Sony Xperia Z3+ review

Overview

Discover a new side of slim

The Xperia Z3+ is slimmer than ever at just 6.9 mm, and incredibly light in your hand. In fact, if it wasn’t so nice to look at, you could almost forget you were holding it.

Loves every forecast

The Xperia Z3+ carries our renowned waterproof* design, so you can meet the day head-on – no matter what kind of day it is. The IP65/IP68 rating means downpours aren’t a problem. Nor is sand, spills or an accidental dip in the sink.

Picture perfect settings. In any setting.

The Xperia Z3+’s camera excels where other smartphone cameras disappoint. Indoors, at night, or when the sun’s behind your subject. With the best Sony camera technologies, your shots end up clear and sharp no matter where you are.

The 20.7-megapixel camera lets you take super-sharp photos and zoom in without losing any of the crisp detail.

The unique Exmor RS™ for mobile sensor is larger than most smartphone sensors, to perform better in low-light situations.

The Xperia Z3+’s high ISO means it’s very sensitive to light, and able to capture shots even when the lighting isn’t ideal.

The proof is in the pictures

What does a 20.7-megapixel camera and all the best Sony Cyber-shot technology get you? See for yourself. Head to Xperia™ Smartphone Photography to see pictures shot with Xperia.

The selfie bar is raised

We’ve added some of our most innovative camera technologies to the Xperia Z3+’s wide-angle front camera, like Superior Auto and SteadyShot with Intelligent Active Mode. The result is sharper-than-ever selfies, steady front-camera videos and ‘groupies’ that fit everyone in the frame.

Two days of what you love

Get directions at midnight, marathon-watch your favourite show, or skip the charger in your overnight bag. The Xperia Z3+’s incredible battery life brings you up to two days of power, so you can do more with every charge.

up to 2 days battery life**

up to 91 hours of music

up to 580 min HD video

When fast isn’t fast enough

This Android™ mobile boasts the industry’s most powerful processor for top speeds and lag-free performance.

More power to your smartphone

The Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 810 processor with integrated LTE and 64-bit Octa-core CPU means this Android mobile performs at its fastest and best, always.

Beat the waiting game with faster connections

Using the very latest smart connectivity technologies your Xperia Z3+ will reach up to 50% faster Wi-Fi speeds than previous products. So file transfers and media streaming is faster and smoother than ever.

Quick specs

Display

• Full HD 5.2” display
• TRILUMINOS™ for mobile
• Live Colour LED

Battery

• 2930 mAh
• Battery STAMINA Mode
• Up to 2 days battery life**

Sound

• Hi-Res Audio
• DSEE HX sound enhancement
• Auto-headset compensation
• Digital Noise Cancelling

Connectivity

• 4G/LTE Cat 6 (<300Mbps)
• Wi-Fi (<862Mbps)

Processor

• Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 810
• 64-bit Octa-core

Durability

• Waterproof and dust tight*
• IP65/IP68
• Submersion to 1.5 m for 30 mins

Features

1) Design

Timeless design. Slimmer than ever.

The Xperia Z3+ continues the Sony design story with a sleek rounded aluminium frame, durable tempered glass panels and a uniquely designed power button. At just 6.9 mm and 144 grams, the Xperia Z3+ design is slimmer and lighter than ever – and incredibly comfortable to hold. Choose from four sophisticated colours to match your taste and your lifestyle.

2) Waterproof

Waterproof and dust tight

The Sony Xperia Z3+ has an impressive IP65/IP68 rating, which makes this dual SIM smartphone both waterproof* and resistant to the tiniest dust particles. It can easily handle being dipped in the sink. In fact, if it gets dirty you can simply rinse it off under the tap. And because the USB port is now capless, you can splash away without worrying about having to close it.

IP (Ingress Protection) rating

The Xperia Z3+ has been given the IP rating IP65/68. This is a standard that measures a device’s resistance levels to dust (6) and water (5&8 – both splashes and submersion).

*The Xperia Z3+ is waterproof and protected against dust as long as you follow a few simple instructions: all attached covers are firmly closed; you can’t take the phone deeper than 1.5 m of water and for longer than 30 minutes; and the water should be fresh water. Casual use in chlorinated pools is permitted provided the phone is rinsed in fresh water afterwards. No seawater and no salt water pools. Abuse and improper use of device will invalidate warranty. The phone has an Ingress Protection rating of IP65 and IP68. To see what this means and for more information see www.sonymobile.com/durability. Please note that the Xperia Z3+ has a capless USB port to connect and charge your smartphone. The USB port needs to be fully dried before charging if the phone has been exposed to water.

3) Camera

Stunning landscapes to stunner selfies – now twice the camera excellence

Whether you’re shooting a skyline at night, or using your front camera to capture your look, your photos should do the moment justice. The Xperia Z3+ is the smartphone that brings innovative Sony camera technologies to both rear and front cameras. For crisp photos however you shoot.

Main camera

20.7 MP with Exmor RS™ sensor
25 mm wide angle G Lens
Superior Auto scene recognition
SteadyShot with Intelligent Active Mode
HDR for photo and video
ISO 12800
Xperia™ Camera apps

Front camera

5 MP with Exmor R™ sensor
25 mm wide angle lens
Superior Auto scene recognition
SteadyShot with Intelligent Active Mode
HDR
Xperia™ Camera apps

Superior Auto – Sense the scene. Nail the shot.

Superior Auto takes the guess-work out of getting the shot just right. It senses the visual atmosphere and automatically adjusts the camera to shoot with the ideal settings. The front camera on the Xperia Z3+, now with Superior Auto, recognises 20 scenes while the main camera can now recognise 52 different scenes. The latest addition to Superior Auto, Gourmet mode, makes sure your food shots always look delicious.

The camera that shines in low light

With its ISO12800 value and F2.0 aperture, the Xperia Z3+ excels even in low light. And if the sun’s behind your subject, your pictures will still turn out beautifully thanks to the Exmor RS™ for mobile sensor and HDR technology.

4K – Ultra high-definition video recording

Sony’s best phone camera, the Xperia Z3+, lets you capture everything you see in brilliant high resolution 4K video. Four times the detail compared to Full HD 1080p image quality, your footage is delivered in Ultra High Definition, for unparalleled sharpness full of authentic details. This model supports 4K (3840 x 2160) resolution and playback on a 4K TV or projector using the latest MHL 3.0 connector.

Get creative with camera apps for main and front cameras

More camera apps to download

Besides the Xperia camera apps that come pre-installed, there’s a whole range of other fun apps for you to enjoy. New apps are continuously being released and can be downloaded directly via the camera app on your Xperia device.

4) Battery Backup

Meet our ground-breaking two-day* battery

We crafted the Xperia Z3+ to be as efficient as possible in every detail, and then teamed it with a battery that’s incredibly powerful. The result is a smartphone that delivers power for up to two days. So you can use your smartphone throughout the day without worrying about having enough battery for your bus ride home – and then go right on using it the next day too.

up to 2 days battery life**

up to 91 hours of music

up to 580 min HD video

Extended Standby Mode

Want to make standby last four times as long? Switch on Extended Standby Mode. Your apps and functions will be intuitively turned off when you’re not using the display. However, you’ll still receive calls, texts, alarms and your choice of app notifications. Press the power button and everything is up and running again.

Extended Usage Mode

Low on battery but still have things to do? Switch on Extended usage mode and gain even more usage time. Extended usage mode adjusts your smartphone’s performance to slow down battery drain even when you’re not in standby.

Ultra STAMINA Mode – Squeeze out every drop

Sometimes the unexpected happens and you find yourself running seriously low on battery when you’re far away from your charger. Ultra STAMINA Mode will help you out, limiting your smartphone to core functions – like calls and SMS – so you can get every bit of charge from your battery. Think of it as your smartphone’s reserve tank – one that lets you drive for an entire week.

5) Sound

The future of sound in your smartphone

The Xperia Z3+ brings you the latest Sony sound technologies, for a crystal clear listening experience.

Music like it was meant to be heard

Hi-Res Audio reduces distortion and noise at wider frequency ranges to reproduce high frequency sound in amazing detail. Every track you listen to resembles the sound quality originally recorded in the studio.

Learn more about Hi-Res Audio at Sony.com.

High-quality wireless listening

LDAC is a new audio technology from Sony that allows you to enjoy high quality wireless audio via Bluetooth®. With 3x the data transmitted, LDAC provides an enhanced wireless listening experience for all your music.

Get more out of every beat and note

DSEE HX (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine) is a technology that lets you upscale low-res songs to near High-Resolution sound quality. It refines and restores heavily compressed MP3 and AAC files, delivering powerful, full-range audio.

Block out the noise

The Xperia Z3+ comes with built-in Digital Noise Cancelling technology that reduces exterior noise by up to 98% when paired with a DNC headset. This technology removes the lower-frequency parts of the noise, preventing high-frequency noise from ever reaching the ear. So a noisy bus or a busy shopping centre won’t stand in the way of a great listening experience.

Any headset. Optimised sound.

Put on any headset and your Xperia Z3+ will automatically identify the type of headset before analysing your ear canal shape. By combining these two pieces of data the audio settings are then optimised to create perfectly balanced sound, uniquely tailored to you.

6) Display

Brightest in any light

The Xperia Z3+’s generous 5.2” display is brighter than ever. Not just breathtakingly luminous in low light, the Xperia Z3+ shines in any light. The high display luminosity combined with Sony’s contrast enhancement technology makes for sharp viewing even in bright sunlight.

Always a great viewing angle

Thanks to IPS technology, your Sony smartphone offers an improved viewing angle. So you get super sharp images and accurate colours, no matter which angle you’re looking at your device from.

Stunning detail with X-Reality™

Sony’s X-Reality™ for mobile analyses each image on your display and optimises it for colour, sharpness and contrast. The result is pictures and video with breathtaking detail and less noise.

Colours you’ll believe in

Bring together a TRILUMINOS™ display with Live Colour LED technology and what you get is an unrivalled colour palette with more vivid reds and natural-looking greens and blues.

7) Gaming

No more fights over the TV

With PS4™ Remote Play you can seamlessly switch from your PS4 console to your smartphone ─ and take your gaming to another room. Just connect your Xperia device to your home Wi-Fi, and play games using the DUALSHOCK®4 controller.

Discover Remote Play

Overall Specifications

Camera and video

• 20.7 MP with auto focus
• 8x Digital Zoom
• 4K Recording
• HDR, Superior Auto, Wide angle lens (25 mm), ISO12800
• 5 MP front camera, Full HD video
• Sony Exmor R™ for mobile
• SteadyShot™ – video stabilisation
• Superior Auto – automatic scene selection
• Image stabiliser
• Geotagging – add location info to your photos

Connectivity

• aGPS**
• Bluetooth® 4.1 wireless technology
• 3.5 mm audio jack (CTIA)
• DLNA Certified®
• NFC
• GLONASS**
• Miracast, Screen Mirroring, Chromecast
• Native USB tethering
• Synchronisation via Exchange ActiveSync®, Facebook™, Google™ and SyncML™**
• USB High speed 2.0 and Micro USB support
• Wi-Fi MiMo and Wi-Fi Hotspot functionality
• ANT+™ sport, fitness, health support

Display and design

• 5.2” 1080p FHD, IPS display sRGB130% TRILUMINOS for mobile, X-Reality for mobile

Entertainment

• PlayMemories**

Processor (CPU)

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 (MSM8994)
• Adreno 430 GPU
• Octa-core 64 bit processor

Memory and storage

• 3 GB RAM
• Up to 32 GB flash memory*****
• Up to 128 GB microSD™ card

Sound

• S-Force
• Clear Audio+ – Sound improvement software
• Clear Bass™
• DSEE HX
• xLoud™ Experience
• High-res audio
• FM Radio
• Stereo Recording
• Audio playback, supported file formats: .3gp, .3gpp, .mp4, .m4a, .aac, .mnv, .mp3, .mid, .xmf, .mxmf, .rtttl, .rtx, .ota, .imy, .ogg, .mkv, .mka, .wav, .flac, .wma (ASF), .dsf(DSF), .dff(DSDIFF), .mkv, .ac3, .ra

Networks

• GSM GPRS
• UMTS HSPA (3G)
• LTE (4G) (not available in all markets) / LTE (4G) Cat 6

Courtesy: Sonymobile