Specifications

GENERAL
2G Network	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G Network	HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100
4G Network	LTE 700/800/850/900/1700/1800/1900/2100/2600 (1/2/3/4/5/7/8/13/17/20) LTE 700/800/850/900/1700/1800/1900/2100/2600 (1/2/3/4/5/7/8/17/20) LTE 700 / 850 / 900 / 1800 / 2100 / 2600 LTE 700 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100
Sim	Nano-SIM - IP68 certified - dust proof and water resistant over 1 meter and 30 minutes
Announced	01/01/2015
Status	Exp. release 2015, Q2
BODY
DISPLAY
Display Size	2560 x 1440 pixels, 5.2 inches (~565 ppi pixel density)
MultiTouch	Yes, up to 10 fingers
Protection	Shatter proof glass - Triluminos display - X-Reality Engine
SOUND
AlertTypes	Vibration; MP3 ringtones
LoudSpeaker	Yes, with stereo speakers
3.5mm jack	Yes
MEMORY
CardSlot	microSD, up to 128 GB
Internal	32 GB, 4 GB RAM
DATA
GPRS	Up to 107 kbps
EDGE	Up to 296 kbps
Speed	HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE Cat6 300/50 Mbps
WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hotspot
Blue Tooth	v4.0, A2DP, apt-X
NFC	Yes
USB	microUSB v2.0 (MHL 3 TV-out), USB Host
CAMERA
Camera Primary	20.7 MP, 5248 ? 3936 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
Camera Features	1/2.3'' sensor size, geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, HDR, panorama
CameraVideo	2160p@30fps, 1080p@60fps, 720p@120fps, HDR
CameraSecondary	5 MP, 1080p@30fps
FEATURES
OS	Android OS, v5.0 (Lollipop)
Sensors	Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer
Messaging	SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, IM, Push Email
Browser	HTML5
Radio	FM radio with RDS
GPS	Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, Beidou
Java	Yes, via Java MIDP emulator
Colors	Black, White
Others	- Fast battery charging: 60% in 30 min (Quick Charge 2.0) - ANT+ support - Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic - Xvid/MP4/H.264 player - MP3/eAAC+/WAV/Flac player - Document viewer - Photo/video editor
BATTERY
Battery	Non-removable Li-Ion battery
MISC

Reviews

Not exactly the 2015 flagship phone we were hoping for
Price: Around £500
Rating: 0

Instead of getting the Xperia Z4, Sony has announced the Xperia Z3 for the UK as a 'premium version' of the existing flagship Xperia Z3 smartphone. We've taken a look at the new phone so here's our Sony Xperia Z3 hands-on review. Also see Best smartphones 2015and Best Android phones 2015.

Before we launch into the review, we want to explain the situation with the Xperia Z4. This has been announced in Japan for a little while and the Z3 is the same device but for the rest of world. The two are essentially identical but the model in Japan has DTV (Digital TV) and FeliCa (contactless RFID smart card system).

Differences aside, we are getting the Xperia Z3 here which is a 'premium addition' and 'evolution to the Xperia Z3 family'. Let's take a look.

Sony Xperia Z3 review: UK release date and price

Launching in June, the Sony Xperia Z3 pricing will "reflect the premium quality of the phone" so we expect it to fetch around the same amount which would be £499 but it might be a little more since the firm is pitching it as a premium version and will likely leave the regular Xperia Z3 on sale.

Read: Sony Xperia Z3 release date, price and specs.

Sony Xperia Z3 review: Design and build

As the name suggests, the Z3 isn't a completely new phone but a tweaked version of the existing flagship (despite being called the Xperia Z4 in Japan). It doesn't mean that it's a larger phablet-sized version which is often used for in the smartphone world.

Overall, the phone looks and feels just like the existing Xperia Z3 – and that's not a bad thing with the design and build of the Z3 very nice although the square shape isn't for everyone. There are a few small changes worthy of note, though.

First of all, the device is both thinner and lighter. It’s now 6.9mm and 144g down from 7.3mm and 152g making it the thinnest flagship Z series phone (the Z Ultra is thinner). This is good but we could barely notice the difference with the two side-by-side.

A much more significant upgrade in the design department is the lack of a cap or flap for the Micro USB port meaning charging is far less fiddly. The device is still IP65/IP68 dust- and water-proof and there's now only one cover for the joint SIM and microSD card slot.

It's still available in Black and White colours and Sony says there's a 'new interpretation' of Copper. We took a look at the Ice Green edition which will be called Aqua Green elsewhere.

Sony Xperia Z3 review: Hardware and new features

So there are a few design tweaks and it's a similar story in the hardware department with most things staying the same as last year's model. The screen is still 5.2in with a Full HD resolution and core specs such as the 20.7Mp camera, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and a microSD card slot all remain the same.

So what has changed?

Well the biggest hardware upgrade is in the engine room. The Xperia Z3 is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 810 processor which means a jump from the Snapdragon 810. While devices like the Samsung Galaxy S6 have shunned the 810, it's a 64-bit octa-core chip with four A53 cores at 1.5GHz and four A57 cores at 2GHz. What's the fastest smartphone 2015?

We found performance smooth during our fondle with the Z3 but the software wasn't final so we don't want to comment any further until we get a final review sample.

As mentioned the storage is 32GB internally and the microSD card slot (now a slightly rare feature on flagships) can take up to 128GB. We like the way there is a single tray for both the SIM card and microSD card.

In what is somewhat a downgrade, the battery is smaller in capacity at 2900mAh, compared to 3100mAh. This is presumably because the device is thinner so there is less space but Sony claims the battery life is still two days. We'll test this out properly soon.

There's a quick charger which unfortunately isn't included in the box but this well mean you can charge the Xperia Z3 for just 45 minutes and get a full day of usage, according to Sony. It's a shame to find no wireless charging with Sony saying: "We continue to assess the feasibility of these features to meet the varying demands of our consumers, ensuring these don't compromise the overall aesthetics or performance of our devices, in order to deliver the high standard of quality and performance our customers expect."

The camera is still 20.7Mp, but the Superior auto now recognises up to 52 different scenarios and there's a new Gourmet mode especially for those snaps everyone loves taking of their home cooked or restaurant food. The Superior auto mode and SteadyShot with Intelligent Active Mode are now available on the front camera, too.

We could only take a look at the Xperia Z3 in the confinement of a board room so here are a couple of test photos but we'll comment more on the camera when we have a review sample.

There's little else to say although Sony has added an LDAC (the ability to enjoy top quality tracks wirelessly) and AHC (Automatic Headset Compensation, providing personalised sound). We're yet to test out the audio capabilities of the Z3 but the Z3 is excellent so we've little doubt this is the same.

Sony Xperia Z3 review: Software

WithAndroid 5.0 Lollipop and Sony's Xperia user interface pre-installed, we like the software experience of the Xperia Z3 - although with updates rolling out to previous generations of the Z range, there's nothing different here.

Sony holds back with the customisation of Android more than rival manufacturers and has embraced the Material Design of Lollipop – handily adding the ability to customise which quick settings you want in the drop down bar which isn't available in stock Android.

The software uses the card style recent apps menu and Sony's range of floating widgets including a calculator. The rest is fairly simple with some nice pre-loaded wallpapers and widgets – there's no extra screen like BlinkFeed or Google Now to the left of the main homescreen.

One slight downside we noticed was a fair amount of pre-loaded apps including Spotify, Vine, AVG, Kobo Books, Office Suite and others.

Buying Advice

Like previous devices, the Sony Xperia Z3 is a nice smartphone. Although we like the capless USB port and the addition of the Snapdragon 810, it's simply far too similar to the Xperia Z3 to justify an upgrade – perhaps owners of older generations will be more tempted. It doesn't help that the firm is alienating customers by launching the same phone in Japan as the Xperia Z4. Compared to rivals, the Xperia Z3 has a lot of good qualities but lacks a Quad HD screen and extra features like wireless charging.