Sony unveils newest Xperia smartphones, the Z3 and Z3 Compact

Updated on Sept. 4 at 10:22am EST: Sony Canada has confirmed the Xperia Z3, the Z3 Compact, and the Z3 Tablet Compact will be available in Canada through Twitter, but there weren’t any more details forthcoming. The tweet is embedded at the bottom of this post. Thanks to blogger Alex Davies for directing us to the tweet.

Sony Mobile is launching two more additions to its Xperia family of smartphones. This time, it’s unveiling the Xperia Z3 and the Z3 Compact.

Just a few months after the launch of its predecessor, the Xperia Z2, Sony is rolling out the Z3, a 5.2-inch flagship phone. It has also announced the Z3 Compact, though like its name implies, it’s a smaller phone with a 4.6-inch display. However, both phones are considered premium devices, as they’re waterproof, dust-resistant, and are compatible with the Sony Playstation 4.

Running Android 4.4, or Android KitKat, the Z3 comes with a 2.5 gigahertz (GHz) Snapdragon Qualcomm quad-core processor. It also has a high-definition display, as well as a rear-facing, 20.7 megapixel camera. Its front-facing camera is 2.2 megapixels. And like with the Z2, the Z3 can also record video in 4K.

The Z3 Compact seems to share a lot of the same specs as the Z3, despite being encased in a smaller frame. It also runs Android 4.4, and it also comes with the 20.7 megapixel rear camera and the 2.2 megapixel camera, as well as a high-definition display.

The key difference seems to be the size, with Sony going for a smaller phone, rather than something approaching phablet-sized proportions. While the Z3 Compact’s 4.6-inch display still isn’t particularly small, it’s definitely dwarfed by phones like the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, which was also announced today.

Sony also appears to be differentiating its Xperia smartphones from the competition with high-quality cameras, with a high megapixel count, as well as the same waterproofing it offered with its past devices.

But what is new is the compatibility with the Playstation 4, adding the PS4 Remote Play feature to the Z3 and the Z3 Compact. Players can use their smartphones as remote screens to control their games on the PS4, and if someone at home is watching TV, they can connect their games to their phones and keep playing there, albeit with a much smaller screen.

There’s also an option to use the phones to watch other friends as they play remotely, to communicate with Playstation Network contacts, and to buy games and download them directly to the PS4.

While there isn’t any word yet as to when the Xperia Z3 and Z3 Compact will land in Canada, the phones are set to be launched in the U.S. in the fall. Sony has not released pricing details as of yet.