Sony’s next smartphone features 6 inch, 2880 x 1440 pixel OLED display with HDR support, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, and a new set of AI features.
The Sony Xperia XZ3 will also be one of the first smartphones to ship with Android 9 Pie when the phone hits the streets in September.
But like most Sony flagships, the new XZ3 isn’t cheap: it’s expected to sell for £699 in the UK, which is about $900 US.
Here’s what you get for that price:
- 6 inch, 2800 x 1440 pixel Sony TRILUMINOS display (no notch)
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
- 4GB RAM
- 64GB UFS storage
- microSDXC card reader
- 3,330 mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0 and qwireless charging
- 19MP rear camera
- 13MP front camera
- 802.11ac WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, LTE Cat 18, and GPS + GLONASS support
- USB 3.1 Type-C port
- Fingerprint sensor (rear)
- IP68 water and dust resistance
- Corning Gorilla Glass 5
The phone does not have a headphone jack, but it comes with a USB Type-C to 3.5mm headphone adapter and the Xperia XZ3 includes Sony’s LDAC technology for higher quality Bluetooth audio streaming. The smartphone also has stereo front-facing speakers that Sony says are 20 percent louder than the speakers on previous models.
Sony’s X-Reality technology can “up-convert” streaming TV shows and movies from standard dynamic range to high dynamic range to take advantage of the display’s HDR display.
You can use the rear camera to shoot 4K video, 960 fps super slow motion video at 1080p resolution, or standard 120 fps slow motion videos. There are also AI features including predictive capture, which detects motion and smiles and buffers images before you hit the shutter button and saves up to four images when you do snap a photo to help you pick the best shot.
Sepaking of AI, there’s also a new “Side sense” feature that lets you double-tap either side of the phone to see a list of apps you’re likely to want to use next, based on your previous usage. The idea is to help you launch your next app without having to open the app drawer, making the large-screened phone a bit easier to use with one hand.
The Soy Xperia XZ3 hsa an aluminum frame, and the phone comes in black, green, red, and “white silver” color options.
4GB/64GB for $900? No thanks Sony. Who do you think you are? Apple?