Sony Xperia Z3v, hands-on: wireless charging, waterproof, PS4 gaming

The Sony Xperia Z3 has been available globally, but the U.S. is getting its own variant: the Z3v, coming October 23. How is it different? Read on.

The Xperia Z3v is a Verizon exclusive. It'll arrive October 23, and cost $199.99 on contract.

It has a different design than the Z3: this body is a little thicker, and more like Verizon's previous Z2 phone.

The Z3v, like the Z3, is waterproof up to 5 feet for 30 minutes. The ports have little protective doors.

A 20.7-megapixel camera on the back can still shoot 4k video, but the camera's ISO is a little lower than on the Z3.

A 3200 mAh battery is technically the same size as the Xperia Z3, with added wireless Qi charging, but the rated battery life is less than the Z3. Why? Good question.

The Z3v will come with 32GB of onboard storage, and can expand to an extra 128GB via micro SD.

The Z3v comes in black and white.

It has a 5.2-inch 1080p display, 3GB of RAM, and a quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor, just like the Z3.

Size, and maybe battery life, plus wireless charging: this is what makes the Z3v different.

Using the Z3v with Qi wireless charging via a Sony power-pack charge accessory.

A look at the Xperia Z3v's big, bright IPS display.

Another optional Qi wireless inductive charge pad.

The Sony inductive power pack accessory.

You can stream PS4 games much like on a PlayStation Vita: buy a separate phone cradle that attaches to the DualShock 4 and you're set.

A look at the cradle from the back.

Games play well: PS4 remote play supports most PS4 games.

If you don't own a PlayStation Vita, this could stand in as a clever home gaming accessory.