Sony Xperia Z3+ is now officially the company's flagship smartphone this year. The device has been quietly launched in Japan weeks ago and the company is now humbly naming it as the Xperia Z3+. This is due to the fact that the new device only offers incremental updates from last year's front runner. So what has changed? What's here to stay? You will find out right after the fold.
Sony Xperia Z3+, same-old-brand-new flagship
1. Display stuck at
full HD
It
is not new to everyone that Sony's top competitors like Samsung and LG have
gone QHD in their panels; however, the Xperia Z3+ remains unchanged at full HD.
Yes, the device is still 5.2-inch with its own Triluminous tech.
2. Same RAM but Faster hardware
Hardware-wise,
the Sony Xperia Z3 is powered by the Qualcomm's most powerful chipset, the Snapdragon
810 coupled with the same 3GB of RAM. Both hardware are entitled for a smooth
performance in line with the Android 5.0 (Lollipop) on the background. I could
say that there will be a significant difference from last year's Snapdragon
801.
There's
no more 16GB configuration, just the beefy 32GB and 64GB internal memory.
3. Still the same
powerful camera
Of
course, Sony Xperia phones will still be on top of the food chain when it comes
to optics. The 20.7-megapixel Exmor camera sensor is unchanged but still gives
the best output quality in terms of mobile photography. The front snapper is,
however, bumped to 5-megapixel for worthwhile pointing-and-shooting activities.
4. Familiar Industrial design in slimmer form
The
Sony Xperia Z3+ still rocks the same industrial design. However, the
PlayStation maker slashed a considerable amount of thickness from last year.
The new candy bar is now 6.9 millimeters in depth; last year, the Xperia Z3 is
measured with 7.3-millimeter body.
The
handset's battery was also scaled down to 2900 mAh from 3100 mAh. However, Sony
promises two days of battery usage. This is due to the more energy efficient
Snapdragon 810 used in the handset’s core.
5. Still water-resistant without the microUSB cap
What's
worth noting is the fact that the Sony Xperia Z3+ left the flap covers of its
microUSB port in the cutting room. But the device still has the same Ingress
Protection rating of IP67 and IP68. Yes, that’s 30 minutes underwater with
1-meter depth.
Conclusion
The
Sony Xperia X3+ is expected to hit the shelves in June with the same initial
asking price of last year's Z3. The Sony Xperia Z3+ is arguably a great
handset; but from the way we look at it, Sony has been very uptight in its
smartphone releases. We are waiting for game-changer from the Japanese outfit
this, but the Sony Xperia Z3+ is not what we had hoped for. See you next year
Sony.
Sony Xperia
Z3+ Specs
5-2inch
full HD IPS LCD Triluminous display (1080 × 1920p at 424ppi)
Snapdragon 810
Chipset
1.5GHz quad-core
Cortex-A53 and 2GHz quad-core Cortex-A57
Adreno 430
GPU
3GB RAM
32GB or
64GB internal memory, up to 128GB via microSD
20.7MP Exmor
rear camera, LED flash, Autofocus
Up to 2160p
video recording @30fps
5.1MP
front-facing camera
LTE, HSPA,
2G
WiFi 802.11
a/b/g/n/ac dual band, DLNA, Wi-Fi Hotspot
Bluetooth
4.1 LE
FM Radio
GPS w/
A-GPS, GLONASS
Android 5.0
Lollipop
2,930 mAh
battery, non-removable