In the current parameters of smart phones, screen size has almost become the first standard to classify the level of smart phones. In the past few years, mobile phone manufacturers have made great efforts to make their own mobile phones as small as possible, but in the era of full touch, all mobile phones are competing to become larger.
5.2 inch Xperia Z3 G3， With the 5.7 inch Note 4, even Apple has begun to play with the big screen. The world has really changed. With the growth of mobile phones, many people who want a "small" mobile phone have become confused. At one time, small screen high-performance mobile phones have become extremely popular.
At present, the most eye-catching star at the level below 5 inches is the 4.7 inch iPhone 6. However, under the light of the iPhone, there are many powerful competitors at the same level. Today's Sony Xperia Z3 Compact is one of them.
Specifications:
4.6 inch IPS LCD 720p screen with automatic brightness adjustment, 319ppi;
LTE network support;
Android 4.4.4+Xperia UI；
IP68 certification - 30 minutes in 1.5m water depth;
Snapdragon 801 SoC， The highest main frequency is 2.5GHz, Krait 400 architecture, 2GB RAM;
2.2 megapixel front camera, supporting 1080p video recording;
16G expandable memory;
Active noise reduction function with sub microphone;
2600 mAh battery, STAMINA power saving mode;
Double sided glass appearance design.
Main disadvantages:
Overview:
Previously, Sony used Z1 Compact to define the concept of a real "mini flagship". When consumers chose the lightweight body of a small screen, its performance was not discounted. As its successor, Z3 Compact (hereinafter referred to as Z3C), also reassured people that Sony would continue to build a mini flagship.
It's no exaggeration to say that Sony is now a body maniac. Although the flagship update cycle is only half a year (Z2 does not have a small screen version), Sony can still make some improvements every time. In Z3C, Sony has continued its own double-sided glass design, and the screen has increased from 4.3 inches of Z1C to 4.6 inches. Moreover, considering that the battery capacity increases to 2600 mAh, it is very difficult for the Z3C to further reduce the weight and thickness on the basis of the Z1C (although the Z3C does not use a metal frame).
Before we started, we were a little disappointed that the Z3C didn't use the 1080p screen. However, Sony's 720p screen has brighter colors, higher brightness and a very good visual angle, which is also a small surprise. Other functions such as 2160p (4K) video recording and IP68 level protection are also popular among the people.
Appearance design:
The appearance design of Z3C has changed a lot compared with that of Z1C. Z3C no longer simply reduces the size of Z3, but re applies Sony's full balance design concept to make Z3C look different. It is many small details that may make many people love Z3C.
Although the metal frame is reduced, the front and rear glass panels of the Z3C still make it look very beautiful (although we hope it can have a metal frame). Unlike the Z3, the front and rear glass panels of the Z3C are not covered by the frame, which makes it more advanced when grasping the Z3C.
Another obvious improvement of Z3C compared with Z1C is that the rear panel is made of solid glass. Finally, users of Z3C need not worry too much about the scratch on the back.
The Z3C is very comfortable to hold in the hand, and the small size of the body makes the single hand operation as pleasant as the breeze. Although the Z3C is thicker than the Z3, it is this thickness that further improves the feel.
However, it is not without disadvantages. The front and back glass panels make the Z3C very smooth. With the compact body, the probability of Z3C falling from the hand or table is much higher than that of the large screen flagship, which is particularly worth the attention of potential buyers.
Layout:
The layout of the Z3C is similar to that of the Z3. The front 2.2 megapixel camera is above the screen, and there is an LED light and some sensors beside the earpiece.
There are various card slots and buttons on both sides of the phone. On the left side, there are magnetic charging wires or charging base interfaces, as well as SD cards, NanoSIM card slots and MicroUSB data cable interfaces covered by waterproof covers.
On the right side of the fuselage is Sony's iconic round power button. Next to the power button is a small volume button. The delicate camera shutter button is placed on the edge.
There are exposed 3.5mm headphone connectors and noise reduction microphones on the top of the fuselage, and lanyard holes and main microphones on the bottom of the fuselage.
There is only a 20.7 million pixel camera and LED fill light on the back of the fuselage, and the rear panel is not removable.
In addition, Sony will also add the PS4 linkage function to the Z3 series this time. This function enables the Z3 series devices to act as the display screen of the user's PS4 (no longer having to compete with his mother for TV), so that he can play PS4 games directly on his mobile phone. Unfortunately, this function will not be officially launched until November this year.
Screen:
The front of Z3C uses a Live Color LED backlight screen, which integrates TRILUMINOS display technology. The screen panel is 720p IPS. Although the screen size is larger than the Z1C's 4.3 inch, the Z3C uses a narrow border design, so that the size of the body does not increase. The Live Color LED backlight can automatically adjust according to the screen content, making the screen display brighter, At the same time, ensure that the color saturation of the picture is not too high.
Moreover, the Z3C screen has both low reflectivity and high brightness, which makes the Z3C screen very readable in strong light. The maximum brightness of the Z3C screen is one level higher than Z1C.
Endurance:
The battery capacity of Z3C has increased to 2600 mAh, and the system uses the latest Android 4.4.4. Before our test, we have been convinced that with the advantage of 300 mAh battery capacity, There is no pressure for Z3C to kill its predecessor, Z1C, in terms of endurance. The test results show that the endurance of Z3C is almost twice that of Z1C. The duration of web browsing and video playback is excellent. In addition to the excellent call duration, we give Z3C a total endurance rating of 101 hours, which means that Z3C can maintain normal use for 4 days, which is very tough.
It is worth mentioning that in this evaluation, we did not turn on the power saving mode of Z3C.
System:
After this year's Xperia mobile phone was updated to Android 4.4.4, it has made a series of improvements in the UI. The most satisfying thing about Z3C is that it has no shrink in software functions compared with Z3, and the system is almost the same as Z3.
The lock screen can be used to place widgets. Although there are few built-in widgets in the original factory, it is good to download third-party applications that support lock screen widgets through Google Play for expansion. There are camera shortcuts at the bottom of the screen.
Sony still provides Android standard screen unlocking methods: face recognition, pattern, PIN and password. In addition, Z3C also has the function of double click screen wake-up.
The number of Z3C desktops can be edited. The original setting is 5 pages, and a maximum of 7 pages can be added. Users can set any page as the main page, but unfortunately the order of the pages cannot be changed freely.
The editing of the homepage is very simple. Similarly, users can select various dynamic wallpapers, widgets and shortcuts, and Z3C can change the interface theme.
The control button of the notice bar is moved to a separate page, and the switch control panel can be opened by pulling down two fingers at the same time. The Z3C system provides more than 20 types of switches, in which the user can select up to 12 types to display in the switch panel.
APP drawer adopts multi page display mode, and has a variety of arrangement modes for selection.
Press the multi task button of Z3C to start the multi task interface. Z3C also supports small application windows. After starting, small applications will be displayed on the screen in the form of floating windows.
Sony also has a widget called Today's Hot, which can recommend Google Play and popular applications in Sony PlayStation Store to users, of course, domestic users
Other software is the Google series, which doesn't work well inside the wall.
Performance:
Z3C is equipped with Snapdragon 801 chipset, including Krait 400 quad core CPU with the highest main frequency of 2.5GHz and Adreno 330 GPU. Except 2GB RAM, other hardware configurations are basically similar to Xperia Z3.
CPU performance:
Graphics performance:
The screen resolution of the Z3C is only 720p, which makes the Z3C have many advantages over the flagship phones using 1080p in the On Screen test. When it comes to Off Screen, the performance of the Z3C is very general.
JavaScript and HTML 5:
From the performance score, the Z3C does have the qualification to challenge the flagship smart phones of today, and the lack of shrinking SoC also makes the Z3C show a "second kill" advantage against various mini flagship. Machines such as ONE mini, S5 mini, G2 mini can't be compared with the Z3C in terms of performance.
Audio performance:
The speaker level of Z3C is medium, and the sound quality is good, but unfortunately the volume is not high enough.
The audio quality of Z3C is fairly good, but unfortunately, the parameters are slightly backward compared with Z1C.
Camera:
The sensor of Z3C is 20.7 million pixels and supports ISO 12800 at most. The ultra-high ISO makes Z3C have great advantages in low light conditions.
The Z3C has a physical shutter key, but unfortunately the size of the shutter key is too small, which may make many people uncomfortable to press. The shutter key can quickly wake up the phone and open the camera interface when the phone is asleep, or directly take a picture or start recording. Another advantage of the solid shutter key is that it can enable the Z3C to start the camera to take photos when the body is completely immersed in water. After all, the capacitive touch screen is completely disabled underwater.
If the Z3C wants to take 20.7 million pixel photos, the user must turn on the manual mode that sounds cool but is not so cool to use. In this mode, the user can adjust the exposure compensation, white balance, focusing mode, ISO and other things. Of course, the prerequisite is to open the menu.
Other photographing modes include AR live mode, creative filter mode and time shift mode, which are similar to the previous Xperia mobile phones. The Z3 series has added a multi camera mode this time, which can combine the pictures taken by several mobile phone cameras into a picture, provided that these mobile phones are all Sony and connected to the same WI-FI hotspot.
Advanced automatic mode proof sheet:
In the advanced automatic mode, the picture has a good dynamic range, but there are too many noise points - especially when compared with the manual mode, the contrast is not very good, and the hair color tends to be oversaturated.
20,7 megapixel manual mode proof sheet:
In the 20.7 million pixel manual mode, the details of the picture are better preserved, the noise is less than the advanced automatic mode, the contrast is also better, and the color generation is also better than the advanced automatic mode.
HDR sample sheet 1 (HDR on at the top and HDR off at the bottom):
HDR sample sheet 2:
The HDR mode of Sony's mobile phone is very troublesome (Samsung's mobile phone can be switched on and off), and the HDR mode can only take 8 million pixels of photos, but it is better than nothing. The Z3C's HDR mode is generally standard, which can keep the bright part of the picture while brightening the dark part of the picture, but unfortunately the picture becomes blurred and messy after HDR is turned on. Although in the advanced automatic mode, the mobile phone will analyze the scene to determine whether HDR needs to be started, but from our trial, this function is really unreliable, sometimes it has to be started manually.
In general, the contrast and noise control in the sample after the Z3C starts HDR is surprisingly poor, which ultimately makes the HDR function of Z3C an absolute device.
Panoramic photo sample:
The Z3C also has the panoramic photo function, but unfortunately, it continues the tradition of the Xperia family. The resolution of panoramic photos is only 5 million pixels, and the contrast and detail retention are very poor.
Finally, we can talk about ISO 12800. The ISO 12800 of Z3C can only be turned on in the 8 megapixel manual mode. In this mode, the image of the sample is soft and the whole picture is full of noise. But to be honest, it is OK for ISO to have such picture quality.
Video recording:
Z3C can shoot 4K video at 30fps. After the resolution is reduced to 1080p, the fps can reach 60. At the same time, Z3C also supports 720p slow motion video. In addition, HDR function can also be turned on when shooting video, but after that, only recording can be done 1080p@30fps 's video.
Summary:
When the parameters of various mini models were terrible, Sony Z1 Compact came forward and put forward the concept of "compact flagship". Although this new concept was very competitive, Sony's compact product update cycle made Z3C very embarrassed.
Although the Z3C has not significantly improved its specifications, the new design and significant improvements in two key aspects, such as screen and endurance, deserve our applause. In addition, the higher brightness and narrower frame also make the front visual effect of the Z3C very excellent, and Z3C has corrected the problem that the contrast of the Z1C screen decreases significantly in a specific angle.
advantage:
Excellent workmanship and outstanding appearance;
High screen brightness, good outdoor readability;
Keep going and blow the sky;
LTE, USB Host and FM radio functions are available;
Strong performance in the same screen size level;
The camera quality is good, but unfortunately it is not as good as that of Samsung. It can shoot smooth 4K video.
However, for Sony, the market environment of the Z3C is different from that of the Z1C. The Z1C had full performance in the small screen models at that time. Before the Z3C was released, Samsung had released the Galaxy Alpha with a screen of the same 4.7 inches and a Snapdragon 801 or Exynos eight core CPU. The latter not only has strong performance, but also has a metal frame and thinner thickness, In addition, Alpha's 12 megapixel camera has good quality when shooting still pictures and 4K videos. In addition, the Mali-T628 in the Exynos Galaxy Alpha can provide more powerful graphics performance than the Adreno 330 in the Z3C.
The biggest advantage of Z3C for Alpha is the crushing endurance advantage (twice) brought by the 2600 mAh battery capacity (the battery capacity of Alpha is only 1860 mAh).
But to be honest, from this year on, the life of 4.7 inch Android phones may never be easy. The debut of Apple's iPhone 6 may attract a large number of users who used to think that the iPhone was too small but did not want to use more than 5 inch phones. According to past experience, it is basically a matter of certainty that the sales of iPhone 6 will fall behind Z3C and Alpha.
In the face of the strong challenges of Galaxy Alpha and iPhone 6 (in fact, the iPhone is the main one), Sony has made a big deal this time.
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