Sony Mobile has announced the Xperia XZ3 at IFA 2018 – it is the first Sony smartphone to use an OLED display.
The Xperia XZ3 has a 6-inch 2:1 QHD+ (2880 x 1440) HDR OLED display, and one of the advantages is that Sony will have an ‘always on display’ mode, which can show key information on the lock screen (clock, notifications etc).
The design of the phone is similar to that of the Xperia XZ2, incorporating a 2:1 ratio ‘skinny’ display, but the side bezels now go right to the edge of the phone. The use of 3D curved glass means that the design looks similar, in some respects, to the Samsung Galaxy S8/S9. Sony is once again using a curved back, with Corning Gorilla Glass 5, which Sony says gives a ‘perfect hand fit’.
Sony is pushing the intelligent features of the phone. First of all there is ‘side sense’, which uses AI (Sony describes the term as “AI in Xperia”) to predict which apps you need the most and makes them available by double tapping anywhere on the side of the Xperia XZ3.
The AI provides the most suitable application based on your location, day, time, and frequency of usage. Another gesture is swiping along the edge to use it as a ‘back’ function.
Then there is ‘smart launch’ for the camera, which launches into camera mode when your phone is lifted horizontally. The rear camera sensor is the same 19MP Motion Eye sensor found in the Xperia XZ, with 1/2.3-inch Exmor RS memory-stacked sensor (pixel pitch 1.22μm) with 25mm wide angle G Lens (F2.0). It is capable of 960fps super slow motion video at FHD resolution and 4K HDR movie recording.
There is a better front-facing camera compared to the 5MP of the Xperia XZ2. This time we are treated to a 13MP selfie camera with 1/3.06-inch Exmor RS sensor with 23mm wide angle lens.
The Xperia XZ3 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset, 4GB RAM, 64GB UFS internal storage. It’s a shame that Sony didn’t up the RAM to at least 6GB, considering this is the norm for Android flagships nowadays. Other specs include a 3300mAH battery, Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0, IP65/IP68 dust and water resistance, Bluetooth 5.0, USB 3.1, and a microSD memory card.
The fingerprint sensor is still located in the same awkward low position at the rear of the handset, and there is no 3.5mm headphone jack. The Xperia XZ3 also supports DVS (Dynamic Vibration System), as first seen on the Xperia XZ2. Sony also continues to support dual stereo speakers.
The Xperia XZ3 will be available in both single SIM and dual SIM variants. It has dimensions of 158 x 73 x 9.9 mm and weighs 193 grams. The Xperia XZ3 will be available in four colours (Black, White Silver, Forest Green, Bordeaux Red) and will launch with Android 9.0 Pie out of the box across “selected markets” globally from the end of September 2018.
