Is the Sony Xperia XZ3 an underrated smartphone?

A design in tune with the latest trends

Until last year, Sony smartphones were often mocked for their outdated design with a relatively low screen-to-body ratio. The Japanese manufacturer heard the comments and finally changed its design policy by ending Omnibalance.

Inaugurated by the Xperia XZ2, Ambient Flow's aesthetic lines have been further improved on the Xperia XZ3, which in my opinion, has absolutely nothing to be ashamed of in the face of competition and deserves more praise. While Sony's flagship still has its fingerprint reader in a difficult position, at least the smartphone is no longer so massive, Sony's new design embraces curved lines and rounded edges for a very comfortable grip and a modern look.

As always, the manufacturing quality of Sony terminals is simply excellent. Fears for scratches and accidents are also limited as we find Gorilla Glass 5 at the front and rear. The chassis is made of 7000 series aluminium and the smartphone is, of course, IP68 certified. This is enough to compete with the stars of the market.

Good performance and a very good camera

Like all good high-end products, the XZ3's features are the ones expected by many users: a 6-inch screen in a QHD+ definition (1440 x 2880 pixels), a Snapdragon 845 processor, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. All this and it already runs on Android Pie, unlike many of its competitors. Its sober and, in a more subjective way, elegant interface works without bugs. The XZ3 is also guaranteed to receive the update to the next version of Android, Android Q.

Although it has a strange name, the Side Sense feature is also interesting. It looks like a Japanese version of HTC's Edge Sense or Google's Active Edge, but it is actually a kind of variant of Samsung's Edge panel.

For this model, Sony has also completely reworked its photo application and taught it a few things. Even those who are not familiar with Sony products will know how to use the application. Yes, we expect even more from the Japanese manufacturer in this field, because it's the brand that manufactures the photo sensors, but at least it's progressing.

The Sony Xperia XZ3 against the competition

Sony Xperia XZ3 vs vs. OnePlus 6

	Sony Xperia XZ3 (Pie)	OnePlus 6 (Pie)
3DMark Sling Shot Extreme	4193	4668
3DMark Sling Shot Vulkan	3188	3819
3DMark Sling Shot	5175	6270
3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited	66801	63996
Geekbench 4 Single / Multi-Core	2395 / 8910	2390 / 9024
Passmark Memory	12400	12424
Passmark Disk	75849	74557

An after-sales service and reliability worthy of the name

You also have to see the hidden advantages of Sony smartphones, whose added value is not always visible at first glance. In addition to product reliability, the brand's customers can count on generally high-quality customer service. An argument where many manufacturers are still struggling, especially Chinese newcomers (OPPO or Xiaomi for example).

Of course, the XZ3 is not free of defects. Battery life is certainly the weakest point of the phone. But for having used some of its competitors on a daily basis, in particular the Apple iPhone XS and Galaxy S9, are even worse.

So, is it underrated?

I have never been a fan of Sony Xperia phones, especially in recent years. However, the Xperia XZ3 marks a real change from previous years. It simply represents the evolution that was expected (and that I expected) and it would be unfair to criticize Sony for its inaction and lack of change. The Xperia XZ3, with its screen and ergonomic improvements, is a good alternative to high-end smartphones for multimedia fans.

In your opinion, is the Sony Xperia XZ3 an underrated smartphone?