Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Test
What How-do-you-do-Fi? Verdict
Sony's Z3 family goes from strength to strength with this tablet, with a superb operation Android can be proud of
Pros
- +
Good video functioning
- +
Strong sound
- +
High-res support
- +
Impressive battery life
- +
Slim, stylish design
Cons
- -
A lot of Sony services and apps pre-installed
Sony has had a busy twelvemonth in the portables market place. Not content with launching 2 flagship smartphones and a whole family of supporting handsets and wearables, we now have this to add together to the family unit – the Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact.
A not-then-compact name for a rather compact tablet, it's Sony's first crack at a small-form tablet, following on from the so-so success of the company'southward 10.1in Xperia Z2 Tablet earlier this yr.
Design
Sony has listened to the feedback it received from that and has acted appropriately. The unsightly chunky bezel and unwieldy blueprint is gone, and has been replaced by a super-slim and calorie-free one that makes the Z3 Tablet Compact a great portable companion.
At six.4mm it'due south even slimmer than one of its biggest competitors – the Samsung Galaxy Tab S – and at 270g, weighs 30g lighter too, significant it's comfortable to concur for motion-picture show watching.
Sony'south Omnibalance design has been refined here in the aforementioned way equally it has on its smartphones, softening the metal edges downwardly to more of a subtle curve, which, when teamed with its matte-plastic back panel, makes the tablet easier and more comfortable to concord.
Despite its largely plastic structure, the Z3 Tablet Compact withal feels sturdy and durable, and at this screen size, its super-slim profile makes much more sense than it did on its larger screened sibling, which we noticed was prone to flexing.
That's not to say at that place isn't the odd crepitate here if you want to really give it a become, but there's non the same feeling of fragility, and while it doesn't feel similar the triumph of blueprint that its Z3 smartphone sibling is, the Z3 Tablet Compact certainly feels like a pace forwards for Sony's tablet line-upwards.
As nosotros're becoming accepted to, the Z3 Tablet Compact is waterproof for up to one.5m for up to xxx minutes. We're not imagining that much will ever be necessary for near, but it's good to know you tin can watch Breaking Bad in the bath, or accept it into the kitchen or downwards to the beach without worrying well-nigh accidents.
An 8in-screen features on the Z3 Tablet Compact, in the aforementioned xvi:nine aspect ratio as the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4. When compared side-past-side, there's more a passing resemblance between the two, autonomously from one big difference: their screen resolutions.
Screen
Sony has called to stick with a full HD screen here in the same way as information technology has done on its phones, which might seem like a bad move when it has the 2560 x 1600 resolution on the Tab S 8.iv to compete with.
But this is an excellent screen all the same, and Sony's reasoning of non wanting to compromise battery life for a 2K screen is one we fully support – particularly when the results are equally expert every bit this.
Sony's own figures quote effectually fifteen-hours for video playback, but on our rundown test, looping a 720p video at one-half-effulgence with wi-fi turned on, the Z3 Tablet Compact managed an impressive 17 hours half dozen minutes, with no help from any of its (splendid) power saving modes. That's nigh seven hours more than the iPad – and in a tablet you'll be using on the go, that'southward useful stuff.
Play a movie on it and it becomes fifty-fifty more impressive. Compare information technology against the 2K-packing Samsung and nosotros take to say we'd take the Z3 Tablet Compact's residuum any day.
Similar all of Sony'southward portable devices, it'southward packed full of Sony brandish applied science, some of which works better than others.
'Triluminos for Mobile' and 'Live Colour LED' do a fine job at helping with color accuracy and dissimilarity, merely we e'er spring straight into the card to turn off 'X-Reality' for mobile – its added processing ever makes images look overly sharpened.
Once we've played with the settings, the results are great. Play a 1080p prune on the Z3 Tablet Compact, and colours are punchy and vivid withal manage to remain convincing, with a good tonal spread, specially across the master colours of greenish, cherry and bluish. There's plenty of detail to go at, and despite the differences in resolution, nosotros'd say that its most on par with the Samsung for detail retrieval.
Information technology tin can't quite top Samsung for blackest blacks, and its probably just pipped for contrast too. That's non to say information technology's bad, simply the SuperAMOLED display on the Tab S 8.4 has its strengths, and this is it.
Whites on the Sony are bright though and, with some tweaking of the white balance settings, can be as pure every bit they come up. Left with the settings out of the box and there'south a slight pinky tinge to them, merely it'due south mostly noticeable when browsing rather than in video playback.
Specifications & interface
General performance is good hither, with the Z3 Tablet Meaty's quad-core Snapdragon processor and 3GB RAM doing the job to keep things moving along without hiccup or delay.
You'll get 16GB of on-board storage, but you can expand this via microSD by another 128GB.
Sony'southward interface, like most manufacturer skins, will be something that will take some getting used to. Information technology'due south loaded to the hilt with Sony apps services, which can be a little annoying – especially when many of them indistinguishable Google'due south own excellent options.
It'due south probably to be expected – subsequently all, Apple and Google are no different. If yous similar or subscribe to Sony's entertainment services (namely 'Music Unlimited' and 'Video Unlimited'), their integration in the 'Movies' and 'Walkman' apps is useful, offering upwardly new releases for suggestions, and there are often free trials for you lot to attempt them out.
PlayStation 4 Remote Play
Worth a mention is Sony's 'PlayStation 4 Remote Play' feature, which allows yous to play PS games on your tablet.
Y'all'll need to be on the aforementioned wi-fi network as your console for the best operation, which does limit it somewhat, but if y'all're in the middle of playing and someone is complaining about needing the TV, you can carry on your tablet, handily fastened to your DualShock controller using a special mount, if you wish.
The smaller screen won't work for all games, and it'due south no lucifer for the pure processing grunt behind a PS4 when it comes to fast action, merely for carrying on gaming, information technology's sharp and detailed enough to scratch that itch.
Audio
Musically, we've been pretty impressed with Sony'southward most contempo performances, and it's no different on the Z3 Tablet Compact. Information technology'south taken a long time for something to come up and take the iPad's crown as the best sounding tablet, only the Sony has done it.
In that location'southward a richer tone to information technology than we've heard on Sony smartphones, sounding weighty and total bodied, and closer to the iPad in terms of grapheme than ever earlier.
Notwithstanding there'southward more fine particular here, and a affect greater handling of rhythm and timing – not that the iPad mini 3 is a slouch by any ways, but the Z3 Tablet Compact just takes information technology. It's refined and precise, a really enjoyable listening experience that is i of the best we've ever heard on a tablet.
That'due south supported by the fact the Sony Z3 Tablet Compact is capable of high-res music playback up to 24-scrap/192kHz, and sounds great to boot. There's added detail and greater transparency to tracks, offer each element of a song plenty of infinite to aggrandize and develop. Dynamics are meliorate to that terminate too, though you will need to pair the Z3 Tablet Compact with some decent headphones to really hear these differences.
The tablet's stereo speakers are front end-facing. The sound is a little smaller hither, insufficiently, and feels a bit squashed dynamically. Information technology's clear enough though and largely well balanced, but for long periods, you'll demand a tranquillity environment around you to brand everything out (specially dialogue).
Camera
For taking photos, the Sony doesn't practise a bad job at all. Its grade factor makes information technology a piddling more acceptable to use it for the odd snap, and then information technology's skilful to see Sony hasn't scrimped here.
There'south an 8.1MP-rear photographic camera, with a ii.3MP-front facer supporting, and we found shots to be precipitous and detailed.
As on the Z3 smartphone, the camera app is stacked with modes and features (with more available for download if you wish), including a fully manual mode, the ability to stream live to YouTube and plenty of creative modes for adding some flair to your snaps.
Verdict
The Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact is an excellent addition to the Z3 family, offering a great video experience, a superb way with music and a startlingly skilful battery life – all wrapped upwardly in a slim and stylish beat.
While its proper noun might be a bit of a mouthful, this tablet'southward functioning more speaks for itself, and nosotros really like what it's maxim.
MORE: Best tablets 2015: which one should you buy?
Source: https://www.whathifi.com/sony/xperia-z3-tablet-compact/review
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