The Salora Arya Z3 is a low cost octa core powered smartphone available for Rs. 6,999. This dual SIM handset houses the MediaTek 1.4GHz octa core chipset running Android KitKat with 1GB RAM and 8GB of internal storage. Is it worth the price? Find out.
Box Pack
Inside you will find the handset, 2200 mAh battery, user manual, warranty card, data cable, standard quality earphone and travel charger. The SAR value is mentioned on the box : 0.401 W/kg head and 0.891 W/kg body.
Design, Display and OS
The Arya Z3 looks good with black and silver combination. It is a plastic body and sides are silver coloured with metallic finishing. Build quality and finishing is good, could have been a little better but for the price it is good enough.
Z3 weights with battery is 154 grams – the handset is 8.55mm thick. It is comfortable to hold. The rear side has got textures, its black coloured with matte finish. It feels a bit odd when you touch the back panel (cause of the textures), but it does give a very good grip.
Volume rocker is placed on the left side, power button is on the right and 3.5mm audio jack and micro USB port is placed on the top. There is a single mic at the bottom. This is a dual SIM handset and both the SIM slots support 3G. SIM slot 1 is normal SIM slot and SIM 2 is micro SIM.
This handset sports a 5 inch IPS screen supporting 1280 x 720 pixels resolution. Colour reproduction and viewing angles are good. Touch is smooth and responsive. There was a factory fitted film on the screen, you will need to remove that, make sure to clean the screen with a soft cloth to remove the sticky residue left by the film.
There is no LED notification. Z3 comes loaded with 3 sensors – accelerometer, light and proximity.
Salora Arya Z3 is running Android KitKat 4.4.2, I don’t think this handset will get software updates.
Memory and Storage
The Z3 is packed with 1GB RAM and 8GB storage. There is micro SD card slot to add additional storage. Of the 1GB RAM you will get about 526MB free on the first boot and of the 8GB storage you will get about 6GB free for apps / personal storage.
OTG is supported and you can install apps on the external storage.
Performance and Benchmark
Arya Z3 is powered by MediaTek 1.4GHz Cortex A7 octa core chipset MT6592 coupled with Mali 450 MP GPU. Performance is very smooth and lag free.
| App | Result |
| Quadrant | 11537 |
| Antutu | 28271 |
| Vellamo | Metal (699) Multi core (1333) Browser (1661) |
| Nenamark 2 | 54.4 fps |
| Multi Touch | 5 point |
Gaming
I played Asphalt 8, it got installed on internal storage. Game play was very smooth – no issues found. The hardware is powerful enough to play many high end games.
Camera and Entertainment
On the box it is mentioned that the rear camera is 8MP resolution and the front camera is 2MP resolution. But you can shoot in 13MP resolution (Image interpolation) using the rear camera and in 5MP resolution using the front camera.
Camera quality is above average. The rear camera can shoot full HD videos. Check the sample images and video at the end.
Z3 can play FHD videos, I tried 4K videos but it was not smooth audio / video out of sync.
Others
GPS lock was fast, no issues with 3G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Sound is loud and clear, in call quality is also decent enough. With heavy usage the handset does not heat up much.
Battery
There is 2200 mAh battery. Here is the battery performance. You can expect about 3 to 5 hours of continuous moderate to heavy usage.
| Task | Time | Battery drop (%) (max temp) |
| Running Benchmark apps | 22 minutes | 7% (36) |
| FHD video playback with Wi-Fi on + full brightness | 21 minutes | 7% (38) |
| Asphalt 8 Game Play | 11 minutes | 6% (40) |
| Partial Wall Charge | 1 hours 11 minutes | 56% to 100% |
Verdict
Salora Arya Z3 is octa core smartphone with dual SIM (3G + 3G) support. It is available for Rs. 6,999. Camera quality is very good (above average) and overall performance is also impressive. A very good option for this price tag.
Unfortunately this handset has been launched at a time when big well known brands have already launched they respective smartphone and some with the same price tag. The Lenovo A6000 for example, though quad core (64 Bit with 4G) is a better option.
If brand does not matter then the Arya Z3 is worth considering.
[Rating 3.5 out of 5]Arya Z3 is available on Amazon.in for Rs. 6,999.
Image Gallery
Rear camera sample
Front camera sample
Bhai eski battery chahiye
I am using z3 for the last 8 months it’s an excellent phone. But from the last 7 days at the point of 7 8 9 the touch screen is not working please give your suggestion.
Raja restart the phone and see. you can also try landscape mode and see if the issue is at that particular point and not just the one screen keyboard app. In case you find the same issue then visit service centre and get it rectified.
Please give me a salora arya z3 stock rom download link because my phone was brick when I install custom rom and i have no backup my rom so please.
Good handset, good going Arya z3
Hey Gogi, I have heard about Salora Arya Z3 that it takes too much time to start. I mean to say, does this phone have too much booting time as compared to other smartphones of same specifications?
Most smartphones take time to reboot. I do not give more importance to booting cause it is not something that people do every day. But the booting process was normal it did not take too much time to get noticed.
Awesome handset…..
Im currently writing this review from arya z3.
I also used holly previously but it defeat this in all aspect without front camera.
Camera r best for video calling.good for outdoor selfie.
If brand does not matter go for it without any hesitation
Hi Viky,
Is the phone heating up while in use? I am interested in buying this but I read some people mentioning that the phone heats up excessively.
nope , operation is smooth and does not heat up even after long use …i am a happy user of this …only missing part is led light notification
Hi Gogi,
I am regular visitor to the site and see all reviews before buying any new phone.JUST a request,
while reviewing front camera , you take long shots. No one use front cam for long shots. We use it for selfies. Please show your selfies if you dont mind..as camera front cam also loose focus for long shots and it cannt capture light at far..and keep it same for all reviews like you do for rear camera..lion toy,lift buttons, red pipe, tree texture..
Budget friendly and very good specs
I think this low score by Mr Rana could be bacause of use of Old MT6592 SOC and also a pygmy battery .by SALORA..who are not even manufacturer ..they only buy Readymade mobiles stamped with SALORA name and pack them…
India seems to getting flooded with these so called OCTACORE..chipsets..all of these are Mediatek MT6592 SOC mobiles.MT.6592 the first mediatek SOC is geeat for battery consumption. Most of these are surplus from China market..where no body buys these..hence they r low in price..I think in 2015 all consumers should boycott this MT 6592 stuff and wait for 2015 mobiles powered by new 64 bit MT 6732..6752. etc soc mobiles..
Hi Gogi, please let me clear one point that if everything about Salora Arya Z3 is good then why id you give 3.5 out of five to this phone?
Read the verdict.
As per your verdict, I think Lenovo A6000 is better than Salora Arya Z3. What do you think Mr.Gogi?
Dear gogi, I also disappointed that you have given only 3.5 points. You know that, Lenovo a6000 is not easy to get! z3 you can buy at any time. Sorry but you should had been written at the verdict section. Also you didn’t mention those phones that are completing against z3 for 7k rupees only.
Very nice and detailed review! Request you to perform a similar video review of the newly launched intex aqua speed. Thanks
But gogi, why you giving 3.5 star?
Thanx gogi..!! 4 caring about what you followers wish..!
I have bad experience with salora. My mobile is DOA and even after 25 days still I haven’t got replacement. Service is almost non existent. But as long as the mobile works it is good.
Dear lala, salora a1, I had used two different pieces for 20 odd days each. I didn’t face any heating issue AT ALL but, although I experienced battery drainage, I thought may be piece specific issue, so I returned. But upon your confirmation, I am getting to know that the issue was model specific not piece specific, yes the battery drainage was very fast considering that 4.7 inches screen having a 2000 mah battery and salora mobile helpline number is not good.
Service back up and after sales support is good, provided that you don’t need to seek help from their helpline no. z3 seems good but fact is that, too many other handsets now available with better or equivalent specs and competitive price else 2 weeks ago, it would have been my only choice rest all I am okay but upon using a 1 plus, I am pushed to think 5 inches for 2200 mah will still be creating a big big issue that’s why, I had to rethink on my decision to buy z3 otherwise rest all is awesome.
Hi Romi,
Thanks for the feedback. Yes I also think it is a model specific issue. The phone is really good and value for money if only it didn’t get hot so much and battery didn’t drain. Another problem [though not a serious one] I was facing was that I had to exert a lot of pressure to insert my SIM card into the normal sim slot. These were the reasons that I returned the phone even though I really liked the phone.
Gogi g on the camera department of the review you said camera quality is above average, and on final you said camera quality is very good .Actually when compared to a6000 which camera is good ??
Cameras on both the handsets are very good.
Hi Gogi,
I had ordered Salora Arya A1+ from Amazon. It is a good phone. But I found that the phone was getting uncomfortably hot near the camera even after a few minutes of web browsing. And the battery 2000 mAH was draining very fast. So I returned it.
I am interested in buying Salora Arya Z3. Can you please tell if you faced any heating problems with this phone. I see that you have written 40 degrees celsius while gaming. But I want to know if that is “uncomfortably hot” or “comfortably warm” holding in your hands.
And is this heating up happening in all the other smart phones as well? Can you recommend a smart phone that doesn’t get hot. I have used HTC Explorer [2010] which has even lesser memory and processing power still it just gets warm with a few hours of web browsing. My Nokia E72 doesn’t heat up while browsing.
Thanks
Well all smartphones will get hot with heavy usage. The Z3 is low to moderate hot as experienced on many handsets.
Thanks for the input Gogi. PS: Nice review!
I did not find any heating problems as such in salora arya a 1 plus Videocon infinium nova z 45 these two handsets were awesome battery back up of videocon was comparatively and otherwise also better.
well, Nokia E72 was a legendary phone using it since 2009 Not a single problem faced till now .!
Hi Manju,
I bought a fully working albeit used Nokia E72 for a mere Rs 3300 after Microsoft acquired Nokia’s phone business. This phone is now a collector’s item :-).
I fully agree with you it is not just legendary but also very functional. You can do things with a Nokia E72 that you may not be able to do with the most recent modern smart phones.
Just to give you an example, every night, I set an alarm for the morning and switch off my Nokia E72 to conserve battery. In the morning, the phone automatically switches on and starts ringing the alarm. I have never seen such a function in any other phone – even the smart Androids.
If I want to check for any missed calls, messages, or current time, I have to only press and hold the Dpad when the phone is locked and it displays those.
I use it as a LED torch, a 3G modem connected to my PC to surf internet, and an organizer. I am able to easily call any person on my contact list by just typing their name [smart dialing]. I can do a voice call, video call, send message, email, or send an audio message with just a few short cut keys.
The battery charge easily lasts 2 days with moderate usage.
The only drawback I find with this phone is that the speaker is not loud enough. Though if you use a pair of earphones, the sound is fine. And Symbian is a dead platform with not that many apps.
But as I said, this phone is a collectors’ item now.
Dear Gogi Sir,
I appreciate your effort. Your review is spot on.
As far this handset is concern, I think it is a good option for those people who likes to experiment with new models. But not sure about after sale service of this brand. I also think Lenovo A6000 is still better one to buy.
Regards,
Partha
Nice review Gogi bro. This helps lot of people with the necessary information.
If salora concentrates on publicity then definitely arya series smartphone will have huge impact. Arya z3 looks better in every aspect than lenovo a6000 , honor holly etc in terms of luk , build quality , performance , service centers only thing needed is 2 improve and marking strategy of salora…
Hello Gogibhai..
you have not given dimensions of this Z3 phone. Please add those too.
Is the camera and battery performance better than Lenovo A6000?
Gogi ji, this phone is definitely the best, even better than honor holly or lenovo a6000,if brand doesn’t matter.
Good handset, good going Salora.
Hello gogi,
Do you think it will give tough competition to models available in market like lenovo a6000, moto , and xiaomi at this price also as u mentioned m2 infocus……..
M2 infocus could give if price is right. As for Z3 it is good but then A6000 I feel is better – future proof and you will get updates.