hey guys,

my contract is up for renewal early April, but I don't want to be spending a fortune so I'm looking at phones that have been released recently, rather than something brand new in April. I'm looking at the Z3 compact, I've currently got the Xperia T.

Can anyone recommend this phone? Is it one to avoid? Or can someone recommend something similar in both size and price range?

I've had one for three months and think its a cracking little phone. Good screen, good battery life, good camera and fast. Only thing I'd say is to get a case for it as the back is very smooth, which makes it liable to slip off tables etc.

I pre-ordered this phone and it probably one of the best decisions I've made. It still looks like new after over two months, great materials used in the design.

The amount of useful features is pretty good. Battery life is great too. There is absolutely no way you will run out of battery before the day is out.

I love the built in Digital Noise Cancellation but you need to purchase the special NR31 headphones. I got mine for around £16 on ebay, which was an absolute bargain and makes a difference if you listen to a lot of music on your phone. I've subscribed to Qobuz too which lets you stream in high quality so the audio is really top quality. Lots of great audio options too.

The waterproofing is great. Use your phone in a steamy bathroom with no worries about moisture damage. Rinse it off in the sink too. Invest in a magnetic charger cable to save playing around with the caps.

I would recommend getting a wrist strap though, as the previous poster says, the phone is VERY slippy and you'll find it begins to creep off surfaces without you even realising.

All in all, a good looking, feature packed option. Fast, great screen, light Android UI modifications, great audio and imaging too.

If you like the Xperia T then you'll find this a logical choice. It's not too big but still manages to pack a decent sized screen.

There were some tests done on this device over at GSMarena and this phone came top in many, what was positive was the battery life, image quality and its lack of lag. The phone maybe somewhat thicker than say an iPhone 6 however it more than makes up for it under the hood and on the screen.

Being honest this was a phone I was considering till my other half dumped a Galaxy Note 4 on me.

I have used the Z3 Compact , I found it to be a fabulous device. Thickness may put some off, but that is the trade off I think if you want latest tech in a smaller casing. The photos are very good, Sony has one of the best optics inside of the device (their own naturally). Screen is very bright and good outdoors, this is a phone I wanted!

To give you food for thought, this phone has the same capacity battery (2600mah) as the HTC One M8. Naturally as its not pushing so many pixels and smaller lighting requirements means it has battery life that can in some instances better that of something like the Droid Turbo or Note 4.

Read the review over at GSM, its quite detailed, however it will tell you eveything you need to know.

http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_...eview-1135.php

have the phone

its very good...battery is great on it!

I think if it's a 'smaller' phone you're after then this beats the lot especially on price. e.g. the Galaxy Alpha is more expensive but gets out-gunned in every respect.

There is no compromise at all feature wise with the Z3 Compact and it should be at a great price come April time.

Just to reinforce what I said a few days ago and what others have said since, I think this phone is fab - I haven't been this pleased with a phone since the iphone 4, which was groundbreaking at the time in terms of design and usability, came onto the market in 2010.

I'm writing this on my z3c now.

Love the battery life and it's as zippy as the Nexus 5. Much better camera too.

I don't like the glass back (similar to the Nexus 4) but a silicone case fixed that. Also get a magnet cable/dock so you don't need to fiddle with the door to the USB port when charging.

I would recommend. Even with heavy use I now only charge the phone at night instead of twice per day (Nexus 5).

As said in my upgrade thread I'm going to pick 1 of these up today. Reviews I've seen are all extremely positive. The claimed battery life will be a godsend compared to my current nexus 4. Slightly smaller handset but I'll get used to it and have decided against having a 5 inch plus phone in my pocket all day. Can get NHS discount so can get 600mins unlimited texts and 500mb data for £18pm or with 1gb 4g got £21.20 tho I'm really doubting the merits of having 4g where I live just yet

Had mine for a day now and its a tidy wee phone. Taking a wee bit getting used to as although the screen is pretty much same size as last phone the overall set is a bit smaller. ordered a case for it today so thatll help that slightly.

Battery life today has been exceptional.....when the sky go app isnt running in the background that is. Only used 20% today. Similar use of my Nexus 4 wouldve resulted in around 60% use.

Couple of issues with it though. First of all the time on the Sony weather app widget is currently showing 08:46 while the time on the phone clock is correctly showing 21:46. How do i change that?

Secondly, the phone seems to have a mind of its own in my pocket so Ive added the pattern to unlock it. However, emergency calls can still be made from the lockscreen which it has done a number of times today. just a matter of time before its 999 it calls by itself. is there any way to get emergency calls off the lockscreen?

Edit - Ive turned off the tap to wake screen option so I'll see how that goes tomorrow

As others have said a cracking good phone with no compromises. Why would you buy an iPhone 6 at twice the price when you can have this. Buy a case-mate to go with it as the back is slippy and this is a great case. Add in the charging dock as it makes charging it up so simple.

Ive ordered a Ringke Fusion smoke black case from Amazon and probably gonna get the magnetic charging cable rather than the dock

If you get a cable watch out for the cheap ones. They have poor magnets and detach too easily. I bought 3 different ones and liked this best...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00H2EEB4S#

I tried the cable which is why I have the Dock now. It is a much better solution. The case-mate is designed with the Dock in mind. You can still charge it with the case on. The case has a hard outer shell with a soft rubber lining. They are not cheap however but they are good and officially approved by Sony.

I have the dock but was thinking of getting a cable too, just to keep in other rooms of my flat.

The phone in the dock doubles as an alarm clock but thanks for the Amazon link. I don't think there is an official magnetic charger so it's good to know.

I've been so impressed with the phone I'm now considering buying the Z3 Tablet Compact as it's getting excellent reviews, just because it's fast, light and waterproof and it will make an excellent e-reader, which I can use in the bath etc.

I was thinking of getting this phone, was waiting to see if anything similar sized is announced at CES.

Looking to replace my nexus 4, wanted something waterproof, good battery life, not too big and a decent camera.

Ive just came from a Nexus 4. Havent charged the new Z3 since sunday night and Im still on 41%. Could you imagine that on the Nexus? I was lucky to have 41% after a day at work on that

what's the size/feel/weight like compared to the nexus 4 ?

Its lighter and about half a cm narrower and shorter than the N4. Ive always had a case on my N4 so it feels even smaller but waiting for a case coming so that should help make it feel more normal in the hand for me.

To give you a guide to size if you line the Z3 against the leftside of the N4 itll line up with the inside edge of the right sided bezel. Lining up from the bottom of the N4 the top comes inline with the bottom of the frontfacing camera.

The screen is slightly smaller at 4.6 opposed to 4.7 but that hasnt really been an issue for me

ETA, just measured the screens for you. Same height but Z3 is about 5mm narrower

thanks, I've had a case on my nexus since I got it.

I think I'll get the z3 compact, just need to haggle now on the upgrade to make sure I get a good deal

Compact is on it's way, got 5GB data, unlimited mins/texts and free phone for just under £24/month

Just be aware it's a slippery little beast, it will slide out of your hand, and a skid off of almost any surface.

Buy a case to enable some kind of grip.

Yip. I recommend this one

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Xperia-Z3-Ca...ion+z3+compact

I've ordered that, phone arrived, happy with it so far