Sony is one of those manufacturers that aren’t shy to compete the smartphone market with a whole lineup of new devices each year. The Xperia C3 is one of the frontliners in the mid-range. A successor to the previously released Xperia C3, the C3 is an improvement in specs, while keeping the mid-range price tag in mind at the same time.

Looking at its shape and size, the Xperia C3 is a big phone. It’s somewhat thick bezels hold together a 5.5 inch screen that packs a resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels with a pixel density of 267 ppi. It may not be the sharpest display out there in the market, but it is quite okay for everyday usage. The Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 also bumps it up a notch in terms of colors and contrast.

Performance wise, the C3 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chipset, which is an appraisable update to the previously used Mediatek chipset found in the Xperia C. The Quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7 processor, however, is kept the same. The phone packs 8 GB of internal storage and 1 GB of RAM with a dedicated microSD card slot for more external storage (up to 32 GB).

When it comes to the camera department, one expects a quality-oriented sensor from Sony, and they have somewhat kept to their reputation. The C3 has an 8 megapixel sensor at the back with an aperture of f/2.3, has an LED flash and records videos in full HD 1080p. It's not bad for everyday usage and usually delivers its purpose. However, the real deal here is the front camera, a 5 MP sensor (which can be called as the flagship standard these days) with its very own LED flash. So one can expect a strong selfie-game with this device. It also records video in 720p HD.

The 2500 mAh battery powering the phone cannot be called as the best in the game, but is good enough to last the phone for a day's use approximately. So all in all, it is an upgrade to its predecessor and definitely deserves a place in the mid-range shelf.