As per what many originally dismissed as
outlandish rumors, the new Sony Xperia XZ3 features a huge, 6-inch, curved OLED, HDR
display. A first for the Japanese giant, which will more than likely, stir up
some commotion and controversy among fans.
Whether you like the new form factor and the jump to
OLED or not, Sony made sure the panel it picked looks gorgeous, featuring an
18:9, "Extended display" aspect ratio, QHD+ resolution and the
company's standard and long-standing plethora of display optimization tech,
like TRILUMINOS and X-REALITY.
The new curved panel also bring about a revamped
design. The elongated body on the XZ3 measures 183 x 73 x 9.9mm and tips the
scale at 193g and has an IP65/68 rating. The bill of materials is mostly
unchanged, though, including Gorilla Glass 5 on both sides and an aluminum
frame, sandwiched in between. The latter is now quite a bit thinner than on the
Xperia XZ2, as a consequence of the double-sided sloping edges.
Speaking of the XZ2, the XZ3 borrows most of its
internals, including the Snapdragon 845 chipset, coupled with 4GB of RAM and
64GB of storage, expandable via microSD. The main camera setup is mostly
transferred over as well. It consist of a familiar 19 MP, f/2.0, 25mm,
1/2.3", 1.22µm Motion Eye camera, complete with PDAF, laser AF, as well as
a stacked memory solution, powering 960fps, 1080p slow-motion capture and
real-time 4K HDR recording. There are some improvements added to the experience
for the XZ3, through the latest iteration of the BIONZ processing algorithm.
On the front of the XZ3 - an upgraded selfie camera
- 13MP, f/1.9, with autofocus. Basically, a return to the Xperia XZ1 setup,
after the unfortunate downgrade on the XZ2. The battery has seen a small bump
up, as well, and is now rated at 3,300 mAh, complete with Power Delivery
support and the traditional Qnovo tech. Of course, NFC, Bluetooth 5.0,
dual-band Wi-Fi ac and a rear-mounted fingerprint reader, among other things,
are also accounted, not going anywhere for and still part of the XZ3 mix.
A notable new feature on the Xparia XZ3 is Side
Sense. Like the name suggests, it's a gesture system, that detects taps and
swipes on the new curved edges of the OLED panel. It enables shortcuts, like a
back gesture, alternative camera shutter and is also the way to access a brand
new Side Sense menu. The latter features a list of frequently used apps and
settings shortcuts, complete with user customizability.
On the software side of things, the Xperia XZ3 runs
Android 9.0 Pier out of the box, with a rather familiar Xperia launcher, on
top. There are a few new additions, though, like the Side Sense menu and a new
automatic, AI-powered, camera launch gesture.
The Xperia XZ3 is expected to hit shelves by the end
of September. One interesting thing to note about the Sony's current lineup is
that the XZ2, XZ2 Compact, as well as the XZ2 Premium will all remain on offer,
as current-gen devices and continue selling alongside the XZ3.
