Sony has already launched three high-end, Snapdragon 845-powered smartphones this year: Xperia XZ2, XZ2 Compact, and Xperia XZ2 Premium, but the Japanese tech giant wasn’t done yet. At the IFA 2018 event, as usual, Sony was present, this time accompanied by the Xperia XZ3, the immediate successor to the XZ2 that has been around for about six months.

The Xperia XZ3 is an incremental upgrade over the Xperia XZ2 in just about every sense. The design language remains unchanged, meaning you still get a glass and metal body, a single-lens camera, and 18:9 aspect ratio for the display screen. The inside also remains largely unchanged, where the Snapdragon 845, Qualcomm’s most powerful smartphone processor yet, lives. Like the XZ2, there are also a number of firsts on the XZ3, which are perhaps the only major differentiators between the two phones.

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Sony Xperia XZ3 specs

  • 6-inch 18:9 OLED QHD+ HDR TRILUMINOS display
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor
  • 4GB RAM
  • 64GB expandable storage, up to 512GB
  • 19MP Motion Eye back camera
  • 13MP front camera
  • 3330mAh battery
  • Android 9 Pie
  • Extras: Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, NFC, IP65/68, rear-mounted scanner, wireless charging, Quick Charge 3.0, stereo surround speaker, etc.

In 2018 alone, Sony now has four smartphones powered by the same chipset. Call it what you may, but Sony seems a little excited after finally switching to a new smartphone design in years and is throwing around phones like never before.

In addition to keeping the same 18:9 display aspect ratio used on the XZ2, the back of the Xperia XZ3 also houses a fingerprint scanner, another major change, alongside a single-lens c system. The front camera has also been upgraded to house a 13MP lens, but the biggest change on the front is the new OLED panel that stretches 6 inches across the face of the XZ3.

Inspired by Sony Bravia TV team, this is the first ever OLED panel on a Sony Xperia phone and is also bigger than any of the Xperia XZ2 and its Premium counterpart, but the latter is still the king of resolution since the XZ3 sticks to QHD+ quality. The glass front and back are protected by Gorilla Glass 5 technology and the presence of the material also means wireless charging is present, just like in the XZ2.

As pointed out, the internals are the same as other flagship phones released this year: Snapdragon 845 processor, 4GB RAM, 64GB expandable storage, and 3330mAh battery unit that’s charged via a USB-C port, which supports Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 technology. What makes the Xperia XZ3 unique is the software, where the device is now the first to come preinstalled with Android 9 Pie out of the box, well ahead of Google’s projected October 4th launch date for the Pixel 3 phones.

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Another first on the Xperia XZ3 is the squeezable edge that Sony calls side sense, a feature we’ve already seen on several HTC and Google phones. The fact that Sony has taken this direction could mean squeezable edges may just be the in thing. Like it’s predecessors, the Xperia XZ3 also ditches the 3.5mm audio jack, but there’s Bluetooth 5.0 and the power of Android Pie to ensure that you can still connect multiple devices wirelessly while charging the phone. Of course, there’s wireless charging too.

Being a flagship phone, the Xperia XZ3 also comes with all the cool stuff such as USB-C, NFC, IP68 dust and water resistance, stereo surround speakers, and so on. But all these come at a steep price, as usual with Sony Xperia phones.

Xperia XZ3 price and availability

Sony’s Xperia XZ3 was launched at the IFA 2018 event in Berlin and like previous Sony phones, it will be sold in multiple markets across the globe. Sony says the XZ3 will be available for pre-orders beginning September 24th priced at $900 or £700.

The XZ3 will be sold in the U.S. through Amazon and Best Buy beginning August 17th in Black, White Silver, Forest Green or Bordeaux Red. Pricing and availability in other markets will be announced later.