Sony Xperia Z3v Smartphone For Verizon Wireless Review
Design and Build Quality
The exterior of the Xperia Z3v is subtle and elegant featuring tempered glass panels that are sandwiched between aluminum sides and soft, rubber-like edges. The 5.2-inch HD display consumes most of the front of the phone. This display offers a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels which isn’t as high as some of today’s flagship phones but still acceptable. This display also incorporates Sony’s TRILUMINOS Display for mobile which is designed to produce a rich picture with a wide range of colors. In the hand, the screen looks sharp and colorful. Viewing angles are also excellent on this phone.
There are two small speakers that are integrated above and below the front glass. These speakers produce a good amount of sound for a smartphone. To improve the audio experience on this phone, Sony has included Hi-Res Audio to help reduce distortion and DSEE HX which is designed to improve low-res audio.
On the left edge of the Xperia Z3v, you’ll find the microUSB and SIM card slots hidden behind two easy-open flaps. The top of the phone houses the 3.5mm headset jack. A round power button protrudes from the right edge of the Xperia Z3v. Above this power button, you’ll find another hinging flap that hides the microSD card slot. The volume rocker and a dedicated camera button are located below the power button on the right edge of the Xperia Z3v. Assuming all of the flaps that cover the phone’s various ports are securely closed, the Xperia Z3v is waterproof and dust tight.
The back glossy panel of the Xperia Z3v looks good when it’s clean, but it tends to collect fingerprints pretty easily. The 20.7 megapixel rear-facing camera and LED flash are located in the upper left corner. Silver Verizon, 4G LTE, and Xperia logos are also found on the rear panel. If you look closely, you’ll notice the NFC detection area located above the Verizon logo. The Xperia Z3v also supports Qi wireless charging; the unmarked detection area is located just below the Verizon logo.
On the front of the Xperia Z3v, you’ll find a 2.2 megapixel camera to the right of the Verizon logo. The phone’s proximity/light sensor is located to the left of this logo. A speaker and microphone are located below the Sony logo at the bottom. Sony has embedded the Back, Home, and Recent Apps keys into the base of the display so the front panel of the Xperia Z3v is completely smooth and clean of any hardware buttons.
Sony is utilizing a 2.5GHz Snapdragon 801 processor along with an Adreno 330 GPU and 3GB of RAM in this phone. Although these specifications aren’t the highest we’ve seen in some of the newest flagship phones they’re still very competent, especially when you consider the price difference and what you’re getting with the Xperia Z3v compared to some of the new phones that are hitting the market that cost at least $200 more than the Xperia Z3v. Verizon Wireless and Sony are offering the Xperia Z3v in Black or White models.
The Xperia Z3v also features Sony’s RemotePlay capabilities which let you connect the Xperia Z3v to your PS4 using your home Wi-Fi network. Once connected, you can play your game in another room, buy and push a game to your PS4 remotely, or use the smartphone as a second screen for gaming.
