The newest model in the Z series from Sony did not take long to surface as the Xperia Z2 was announced earlier in 2014. Sony has recently launched a series of devices that all go by the name of Z3. There is the Z3 5.2 inch smartphone, the Z3 Compact 4.3 inch and the 8 inch tablet called the Z3 Tablet Compact. This 8 inch device from Sony is a really welcomed addition if you liked the gorgeous 10 inch Z2 Tablet but wish for something more comfortable to use and carry.
The Z3 Tablet Compact, tricky as it may be to pronounce, has a very thin design much like its older brother and is also waterproof. The display has full HD resolution and it runs Android 4.4.4 KitKat. The tablet has a 2.5GHz quad-core CPU and 8MP camera.
So far, it seems like it is a standard Android tablet. However, the Z3 Tablet Compact can also be used as a display for Sony’s PlayStation 4. While the console still does all the work, it will be able to stream the game to the tablet so you could play games such as The Last of Us, Titanfall and Destiny on the Z3 while lying in bed or sitting on the toilet.
Design
The Z3 Tablet Compact looks quite good. The white design looks clean and neat and the device is pretty thin – more specific, it’s 6.4mm thick. The size used by Sony makes the device more pleasant to be looked at in landscape orientation when watching movies because there won’t be any black bars surrounding the video. Its shape also makes it easy to put it in your pocket, even though there is some unused space on the top and on the bottom of the tablet that may make the device a little uncomfortable to hold in your jeans.
Like the previous model, the Z3 Tablet Compact is entirely waterproof. This, above anything else, will keep your tablet safe from any spills while sitting on the coffee table in your living room. This also means that you won’t have to worry when taking the tablet with you when taking a long, relaxing, bubble bath and browse through Netflix or Facebook without having to worry what happens if you drop your tablet in the water.
The tablet has a 3.5mm jack for headphones, a charging port, which is behind a waterproof flap positioned on the bottom of the device and a microSD card, which is also hidden behind a waterproof flap on the side of the tablet. There’s also room for a SIM card next to the micro SD card slot but only if you pay for the 4G capable model.
The Z3 Compact Tablet, as its brothers in the same series, has some rough edges which are only slightly softened on its sides and corners. And while other tablet manufacturers may choose to use their imagination to combine textures and colors, Sony prefers to keep the device looking classy and use steel guards to protect the device rather than make it dazzle. But this doesn’t mean Sony didn’t put any thought into the design.
However, there is a downside for being this light and thin. When you pick up the device you will have the sensation that it’s a little too delicate but the build quality is definitely good. I don’t believe there is someone out there that would rather sacrifice weight and size for it to be sturdier than it already is. Keep in mind the device is waterproof so this mean Sony did not just throw together some pieces of plastic mindlessly.
Display
The tablet’s 8 inch display is full HD, which means it has a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080. This means that Sony’s tablet has a smaller resolution than that of Apple’s retina display found on the iPad Mini or on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S. The full HD resolution is more commonly found on smartphones than on tablets of this size, some smartphones such as the LG G3 having a bigger resolution than full HD with 2,560 x 1,440. You may think the resolution is discouraging but the display looks very good and it’s difficult to see major differences between the Z3’s display and the iPad Mini display.
Text and icons look very crisp and sharp and all high resolution images we’ve tested looked great on the screen. This is partially possible because of the screen’s amazing brightness and the very vivid colors. Viewing angles are pretty good as well, so if you have a few friends around you watching a video on YouTube there will be no problem. The screen also performs amazingly well in direct sunlight.
Overall it is a very good screen and the strong colors make it perfect for watching movies and videos. While we do not consider the screen to be of low resolution, it would have been nice if Sony coughed up a couple of more pixels to compete with other tablet giants.
Audio
We didn’t expect much from the stereo speakers on the tablet. The only evidence that they exist are two missing pieces of plastic below and above the glass of the display and we wouldn’t necessarily say that they look very functional. Given our low expectations, however, it was inevitable that we were pleasantly surprised by the sound quality. The sound is very well defined and the speakers have a lot more volume than you would expect. But at around 75 percent, the audio loses all quality and is replaced by a very annoying distortion while the whole tablet starts to vibrate. The speakers could be a lot better and some bass would have been nice but there are also a lot worse ways in which you could watch a show in the comfort of your bed.
Through headphones, the audio is amazingly crisp and well balanced with great bass. There are a lot of things working in the background to ensure the best possible audio quality such as an audio up scaling engine and the Z3 Tablet Compact also supports numerous high resolution audio formats.
Software
The device uses Android 4.4.4 KitKat, over which the same interface Sony uses for its phones can be found. It’s very simple to use and some tweaks such as a menu sitting right next to the app tray will let the user reorganize all apps. But the interface sort of looks almost too cartoony and colorful for the tablet’s design. Sony also said the device will support Android 5.0 Lollipop in early 2015.
Sony loaded the tablet’s interface with a lot of extras, which, sadly, not all of them are welcome. There are a couple of good choices, such as the PlayStation 4 link, for instance, but most of the extra apps are unnecessary. You will find apps from AVG, Kobo and Garmin that come preinstalled on the device and more than a few Sony apps that seem rather useless.
That and all the widgets on the home screen make the device seem messy even before you’ve started to install your own apps of choice. Thankfully, most of the software that comes with the tablet can be uninstalled as well as the widgets. We suggest you do so before actually starting to use the tablet as they will be very annoying from the very start.
There are some features on the tablet that are pretty awesome. The function that lets the user record the screen is pretty cool even though you probably won’t use it that often. Also, the PlayStation 4 Remote Play is quite awesome. This function lets you use your tablet as a wireless screen for your Sony console if both of them are connected on the same WiFi. The smartphones in the series are also capable of doing this but seeing how the tablet has a bigger screen it feels much more at home on it.
PlayStation 4 Remote Play
The PlayStation 4 still does all the hard work but it streams the video output to the Z3, letting you play games on the screen of the tablet while the TV is free to be used for other things. The main point is that you can continue to play your game if your significant other or anyone else wants to watch TV or when you sit on the toilet.
The feature is quite impressive and easy to set up. The PS4 Link app will search for the console in the same network the tablet is connected to and you will be able to play your games the same as on the TV.
The frame rate dropped a few times while playing The Last of Us and the game did freeze a couple of times. And while in slower parts of the game it is possible to ignore these things, in combat or more action packed segments of the game, these downsides will definitely ruin the game experience. In its defense, the app is still in the early days and Sony didn’t have enough time to polish the product, so there is a possibility the app will work better and be more stable in the future.
We don’t recommend you to purchase the tablet if you’re interested in this function alone, but if you own a PS4 and are searching for a tablet to buy, it’s definitely a reason to consider it over other Android devices.
Camera
The 8MP camera on the rear side of the tablet is quite a step back from the 20.7MP camera available on Z3 smartphones. We understand that tablet manufacturers don’t see the camera as a priority but it’s unacceptable for Sony to allow such a poor camera on its tablet, especially when you have to pay around $500 for the device. There is no flash on the camera, and is only suitable for quick snaps of your cat doing something cute when you don’t have anything else within reach. The 2MP front facing camera is fine, and nothing more, for video calls and really terrible selfies, as long as you stand in good light.
Performance and Battery Life
The Z3 Tablet Compact has a 2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 quad core CPU and 3GB RAM which proved to be more than enough in our tests. It is still easy and fast to navigate despite the numerous unnecessary software preinstalled. Web browsing was fast and all apps worked without any hiccups.
Netflix high definition streaming was handled very well and more demanding games such as Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Asphalt 8 ran just fine. In Quadrant benchmark, the Z3 Tablet Compact scored pretty much the same as the Xperia Z3 smartphone with 19,887. The Sony Xperia Z3 smartphone scored a slightly higher 20,425. All in all, the device has enough power to handle anything you want.
Sony put a 4,500mAh battery inside the tablet and it kept going for just under 13 hours on a video-loop test. Even though the iPad Mini 2 achieved lasted for just under 14 hours on the exact same test, it’s still pretty impressive, considering the tablet’s size and power. But for how long the battery lasts is entirely up to you.
If you use it as a replacement for your laptop or play games on it all day long, you will definitely need to recharge it at night. If you use it to casually browse the web and occasionally watch Netflix videos on it – a full charge once every other day will likely be enough.
Wrapping up…
PROS
– The Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact is very powerful for how slim it is
– Good quality display
– Waterproof
– The function that allows the tablet to work as a screen for the PlayStation 4 is a great addition, despite having some flaws
CONS
– The interface is full of bloatware and it looks quite cluttered even before you install the first app
– A higher resolution display would have been nice
Verdict
The Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact’s waterproof body, thickness, screen and power make it worth taking into consideration when looking to purchase an Android tablet. Even though its resolution isn’t above or even on par with other tablets, the ability to play the games on your PlayStation 4 on it makes it unique, even if the function is still far from being perfect.
Images source: sonymobile.com