Z3 compact camera does not work black screen. The camera does not work on Sony Xperia Z3

Malfunctions:

• Often, when the camera on the Sony Xperia Z3 does not work, it means that it is broken. In this case, as a rule, we carry out a high-quality replacement of the component.
• The camera control chip is broken. Often this part becomes unusable after falls or after moisture has penetrated inside the device.
• In case of mechanical damage and liquid penetration into the device, any part that is responsible for the normal functioning of the camera can easily break. Before repairing the device, you have to perform diagnostics. Thus, it will be possible to accurately determine the breakdown.

Our Sony Telemama service center can help you. If the camera doesn't work, don't despair. Here they will be able to eliminate any damage efficiently. In addition, our customers receive a one-year warranty. The technicians will take care to return the phone to normal functioning as quickly as possible.

The price list always contains current prices

How to return Sony Xperia Z3 for repair?

1. You can always find our address on the website and come to the Telemama service center in person.
2. Call a courier to your home. He will deliver the device himself and save a lot of time.

If the equipment falls into our hands, then experienced technicians will definitely determine why the camera on the phone is not functioning. Carrying out repairs is not a problem for us. We will try to do everything very quickly so that you can pick up the equipment and continue using it again.

Switching between photo modes

1. Press and hold the Camera key.
2. Swipe the screen to select the desired photo mode.

Best auto-tuning

In Auto Best mode, the camera senses your shooting conditions and automatically adjusts settings for optimal photo quality.

Manual mode

Use manual mode if you need to manually adjust camera settings for photo and video shooting.

AR effects

You can apply AR effects (augmented reality effect) to photos or video clips, making them more fun. This option allows you to add a 3D background to your photos or videos when using the camera. Simply select the desired background and adjust its position in the viewfinder.

Creative effect

You can apply different effects to photos and videos. For example, you can add the Nostalgia effect to make your photos look old, or the Sketch effect to make your photos look fun.

Sweep Panorama

You can take wide-angle and panoramic photos vertically or horizontally with a simple tap-and-swipe motion.

Panoramic photography

Timeshift burst

The camera takes a series of 61 pictures in an interval of two seconds: one second before pressing the camera key and one after. So you can choose the best shot.

Using Timeshift Burst

Video Timeshift

You can record video at 120 frames per second and then apply a slow-motion effect when playing back parts or the entire video.

Background defocus mode

Use your camera's background defocus effect to make your subject appear sharper and more expressive than the background. In Background Defocus mode, the camera takes two photos, detects the background, and then blurs it, keeping the subject sharp, just like shooting with a DSLR. You can select three blur options and adjust the amount of blur on the preview screen.

Face in the image

You can use Face in Image mode by turning it on on both the front and rear cameras at the same time to capture a photo of yourself and your subject.

Multi camera mode

Multi-camera mode allows you to take photos that are images captured from different angles or on different devices. In your device's camera viewfinder, you see two images - one from your camera and one from a connected Xperia™ device or a Sony camera that supports NFC and Wi-Fi Direct™ technology. Before you take a photo, you can edit what you see in the viewfinder.

If you are attending a concert, for example, and want to take a photo that combines an image of the orchestra from one angle with an image of the audience from another angle, we recommend using the multi-camera mode.

You can set up multiple camera mode using NFC technology, which pairs two devices using Wi-Fi Direct™ technology.

Using Multi-Camera Mode

You can download free and paid applications for the camera on Google Play™, resources. Before downloading, make sure you have a working internet connection, preferably over Wi-Fi, to minimize data charges.

Quick start

Use the Quick Launch options to turn on the camera while the screen is locked.

Saving object coordinates

Adding geographic tags (geotags) to photos at the time of shooting.

Shoot by touch

Determine the focus area, and then touch the camera screen with your finger. The photo is taken as soon as your finger leaves the screen.

Detailed testing of the new mini version of the flagship in the Sony Mobile line of smartphones

The new line of Sony Xperia Z3 mobile devices was presented at the very beginning of autumn during the IFA 2014 world exhibition. Among other things, it includes three main top devices: the flagship Sony Xperia Z3, its compact version Xperia Z3 Compact, as well as a new eight-inch tablet called Sony Z3 Tablet. As for the most important device of the new line, the flagship Z3, we have already published a review of it. Now it’s time to look at its miniature version in detail, which was presented simultaneously with the flagship during an exhibition in Berlin.

In this regard, it is worth immediately noting two points. Firstly, the Z3 Compact can be called a “miniature” only according to its status in the line and the positioning established by the creators for this model in relation to the flagship. The device received the prefix “Compact” in its name, but this does not mean that the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact smartphone is small. In terms of size and screen area (4.6″), this is a completely ordinary smartphone, although it cannot be classified as a “shovel phone”.

The second interesting point is that the Japanese, having again updated the entire main line of Xperia Z mobile devices, gave all devices included in the updated series, without exception, the serial number 3. Thus, the miniature version of the Xperia Compact “jumped” one digit in its index , so as not to differ from its comrades in the line, and there will never be a model called Xperia Z2 Compact.

Video review

First, we suggest watching our video review of the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact smartphone:

Main characteristics of Sony Xperia Z3 Compact (Model D5803)

• SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974AC), 2.5 GHz, 4 cores
• GPU Adreno 330
• Operating system Android 4.4.4 KitKat
• Touchscreen IPS display, 4.6″, 1280×720, Triluminos
• Random access memory (RAM) 2 GB, internal memory 16 GB
• MicroSD card slot up to 128 GB (SDXC)
• Protection against dust and moisture according to IP 65/68 standard
• Communication GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
• Communications 3G UMTS HSPA+ 850, 900, 1700, 1900, 2100 MHz
• LTE Band 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17, 20 (2600/800 FDD are used in the Russian Federation)
• Bluetooth 4.0, NFC
• Support DLNA, MHL 3.0, OTG, Media Go, MTP, Miracast
• Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5 GHz), Wi-Fi hotspot
• GPS/Glonass
• Exmor RS 20.7 MP camera, autofocus, LED flash, 4K video
• Front camera 2.2 MP
• Non-removable battery 2600 mAh
• Dimensions 127×65×8.6 mm
• Weight 129 g

Contents of delivery

The Sony Xperia Z3 Compact smartphone is packaged in a fairly simple-looking, flat and square box made of thin unvarnished cardboard, which has already become classic for the latest products in the Sony mobile line, with a cardboard tray and three different-sized compartments inside, separated by thin partitions.

The contents of the smartphone are extremely modest: in the box you can only find a compact charger and a Micro-USB connecting cable, nothing more. Sony has decided not to include headphones in the package with its flagship products; they will be offered separately at a fairly reasonable price, as an additional accessory.

Appearance and ease of use

Unlike the flagship Xperia Z3, the changes in relation to its predecessor are almost exclusively cosmetic, the difference between the compact modifications is more significant. The new Xperia Z3 Compact has changed not only the hardware platform, but also the most noticeable element - the display, which has increased the diagonal size. At the same time, the dimensions of the device remained unchanged, but the frames around the screen became narrower, which made it possible to integrate a larger screen into the same body dimensions - everything is logical.

As for the appearance of the device, changes are noticeable here too. If the flagship only had its flat side edges redone, which now became rounded and pleasant to the touch, but remained the same metal, then the Xperia Z3 Compact also changed the materials of the side frame. Now it is made not of metal, but of polycarbonate, and besides, it has become transparent, which has radically changed the status perception of the device.

If the previous smartphone Xperia Z1 Compact really looked and was perceived as a serious, expensive product, like a real miniature version of the flagship, with the same materials, with the same heavy metal frame that gave the device brutality, then transparent plastic ran along the entire side perimeter of the case The new Xperia Z3 Compact is simply not able to give such a serious look. On the contrary, it seems to simplify and reduce the cost of the device in appearance, transferring it into the category of youth solutions. Of course, colorful and transparent plastics may well captivate the younger generation, but for a high-status, serious item such changes in appearance are disastrous. As a result, if you put the Z1 Compact and Z3 Compact side by side, they will look like two products of completely different levels, especially considering the variety of colors that have appeared in the latter, including green and carrot-orange options.

But there is also a positive aspect to all this: the corners of the side frame are now made of polycarbonate material, so that they play the role of a kind of shock absorbers, supposedly helping the smartphone “survive” after falls from a height.

The side plastic frame feels hard and slightly rough to the touch, so the smartphone is held quite securely in the hand, this cannot be taken away. In general, the dimensions and thickness of the new Sony Xperia Z3 Compact are such that the smartphone can be comfortably held in your hand and carried in a pocket of any size. Compared to most modern mobile devices, the smartphone is indeed quite compact, although not the thinnest solution on the mobile market.

As for the general structure of the body, the smartphone is still a non-separable candy bar, consisting of two glass plates and a wide frame running along the entire side perimeter. The non-separable nature of the case also implies the method of installing cards: the SIM card and memory card are inserted into the side slots; no paper clips are required to remove them; you just need to open the covers covering the slots from the outside.

The covers on the side frame are made of the same transparent polycarbonate and equipped with rubberized gaskets, since the smartphone, like its predecessors, is provided with maximum protection against water and dust according to the IP 65/68 standard. There are two covers; they hide slots for a memory card and SIM card, as well as a Micro-USB connector. By the way, changes have occurred here too: now top-end Sony mobile devices use Nano-SIM cards, obviously with an eye to a painless possible transition for some users from the Apple iPhone. The rest will have to go to the communication store again and change their SIM card to a new one.

There is another very noticeable improvement that should please fans of mobile devices of the Japanese brand. Now the back surface, like the front, is made not of plastic, but of real glass. Both glasses do not have a factory protective film; the characteristics of the glass are similar to the famous Corning Gorilla Glass.

There have also been changes in terms of sound. Now the smartphone has two grilles for sound output, they are located above and below the screen; the role of the grilles is played by two symmetrical slits cut directly into the glass. A completely logical solution is to turn the speakers “facing” the user, and there are now two speakers themselves.

Another change: previously, it was through the top slot of the speaker that the light of the alert indicator came through, but now it is brought out into the traditional separately located round peephole. There is an item in the settings menu where you can disable some of the indicator’s functions, leaving it to notify only about the charging status.

There are traditionally no hardware buttons below the screen; control is carried out using virtual buttons on the screen.

The only functional elements on the back side are the camera window and the flash eye. The flash here consists of one section and is located a little further from the camera than before. It can be used as a flashlight; for this purpose, the smartphone has a corresponding pre-installed program.

There are no changes in terms of mechanical hardware controls. The power and lock button is still located on the right side; traditionally for the latest Sony smartphones, it looks like a metal round, but in the third series models it is slightly different in appearance. Next to it you can find a double volume rocker. All the keys are large, easy to feel blindly, have a distinct springy action, there are no complaints in this regard.

At the bottom of the right side there is a dedicated hardware camera control key; with its help, the smartphone can be used to shoot even underwater, although the screen at this time becomes insensitive to touches. The ability to shoot underwater is a signature feature of Sony mobile devices, constantly played out in advertising and on posters.

A special connector with an open pair of contacts for installing a smartphone in a docking station has not been forgotten. The connector is universal: most modern Sony devices, including tablets, can be installed in the same docking station, purchased separately.

The headphone audio jack (3.5 mm) is located on top here, and it is not covered by any plugs. However, it is also protected from water entering the housing. At the bottom end you can only see the microphone hole - a universal Micro-USB connector that supports connecting external devices in OTG mode is hidden under a cover on the left side. For daily charging, you will have to open this cover every time - or use a separately purchased docking station.

There is also another hole at the bottom - this is a traditional strap mount, which is present in all Sony smartphones, and it is a pity that other manufacturers neglect this useful element.

The color scheme of the new mini-flagship has undergone significant changes. The smartphone is presented not only in traditional black and white, but also in completely unexpected bright cucumber-green and carrot-orange colors, which, coupled with transparent plastic, is clearly designed to attract the interest of a young audience.

Screen

The Sony Xperia Z3 Compact smartphone is equipped with an IPS touch matrix. The screen dimensions are 57x101 mm, diagonal - 4.6 inches, resolution - 1280x720 pixels. The pixel density here is 319 ppi, which by modern standards is not so much. The developers themselves call this type of display Triluminos. Naturally, there is also a proprietary X-Reality image enhancement software technology for mobile devices.

The outside of the screen is covered with protective glass without a factory protective film - Sony finally decided to abandon it. The thickness of the side frames from the edge of the screen to the edge of the body is approximately 3 mm - the frames are very narrow.

The display brightness can be adjusted manually, or you can use automatic adjustment. Multi-touch technology here allows you to process up to 10 simultaneous touches. The display can be operated with gloves or wet fingers. When you bring the smartphone to your ear, the screen is locked using a proximity sensor.

A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the “Monitors” and “Projectors and TV” sections, Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the sample under study.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface that is scratch-resistant. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are no worse than those of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) screen (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photograph in which a white surface is reflected in the switched off screens of both devices (Sony Xperia Z3 Compact, as it is not difficult to determine, is on the right; then they can be distinguished by size):

Both screens are dark, but the Sony screen is still darker (its brightness in the photo is 119 versus 122 for the Nexus 7). The tripling of reflected objects in the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact screen is very weak, this indicates that there is no air gap between the outer glass (also known as the touch sensor) and the surface of the matrix (OGS - One Glass Solution type screen). Due to the smaller number of boundaries (glass-air type) with very different refractive indices, such screens look better under strong external illumination, but their repair in the case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be replaced. The outer surface of the screen has a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (very effective, much like the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much more easily and appear at a slower rate than with regular glass.

With manual brightness control, its maximum value was about 530 cd/m², and the minimum was 3.5 cd/m². The maximum value is high, and, given the good anti-glare properties, the image on the screen should be clearly visible in bright daylight. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable level. Automatic brightness adjustment works based on the light sensor (it is located in the upper left corner on the front panel). In automatic mode, as external lighting conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. The operation of this function depends on the brightness adjustment position. If it is at maximum, then in complete darkness the auto-brightness function reduces the brightness to 100 cd/m² (a bit too much, but it will do), in an artificially lit office (about 400 lux) it sets it to 200 cd/m² (normal), in a very bright environment (corresponds to lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more) increases to 450 cd/m² (sufficient). If the brightness slider is at half the scale (it is very non-linear - after 50% the brightness goes up sharply as the setting value increases), then the screen brightness for the three conditions indicated above is as follows: 50, 125 and 450 cd/m² (suitable values). If the brightness control is set to minimum - 4.5, 40, 450 cd/m². As a result, the auto-brightness function works absolutely adequately. At any brightness level, there is no significant backlight modulation, so there is no screen flickering.

This screen uses an IPS type matrix. The microphotographs show a typical IPS subpixel structure:

For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.

The screen has good viewing angles without inverting shades and without significant color shifts, even with large viewing deviations from perpendicular to the screen. For comparison, here are photographs in which the same images are displayed on the screens of the Nexus 7 and Sony Xperia Z3 Compact, while the brightness of the screens is initially set to approximately 200 cd/m² (across the white field in full screen), and the color balance on the camera is forcibly switched to 6500 K. White field perpendicular to the plane of the screens:

Note the good uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field. And a test picture:

The colors on the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact's screen are oversaturated, skin tones are heavily red-shifted, and the color balance is different from the standard. Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen:

It can be seen that the colors have not changed much on both screens, but on the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact the contrast has decreased to a greater extent due to the strong highlighting of blacks. And a white field:

The brightness at an angle for both screens has noticeably decreased (by at least 4 times, based on the difference in shutter speed), but in the case of the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact the drop in brightness is less (brightness according to photographs is 232 versus 214 for the Nexus 7). However, the color tone did not change much. When deviated diagonally, the black field brightens greatly and acquires a violet or red-violet hue. The photographs below demonstrate this (the brightness of the white areas in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the screens is the same for the screens!):

And from another angle:

When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the black field is average, since there are areas with slightly increased brightness along the edge:

The contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) is high - about 900:1. The response time for the black-white-black transition is 32 ms (18 ms on + 14 ms off). The transition between halftones of gray 25% and 75% (based on the numerical value of the color) and back takes a total of 46 ms. Constructed using 32 points with equal intervals based on the numerical value of the shade of gray, the gamma curve did not reveal any blockage in either highlights or shadows, and the index of the approximating power function was 2.48, which is higher than the standard value of 2.2, while the real gamma curve strongly deviates from the power law:

The smartphone has a dynamic (and cannot be turned off!) adjustment of the backlight brightness depending on the nature of the displayed image. The general tendency is that in dark images the brightness is reduced, but the algorithm is somewhat complex, and as a result, periodically the brightness jumps noticeably, which is annoying, and decreasing the brightness in dark images reduces the visibility of gradations in the shadows under external illumination. That is, there is zero benefit from this function, only harm. As a result, we carried out a number of tests - determining contrast and response time, comparing black illumination at angles - when displaying special templates with a consistently average brightness, and not monochromatic fields in the entire screen. Of course, the resulting dependence of brightness on hue (gamma curve) most likely does not correspond to the gamma curve of a static image, since the measurements were carried out with sequential display of shades of gray on almost the entire screen.

The color gamut is noticeably wider than sRGB:

Let's look at the spectra:

They are very atypical. As they write on the Sony website, this screen uses LEDs with a blue emitter and green and red phosphors (usually a blue emitter and a yellow phosphor), which, in combination with special matrix filters, allows you to obtain a wide color gamut. Unfortunately, as a result, the colors of images - drawings, photographs and films - oriented to the sRGB space (and these are the vast majority) have an unnatural saturation. This is especially noticeable on recognizable shades, such as skin tones. The result is shown in the photo above.

The balance of shades on the gray scale is not ideal, since the color temperature is significantly higher than the standard 6500 K. True, the deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) is less than 10, which is considered an acceptable indicator for a consumer device. At the same time, the variation in color temperature and ΔE is small, which has a positive effect on the visual perception of color balance. (Dark areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since color balance there is not very important, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

This smartphone has the ability to adjust the color balance by adjusting the intensities of the three primary colors.

That's what we tried to do, the result is data signed as Corr. in the graphs above. As a result, we reduced ΔE a little and set the white point to 6500 K (but also greatly reduced the brightness):

However, this correction did not reduce the oversaturation of colors. If someone still finds the image on the screen of this smartphone not bright enough, you can turn on the proprietary mode X-Reality for mobile. The result is shown below:

Saturation and contour sharpness are software enhanced, and there are fewer discernible gradations in the area of ​​saturated colors. But the picture, yes, has become brighter. There is also a “maximum brightness” mode, in which color contrast increases even more:

And alternately (if you have scripts enabled) all three modes on the gradient:

Turned off:

Let's summarize. The brightness adjustment range of this screen is wide, and the anti-glare properties are all right, which allows you to comfortably use the smartphone both on a sunny day outside and in complete darkness. It is permissible to use a mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works absolutely adequately. The advantages also include an effective oleophobic coating, no flicker and no air gap in the layers of the screen. The disadvantages are a strong highlighting of black color when the gaze deviates from perpendicular to the surface of the screen and aggressive dynamic brightness adjustment. Color rendering is not all right, as the colors are oversaturated (skin tones are especially affected) and the color temperature is too high. The presence of appropriate adjustments allows you to adjust the balance to almost ideal, but at the expense of reducing brightness. Taking into account the importance of the characteristics for this particular class of devices (and the most important thing is the visibility of information in a wide range of external conditions), the quality of the screen can be considered high.

Sound

While I was pleased with the significant improvement in the sound of the flagship Sony Xperia Z3, the sound of the compact version remained so inexpressive, even with two stereo speakers. Low frequencies are present, but the speakers sound somewhat muffled, they do not impress with either the clarity of sound or power, and at the maximum volume level they even wheeze slightly. In conversational dynamics, the interlocutor’s speech, intonation and timbre remain distinguishable and recognizable, however, it also sounds rather muffled.

The internal arrangement and sound settings remain the same. To play music, the device traditionally uses its own proprietary Walkman player. The standard audio player is rich in settings and additional software sound improvements, such as a built-in equalizer with a lot of preset values ​​(you can set your own), Clear Phase, xLoud technologies and virtual surround sound. Control of most settings is available if the complex ClearAudio+ function is turned off, otherwise all settings are left to the machine. It is worth noting that the new “compact”, like the new flagship, implements Sony’s proprietary digital noise reduction technology. The developers promise that when using a special headset MDR-NC31EM, the level of external noise can be reduced by 98%.

FM radio is included as standard with the smartphone. Traditionally, it only works with connected headphones as an antenna; it does not have the ability to record programs. There was no voice recorder included as standard with the smartphone, just like the main version of the Xperia Z3, by the way.

Camera

The Sony Xperia Z3 Compact is equipped with the same two digital camera modules with a resolution of 20.7 and 2.2 megapixels, which were equipped with previous flagships and which are now installed in the Xperia Z3. The hardware here is exactly the same, only software effects are added. The main 20.7-megapixel camera is equipped with a G Lens series lens with a focal length of 27 mm and an aperture of F2.0. The camera uses a 1/2.3-inch Exmor RS for mobile sensor and a Bionz for mobile processor.

By default, the cameras of all Sony devices operate in the so-called super auto mode (iauto) with a wide aspect ratio, but you can switch the shooting to manual settings. It is noteworthy that when the hardware button on the side of the device is activated, the camera quickly turns on, but is always activated in automatic shooting mode, even if the manual setting mode was previously enabled. If you launch the camera application from the desktop or from the program menu, then in this case everything goes as usual, and the camera leaves the previous settings intact, that is, it starts in manual mode, if one was set earlier. Note that there is a big difference between automatic and manual modes, because the maximum resolution can only be set in manual adjustment mode. When shooting in automatic mode, which is set by default, photos are obtained with a size of 3840 × 2160 (8 megapixels), and in manual mode the maximum possible resolution is exactly the same 20.7 megapixels (5248 × 3936).

The camera can shoot video in 1080p and UHD (4K) resolution, but the main thing is that it also has the ability to shoot in the most interesting mode - 1080p at 60 frames/s. An example of such a video is presented below.

• Video No. 1 (85 MB, 1920×1080, 60 frames/sec)

	Good and uniform sharpness across the entire field of the frame, it only falls off a little in the corners.
	The handling of foliage in the distance hurts the eye a little.
	The camera works well near foliage, but you can find areas of blur.
	Good work with shadows and noise in them.
	Sharpness is good in almost all plans.
	Good dynamic range - the camera handles shadows.
	You can find slight sharpening on the wires.
	The text is worked well, but the sharpness drops a little towards the bottom of the frame.
	The outbreak does little to improve the situation.
	The camera copes well with macro photography without a flash.
	Still, the flash helps a little with macro photography.

	Lighting ≈3200 lux. The camera does a good job.
	Lighting ≈1400 lux. The situation is not changing.
	Lighting ≈130 lux. The noises are still not noticeable.
	Lighting ≈130 lux, flash. The flash hardly helps.
	Lighting<1 люкс, вспышка. В темноте хорошо видно, что вспышка очень слабая. Единственное заметное падение разрешения.

The compact model managed to rehabilitate its older brother in terms of camera. The Z3 Compact's camera isn't perfect. Or rather, it’s not perfect yet. But it is clear that it is well designed. In some places you can find echoes of the unpleasant moments that were pronounced in the Z3, but overall the camera is ready for use.

However, oddly enough, the Z3 Compact has a different module installed than the Z3. At the same time, it is very similar to the Z1 Compact and Z2 modules. This assumption can be made from the size of the resulting image. On the other hand, it is possible that all the latest flagships have the same modules, since the size of a full image of 20 megapixels is no different. And since in Superior Auto mode only the Z3 stood out in image size, we can assume that all flagships, starting with the Z1 Compact, work according to the same program with minor differences, and only the Z3 should be fundamentally different from them (and its program is fully we haven't seen it yet). However, all these guesses are partly confirmed by the graph.

The camera itself does a very good job, which is quite expected. Its graphical resolution curve is almost perfect. And although the gap with the leader is slightly more than 0.1 lines per pixel, the dependence is almost constant, which indicates equally good performance in different conditions. Field photographs confirm this, although in their case there is still something to complain about. As already mentioned, echoes of the Z3's shortcomings are also present here, but are much less pronounced. You can find barely noticeable sharpening, sometimes there are small areas of blur, and the program does not work very smoothly over foliage in the distance. But there is practically no noticeable noise, and by and large the camera does not have any significant problems. So it's still great for shooting a variety of subjects.

Telephone and communications

The smartphone works as standard in modern 2G GSM and 3G WCDMA networks, and also has support for fourth generation networks (LTE) used in Russia. In practice, with a SIM card from the domestic operator MTS, the smartphone confidently recognizes and works with 4G networks. The network capabilities of the smartphone are extensive and correspond to a truly top level: there is support for the 5 GHz Wi-Fi band, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi Display, and as a standard you can organize a wireless access point via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth channels. The mode for connecting external devices (USB Host, USB OTG) is supported, so you can connect flash drives and mice with keyboards to the Micro-USB port. The navigation module works with both GPS and the domestic Glonass system.

There were no spontaneous reboots/shutdowns observed during testing, as well as system slowdowns or freezes. When you bring the smartphone to your ear, the screen is blocked by the proximity sensor. The LED indicator at the top of the front panel provides notification of charging status and incoming events.

There is no dedicated top row with numbers on the standard keyboard - you need to switch the layout every time. The layout itself and the location of the keys are standard: to switch the language layout, just click on the button with the corresponding icon. The phone application supports Smart Dial, that is, while dialing a phone number, a search is immediately carried out by the first letters in contacts. There is a convenient option to move the keyboard closer to one of the sides to make it easier to reach with the fingers of one hand. Naturally, the ability to continuously enter by sliding your finger from letter to letter is also supported - Swype.

OS and software

The operating system is the latest version of the Google Android 4.4.4 KitKat software platform, on top of which is traditionally installed its own proprietary graphical user interface. The internal structure of the shell, all menus, settings items and pop-up contextual submenus - everything remains exactly the same. However, the external shell has undergone significant measurements. Previously, Sony's graphical interface elements were drawn quite finely. Now, unexpectedly, all the elements on the screen, and most importantly the application icons themselves, began to look much larger and clearer. The fonts have increased; such sudden transformations have only benefited the smartphone. There are also less obvious, but in some ways more useful, improvements. For example, the menu finally has a function to reboot the device, because before this only Sony smartphones lacked such an option.

New Sony mobile devices now have close integration with the Sony PlayStation 4 game console. If you already have one in your home, then the new Xperia Z3 line of smartphones or the Xperia Z3 Tablet will be able to act as a “portable screen”, that is, everything that happens begins to be displayed on the mobile screen devices. This is convenient when, for example, you need to free up the TV if one of the family members suddenly wants to watch some program. For this use, Sony will produce a special fastener that will allow you to connect a smartphone or tablet to the joystick of a game console. This mode is called PS4 Remote Play.

Performance

The Sony Xperia Z3 Compact hardware platform is based on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 single-chip system (SoC) with four Krait 400 cores, like the flagship Xperia Z3 (the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact was based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800). Here, the maximum frequency of the processor cores is a maximum of 2.5 GHz, since the most advanced version of Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974AC) is used.

Graphics processing is handled here by the same Adreno 330 video accelerator. About 11 out of 16 GB of own memory for the user’s needs are initially available in the device. The smartphone's RAM capacity is 2 GB, and this makes the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact unfavorably different from the company's flagship, which has as much as three gigabytes of RAM. MicroSD memory cards in this model are supported up to 128 GB; you can also connect external flash drives, keyboards and mice to the Micro-USB port using a special adapter in OTG mode.

To get an idea of ​​the performance of the platform of the smartphone under test, we will conduct a standard set of tests.

For convenience, we have compiled all the results we obtained when testing the smartphone in the latest versions of popular benchmarks into tables. The table usually adds several other devices from different segments, also tested on similar latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the obtained dry figures). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison it is impossible to present the results from different versions of benchmarks, so many worthy and relevant models remain “behind the scenes” - due to the fact that they once passed the “obstacle course” on previous versions of test programs.

Testing in MobileXPRT, as well as in the latest versions of AnTuTu and GeekBench 3:

In the AnTuTu test, the smartphone demonstrates very high numbers, but it is worth considering that the new, fifth version of the popular benchmark is now used, and all previous models were tested in the fourth version. The resulting numbers have increased greatly, so it is not worth directly comparing such results. (We will mark in the tables which versions of the benchmark this or that model was tested with, until there are again enough models tested in the fifth version of the test for comparison.) In any case, all top smartphones based on the Snapdragon 801 are the most powerful and Today's productive mobile devices, the power of which will be enough for a long time to complete any assigned tasks.

When testing in 3DMark, the most powerful smartphones now have the ability to run the application in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (which can cause the speed to rise above 60 fps).

Results of testing the graphics subsystem in the Epic Citadel gaming test, as well as Basemark X and Bonsai Benchmark:

Browser cross-platform tests:

As for benchmarks for assessing the speed of the javascript engine, you should always make allowance for the fact that their results significantly depend on the browser in which they are launched, so the comparison can only be truly correct on the same OS and browsers, and this is possible during testing not always. For Android OS, we always try to use Google Chrome.

Playing video

To test the omnivorous nature of video playback (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Internet. Note that for mobile devices it is important to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is most often impossible to process modern options using processor cores alone. Also, you shouldn’t expect a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it.

According to the test results, the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact smartphone was not equipped with all the decoders necessary for full playback of most of the most common files on the Internet. To successfully play them, you will have to resort to the help of a third-party player - for example, MX Player. True, even in it you will first have to change the settings, switching from hardware decoding to software or to a new mode called Hardware+(not supported by all smartphones), only then will sound appear. All results are summarized in a table.

¹ MX Video Player only played sound after switching to software decoding or a new mode Hardware+; The standard player does not have this setting

Additionally, the MHL interface was tested. To test it we used a monitor ViewSonic VX2363Smhl, supporting direct MHL connection (in version 2.0) using a passive adapter cable from Micro-USB to HDMI. In this case, output via MHL was carried out at a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels at a frequency of 60 frames/s. Regardless of the actual orientation of the smartphone, the image is displayed on the smartphone and monitor screens only in landscape orientation with the connector on the smartphone facing down.

In this case, the image on the monitor fits exactly within the boundaries of the display area (if you don’t forget to set the Image Size 100%) and one to one repeats the image on the smartphone screen in an interpolation variation from 1280 by 720 to 1920 by 1080 pixels.

When connecting via MHL, an icon for accessing MHL settings and an icon for launching several selected programs appear in the list of events:

Traditionally, in the case of Sony, a smartphone connected via MHL can act as a remote control for a TV, if the latter supports such a function.

Sound is output via MHL (in this case, the sounds were heard through headphones connected to the monitor, since there are no speakers in the monitor itself) and is of good quality. In this case, sounds are not output through the loudspeaker of the smartphone itself, and the volume is not adjusted using the buttons on the smartphone body, but is turned off. In our case, the smartphone with the MHL adapter connected was charging, judging by the charge indicator.

Next, using a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “Method for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices)”), we checked how the video is displayed on the screen of the smartphone itself. Screenshots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped determine the nature of the output of frames of video files with various parameters: the resolution varied: 1280 by 720 (720p), 1920 by 1080 (1080p) and 3840 by 2160 (4K) pixels and frame rates of 24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 fps. In the tests we used the MX Player video player in the “Hardware” mode. The results of this (block entitled “Smartphone Screen”) and the next test are tabulated: excellent

Note: If in both columns Uniformity And Passes Green ratings are given, this means that, most likely, when watching films, artifacts caused by uneven alternation and frame skipping will either not be visible at all, or their number and visibility will not affect the viewing comfort. Red marks indicate possible problems with playback of the corresponding files.

According to the frame output criterion, the quality of playback of video files on the screen of the smartphone itself is good, since frames (or groups of frames) can be output with more or less uniform alternation of intervals and without skipping frames. The displayed brightness range is equal to the standard range of 16-235; in the shadows, only a couple of the darkest shades are indistinguishable in brightness from black, but in the highlights all gradations of shades are displayed. When playing video files with a resolution of 720p (1280 by 720 pixels), the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly on the edge of the screen, in the original resolution.

With a monitor connected via MHL, when playing video, the monitor displays an exact copy of the smartphone screen, but the output is already in true Full HD resolution in the case of 1080p files.

The brightness range displayed on the monitor is equal to the standard range of 16-235; in the shadows, again, only a couple of the darkest shades are indistinguishable in brightness from black, but in the highlights all gradations of shades are displayed. The results of the monitor output tests are shown in the table above in the “MHL (monitor output)” block. The output quality is good.

The conclusion is typical - an MHL connection can be used for games, watching movies, displaying web pages and other activities that benefit from an increase in screen size.

Battery life

The lithium-ion battery installed in the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact has a capacity of 2600 mAh, not the maximum, but quite decent for a modern smartphone - this is even more than that of the previous model (2300 mAh for the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact). As a result, the smartphone demonstrated excellent results in terms of battery life; this is due to both the screen being not the largest in area and the resolution being far from Full HD.

Continuous reading in the FBReader program (with a standard, light theme) at a minimum comfortable brightness level (brightness was set to 100 cd/m²) lasted 22 hours until the battery was completely discharged, and when continuously watching videos from YouTube in high quality (HQ) The device lasted 10 hours at the same brightness level via a home Wi-Fi network. In 3D gaming mode, the smartphone worked for about 5 hours. The smartphone charges quite quickly; a full charge takes less than 3 hours.

Bottom line

Sony Mobile has released another compact smartphone that is quite good in terms of all its characteristics. Unquestionable workmanship, body materials, highest performance and maximum autonomy, comfortable dimensions and excellent ergonomics - these are the strengths of the new product, which it adopted from its predecessor, and improved some things (the rear window, for example). As usual, the camera and screen quality can be criticized when compared with products from other market leaders, but overall they are quite consistent with the high level of the smartphone. We were very surprised by the sudden transition from a metal frame, as a visual basis, giving the smartphone the status of an expensive thing, to transparent, cheerful teenage plastic, but perhaps many will like it, because the ergonomics, in general, did not suffer. The price of the device, at which the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact will be officially presented in our stores, was announced just the other day: the smartphone on the Russian market will be sold at a price of 24 thousand rubles. The start of sales was scheduled for September 19, so by the time of publication of this article, retail did not experience a shortage of offers. At the same time, the flagship Xperia Z3 appeared on store shelves, the recommended price of which was set at 30 thousand rubles. It is worth noting that the flagship will also be offered in a version with two SIM cards at a price of 31 thousand rubles, but the Z3 Compact is not expected to support two SIM cards.