Price and specifications of Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact advantages, disadvantages, and a comprehensive explanation

Overall Design and Build Quality

The Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact stands out with its sleek and compact design, reflecting Sony’s commitment to quality and elegance. The device measures 213.4 x 123.6 x 6.4 mm and weighs only 270 g, making it exceptionally slim and lightweight for a tablet, allowing easy portability and comfortable handling. The tablet's body is crafted with high-quality material that ensures durability and a premium feel.

Additionally, the tablet features shatterproof glass and an oleophobic coating, enhancing its resistance to scratches and fingerprints. Available in classy colors like Black and White, it caters to those who prefer understated elegance.

Display

The Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact comes with an 8.0 inches TFT LCD display with a resolution of 1200 x 1920 pixels, maintaining a 16:10 aspect ratio and offering a pixel density of approximately 283 ppi. This combination produces sharp and vibrant visuals ideal for reading, watching videos, or casual browsing.

The screen’s contrast ratio is reported at 1416 (nominal) and 1.735 under sunlight conditions, indicating decent performance in well-lit environments, although it might not compete with some high-end displays in bright outdoor settings.

Performance

Powering the Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact is the Qualcomm MSM8974AB Snapdragon 801 chipset, a quad-core processor clocked at 2.5 GHz Krait 400, coupled with an Adreno 330 GPU. The device is equipped with 3GB RAM and 16GB internal storage, expandable via a dedicated microSDXC slot, providing ample space for apps and media.

This hardware configuration ensures smooth performance in day-to-day tasks and casual gaming, although it may show some limitations with more demanding applications. On benchmark tests like Basemark X, the device has recorded a score of 12911, which was competitive for the time of its release.

Operating System and Software

The Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact was initially launched with Android 4.4.2 KitKat, with an option to upgrade to Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Sony also included its customized UI, providing users with additional features and a seamless user experience.

Sony's UI is generally known for being close to stock Android with some neat enhancements, making it user-friendly and easy to navigate.

Camera

The tablet features an 8.1 MP autofocus primary camera capable of shooting 1080p videos at 30fps. While it comes with HDR and panorama shooting modes, it's important to note that this camera setup is geared more towards occasional use rather than professional photography.

The 2.2 MP front camera, also capable of recording 1080p videos, is sufficient for video calls and selfies, though it isn’t designed to excel in low-light conditions.

Sound and Multimedia

The Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact is equipped with stereo speakers, ensuring a decent audio experience for videos and games. Additionally, the presence of a 3.5mm audio jack caters to users who prefer wired headphones.

In terms of sound quality, the audio tests yield respectable scores, with voice, noise, and ring recordings at 66dB, emphasizing a balanced audio performance.

Connectivity Options

The tablet supports a wide range of connectivity options, including Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, and hotspot capabilities. Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP, LE, and aptX support ensures easy and efficient wireless connections.

Further connectivity options include NFC, GPS with GLONASS for precise location tracking, FM radio with RDS, and a microUSB 2.0 port supporting MHL 3 TV-out, OTG, and a magnetic connector for charging and accessory connection.

Battery Life

The device features a non-removable Li-Ion 4500 mAh battery, which is robust enough to provide long usage times. Official statistics mention a standby time of up to 1100 hours on 2G and up to 1300 hours on 3G, alongside a talk time of up to 19 hours (2G) and 23 hours (3G).

The tablet also boasts a music play time of up to 170 hours, supported by 18W quick charging capability ensuring the device can be charged rapidly, which is a valuable feature for users constantly on the move.

Additional Features and Price

Other notable features include the inclusion of various sensors such as an accelerometer, gyro, compass, and barometer, enhancing the tablet's capability and usefulness in different applications.

At launch, the tablet was offered at approximately 380 EUR, aligning with its high-quality design and performance specifications. Although it has since been discontinued, it still holds an appeal for users seeking a reliable and compact Android tablet.