I did my fondling yesterday. Unfortunately, the Z3 and Z3c was not in stock yet, but of the remaining, the HTC One M8 was the best. Getting very close to too big, though. If the Z3 feels smaller, it might seal the deal.
I finally got the chance to fondle the phones. The full-size flagships are simply too big, so I have narrowed it down to Samsung Galaxy Alpha or Sony Z3 Compact. Opinions?
Z3c for much better battery and expandable storage, Alpha for better headphone output (see links above re: subpar Sony audio performance). I'd test-drive the Z3c with your earphones and music before buying it.
Very good audio output
The Sony Xperia Z3 Compact did fairly well in our audio quality test. The smartphone did a great job in the first test, where it's connected to an active external amplifier and posted very scores top to bottom. Its volume levels come up somewhat short of the average though and we have to point out its score were slightly inferior to those of the Xperia Z1 Compact.
Plugging in a pair of headphones did harm the stereo crosstalk notably, but had no effect on the other aspects of the performance. Once more, the volume levels were nothing worth writing home about, though, so we have to deduct a couple of points and give this one a very good, rather than a perfect mark.
They use nice language, but if you look at the measurements there hasn't been a flagship with such poor S/N, dynamic range, and crosstalk in years.As I read the audio review, the Sony is actually quite good? Or am I missing something? I am not a native English speaker, so sometimes meanings get lost.
They use nice language, but if you look at the measurements there hasn't been a flagship with such poor S/N, dynamic range, and crosstalk in years.