Sony’s Xperia Z3 coming to T-Mobile October 29

By Malarie Gokey Published December 2, 2014

sony xperia z3 t mobile launch phone home 3 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Sony introduced the Xperia Z3 during IFA this past September. Last week, Sony held an event to announce that Verizon will carry a special variant of the Xperia Z3 with wireless charging and other special features called the Z3V. Then, T-Mobile announced on Monday that it will sell its own version of the Xperia Z3.

T-Mobile’s Z3 comes with all the same features as the standard Z3 that Sony launched in Europe. The Uncarrier’s Z3 will have the same 5.2-inch LCD screen with a 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution. It’s powered the a 2.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor, along with 3GB of RAM. The Z3 comes with 16 or 32GB of internal storage and runs Android 4.4.4 KitKat. Sony’s new flagship has a IP 65/68 waterproof rating, so you can dunk it in one meter of water for 30 minutes without damaging the device.

The Xperia Z3’s most attractive feature is its 20.7-megapixel back camera, which shoots 4K video and comes with a 25mm wide-angle lens. Sony’s camera apps let you add a bunch of special effects to your photos, as well. Even though T-Mobile’s model doesn’t have wireless charging built in, it does have a massive 3100mAh battery onboard, which Sony says will giev you two days of battery life.

T-Mobile customers can buy the Xperia Z3 for $0 down and pay just $26.25 a month for 24 months to own the phone, once it arrives in stores on October 29. Those who are interested can preorder the Z3 starting October 15 at 12:00 a.m. PDT. Customers who preorder he phone will have their Xperia Z3 shipped to them as soon as possible and may even receive it before the device officially launches. You can sign up to receive an alert about the Z3’s availability on T-Mobile’s website.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

As DT's Mobile Editor, Malarie runs the Mobile and Wearables sections, which cover smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, and…

Mobile

Catch ’em all with a Pokémon-themed Galaxy Z Flip 3 (if you live in South Korea)

pokemon themed galaxy z flip 3 south korea

If you're a Pokémon fan who's tired of searching high and low for the best gaming-themed phone cases for your device, we got something exciting for you. Samsung has announced a Pokémon Edition of the Galaxy Z Flip 3, which looks to be more valuable than your Pokémon trading cards and Pokémon gym badges combined. There's just one catch: It might be available exclusively in South Korea.

This special edition Galaxy Z Flip 3 comes with the phone itself and various Pokémon accessories, including a Pokédex-themed phone pouch with a lanyard strap, a set of two Pikachu cases with rings -- one clear and the other bold yellow -- a Pikachu keychain, a set of six mini Pokémon cards, and a Poké Ball phone stand. The phone will also be equipped with Pokémon-themed ringtones, themes, and wallpapers.

Mobile

T-Mobile delays shutdown of Sprint 3G CDMA network

Folks using Sprint’s legacy 3G CDMA network may have just won a slight reprieve, with a new report revealing that T-Mobile has pushed back the date of its shutdown by another two months. T-Mobile, which merged with Sprint in 2020, had planned to decommission the aging 3G network on March 31, 2022. However, The T-Mo Report has discovered that the carrier has quietly extended the deadline to May 31, 2022, instead.

The change initially came to light via a post on Reddit, where someone noticed the new date on the website of Softbank, which previously owned Sprint. Although T-Mobile hasn’t made a public announcement, The T-Mo Report confirmed that several Sprint customers with older phones received an email directly from the carrier. Those with phones that can’t use LTE were told that they now have until May 31, 2022, before the Sprint CDMA network shuts down. However, even this date may not be final. A footnote on the Softbank page adds that “there is a possibility that the date of May 31 will be rescheduled in [the] future.”
Sunsetting legacy 3G services
T-Mobile initially wanted to shut down the Sprint 3G network on January 1, 2022, but delayed it to March 31, when its partner, Dish, raised concerns that it didn’t have enough time to migrate its legacy customers over to the Boost Mobile network. When Sprint merged with T-Mobile in 2020, it was required to divest itself of its prepaid services, Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile, which were sold off to Dish to ensure the industry remained competitive. Regulators hoped that Dish could rise from the ashes of Sprint to take over the vacated fourth-place spot on the top carriers list.

Mobile

Oppo’s Find N is great, but I still like the Galaxy Z Fold 3

Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Oppo Find N open from the back.

Samsung largely pioneered the foldable smartphone segment with the launch of the first Galaxy Fold device in 2019. While it wasn't the best in terms of usability, it was certainly one of a kind, and with the latest Galaxy Z Fold 3, subsequent refinements have almost perfected the device. Fast-forward to 2022, and we have clamshell foldables and smartphone-tablet hybrids, as well as up to 17-inch laptops displays that can bend in half and were showcased during CES 2022.

However, that concept of having a tablet in your pocket folded into a smartphone size has much or less remained the same. That is, until the Oppo Find N debuted earlier this year, and we got our hands on it. I have used the Oppo foldable for about a week alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 3, mostly for web and media consumption.