Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Sony Xperia XZ3 Unlocked Smartphone, 64GB - 6.0" OLED Screen -Forest Green (US Warranty) [Phone ONLY Version]

F.H

Overall a Great Phone

Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2018

Pros:
1. The screen is ABSOLUTE GORGEOUS, I own Samsung Note 9 and Xs Max, the screen on this Sony is unbeatable. Sony used a newer technology to produce their screen and it is looking fantastic.
2. Doesn't wobble that much on the desk comparing to XZ2.
3. VoLTE is working for T-Mobile (I wan't able to test on other carriers).
4. Comes with Android 9 out of the box.
5. Front facing camera is amazing with much clearer pictures comparing to XZ2, even better than Xs Max.
6. Very sleek design and it has NO NOTCH!!
7. Front facing speakers sounds really good comparing to Note 9.
8. Dedicated camera button instead of a Bixby button.

Cons:
1. Fingerprint scanner is still a bit awkwardly placed.
2. Even though it comes with Android 9, the gesture control like on the new Pixel 3 phones is removed. (I personally don't care since the gesture control is really awkward anyway)
3. Even though it packs a 3300mAh battery, I have less battery percentage after a day of use comparing to Xs Max, but it does hold me through a day. (I have 6 hours of screen on time; I watch YouTube videos, play games, and scroll through social media apps like Facebook and Instagram.)
4. Headphone jack is gone forever for flagship phones from Sony (I use their bluetooth headphones and LDAC is great on playing my FLAC files through bluetooth, so it isn't an issue for me.)

Conclusion:
This is really a great phone from Sony. They improved this phone from XZ2 in all of the aspects. Awesome display, great front facing speakers, and great cameras. The battery life is average to good comparing to other flagships in 2018, but it still is able to hold me through a day, so I have so complaints here. Sony is the only company out there still adding a dedicated camera button, and I have to say, I love it. If you are looking out there for a great phone from Sony, this is a really nice option even if it costs $900 (I pre-ordered it with the Ear Duo bundle, but I would still buy it for $900 for phone only).

97 people found this helpful

Beware: Crashed 9 weeks in

Kim

Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2019

Bumping Shoulders With Perfection But Still Needs Some Help

Jesse E

Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2018

Pros:
The screen is stunning. I'll be watching a lot more videos on this phone than usual.
The design is really well thought out and feels very premium and sturdy. It feels like top notch materials were used.
A lot of little things have been refined coming from other Xperia devices, such as double tap to wake being added, stamina mode performance is increased so typing isn't an issue, reworked camera app.

Cons:
The phone is lacking WiFi calling and VoLTE support on the T-mobile network (I'm assuming this is the same for all US carriers). This is a huge let down and really impacts the effectiveness of this device as a cell phone.
The screen is so great that I'm going to be wasting a lot of battery watching videos. Oh well.
Some of my initial camera shots with medium light came out a little grainy. I'm not sure if this is an isolated issue but it's still less than ideal in a $900 phone.
Lack of support in the U. S. in some ways, such as lack of accessories or carrier support.

Full review:
Starting out with the design, the phone definitely feels great. It's a big phone, yet it still manages to feel elegant in the hand. It's a bit heavy but the weight is distributed evenly so it isn't very apparent. The build quality appears to be very premium and I imagine it will hold up well to time, as most Sony phones I have had tend to last. Almost every review I've heard on this phone has made some mention of the finger print sensor location being too low. I have average sized hands and make contact with the sensor every time. I think I prefer this location over one that is higher up only because I'd rather bend my finger to make contact with the sensor instead of stretching it. This is one of those things that is purely a personal preference and I think reviewers are complaining to complain, what's new.
The software is very familiar if you've ever used a Sony/Android phone before, and is easy to learn if you haven't. If you're thinking about switching from an iPhone, Android is quite a liberating experience, and Sony makes it easy to transfer over with the Xperia Companion App. A couple new software features have been added, such as the side sense feature which is similar to the HTC and Pixel phone squeezes, although it may not be entirely as reliable, but I still find it quite useful. I have heard of some users complaining about accidently activating side sense, but I haven't had that issue (either due to how I hold the phone or possibly an update, I'm not sure which)(actually just kidding I see what they're talking about now, if your palms or fingers overlap onto the screen, it picks it up as a tap occasionally). Everything feels very fluid and I doubt it would be any different if Sony did include 6GB of RAM, but hey six is bigger than four and I'm sure it wouldn't hurt the user that much to have more RAM, even with a slightly higher drain on battery. A boost mode would be cool to have if you wanted to utilize all 6 gigs at once, and then have it be off during typical use. The new android 9 pie operating system doesn't seem all that different from 8, but I believe that is a good thing because most software related features seem good how they are right now. Various little tweaks have been made here and there by Sony, and most that I can see are either optional or beneficial to the user. The ability to disable and customize things like side sense and the dynamic vibration are awesome and I'm so glad Sony gives the option for this rather than forcing it upon users. I would appreciate seeing this in a few other places however such as with adaptive charging, like manually setting a wake up time instead of my phone trying (and failing) to automatically predict when I will wake up. Finally night mode was added! My poor crippled eyes can finally experience that comforting warm hue when I'm staying up past my bed time.
The battery is as good or better than most other offerings out there today. I am almost always able to squeeze out two days of usage from my Sony phones without recharging, and I'd consider myself a medium to heavy user but I do actively try to save battery by reducing brightness, closing apps and turning on stamina mode when needed. Stamina mode is great and ultra stamina mode is great for Bear Grylls. Unfortunately there isn't a fast charger included in the box, just a regular charger. I usually recharge overnight anyway but it is kind of a bummer that I don't feel like a super elite first class dude with the best stuff after spending near a grand on a phone. Battery Care is a nice feature from Sony in a world where most other phone companies are treating their lithium ion filled phablets like a disposable Kodak camera.
Next up is the screen. My previous phone was the Sony Xperia XZ Premium, which I thought had an amazing display, and it did, but this phone kicked that up a couple notches. When I started watching videos on this phone with maxed out resolution it felt like the first time I saw a 4K TV on display at Best Buy. I feel really lame admitting this but I got goosebumps. Whatever it could have been cold in my house I'm not sure. It is great to look at though, seeing the screen in person is the only way that you will experience the perfection of this screen. Colors look excellent to me, everything just pops in a realistic way. Nothing really seems washed out or overexposed. Sony did a fantastic job calibrating this. I haven't used a Note 9 or iPhone XS yet so I can't comment on which one is better but I'd feel confident in saying Samsung and Apple have some very tough competition. One thing I will say about the screen is that it looks slightly blue on the curved sections, but this doesn't necessarily apply when watching videos, only when viewing a white screen, so it's not a huge complaint from me as it isn't intrusive or distracting.
Sound. Wow this phone kicks! After unboxing the phone I turned up the volume all the way and started watching a video and it was actually loud! Surprisingly, I turned it down. I was surprised again later in the day when I was using the phone for GPS and the speakers were able to surpass the road noise from driving on the highway which I don't think I've ever experienced in a phone before. The Dynamic Vibration System is an interesting experience, and I think with a little bit of tweaking and reduction of latency, Sony might have something cool on their hands. I'd find myself sort of missing it when I turned it off, because in the lowest setting it feels like it adds bass to the phone, even if it doesn't in reality. The subtle sound based vibration isn't going to radically alter your media consumption but hey at least Sony is trying new stuff! Obviously this phone is missing the auxiliary port which to some aux snobs is probably a turn off. The only time I use my aux is when I'm in the car and feeling auxy but even then that isn't very often so this just comes down to personal preference. I think dongles are lame but hey whatever it doesn't really apply to me so I can't tell you how it should apply to yourself.
The camera is kind of the typical bag of Sony goodies. You have the super slowmo 960 FPS at 1080p I believe and the 4k HDR video recording. What they offer is on par with most other high end phones. I haven't extensively tested the camera so I don't want to jump to any conclusions. What I do know is that Sony hasnt reinvented the smartphone camera here yet. You still get very good shots that are quite situational. In good light with a steady hand your shots will look good. With hands as shaky as the Dynamic Vibration system on this phone and a night darker than the perfect blacks on this phone's OLED screen, your picture is going to look like some soup. I'll probably come back and update this part of the review once I go outside and experience nature in more than one light setting.
Some of my other thoughts on this phone include other bits about the Sony ecosystem and the actual experience of living with the phone. Sony phones have always held up well to time in my experience, more so than any other phone brands I've tried, including Apple, Samsung, HTC, LG and even Pixel phones. I have the same high expectations for this phone. I enjoy the apps Sony has preloaded, such as the album app and music app. It actually gives you an option upon the very first startup on whether you want to install certain other apps (or bloatware depending on who you are) which is pretty cool! I installed most of them because it was stuff like the Playstation app and Amazon that I'm going to use anyway. I really wish Sony would do more with this phone in terms of Playstation compatability. You do have the option of PS4 remote play, which works good with a great internet connection, but I believe there is so much more innovation and opportunity waiting to happen between the Playstation and Sony Mobile teams! Okay now to the part of living with this phone and probably the biggest criticism from me. I have a sneaking suspicion that the whole country known as the United States of America is like a red-headed step child to Sony Mobile. In this metaphor they provide us with a roof over our heads and some food, but not much else. In the US it is highly unlikely that you will find XZ3 cases or screen protectors in your local electronic store, and your cell phone provider will most likely look at you like a fool when you let them know that Sony does indeed make phones. Have fun importing the official Sony style cases to the US if you want them, or maybe even the cool wireless charging stand that is sold in currencies that don't have a $ before them. I really really want this phone to be my perfect phone but it doesn't support Wi-Fi calling. This is a huge miscalculation by whoever made the decision, be it T-mobile or Sony or some higher diety. If you have set foot inside the US then you most likely know it's the land of the free and home of the sprawling empty area outside of cities that has little to no cell reception. I have literally had better reception in rural Thailand than in the middle of the second biggest city in my state, so WiFi calling should be as necessary to phones in 2018 as a fingerprint sensor (I would gladly give up the sensor for Wi-Fi calling BTW). This being said, if you need a phone that can be a means of communication above all else, I do not believe the XZ3 is for you. It really pains me to say that because this phone does so many things right, but the one area it lacks in is the main thing phones are used for, communication. That being said, cell reception is good and I haven't noticed anything wonky in the areas I normally get reception.

To summarize my points, this is an excellent phone, but there are quite a few other excellent phones out there. This is one of the few phones that is hard to complain about if you're an average (or anything other than average) phone user. If you like Sony phones, or well designed tech, you're going to love this phone. If you have an issue with losing out on Wi-Fi calling or VoLTE, you should probably skip this phone. If you want an awesomely solid piece of technology in every other way and are willing to look past the few flaws this phone has, then by all means get it, and you won't be disappointed.

41 people found this helpful

OLED screen at 1440p, Waterproof, Dustproof and SD card!

R. Smith

Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2019

It comes with a 3.5mm usb-c dongle.

I purchased this phone to replace my old Nexus 5. I selected this smartphone because of its beautiful screen. Watching high quality videos on this smart phone will immerse you completely in the video. However outside of video watching, the phone needs to be calibrated to suit you:

I turned off side sense because it is a feature that I don't need.
I had to enable the zoom in feature because it was disabled
I had to enable moving apps from the app storage sceen to the main screen
I had to disable the always on screen feature
Enabling to auto rotate on the home screen seems to make the phone rotate from portrait to landscape a lot quicker
The camera on the phone works better in Manual mode vesus Auto
I think I will turn on the glove mode because sometimes the screen doesnt recognize my taps
I the phone will automatically close unused/idle apps

I am happy with this phone because of its beautiful screen!
There are other features on the phone that I haven't tried and will try them out as the situation dictates.
Also, this phone is super fast!

The Xperia Duo is great for listening to music when you want to be aware of your surroundings.
Voice chat on the Xperia duo was horrible, the sound quality was horrible and It wouldn't stay connected for long phone calls
The control features of the Xperia Duo such as swipping or head nodding is not responsive
The battery on the Xperia Duo drains fast but charging is very fast. The right ear piece will always run out of power first.

6 people found this helpful

Sounds OK, battery life sucks

Yoldy Xaviel

Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2021

Really enjoying the phone, it's a great brand and does the job right. My only problems with this phone are the life battery is not that amazing, doesn't have it's own separate headphones Jack's it uses the battery jack to use the headphones. And quietly is OK but not the best. Almost forgot it take forever to charge. I give it a 3/5

Casper

Wonderful phone

Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2019

I think cell phones are really about personal preference, what I like may not be the same for someone else. Let me start with the fingerprint scanner, it is in a perfect place for me. I don't have huge hands and due to the length, I'm not stretching my finger around to find the scanner, I have never accidentally hovered over the camera. One on the other things I love is the camera system. How many phones come with a dedicated camera button? This was a feature I missed on my previous phone. The camera itself is located in such a great position. I've haven't accidentally taken a picture of my finger when holding it in landscape mode. The system is snappy and fluid. The screen looks awesome. I just wish manufactures would bring back the headphone jack. This was a bundle purchase with the xperia duo headset. At first they were awkward to put on but after a few tries you get used to them quickly. They don't seal into the ear like my other headset which is nice. They sound amazing. Overall this is a great phone and headset. I really love this phone, I'm glad I didn't listen to all of the negative reviews.

4 people found this helpful

MICHAEL

great phone

Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2021

I am a sony phone lover and needed to upgrade and went with the xz3 I knew it was a already a fews years old but i must say all the reviews that says things about the fingerprint reader being to low and all this nonesense ( there hands and fingers must big and not the average person size) because it works great and i have no issues / the oled screen is unbelievable and the phone just works smooth like butter best sony phone / the battery works great but i am just being picky and if heavy use can get through a day but by end of evening need to charge you want a great phone dont hesitate to buy this one ( i can only imagine how the newer models ) sony makes great phones

One person found this helpful

Xperia XZ3: Sony got it Right this time.

Roger

Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2019

I've had a good number of Sony Xperia Phones:
- Sony Ericsson, Xperia ZL, Xperia Z3, Xperia XZ (most recent)
The Xperia XZ3 is a better replacement for my Xperia XZ. For comparison basis, I'll be referring to my previous phone the Xperia XZ.

Battery Life:
With a single charge at 11pm, I immediately unplugged the device. I started to use the phone starting at 6am.
I was able to use the XZ3 nearly all day and still have at least 55% by midnight.
-I've streamed music for at least 8 hours
-Connected my bluetooth headset
-at least 3 to 4 hours of screen time (emails, texting, web search, and netflix)
by 8pm I was at 60% charge.
It's close to midnight now and it the phone is still at 49% charge. Battery Stamina is set to kick in at 45%. If I didn't charge this phone tonight, It will likely last till 12pm.
In short you can expect at least 1 day and 12 hours from a single charge with normal usage.

Picture Quality:
The quality is on par if not better than the Xperia XZ. Even though it was a step down in Camera Spec, the image stabilization, and software processing makes up for the gap in quality.

Sound
Hands down the best out of any Xperia phone. It may rival the bigger flag ships in terms of quality and clarity.

Connectivity:
For ATT Network customers, this phone is LTE Compatible! You will receive and achieve full LTE speeds offered by ATT. This was one of my biggest fear was being stuck with H+ instead of LTE.
-Phone call clarity is much better. The reception on is much clearer to the receiver and you will be able to hear better as well.

Side note: if you buy this phone now 6/2019, you will have to update your phone. There are at least 7 major updates to the OS. That's a good thing but it takes some time. So be patient it is well worth the wait.

Forgot to mention: The FINGER PRINT SENSOR WORKS in the US Model of the phone! FINALLY!!!! Major improvements. This is definitely the phone to get. Hold off from getting the Xperia 1 as it will be a battery drain on that larger 4k display.

2 people found this helpful

Nice Xperia with band 12 VoLTE on Tmobile support

C. Fisher

Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2019

I enjoy the OLED screen. Edge sense is an interesting function I am playing with where app icons pop up when you touch the edge of the screen. This supports band 12 and VoLTE on T-Mobile which is not common on Xperia. I preferred the fingerprint scanner on the side, on the back is a little awkward. Qi charging is nice, make sure to get a case that will not interfere. I chose this over the XZ2 premium mainly due to the band 12 with VoLTE on Tmobile and the OLED which the XZ2 Premium does not have but I was tempted by the XZ2 Premium dual camera. As is typical of glass body the phone is a little slippery so a case would be a good idea.

I got it with the Xperia Ear Duo which I enjoy but it is not for everyone. The duo on purpose lets one hear sound around you which is great for biking or walking etc. but would not block out any noise on a train, a plane or any other environment with a lot of noise. I found the sound a little bit low in some cases. The assistant is interesting, I enjoy it but it is not for everyone. The battery of the ear duo lasts nearly 4 hours but the case has a battery that can recharge the ear duo.

3 people found this helpful