The last outing for the Xperia Compact line was pretty much well received by most, including us.
I said it then, and say it again now - Sony's Z1 Compact was a fantastic rival to the iPhone 5, while it didn't sell in the bucket loads; partly down to Sony's crappy marketing I'm sure, it did stand up in every way against all sub 5 inch handsets.
So what can Sony do to an already good handset to make people jump into Xperia ?
Software and UI
Most of the biggest changes come to the software, Sony have got one of the best UI experiences out there - that's if you prefer clean lines and less clutter. Gone is the mess that HTC has on their handsets, and lets face it HTC has the only UI that puts the silence / vibrate function on its volume rocker the other way round. That in itself drives me insane with rage (ok that's a bit strong), but ddoesn'thide the over tuning of Android which puts me off using any HTC.
Samsungs TouchWiz and LGs whateveritscalled are both trying to see how much bloat they can install on a phone before it halts and catches fire - they are both the same in many ways in terms of useless features nobody gives a flying fuck about. Although I'm sure +Marques Brownlee likes to get highly excited over those.
The ability to remove most of the pre-installed 3rd party apps is most welcome, something the Z1 and Z2 didn't allow until later Android versions. So you can delete Facebook and Vine for a start. You can record screen demos as well by pressing the power button down for a few seconds (its in the power menu) - of course the high ISO changes to the camera, double tap which is copied directly from the LG G2s "knock on". Screencasting to Chromecast right out the box is brilliant, along with the Remote Play for Playstation. All superb additions to the feature list which is placed in a clean menu system that doesn't look like a post pinata party for 4yr olds, to top it off using the Z3 Compact underwater is a much better experience.
Gripes
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| Not as Premium as the Z1 Compact |
While it doesn't look bad, you do really see the difference and I'm sure you friends with their 1080p screens will too. However you have to remember for £349/$500 its considerably cheaper than almost all other flagship handsets.
Generally the Z3 doesn't quite feel as premium as the Z1 Compact but its by no means cheap, the back is less easy to scratch which is good but Sony have some how made the handset to sit well in the hand AND be super slippery at the same time. Its quite an achievement.
Battery
Battery life is a stella improvement over the Z1 Compact, last much longer than its older brother by a whole day, and with my usage I get 3-4hrs more on screen time than before. So if you have a long powerless commute to work every day and beyond, the Z3 Compact has your back.
Overall
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| Big Flaps, nobody likes big flaps |
We have the Xperia in while and it doesnt show up finger prints on the back like the black version does.
Even though I sound a bit beat down on the Z3 Compact, my feelings for the handset cocouldn'te further from that. I love it. Its a perfect size, the UI is clean, the camera is fantastic with some cool multi camera features if you pair the Z3C with another Xperia phone. Its fast and super buttery smooth, proving you don't need 64bit OS to run blazing fast. Z3 Compact also looks good, very good.
Does it stand up against the iPhone 6 ? Yes in every way, iPhone 5 ? of course, and maybe every Android before it.