Sony Xperia Z3 Dual Unboxing and First Impressions

I just got myself an early Christmas gift – it’s the Sony Xperia Z3 Dual. This new device was not officially launched by Sony officially, But since, I hate carrying two phones – for work and personal – I just thought that this version of Z3 would be perfect for me.

If you haven’t played the video above, please do so to see my unboxing of the new phone. Sorry, I can’t pull off a Jun Sabayton-unboxing, but I’ll try my best next time. Yes, also in taglish.

Anyway, here are my first impression on the Xperia Z3 Dual.

Form

It looks stunning. Coming from the LG G Pro 2, iPhone 5s and Alpha Luxe, I find Sony’s design of the Z3 far superior than the previously mentioned devices. Sony has indeed perfected the Z-series in terms of form, and I’m really astounded and amazed with how this phone looks like. The contours are perfect and ergonomic enough to make it very comfortable to hold.

Take a look at the photos below and be the judge.

Performance

We still have yet to fully experience the phone as we just bought it today. But initially, here are some of the few things I’d like to inform you, which some of you may find interesting:

• It runs on the latest Kitkat. It was earlier announced that this phone will be among the ones that may be upgraded to the latest Android 5.0.
• At least on our initial test, I was unable to put Smart on LTE mode on this phone. I suspect that there’s network band incompatibility but I’ll definitely find out in the days to come  Smart LTE works on this device. I tried putting on SIM 1 tray and then SIM 2 tray; and I can confirm that it also works!
• Yes, you read that right – it’s dual sim, with LTE. But if you select your preferred SIM for network, the other SIM will only be usable to take SMS and Calls. As expected, the phone wouldn’t allow you to turn on LTE or any type of data connection on both SIMs simultaneously.
• My initial Antutu test result on this phone is 39,138.
• There are tons of downloadable apps to make the already-awesome camera even more useful. I still have yet to test the camera features further and will report back on my extensive review in a few weeks.
• This is an inconclusive battery report – yes very inconclusive – but the phone’s battery dropped from 42% to 32% when I used it for an hour with LTE on to download stuff and sync all my data from my account. I’ve heard the Z3’s 3100mAh battery is one of its best traits, but we’ll find out in a week or so.

I have not yet tried pairing this to my Playstation 4. But I’d definitely do it in the next few days and try playing Drive Club and Shadow of Mordor.

Meanwhile, I’m currently waiting for my Xperia Z3 Tablet compact to almost complete the Z3 family. While I’m waiting for it, please let me know if you have any questions about Z3 Dual. I wouldn’t be able to answer your questions pronto, but I’d definitely find time to do so.

Gallery

Price: PhP28,500 at Widget City Hub

Giancarlo Viterbo

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Giancarlo Viterbo is a Filipino Technology Journalist, blogger and Editor of gadgetpilipinas.net, He is also a Geek, Dad and a Husband. He knows a lot about washing the dishes, doing some errands and following instructions from his boss on his day job. Follow him on twitter: @gianviterbo and @gadgetpilipinas.