Sony has officially announced the arrival of its newest flagship smartphone, the Sony Xperia Z3. The announcement was made in Berlin during the 2014 Internationale Funkausstellung (IFA) trade show.
Just six months after the launch of its predecessor, the Sony Xperia Z2, Sony is relatively quick in introducing an update to its flagship device. While it may be a bit early for those who have just purchased their Xperia Z2s to buy the latest version, it does make sense for the company to launch a new device that should excite its loyal users. If anything else, with all the high-profile recent and upcoming releases (Samsung's Galaxy Alpha and Apple's iPhone 6, respectively), it is good to know that Sony is joining the launch party, so to speak.
Now that the Sony Xperia Z3 is officially unveiled, fans no longer have to wonder about what its specifications are. This newly launched smartphone features a 5.2-inch full HD LED display screen that is housed in a much thinner case (7.3 mm). Weighing in at 152 grams, the Xperia Z3 features glass panels that are encased in a sturdy round-edged aluminum steel frame.
Its hardware consists of a quad-core 2.5 GigaHertz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor, 3 gigabytes of random access memory (RAM), and a 3,100 mAh battery. The smartphone further features 4G LTE capability, and runs on Android 4.4 KitKat.
Like previous Xperia versions, the Xperia Z3 is designed to be waterproof. It can be submerged in water at a depth of 1.5 meters for half an hour. Its IP65 and IP68 certification gives this version one of the highest waterproof ratings of any device today.
How Does It Compare To Z2?
Design-wise, the Xperia Z3 is slimmer by 0.7 mm and lighter by 9 grams compared to its predecessor, the Z2. The newest iteration does keep the omnibalance design, which should please those who prefer familiarity and consistency.
Z3 basically shares the same 5.2-inch display with the Z2. Which means that buyers will be treated with the 1080p screen they have experienced with the previous model. The same goes for the 20.7-megapixel camera, which has remained unchanged from its predecessor.
As for the Xperia Z3's RAM, it is kept at 3 gigabytes like the Z2's, but still is not matched by other phones like the HTC One (M8) or Galaxy S5. The processor though has been upgraded to 2.5 GigaHertz (Z2 only sports 2.3 GigaHertz). In terms of battery, the Z3 packs one that is noticeably smaller than the previous version.
The Sony Xperia Z3 is expected to be available in store shelves sometime in fall of this year. Even though Sony has not yet revealed any details regarding which carrier will be offering the smartphone, however it is expected that an Xperia Z3 with US-friendly LTE data will be available soon.
