Sony Xperia Z3 vs Xperia Z2

**Turn your back for one second and Sony is likely to have launched yet another flagship smartphone. **While it might not have felt like two minutes since the Xperia Z2 was released, Sony has jumped in there again with its successor, the Xperia Z3. But with only six or so months between the two devices, it’s hard to believe that Sony has managed to pack anything new into the new handset.  So let’s see if Sony’s Xperia Z3 can prove us wrong…

Xperia Z2 vs Z3 Specs

When it comes to specs, there’s not a whole lot of difference between the two handsets, which is hardly surprising considering the Z2 already boasts some of the best features on the market.

One key difference between the Z3 vs Z2 is their processors: whilst the older Z2 sports a quad-core 2.3GHz processor, the Z3 pushes the boat out with a quad-core 2.5GHz processor complete with a powerful 801 chipset. You don’t really need to know what any of these numbers mean to understand that the Xperia Z3 is faster and more powerful than its older brother.

Both handsets arrive with 16GB of internal memory and 3GB of RAM, which makes the Sony smartphones complete powerhouses to be rivaled with.

You may like: Prefer something a bit less expensive from Sony? Why not check out the Xperia T3?

Z3 vs Z2 Design

If the specs aren’t going through any drastic changes, then perhaps Sony has changed the look of the new Z3? Putting both handsets side by side you can see that, well, they look identical. but if it aint broke why fix it, right? Sony has won awards for its sleek looking tempered glass designs, so it would almost be sacrilege to mix up the winning formula.

Both the Z2 and Z3 feature a larger than life 5.2-inch with an aluminium trim running along the sides of the handsets, and that, teamed with the glossy slab of glass on the back of the smartphones make the two look more like fashion accessories than phones.

However, look a little closer and you’ll notice a few subtle differences between the Sony flagships. Firstly, the Z3 has dropped a dress size or two; weighing in at 152 grams versus the Z2’s 163 grams, the new Z3 looks and feels a whole lot slimmer than the Z2, which has also sliced off almost 1mm from its waistline . Plus, whereas the Xperia Z2 featured a solid, square design, Sony engineers have given the new smartphone a much softer feel with rounded edges, making the handset much easier to handle.

Sony Camera Battle

As with the specs, it looks like Sony is sticking to what it knows with the Xperia Z3 when it comes to its camera- and this doesn’t come as much as a surprise considering the Z2 and Z1 both featured phenomenal snappers!

Packing a 20.7 megapixel lens on the back of the smartphone, plus a 2.2 megapixel effort on the front, the Z2 wowed the world with its incredible camera. So rather than just shoveling in more megapixels, the Z3 features an enhanced range of camera technology and built-in features to make it stand out.

First off, the Xperia Z3 boasts a larger than average 25mm lens, which means you can get far action into every shot. This is particularly great news for all selfie lovers, meaning you can now fit the whole family onto the screen! Sony has also packed in brand new ISO technology to allow you to take the most detailed shots in low light than ever before- a true smartphone first!

And it’s not just in the camera technology that the Sony Xperia Z3 bounds ahead of the Z2 camera; Sony users will notice that the new flagship offers even more in-built camera apps including Face In, a feature that lets you capture your own face at the same time as snapping the action with your rear lens, AR Fun, a creative studio where you can draw, scribble and layer cool animations on top of your still images. You’ve even got Sound Photo, which works a bit like Samsung’s Sound & Shot mode, enabling you to record sound at the same time as capturing photos, and Movie Creator, which, you’ve guessed it, lets you play Steven Spielberg for the day.

Sony Xperia Z3 vs Z2: the verdict

Admittedly it doesn’t look like too much has changed between the Xperia Z2 and Z3, though those of you with a keen eye will appreciate the lighter, slimmer handset which still exudes with true Sony style.  Even if it’s for the improved camera alone, the Sony Xperia Z3 looks like it could be the smartphone to beat in the run up to Christmas.

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