Sony Xperia Z3 Compact Review! 

my experience using this: I've bought this phone a few months after the release and now It's been four years and still doing fine! very durable, efficient, and also has a great performance. so far still not slowing down (it's the newest smartphones that getting faster ofc if being compared).

i downsized from the regular z3 to the compact and i love it. So much easier to use. The larger screen is not needed. This is the perfect size smart phone.

I was sold when I heard "4.6 inch screen". I feel like I am now in the minority in that I prefer smaller phones to larger ones, but that's alright!

I just bought Z3 Compact at SONY store in NYC. Hooray!!

Samurai Champloo ftw! ....

Josh's reviews are so well written, always enjoy watching them

I made the decision to move from Apple iPhone 5 to Android sony z3 compact. Conclusion, best decision ever! Although iphone does offer the best specs, you pay top end prices for a phone that is limited. Z3 compact is high end performance, lower cost and all the freedom (without rooting your phone). I say 'high performance' because the screen and camera could be better, spec wise. But honestly none of this takes away from the brilliant screen display, task speed or photo quality. Using my Ps4 controller for android games is the highlight for me and mirroring my phone to a smart tv makes the z3 compact a mini console (no lagging). With the external memory card and great battery life, z3 compact is a mini power house. That is what z3 compact is, 'mini power house'. If size and cost is not a issue, then this phone aint for you. But if you want value for money on a smaller device and with high quality performance, look no further. Bad points - camera slow auto focus (2 to 4 secs). Slow camera launch from locked screen (3secs). Opening flaps to charge phone (invest in magnetic or wireless charger) Good points- Cost, Performance (2gb ram keeps high task speed). Build. Screen quality. Sound. Pairing devices (quick n easy). Gameplay with ps3 or ps4 controller. Battery life. External memory. Waterproof. Also screen recording as well as screen shot.

i dont regret getting this phone after using an iphone for a long time.

this phone brings me back so much memories. The phone was *cough* compact as i still believe a max of 5inch makes a decent reach for one handed usage. The rear camera was decent but the front camera was crap, where images turn into blurry where you had to rely alot of third party apps to save it but that too was not enough. The magnetic cable charging was near pointless, and the BIGGEST GRIPE is the freaking rubber seal surrounding the microsd tray which kept coming out.

Xperia Z3 is the best smart phone I've owned so far. Sony def is the BEST manufacturer! highly recommended.

I am going to buy 2-3 of this. Sorry but I will never let this version go even if android phones upgrade to the next level.

Hands down the best original UI of android phones. It had the authentic Sony style which ironically Sony screwed it up by repackaging the WALKMAN to MUSIC instead.

Wow.. This has gotta be one of the most impressive reviews on RU-vid. I was so set with Galaxy S4 with the price cuts and what not... I'm pretty sure I have changed my mind.. I had no idea LCD units could have blacks this deep ofcourse I have read about it but seeing it live just blew my mind.. Living in a remote part of the world I don't have much luck with actually testing a device before buying.. This is as close as it gets.. :)

I bought this phone 1 week ago, and it is amazing. The phone has NEVER lagged and always lasted at least one full day of heavy usage. I recommend this phone to anyone that wants a smaller phone in a more compact design.

I was able to use this at a Sony store last night and it's really beautiful. The white version is so elegant. The size reminds of Xperia T.

I'm from the year 2017 and I got a Sony Experia Z7, specs are... 4 quad core processors 256gb standard 128 megapixel back camera 64 megapixel front camera New mega lightning charger (100% in just 1 minute!) New beats pro studio 5 wireless Bluetooth earphones with comfort fit for a comfortable fit for anyone! 35k video recording! Ultra clear voice calls with noise clearance Sony Experia Z7 mega tough case with build in 50000 watt wireless Bluetooth speaker! Built in 50000 watt speaker (that's 100000 watts in total! Bet your iPhone 5 couldn't do that!) Best part is... It's transparent and has extra security features such as fingerprint scanner, 16 digit passcode, 24 digit password, double finger print scanner, crossword, word search, and an instant unlock button only the phone owner can access! I have the best phone!

I have it for a week and it is simply what you expect from an Android phone.Fast,long battery life with water and dust proof case and a nice camera.Also not gigantic as other phones so you can literally you is in your pocket.

I am tempted by this lol. I currently have a Z2 (5.2" I think) and the size is perfect for me to hold. I have relatively long fingers, so I can one-hand it with some stretching. I recently had to send it in for a warranty repair (cluster of dead pixels) and I went to my backup phone for a while, the old 4.7" LG Optimus G. Man, the small frame was great to use. Ultimately I did not miss the smaller screen though, and decided the larger easier to read screen and higher fidelity outweighs the size. But for someone who is coming from a smaller phone and just cannot accept the trend of growing phones, or have small hands, this is great especially with the same internal hardware as the full size. While a user of full sized phones now, it always pissed me off that the "mini" variants to flagship were always gimped to mid-range or lower specs. I know they're then cheaper, but wtf!

If anyone is wondering, the Z3 and Z3 Compact will be able to have the Android N update when it comes out. You can get the developer preview right now.

Looks even more beautiful in orange and green color...

Z3 Compact has nothing to compromise with it's bigger brother! The only reason to buy the bigger Z3 is only when you really need the bigger screen. Z3 Compact is the best phone i ever had!

Wow!! I too have a Sony xperia z3 compact, and it is just the phone of my dream. The minimalistic size and the kind of performance without any lag, is the best thing about it. Camera, just as good as it should be. Just a KILLER COMPACT.😎

Sony the best phone ever..always watterproof and high specs..even for this year is the Iphone trends..I want to buy the sony phones..wow.. :-D

I wish there was more of your face in this video...you're so handsome.

Its cool that he is a samurai champloo fan and I didn't expect that. He is even using nujabes music :0

Ur reviews r the best amongst the rest. Keep up the good work. Having a pleasant voice, great text placement, detail oriented video shooting, love ur logo intro and above all neat presentation brings life to ur reviews.

Love it... I'm watching this for second time after I saw that Z4 compact has 1gb less and batter bit weaker. This is the phone for me.

This is by far one of the best reviews I've heard about this phone thus far. The reviews did not go into depth about the cameras functionality and manual control mode. most reviewers grunted" it sucks buy s6"

Its funny how like he says, a couple og years ago 4,5 inches was a pretty big phone, while 5 iches was a phaplet. Now 5-5.5 is the norm and everybody seems to just sat okay to it. I still feel like a smartphone should be a MINI computer. If you really want a giant phone, go with a tablet or iPad. And keep a smaller phone by your side....

i have a Z1 and these small apps are so useful.

i love mine. it's a worthy successor to the z1c. it demolishes everything in it's size bracket.

Three of my friends got z3c and they love it.

Here we are 4 years later and I've just brought my second Z3C. The Z3+ and Z5 compact gets to hot. The newer ones aren't much faster for the tasks I use it for, the screen hasn't really changed, considering you can buy these in as new condition for around $100 it's very hard to think of a better phone for your money. Just be smart and buy a $3 rugged plastic and rubber case, I got 3 years out of my first one. My only gripe is I wish I could get the Z3C CPU GPU and Chipset in a Z5C case with the waterproof usb connection and metal frame. Oh well, I can't so if I have to choose it's this one! A modern classic. Come to think of it, I should buy a few more replacements and keep using it until it's retro. ^_^

There we go, thanks for the review!

Finally the review that I’ve been waiting for thanks Android Authority!

I had to dump this phone. I used it for 2 weeks. The touch receptors are off, that dedicated camera is useless when it takes 5 seconds to open the camera app and snap the shutter. Auto focus is slow. The speakers are hollow and tinny. The flaps are a pain in the ass. The plastic sides tarnish the overall build quality. I had high hopes for the z3 compact because I traded my nexus 5 away. Oh well the ip6 is my daily driver now. Although the z3 looks and feels gorgeous.

This is by far the best small phone of 2014.

updating from an iphone 3gs, this phone looks massive, but its still tiny compared to the flagship giants out nowadays.

Nice Editor's Choice!

adreno 330 with 720p *__* the graphic peformance must be the best

Technology has improved a lot but still , no android makers were able to design such phones : (

I have a iphone 4s should i upgrade to the z3 compact ??

Love all the Nujabes and Samurai Champloo in this review. On another note, this still looks really good. Feels like this would be a rival to the Nexus 5

2:15 First I see Attack on Titan/SnK in a video a while back, now I see Samurai Champloo ;). Joshua this is why you're one of my favorite reviewers. Also that was an excellent way to show off the colors. If I was still on AT&T, I would get this phone. Since I'm on Verizon I'll probably go Z3v, but I really prefer the smaller size, and 720p screens always are fast on Android, as the GPU isn't being taxed as much :/.

My favorite review of this phone thus far! And Samurai Champloo! Great choice!

Nujabs! RIP. Great review man.

i like phone sizes that are smaller than 5 inches

Sweet damn I wasn't ready for the Samurai Champloo

Now I got Sony xperia M2 and it's great phone,Android Authority-what do you think how much will fall Z3 compact price in the next 10 months,and I'll subscribe to your channel because you're excellent in reviews.

I got this phone 3 days ago, really impressive.

Another great review Josh.

Please do a drop test 😁

My Favourite Tech RU-vidrs 1. MKBHD 2.Josh Vergara 3.Michael Fisher 4.Danny Winget 5.Unboxtherapy Theyall are awesome.

Great professional review Joshua! Keep it up man!

hi there! i was almost sure on buying this phone, until i start reading about screen self-cracking issues.. don't know if it's really true, and if it happens to a lot of users.. so i was just wondering if you have heard about this? also, i didn't see a lot of reports of self-cracking issues with z1 compact... thanks!

Yeah Samurai Champloo stole my attention here every single time they shown up! Samurai Cahmploo ftw!

Awesome phone. The only thing that bothers me is that they decided to use plastic for the frame while Z2 and Z3 both use metal.

Samurai Champloo

I thought of this phone after seeing the review to the Sony Xperia 2 in 2020. I want this phone back with a "Small" 5.5 inch full screen display It would fly off the shelves. Sony also had AR in their phones first and I think they were ahead of there time look at the pixel 3 or pixel 4a they're copy's that are cool but that Z3 compact looked far better.

The Z1 compact and the Z2 were released at the same time.

In UAE price is 1800 AED in local shops with global assurance warranty.

Great review man!

I have a Z1 Compact since 2014, and it still works great... Getting a new Z3 Compact turned out to be a very bad idea. Two days after I started using it, I noticed that the back part close to camera was opened... looks like they used a false "glue" (or whatever they use in it)... Now after four months I'm having problems with the face glass, I don't know where the air bubbles came from? This is really very disappointing since it never dropped it to a strong surface, or water 😞

There's always this awkward silence before your intro starts lol. Nice video btw

Great review - thanks. Can you record video in 24fps in manual mode? If not, are there any Android apps that allow you to do this?

nice review mate! whats the tune @ 3:41 please?

Battery life and manageable size. Wish other phones would do this. The current trend in the mobile world seems to be heading away from these areas with all the phablets we're getting.

A nice review.... Can u review the blackberry passport ???

i use iphone and android as i carry 2 phones . but damn z3 is the sexiest android phone iv ever seen!! that size ! damn! just comfortable to hold and makes me feel like im holding a personal device of my own in my palm !! not some shitty sasmung television where u gotta be too careful to touch the corner of screen and it gets in ur head that u might drop it so u got to be too careful with this shit !!

@Jennifer P. Its called Leo's Fortune

Hey Josh, am just wondering to ask if I should get the Z3 compact or you happen to know if the Z4 compact is coming out? If so would it be best if I wait on it? Cuz am more on the compact side size my hands are small. Just wondering if you could help me out. And its gonna be my first time to switch to an Android from iOs. Thanks.

best compact flag. no competition.

Good day ladies and gents. To all the Z3C owners, how has your device fared thus far? What's this talk about the phone cracking in pockets? Care to shed some light for how it's been for you? How long have you used your Z3C? Any accidental falls?

Should I get the Oneplus X or the Xperia Z3 Compact?

damn those thick bezel! how come they can make the bezel like the lg g3? is it that hard to do? same applies to the rear speaker. place them on the front. seriously is it that hard to do? or is it because of copyright????

finally, thanks for an other awsome review android authority!

I was wondering whereI heard that theme till a wallpaper of samurai champloo came up

Make sure this time Z4 Compact is identical in specs/cam with xperia z4 and just 4.5 inch screen/smaller size over all. better stereo Front speakers. Thinner!!! Ill buy it on day one... ^_^

Small size and high specs , FTW !

I think it's a fantastic phone. However, I still find the arrangement of the rear camera lens and flash is kind of awkward..

Should I buy the sony xperia z3 compact, I think it is the best compact phone on the market?

5 years have pass. Now, I'm buying this phone for under 50 Dollars. How time passed...

There is a real market for smaller phones, not my cup of tea, but this will sell loads!

Why doesn't sony make Z series phones anymore? It's sad, lately it seems to me that phones are only used for games and not for the comfortable calling like before.😢

*Sony Xperia Z3 Compact Review* goo.gl/PJqpmI

I'm torn about the size. I know I'll be getting the Z3 but I just don't know about the screen. I have an HTC One and I think it's the perfect size. The Z3 Compact is too small and the normal Z3 is too big for me. Can't decide which one to get

That Samurai Champloo tho!!! lol..

Samurai champloo bit was best!👍

Great phone, but I really wish Sony would move away from having humongous sizes of bezels... :(

Hi Android Authority, what do you have to say about the blemishes that comes on the lens of z3 compact after very normal usage? Thanks

This is a great review, you do know what you are taking about.Thanks :)

George Benson - Affirmation ! =D

really like the samurai shamploo video :D

Although a little to late,i have a question regarding the z3c's quick charge 2.0 capability.Are all variants quick charge 2.0 compatible or only the japanese variant(as some sites suggest) Thanks in advance!

Have you noticed how the smart phone industry is trying to make out anything smaller than a cinema screen isn’t normal.

Today phone keep getting bigger. I wish they still make small phone like this. I work on factory floor, easier to put in pocket.

Would you consider including which radio bands are available?

Can I know the model of the headphone you were using in the video please?

Great review thanks

What is that game ????