Samsung Galaxy Note 4 vs Sony Xperia Z3: in-depth comparison

The new Samsung Galaxy Note phablet is here and ready to allure fans of large-screen smartphones! But so is the equally new, and large-but-still-smaller Sony Xperia Z3. The new Note is in no doubt the successor that the Galaxy Note 3, one of last year's most impressive smartphones, deserved. But so is the Xperia Z3, which comes a mere six months after its predecessor made waves with its powerful internals and refined design. Both the Galaxy Note 4 and the Xperia Z3 will be competing for smartphones enthusiasts' attention in the coming weeks, so let's see how they measure up to each other!

Design

The Xperia Z3 swings with the ladies while the Galaxy Note 4 plays his burly wingman.

Both the Galaxy Note 4 and the Xperia Z3 are impressive phones that exude premium sheen and hardware prowess. But if we were to judge looks alone (which is, of course, subjective), Sony's flagship is the one that will swing with the ladies thanks to its rounded aluminium frame and tempered glass panels, while the Note 4 plays his burly wingman, dressed in typical Samsung plastic crammed between a metal frame. Both are crafted very well, and have that sturdy feel you'd expect from a high-end smartphone.



There's no getting around the fact that both the Note 4 and the Xperia Z3 are large smartphones. In exact numbers, Samsung's new phablet measures an appropriate 6 x 3 x 0.33 inches, 6.2oz (153.5 x 78.6 x 8.5mm, 176g), while the new Xperia is a more compact 5.74 x 2.83 x 0.28 inches (146 x 72 x 7.3mm) at 5.36 oz (152 grams). However, when you take into account the Note 4's substantially larger screen (5.7 inches by diagonal versus the Xperia Z3's 5.2 inches), the phablet makes for a compact device in its own class. Samsung went the extra length to produce the most comfortable Note 4 possible, shaving extra weight off its sides and screen bezels. Sony too did an excellent job with slimming the Xperia Z3 from the Z2's 0.32 inches (8.2mm) down to 0.28 inches (7.3mm), but its form stays the same.



The devices are available in Black, White, Gold, and Pink for the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, while the Xperia Z3 comes in Black, White, Copper, and Silver Green. But which phone is the one to take on a rainy day? Both are sealed tightly against water and dust, and should be able to survive half-hour underwater dips of 1.5 meters. In terms of sensors, both smartphones feature enough data collectors to use them as portable weather stations. The Xperia Z3, in particular, boasts a step counter and detector to aid your walking consciousness.



As an object of differentiation, the Galaxy Note 4 sports its unique S-Pen stylus that fits snugly into its own slot within the device's body. It also has a fingerprint sensor for secure unlocking and payments, and a heart-rate sensor for, you know, heart rate measurements.