We go hands-on with the Xperia Z3 Compact!

Aside from the Xperia Z3, we also spent quality time with Sony diminutive Xperia Z3 Compact. The Xperia Z3 Compact is the company’s follow-up to the Xperia Z1 Compact (yes, they skipped a number) which aims to bring high-end hardware into the land of small phones. It’s a sad fact of life that in order to get a phone with flagship-level specs you’d have to go with phones around 5-inches or more (the iPhone 6 notwithstanding), which makes the Z3 Compact all the more appealing to people who like compact phones.

Sony Xperia Z3 Compact specs

• 2.5GHz Qualcomm MSM8974AC Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor
• Adreno 330 GPU
• 2GB of RAM
• 4.6-inch IPS HD display with tempered glass panel, Triluminos display and X-Reality Engine, 1280 x 720 resolution
• 16GB of storage, expandable via microSD up to 64GB
• 20.7-megapixel rear camera, 1/2.3-inch sensor size, AF, image stabilization
• 2.2-megapixel front facing camera
• WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, USB OTG
• 3G, LTE
• Android 4.4 KitKat
• 2600mAh battery
• 127.3 x 64.9 x 8.6 mm

Initial impressions: smaller, not weaker

One thing that we really liked from the Xperia Z1 Compact was the fact that while it was a physically smaller device compared to the Xperia Z1, it had almost the same hardware underneath the hood as its bigger brother. The Z3 Compact is the same – it carries the same 2.5GHz Qualcomm MSM8974AC Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor, 20.7-megapixel camera and slightly less 2GB of RAM compared to the Z3.

As far as looks go, the we wouldn’t blame you if you couldn’t tell the Z3 from the Z3 Compact from afar – we had to double check all out photos to make sure we were inserting the right ones into the right articles – that’s how alike both of them are. You’re still getting the same tweaked OmniBalance design that’s present on the Z3, complete with nylon corners and reduced thickness. Without any size reference, you’ll probably mistake one from the other from photos, but obviously that won’t be a problem in real life because of the Z3 Compact’s diminutive size. At 4.6-inches it’s noticeably smaller than most flagships in the market today, but that’s alright, as it’s infinitely easier to use, and the feeling of actually being able to reach the entire screen without shifting your hand is pretty glorious, to say the least.

Like the Z3, the Z3 compact gets a slighty higher water resistance rating, which now stands at IP65/68. We didn’t have any problems with the Z1 Compact’s lower water resistance (it held up being used during our little swim in the ocean with the whales just fine), so we’re chalking up the higher resistance rating to pure marketing. It’s a great thing to have, but unless you’re Prince Nemo it’s not really going to be a big help to you day-to-day.

The Z3 Compact’s 4.6-inch is just an HD panel, which is alright by us, as you wouldn’t really notice the difference a higher resolution panel would give you with such a small display anyway. The smaller display also gives you the benefit of better power efficiency, which, combined with Sony’s battery enhancements (the same enhancements that they claim give the Xperia Z3 two days of battery life) would make for some amazing battery life. We hope.

So that’s it for this hands-on. We’re waiting for Sony to send us a review unit of the Xperia Z3 Compact, so stay tuned till then.