Sony Xperia Z3+ First Impressions

The pure looks of Sony's Xperia Z3+ have barely changed, and there is no doubt that it is a Sony smartphone. The docking pins have disappeared and the USB port no longer needs a flap but remains to be protected in compliance with IP68. It is thus dust and waterproof. Sony is now the only manufacturer that supplies the customer with such a well-protected device after Samsung did an about face with its Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. It is again too bad that the precursor's charging station cannot be used.

Compared with its precursor, the smartphone is a bit slimmer at the sides and now allegedly has a height of 6.9 millimeters. However, it looks a lot bulkier especially beside Huawei's P8 (6.4 mm). The frame of the Xperia Z3+ is aluminum, and only the corners are plastic. They not only protect against bumps but are also to ensure a better reception for the antennas. Mineral glass protects both the front and back. The two speakers on the front are merged unobtrusively into the design. Unfortunately, the gaps are somewhat too wide in some places and not absolutely even.

The connectivity is impressive and does not leave anything to be desired. Sony's Xperia Z3+ offers almost all transmission standards, whether video or audio, wireless or cabled. From dual-band ac Wi-Fi with MIMO via LTE Cat.6, Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct, Miracast, MHL, or Ant+ - everyone will find their preferred interface. Sony also places special focus on the smartphone's audio performance and includes its brand new LDAC audio standard on the device. It offers a three-times higher bandwidth for audio data and a conventional Bluetooth connection, making wireless audio codecs transmissions possible without losses - providing that a compatible receiver and corresponding audio material are at hand. Sony's DSEE HX beefs up the data should the latter not quite function.

The Japanese manufacturer also increases the storage capacity of its smartphone to 32 GB eMMC flash memory. It can pleasingly be expanded via a micro-SD card. The manufacturer relies on Google's Android 5.0.2 Lollipop operating system. The somewhat newer version, like already found in LG's G4, would certainly have been nicer here.

The front-facing camera has been upgraded to a resolution of 5.1 MP. That should be enough for most selfies, and the device also made a good impression with the first sample photos.

The primary camera of Sony's Xperia Z3+ has not been modified nominally. It still has a resolution of 20.7 megapixels, but the superior automatic mode has allegedly been improved even more. The Exmor RS image sensor is combined with a 25 mm wide angle lens. The sensor's light sensitivity, which the manufacturer specifies with up to ISO 12800 in photo mode and ISO 5000 in videos, makes it special. Those are impressive specs, and we are curious about the lens' noise behavior. Our first sample photos in daylight exhibit a comparatively high dynamic range and decent focus; the pictures are only slightly blurry toward the edges.

Videos are recorded in Ultra HD (30 fps) and Full HD (30 or 60 fps). The message that the camera would stop automatically if it overheats appears directly after starting the recording mode in the former. That is not only annoying, but it also even tops the autonomously dimming screen of LG's G4. Sony wants to improve that with an update.

Updated interfaces, a swift 64-bit SoC and improved cameras are the pros of Sony's Xperia Z3+. Unfortunately, that will likely affect the battery life, and the build of our review sample was not impeccable, either.

The heat issue will unlikely only extend over the camera but will also slow down the SoC in the long run. A fortune teller is not needed to forecast that. An update for the smartphone has allegedly already been released. However, which errors it exactly eliminates is not yet known, especially since another update has been announced.

Until now, a lot of illusion and little reality. We place hope in the announced updates and the replacement device.

The Xperia Z3+ is soon to be launched onto the market, but it does not make a market-ready impression. The screen of our review sample was also an improvement for the worse, but it was apparently not in an impeccable state. The promised replacement device will hopefully show improvement because that is not enough for a premium smartphone which is to cost 699 Euros (~$778). The outstanding connectivity qualities and IP certification cannot belie that, either.