Database Users

[Q] Nexus S owners, convince me to get this phone!

Hi Nexus S owners,
So am I am torn between the Xperia Arc, or Nexus S as my next phone.
I want to know some real stories here, what do you love about the nexus S, what is not so great?
I made a list of pros and cons of the device, tell me if there is anything I should add
Pros:
seems very stable
updates delivered in a timely fashion
no bloatware
fast
larger internal memory (than Arc)
Cons:
only 16GB storage
camera is not as nice as the Arc
Here are some things I would like to know:
Is there better camera software in the app store that may improve the stock camera?
How is the screen in bright daylight?
In my head, I am leaning towards this phone, mostly because of the lack of carrier/manufacturer "bloatware", and the fact that I will get updates straight from Google whenever they come out. But the main thing that is holding me back is the camera. I am a photographer, and always like to have a camera with me. I can't always carry my DSLR, so I need something that can function as a half decent P&S.

123go! said:
Hi Nexus S owners,
So am I am torn between the Xperia Arc, or Nexus S as my next phone.
I want to know some real stories here, what do you love about the nexus S, what is not so great?
I made a list of pros and cons of the device, tell me if there is anything I should add
Pros:
seems very stable
updates delivered in a timely fashion
no bloatware
fast
larger internal memory (than Arc)
Cons:
only 16GB storage
camera is not as nice as the Arc
Here are some things I would like to know:
Is there better camera software in the app store that may improve the stock camera?
How is the screen in bright daylight?
In my head, I am leaning towards this phone, mostly because of the lack of carrier/manufacturer "bloatware", and the fact that I will get updates straight from Google whenever they come out. But the main thing that is holding me back is the camera. I am a photographer, and always like to have a camera with me. I can't always carry my DSLR, so I need something that can function as a half decent P&S.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should get whatever you want, I'm not going to try to convince you. But I will answer your questions
Camera software: Vignette is the best on the market. It takes fantastic uncompressed pictures and improves ANY camera hardware in my opinion.
Sunlight: I have never seen another phone that is as readable in the sunlight as the Nexus S. The SAMOLED is tailor-made for this. It's miles ahead of any other screen technology when it comes to sunlight visibility. It's one of the strongest features of the Nexus S.

Thanks!
I am merely looking for real user experiences. I still need to go to the store to play around with both of the phones.
Thats good to hear about the sunlight visibility. How do you find the camera on the nexus s? Does the vignette app add touch to focus?

123go! said:
Thanks!
I am merely looking for real user experiences. I still need to go to the store to play around with both of the phones.
Thats good to hear about the sunlight visibility. How do you find the camera on the nexus s? Does the vignette app add touch to focus?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it adds touch to focus
I have the SLCD screen on the Nexus S, I've never seen a screen this amazing. It's fantastic in broad daylight, actually, it doesn't even matter in where you use it, it's always legible.
The camera is good, for a 5MP it's really good. It has no digital zoom though, beware, some people want that feature
Greetz

123go! said:
Thanks!
I am merely looking for real user experiences. I still need to go to the store to play around with both of the phones.
Thats good to hear about the sunlight visibility. How do you find the camera on the nexus s? Does the vignette app add touch to focus?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The camera is very good. It takes better photos than any other mobile device I have owned (2nd would be Evo 4G which was not bad at all).
Your idea to go play with the phones is a good one. I was only mildly interested in the Nexus S until I was at Best Buy one day and they had one and I got to hold it. There was no turning back. I knew then there was no other phone in the world for me

the version here in canada is the AMOLED one. Digital zoom is not an issue at all
My current phone is a SE C905a, w/ 8mp camera. Camera is a big deal to me, but from what I have seen in reviews, it's not too bad. I even compared the camera's on gsmarena between the arc and the nexus s, and they seem comparable. Minus the fact that the Arc has 720p video

well, despite of low specs, camera is really good, i can't compare with arc camera, but i'm coming from a desire hd (what was announced as best android camera by that time) and i prefer nxs camera, mainly because shots in dark places that is way better, but also, camera in DHD is mostly for still life, because it blur with any movement.
16gb is enought for me, (i used to have 8gb in my dhd it was never full), and now, with google music, the decision must be based in your data plan, if you have an "unlimited" one, you have no problem at all! Said that, i can tell you: what is avalaible for storage is only 13,3gb, don't ask me why.
about screen sunligh, i can't help you, since i have a 9023 (with slcd).
another thing: i really think you should get both in your hand and decide, most things are not in specs lists, they are in how you fell with the phone. eg, i really hate 'haptic feedback' in nexus s and i loved in DHD and that is a thing i can't know without get it in my hand.
and some more things, nexus is a pretty device, looks nice with the screen off, all black, like a monolith. the cuverd screen is really beautiful (besides let it good upon your face).
BUT, the main reason i bought it is to escape of the "race for the best device of the week"... you know what i mean.
sorry for typos and bad engrish! =o)

I got this phone cuz it's Google Nexus series.
There are of course better phones out right now like the Galaxy S2 i believe with dual core or what not. When I got my NS last December, it was a pretty good phone, but if you keep holding out for something better, you'll never buy anything.

thiagodark said:
and some more things, nexus is a pretty device, looks nice with the screen off, all black, like a monolith. the cuverd screen is really beautiful (besides let it good upon your face).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You definitly got a point. A recently cleaned Nexus S is almost a guaranteed buy (or sell, whatever pov ). One of the best looking phones while in stand-by.
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If you care about getting the latest android within a few days after being released, NxS is the only option. Beside that and the pretty looks I think Arc and NxS are pretty much on the same level. If you can't decide because of looks or the immediate updates, compare the price, still no winner, flip a coin, I think you can't go wrong really between NxS and Arc.
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Btw, the non-720p videos (scaled to 720p) shot with NxS look way better then most 720p vids from other smartphones.

rentaric said:
If you care about getting the latest android within a few days after being released, NxS is the only option. Beside that and the pretty looks I think Arc and NxS are pretty much on the same level. If you can't decide because of looks or the immediate updates, compare the price, still no winner, flip a coin, I think you can't go wrong really between NxS and Arc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats good to hear about the camera. It really is one of the few things holding me back from the nexus s vs the arc.
I do care about the updates, it seems SE has been doing better since the whole thing with the X10. But who knows how long that will last!
I love the looks of both phones. They are totally different looks wise, but both appeal to me. I think making these threads is actually making the decision harder for me! lol, I thought for sure I was going to get the arc, now I am on the fence again...

rentaric said:
Btw, the non-720p videos (scaled to 720p) shot with NxS look way better then most 720p vids from other smartphones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that's what i'm talking about, have you seen atrix 1080p videos?! it's awful.
that's a pic with an atrix:
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
e that is the same thing with an iphone:
what do you prefer?! =oP
edit: posting smaller imgs!

123go! said:
I think making these threads is actually making the decision harder for me! lol, I thought for sure I was going to get the arc, now I am on the fence again...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well, just post same thing in arc forum! =o)

I did!! (click here)

123go! said:
I did!! (click here)
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Click to collapse
after read it, i wanna buy a arc too!! lol..
seriously, whetever device you choose, you'll be fine! just pick one and don't look back... =o)

thiagodark said:
after read it, i wanna buy a arc too!! lol..
seriously, whetever device you choose, you'll be fine! just pick one and don't look back... =o)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Worst thing to do when you bought a technical device. The moment the money has been spend stop looking for alternatives/replacements, that's a vicious circle
--
Lol @ the guys on the Arc forums, didn't ease the question for the OP

rentaric said:
Worst thing to do when you bought a technical device. The moment the money has been spend stop looking for alternatives/replacements, that's a vicious circle
--
Lol @ the guys on the Arc forums, didn't ease the question for the OP
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know!
I think I am going to go tomorrow to play with both phones, I still have a week or so until I can get either one...I am becoming obsessive..

Don't make the MISTAKE I did...choose the Nexus S for the love of GOD. Do NOT buy the Arc.
I walked into a Rogers Store thinking I knew how the Arc would handle and feel, playing with a dummy phone WRONG. I bought the thing cash for $700 after tax and a $19 case.
I go home, fire it up and instant regret.
I will list everything wrong with the phone in my opinion:
1. Multitouch is retarded. When you try it out go into gallery and try to pinch to zoom around pics...it will not behave correctly.
2. If you can access the browser, go to a web site that allows you to pinch to zoom and just set your finger tips on the screen motionless...watch as the screen vibrates and goes crazy.
3. Screen is too thin and long. I found typing to be really bad, and SE removed speach to text from the Arc stock keyboard. Also the Arc keyboard is not multitouch.
4. The build quality is much worse than the Nexus S. The back door creeks and makes noises almost everywhere you touch it.
5. The screen IMO looks washed out, but sharp.
6. On 3 bars I dropped a call 5 times in the same call! WTF is that?
7. Arcs screen SUCKS. Its mineral glass with a thick plastic "shatter proof film" on it that not only gets scratched up too fast, but makes the screen a finger print, smudgy mess. Horrible.
Anyways the Arc is so bad I actually took my Arc (that I just had dropped $700 on 2 days before) and traded it for a used/mint Nexus S and I could not be happier. My only regret is that I did not buy the Nexus S first.
Sure the Arc has some nice features like HDMI out (I found useless really) and it does Video nice (I find the Nexus S takes better pics personally)
Go Nexus S or you'll be sorry...I can PROMISE you that...

gunstar3035 said:
Don't make the MISTAKE I did...choose the Nexus S for the love of GOD. Do NOT buy the Arc.
I walked into a Rogers Store thinking I knew how the Arc would handle and feel, playing with a dummy phone WRONG. I bought the thing cash for $700 after tax and a $19 case.
I go home, fire it up and instant regret.
I will list everything wrong with the phone in my opinion:
1. Multitouch is retarded. When you try it out go into gallery and try to pinch to zoom around pics...it will not behave correctly.
2. If you can access the browser, go to a web site that allows you to pinch to zoom and just set your finger tips on the screen motionless...watch as the screen vibrates and goes crazy.
3. Screen is too thin and long. I found typing to be really bad, and SE removed speach to text from the Arc stock keyboard. Also the Arc keyboard is not multitouch.
4. The build quality is much worse than the Nexus S. The back door creeks and makes noises almost everywhere you touch it.
5. The screen IMO looks washed out, but sharp.
6. On 3 bars I dropped a call 5 times in the same call! WTF is that?
7. Arcs screen SUCKS. Its mineral glass with a thick plastic "shatter proof film" on it that not only gets scratched up too fast, but makes the screen a finger print, smudgy mess. Horrible.
Anyways the Arc is so bad I actually took my Arc (that I just had dropped $700 on 2 days before) and traded it for a used/mint Nexus S and I could not be happier. My only regret is that I did not buy the Nexus S first.
Sure the Arc has some nice features like HDMI out (I found useless really) and it does Video nice (I find the Nexus S takes better pics personally)
Go Nexus S or you'll be sorry...I can PROMISE you that...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, this kind of things is always in the back of my mind when thinking about either one.
Do you think it was the firmware you were using? Not saying you are wrong, but just wondering.
The camera thing intrigues me, on the gsmarena camera compare tool, the nexus s did look a little better at 100% crop. Check it out.
The arc seems to be fuzzier, there is a loss of detail in the 100% crop.......
I will check all that stuff out when I go to physically use the phones, hopefully today.

I hesitated and I finally went with the NS. Reasons:
Unlocked bootloader means custom ROMs
Always up to date software
Fast smooth UI with no carrier or OEM crap on it. I'll load my own crap thank you very much.
This phone will be useable long after SE ditches support for the Arc and relegates it to the scrap heap.

mr_raider said:
I hesitated and I finally went with the NS. Reasons:
Unlocked bootloader means custom ROMs
Always up to date software
Fast smooth UI with no carrier or OEM crap on it. I'll load my own crap thank you very much.
This phone will be useable long after SE ditches support for the Arc and relegates it to the scrap heap.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think you will regret it.. the general attitude I see, and share, is that once you own a Nexus device you really don't want to own anything else. I came from an Epic 4G for example, so the hardware between that and my Nexus S 4G are literally identical. However, the Nexus S runs circles around the Epic which is crippled with the TouchWiz framework.
You really just can't beat AOSP the way Google intended.

Maybe it's time to move on...

(Not sure whether this should be posted in Q&A as this topic is not quite related to questions about the arc.)
I've had my arc for, what... 13 months now. The warranty expired about a moth ago. I'm not really the type to change my phones often as I'm not your typical rich arse. My arc, as my tapatalk signature may propose, is quite cracked (I posted pics in another thread) and I doubt I could get a good price for it. But that aside. I'm here to ask you about which phone I should buy next.
My needs have become quite... needy (lol). I have quite a few apps running constantly in the background plus add the widgets on homescreen to that and sometimes a needy foreground app (which basically kills all my other apps). I can't even run the Walkman app for longer time because it just gets killed in the memory for some reason (if I turn off my screen). And sometimes all my apps start closing/restarting, including my launcher, for I don't know what reason. Sometimes my phone is so unresponsive that it's ridiculous. I couldn't answer a call today because the phone app was killed in memory (lol). You might say there's something wrong with the ROM I'm running or something else. Maybe ICS is not the best choice and more of a downgrade on arc if there's some heavier multitasking. But for me, downgrading to GB is just a no-go. Maybe I should give the JB a shot. But doubt that do much of a difference to me.
Don't get me wrong. I like my arc. It's got a very good design (awesomely crappy housing quality aside) It's probably pretty good with a moderate multitasking on GB. But I just feel like I need some more power. And I'm not talking about quads here. A phone with 1GB of RAM and a dual core would probably be more than enough for me. (though today such phones are quite outdated, haha)
So what would you recommend? I'll just help you out a bit and say that there's no way I'd go with a Samsung phone. Also, it has to be Android (no WP, iOS, Bada, and whatever else there is). And expandable memory is a must, as well. Might add something more if I remember.
Sent from my cracksperia Arc

Do you want to stick with Sony or will you consider other brands as well? There's a lot of good high end phones from LG, HTC and whatnot (I'll exclude Samsung in this case). Sony did announce three new phones today at IFA (Xperia T, V and J) which retain the arc-like design if you're willing to wait. And there's the Xperia S, P & U, but I'd personally pass on those with what's coming out and what is out right now.
It's really hard to recommend one phone tbh; play around with whatever you can and buy the one that you like best.
Sent from my LT15a using xda app-developers app

I'm considering other brands as well. Though I have to admit that Sony retains the look and uniqueness, while for instance HTC phones all look quite the same. But I'm willing to bare with the not so unique HTC style if the housing quality is good. But there is one thing with Sony phones that kind of makes me step away and ask myself if I really want to get one again. And that's the screen glass. The arc's screen glass is literally scratch un-resistant. Sometimes the fact just annoys the heck out of me. In comparison to HTC Desire HD, the screen glass of my arc is really horrible. I'm starting to like HTC, whether I liked that fact or not.
Sent from my cracksperia Arc

sunbriel said:
I'm considering other brands as well. Though I have to admit that Sony retains the look and uniqueness, while for instance HTC phones all look quite the same. But I'm willing to bare with the not so unique HTC style if the housing quality is good. But there is one thing with Sony phones that kind of makes me step away and ask myself if I really want to get one again. And that's the screen glass. The arc's screen glass is literally scratch un-resistant. Sometimes the fact just annoys the heck out of me. In comparison to HTC Desire HD, the screen glass of my arc is really horrible. I'm starting to like HTC, whether I liked that fact or not.
Sent from my cracksperia Arc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then get Xperia go
Its supposed to be ultra resistant, and its dual core 1GHz.
I can't really advise you which phone to get, because I don't know you screen size preference and budget.

If its in your budget i would recommend a Galaxy Nexus.
1 - Latest android updates
2 - Good Design
3 - High Durability
Just a recommendation

Wait a little........maybe for the google sony nexus.
If it's not coming i'm jumping ship to nexus anyway.

issak42 said:
Then get Xperia go
Its supposed to be ultra resistant, and its dual core 1GHz.
I can't really advise you which phone to get, because I don't know you screen size preference and budget.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, should've added some more info to the OP. But really it was 3 am or something like that and I was already half asleep (lol). I don't need it to be ultra resistant. I won't be throwing it around. I just need it to be of "normal" resistance. Dropped my boyfriend's phone (Desire HD) a couple of times, it also went flying and fell on the floor and all the things that might happen when your hands are not really that steady. It got no scratches and it took no damage to the housing. While if I did the same to my arc... well, uhm... it would probably shatter all around the place, lol.
About the screen size and resolution. Well, anything between 4.2 and 4.5 inches with resolution of the arc or higher. The budget is not very limited as I've saved some money (just don't suggest a golden phone with a couple of diamonds ). I can also get a tax-free product (which would then be the normal price back there in the States... yeah, my country loves to add to the normal price, lol). For an example, the Galaxy S III in free sale (without a contract, not locked to any carrier) is around $840.

sunbriel said:
Ah, should've added some more info to the OP. But really it was 3 am or something like that and I was already half asleep (lol). I don't need it to be ultra resistant. I won't be throwing it around. I just need it to be of "normal" resistance. Dropped my boyfriend's phone (Desire HD) a couple of times, it also went flying and fell on the floor and all the things that might happen when your hands are not really that steady. It got no scratches and it took no damage to the housing. While if I did the same to my arc... well, uhm... it would probably shatter all around the place, lol.
About the screen size and resolution. Well, anything between 4.2 and 4.5 inches with resolution of the arc or higher. The budget is not very limited as I've saved some money (just don't suggest a golden phone with a couple of diamonds ). I can also get a tax-free product (which would then be the normal price back there in the States... yeah, my country loves to add to the normal price, lol). For an example, the Galaxy S III in free sale (without a contract, not locked to any carrier) is around $840.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Get Note 2.. Best I can see out now.. Or wait to jump on the next Nexus cruise..
Sent from my Nexus S

sunbriel said:
I'm considering other brands as well. Though I have to admit that Sony retains the look and uniqueness, while for instance HTC phones all look quite the same. But I'm willing to bare with the not so unique HTC style if the housing quality is good. But there is one thing with Sony phones that kind of makes me step away and ask myself if I really want to get one again. And that's the screen glass. The arc's screen glass is literally scratch un-resistant. Sometimes the fact just annoys the heck out of me. In comparison to HTC Desire HD, the screen glass of my arc is really horrible. I'm starting to like HTC, whether I liked that fact or not.
Sent from my cracksperia Arc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you removed the fabric pre-applied anti shatter screen protecter? This scrathes easily and I removed mine after 1 year and now I have a perfect glass screen which is super responsive, allmost like a new phone. Never used any screen protecter as I dislike the poor touch sensitivity.
Please try to install the latest SE stock ICS ROM 4.0.4, this has improved significantly. I cannot say anything about the multitasking, never really been an issue, but for stability stock SE ROMS are perfect. Allways used stock ROMS and never missed a call, this is priority number one with high reliability as it is also my work phone. I am confident that Sony engineers very well know how to optimize the software but some here from xda would probably disagree

go for xperia v , keeps the iconic arc design , has .1 inch bump from 4.2 to 4.3 inch screen... hd display dual core 1gb ram 13mpx stacked cmos sensor , hdr , WATER RESISTANT!
Good LUCK

heinrichkaiser said:
Get Note 2.. Best I can see out now.. Or wait to jump on the next Nexus cruise..
Sent from my Nexus S
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like I said, Samsung is out of question.
hygge said:
Have you removed the fabric pre-applied anti shatter screen protecter? This scrathes easily and I removed mine after 1 year and now I have a perfect glass screen which is super responsive, allmost like a new phone. Never used any screen protecter as I dislike the poor touch sensitivity.
Please try to install the latest SE stock ICS ROM 4.0.4, this has improved significantly. I cannot say anything about the multitasking, never really been an issue, but for stability stock SE ROMS are perfect. Allways used stock ROMS and never missed a call, this is priority number one with high reliability as it is also my work phone. I am confident that Sony engineers very well know how to optimize the software but some here from xda would probably disagree
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I removed it as I was annoyed by it. But still, the screen just shouldn't get scratches out of the blue (I never put it anywhere where it could get them, and the scratches were already there even before I first dropped my phone). And the housing quality is so poor that I'm literally shocked how they could even sell it for such a price (was around $650 a year ago). And I'm not talking about that tiny little crack everyone complained/complains about (see http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=28003272&postcount=606 - I didn't throw it around for fun to get this "sexy" look, dropped it a couple of times from a very low height).
Well, I don't know about how heavy your multitasking is. I'll tell you what runs on my phone all the time (when the phone is idle, otherwise some or all of these will get killed to make space for a memory hungry app):
AquaMail, IMO messenger beta, Clipper, Color Note, Avast, Nova launcher, BetterBatteryStats, Battery Drain, Volume Control+, Smart Keyboard; widgets: ADW Widget, Aix Weather, UCCW, Elixir 2, Meta widget, stock Browser bookmarks, TuneIn, Minimalistic Text.
Some of them will get killed in memory to make space for something else so not all of them run at the same time (they're mostly in "restarting" state). And now imagine opening an internet browser or a game. What will you get? Instant background app genocide. Even the keyboard dies or freezes.
I think I really need something more.
lokenok said:
go for xperia v , keeps the iconic arc design , has .1 inch bump from 4.2 to 4.3 inch screen... hd display dual core 1gb ram 13mpx stacked cmos sensor , hdr , WATER RESISTANT!
Good LUCK
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Might look around some carrier stores to try it out. But I'm not sure whether it has on-screen buttons or capacitive touch buttons. The first one is a minus for me.
EDIT: checked it out. On-screen buttons.

Hmmm, currently. Have the S, and has dropped it so many time,and it still ok. My old arc housing cracks the first time it falls
But my recommendations is get the V or the Arco S.
Sent from my LT26i using xda app-developers app

Stay with SONY, as you won't find better design anywhere. Yes, there are some let-downs from time to time, and yes, the hardware specs are not top-notch, but overall, Xperias are the sexiest smartphones out there, so it's not that painful to sacrifice some performance for the sake of good design and appealing UI...
Also, even we (Xperia phones users) complain a lot about some software and hardware unperfections, the other manufacturers are struggling with these or other things too. There is no perfect phone, believe me. I know that because when I collect all my friends in one place, there is wide range of smartphones on the table, from Iphones, to HTCs, to Samsungs, to SONYs (this would be me), and all of them are having some issues.
From terrible lags, to battery drains, to housing mailfunctions, to this, to that...
And let me be more concrete here... My friends Iphone 3GS is lagging so much that it's ridiculous, and my friend is not advanced or heavy user at all. Few applications here and there. My Arc S feels like warp 9 speed when I use it after his phone. And other friends HTC Evo 3D on ICS is also lagging so much (an dual-core phone, remember), that I don't feel my Arc S on ICS is overperfomed at all by that phone... And battery drain is ridiculous on Evo 3D for example, and picture quality is uncomparable with Arc S, cause we have tested it so many times. And so on, and so on...
The point is, you won't find perfect phone out there, and you won't find so dominant phone, that you'll say, ok SONY is ****, I won't be using it anymore.
I'm tech freak, and I play with alot of smartphones on daily basis, and I would hardly change SONY as my favourite smartphone manufacturer.
And yes, like in your case, Samsung is totally out of question. I would never use such crappy and uninspiring design and UI. Market share means nothing to me, and current two market share dominant smartphone manufacturers are both astronomically overrated, and I would never use them before my Xperias.
If you decide to stay with SONY, there is really wide range of new NXT line Xperias to choose from. From S to P to new Arc successors presented few days ago, T, J and V. I don't know, I just can't resist sexiness of Xperia phones.
Sorry for huge post. Pozdrav iz Sarajeva.

Reading your posts, I'd recommend the LG Optimus 4x HD. It's very fast and reasonable priced compared to the One X and SGS3. The design also shouldn't be too bad. Please look for some reviews and keeps us updated!
Via Mobile

what about a full housing replacement??? $24 only

mr_torture said:
Stay with SONY, as you won't find better design anywhere. Yes, there are some let-downs from time to time, and yes, the hardware specs are not top-notch, but overall, Xperias are the sexiest smartphones out there, so it's not that painful to sacrifice some performance for the sake of good design and appealing UI...
Also, even we (Xperia phones users) complain a lot about some software and hardware unperfections, the other manufacturers are struggling with these or other things too. There is no perfect phone, believe me. I know that because when I collect all my friends in one place, there is wide range of smartphones on the table, from Iphones, to HTCs, to Samsungs, to SONYs (this would be me), and all of them are having some issues.
From terrible lags, to battery drains, to housing mailfunctions, to this, to that...
And let me be more concrete here... My friends Iphone 3GS is lagging so much that it's ridiculous, and my friend is not advanced or heavy user at all. Few applications here and there. My Arc S feels like warp 9 speed when I use it after his phone. And other friends HTC Evo 3D on ICS is also lagging so much (an dual-core phone, remember), that I don't feel my Arc S on ICS is overperfomed at all by that phone... And battery drain is ridiculous on Evo 3D for example, and picture quality is uncomparable with Arc S, cause we have tested it so many times. And so on, and so on...
The point is, you won't find perfect phone out there, and you won't find so dominant phone, that you'll say, ok SONY is ****, I won't be using it anymore.
I'm tech freak, and I play with alot of smartphones on daily basis, and I would hardly change SONY as my favourite smartphone manufacturer.
And yes, like in your case, Samsung is totally out of question. I would never use such crappy and uninspiring design and UI. Market share means nothing to me, and current two market share dominant smartphone manufacturers are both astronomically overrated, and I would never use them before my Xperias.
If you decide to stay with SONY, there is really wide range of new NXT line Xperias to choose from. From S to P to new Arc successors presented few days ago, T, J and V. I don't know, I just can't resist sexiness of Xperia phones.
Sorry for huge post. Pozdrav iz Sarajeva.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I do know that there is no perfect phone out there and, probably, nor will there ever be one. I have to admit I even thought about buying the One X, but I've read a lot of posts about its horrible battery life. So I moved on and put this one aside on the "maybe" shelf.
I checked out some of the new Sony phones, and was sad to notice the on-screen buttons on most of them (I really dislike such buttons). There are maybe two with the capacitive touch buttons, but one has only 512MB of RAM. The other one, however, is Xperia SL - what's the Arc S to Arc, that's the SL to S - a bit of an upgrade. I pretty much like all the specs, so this one might be one of the candidates.
I don't mind long-ish posts as long as they have something good written in there. Pozdrav i tebi iz Zagreba.
sdk16420 said:
Reading your posts, I'd recommend the LG Optimus 4x HD. It's very fast and reasonable priced compared to the One X and SGS3. The design also shouldn't be too bad. Please look for some reviews and keeps us updated!
Via Mobile
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I looked it up on GSM Arena and quite liked what was put on the paper. However, when I wanted to check out the price in my country, I couldn't find any store that sells it. I don't know whether it will be available here or not. Maybe I overlooked something, might try searching it again.
Overdose1986 said:
what about a full housing replacement??? $24 only
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Am I supposed to give $24 every time my phone drops on the floor? That's not such a low price. And I doubt I could get it for such a price here where I live, if I could even get it for any price.
Sent from my cracksperia Arc

sunbriel said:
Am I supposed to give $24 every time my phone drops on the floor? That's not such a low price. And I doubt I could get it for such a price here where I live, if I could even get it for any price.
Sent from my cracksperia Arc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ebay ships free to worldwide
(full white housing with keypad)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Full-Ho...s=63&clkid=1704432372545259337#ht_2949wt_1049
black and silver covers are cheapers (15-24$)

i myself am considering on buying a new phone only because of the arc's cracking flaw. my arc has been with me for a year now and i have utilized it so much to my complete satisfaction. and with a variety of options out there, in my humble opinion, nothing matches sony's design / form factor on their phones specially on the arc. such a thing of beauty. so with that said, i am very much considering on waiting for the international version of the xperia gx which still boasts the arc shape but with beefed up specs. if you're willing to wait for it as well, then consider adding it to your top choices for arc upgrade

Overdose1986 said:
Ebay ships free to worldwide
(full white housing with keypad)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Full-Ho...s=63&clkid=1704432372545259337#ht_2949wt_1049
black and silver covers are cheapers (15-24$)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But not everyone is good with hardware and part replacing...
However my white Arc S has broken plastic upper-right and lower-right, if I break it somewhere else again and become annoyed I'll probably buy the cover, 24$ is ok price. Lol I wish there is a metal housing for Arc .
My ex-phone was Motorola Milestone (metal+rubber+hard plastic), on its subforum known as "Chuck Norris's phone", it is literally a tank and now I have to watch out on Arc S cause its plastic is so vulnerable... I have it 1 month and soon it'll look older than 3yo MM :/..
Sunbriel, why not on-screen buttons? Never had problems with them on MM, but they were not literally "on screen" (Galaxy Nexus style), just touch buttons under the screen. I hate physical buttons on Arc S...
@Sunbriel i Mr_Torture, pozdrav iz Splita .

If you have some patience left, wait for new "curvy" Arc-like Xperias to come to our market, as they will probably lower down current NXT Xperias prices. Xperia S or SL or P for example... I know you said you don't like on-screen buttons, but we will all have to deal with it in one moment, when we decide to change our Arcs.
If your bugget allows you, wait for this sexy beast to appear on our market, and go for it:
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"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
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Or the one you already mentioned, (but the first one is killer design-wise to me):
@ n3n00
Jazz ba, jazz ba...

Xperia Z - Users Reviews/First Impression

Hi guys,
Lets share your personal reviews/first imprrssion about Xperia Z. Below is mine..
Finally I got my Xperia Z - Black Beauty.
Overall its good phone, seriously best from Sony but it could have been more better.
Anyways, I will share more details by tomorrow as I still didnt spent much time with XZ.
UPDATED:
As I am coming from Galaxy Note 2, I want to compare XZ & Note2.
Pros:
-Beautiful Design
-Waterproof
-Good Camera (Rear only)
Cons:
-Speaker position is horrible
-Poor Battery Life
-Front Camera not so good
-Overheating Issues (can tolerate as its waterproof)
-Cannot use Default Launcher with Xperia Widgets: Lags like anything
WHAT I AM MISSING COMING FROM NOTE 2:
-MultiWindow
-Large Screen
-Customizable Notification Bar
sent from Xperia Z

I played with a retail model this afternoon got to take it outside to take some outdoor pics and videos.
Pics are good, video I was less than impressed they were not as sharp as pics and colours were off.
For example I took a pic of a bus at the bus stop the camera replicated with good colour accuracy whilst video made the bus a darker reddish/purple and there was loss of detail and man the slow auto focusing at times that has plagued all previous sony devices was raising it's ugly head again.
Loud speaker is hopeless in evena slightly noisy environment, audio is loud outdoors but bass could have been better.
Also the Z seriously feels a bit boxy imo.

i read in some review that camera app take 2 or 3 second to open up when it not running at background
is true?

r_you168 said:
i read in some review that camera app take 2 or 3 second to open up when it not running at background
is true?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes.

Can't say more than wauw. Im very impressed by the quality and quantity of this device
Sent from my C6603 using xda premium

I tried an xperia z in a "3" shop recently. There was a bit of background noise from shoppers and staff talking while I tested the speaker and ringtone volume. This was enough to drown out the sound from the xperia z. Pre-order cancelled, HTC One on order. Shame as I got quite excited about this phone. Good effort though Sony. Must try harder next time!

my mini review
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=38586217&postcount=355

mwatson said:
I tried an xperia z in a "3" shop recently. There was a bit of background noise from shoppers and staff talking while I tested the speaker and ringtone volume. This was enough to drown out the sound from the xperia z. Pre-order cancelled, HTC One on order. Shame as I got quite excited about this phone. Good effort though Sony. Must try harder next time!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its a phone, what the hell are you expecting from the speaker?
Its a phone, not a boom box you fool!

samxool said:
its a phone, what the hell are you expecting from the speaker?
Its a phone, not a boom box you fool!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The ability to hear the ringtone while out and about I imagine, hardly an unreasonable expectation or reason to be called a fool.

Im in case 5% in 5 minutes(mkv movie 3.5gb 1080p mp4 4mbps birate in bestplayer HD accelation so i was not able to finish film before i run out of juice streaming wifi) , At work i got 150mbps but at home i got 72mbps can not get 150 :silly:
except that every thing is alright I dont have any problem
ahh and manage to warm my hand to the point when they sweaty ! ) 67-70

mwatson said:
I tried an xperia z in a "3" shop recently. There was a bit of background noise from shoppers and staff talking while I tested the speaker and ringtone volume. This was enough to drown out the sound from the xperia z. Pre-order cancelled, HTC One on order. Shame as I got quite excited about this phone. Good effort though Sony. Must try harder next time!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is what really bothers me: low ringtone volume. I don't want to lose notifications or incoming calls because of it.
How's the vibration? Can you feel it properly if the phone is in your pocket?

TheKingOfPain said:
This is what really bothers me: low ringtone volume. I don't want to lose notifications or incoming calls because of it.
How's the vibration? Can you feel it properly if the phone is in your pocket?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Vibration is rather strong, im yet to miss a call or text. I always have sound off on my phones.

mwatson said:
I tried an xperia z in a "3" shop recently. There was a bit of background noise from shoppers and staff talking while I tested the speaker and ringtone volume. This was enough to drown out the sound from the xperia z. Pre-order cancelled, HTC One on order. Shame as I got quite excited about this phone. Good effort though Sony. Must try harder next time!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seems harsh just to cancel a phone just because the ringtone wasn't loud enough. Did you even try it with the xLoud etc on?
And who really uses the sound, you really only have a use for it when the phone is somewhere else but your pocket. (which is where it should be)
Either way. See ya.

I just finished up my review today.
http://geektech.ie/index.php/review-sony-xperia-z/

This is NOT good !!!
Battery draining like anything
sent from Xperia Z

xperiax10.awesome said:
This is NOT good !!!
Battery draining like anything
sent from Xperia Z
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Give it a chance too settle, after about 4-5 full charges; battery will reach full working capacity and also Rom will have built up dalvic cache. So you will certainly get better performance after a few days use.
Sent from my LG-P880 using xda premium

My first impression were very good: I posted them in many threads here.
Though I have some new info:
- Battery lasted for 11h42m yesterday, standby time. Screen on time: 3h22m (auto brightness). I have screenshots to back it up. I was always connected to wifi or mobile network. I didn't play games, mostly chatting, facebook, some youtube videos, listned to some music and internet browsing. It's not horrible, but not very good either. I got home with 1% left at 23:00 in the evening.
Today, I had worse results. Mostly at home all day, so wifi. Had a total of sub 3hours of screenon time! This is already my third charging cycle so I don't expect things to get any better. At the moment I am not impressed by the battery life of the XZ, but it's not horrible either.
- Phone's size and design: beautiful, though it's already not so "WOW" anymore (got used to it I guess). The phone atracts a lot of duts and fingerprints. But what I am starting to see is that the XZ is not so good looking at ergonomic aspects! It just doesn't feel nice in my hand because it isn't curved at the sides/back. I picked up my S3 again today and wow, it felt like a total different kind of thing. It was so comfortable in my hand compared to the XZ, while the S3 is almost as big as the XZ. And because the S3 has no onscreen buttons, the screen actually showed more info then the XZ.
- Screen: I'm getting more and more used to it, it looks really nice and sharp. Viewing angles are starting to bother me less and less, but sometimes I still see them.
- Speaker quality: seems very loud, but quality wise it seems bad. And I cover it up with my right hand a lot without wanting too.
I'm thinking about returning the XZ.... yeah. Didn't expect it myself. But the main problem is: it doesn't feel like a big leap from my S3. So basicly, I bought a new phone (the XZ) which feels much worse in my hand (ergnomic wise, it's not comfortable) then my S3, the screen is bigger but I actually see less content on it because of the software buttons, and while the screen is sharper a bit the viewing angles and contrast are worse. It also isn't a lot faster then my S3, it doens't do anything my S3 couldn't till now (yes HDR video, I tried it once and that's it).
My biggest problem is the size and design: without the curved sides/back the phone is hard to use for me with one hand. Really didn't expect this. This together with what I said above, make me consider returning the XZ and wait for a few more months. I saw (again) an article on a big Ducht newssite about the XZ's succesor and that it will come in summer 2013. It should have a 1080p 4.8 screen and the S600 chipset. This off course also doens't really help my feeling of returning the XZ...
I still have till next week to think about my XZ, but I might return it. No offence to Sony, the XZ is really a good phone, but the fact that I can't use it comfortable in my hand is something important to me. I do have small hands, but I can use the S3 perfectly and the XZ not so much.
EDIT: The other problem is, there isn't anything at the moment which I would consider buying. I have looked again at the HTC One and still don't want it. Maybe I will return my XZ and wait for Samsung to reveal the S4 and hope that it's build quality/design is a step up from the S3. If not, I can get the XZ (or the succesor of the XZ) beginning of the summer. Really bummed out..

XDA mark said:
My first impression were very good: I posted them in many threads here.
Though I have some new info:
- Battery lasted for 11h42m yesterday, standby time. Screen on time: 3h22m (auto brightness). I have screenshots to back it up. I was always connected to wifi or mobile network. I didn't play games, mostly chatting, facebook, some youtube videos, listned to some music and internet browsing. It's not horrible, but not very good either. I got home with 1% left at 23:00 in the evening.
Today, I had worse results. Mostly at home all day, so wifi. Had a total of sub 3hours of screenon time! This is already my third charging cycle so I don't expect things to get any better. At the moment I am not impressed by the battery life of the XZ, but it's not horrible either.
- Phone's size and design: beautiful, though it's already not so "WOW" anymore (got used to it I guess). The phone atracts a lot of duts and fingerprints. But what I am starting to see is that the XZ is not so good looking at ergonomic aspects! It just doesn't feel nice in my hand because it isn't curved at the sides/back. I picked up my S3 again today and wow, it felt like a total different kind of thing. It was so comfortable in my hand compared to the XZ, while the S3 is almost as big as the XZ. And because the S3 has no onscreen buttons, the screen actually showed more info then the XZ.
- Screen: I'm getting more and more used to it, it looks really nice and sharp. Viewing angles are starting to bother me less and less, but sometimes I still see them.
- Speaker quality: seems very loud, but quality wise it seems bad. And I cover it up with my right hand a lot without wanting too.
I'm thinking about returning the XZ.... yeah. Didn't expect it myself. But the main problem is: it doesn't feel like a big leap from my S3. So basicly, I bought a new phone (the XZ) which feels much worse in my hand (ergnomic wise, it's not comfortable) then my S3, the screen is bigger but I actually see less content on it because of the software buttons, and while the screen is sharper a bit the viewing angles and contrast are worse. It also isn't a lot faster then my S3, it doens't do anything my S3 couldn't till now (yes HDR video, I tried it once and that's it).
My biggest problem is the size and design: without the curved sides/back the phone is hard to use for me with one hand. Really didn't expect this. This together with what I said above, make me consider returning the XZ and wait for a few more months. I saw (again) an article on a big Ducht newssite about the XZ's succesor and that it will come in summer 2013. It should have a 1080p 4.8 screen and the S600 chipset. This off course also doens't really help my feeling of returning the XZ...
I still have till next week to think about my XZ, but I might return it. No offence to Sony, the XZ is really a good phone, but the fact that I can't use it comfortable in my hand is something important to me. I do have small hands, but I can use the S3 perfectly and the XZ not so much.
EDIT: The other problem is, there isn't anything at the moment which I would consider buying. I have looked again at the HTC One and still don't want it. Maybe I will return my XZ and wait for Samsung to reveal the S4 and hope that it's build quality/design is a step up from the S3. If not, I can get the XZ (or the succesor of the XZ) beginning of the summer. Really bummed out..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oho, than you should try ZL if it ever released soon in your country, it has smaller form factor with that curved back. Same spec of course, minus the waterproof

arcwindz said:
Oho, than you should try ZL if it ever released soon in your country, it has smaller form factor with that curved back. Same spec of course, minus the waterproof
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
XDA mark said:
My first impression were very good: I posted them in many threads here.
EDIT: The other problem is, there isn't anything at the moment which I would consider buying. I have looked again at the HTC One and still don't want it. Maybe I will return my XZ and wait for Samsung to reveal the S4 and hope that it's build quality/design is a step up from the S3. If not, I can get the XZ (or the succesor of the XZ) beginning of the summer. Really bummed out..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is my problem exactly! I ditched my Galaxy Note 1 because I kept hearing of all the earth shattering flagships coming out. The Oppo Find 5, the Xperia Z, the HTC One. I got a Note 2, and I have the same feelings. Sure its a little faster, but I feel like I am wasting my upgrade (I know that's a uniquely USA problem) on this phone. The Note 1 could do everything nearly as well, especially with custom ROMs.
I can still return my Note 2 but I honestly don't even know what I would use instead. There is nothing that really stands out. I was holding out hope for the Nokia EOS/Lumia 1000 but who knows if that will even deliver anything new.

XDA mark said:
My first impression were very good: I posted them in many threads here.
Though I have some new info:
- Battery lasted for 11h42m yesterday, standby time. Screen on time: 3h22m (auto brightness). I have screenshots to back it up. I was always connected to wifi or mobile network. I didn't play games, mostly chatting, facebook, some youtube videos, listned to some music and internet browsing. It's not horrible, but not very good either. I got home with 1% left at 23:00 in the evening.
Today, I had worse results. Mostly at home all day, so wifi. Had a total of sub 3hours of screenon time! This is already my third charging cycle so I don't expect things to get any better. At the moment I am not impressed by the battery life of the XZ, but it's not horrible either.
- Phone's size and design: beautiful, though it's already not so "WOW" anymore (got used to it I guess). The phone atracts a lot of duts and fingerprints. But what I am starting to see is that the XZ is not so good looking at ergonomic aspects! It just doesn't feel nice in my hand because it isn't curved at the sides/back. I picked up my S3 again today and wow, it felt like a total different kind of thing. It was so comfortable in my hand compared to the XZ, while the S3 is almost as big as the XZ. And because the S3 has no onscreen buttons, the screen actually showed more info then the XZ.
- Screen: I'm getting more and more used to it, it looks really nice and sharp. Viewing angles are starting to bother me less and less, but sometimes I still see them.
- Speaker quality: seems very loud, but quality wise it seems bad. And I cover it up with my right hand a lot without wanting too.
I'm thinking about returning the XZ.... yeah. Didn't expect it myself. But the main problem is: it doesn't feel like a big leap from my S3. So basicly, I bought a new phone (the XZ) which feels much worse in my hand (ergnomic wise, it's not comfortable) then my S3, the screen is bigger but I actually see less content on it because of the software buttons, and while the screen is sharper a bit the viewing angles and contrast are worse. It also isn't a lot faster then my S3, it doens't do anything my S3 couldn't till now (yes HDR video, I tried it once and that's it).
My biggest problem is the size and design: without the curved sides/back the phone is hard to use for me with one hand. Really didn't expect this. This together with what I said above, make me consider returning the XZ and wait for a few more months. I saw (again) an article on a big Ducht newssite about the XZ's succesor and that it will come in summer 2013. It should have a 1080p 4.8 screen and the S600 chipset. This off course also doens't really help my feeling of returning the XZ...
I still have till next week to think about my XZ, but I might return it. No offence to Sony, the XZ is really a good phone, but the fact that I can't use it comfortable in my hand is something important to me. I do have small hands, but I can use the S3 perfectly and the XZ not so much.
EDIT: The other problem is, there isn't anything at the moment which I would consider buying. I have looked again at the HTC One and still don't want it. Maybe I will return my XZ and wait for Samsung to reveal the S4 and hope that it's build quality/design is a step up from the S3. If not, I can get the XZ (or the succesor of the XZ) beginning of the summer. Really bummed out..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Personally I think it isn't worth will upgrading a high end 2012 phone, maybe if Google releases an android version that has something crazy cool and that needs a ridiculous amount of horsepower. Otherwise I think you can hang on to your phone until the end of 2014 or so

Looking to trade Sony Xperia Z for HTC One

I have had my Sony Xperia z for over a week now. I have been so impressed with the phone, it's speed, interface etc. The sound could be better but overall it's hard to complain. Defiantly the best phone I've owned.
Vodafone have kindly aloud me to trade my Xperia for the new HTC ONE at no cost or anything, straight swap. I know of HTC's recent poor history. My friends and family have had old HTC's (2/3 year old models) and they have been extremely poor in terms of reliability.
Just looking some opinions on the phones. I have read and watched many reviews on both phones and the HTC almost always comes out on top on each categorie (design, speed etc)
Considering it's a straight swap is it worth it and why. I'm a heavy phone user and I understand that phones with specs as close as these two are to each other that the differences is down to opinion. But would like some more expect (better knowledge or HTC ONE user help)
Thanks in advance
Sent from my C6603 using xda app-developers app

I am seriously considering htc one over s4 as I am not one to follow the crowd and love something different
Custom Stock Rom 4.1 Eternity
Brilliantly Stock

My super technology literate friend recommended the S4 but gee will be keeping the Sony due to it pushing all his buttons. I can't wait a month (S4 release date) and won't be able to have a straight swap by then. The HTC reliability is his biggest concern.
Sent from my C6603 using xda app-developers app

virtualyoda said:
I have had my Sony Xperia z for over a week now. I have been so impressed with the phone, it's speed, interface etc. The sound could be better but overall it's hard to complain. Defiantly the best phone I've owned.
Vodafone have kindly aloud me to trade my Xperia for the new HTC ONE at no cost or anything, straight swap. I know of HTC's recent poor history. My friends and family have had old HTC's (2/3 year old models) and they have been extremely poor in terms of reliability.
Just looking some opinions on the phones. I have read and watched many reviews on both phones and the HTC almost always comes out on top on each categorie (design, speed etc)
Considering it's a straight swap is it worth it and why. I'm a heavy phone user and I understand that phones with specs as close as these two are to each other that the differences is down to opinion. But would like some more expect (better knowledge or HTC ONE user help)
Thanks in advance
Sent from my C6603 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's funny, my opinion might be of value to you.
In February I made my choice: the Xperia Z. I got it at the end of February and owned it for about 4-5 days. Then I send it back, cancelled my order. Yes, I was very happy my carrier accepted it. Why did I do it? First of all, what I didn't like about the XZ:
• Ergonomics: the phone may not be much larger on paper then my S3, but in my hand it felt much less comfortable. Ergnomic wise, the XZ is bad: it's all look but not so much feel. Because of the shape it was just not comfortable for me to use, mostly one handed. Note: I do have small hands.
• The One: On the other hand, the HTC One is a pleasure to use. Just looking at it's curved back and sides, you already can conclude it's nice in the hand. My feeling has been confirmed by all the fantastic reviews about the One. And besides ergonomics, it's seen as the most beautiful/premium looking phone out now.
• The screen: while the XZ's screen was super sharp, there are some problems with it. I have owned my Galaxy S3 for a year, seen the HTC One X a ton of times, but the XZ's screen just seems "washed out" compared to these 2012 flagship's. You really see it when looking from a side (angle) at the XZ's screen: it just seems "washed out". While you can still see what the screen is displaying, this does give the feeling of a "non-premium" product. It bothered me.
• The One: The One's screen is considered one of the best, if not the best, screen out now at the moment. It's the sharpest screen (it won't be a huge difference with the XZ in this aspect), but it also has fantastic viewing angles and contrast. The screen just looks much better, no doubt. While it's 4.7" and smaller then the XZ's 5" screen, you actually see more content 90% of the time on the One. The XZ has onscreen buttons, which the One doesn't. So when webbrowsing, chatting, using your homescreen, etc, you will actually see more on the One then on the XZ. Overall: the One wins with a supperior screen.
These are the 2 main reasons I send back the XZ and waited for something else. Now I can go on by saying that the One has much better speakers, also better audio quality overall (check GSMArena, audio wise the One is fantastic). The One also comes with at least 32GB of storage, though the XZ has microsd card support. For me, the One's camera is also (probably) better because of the excellent low light performance (most picture I take are at party's when going out..).
I would say to you: do the ergonomics and the screen of the XZ bother you? If yes, go for the One!
ps: I'm not really scared about HTC. I owned an HTC HD2 and HTC Desire, before my Galaxy S2 and S3. Both HTC devices were great, expect that the HD2 ran Windows Mobile 6.5 and microsoft announched WP7 3 months after I bought the HD2 If I hadn't send back my XZ and I would be offered what you are being offered, I would go for it no doubt.
ps2: I'm not going for the S4 for several reasons. First of all, I have owned the S2 and S3 the past 2 years. I would really like something new. Second, expect a sharper screen, I won't notice I have a new mobile if I upgrade from the S3 -> S4. Further more, I don't like touchwiz and I am running Cyanogenmod on my S3. The CM team is not happy at all about the S4 and I don't see a CM-build for it anytime soon. So for me going from the S3 to the S4 would almost be a downgrade.. I know, it sounds stupid but it really feels that way.

-
virtualyoda said:
My super technology literate friend recommended the S4 but gee will be keeping the Sony due to it pushing all his buttons. I can't wait a month (S4 release date) and won't be able to have a straight swap by then. The HTC reliability is his biggest concern.
Sent from my C6603 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bad experiences?
ive owned
desire
desire hd
htc one s
htc one x
now the one.
the only one i ever found issue on was the one x,with the wifi. The desire and dhd were amazing phones.
ive got a weird issue with the htc one ive got,i think its a first batch? still regardless im getting another one. The s4..is the s4.you either like it or you dont. I still say the htc blows it out of the water. for sense alone comparable to touchwiz.
id say do the trade,although the xperia z is supposed to be a great phone. Probably down to which one you like the look of more than actual specifications. Although shelf life wise id say the htc one. Sony are already gearing up there next flagship which is weird considering the xperia z hasnt been out long.
i say do the trade.i was tempted with the z..but never had one of the newer generation smartphones..so decided against it.
best bet try the htc one in a shop

Thanks very much for your input. Very detailed and exceptionally helpful. Defiantly going for the trade. Super excited
Sent from my C6603 using xda app-developers app

virtualyoda said:
Thanks very much for your input. Very detailed and exceptionally helpful. Defiantly going for the trade. Super excited
Sent from my C6603 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was initially in the market for the xperia z until feb 19th..... htc one announcement and it only took me three minutes to test out the camera/video and audio on the htc one and cancel my pre order of xperia z.
since then I have played with both side by side and I think the main things of the phone are better on the One
camera (imo)
video/video audio
audio quality and volume
battery life is great on the one (havent heard good news from my friend who has the z (and is now going to change it for the htc one) and other people who have the z)
call quality and volume
speed
UI(imo)
look and feel (imo)
loud speakers

I've used both but had to choose one to keep. I kept the XZ.
The HTC had a better screen and much better speakers and that's something I was very impressed by. Even Sense and the optional flash player were an advantage.
However, I was not convinced by it's reliability when it came to the basics. By that I am specifically referring to the signal reception. In LTE it just does not hold well to the signal in poor reception areas as the XZ and the Nokia 920. I'm on EE so this could be different when Voda launch 4g as I believe they are on the 800 Mhz band.
The HTC is one of the best smartphones but once again HTC fail on mastering the basics. They have a beautifully engineered phone yet the wireless components are always questionable.
These 2 videos show what I mean by signal instability and fluctuations. Watch the 2 phones on the same network and the variance in signal strength. I've had such a poor experience with LTE on this phone and it dropped so many calls that has not happened once on the XZ which I am enjoying high speed and stability even on one bar of LTE. (also better battery).
It's a shame about the HTC but it may be fixed with a software update.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kzW7G07WFc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQO9VPu1FpM

I've owned several Sony, Samsung and htc products over the years and all have their shortcomings no doubt. None of created the "perfect" phone and nor will they ever.
Sony phone screen's always look washed out and ui sluggish and unfortunaletly Z is no different especially when comparing to S3, Note 2 and Htc One. That's been the biggest issue with Sony phones. I was tempted to get the Xperia Z because 5" 1080p, sd card, white colour but after playing with it I wasn't impressed, it reminded me of my Xperia T experience, which wasn't pleasant. Primarily sluggish, crashing and washed out colours.
HTC One on the other hand is a pleasure to use.
No lagging issues.
No crashing issues.
Sound is amazing, LOUD and clear.
Ui is brilliant and very different.
Camera is very good.
Screen is gorgeous, vibrant, bright and very sharp. Second to none far superior then Z.
Better reception, certainly better then S3, Note 2 and Sony T.
But what convinced me in getting HTC One, other the above mentioned points, rather then wait for S4 or Z was the premuim build, SLCD3 screen.
So good move mate you won't regret it.

Without a doubt trade it in and get the HTC One, myself and a mate (we're both technical geeks) found the screen on the Z lacking and the pinch and zoom gestures where hit and miss to say the least but let me push out a few points to you for why the one is for you ..
1. fast fluid and zero lag no matter how many apps are open
2. amazing screen with very good viewing angles
3. stunning audio (coming from a guy who doesn't really care about phone audio)
4. very clear call quality
5. camera can give very surprising results if used properly
6. 4 to 7 hours of screen on time
Bad points.
1. can get hot to the touch
2. can be slippy when holding it due to the metal back

daleski75 said:
Without a doubt trade it in and get the HTC One, myself and a mate (we're both technical geeks) found the screen on the Z lacking and the pinch and zoom gestures where hit and miss to say the least but let me push out a few points to you for why the one is for you ..
1. fast fluid and zero lag no matter how many apps are open
2. amazing screen with very good viewing angles
3. stunning audio (coming from a guy who doesn't really care about phone audio)
4. very clear call quality
5. camera can give very surprising results if used properly
6. 4 to 7 hours of screen on time
Bad points.
1. can get hot to the touch
2. can be slippy when holding it due to the metal back
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How hot are we talking.
And no lag even with heavy apps and low battery?

cronus101 said:
How hot are we talking.
And no lag even with heavy apps and low battery?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not hot enough that it is uncomfortable but it does get warm to the touch and not noticed any lag even with the battery almost flat.

daleski75 said:
Not hot enough that it is uncomfortable but it does get warm to the touch and not noticed any lag even with the battery almost flat.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The heat is under what circunstances? Playing games? Charging? Or it gets heat just by browsing, FB, etc?
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

ksarius said:
The heat is under what circunstances? Playing games? Charging? Or it gets heat just by browsing, FB, etc?
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Heaving gaming and every now and again from charging. The highest temp I measured was 40 degrees celcius

ksarius said:
The heat is under what circunstances? Playing games? Charging? Or it gets heat just by browsing, FB, etc?
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From charging the phone as I don't play games on it or from constant use but too be honest it's barely noticeable.

Thank you all for your super detailed and honest device. My HTC One comes tomorrow and i'm more than excited for it. I think I could have a mental problem when it comes to buying, selling and trading new things. I get bored easily and usually change my phone, console or whatever I can every 4-6months.
I cannot fault the XZ. When I get the One tomorrow im not going to be biased if it never faults me and say that the Sony XZ is a poor phone or anything like that. Im not one to use a camera that often, I prefer performance and sound and I feel the One has that.
I wouldn't be trading these phones if it came to any cost to me, don't think it would be worth the trade if it cost me £. There was also an update out today from HTC improve there One's camera in high-light. Glad to see issues being addressed quickly by HTC.
I have always been an iPhone fan but have seen the light and will be staying with android with this trade, and gladly so. Apple iOS is outdated and I couldnt believe the much 'jailbreaking' could be done with an android phone. Look forward to learning more by using ROM's etc to get the most out of my HTC One, I would aim to have the best possible battery endurance and processor speed etc.
If anyone has any knowledge of a current ROM or up coming ROM that is in development that they could recommend for the perks I have mentioned I'd be very grateful for those recommendations.
Thanks again, and I will be sure to give uses all a update on my opinions of the HTC One compared to the Sony XZ

you don't like your Z1, here is the solution

I have had my Xperia Z1 for a week now and I love everything about it, the camera quality is the only thing that annoys me, but hopefully its a software issue and will be fixed soon, apart from that, the phone is stunning and if the time went back I will go with it again.
This is purely my personal opinion and I can see that there are people in this form hating the phone and wish to swap it with another one if they could. Thats why I made this post because the form is full of topics about how someone hate something about this phone and there are not many "useful" informations for the current or future buyers. anyway, what this article is about is that there is no phone is the best ever, Phone A might have better screen, phone B have better camera, Phone C has better battery ... etc. Every phone has its advantages and disadvantages, you would understand if you go and visit forms of other phones, I just went to the note3 form and guess what??? people there complaining about poor performance
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2461881
poor camera
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2462053
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2459647
poor speaker
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2461599
and the phone has just been launched. iPhone 5s users also complaining about different issues so there is no perfect phone that does everything well
I am not bashing no-one and I am not happy because note3 or iPhone 5s users are having problems with their new phones. But if you go to any form you will see unhappy users. It is YOUR responsibility to choose a phone depending on your needs, play with it and read reviews before spending your hard earned money. Sony, Samsung and apple try to show you that their phone is the best and after you buy it, they don't care anymore.

Fair enough , but I have the Note 3 ( octa version ) and have NONE of those problems.. the device almost feels perfect...right off the bat ..
I absolutely love my Z1 but it feels like Sony should have waited a little longer before releasing it.
IMHO these are the device's only issues.
1. The yellow tint from the screen. ( which strangely,the more I use the easier I find it on the eyes )
2.The Sudden black screen hang ( had it only once so far, but makes me worry about how reliable the device is, will my alarm ring ? )
3. Terrible cam performance On auto mode. (The cam only sucks on auto mode,especially in low light......but if you use manual mode it's quite lovely )
Hopefully these things can be fixed via an update .Or people will start returning their phones thinking they've bought defective pieces.Heck, I'm kind of wondering too.
If Sony can fix these things and fix it quick it could be the closest to a perfect phone. ( at least for me )

No yellow tint on my screen. Have not had the black screen hang but agree with the quality of photos. O2 has been rolling out the updates from Sony quickly enough, so the first two issues may have been resolved already?

hoezay said:
Fair enough , but I have the Note 3 ( octa version ) and have NONE of those problems.. the device almost feels perfect...right off the bat ..
I absolutely love my Z1 but it feels like Sony should have waited a little longer before releasing it.
IMHO these are the device's only issues.
1. The yellow tint from the screen. ( which strangely,the more I use the easier I find it on the eyes )
2.The Sudden black screen hang ( had it only once so far, but makes me worry about how reliable the device is, will my alarm ring ? )
3. Terrible cam performance On auto mode. (The cam only sucks on auto mode,especially in low light......but if you use manual mode it's quite lovely )
Hopefully these things can be fixed via an update .Or people will start returning their phones thinking they've bought defective pieces.Heck, I'm kind of wondering too.
If Sony can fix these things and fix it quick it could be the closest to a perfect phone. ( at least for me )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have a exynos version, same as me in gs4, major problem is touchwiz and cm until now for my device dont work fully.
Sent from my GT-I9500 using xda app-developers app

hoezay said:
Fair enough , but I have the Note 3 ( octa version ) and have NONE of those problems.. the device almost feels perfect...right off the bat ..
I absolutely love my Z1 but it feels like Sony should have waited a little longer before releasing it.
IMHO these are the device's only issues.
1. The yellow tint from the screen. ( which strangely,the more I use the easier I find it on the eyes )
2.The Sudden black screen hang ( had it only once so far, but makes me worry about how reliable the device is, will my alarm ring ? )
3. Terrible cam performance On auto mode. (The cam only sucks on auto mode,especially in low light......but if you use manual mode it's quite lovely )
Hopefully these things can be fixed via an update .Or people will start returning their phones thinking they've bought defective pieces.Heck, I'm kind of wondering too.
If Sony can fix these things and fix it quick it could be the closest to a perfect phone. ( at least for me )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have the first two issues just the camera. But again the camera isn't the worse, when I compare mine to my wife's SGS4, mine open alot faster, here's take 5-10 seconds to open. The colors are equally good. The only thing is the noise in my pictures.
ptoner said:
No yellow tint on my screen. Have not had the black screen hang but agree with the quality of photos. O2 has been rolling out the updates from Sony quickly enough, so the first two issues may have been resolved already?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
same as her
matheus_sc said:
You have a exynos version, same as me in gs4, major problem is touchwiz and cm until now for my device dont work fully.
Sent from my GT-I9500 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
same as my wife's. I expected alot more from the SGS4 when I got it, but now I find my Z1 way better. Z1 performance alot better because of more powerful chip and lighter skin, Z1 screen Alot better, battery slightly better ... etc. Actually this is why I didn't get the note 3, I was considering both but after my issues with SGS4, I went with the Z1

No yellow tint on mine either, had a note 2 n was desperately waiting for note 3 thought give it a try on Z1 and I love it plus I am impressed with the performance its amazingly quick and so is the screen resolution and is water proof and a much better design, well done sony, not getting the note 3 now, cheers to everyone, enjoy ur Z1 guys
Sent from my C6903 using Tapatalk 4

Of course there is no yellow tint, or multiple different display manufacturers, or any other crap or conspiracy mentioned, people are full of crap. I have Z1 and the phone is absolutely spectacular. Huge inprovement over Z.

naga.nino said:
Of course there is no yellow tint, or multiple different display manufacturers, or any other crap or conspiracy mentioned, people are full of crap. I have Z1 and the phone is absolutely spectacular. Huge inprovement over Z.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please don't generalize. I love this phone too but mine does have the yellow tint. Fanboy behavior helps no one.

Those Note3 threads are hilarious. Either they're trolls or received defective devices or something, because I know what the Note3 is as I've had it for 5 days now and counting. They are complaining about performance in a device that currently tops the charts. Speakers? Well it's a bloody phone speaker, not a home surround system, it does as much or as little as other phone speakers (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP5Ov4zcJE0). There are even threads complaining it's plastic. Really? Did you buy the phone, open the box and only then discovered it was made in plastic? There are a lot of jokers in these forums.
The Z1 seems to be a great device from what I've read and seen. Three of my friends will buy it as soon as it hits the shelves here, so I can't wait to get a hands on it and see what they think.

true true , I have a Note 3 and it is quite awesome , very little to crib about.

MohJee said:
Those Note3 threads are hilarious. Either they're trolls or received defective devices or something, because I know what the Note3 is as I've had it for 5 days now and counting. They are complaining about performance in a device that currently tops the charts. Speakers? Well it's a bloody phone speaker, not a home surround system, it does as much or as little as other phone speakers (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP5Ov4zcJE0). There are even threads complaining it's plastic. Really? Did you buy the phone, open the box and only then discovered it was made in plastic? There are a lot of jokers in these forums.
The Z1 seems to be a great device from what I've read and seen. Three of my friends will buy it as soon as it hits the shelves here, so I can't wait to get a hands on it and see what they think.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My point exactly, no phone is perfect (not even the Z1, note 3 or even iPhone 5s), every phone has its advantages and disadvantages. Different phones suits different people. Everyone should look carefully for what he/she like/prefer/want before spending their hard earned money.

ahomad said:
My point exactly, no phone is perfect (not even the Z1, note 3 or even iPhone 5s), every phone has its advantages and disadvantages. Different phones suits different people. Everyone should look carefully for what he/she like/prefer/want before spending their hard earned money.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 for this one. I chose my Z1 because I would love to take underwater pictures. And I love the manly feel of it, unlike the curvy s4 or note 3, no offense. And the bezels actually help me because I have big hands, it's easier to type and easier to scroll and hold. Unlik the s4 again which I accidentally touch the back key from time to time..

For the ones complaining about the speaker: go to settings, sound, sound effects, settings and tick xLOUD. Makes my speaker more than loud enough
Sent from my C6903 using Tapatalk 4

If you don't like your Z1, Sell it to me, I will buy it at half the price

How companies cheat their performance....
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"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
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ahomad said:
I have had my Xperia Z1 for a week now and I love everything about it, the camera quality is the only thing that annoys me, but hopefully its a software issue and will be fixed soon, apart from that, the phone is stunning and if the time went back I will go with it again.
This is purely my personal opinion and I can see that there are people in this form hating the phone and wish to swap it with another one if they could. Thats why I made this post because the form is full of topics about how someone hate something about this phone and there are not many "useful" informations for the current or future buyers. anyway, what this article is about is that there is no phone is the best ever, Phone A might have better screen, phone B have better camera, Phone C has better battery ... etc. Every phone has its advantages and disadvantages, you would understand if you go and visit forms of other phones, I just went to the note3 form and guess what??? people there complaining about poor performance
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2461881
poor camera
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2462053
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2459647
poor speaker
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2461599
and the phone has just been launched. iPhone 5s users also complaining about different issues so there is no perfect phone that does everything well
I am not bashing no-one and I am not happy because note3 or iPhone 5s users are having problems with their new phones. But if you go to any form you will see unhappy users. It is YOUR responsibility to choose a phone depending on your needs, play with it and read reviews before spending your hard earned money. Sony, Samsung and apple try to show you that their phone is the best and after you buy it, they don't care anymore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok now put a and b and c together and u got lg g2 muahahaha, i sold my z1 after almost three months and got this baby from lg and i never looked back... Much better in every aspect and let me tell all those saying that in manual modes z1 camera is better: I honestly don't care. I am an average user and i wouldn't know how to use the manual modes, and if i did i would probably own a big dslr camera for pictures. Lg ui may appear childish and overcolourful but hey it can be themed cause their launcher supporst themes and worst case u get another launcher from playstore. Knock-on to unlock rocks and u dont abuse ur power button and yes the buttons in the back are really convenient after a couple of hours of playing with the thing. Phone is smooth and overall user experience is way better than what i had with z1. Which leaves the z1 with only one thing and that is build quality (Which is not bad at all on the g2, it just doesnt have all those fancy materials), which again i'd trade for the pocketability of the g2 any day of the week. Did i mention the awesome battery life i get out of it?

I don't liked the z1 at all. When I was thinking about buy it, I stayed for days between z1 and note 3. Now I almost can't sleep thinking that I must had bought the note 3. What do you think about I switch z1 to note 3?
Enviado de meu C6943 usando Tapatalk

jimakos29 said:
Ok now put a and b and c together and u got lg g2 muahahaha, i sold my z1 after almost three months and got this baby from lg and i never looked back... Much better in every aspect and let me tell all those saying that in manual modes z1 camera is better: I honestly don't care. I am an average user and i wouldn't know how to use the manual modes, and if i did i would probably own a big dslr camera for pictures. Lg ui may appear childish and overcolourful but hey it can be themed cause their launcher supporst themes and worst case u get another launcher from playstore. Knock-on to unlock rocks and u dont abuse ur power button and yes the buttons in the back are really convenient after a couple of hours of playing with the thing. Phone is smooth and overall user experience is way better than what i had with z1. Which leaves the z1 with only one thing and that is build quality (Which is not bad at all on the g2, it just doesnt have all those fancy materials), which again i'd trade for the pocketability of the g2 any day of the week. Did i mention the awesome battery life i get out of it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Funny, with me is the other way around, after using the lg g2 for a week(loaned) all i can say is that im happy to have the Z1
The lg is pretty awesome and the Screen is definetly better than the Z1(not rolfstomp better)
But the Z1 is just better in every other way for me, best droid I've ever used and I've tried a lot of them
Sent from my C6906 using Tapatalk

lecomiquelin said:
I don't liked the z1 at all. When I was thinking about buy it, I stayed for days between z1 and note 3. Now I almost can't sleep thinking that I must had bought the note 3. What do you think about I switch z1 to note 3?
Enviado de meu C6943 usando Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure I go through phones like crazy I've had the s3, g2, note 2, s4 and I will say this that if you want good battery life on a Samsung you have to turn off their 40 features that drain the battery and you never use those stupid features.
As for the g2 I had issues with the phone stuttering but the battery life was killer but I think I finally found my phone and that is the z1
Sent from my C6906 using xda app-developers app

jimakos29 said:
Ok now put a and b and c together and u got lg g2 muahahaha, i sold my z1 after almost three months and got this baby from lg and i never looked back... Much better in every aspect and let me tell all those saying that in manual modes z1 camera is better: I honestly don't care. I am an average user and i wouldn't know how to use the manual modes, and if i did i would probably own a big dslr camera for pictures. Lg ui may appear childish and overcolourful but hey it can be themed cause their launcher supporst themes and worst case u get another launcher from playstore. Knock-on to unlock rocks and u dont abuse ur power button and yes the buttons in the back are really convenient after a couple of hours of playing with the thing. Phone is smooth and overall user experience is way better than what i had with z1. Which leaves the z1 with only one thing and that is build quality (Which is not bad at all on the g2, it just doesnt have all those fancy materials), which again i'd trade for the pocketability of the g2 any day of the week. Did i mention the awesome battery life i get out of it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't had G2 so I can't compare it with the Z1. But I have SGS4 for over 6 months, I had nexus 5 for 2 days, I had the HTC ONE for over a month and I had iPhone 5s for over a month (these are just last year flagships). What I learnt is that you can't say phone A is better than phone B especially when comparing flagships, because it really depends on what are you looking for in the phone. if you want to get best performance, you will get N5 iphone 5s or Z1, if you want camera, you will get Z1 or iphone 5s, if you want feature, you will get SGS4, if you want quality you will get Z1 or HTC ONE (and probably iphone 5s) and so on.
from all of these phone, I will get the Z1 any day (if i had to choose one). But that does not mean the Z1 is the best phone in every aspect, it just provide what I want from my phone. However, I think the Z1 is either 1st or 2nd in almost all aspects. 1st in quality, useful features(not useless like samsung and doesn't lake feature like the iphone), battery, camera, performance (same level as nexus 5 and iphone 5s) and 2nd in screen(only HTC is better), speaker (only HTC is better)