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Sony Xperia Z3 vs Sony Xperia Z2 vs Samsung Galaxy S5: specs battle

posted by Peter K. / Sep 03, 2014, 9:50 AM

Sony Xperia Z3 vs Sony Xperia Z2 vs Samsung Galaxy S5: specs battle

At this point, it seems that Sony's 6-month production cycle is not affecting the hardware department of its flagship smartphones in a good way – the newly-unveiled Xperia Z3 is just a minor upgrade to the Xperia Z2 in some areas, and even a subtle downgrade in others, which is not something to fancy. However, the improvements amp up the game of Sony's current flagship and make it an even bigger rival to Samsung's current forerunner, the Galaxy S5.

That said, it will be more than curious to see what the differences between the two most recent Xperia flagships are. You can do so by comparing the specs sheets of both devices a little below. Oh, and we've also included the previously-mentioned Galaxy S5 for a good measure.

So, is the Xperia Z3 a worthy successor to the Xperia Z2? Drop a line below and tell us!

Front view
Side view

To see the phones in real size or compare them with other models, visit our Visual Phone Size Comparison page

Sony Xperia Z3 vs Sony Xperia Z2 vs Samsung Galaxy S5

Display

Display size

5.2 inches

5.1 inches

Resolution

1080 x 1920 pixels

Pixel density

424 ppi

432 ppi

Technology

IPS LCD

Super AMOLED

Screen-to-body ratio

71.00 %

69.17 %

69.76 %

Camera

Rear

Single camera

Main camera

20.7 megapixels

16 megapixels

Hardware Features

Autofocus, CMOS image sensor

Back-illuminated sensor (BSI), Phase detection autofocus

Specifications

Aperture size: F2.0; Focal length: 25 mm; Sensor size: 1/2.3"; Pixel size: 1.12 μm

Aperture size: F2.0; Sensor size: 1/2.3"; Pixel size: 1.12 μm

Aperture size: F2.2; Focal length: 31 mm; Sensor size: 1/2.6"; Pixel size: 1.12 μm

Video recording

3840x2160 (4K UHD) (30 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (60 fps)

3840x2160 (4K UHD)

3840x2160 (4K UHD) (30 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (60 fps)

Recording format

MPEG4, H.264

MPEG4, 3GPP

MPEG4, H.264

Features

High Dynamic Range mode (HDR), Continuous autofocus, Picture-taking during video recording, Digital image stabilization, Video calling

High Dynamic Range mode (HDR)

High Dynamic Range mode (HDR), Continuous autofocus, Digital image stabilization, Video calling, Video sharing

Front

2.2 megapixels

2.1 megapixels

Video capture

1920x1080 (Full HD)

Design

Dimensions

5.75 x 2.83 x 0.29 inches (146 x 72 x 7.3 mm)

5.78 x 2.89 x 0.32 inches (146.8 x 73.3 x 8.2 mm)

5.59 x 2.85 x 0.32 inches (142 x 72.5 x 8.1 mm)

Weight

5.36 oz (152 g)

5.75 oz (163 g)

5.11 oz (145 g)

Materials

Back: Glass; Frame: Metal

Back: Glass

Back: Plastic

Resistance

Water, Dust; IP 68

Water, Dust; IP 58

Water, Dust; IP 67

Biometrics

Fingerprint (swipe)

Features

Touch sensitive control keys, Interchangeable covers, Notification light

Hardware & Performance

System chip

Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 8974-AC

Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 8974-AB

Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 MSM8974-AC

Processor

Quad-core, 2500 MHz, Krait 400

Quad-core, 2300 MHz, Krait 400

Quad-core, 2500 MHz, Krait 400, 32-bit, 28 nm

GPU

Adreno 330

RAM

3 GB LPDDR3

2 GB LPDDR3

OS

Android (6.0 Marshmallow, 5.1 Lollipop, 5.0 Lollipop, 4.4.4)

Android (6.0 Marshmallow, 5.1 Lollipop, 5.0 Lollipop, 4.4.4, 4.4.2)

Android (6.0 Marshmallow, 5.1 Lollipop, 5.0 Lollipop, 4.4.4, 4.4.2), Samsung TouchWiz UI

Battery

Capacity

3100 mAh

3200 mAh

2800 mAh

Charging

Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0

Talk time

14.00 hours

15.00 hours

21.00 hours

Stand-by time

37.1 days (890 hours)

28.8 days (690 hours)

16.2 days (390 hours)

Talk time (3G)

19.00 hours

21.00 hours

Stand-by time (3G)

30.8 days (740 hours)

Music playback

130.00 hours

120.00 hours

67.00 hours

Video playback

10.00 hours

13.00 hours

Sony Xperia Z3

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7 Comments

1. ArtSim98

Posts: 3535; Member since: Dec 21, 2012

Ok good. Z3 is actually quite good with that new camera lens and the design actually looks good. Still, more than happy with the Z2 :) And High-resolution audio

posted on Sep 03, 2014, 9:54 AM 0

2. OldNorseBruin

Posts: 235; Member since: Mar 12, 2013

Practically identical...Why is there a need for Z2 owners to upgrade to the Z3? Both are great phones and STILL will whip the iCHUMP6a,bs,t,u,v, et al.!

posted on Sep 03, 2014, 10:01 AM 0

3. ArtSim98

No need to upgrade. Personally I think there's no need upgrading phones any more often than 2 years.

posted on Sep 03, 2014, 10:13 AM 0

4. xtremesv

Posts: 299; Member since: Oct 21, 2011

posted on Sep 03, 2014, 11:55 AM 0

5. TruthSpeaker unregistered

Happy Z2 owner here. The 6 month refresh may not make sense to some, but ask HTC where their sales go after 6 months (an the answer is down the tubes)