Last month, competition in the smartphone market became more intense following the release of two premium handsets - Sony's Xperia Z3 and Apple's iPhone 6.

On that note, a comparison of specs between the two devices should help consumers decide which smartphone suits their needs and desires best.

In terms of the build, Sony Xperia Z3 comes in aluminum and glass casing, while the iPhone 6 has a high-end aluminum exterior. Compared to the iPhone 6, which is just 6.99 mm thick and weighs 129 grams, the Sony handset is thicker as well as heavier - its body is 7.3 mm thick weighing 152 grams.

While the iPhone 6 is the first full-size handset in Apple's line-up, it is still smaller compared to the Xperia Z3.

The iPhone 6 comes with a 4.7-inch Retina HD display and Apple guarantees that the latest screen will generate an advanced resolution. In fact, Apple's latest flagship phone has a 750 x 1334 screen resolution, which provides a 326 ppi pixel density. Nevertheless, this makes the iPhone 6 appear inferior to Sony Xperia Z3, which comes with a 5.2-inch Full HD display generating 1080 x 1920 resolution and a 424 ppi pixel density. However, both smartphones offer equally sharp and crisp details.

In terms of hardware, the Sony Xperia Z3 is packed with a 2.5 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor and 3 GB RAM. On the other hand, the iPhone 6 is powered by the new A8 processor clocked at 1.4 GHz, but is paired with just 1 GB RAM, which may not be enough for some.

The Xperia Z3 packs a considerable 20.7-megapixel rear camera, nearly three times that of the iPhone 6's 8-megapixel primary camera. The Sony handset also has a 2.2-megapixel front camera, while the iPhone 6 has a 1.2-megapixel FaceTime camera. While the Xperia Z3's rear camera can shoot at 2160p at 30fps (frames per second), 1080p at 60fps, and 720p at 120fps, the iPhone's camera can capture 1080p at 60fps and 720p at 240fps.

The iPhone 6 has an 1810 mAh battery, which lasts for 14 hours, while the 3100 mAh of the Xperia Z3 allows 16 hours' usage.

The Sony Xperia Z3 has a waterproof and dust proof build, while the iPhone 6 lacks this capability. On the other hand, the iPhone 6 boasts of additional internal features, including the latest mobile payment system, Apple Pay.

The Sony Xperia Z3 is available two internal storage variants - 16 GB and 32 GB and in four colors - Black, White, Copper and Silver Green. The iPhone 6 comes with bigger storage capacities like 16 GB, 32 GB and 128 GB with Space Gray, Silver and Gold as color variants. The iPhone 6 is priced $650, the Sony Xperia Z3 is a little cheaper at $620.