Sony Xperia Z3 compact makes all the difference in ergonomics

The Z3 Compact is every bit the phone the Z3 is. The processor is the same and blindingly fast, the camera is the same, the screen is just as brilliant and waterproofing is the same too.

This digital life

John Davidson

Pursuant to Section 15, Subsection 61, paragraph IX of the Size Discrimination Act, this week's column begins with a formal apology.

To short people everywhere, we are sincerely sorry. To people with feeble, Hobbit-sized hands, who habitually carry a jar opener in their pockets just in case they get a craving for a jam sandwich (why are jam jars always so hard to open?), we are sorry.

In our eagerness to embrace the latest trends in technology here in the Digital Life Labs, we may have accidentally or wilfully ignored the needs of our own Hobbit kind.

What was I thinking the other week, for example, when I wrote that the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 may well be my favourite phone of the year?

Do you know how hard that thing is to use if, like me, you have hands the size of a pikelet?

I realise how traitorous we have been to our ilk only now that I've been reviewing a phone that actually does fit in my hand, a phone that I actually can operate all by myself, without having to ask Adelgunde for help reaching the top row of icons.

This phone is the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact, and it is a revelation to me. It's not a tiny phone, by any means: it's got a 4.6-inch (11.6 centimetres) screen, compared to 5.2 inches on the Xperia Z3, but it's small enough to make all the difference in terms of ergonomics. So that's what they mean when they talk about one-handed operation. So, to carry a phone in my pocket, I don't need to buy special, man-sized clothing after all?

I think I've been avoiding reviewing the smaller end of the phone market, for fear that something important may have been removed to squash the phone down so small. Like, the phone won't have a ringer, or a dialtone, or something.

And while it's true that Sony did have to remove a couple of things from the Xperia Z3 to produce the Xperia Z3 Compact - the battery is understandably smaller, and the screen isn't as sharp as it should be, though perhaps that's to compensate for the smaller battery - for the most part the Z3 Compact is every bit the phone the Z3 is. The processor is the same (and blindingly fast, as you can see in our performance charts), the camera is the same (more on which in a moment), the screen is just as brilliant (it's completely usable even in bright sunlight), it will play PS4 games remotely, and waterproofing is the same, too.

It's just like a Z3, only for 'stout' people (as a kindly shop assistant in Country Road once described me). It's just as well it's waterproof, good for half an hour submersion in 1.5 metres of water, because as a stout person, you just never know when some fabulously tall Note 4 owner will not see you and accidentally bump you into the drink.

Though, on that front, I should point out that the watertight flap covering the SIM card slot on my Z3 Compact was constantly working its way loose (I think it's a design flaw, because I've read other reviewers complaining of the same thing), so maybe you Note 4 owners out there could stomp your size 15 feet as you approach, so we Z3 Compact users can squeeze our phone properly shut before you boot us into the bay.

Speaking of design flaws, I should also point out that the 4K camera on the Z3 Compact, which allows you to film videos in Ultra-High Definition, has the same problem the camera on the Z3 has, and the same problem the Xperia Z2 had: it overheats when you use it too long (anywhere between three and 12 minutes in my experience, depending on how hot it was to start with), and it shuts down.

Sony knows about the problem, and its solution is to pop up a little dialog box on the phone tell you not to worry, your file won't be lost just because the camera died. Indeed it never was lost in our tests, which is better than nothing, I suppose.

Other than that little niggle, which won't affect most people and which in any case could be solved by a cooling, if unintentional, dip in the river, the phone is terrific.

The battery, though smaller, still produces an exceptionally long life of anywhere between one and four days between charges, depending on your usage. And the PS4 play, though not available in time for this review, certainly looks very good. (I've seen a demo of it). But the best thing about the Z3 Compact is its size.

It's so easy to use one-handed, and best of all, you can carry it in your pocket and still have plenty of room left over for your jar opener.