa

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Well, the running theme with the tech websites and You Tube videos reporting on the Z3 Tablet Compact is that NONE of them are capable of reading Sony's spec sheets for the device, pretty much every one of them has claimed the screen resolution is 1920 by 1080 and then gone onto compare the screen to it's competitors, despite the FACT on Sony's OWN website it lists the resolution as 1920 by 1200!

These websites are not very professional in the slightest. Either that or they are just blatantly copying each other on the specs. It is VERY annoying.
 
Fernandez21

Fernandez21

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Jun 16, 2010
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Well, depending on what Moto does this Thursday and US availability, the Z3 compact may be my next android phone.
 
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