Like all iPhone lovers I always found enough reasons to justify the hefty price tag and the “omg I better not drop it or lose it” behaviour that comes with it. Needless to say I was ready for the iPhone6 and excited to get one… until I saw it!
Was I really going to make the “big” switch?
I must be one of the few people around that is disappointed by the iPhone6. The irony of it all, is that the disappointment lies in its design – the reason I fell in love with Apple products in the first place.
It isn’t the size, or the strange antenna stripe throughout the body, no it is the big rounded edge on the screen. The rounded edge reminds me of the Samsung styling in their 3rd generation Galaxy models. It creates a big highlight around the phone and for me that simply results in loss of definition. The sharpness of the previous iPhone models (4 to 5s) were a distinct feature and the edges felt defined and deliberate. Maybe Marc Newson, one of the recently appointed designers at Apple, was already involved during the development, it sure has his signature on it.
Either way all of the sudden I was a little less convinced of what my new phone should be. Was I really considering the “big” switch from iPhone to Android?
Pros
Cons
The contesting brands
So my search for alternatives began. One thing was certain, it had to be bigger than my 4s (anything less would feel like a downgrade) but not as ridiculously big as all flagship models nowadays are. The Phablet – size phones (phone+tablet=Phablet) simply do not work for most females (or males for that matter). It is just too big to fit in your pocket and operate easily with one hand.
For me one of the main drivers in choosing the right mobile is the quality of the build and the actual hardware. This made my life easier because most big phone brands simply make too many compromises on this. Samsung and LG have, in my opinion, never been able to deliver on hardware. Samsung will showcase their latest model early march and they finally decided to go with a higher quality metal body, but that doesn’t guarantee a better looking phone. We will have to wait and see.
Nokia has done an alright job on the design front with their Lumia series, but I think they made a big mistake by partnering up with Microsoft and the Windows platform. But I am not going down that rabbit hole.
The list was getting shorter and shorter. Next possibility: HTC. The One M8 model is good looking phone and online research showed that this model is really up there, potentially even on top. The one thing that was holding me back was that one of my best friends nearly had a nervous breakdown when trying to sync his Apple Macbook with his HTC. And after trying really hard he sold the phone and went back to iPhone. It is also one of the more expensive phones around, and if I am looking into that price category I would instinctively always go for the iPhone.
And then there is Sony. They made a great comeback with their Xperia product family. High quality built phones (and tablet) with nice added features like being waterproof up to 1.5 meters. Quite appealing and reassuring. No more nightmares of dropping your phone down the toilet or sink.
The Sony Xperia Z3 Compact was just released and it really caught my attention straight away. A great sharp design, in multiple colours, a 20.7MB camera(!), 1080p 4K (!!) video capture, IP68 waterproof and it promised to have some of the best battery lives around. I mean what’s not to like? This seemed too good to be true so I decided to have a closer look in the shop.
On closer inspection the phone looked pretty good for the price category it is in. It might be ever so slightly thicker than some of its competitors and some of the details could have been better like: the protruding audio jack, the plastic edge between side and glass front and the fiddly charger cover that keeps it waterproof. But at the end that’s what you pay for (or better, don’t pay for). Whilst I was in the store I took the opportunity to take a closer look at the iPhone6. In so many ways a great phone, if only I could look beyond the round edge and except the dent it would make in my bank account.
The winner
After leaving the shop I decided to buy the Xperia Z3 compact online via Becextech (NZ$667.95). I would have bought the phone at a regular shop if they had the green version available. Since I was going to make the jump I might as well make it colourful one. The phone, after having to deal with some mediocre online shopping experience, the phone arrived from Korea within 5 days (!). The actual “unboxing” was far from exciting. The packaging is plain, just another box, with some cardboard inserts, no personal touch, nothing. They did add a pretty decent in-ear headphones, which in all honesty I am yet to try out.
After a couple of months use I can tell you this:
Overall I am most impressed by the battery life, fast processor, and its physical design. Like any average consumer I probably haven’t explored a tenth of what this phone can do. If I have to be critical it would be my slight disappointment in the camera and in particular its capacity to catch light, a reoccurring problem with all smart phone cameras. Although, the Z3 compact does offer a solution in its extensive manual camera settings. It is pretty cool to be able to change anything from ISO, exposure and white balance, but most of the time you just want to take a quick snap. At this point I am not sure if you can save out your own manual settings, but that could be interesting. I guess what is happening here is that when you are offered a 20.7mp camera you start expecting the world. The reality is, it is a pretty damn good smart phone camera.
Going from iOS to Android has been a smooth transition. The Google Play store has an identical portfolio to iPhone’s app store and according to the numbers more apps available. As long as Apple and Google keep fighting, the quality of the operating systems can only get better.
Sony did make a bit of a mistake by chucking lots of Sony dedicated apps (non-removable!) on the Xperia. All of them pretty useless.
Brand Loyalty
I am still happy with my decision, but at the same time I do wonder every now and then what it would be like to have an iPhone6. My brand loyalty towards iPhone is definitely still there and I follow them closely. But as other companies (and especially Google) catch up and Apple dilutes it portfolio with different versions of the same, my heart sinks. The reality is, Apple is still selling huge quantities of their products, but the danger lies in losing the interest of the innovators and early adopters. It is therefore not surprising that a lot of technology companies are taking their knowledge into new territories. There are rumours of Apple going into the car industry, like Google, and Tesla is scaring traditional Utility companies with their state of the art batteries and connections to solar power industry.
Back to Sony. Will I be buying more of their products? Hard to say. Based on my experience with my phone I trust them to make quality products, which will make me consider them. Unfortunately they are not connecting with me on a brand level to inspire me to buy more of their stuff.
I guess with technology brands on the rise and competition in full heat brand loyalty becomes harder to maintain or capture.
The end result
I like my Sony Xperia Z3 Compact. It’s quick, serves its purpose, and the design is still very much to my liking. But if you have to ask me what my next phone will be? No idea.
Final Rating
4/5 Stars
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