Sony Xperia Z3 Compact - BLTN

When I go back to try older devices, I don't always do a BLTN (Better Late Than Never) review of them. While some of them may still be viable alternatives, many of them has been reviewed to death already by review sites. Some of them have already been replaced by a newer and better model, and others that are just not that interesting at all. But this is special though. This is one of those rare devices that took the path less travelled. This is one of those rare devices that I just had to write about despite its age (in tech years).


The Sony Xperia Z3 Compact was announced almost 11 months ago as the younger brother of Sony's new flagship smartphone the Xperia Z3. In a World where smartphones are getting bigger and bigger in size with each generation, the Xperia Z3 Compact stayed small and nimble. Offering top-end specifications in a compact body much like its predecessor, the Z1 Compact did (don't even ask about what happened to the Z2 Compact).

Despite being a little long in the tooth, the Xperia Z3 Compact is still one of the best option out there for people looking for more compact devices without compromise on specifications. Granted, part of the reason it is still one of the best option out there, is because there are so little options to begin with. That's not to say the Xperia Z3 Compact doesn't hold its own though compared to its giant-sized rivals though.

The Xperia Z3 Compact has a typical Sony design language, with front and back glass panels on a rounded rectangular slab. It looks understated, and maybe even boring (unless you get the green or orange variant), but it does look classy, and the design has shown to be able to withstand the test of time.

Unlike the Xperia Z3 with a metal frame, the Z3 Compact had to settle for a plastic frame. The frame while not as premium feeling, still feels solid enough to take a bit of a beating if need be. It actually helps reinforce the idea of a durable device that comes with IP68 (water, dust resistant) certification.

The camera is actually flushed with the back, which actually ended up being a "con" rather than a "pro". I found out the hard way that the camera lens actually scratches pretty easily. The first Z3 Compact I had, ended up with a scratched camera lens from just daily wear and tear. For example using the phone without a case on a table. Eventually it got to a point where it actually affected the image quality, and I had to go to a service centre to get the back replaced, a process which took a week. (Same thing for an Xperia Z2 I had actually)

The front houses a 4.6-inches 1280 x 720 pixels IPS LCD display, along with twin front-firing speakers on the top and bottom. The display while not the densest around, still has a respectable 319 ppi. It has decent viewing angles, and decent daylight visibility as well. Unless you like viewing your phone inches off your face, it is more than sufficient for a great viewing experience. However, while the front-firing speakers are decent, they are not the loudest around. Clearly one of the areas that were subjected to some compromise when down-sizing the phone.

One area that wasn't down-sized? The processor. It has the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor, and Adreno 330 GPU found on the Xperia Z3 as well. However, it only has 2GB of RAM compared to the Xperia Z3's 3GB. In my time with it, I haven't found myself limited by 2GB of RAM. I have used devices with 4GB of RAM as well, and frankly I don't think I'll be able to tell the difference for my usage. The processor is also still a very capable performer considering how underwhelming the newer Snapdragon 810 chipset has been.

In my Xperia Z3+ review, I noted the device's tendency to warm up easily, and it is the same case with the Xperia Z3 Compact as well. Although the devices doesn't feel nearly as warm as the Xperia Z3+ did under similar loads.

Sony's UI, and UX is actually closer to stock Android than one would think, especially with Android Lollipop. It has some icon and UI changes, some additional features, and a few Sony apps. Like I mentioned in my Xperia Z3+ review as well, the design of Sony apps has been updated to feature Material Design as well, and are mostly quite nicely done. There are still room for improvements of course with some inconsistency here and there.

The great thing is that in terms of the UI performance, I have little to no complains at all about the Xperia Z3 Compact. The UI is snappy and responsive, and I see very little stutter or slowdowns in my time with it.

With a smaller phone size, the battery inevitably also takes a hit. The Xperia Z3 Compact has a 2,600 mAh battery which while smaller than the Xperia Z3's 3,100 mAh battery, is still bigger than a lot of compact phones this size. For example, the 1st generation Moto X has a 2,200 mAh battery, and the Galaxy Alpha has a 1,860 mAh battery.

Battery life is definitely one of my favourite aspect of the device. With Sony's own software optimisation, and their power saving Stamina mode, getting the device to last a day of heavy use is an easy task. While the battery life took a small hit with the upgrade to Lollipop, the battery life is still better than most flagship devices these day.

Which brings us to another less than stellar aspect of the Xperia Z3 Compact. While this is the exact same camera unit used on the Xperia Z3, it is not exactly be the best performing camera out there. The image quality shows signs of over-aggressive noise reduction, and loss of details when zoomed in. When viewing at a smaller size, like on a smartphone for example, they still look decent though.

The Camera UI in typical Sony fashion is plagued with unnecessary modes (AR effects), and weird restrictions. Superior Auto mode tries to detect the correct mode to use, but isn't as accurate as other modern devices. You are also limited to shooting in 8 MP in this mode. To use the full 20.7 MP resolution, you need to switch to manual mode, which doesn't allow you to change the ISO, or use HDR mode.

In lowlight/night, the lack of OIS takes a toll on image quality as well, producing muddy and grainy looking shots. The ability to shoot in ISO 12800 is a nice touch, but you can only use that in superior auto mode. The resulting image isn't great too, and it's more of a "nice to have" feature rather than an actually useful one.

That said, unless you are very particular about the image quality, the Xperia Z3 Compact will likely still serve your needs well. It's not that the camera quality is bad per se, but it is just that its competitors are just in a different league in my opinion (S6, G4).

Full resolution images for comparison here: Xperia Z3 Compact, Xperia Z3+, Galaxy S6, LG G4

-----

Overall, if you are looking for a highly capable compact smartphone, the Xperia Z3 Compact is probably your best bet. It is a flagship smartphone in a compact form factor, and more. There are some great features that the Xperia Z3 Compact gives that other "normal" sized smartphones can't. For one, that battery life is still one of the best I have gotten thus far from a smartphone.

It has its flaws of course. The need to fiddle with those flaps (if you are not keen to use the magnetic charging port) is a little annoying, and the magnetic charger cable isn't the most secure, and falls off too easily for my liking. The camera quality isn't the best out there, though is definitely still decent. The camera lens requires some tender loving care to ensure you don't mess it up.

And if the above complaints sounds a little trivial, it is because they kind of are. In my time with the Xperia Z3 Compact, it has become one of my favourite device in the market. Not just because of what it represents (compact flagships), but also because of what it is actually capable of.

That said, I would really love to see more such compact flagship devices that doesn't compromise too much. I understand that compromises are inevitable, especially when dealing with a smaller internal component space. But the Xperia Z3 Compact is prove that it is possible to strike a perfect balance.

With the conclusion of this BLTN review, all I can say is that I am eagerly awaiting for the next generation of "Compact" smartphones from Sony.