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Sony Xperia Z3 Plus Smartphone Review

Meltdown. The Sony Xperia Z3+ appears to be a small update of its predecessor. You might think that this should not be a big challenge, but the temperature development is a real problem and can also limit the usability of the smartphone in some cases.

For the original German review, see here.

The Sony Xperia Z3+ was only supposed to be a small upgrade of its predecessor Xperia Z3. However, this has not really worked, even though the specs are actually good. The smartphone has all the connectivity options you could wish for and supports the most modern communication modules. The Japanese flagship device now has a 64-bit processor with the Snapdragon 810, but the latter is known for its high temperature development. Moreover, this is actually the biggest problem of the Z3+. Sony charges 699 Euros (~$770) for a smartphone that does not appear to be ready for the launch.

The high-end competition is very strong. Only the HTC One M9 uses this SoC as well, while LG has chosen the slightly weaker Snapdragon 808 for the G4, and the iPhone 6 Plus and the Galaxy S6 Edge use their own creations. Despite its age, the Lumia 930 is also a strong rival. Other comparison devices are the Huawei P8, the Moto X and the Nexus 6.

Sony Xperia Z3+ (Xperia Series)
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 MSM8994 8 x 2 GHz, Cortex-A57/-A53
Graphics adapter
Qualcomm Adreno 430, Core: 650 MHz
Memory
3 GB 
, LPDDR4
Display
5.20 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel, capacitive touchscreen, 10 multitouch points, tempered glass, anti-fingerprint finish, IPS, X-Reality for mobile, Triluminos technology, glossy: yes
Storage
32 GB eMMC Flash, 32 GB 
, 20.87 GB free
Connections
1 USB 2.0, Audio Connections: combo microphone and headphone jack (3.5 mm), Card Reader: micro-SD max. 128 GB (SD, SDHC, SDXC), Sensors: motion sensor, position sensor, ambient light sensor, proximity sensor, game rotation vector sensor, accelerometer, geo and G sensor, pedometer, digital compass, magnetometer, barometer, GPS, Glonass, BeiDou, MHL 3.0, OTG, Miracast, Wifi Direct, DLNA, Ant+, Hi-Res-Audio, LDAC
Networking
802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 4.1 LE, GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850, 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz), UMTS/HSPA+ (850, 900, 1900 and 2100 MHz), LTE Cat. 6 (700, 700 a, 700 b c, 800, 850, 900, 1700, 1800, 1900, 2100 and 2600 MHz (all FDD-LTE) and 2300 MHz (TDD-LTE)), head and body SAR: 2.0 W/kg
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 6.9 x 146.3 x 71.9 ( = 0.27 x 5.76 x 2.83 in)
Battery
Lithium-Ion, 2930 mAh, Talk time 2G (according to manufacturer): 12 h, Talk time 3G (according to manufacturer): 17 h, Standby 2G (according to manufacturer): 580 h, Standby 3G (according to manufacturer): 590 h
Operating System
Android 5.0 Lollipop
Camera
Webcam: 5 megapixels, Exmor R, 25 mm wide angle; primary camera: 20.7 MP, Exmor RS, UHD video
Additional features
Speakers: two stereo speakers, Keyboard: virtual, power supply, USB cable, OTG adapter, headset, Sony Apps, Xperia Care Support, Lifelog, PlayStation Network, OfficeSuite, Garmin Navigation, TV SideView, Path, 24 Months Warranty
Weight
144 g ( = 5.08 oz / 0.32 pounds) ( = 0 oz / 0 pounds)
Price
699 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

The gaps could be more even.
The gaps could be more even.
The distance between the frame and the glass is bigger on the left side than on the right.
The distance between the frame and the glass is bigger on the left side than on the right.

The Sony Xperia Z3+ is slightly smaller than its predecessor from all sides. The manufacturer also claims that it is slimmer at just 6.9 millimeters (~0.27 in). We measured this and noticed that it is actually thicker. Our review unit is 7.2 millimeters (~0.28 in) high and therefore just 0.1 millimeter slimmer than the Z3.

You will immediately notice the missing docking port. This is unfortunate since the small charging station was actually pretty handy. It will also be annoying for users of the predecessors, since once again, a charging station cannot  be used by the successor. The USB port is now open and does not have to be protected by a cover anymore. The Xperia Z3+ is still protected against dust and humidity (IP68). It is currently the only high-end smartphone with these features.

The design of the chassis is actually convenient and quite appealing with the materials hardened mineral glass as well as aluminum. Despite its size, the smartphone fits well in the hand. However, the gaps are not always very even and the glass does not sit flush with the frame everywhere. This should not happen on a premium device. It is nice that the product labels are located on a sheet of paper in the card slot and were not printed onto the chassis.

Twisting attempts seem to be distressing to the device since you can clearly hear creaking. Although it cannot really be twisted, these noises sound rather alarming. Even light pressure on the screen immediately results in ripples on the screen. The situation is much better at the back of the device.

The battery of the Z3+ is integrated. The slot cover is firmly integrated and covers one slot that can accommodate the microSD card as well as the Nano-SIM. However, this piece of plastic does not leave a very sturdy impression.

158.1 mm / 6.22 inch 77.8 mm / 3.06 inch 7.1 mm / 0.2795 inch 172 g0.3792 lbs148.9 mm / 5.86 inch 76.1 mm / 3 inch 9.8 mm / 0.3858 inch 155 g0.3417 lbs144.6 mm / 5.69 inch 69.7 mm / 2.74 inch 9.61 mm / 0.3783 inch 157 g0.3461 lbs146.5 mm / 5.77 inch 72 mm / 2.83 inch 7.3 mm / 0.2874 inch 152 g0.3351 lbs146.3 mm / 5.76 inch 71.9 mm / 2.83 inch 6.9 mm / 0.2717 inch 144 g0.3175 lbs144.9 mm / 5.7 inch 71.8 mm / 2.83 inch 6.4 mm / 0.252 inch 147 g0.3241 lbs140.8 mm / 5.54 inch 72.4 mm / 2.85 inch 9.9 mm / 0.3898 inch 145 g0.3197 lbs142.1 mm / 5.59 inch 70.1 mm / 2.76 inch 7 mm / 0.2756 inch 132 g0.291 lbs137 mm / 5.39 inch 71 mm / 2.8 inch 9.8 mm / 0.3858 inch 170 g0.3748 lbs148 mm / 5.83 inch 105 mm / 4.13 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 1.5 g0.00331 lbs

Connectivity

The connectivity of the Sony Xperia Z3+ does not really leave anything to be desired. The Micro-USB 2.0 port can be used for data transfers with a PC as well as charging. If you attach the Z3+ to a PC, you are immediately asked if you want to install Sony’s PC Companion, so you do not have to download it from the website of the manufacturer first. The port also supports OTG, which means you can attach external input devices or storage drives via adaptor. MHL 3.0 is supported as well, so you can transfer Ultra-HD contents to a compatible display with an optional cable.

If you prefer to transfer your media files wirelessly, you can use either DLNA or Miracast. The latter works very well, but unfortunately there is no sound in combination with an Amazon Fire TV stick. Although the problem seems to be known, it is not clear if it is caused by Amazon or Sony.

The microSD slot can be used to expand the storage by up to 128 GB. Apps cannot be directly installed onto the additional storage, but it was possible to transfer the majority of apps onto the card after the installation. It is rather inconvenient that the memory card and the SIM card are located in the same slot. This means you also have to remove the SIM card if you want to switch the microSD. The Z3+ restarts in this case and again, when you insert the SIM card. You should turn the smartphone off if you want to switch one of the cards as this will at least save one restart.

It is also possible to use the FM radio in combination with a headset that works as an antenna. The only missing communication feature is an infrared port.

Top: Audio, Microphone
Top: Audio, Microphone
Left: Nano-SIM and microSD slot
Left: Nano-SIM and microSD slot
Right: Power, Volume rocker, Camera
Right: Power, Volume rocker, Camera
Bottom: USB, Connection for hand strap
Bottom: USB, Connection for hand strap

Software

The Sony Xperia Z3+ is shipped with Google Android 5.0.2, but the manufacturer has also installed its own user interface (UI), which is hardly different from the predecessor. Sony distributed a new firmware at the beginning of the review (28.0.A.7.24), which is supposed to solve some of the heat issues. However, this update is not available via OTA, and has to be installed via a computer with Sony’s PC Companion. Another update is supposed to follow.

Once again, Sony has installed numerous apps and services on its smartphone. These also include some apps that can be used in combination with the PlayStation, the fitness hub Lifelog and the media hub What’s New. They are easy to delete if you do not want them. PS4 Remote Play can be used to connect a DualShock 4 Wireless Controller and show the picture from the PlayStation on the smartphone. This means that you can use the gaming console with the smartphone.

Unfortunately, Sony has also installed some third-party apps including Vine, Facebook, Spotify, AVG Protection Antivirus and MobiSystem’s OfficeSuite 8. These applications can be deleted as well.

Communication & GPS 

The Sony Xperia Z3+ uses Qualcomm’s latest Wi-Fi module and supports all the current IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac standards including the MIMO technology for a better signal quality. It works in 2.4 as well as 5 GHz networks and is supposed to manage transfer rates of up to 867 Mbps. The range of the component is very good and there is no cause for criticism. The 5 GHz network generally shows a slightly higher damping and high fluctuations (-70 up to -82 dBm) at a greater distance to the access point (AP). However, this does not seem to be a problem in practice, and it was easy to watch a Netflix HD stream at a long distance to the AP on both networks.

Mobile Internet connections can be established via HSPA+ (up to 42 Mbps) or fast LTE Cat. 6 (up to 300 Mbps) on the Xperia Z3+. Sony has also implemented a wide coverage of frequencies, so it should be possible to use a data connection in many countries all over the world. We could not notice any irregularities in terms of the signal quality.

GPS-Test: Indoors
GPS-Test: Indoors
GPS-Test: Outdoors
GPS-Test: Outdoors

The position of the Sony Xperia Z3+ can be located via GPS, GLONASS as well as BeiDou. The Satfix was also very fast and accurate indoors, and we could hardly notice a difference compared to the use outdoors as long as there was not too much concrete in the way.

We checked the accuracy of the GPS module on a bicycle ride and compared it with the outdoor navigation device Garmin GPSMAP 64s. The narrow street section and the bridge crossing in particular show that the navigation device locates the position much more often and it is therefore more accurate. However, the differences over the whole track length are comparatively small at less than 1% (110 meters/361 ft). A great result. The GPS module in the smartphone does not drain the battery that much, either, the battery capacity was only reduced by five percent after the 75-minute bicycle ride.

Garmin GPSMAP 64s
Garmin GPSMAP 64s
Garmin GPSMAP 64s
Garmin GPSMAP 64s
Garmin GPSMAP 64s
Garmin GPSMAP 64s
Sony Xperia Z3+
Sony Xperia Z3+
Sony Xperia Z3+
Sony Xperia Z3+
Sony Xperia Z3+
Sony Xperia Z3+

Telephone & Voice Quality

The voice quality of the Sony Xperia Z3+ is very good. When the device is held against the ear, both parties could easily hear and understand each. Unfortunately, the ambient noise suppression was not always perfect, but the caller was easy to understand. Our voice echoed via the hands-free feature, but the phone acoustics were always good, even when the smartphone was lying next to us on the table. The supplied headset also leaves a good impression. The other person appeared slightly muffled, but the in-ear plugs suppressed external noises quite well. The microphone of the headset was also impressive.

The phone app has a simple layout and provides an automatic list with frequently called contacts. There is also an integrated answering machine.

Picture with the front camera
Picture with the front camera

Cameras 

Sony has followed the current trend and upgraded the front camera of the Xperia Z3+. The camera can now take pictures with up to 5 MP (2592x1944 pixels, 4:3) and the 25 mm wide angle lens ensures that more than one person can be captured in one picture. The results are quite good and show only a slight red hue. The camera tends to overexpose slightly in bright environments. A three-stage soft-focus is available, so it is possible to take good selfies.

The main camera uses a 20.7 MP sensor (5248x3936 pixels, 4:3), but this resolution can only be selected in the manual mode. If you want to use the automatic mode, you have to live with almost 8 MP (3264x2448 pixels, 4:3). We used this mode for our comparison pictures.

At a first glance, the environment picture (Scene 1) of the review unit appear very dynamic, but a closer look shows that details like the leaves of the trees lack contours and sometimes appear very blurry. You get much better results in the manual mode. The picture in Scene 2 is much sharper, but the automatic HDR mode cannot prevent the overexposure of the sky. However, other rivals suffer from the same issue. The colors are slightly richer, and the results are very good. The low-light performance of the camera is impressive as well and the results can actually compete with other devices. The aperture (f/2.0) is slightly smaller than the Galaxy S6 (f/1.9) or the LG G4 (f/1.8), but Sony can compensate this with a higher light sensitivity. The Xperia Z3+ uses ISO 3200 in the manual mode or even ISO 12800 in the low-light mode. It is handy that the image stabilizer can be deactivated.

Image Comparison

Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.

Scene 1Scene 2Scene 3
click to load images
The error message shows that Sony is aware of the issue.
The error message shows that Sony is aware of the issue.
Too hot!
Too hot!

The smartphone can record videos in Ultra-HD (3840x2160 pixels, 30 fps, 53 Mbps). If you only want Full-HD clips, you can choose between 30 (16.0 Mbps) and 60 (29.5 Mbps) frames per second. Slow-motion videos and time lapses are also possible. Although the quality is decent, you can see some small fragments from time to time, which are mainly visible when you move the camera.

So is everything great? Unfortunately not. The camera has big issues with the heat development of the device and just turns itself off to protect the smartphone against overheating. This phenomenon can be quickly observed in the 4K mode in particular. The Z3+ will only last for about half a minute, even with the latest firmware. There can also be problems when you use the AR effects or the normal webcam after a few minutes and the camera will turn off (see video). The camera even refused to start at all on very hot days. Sony has to fix this issue very quickly.

Accessories

Contrary to the current trend, Sony still provides some accessories: You get a modular power adaptor (5.0 Volts, 1.5 Amps) with a nominal output of 7.5 watts, a USB cable, a headset and an OTG adaptor. The latter is a particularly unique addition.

Sony did not list any dedicated accessories for the smartphone at the time of this review, but you can expect some products soon.

Warranty

Sony offers a 24-month warranty for its product.

Input Devices & Handling

The capacitive touchscreen of the Sony Xperia Z3+ recognizes up to ten inputs simultaneously and executes them quickly and reliably. The gliding capabilities are also good. However, pressing the touchscreen too hard can cause ripples on the display. The Glove mode also ensures the handling with covered hands, even though it is not quite as reliable as we are used to.

The virtual keyboard is quite simple and identical to that of the predecessor. Because of the large display, there would have been enough space for an additional row with numbers or special characters. It is nice that you can quickly switch to a one-hand mode, and the keyboard supports other features like Swype inputs or automatic word predictions.

The physical keys have a firm pressure point and appear very sophisticated. Even a dedicated camera button is available, which can launch the camera app and trigger the pictures.

Display

Our review unit has a small light spot. Sony assured us that this is an isolated issue.
Our review unit has a small light spot. Sony assured us that this is an isolated issue.

The IPS display of the Sony Xperia Z3+ measures 5.2 inches and has a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. This corresponds with a screen ratio of 16:9 as well as a pixel density of around 424 ppi. The panel is razor-sharp, even without the QHD resolution. This means that nothing has changed compared to the predecessor Xperia Z3. Once again, the luminance is supposed to be as high as 700 cd/m², but we cannot confirm this in the case of our review unit. However, the visuals are not perfect, because there is a thick light spot on the display, which is visible with plain backgrounds.

The brightness distribution is very even at 92% and there is no criticism here. The luminance also surpasses its rivals in the class category.

620
cd/m²
605
cd/m²
619
cd/m²
589
cd/m²
605
cd/m²
603
cd/m²
573
cd/m²
602
cd/m²
590
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 620 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 600.7 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 92 %
Center on Battery: 605 cd/m²
Contrast: 1142:1 (Black: 0.53 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 9.24 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 10.01 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
97.1% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
65.65% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
Gamma: 2.22
Sony Xperia Z3+
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
LG G4
Adreno 418, 808 MSM8992, 32 GB eMMC Flash
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
PowerVR GX6450, A8, 64 GB eMMC Flash
Huawei P8
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 930, 16 GB eMMC Flash
HTC One M9
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
Nokia Lumia 930
Adreno 330, 800 MSM8974, 32 GB eMMC Flash
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Mali-T760 MP8, Exynos 7420, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
Screen
8%
6%
18%
4%
-23%
17%
Brightness middle
605
566
-6%
519
-14%
453
-25%
474
-22%
275
-55%
343
-43%
Brightness
601
536
-11%
496
-17%
439
-27%
458
-24%
278
-54%
338
-44%
Brightness Distribution
92
90
-2%
90
-2%
91
-1%
85
-8%
89
-3%
94
2%
Black Level *
0.53
0.47
11%
0.62
-17%
0.28
47%
0.4
25%
Contrast
1142
1204
5%
837
-27%
1618
42%
1185
4%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
9.24
6.17
33%
3.67
60%
4.7
49%
6.32
32%
10.99
-19%
2.2
76%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
10.01
6.26
37%
3.78
62%
5.03
50%
6.36
36%
8.29
17%
2.37
76%
Gamma
2.22 99%
2.48 89%
2.42 91%
2.27 97%
2.43 91%
2.16 102%
2.41 91%
CCT
10343 63%
8171 80%
7327 89%
7439 87%
8218 79%
6731 97%
6425 101%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
65.65
65.48
0%
72.04
10%
58.81
-10%
87.77
34%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
97.1
98.63
2%

* ... smaller is better

The black value of the Sony Xperia Z3+ is slightly raised at 0.53 cd/m² and one of the highest amongst the rivals. Only the iPhone 6 Plus (0.62 cd/m², 837:1) is worse in this category. Thanks to the high luminance, you still get a great contrast ratio of 1142:1. The Z3+ is on par with the LG G4 and the HTC One M9 in this respect. Apart from OLED smartphones, the Huawei P8 is the benchmark.

The display shows the same problem as the predecessor Z3 in terms of color presentation when using the standard settings. The grayscale shows a strong blue cast and colors deviate heavily from the ideal values. You can get much better results via the manual white balance. Please have a look at the review of the Xperia Z3 for recommended values, where we have illustrated the differences.

Sony advertises an sRGB color space coverage of 130%. This is nonsense from a logical point of view, but it certainly sounds good for marketing. The actual sRGB coverage is at 97% and the wider AdobeRGB color space can be covered by almost 66%. These are good results, but not quite as good as the Huawei P8 or the Galaxy S6 Edge.

Grayscale (target color space sRGB)
Grayscale (target color space sRGB)
Saturation Sweeps (target color space sRGB)
Saturation Sweeps (target color space sRGB)
ColorChecker (target color space sRGB)
ColorChecker (target color space sRGB)
ColorChecker (target color space AdobeRGB)
ColorChecker (target color space AdobeRGB)
Colorspace (target color space sRGB)
Colorspace (target color space sRGB)
Colorspace (target color space AdobeRGB)
Colorspace (target color space AdobeRGB)

The Sony Xperia Z3+ should be impressive in the outdoors, because it has a very high luminance and a good contrast. The glossy display can be a problem under direct sunlight, but once again, the biggest issue is the temperature development of the smartphone.

Everything was good when we took the Z3+ outside for the first time. The display content was easy to see, but we suddenly noticed that the visibility was affected while we watched a movie. The display actually dimmed the brightness regardless of whether we activated the brightness sensor or not. The previously measured 610 cd/m² dropped to about 350 cd/m². The LG G4 suffered from a similar issue, but at least the rival does not hide the fact that the brightness is reduced and actually indicates it. Sony's smartphone, however, wants us to believe that it runs at the highest panel brightness.

The reason is most likely the high temperature development, so the outdoor capabilities are noticeably affected.

You can hardly recognize something on the display under direct sunlight.
You can hardly recognize something on the display under direct sunlight.
While the Galaxy S6 can actually increase the luminance, the rivals dim due to the temperature.
While the Galaxy S6 can actually increase the luminance, the rivals dim due to the temperature.

The IPS display of the Sony Xperia Z3+ ensures a very stable image, even with very flat viewing angles. There are no color distortions, and the brightness is just slightly reduced.

Viewing angle stability Sony Xperia Z3+
Viewing angle stability Sony Xperia Z3+

Performance

At the heart of the Sony Xperia Z3+ is a Snapdragon 810 MSM8994 from Qualcomm. It is supported by 3 GB of memory and the integrated GPU Adreno 430. The 64-bit Octa-Core also used in the LG Flex 2 and the HTC One M9  is quite fast, but it is also known for its thermal issues. HTC finally took care of the problem with a slight throttling. The benchmark results of the review unit are impressive and usually in the expected range. However, the handling shows that things do not always run smoothly, especially after you have used very demanding apps.

The Z3+ can take a top position in many benchmarks. However, the Exynos 7420 inside the Galaxy S6 and the S6 Edge cannot be beaten. The results in AnTuTu and PCMark for Android are good, both the CPU as well as the GPU performance are on the expected level. However, the benchmarks indicate throttling of the SoC, which will be confirmed later in the review. Only in the AndEBench Pro comparisons does the Z3+ occupy the last place.

AnTuTu v5 - Total Score (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
49332 Points
Sony Xperia Z3
42125 Points -15%
HTC One M9
55374 Points +12%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
42247 Points -14%
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
50360 Points +2%
LG G4
49941 Points +1%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
72094 Points +46%
Google Nexus 6
51812 Points +5%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
43985 Points -11%
OnePlus One
47123 Points -4%
LG G Flex 2
48029 Points -3%
Huawei P8
45927 Points -7%
PCMark for Android - Work performance score (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
4670 Points
HTC One M9
4193 Points -10%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
5083 Points +9%
LG G4
4579 Points -2%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
5050 Points +8%
OnePlus One
3571 Points -24%
LG G Flex 2
3652 Points -22%
Huawei P8
4479 Points -4%
Linpack Android / IOS
Single Thread (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
250.2 MFLOPS
Sony Xperia Z3
375 MFLOPS +50%
HTC One M9
578 MFLOPS +131%
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
766 MFLOPS +206%
LG G4
361.4 MFLOPS +44%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
626 MFLOPS +150%
Nokia Lumia 930
232.5 MFLOPS -7%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
388.1 MFLOPS +55%
OnePlus One
366.1 MFLOPS +46%
LG G Flex 2
396 MFLOPS +58%
Huawei P8
122 MFLOPS -51%
Multi Thread (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
473.8 MFLOPS
Sony Xperia Z3
700 MFLOPS +48%
HTC One M9
685 MFLOPS +45%
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
1441 MFLOPS +204%
LG G4
507 MFLOPS +7%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
839 MFLOPS +77%
Nokia Lumia 930
930 MFLOPS +96%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
953 MFLOPS +101%
OnePlus One
694 MFLOPS +46%
LG G Flex 2
640 MFLOPS +35%
Huawei P8
272.5 MFLOPS -42%
Smartbench 2012
Productivity Index (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
7662 points
HTC One M9
5738 points -25%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
3263 points -57%
LG G4
8940 points +17%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
13558 points +77%
Google Nexus 6
7468 points -3%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
8386 points +9%
OnePlus One
7028 points -8%
LG G Flex 2
6649 points -13%
Huawei P8
5433 points -29%
Gaming Index (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
4394 points
HTC One M9
4454 points +1%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
4300 points -2%
LG G4
4118 points -6%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
4498 points +2%
Google Nexus 6
2108 points -52%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
4496 points +2%
OnePlus One
4129 points -6%
LG G Flex 2
4205 points -4%
Huawei P8
4340 points -1%
BaseMark OS II
Overall (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
1142 Points
HTC One M9
1410 Points +23%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
1111 Points -3%
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
1299 Points +14%
LG G4
1596 Points +40%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
1821 Points +59%
Nokia Lumia 930
1085 Points -5%
Google Nexus 6
995 Points -13%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
1230 Points +8%
OnePlus One
1131 Points -1%
LG G Flex 2
1479 Points +30%
Huawei P8
1085 Points -5%
System (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
1679 Points
HTC One M9
1672 Points 0%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
1622 Points -3%
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
2038 Points +21%
LG G4
2368 Points +41%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
3989 Points +138%
Nokia Lumia 930
1296 Points -23%
Google Nexus 6
1604 Points -4%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
1540 Points -8%
OnePlus One
1768 Points +5%
LG G Flex 2
1781 Points +6%
Huawei P8
1860 Points +11%
Memory (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
543 Points
HTC One M9
933 Points +72%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
954 Points +76%
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
536 Points -1%
LG G4
1558 Points +187%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
1426 Points +163%
Nokia Lumia 930
1500 Points +176%
Google Nexus 6
421 Points -22%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
619 Points +14%
OnePlus One
587 Points +8%
LG G Flex 2
1290 Points +138%
Huawei P8
1216 Points +124%
Graphics (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
2864 Points
HTC One M9
3210 Points +12%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
1432 Points -50%
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
2389 Points -17%
LG G4
1995 Points -30%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
2489 Points -13%
Nokia Lumia 930
1233 Points -57%
Google Nexus 6
2130 Points -26%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
2731 Points -5%
OnePlus One
2382 Points -17%
LG G Flex 2
2850 Points 0%
Huawei P8
882 Points -69%
3DMark
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Score (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
22389 Points
Sony Xperia Z3
17882 Points -20%
HTC One M9
22783 (22783min - 23171max) Points +2%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
14721 Points -34%
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
17873 Points -20%
LG G4
18821 Points -16%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
22723 Points +1%
Google Nexus 6
23368 Points +4%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
19619 Points -12%
OnePlus One
16692 Points -25%
LG G Flex 2
22346 Points 0%
Huawei P8
9080 Points -59%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Graphics Score (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
36316 Points
Sony Xperia Z3
19606 Points -46%
HTC One M9
34429 (34429min - 34485max) Points -5%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
14270 Points -61%
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
23937 Points -34%
LG G4
23390 Points -36%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
23954 Points -34%
Google Nexus 6
25480 Points -30%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
20806 Points -43%
OnePlus One
18074 Points -50%
LG G Flex 2
34201 Points -6%
Huawei P8
8743 Points -76%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
9559 Points
Sony Xperia Z3
13674 Points +43%
HTC One M9
10432 (10432min - 10786max) Points +9%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
16550 Points +73%
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
9473 Points -1%
LG G4
11178 Points +17%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
19260 Points +101%
Google Nexus 6
18113 Points +89%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
16354 Points +71%
OnePlus One
13167 Points +38%
LG G Flex 2
10097 Points +6%
Huawei P8
10494 Points +10%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
1293 Points
HTC One M9
1484 Points +15%
LG G4
1324 Points +2%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
1505 Points +16%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
832 Points
HTC One M9
1094 Points +31%
LG G4
513 Points -38%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
1186 Points +43%
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7
T-Rex Onscreen (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
47 fps
Sony Xperia Z3
29.4 fps -37%
HTC One M9
50 fps +6%
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
52.4 fps +11%
LG G4
24.9 fps -47%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
32 fps -32%
Nokia Lumia 930
20 fps -57%
Google Nexus 6
28 fps -40%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
29.3 fps -38%
OnePlus One
29 fps -38%
LG G Flex 2
41 fps -13%
Huawei P8
11 fps -77%
1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
49 fps
Sony Xperia Z3
27.5 fps -44%
HTC One M9
49 fps 0%
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
44.8 fps -9%
LG G4
33.7 fps -31%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
53 fps +8%
Nokia Lumia 930
15 fps -69%
Google Nexus 6
39 fps -20%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
27.2 fps -44%
OnePlus One
28 fps -43%
LG G Flex 2
41 fps -16%
Huawei P8
10 fps -80%
GFXBench 3.0
on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
19 fps
Sony Xperia Z3
12.6 fps -34%
HTC One M9
24 fps +26%
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
30.6 fps +61%
LG G4
9.5 fps -50%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
15 fps -21%
Google Nexus 6
12 fps -37%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
12.6 fps -34%
OnePlus One
12 fps -37%
LG G Flex 2
20 fps +5%
Huawei P8
5.8 fps -69%
1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
23 fps
Sony Xperia Z3
11.8 fps -49%
HTC One M9
23 fps 0%
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
18.8 fps -18%
LG G4
15 fps -35%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
25 fps +9%
Google Nexus 6
19 fps -17%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
11 fps -52%
OnePlus One
12 fps -48%
LG G Flex 2
19 fps -17%
Huawei P8
5.5 fps -76%
GFXBench 3.1
on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
16 fps
HTC One M9
17 fps +6%
LG G4
5.7 fps -64%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
6.1 fps -62%
LG G Flex 2
16 fps 0%
1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
16 fps
HTC One M9
16 fps 0%
LG G4
10 fps -37%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
13 fps -19%
LG G Flex 2
15 fps -6%
Basemark X 1.1
Medium Quality (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
25772 Points
Sony Xperia Z3
24637 Points -4%
HTC One M9
27968 Points +9%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
18918 Points -27%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
38701 Points +50%
Nokia Lumia 930
19987 Points -22%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
25206 Points -2%
OnePlus One
23226 Points -10%
LG G Flex 2
28578 Points +11%
Huawei P8
20164 Points -22%
High Quality (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
15240 Points
Sony Xperia Z3
12603 Points -17%
HTC One M9
19122 Points +25%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
13059 Points -14%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
27059 Points +78%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
12141 Points -20%
OnePlus One
12411 Points -19%
LG G Flex 2
18876 Points +24%
Huawei P8
5367 Points -65%
Basemark ES 3.1 / Metal - offscreen Overall Score (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
238 Points
HTC One M9
300 Points +26%
LG G Flex 2
255 Points +7%
PassMark PerformanceTest Mobile V1
System (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
4934 Points
Sony Xperia Z3
4126 Points -16%
HTC One M9
6599 Points +34%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
5108 Points +4%
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
5622 Points +14%
LG G4
7695 Points +56%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
8438 Points +71%
Google Nexus 6
3602 Points -27%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
4499 Points -9%
LG G Flex 2
6362 Points +29%
Huawei P8
5470 Points +11%
CPU Tests (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
99506 Points
Sony Xperia Z3
18920 Points -81%
HTC One M9
112124 Points +13%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
23651 Points -76%
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
43696 Points -56%
LG G4
103512 Points +4%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
176225 Points +77%
Google Nexus 6
13931 Points -86%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
18688 Points -81%
LG G Flex 2
115733 Points +16%
Huawei P8
125047 Points +26%
Disk Tests (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
26928 Points
Sony Xperia Z3
13660 Points -49%
HTC One M9
42249 Points +57%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
17649 Points -34%
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
23184 Points -14%
LG G4
67837 Points +152%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
68872 Points +156%
Google Nexus 6
19076 Points -29%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
28853 Points +7%
LG G Flex 2
20352 Points -24%
Huawei P8
48670 Points +81%
Memory Tests (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
4864 Points
Sony Xperia Z3
4179 Points -14%
HTC One M9
6248 Points +28%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
5465 Points +12%
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
5147 Points +6%
LG G4
6223 Points +28%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
6924 Points +42%
Google Nexus 6
3530 Points -27%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
4484 Points -8%
LG G Flex 2
6809 Points +40%
Huawei P8
5442 Points +12%
2D Graphics Tests (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
3217 Points
Sony Xperia Z3
3201 Points 0%
HTC One M9
4643 Points +44%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
3289 Points +2%
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
2609 Points -19%
LG G4
4850 Points +51%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
5274 Points +64%
Google Nexus 6
2283 Points -29%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
3622 Points +13%
LG G Flex 2
4992 Points +55%
Huawei P8
3475 Points +8%
3D Graphics Tests (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
1297 Points
Sony Xperia Z3
1177 Points -9%
HTC One M9
1703 Points +31%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
1541 Points +19%
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
1984 Points +53%
LG G4
2179 Points +68%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
2345 Points +81%
Google Nexus 6
1129 Points -13%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
1242 Points -4%
LG G Flex 2
1591 Points +23%
Huawei P8
1418 Points +9%
ANDEBench PRO
Device Score (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
6219 Points
HTC One M9
7158 Points +15%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
6911 Points +11%
LG G4
8741 Points +41%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
10328 Points +66%
OnePlus One
7169 Points +15%
LG G Flex 2
7143 Points +15%
Huawei P8
6707 Points +8%
CoreMark-PRO/HPC (Base) (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
1840 Points
HTC One M9
2296 Points +25%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
2718 Points +48%
LG G4
3046 Points +66%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
4366 Points +137%
OnePlus One
2464 Points +34%
LG G Flex 2
1862 Points +1%
Huawei P8
2311 Points +26%
Memory Bandwidth (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
5362 MB/s
HTC One M9
7609 MB/s +42%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
4074 MB/s -24%
LG G4
8773 MB/s +64%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
10467 MB/s +95%
OnePlus One
5485 MB/s +2%
LG G Flex 2
7087 MB/s +32%
Huawei P8
5160 MB/s -4%
Storage (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
7785 KB/s
HTC One M9
5862 KB/s -25%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
5939 KB/s -24%
LG G4
9878 KB/s +27%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
7878 KB/s +1%
OnePlus One
7193 KB/s -8%
LG G Flex 2
5285 KB/s -32%
Huawei P8
6829 KB/s -12%
Platform (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
158.1 Points
HTC One M9
154.1 Points -3%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
185.5 Points +17%
LG G4
187.6 Points +19%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
191.9 Points +21%
OnePlus One
140.6 Points -11%
LG G Flex 2
171.6 Points +9%
Huawei P8
212.7 Points +35%
3D (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
22.93 fps
HTC One M9
32.88 fps +43%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
18.22 fps -21%
LG G4
35.39 fps +54%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
37.8 fps +65%
OnePlus One
24.6 fps +7%
LG G Flex 2
35.5 fps +55%
Huawei P8
15.73 fps -31%
Lightmark - 1920x1080 1080p (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
9.27 fps
HTC One M9
11.56 fps +25%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
7.61 fps -18%
LG G4
8.74 fps -6%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
9.97 fps +8%
OnePlus One
5.33 fps -43%
LG G Flex 2
14.41 fps +55%

Legend

 
Sony Xperia Z3+ Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 MSM8994, Qualcomm Adreno 430, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Sony Xperia Z3 Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 MSM8974AC, Qualcomm Adreno 330, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
HTC One M9 Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 MSM8994, Qualcomm Adreno 430, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML Intel Atom Z3560, PowerVR G6430, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Apple iPhone 6 Plus Apple A8, PowerVR GX6450, 64 GB eMMC Flash
 
LG G4 Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 MSM8992, Qualcomm Adreno 418, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Samsung Exynos 7420 Octa, ARM Mali-T760 MP8, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
 
Nokia Lumia 930 Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 MSM8974, Qualcomm Adreno 330, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Google Nexus 6 Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 APQ8084, Qualcomm Adreno 420, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014 Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 MSM8974AC, Qualcomm Adreno 330, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
OnePlus One Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 MSM8974AC, Qualcomm Adreno 330, 64 GB eMMC Flash
 
LG G Flex 2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 MSM8994, Qualcomm Adreno 430, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
Huawei P8 HiSilicon Kirin 930, ARM Mali-T628 MP4, 16 GB eMMC Flash

We checked the browser performance with the preloaded Google Chrome (version 43). The results of the Xperia Z3+ are usually average, but there is one unexpected low result in Basemark OS II, where it is at the bottom of the ranking.

Subjectively, however, there is no criticism, and websites are loaded very quickly.

Octane V2 - Total Score (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
6796 Points
Sony Xperia Z3
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 16 GB eMMC Flash
5339 Points -21%
HTC One M9
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
6493 Points -4%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
PowerVR G6430, Z3560, 32 GB eMMC Flash
6507 Points -4%
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
PowerVR GX6450, A8, 64 GB eMMC Flash
7276 Points +7%
LG G4
Adreno 418, 808 MSM8992, 32 GB eMMC Flash
7832 (6791min) Points +15%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Mali-T760 MP8, Exynos 7420, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
8650 Points +27%
Nokia Lumia 930
Adreno 330, 800 MSM8974, 32 GB eMMC Flash
2737 Points -60%
Google Nexus 6
Adreno 420, 805 APQ8084, 32 GB eMMC Flash
5271 Points -22%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 16 GB eMMC Flash
5403 Points -20%
LG G Flex 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 16 GB eMMC Flash
7246 Points +7%
Huawei P8
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 930, 16 GB eMMC Flash
4084 Points -40%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
9913 ms *
Sony Xperia Z3
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 16 GB eMMC Flash
6502 ms * +34%
HTC One M9
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
6508 ms * +34%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
PowerVR G6430, Z3560, 32 GB eMMC Flash
5846 ms * +41%
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
PowerVR GX6450, A8, 64 GB eMMC Flash
4470 ms * +55%
LG G4
Adreno 418, 808 MSM8992, 32 GB eMMC Flash
4771 ms * +52%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Mali-T760 MP8, Exynos 7420, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
4037 ms * +59%
Nokia Lumia 930
Adreno 330, 800 MSM8974, 32 GB eMMC Flash
11108 ms * -12%
Google Nexus 6
Adreno 420, 805 APQ8084, 32 GB eMMC Flash
6124 ms * +38%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 16 GB eMMC Flash
6243 ms * +37%
OnePlus One
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 64 GB eMMC Flash
7883 ms * +20%
LG G Flex 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 16 GB eMMC Flash
4587 ms * +54%
Huawei P8
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 930, 16 GB eMMC Flash
11808 ms * -19%
Sunspider - 1.0 Total Score (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
792 ms *
Sony Xperia Z3
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 16 GB eMMC Flash
828 ms * -5%
HTC One M9
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
840 ms * -6%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
PowerVR G6430, Z3560, 32 GB eMMC Flash
818 ms * -3%
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
PowerVR GX6450, A8, 64 GB eMMC Flash
347.4 ms * +56%
LG G4
Adreno 418, 808 MSM8992, 32 GB eMMC Flash
719 ms * +9%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Mali-T760 MP8, Exynos 7420, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
347.1 ms * +56%
Nokia Lumia 930
Adreno 330, 800 MSM8974, 32 GB eMMC Flash
534 ms * +33%
Google Nexus 6
Adreno 420, 805 APQ8084, 32 GB eMMC Flash
784 ms * +1%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 16 GB eMMC Flash
777 ms * +2%
OnePlus One
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 64 GB eMMC Flash
2180 ms * -175%
LG G Flex 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1433 ms * -81%
Huawei P8
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 930, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1164 ms * -47%
WebXPRT 2013
Overall (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
345 Points
Sony Xperia Z3
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 16 GB eMMC Flash
345 Points 0%
HTC One M9
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
287 Points -17%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
PowerVR G6430, Z3560, 32 GB eMMC Flash
480 Points +39%
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
PowerVR GX6450, A8, 64 GB eMMC Flash
604 Points +75%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Mali-T760 MP8, Exynos 7420, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
634 Points +84%
Nokia Lumia 930
Adreno 330, 800 MSM8974, 32 GB eMMC Flash
300 Points -13%
Google Nexus 6
Adreno 420, 805 APQ8084, 32 GB eMMC Flash
340 Points -1%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 16 GB eMMC Flash
341 Points -1%
OnePlus One
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 64 GB eMMC Flash
273 Points -21%
LG G Flex 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 16 GB eMMC Flash
370 Points +7%
Huawei P8
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 930, 16 GB eMMC Flash
276 Points -20%
Photo Effects (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
1221 ms *
Sony Xperia Z3
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 16 GB eMMC Flash
875 ms * +28%
HTC One M9
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
1585 ms * -30%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
PowerVR G6430, Z3560, 32 GB eMMC Flash
682 ms * +44%
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
PowerVR GX6450, A8, 64 GB eMMC Flash
905 ms * +26%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Mali-T760 MP8, Exynos 7420, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
371.8 ms * +70%
Nokia Lumia 930
Adreno 330, 800 MSM8974, 32 GB eMMC Flash
1004 ms * +18%
Google Nexus 6
Adreno 420, 805 APQ8084, 32 GB eMMC Flash
898 ms * +26%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 16 GB eMMC Flash
989 ms * +19%
OnePlus One
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 64 GB eMMC Flash
946 ms * +23%
LG G Flex 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1233 ms * -1%
Huawei P8
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 930, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1432 ms * -17%
Face Detection (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
1856 ms *
Sony Xperia Z3
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 16 GB eMMC Flash
7831 ms * -322%
HTC One M9
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
2237 ms * -21%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
PowerVR G6430, Z3560, 32 GB eMMC Flash
1227 ms * +34%
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
PowerVR GX6450, A8, 64 GB eMMC Flash
1463 ms * +21%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Mali-T760 MP8, Exynos 7420, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
831 ms * +55%
Nokia Lumia 930
Adreno 330, 800 MSM8974, 32 GB eMMC Flash
2515 ms * -36%
Google Nexus 6
Adreno 420, 805 APQ8084, 32 GB eMMC Flash
1736 ms * +6%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1772 ms * +5%
OnePlus One
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 64 GB eMMC Flash
2124 ms * -14%
LG G Flex 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1801 ms * +3%
Huawei P8
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 930, 16 GB eMMC Flash
2145 ms * -16%
Stocks Dashboard (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
1014 ms *
Sony Xperia Z3
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1103 ms * -9%
HTC One M9
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
1088 ms * -7%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
PowerVR G6430, Z3560, 32 GB eMMC Flash
722 ms * +29%
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
PowerVR GX6450, A8, 64 GB eMMC Flash
338 ms * +67%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Mali-T760 MP8, Exynos 7420, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
649 ms * +36%
Nokia Lumia 930
Adreno 330, 800 MSM8974, 32 GB eMMC Flash
1189 ms * -17%
Google Nexus 6
Adreno 420, 805 APQ8084, 32 GB eMMC Flash
1231 ms * -21%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1122 ms * -11%
OnePlus One
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 64 GB eMMC Flash
1488 ms * -47%
LG G Flex 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 16 GB eMMC Flash
849 ms * +16%
Huawei P8
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 930, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1224 ms * -21%
Offline Notes (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
916 ms *
Sony Xperia Z3
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1192 ms * -30%
HTC One M9
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
1132 ms * -24%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
PowerVR G6430, Z3560, 32 GB eMMC Flash
927 ms * -1%
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
PowerVR GX6450, A8, 64 GB eMMC Flash
499 ms * +46%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Mali-T760 MP8, Exynos 7420, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
929 ms * -1%
Nokia Lumia 930
Adreno 330, 800 MSM8974, 32 GB eMMC Flash
1226 ms * -34%
Google Nexus 6
Adreno 420, 805 APQ8084, 32 GB eMMC Flash
1158 ms * -26%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1123 ms * -23%
OnePlus One
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 64 GB eMMC Flash
1799 ms * -96%
LG G Flex 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 16 GB eMMC Flash
846 ms * +8%
Huawei P8
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 930, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1355 ms * -48%
BaseMark OS II - Web (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
652 Points
HTC One M9
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
789 Points +21%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
PowerVR G6430, Z3560, 32 GB eMMC Flash
688 Points +6%
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
PowerVR GX6450, A8, 64 GB eMMC Flash
1092 Points +67%
LG G4
Adreno 418, 808 MSM8992, 32 GB eMMC Flash
881 Points +35%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Mali-T760 MP8, Exynos 7420, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
778 Points +19%
Nokia Lumia 930
Adreno 330, 800 MSM8974, 32 GB eMMC Flash
579 Points -11%
Google Nexus 6
Adreno 420, 805 APQ8084, 32 GB eMMC Flash
682 Points +5%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 16 GB eMMC Flash
880 Points +35%
OnePlus One
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 64 GB eMMC Flash
661 Points +1%
LG G Flex 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 16 GB eMMC Flash
732 Points +12%
Huawei P8
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 930, 16 GB eMMC Flash
694 Points +6%
Peacekeeper - --- (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
1079 Points
Sony Xperia Z3
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 16 GB eMMC Flash
811 Points -25%
HTC One M9
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
1043 Points -3%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
PowerVR G6430, Z3560, 32 GB eMMC Flash
837 Points -22%
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
PowerVR GX6450, A8, 64 GB eMMC Flash
2613 Points +142%
LG G4
Adreno 418, 808 MSM8992, 32 GB eMMC Flash
1659 Points +54%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Mali-T760 MP8, Exynos 7420, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
1337 Points +24%
Nokia Lumia 930
Adreno 330, 800 MSM8974, 32 GB eMMC Flash
526 Points -51%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 16 GB eMMC Flash
881 Points -18%
OnePlus One
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 64 GB eMMC Flash
760 Points -30%
LG G Flex 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 16 GB eMMC Flash
752 Points -30%
Huawei P8
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 930, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1035 Points -4%
Vellamo 3.x - Browser (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
2811 Points
Sony Xperia Z3
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 16 GB eMMC Flash
2871 Points +2%
HTC One M9
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
3174 Points +13%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
PowerVR G6430, Z3560, 32 GB eMMC Flash
3005 Points +7%
LG G4
Adreno 418, 808 MSM8992, 32 GB eMMC Flash
4053 (4006min) Points +44%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Mali-T760 MP8, Exynos 7420, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
5463 Points +94%
Google Nexus 6
Adreno 420, 805 APQ8084, 32 GB eMMC Flash
3740 Points +33%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 16 GB eMMC Flash
3259 Points +16%
OnePlus One
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 64 GB eMMC Flash
2683 Points -5%
LG G Flex 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 16 GB eMMC Flash
3672 Points +31%
Huawei P8
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 930, 16 GB eMMC Flash
2756 (2248min) Points -2%
Browsermark - 2.1 (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
1780 points
HTC One M9
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
1729 points -3%
LG G4
Adreno 418, 808 MSM8992, 32 GB eMMC Flash
1931 points +8%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Mali-T760 MP8, Exynos 7420, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
2731 points +53%
Nokia Lumia 930
Adreno 330, 800 MSM8974, 32 GB eMMC Flash
829 points -53%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1576 points -11%
OnePlus One
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 64 GB eMMC Flash
1368 points -23%
LG G Flex 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1470 points -17%
Huawei P8
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 930, 16 GB eMMC Flash
774 points -57%
Google V8 Ver. 7 - Google V8 Ver. 7 Score (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
3297 Points
HTC One M9
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
6440 Points +95%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
PowerVR G6430, Z3560, 32 GB eMMC Flash
6198 Points +88%
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
PowerVR GX6450, A8, 64 GB eMMC Flash
8604 Points +161%
LG G4
Adreno 418, 808 MSM8992, 32 GB eMMC Flash
7818 Points +137%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Mali-T760 MP8, Exynos 7420, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
9334 Points +183%
Google Nexus 6
Adreno 420, 805 APQ8084, 32 GB eMMC Flash
6559 Points +99%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 16 GB eMMC Flash
6318 Points +92%
OnePlus One
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 64 GB eMMC Flash
4681 Points +42%
LG G Flex 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 16 GB eMMC Flash
8097 Points +146%
Huawei P8
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 930, 16 GB eMMC Flash
4419 Points +34%

* ... smaller is better

The performance of the microSD slot is low.
The performance of the microSD slot is low.

The Sony Xperia Z3+ is equipped with 32 GB eMMC flash storage, and about 21 GB can be used for your own files after the initial setup. The performance has improved significantly compared to the predecessor, but is still just average among the high-end competition. The review unit can only keep up with the best devices in terms of the sequential reading performance.

It is possible to expand the storage by up to 128 GB via a microSD card. According to the specifications, the slot supports class 10 (UHS-I Grade 1) cards. We checked the performance of the slot with a memory card (Samsung EVO 64 GB MB-MP64D, read: 48 Mbps, write 20 Mbps) and noticed that it cannot utilize the full performance of our card. We measured only 29.85 Mbps (sequential read) and 7.63 Mbps (sequential write), respectively, in the Z3+. This means that you have to be patient if you want to copy large amounts of data.

AndroBench 3-5
Sequential Read 256KB (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
248.1 MB/s
Sony Xperia Z3
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 16 GB eMMC Flash
149 MB/s -40%
HTC One M9
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
235.1 MB/s -5%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
PowerVR G6430, Z3560, 32 GB eMMC Flash
147.6 MB/s -41%
LG G4
Adreno 418, 808 MSM8992, 32 GB eMMC Flash
251 MB/s +1%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Mali-T760 MP8, Exynos 7420, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
319.3 MB/s +29%
Google Nexus 6
Adreno 420, 805 APQ8084, 32 GB eMMC Flash
25.78 MB/s -90%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 16 GB eMMC Flash
140.7 MB/s -43%
OnePlus One
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 64 GB eMMC Flash
223.6 MB/s -10%
LG G Flex 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 16 GB eMMC Flash
212 MB/s -15%
Huawei P8
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 930, 16 GB eMMC Flash
139.9 MB/s -44%
Sequential Write 256KB (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
76.6 MB/s
Sony Xperia Z3
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 16 GB eMMC Flash
18 MB/s -77%
HTC One M9
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
123.8 MB/s +62%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
PowerVR G6430, Z3560, 32 GB eMMC Flash
54.6 MB/s -29%
LG G4
Adreno 418, 808 MSM8992, 32 GB eMMC Flash
153 MB/s +100%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Mali-T760 MP8, Exynos 7420, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
139.1 MB/s +82%
Google Nexus 6
Adreno 420, 805 APQ8084, 32 GB eMMC Flash
18.46 MB/s -76%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 16 GB eMMC Flash
27.42 MB/s -64%
OnePlus One
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 64 GB eMMC Flash
159.7 MB/s +108%
LG G Flex 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 16 GB eMMC Flash
68 MB/s -11%
Huawei P8
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 930, 16 GB eMMC Flash
39.58 MB/s -48%
Random Read 4KB (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
18.64 MB/s
Sony Xperia Z3
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 16 GB eMMC Flash
15 MB/s -20%
HTC One M9
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
20.66 MB/s +11%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
PowerVR G6430, Z3560, 32 GB eMMC Flash
22.69 MB/s +22%
LG G4
Adreno 418, 808 MSM8992, 32 GB eMMC Flash
31.5 MB/s +69%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Mali-T760 MP8, Exynos 7420, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
77.4 MB/s +315%
Google Nexus 6
Adreno 420, 805 APQ8084, 32 GB eMMC Flash
7.85 MB/s -58%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 16 GB eMMC Flash
13.49 MB/s -28%
OnePlus One
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 64 GB eMMC Flash
18.27 MB/s -2%
LG G Flex 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 16 GB eMMC Flash
19 MB/s +2%
Huawei P8
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 930, 16 GB eMMC Flash
22.46 MB/s +20%
Random Write 4KB (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
13.57 MB/s
Sony Xperia Z3
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 16 GB eMMC Flash
2 MB/s -85%
HTC One M9
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
13.91 MB/s +3%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
PowerVR G6430, Z3560, 32 GB eMMC Flash
5.91 MB/s -56%
LG G4
Adreno 418, 808 MSM8992, 32 GB eMMC Flash
15 MB/s +11%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Mali-T760 MP8, Exynos 7420, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
19.84 MB/s +46%
Google Nexus 6
Adreno 420, 805 APQ8084, 32 GB eMMC Flash
1.49 MB/s -89%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 16 GB eMMC Flash
2.43 MB/s -82%
OnePlus One
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 64 GB eMMC Flash
10.42 MB/s -23%
LG G Flex 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 16 GB eMMC Flash
10 MB/s -26%
Huawei P8
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 930, 16 GB eMMC Flash
10.04 MB/s -26%
PassMark PerformanceTest Mobile V1 - Disk Tests (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
26928 Points
Sony Xperia Z3
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 16 GB eMMC Flash
13660 Points -49%
HTC One M9
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
42249 Points +57%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
PowerVR G6430, Z3560, 32 GB eMMC Flash
17649 Points -34%
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
PowerVR GX6450, A8, 64 GB eMMC Flash
23184 Points -14%
LG G4
Adreno 418, 808 MSM8992, 32 GB eMMC Flash
67837 Points +152%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Mali-T760 MP8, Exynos 7420, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
68872 Points +156%
Google Nexus 6
Adreno 420, 805 APQ8084, 32 GB eMMC Flash
19076 Points -29%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 16 GB eMMC Flash
28853 Points +7%
LG G Flex 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 16 GB eMMC Flash
20352 Points -24%
Huawei P8
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 930, 16 GB eMMC Flash
48670 Points +81%
BaseMark OS II - Memory (sort by value)
Sony Xperia Z3+
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
543 Points
HTC One M9
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
933 Points +72%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
PowerVR G6430, Z3560, 32 GB eMMC Flash
954 Points +76%
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
PowerVR GX6450, A8, 64 GB eMMC Flash
536 Points -1%
LG G4
Adreno 418, 808 MSM8992, 32 GB eMMC Flash
1558 Points +187%
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Mali-T760 MP8, Exynos 7420, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
1426 Points +163%
Nokia Lumia 930
Adreno 330, 800 MSM8974, 32 GB eMMC Flash
1500 Points +176%
Google Nexus 6
Adreno 420, 805 APQ8084, 32 GB eMMC Flash
421 Points -22%
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 16 GB eMMC Flash
619 Points +14%
OnePlus One
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 64 GB eMMC Flash
587 Points +8%
LG G Flex 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1290 Points +138%
Huawei P8
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 930, 16 GB eMMC Flash
1216 Points +124%

Games

The Qualcomm Adreno 430 inside the Sony Xperia Z3+ is one of the fastest graphics chips currently available in a smartphone. The GPU supports all standard graphic interfaces and is fast. There should not be any performance issues with games from the Play Store. It does not matter if you want to play “Vain Glory” or the popular “Asphalt 8”. The sensors and the touchscreen work flawlessly, but you should remember to deactivate the glove mode when you play.

It is also possible to play PlayStation 4 games on the smartphone via PS4 Remote Play. It requires a DualShock 4 Wireless Controller and preferably the gaming mount GCM10, which can be used to attach the smartphone to the controller. It is also necessary that the gaming console as well as the smartphone use the same Wi-Fi network. The game is then transferred from the PS4 to the screen of the Z3+. By the way, this actually works with all smartphones that are running on Android 4.0 or higher. The predecessor Xperia Z3 also supported this feature.

Vain Glory
Vain Glory
Asphalt 8
Asphalt 8

Emissions

Temperature

The surface temperatures of the Sony Xperia Z3+ are already noticeably warm while idling with up to 36.9 °C (~98 °F) and up to 41.1 °C (~106 °F) under load. Therefore, it is not only the warmest smartphone with a Snapdragon 810, but also the hottest device in this comparison group. We were able to measure up to 51 °C (~124 °F) at the back after prolonged gaming sessions. This is too hot and uncomfortable.

We used the battery test of GFXBench 3.0 to check the consistency of the SoC performance. It runs the T-Rex test thirty times in a row and logs the frame rates as well as the battery capacity. We can see heavy throttling quite quickly, and the smartphone will eventually lose almost 50% of its performance. This means that you will have to live with small stutters when you play for prolonged periods. This is really a fiasco when you consider the possible performance of the SoC. However, the Z3+ is still more than twice as fast as the Huawei P8 (T-Rex HD Onscreen Cs4Z16: 11fps) despite the throttling.

The current temperature development of the Sony Xperia Z3+ is quite poor. The consequences are a performance reduction of almost 50%, high surface temperatures, a dimming display and a camera that turns itself off. It would be deceptive to say that only the Snapdragon processor is the reason, because other manufacturers can handle the temperature development much better. We can only hope that Sony can fix this problem with an update. Until then, we will deduct points in the temperature rating.

Sony Xperia Z3+
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
Sony Xperia Z3
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 16 GB eMMC Flash
HTC One M9
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
LG G Flex 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 16 GB eMMC Flash
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Mali-T760 MP8, Exynos 7420, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
Huawei P8
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 930, 16 GB eMMC Flash
LG G4
Adreno 418, 808 MSM8992, 32 GB eMMC Flash
Heat
9%
14%
16%
17%
20%
4%
Maximum Upper Side *
41.1
43.3
-5%
38.4
7%
40.2
2%
38.9
5%
35.7
13%
43.8
-7%
Maximum Bottom *
46.9
39.7
15%
36.1
23%
37.7
20%
37.9
19%
31.3
33%
44.3
6%
Idle Upper Side *
36.9
33.2
10%
34
8%
30.2
18%
29.3
21%
33.2
10%
36.2
2%
Idle Bottom *
35.9
30.3
16%
29.5
18%
28
22%
28
22%
27.6
23%
30.5
15%

* ... smaller is better

Max. Load
 41.1 °C
106 F
38.3 °C
101 F
36.4 °C
98 F
 
 41.1 °C
106 F
38.3 °C
101 F
37.3 °C
99 F
 
 40.8 °C
105 F
38.3 °C
101 F
37.2 °C
99 F
 
Maximum: 41.1 °C = 106 F
Average: 38.8 °C = 102 F
36.2 °C
97 F
37 °C
99 F
46.4 °C
116 F
36 °C
97 F
36.4 °C
98 F
46.9 °C
116 F
35.9 °C
97 F
37 °C
99 F
45.6 °C
114 F
Maximum: 46.9 °C = 116 F
Average: 39.7 °C = 103 F
Power Supply (max.)  39.8 °C = 104 F | Room Temperature 24.3 °C = 76 F | Voltcraft IR-260
(-) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 38.8 °C / 102 F, compared to the average of 32.7 °C / 91 F for the devices in the class Smartphone.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 41.1 °C / 106 F, compared to the average of 35 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 56 °C for the class Smartphone.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 46.9 °C / 116 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F
(±) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 36.1 °C / 97 F, compared to the device average of 32.7 °C / 91 F.

Speakers

The two speakers are well integrated into the design of the Sony Xperia Z3+ and can convince with their sound, even though they cannot compete with speakers of the HTC One M9. However, they  manage a very high volume and there are no distortions. Medium tones and bass are weak, but perceptible, so the sound quality is good for a smartphone. If you want rich sound, however, you will have to use good headphones or an external speaker, but the Xperia Z3+ is well equipped for these situations.

The provided headset is comparatively good and can actually be used for occasional music playback. Nevertheless, Sony’s smartphone is even more impressive with high-quality headphones. The stereo jack is subjectively flawless, and we could not hear any background noise.

There are also some Bluetooth features, which are supported in the current version 4.1 by the Z3+. The smartphone supports the audio standards A2DP and apt-X, which suggests a high-quality audio streaming. The smartphone actually worked pretty well in combination with a Teufel BT Bamster.

A new feature is the support of Sony’s own Hi-Res audio standard LDAC, which also uses Bluetooth, but manages to transport three times the amount of data. Sony promises audio streaming in Hi-Fi quality. However, there are currently hardly any receivers or speakers that support this standard and you also need high-quality audio files. Compressed formats like MP3 are slightly improved by Sony’s Digital Enhancement Engine (DSEE HX), which is supposed to enhance the sound experience.

Energy Management

Power Consumption

The energy balance of the Sony Xperia Z3+ is actually decent. Only the standby value is slightly raised. Otherwise, the consumption under sustained load is particularly low, but the throttling of the SoC. can also influence this result. You will notice that the battery is discharging during prolonged gaming sessions, even with the attached power adaptor. The latter has a nominal output of 7.5 watts, so it is possible that the actual consumption is higher.

It takes about three hours for the battery to be charged. This is quite a long time, especially since the smartphone is supposed to support Quick Charge. Perhaps this feature is only available in combination with the optional Quick Charger UCH10.

Sony Xperia Z3+
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
Sony Xperia Z3
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 16 GB eMMC Flash
HTC One M9
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Mali-T760 MP8, Exynos 7420, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
LG G4
Adreno 418, 808 MSM8992, 32 GB eMMC Flash
Huawei P8
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 930, 16 GB eMMC Flash
Nokia Lumia 930
Adreno 330, 800 MSM8974, 32 GB eMMC Flash
Power Consumption
20%
-21%
31%
-15%
3%
4%
Idle Minimum *
0.6
0.5
17%
1.1
-83%
0.5
17%
1.1
-83%
0.7
-17%
1.1
-83%
Idle Average *
2.5
1.4
44%
2
20%
0.9
64%
1.5
40%
2
20%
1.4
44%
Idle Maximum *
2.7
1.8
33%
2.4
11%
1.3
52%
1.9
30%
2.1
22%
1.8
33%
Load Average *
5.5
5.2
5%
7.2
-31%
3.8
31%
6.6
-20%
4.9
11%
3.8
31%
Load Maximum *
6.1
6.1
-0%
7.5
-23%
6.8
-11%
8.8
-44%
7.4
-21%
6.5
-7%

* ... smaller is better

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0 / 0.3 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 0.6 / 2.5 / 2.7 Watt
Load midlight 5.5 / 6.1 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Voltcraft VC 870
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.

Battery Runtime

Despite the decreased battery capacity of 2900 mAh, the results are still very good within the comparison group. The Sony Xperia Z3+ manages the longest runtimes under load and in the Reader’s Test (idle). The runtimes in our Wi-Fi test could be slightly longer, but only the Galaxy S6 Edge is even better. The runtime during video playback is average.

The Xperia Z3+ also supports Sony’s own energy-saving mode, the Stamina mode, which can increase the runtimes of the smartphone noticeably. The Ultra-Stamina mode only provides essential functions like phone calls and simple messaging (SMS and MMS).

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
28h 9min
WiFi Websurfing
6h 28min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
8h 46min
Load (maximum brightness)
4h 42min
Sony Xperia Z3+
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
Sony Xperia Z3
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 16 GB eMMC Flash
HTC One M9
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
LG G4
Adreno 418, 808 MSM8992, 32 GB eMMC Flash
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Mali-T760 MP8, Exynos 7420, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
Motorola Moto X 2. Gen 2014
Adreno 330, 801 MSM8974AC, 16 GB eMMC Flash
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
PowerVR GX6450, A8, 64 GB eMMC Flash
Nokia Lumia 930
Adreno 330, 800 MSM8974, 32 GB eMMC Flash
Battery Runtime
-17%
-25%
-21%
-6%
-21%
-5%
-28%
Reader / Idle
1689
1203
-29%
805
-52%
1654
-2%
1349
-20%
1078
-36%
1436
-15%
1387
-18%
H.264
526
682
30%
421
-20%
501
-5%
417
-21%
604
15%
675
28%
WiFi v1.3
388
348
-10%
326
-16%
534
38%
Load
282
132
-53%
236
-16%
114
-60%
224
-21%
165
-41%
199
-29%
175
-38%
WiFi
672
573
617
777
1002

Pros

+ Nice design
+ Good cameras
+ Decent battery runtimes
+ Great connectivity
+ Good WiFi range
+ Very good phone acoustics
+ Expandable storage
+ Great sound features
+ OTG-adaptor provided

Cons

- High SAR value
- Thicker than advertised
- Surface temperatures under load
- Display dims itself
- Small build quality issues
- Camera turns off due to overheating
- SoC throttles heavily
- Slow microSD slot

Verdict

In Review: Sony Xperia Z3+. Test model courtesy of Sony Germany.
In Review: Sony Xperia Z3+. Test model courtesy of Sony Germany.

The Sony Xperia Z3+ really raises the question of whether there was any quality control for the smartphone and if it was ever used under real conditions. The sometimes-serious overheating problems can limit the usability of the device considerably. Quickly take a snapshot? Not possible, it is summer! Sony really has to improve this and offer an update to solve this problem as quickly as possible. Such an update is at least announced. Unfortunately, we cannot recommend the Xperia Z3+ in this state.

Sony builds a great smartphone, but cannot handle the temperature development. Unfortunate.

The build quality should be slightly better too. The gaps in particular still leave room for improvements. However, Sony also does many things right. You get a really good display once the white point is set correctly, the camera takes good pictures in difficult lighting conditions (if it works) and the connectivity of the smartphone does not cause any criticism. Furthermore, it is waterproof as well as dust-resistant and delivers a good sound performance.

Our wishes for the next flagship smartphone from Sony are that it will only be released if it is ready for it. In that case, it will almost certainly get a very good rating.

Sony Xperia Z3+ - 07/05/2015 v4(old)
Daniel Schmidt

Chassis
85%
Keyboard
70 / 75 → 93%
Pointing Device
95%
Connectivity
56 / 60 → 93%
Weight
93%
Battery
93%
Display
83%
Games Performance
69 / 63 → 100%
Application Performance
43 / 70 → 61%
Temperature
20%
Noise
100%
Audio
90 / 91 → 99%
Camera
82%
Average
75%
84%
Smartphone - Weighted Average

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Daniel Schmidt, 2015-07-13 (Update: 2018-05-15)