Sony Xperia Z3 Compact is one of the best compact Android phones around

The Sony Xperia Z1 Compact is everything a small flagship phone should be one year on and it's replacement is finally upon us in the form of the Xperia Z3 Compact. Like its predecessor the Z3 Compact is a shrunken version of the flagship Xperia Z3 is still cramped in much of the same elite tech as a top end model. It's a 4.6 inch phone and that small size immediately makes it more comfortable to use in one then the giant 5.2 inch Zed 3. It's glass design feels great to hold and do prefer its stark look to the LG G3 S and over the rubberized Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini as well. Like the previous Zed series phone, it's completely waterproof, which will keep it safe from accidentally spilled drinks in the pub. The display is one of my biggest disappointments, though. It's physically bigger than before, but it does keep the same resolution, meaning the same amount of pixels have had to be spread further, reducing the overall quality. It's more than fine for everyday apps and games, but up against its full edged [UNKNOWN] big brother, the difference is noticeable. It's at least bright, though, with great colors, so you're sufficiently catered for if you just want some casual Netflix on the go. It's running the latest Android Kitcat software, but Sony has given it a quite extensive lick of paint. You'll find the usual multiple home screens, and there are extra tweaks like a menu off to the side of the app tray that lets you quickly re-organize your downloaded apps. The settings menu was easy to navigate as well; something I definitely can't say of Samsung's recent phone. Although, like Samsung Sony has added quite a lot of extra software. You'll find loads of additions by another standard, which can make it a bit overwhelming, particularly if you're quite new to Android. I recommend clearing out everything that can be uninstalled, before you really get going. I guarantee you really won't miss any of it. At leased very screen to navigate thanks to the extremely powerful processor stuffed inside. The camera on the back has 20.7 megapixel resolution and is capable of taking some truly fantastic shots. annoyingly though, shooting in awesome mode throttles the resolution. If you want to use all 20 megapixels, you'll need to go into manual mode and change the settings yourself. While I certainly think that Sony should have given the screen a resolution as well as a size increase, the Z3 Compact is still a great all round phone, ideal for those of you who want top end performance only in a more comfortable to use size. I'm Andrew Hoyles of CNet and this is a Sony Xperia Z3 Compact. [MUSIC]