Good for light user? - Xperia Z General

I got a Xperia Z Original(tmobile) and just waiting for it to be delivered.
I use a Windows Phone now and only ever used like 10 apps total. Might use 20 at most in a day.
Is this phone still a good for casual performance. I mostly use music,video,email,social media apps, and not much else.
All else is done in the browser.
I won't be running multiple apps a lot,no new games.
Also I heard the screen is terrible at an angle, but also heard it's not the screen, but sonys settings.
So can it be made better at viewing angles with software tweaks or is really that bad.
I got for around $120, which looks good for 5 in. 1080p phone.
Just not too sure how the processor holds up.
edit: sorry I put this in wrong forum section, not sure how to move it. Please move.

Sure!
I'm using Xperia Z for daily use
It still perform well without any lag
I usually use it to listen musics.surf the net....
It can even run a lot of games!!
the only defect is it's poor screen and poor battery life...it too bad
but all in all, I think Xperia Z is still a execellent phone!

tnciw said:
Sure!
I'm using Xperia Z for daily use
It still perform well without any lag
I usually use it to listen musics.surf the net....
It can even run a lot of games!!
the only defect is it's poor screen and poor battery life...it too bad
but all in all, I think Xperia Z is still a execellent phone!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you mean poor battery.
Is it okay or really bad?
I don't use my phone with screen on for too long.
I once had a galaxy nexus and that thing would drain like 1% a minute with screen on!
In the span of 30 minutes my battery was like a 70!

Xperia Z is good but it was a history..
i'm using Xperia ZL though, there no different between this Z and ZL since there are brother more like a twin..
both of it sucks at battery life if you upgrade to android 5.0.2 which means you have made one mistakes and you will experience phone overheating like you can put your pan and make omelette on it with the battery draining like hell when display remain on because i only got less than 4 hours if device screen remain on plus the camera won't be capturing nice photo anymore even the android version is rising up from 4.1.2 tp 5.02, but the camera quality is falling down and down..
Positive sides is...
The music? i admit my ZL in 5.0.2 sounds better..no scary sound like others, i got more clarity of my music..
i salute for this phone is still smooth eventhough 2 years old and quite satisfying performance but poor battery life.. Well that's it.. my opinion..
I'm migrating to Lenovo Vibe Shot until 5.1.1 is out.. Goodbye

Good to know, wasn't Sony supposed to roll out updates for Android 5.1 this month?
Not sure if it will updated or not, when I receive it.

As to me,the battery drop 1% in 2-3min
I think...if you use it just for receiving phone call
It can satisfy you of course.
But if you want to play games or surf the net
I would suggest you to do it with a powerbank
If you don't care about battery problem and photo quality
Xperia Z will be very suit for you !

The screen isn't that bad, only at angle viewing, not when viewing straightforward.
Also, battery should be replaced after 12 months, for every phones brand so..
And I use custom kernel which throttles the cpu when it gets warm so my phone stays cool
But I'm afraid with tmobile u can't unlock bootloader and therefore not flash custom kernels.
Anyway, I think this phone is still a good one to get. (better that windows phone lol xD)
It was actually sony's flagship in 2013..

Are the dock connectors on the side the same from Z-Z3?
Some of the magnetic cables that use the connectors say only Z1,Z2,Z3.
They never mention Original Z, so did they change the connectors for the dock after the Original Z?

Yes. The Z have different connectors than Z1, Z2 and Z3. Each Z phone have a specific dock for charging. I don't recommend the magnetic charging cables.
Enviado do meu D6503 através de Tapatalk

If you set screen brightness to 70%, battery life isn't that bad. Screen is ok when you normally look at it. Also,you can downgrade Android version and everything will much better! No heating,better battery life, better photos...
Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk

hmm since it will be getting tmobile version, is it that hard to downgrade?

One last thing, what docks do you use for the xperia Z.
The Sony docks are kind of expensive and have seen some cheaper ones for like $10.
Would a third-party dock work well?
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DBVV8QA/ref=twister_B00DAV8Q1G?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Got this one for $3.86, since I had like $4 in amazon credit.
we'll see how slow it charges, most third party chargers charge really slow.

Also any big issues to be aware of?
I've seen some forum post of people saying the phone screen cracked without them touching it.
SD cards being killed by the phone.
http://talk.sonymobile.com/t5/Xperi...my-ear-Screen-cracked-from/m-p/317879#U317879
http://talk.sonymobile.com/t5/Xperi...-touching-or-dropping-it/m-p/1002815#U1002815
They seemed a bit far fetched.... kind of funny just reading the post.

Sony phones have very bad service centers. That's a big Sony's problem

daniLaLaLaLaLa said:
Xperia Z is good but it was a history..
i'm using Xperia ZL though, there no different between this Z and ZL since there are brother more like a twin..
both of it sucks at battery life if you upgrade to android 5.0.2 which means you have made one mistakes and you will experience phone overheating like you can put your pan and make omelette on it with the battery draining like hell when display remain on because i only got less than 4 hours if device screen remain on plus the camera won't be capturing nice photo anymore even the android version is rising up from 4.1.2 tp 5.02, but the camera quality is falling down and down..
Positive sides is...
The music? i admit my ZL in 5.0.2 sounds better..no scary sound like others, i got more clarity of my music..
i salute for this phone is still smooth eventhough 2 years old and quite satisfying performance but poor battery life.. Well that's it.. my opinion..
I'm migrating to Lenovo Vibe Shot until 5.1.1 is out.. Goodbye
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just bought a 2nd hand Xperia Z,and it asked me to update so I pressed it and I end up with 5.0.2. Battery runs out on me twice a day pretty heavy user, I got the paid version of poweramp and about £20 worth of widgets and skins for poweramp player and I can only use the default skin and widget, and I mainly use it just for music, I tried to root my phonyyesterday with kingroot and it worked, I don't know what happened but I got rid of the root, as I didn't know what to do after I rooted, I want to use custom rom and delete unused apps what I never use, if anyone got any help for me after rooting, I wasn't able to update SuperSu it wouldn't update, I don't know what ideas doing really.
Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk

I got the phone today and it's on 4.3.
Any way to root it?
edit: I rooted the phone, a lot easier than I thought.
Now since the tmobile version is locked bootloader.
What is the best Android version to have on on the Xperia Z?

jms_209 said:
I got the phone today and it's on 4.3.
Any way to root it?
edit: I rooted the phone, a lot easier than I thought.
Now since the tmobile version is locked bootloader.
What is the best Android version to have on on the Xperia Z?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
4.3 is perfect. Stay with it until 5.1 is released.

Related

Positive experience of Z1

So many negative threads about how the screen sucks, the camera sucks etc etc. Would be nice to hear from the people who actually like the Z1. Write down your experience with the phone. It doesn't have to be all rosy but hopefully it will give a little bit more nuance.
Sure.
Last Saturday I got my Z1, I've had a Gnex for a long time and my first impressions are very good. The device is amazingly fast, everything works as it should, multitasking is very good, all performance related things are nothing to complain about.
The screen 'dead-on' is also nice the viewing angles people are talking about is something I don't really see as a problem. I just held the phone in an angle and when the colours start to wash out it's an angle I would never use my phone at. Other than that the camera does have noise issues, although it's not too bad IMHO. (do bear in mind I come from the Gnex so pretty much every new device is a big upgrade) I don't think the noise issues aren't too bad though, as Sony can easily fix the noise issues with a software update. Speaking of updates, the Z1 already had 3 updates. Whether this is a good or a bad thing is up to you, but to me it sounds like it's well supported by Sony.
Battery... I feel mixed about it. It's better than my Gnex, but again, pretty much every device is. I did expect a lot more from a 3000 mAh battery though. I had about 23 hours of standby and roughly 4 hours of screen on time. That is with 3G on all the time, wifi on most of the time and applications like Twitter, Whatsapp and Facebook running in the background. It's a weird thing though, the xperia ZR gets 11:30 (11 hours and 30 minutes) of browsing in the GSMarena test. While the Z1 gets about half of that. I have the feeling Sony has to do some software optimization, since they can pull it off. (note: the ZR battery is 2300 mAh) How long this will take, and if Sony will even do it, I have no idea. If the problem is related to Qualcomm it may take a long time though since they're not very keen on doing things in a different way. (look at the Nexus 7 2013 and binaries)
Overall I personally think the Xperia Z1 is an amazing device. It's super fast, the build quality is amazing and it feels really good.(get a case though!) There are things to improve on such as battery life and it depends on whether you trust Sony to fix these issues or not.
Positve
Got mine yesterday.
S/W: problems yet
Performance: Extremely quick 9/10
Screen Quality: 8/10 but too early to say if I'm just being jaded by all the moaning.
Camera seems pretty good to me, what a blessing a proper camera button makes.
Shame I can't upload samples of photos / videos etc. I will find a way if request. Anyone wanna buy a Galaxy 3? ho ho..
Oh one thing I don't like, is having to uncover the charger port to charge it up (i know its re waterproofing).
My options are :-
Cut the cover flap off or buy a magnetic charger unit £30.00 !!!!! (I probably will.)
So far pretty dam good phone.
Paul
I've had my XZ1 since Saturday 21st sept, and so far I love it, the camera is good but has issues like the grain and noise which prevent it from being a great one.
Love the sharpness and colours of the screen and it's resolution makes browsing the Web or forums so easy.
I've gotten used to the waterproof tabs after having my Xtz before I got the z1 but at least if you don't like having to keep opening the flap you can use a magnetic charger cable or dock.
That's all I can think of at lol
Sent from my C6903 using XDA Premium HD app
screen is best... best contrast and color you can get... no yellow tint or extra blue. no issue at all..
screen performance not so good from an angle... but who use it like that... 98% i use head on... 2 % ready to sacrifice. for head on awesomeness..
battery is a ****. (Wifi and bluetooth on, may be due to this)
Auto mode of camera is a ****..
play around with ISO in manual mode to get best shot for each scenario...
sound from speaker is not so good... even headphone sound (wired) is not good...
performance... nothing can beat it... samsung s4 struggles before this beast..
i am still on 518 firmware and no software issue so far.. using wireless headphones...
jos_031 said:
screen is best... best contrast and color you can get... no yellow tint or extra blue. no issue at all..
screen performance not so good from an angle... but who use it like that... 98% i use head on... 2 % ready to sacrifice. for head on awesomeness..
battery is a ****. (Wifi and bluetooth on, may be due to this)
Auto mode of camera is a ****..
play around with ISO in manual mode to get best shot for each scenario...
sound from speaker is not so good... even headphone sound (wired) is not good...
performance... nothing can beat it... samsung s4 struggles before this beast..
i am still on 518 firmware and no software issue so far.. using wireless headphones...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For me it's this above plus
Weird touch screen issues where it goes a bit bonkers when doing the pattern unlock.
Wow a positive thread about the Z1, do my eyes deceive me?
Seriously it's nice to see positive in all the threads of doom and gloom.
Nice
Sent from my C6903 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
My showers have become a lot less of a chore and more of a pleasure;
https://vine.co/v/hvY5MVFTLXd?fb_action_ids=10151847100714799
Just add 2 hooks with a little bit of sugru
So I got mine yesterday.
Hardware: I can't tell you how gorgeous this phone is if you haven't seen it yet, the blend of pure vanilla white with the aluminium frame is a spot on direct hit in my eyes. Under the hood HW is even better. The S800 chip seriously flies and it's been a long time but Android is now becoming just as fluid as iOS and WP and it's great to see that.
Software: I am a big fan of the Sony UI simply because it's easy and it looks pretty vanilla, I haven't installed a Homescreen in 2 years now ever since I got a Xperia S and I am not changing that now. There is some minor SW bugs where some dialouges just doesn't show up but I can still press them(if I know their real position)
Camera: The camera is a serious SW mess because I know and I see that Sony has a good camera HW-wise BUT their SW and esspecially Auto mode is seriously one complete mess. Other than the major problems with the noise the camera app is fluid and it's quite promosing to have some nice options like AR and the Livestream mode.
Sound: THe loudspeaker is decent and nothing you would cheer about but it's better than my old XS of course. The headphone jack for me is perfect and I hear absolutely no difference when playing the same song on my XS or my Z1
Screen: THe screen for me is supersharp, I can only see a little difference in sharpness between my XS and Z1 but that is expected but still it's a nice feature. The colours are almost accurate(I had to increase my blue level by +3 to +4), viewing angles aren't the best but they are clearly better than my XS besides head on is the way to go in my world.
Battery: Battery is a mixed bag; Standby is EXCELLENT hours can go and the phone is still on the same percentage. However and this is a big one the battery during Web browsing or other minor things is seriously underperforming. Clearly this is also something wrong with the SW because other Sony phones does not have the same problem.
I hope this gives a good view on the phone, clearly Sony needs to fix the battery and the Camera and for some swap out faulty screens. Other than that my money was well put!
I got my XZ1 on monday and I love it so far! Yeah the viewing angles aren't the best but who is gonna use their phone from those angles? The camera is good, yes it needs some improvements but it isn't unusable.
The waterproof tabs take some getting used to after coming from a Nexus 4 but my battery lasts me about a day and a half almost 2; so I don't have to undo the tab to often.
I like the speaker, it isn't as loud as the one on the Note 2 I had but it is WAY better than the Nexus 4. I really like the notification LED also, its in a really discrete location and its pretty visible; and paired with light manager it is really useful for me.
Wifi has also been good for me, at least compared to my old N4. The overall speed of the phone is awesome! This thing rips!
Coming from the Nexus 4 this was a SOLID upgrade for me. SD card slot, better camera, Snapdragon 800, better speakers (ear piece also), and its waterproof? I can't really complain on my end!
I think people are just being a little too picky. I mean come on the phone has only been out for almost a week now. What else can you expect? Sony has been releasing updates pretty frequently so hopefully everything will get better soon.
So i will do that short: Sony Xperia Z1 is just good. Not perfect. but good and defently better as my old Xperia S. (Whiches i aso not so bad if i compare to to other cellphone from this timewindow)
Mine is good so far, only got it for 2days will test camera etc some more
One thing I can say about the screen:
I went to local store and compared to ZU screen, both on full brightness and my Z1 screen definitely has better colors and details then Z1. I tried the Sony sample pics and compared those.
Better details is due to 5" vs 6.4" I guess. But colors are really better on Z1, also in video I noticed the same result
Sent from my C6903 using xda app-developers app
Love the z1
Got the Z1 on pre-order, arrived the 17th.
- First thing i notice, phone is not bulky (in oposition to what reviewers say). Second thing, sony actually provides screen protect (Awsome)
- Phone turns on great and continues to perform great, Loving 4g and the speed and smoothness of the whole system.
- Screen contrast is not superb, lost in comparison to the s4, but during video streaming/playback, it performed amazingly as being hit directly by sunlight it was still very clear.
- Overall The phone is amazing, everyone says constantly i can't stop playing around with it (so true).
The only negative i have is battery life. Due to my constant use it drains very very quickly. But i think i'll be able to fix that.
B1nny said:
Sure.
Last Saturday I got my Z1, I've had a Gnex for a long time and my first impressions are very good. The device is amazingly fast, everything works as it should, multitasking is very good, all performance related things are nothing to complain about.
....
Overall I personally think the Xperia Z1 is an amazing device. It's super fast, the build quality is amazing and it feels really good.(get a case though!) There are things to improve on such as battery life and it depends on whether you trust Sony to fix these issues or not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see you're from the Netherlands. Could you confirm we are still on 14.1.G.1.518 firmware? It seems everyone who has been able to upgrade to 534 firmware has far better camera results, yet I cannot update to this new firmware, still stuck on the old one. I'd love to update the firmware to get better camera results but I do not want to root this phone. I'm on Vodafone RED 4G btw, dunno if it mathers.. Thanks.
bramgg said:
I see you're from the Netherlands. Could you confirm we are still on 14.1.G.1.518 firmware? It seems everyone who has been able to upgrade to 534 firmware has far better camera results, yet I cannot update to this new firmware, still stuck on the old one. I'd love to update the firmware to get better camera results but I do not want to root this phone. I'm on Vodafone RED 4G btw, dunno if it mathers.. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am. I can confirm I didn't get any updates on my unlocked Z1. I updated to 534 manually via flashtool though. (doesn't void warranty) I have no idea why we don't get the updates pushed to our phones.
thought i'd give my 2 cents here as i have been seeing a lot of negative comments, especially from people who judge way too quickly. Back when the Z came out i followed it madly and already had it on pre-order but i ended up getting a htc one. Ive had this phone for 2 days now and compared to my htc one it is a definite improvement. The only thing im getting used to is the size of the phone, i have small hands so you can imagine its not a 1 handed affair, but you cant fault the build quality, i love the fact that sony puts its own screen and back panel protector on (remember the x10). Call quality is amazing i have to say, loud and clear. performance is amazing, i can see the improvements in the chipset s800 has over s600 (was in my htc one), in real life you wont notice it too much but its defo there, games run amazing no lags and hits a very good fps (wild blood, real racing 3 in particular looks and plays amazingly). I've not really played with the camera much but its better than my htc one, that was the only thing i was disappointed with that phone. Now i have been constantly messing about with the phone so cant really give an accurate example of battery life, but what are you supposed to expect from a phone specc'd like this, yes it has a bigger capacity battery, it also has a big screen and a powerful cpu too, if i get a full days use out of it il be happy.
The Z1 is easily the best phone ever built. Its so nice to hold and use. Definitely my favourite phone to date and I have owned nearly all the previous flagship phones from most companies.
Absolutely blown away by this phone it's just amazing for me.
Sent from my C6903 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Xperia Z1 music video
Hi,
I'm totally new to android and the Z1 is my first personal android phone. My expectations where so high coming from many years of All iPhones.
I don't want to start a flame but yes I think android is a little behind (in some aspects) to ios7 BUT this device is actually freaking awesome and looks to me the only one that can beat the iPhone quality.
- High quality. When you touch it you feel that your money are well spent.
- The camera (if we consider is a phone) Is just super good.
- The Sony rom doesn't make me sad as and in a hurry to grab a random 3th party rom
- Display is super good colors looks real and rich. Yes view angles are not awesome but only crazy people use the phone in that way. One thing that NO ONE MENTION is that any phone is close to the iPhone under the sun. Surprise surprise according to phone arena the Z1 is in 2 place. That's for me means A LOT more than insane view angles. The only difect so far is the black. The display show (only in some circumstances) one of the lightest black on the market. You'll may notice it watching a movie (a dark one) in a dark room.
- screen protector: isn't so fragile as many said but yes isn't olephobic
Am I satisfied? A lot!!!!
Sent from my C6903 using xda app-developers app

Getting the Xperia Z

Guys i had decided to get a Sony smartphone with waterproof,so i think this is the best option for me.
It costs about RM1,200 in Malaysia.
I'm also considering of Xperia Z1 but it's too expensive,costs about RM1,700,which was out of my budget.
So guys please tell me about this phone cons & pros,and about the 4.3 update performance,thanks :fingers-crossed:
Got some questions,will you think that Sony will support it till 2015 ? (Maybe Android 5.0)
Is it worth it to buy ? Any problem with it ?
1 more thing should i wait for Sony MWC 2014 ?
Maybe Sony will unveil a device which have the specs of about SP.
The Sirius will be pricey so i can't afford it.
Ben Ling said:
Guys i had decided to get a Sony smartphone with waterproof,so i think this is the best option for me.
It costs about RM1,200 in Malaysia.
I'm also considering of Xperia Z1 but it's too expensive,costs about RM1,700,which was out of my budget.
So guys please tell me about this phone cons & pros,and about the 4.3 update performance,thanks :fingers-crossed:
Got some questions,will you think that Sony will support it till 2015 ? (Maybe Android 5.0)
Is it worth it to buy ? Any problem with it ?
1 more thing should i wait for Sony MWC 2014 ?
Maybe Sony will unveil a device which have the specs of about SP.
The Sirius will be pricey so i can't afford it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a solid phone, but the 4.3 update brought serious bugs, the cam and battery time is greatly affected by those bugs. Let's hope sony fixes them.
Also it won't get past android 4.4.
Gesendet von meinem C6603 mit Tapatalk
It is a good phone. there are some issues with the back plate coming unglued (if you would read the forum instead of asking for the info to be served on a silver plate you'd know ).
the 4.3 update is fast and fluid, and i have found no bug except for "excessive delay, took vsync XX ms", which I have not read about on this forum, and a symmetry bug when taking screenshots.
battery life is ok, I can play ingress for ~3.5 hours (3g, GPS, screen on, rendering tons of 3D graphics)
it will hopefully be supported until 2015 (the Xperia T also got a 4.3 update...)
It is a good phone. I recommed update 4.4 rom
Hipotalamus said:
It is a good phone. I recommed update 4.4 rom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well i have just bought it...
Ben Ling said:
well i have just bought it...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like it?
doministry said:
Like it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like it very much...but i like Z1 more,problem is no so much budget...
Ben Ling said:
Like it very much...but i like Z1 more,problem is no so much budget...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here in Poland th difference is small:
the official Store wants only 300pln/75 Euro more for Z1.
doministry said:
Here in Poland th difference is small:
the official Store wants only 300pln/75 Euro more for Z1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought it at RM1,230...AP Set (means not original warranty of Sony)
The Z1 only have Ori,costs RM1,990
doministry said:
Here in Poland th difference is small:
the official Store wants only 300pln/75 Euro more for Z1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
do you know how to root the latest 4.3 firmware ?
Ben Ling said:
do you know how to root the latest 4.3 firmware ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's no exploit to root 4.3 currently, so the only way to root if you're already on 4.3 is to unlock your bootloader and flash a kernel with a custom recovery.
Either that or downgrade to 4.2.2, root and flash a prerooted 4.3 rom.
Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk
Ben Ling said:
do you know how to root the latest 4.3 firmware ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope. I didn't do it.
Hi Ben,
Its a good phone, I've used same Z for almost a year now. Like the others comment here, watch out for the back cover issue. Find a shop to glue it back with 3rd party glue if it loosens, coz the foam strip glue will not last more than a year or so....water goes in...all kinds of problems in drying. And ensure the flap covers are locked in tight when you wash your phone.
Ben, may I kindly ask the contact of shop you got your Z from ? At that price, I might get a spare one as my current one has been flooded with water many times....Thanks
emailpeter said:
Hi Ben,
Its a good phone, I've used same Z for almost a year now. Like the others comment here, watch out for the back cover issue. Find a shop to glue it back with 3rd party glue if it loosens, coz the foam strip glue will not last more than a year or so....water goes in...all kinds of problems in drying. And ensure the flap covers are locked in tight when you wash your phone.
Ben, may I kindly ask the contact of shop you got your Z from ? At that price, I might get a spare one as my current one has been flooded with water many times....Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,I stay in Malaysia and i bought from a handphone shop at RM1,230 for not original Sony warranty and white color from here http://www.mudah.my/li?ca=8_s&id=88141
a few things you should keep in mind
camera is bad
phone gets hot
battery life is mediocre
screen has washed out colours
wifi is weak
sony is late with updates
dev scene seems to be a bit slower compared to the HTC and Samsung flagship devices.
also, i listen to a lot of music so the flaps get annoying
spazzy1912 said:
a few things you should keep in mind
camera is bad
phone gets hot
battery life is mediocre
screen has washed out colours
wifi is weak
sony is late with updates
dev scene seems to be a bit slower compared to the HTC and Samsung flagship devices.
also, i listen to a lot of music so the flaps get annoying
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
- The camera isn't perfect and isn't great under low light, but is acceptable under most conditions for me. Hopefully, an update will return the camera quality to what it was under 4.2.2.
- The phone only gets hot after extended periods of playing demanding games for me.
- I get at least 5 hours of screen on time and 2-3% of battery drain overnight. Hardly mediocre.
- The screen may look washed out when compared to other devices, but to me the colour is more natural.
- I get good wifi reception at the end of my large garden, maybe 60-70 metres from my router.
- At least 6 updates, including 2 upgrades to new versions of Android in 9 months is late with updates? If you want fast access to the latest version of Android, you should have gone Nexus.
- Less popular devices will have less dev support. The development section is far from dead though.
Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk
spazzy1912 said:
a few things you should keep in mind
camera is bad
phone gets hot
battery life is mediocre
screen has washed out colours
wifi is weak
sony is late with updates
dev scene seems to be a bit slower compared to the HTC and Samsung flagship devices.
also, i listen to a lot of music so the flaps get annoying
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know. As I always try to find good settins, I say Z camera is great.
I use it very very often and the general outcome is great. In every conditions.
Nothing is washed out here as well. You repeat some bull..t, the screen is fantastic.
doministry said:
I don't know. As I always try to find good settins, I say Z camera is great.
I use it very very often and the general outcome is great. In every conditions.
Nothing is washed out here as well. You repeat some bull..t, the screen is fantastic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
kingvortex said:
- The camera isn't perfect and isn't great under low light, but is acceptable under most conditions for me. Hopefully, an update will return the camera quality to what it was under 4.2.2.
- The phone only gets hot after extended periods of playing demanding games for me.
- I get at least 5 hours of screen on time and 2-3% of battery drain overnight. Hardly mediocre.
- The screen may look washed out when compared to other devices, but to me the colour is more natural.
- I get good wifi reception at the end of my large garden, maybe 60-70 metres from my router.
- At least 6 updates, including 2 upgrades to new versions of Android in 9 months is late with updates? If you want fast access to the latest version of Android, you should have gone Nexus.
- Less popular devices will have less dev support. The development section is far from dead though.
Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 to that
The only thing that isn't that good on the screen are the black levels and viewing angles.
I honestly cant see a big difference to my n5 screen except these.
Gesendet von meinem Nexus 5 mit Tapatalk
People think the screen is washed out because they're usually comparing it to a Samsung device that the colours are hugely over saturated on.
Like I said, I think the Z screen actually more faithfully reproduces colours rather than trying to make them pop out of the screen.
Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk
Plus on videos and photos Bravia kicks in, giving amazing contrast.
On UI it's more settle so it doesn't kill the eyes.

My personal experience with z2 tablet and yours?

Hello. I've owned this tablet for nearly 4 months and I think i can now give a brief of my personal experience but i would also like some others opinions.
Firstly, I would like to mention that I've not regretted buying this device from the moment i unpacked it and still going. It's an absolute pleasure.
The design is brilliant, it looks so damn premium and feels it too. The weight doesn't bother me and it feels nice to hold. Even better after i received the 'poetic graph grip' rubber case. This case feels premium as the rubber texture and quality is so great. Anybody who doesnt like a flip case should definitely invest in one of these.
Onto the tablet performance, it is practically flawless. In every aspect. The speed of app switching and the animations is smooth and with hardly any noticable delay. Scrolling is just as smooth. I have noticed no graphical glitchery of the sorts. So it's speed overall is amazing.
The battery life, considering the speed i mentioned above, is some sort of sorcery indeed. I get roughly 1 hour SOT per 10% battery life and it doesn't seem be affected by how I'm using it much. I could be playing games, watching video or browsing facebook. The difference between those uses and the impact is almost negligible. As in there's no real impact. And I'm a heavy user. No I dont use battery saving modes either. When this battery cycle is done I'll add screenshots to this post.
The display quality is stunning and the colour reproduction is near damn perfect. I did slightly adjust the rgb ratio marginally to get a slightly brighter white by increasing the blue and green by 10 each. I like that i have this option. Sony likes this too, they know someone that buys a sony is very likely keen on the display so they make sure not to miss a trick there. Great job.
Next is the sony software. Okay here i have to admit that I'm not a big sony app user. Firstly sonys gallery and movies apps don't seem to like my sdcard and i have no idea why. So I have quickpic, mxplayer and es file explorer. They all work flawlessly. But i am sad that i can't make 100% use of sonys best apps
They are all beautiful though, so it can be said that there's nothing wrong with them at all if you use the devices built in storage.
Bravia and xreality really pack a punch and nobody does it well as sony. These should be taken full advantage of.
I like the rest of the apps such as social life, lounge, remote, sketch, smart connect and even sony select is pretty good. Of course im going to use third party apps, thats why i chose android. But for once, this brand of built in apps really has everything it should have and they're splendid too. I feel guilty that i don't use them frequently enough.
I don't know what else to say really, this device is pretty magical.
Oh and I'm still using stock 4.4.2, with towel root. It failed the update because it can't be verified im guessing because i rooted it. I'm scared to update it anyway, it works too well and i know from my experiences that if something works perfectly just leave it as it is.
What are others opinions? Do you think my review is correct?
I rushed the post and no I'm not going to correct my grammar and punctuation, even though i could. Just read it.
There's no reason you shouldn't buy it if you're looking for a good tablet. Sony really deserves a pat on the back. Looking forward to my next sony device.
Oh and f**k Samsung. Never will i buy a samsung again. Ugly piece of bloated laggy trash.
iKlutz said:
Hello. I've owned this tablet for nearly 4 months and I think i can now give a brief of my personal experience but i would also like some others opinions.
Firstly, I would like to mention that I've not regretted buying this device from the moment i unpacked it and still going. It's an absolute pleasure.
The design is brilliant, it looks so damn premium and feels it too. The weight doesn't bother me and it feels nice to hold. Even better after i received the 'poetic graph grip' rubber case. This case feels premium as the rubber texture and quality is so great. Anybody who doesnt like a flip case should definitely invest in one of these.
Onto the tablet performance, it is practically flawless. In every aspect. The speed of app switching and the animations is smooth and with hardly any noticable delay. Scrolling is just as smooth. I have noticed no graphical glitchery of the sorts. So it's speed overall is amazing.
The battery life, considering the speed i mentioned above, is some sort of sorcery indeed. I get roughly 1 hour SOT per 10% battery life and it doesn't seem be affected by how I'm using it much. I could be playing games, watching video or browsing facebook. The difference between those uses and the impact is almost negligible. As in there's no real impact. And I'm a heavy user. No I dont use battery saving modes either. When this battery cycle is done I'll add screenshots to this post.
The display quality is stunning and the colour reproduction is near damn perfect. I did slightly adjust the rgb ratio marginally to get a slightly brighter white by increasing the blue and green by 10 each. I like that i have this option. Sony likes this too, they know someone that buys a sony is very likely keen on the display so they make sure not to miss a trick there. Great job.
Next is the sony software. Okay here i have to admit that I'm not a big sony app user. Firstly sonys gallery and movies apps don't seem to like my sdcard and i have no idea why. So I have quickpic, mxplayer and es file explorer. They all work flawlessly. But i am sad that i can't make 100% use of sonys best apps
They are all beautiful though, so it can be said that there's nothing wrong with them at all if you use the devices built in storage.
Bravia and xreality really pack a punch and nobody does it well as sony. These should be taken full advantage of.
I like the rest of the apps such as social life, lounge, remote, sketch, smart connect and even sony select is pretty good. Of course im going to use third party apps, thats why i chose android. But for once, this brand of built in apps really has everything it should have and they're splendid too. I feel guilty that i don't use them frequently enough.
I don't know what else to say really, this device is pretty magical.
Oh and I'm still using stock 4.4.2, with towel root. It failed the update because it can't be verified im guessing because i rooted it. I'm scared to update it anyway, it works too well and i know from my experiences that if something works perfectly just leave it as it is.
What are others opinions? Do you think my review is correct?
I rushed the post and no I'm not going to correct my grammar and punctuation, even though i could. Just read it.
There's no reason you shouldn't buy it if you're looking for a good tablet. Sony really deserves a pat on the back. Looking forward to my next sony device.
Oh and f**k Samsung. Never will i buy a samsung again. Ugly piece of bloated laggy trash.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm a Samsung guy through and through...........
............ Or at least I was until a week ago.
I have had Samsung for years now and although I have tried other brands I always seem to go back to Samsung.
Well, last week I swapped our lass my Galaxy S4 for her Xperia Z2. I was going to trade it in by the second day for another Samsung, but she talked me into persevering with it a little longer....... and I'm so glad she did!. It's big, it's very square, but now I'm used to it I actually like it. I prefer it over the Samsung for the fact that Sony don't force loads of bloatware on you. The screen is great, the camera is fantastic! and battery life is amazing compared to any Samsung I have had.
So what has the Z2 phone got to do with a review of the Z2 tablet???........... Nothing........but.....
I always have a tablet to match my phone. So now I am used to the Z2 I plan on trading my Note 10.1 and Nexus 10 to get the Z2 tablet.
It's just bloody typical, when I didn't want the Z2 tablet our local secondhand shop had a couple in. But now I actually want one, they have none!.
I have had it 6 Months. I did buy the official sony case but generally use it without it, except when im out and about. Holding it now without a case it feels great as it always did since the first time I bought it. Slim as hell, but confident I could drop it and still recover. Its an odd design with wide bezzels but keeps me from tapping on the sides. Camera is bad, and that is the only negative I have. But who uses a tablet to take pics. I reackon when it gets lollipop im sorted for a tablet for the next year, im a techo geek and like to keep up to date, but dont see myself upgrading this for a while, and I think that says alot. It has never let me down and has done everything I ask of it in the last 6 months, so im staying with it, and will invest in a nice sony phone aswell.
Im a bit disappointed with mine but the fault of the first 2 fall on to bell
1. My bootloader is locked (made the mistake of buying through a carrier) which leads me to two
2. Unable to customize with roms/kernel
3. The bezels make it hard, even impossible to shop for universal 10" cases
4. The battery for me isn't what i thought it would be, an hour of use it drops 15-20 %
Other then those, everything is great, performence, display, sound(with headphones)
Things would be different if i was able to unlock my BL... Now I am happy to have root and some control of the stock kernel at least.
If your battery is dropping 15-20% a hour, you're doing something wrong. {Except you're gaming, then it's perfectly normal.) This device is really battery efficient, 10% per hour is normal.
Use Stamina Mode, and look whether there are apps in the background which consume battery. Tame them by deactivating (with Titanium Backup) or by using Greenify/Amplify.
For the case, simply get the Sony case. It's perfectly fine.
And you don't need ROMs or kernels on this device. Stock ROM + Root + Xposed is perfectly fine, looks good and has by far the best battery life.
So just enjoy!
Hey guys I've been looking for a tablet for a while now that fits my needs. I'm thinking the Z2 Tab is the way to go, beautiful design, big enough and backed by Sony who are known for timely updates.
Now I've never owned a Sony Device and I've had a look in the forums... What's the deal with rooting and such? Most threads seem to point towards the 'Sony cross-device forum' and I'm a bit confused. I've only owned LG and Samsung devices and they both seemed to have more device specific Development...
I really like of this tablet. All most every single aspect of it is really good.
But my real problem with it is touch screen. It's the worst touch screen have been used. I update to last version and it is really batter but still with minor problems. My LG G2 has a really better touch screen than this tablet. What do you think about it's touch screen? These minor problems are common on other tablets ? I tried a Ipad 2 and the touch is really amazing.
Excellent tablet
I must agree with the original post, this is really an awesome tablet.
My wife has always gone with apple, both for her phone and ipad. The rest of my family and friends are all hard core Samsung or Apple users. At the beginning of the year I got an Xperia V phone, which was taken from me a month later when I was attacked walking my baby. A friend gave me his Samsung Galaxy to use. But I really loved the experience with the Sony, and being able to use it outdoors in sand and water. So when it came time to use my book and equipment allowance at work I put it towards a Sony Z2 tablet. I am really happy with the decision. After updating to 4.4.4 I find the touchscreen no longer gives issues, and while the camera performance is sub-par, it doesn't really bother me as using it for voip and anything esle other than a DSLR works great!
A big thumbs up to sony, and to all the xda developers that help us use this device the way we want to!
I just ordered mine, the 32 gig lte version, I decided to get this over the shield and a 128gig ipad air because I like sony products and hope this is as good as it looks.
You wont be disappointed.
I got this earlier this month. I had immediate buyers regret day one because the screen was being iffy. I also almost never used it that day because I was chatting and its a pain in the butt to type on a tablet.
Then day 2 rolled around. I was amazed by the battery life (10% for every 1 hr SOT) and how amazing the Sony Music, Video and Phones apps were. The only problem was its inability to play audio on mkv files. The audio booster was another thing that made a huge difference. By far the best.
The screen almost never gets glitchy anymore (thank god). If it does it goes away after turning the screen off and on. The color reproduction was fantastic.
They only downside to this was some of the built in sony apps i cant uninstall. I think people can make good use of them. Just not for me. Also wish they would give some freebies from their media store for buying a $450 purchase
GalaxyWhy said:
Hey guys I've been looking for a tablet for a while now that fits my needs. I'm thinking the Z2 Tab is the way to go, beautiful design, big enough and backed by Sony who are known for timely updates.
Now I've never owned a Sony Device and I've had a look in the forums... What's the deal with rooting and such? Most threads seem to point towards the 'Sony cross-device forum' and I'm a bit confused. I've only owned LG and Samsung devices and they both seemed to have more device specific Development...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you dont have high budget , can consider xperia tablet compact or xperia tablet z first generation
Got it today, already rooted without unlocking bootloader and charging now ?
So far I'm very glad I bought It!!! Amazing job Sony ?
Inviato dal mio SGP511 utilizzando Tapatalk
My first tablet purchase ever, so not much to compare with cept for the ipads we get at work (yawn). It works a treat so far, keeping it stock 4.4.4 for the moment, tho I look forward to removing the bloat. I wasn't able to play hearthstone on my phone so it's taken up most of my initial testing hah. I've noticed a rare slight creak from the back panel somewhere to the right and I think I read another review saying the same. And I know it's certified water resistant, but it could finally get to me, having to pick out the tab every time I want to charge or connect to the PC. I've had zero freezing, lag etc runs cool as a cucumber. Not like my galaxy note that can heat up just as good as my microwave.
Sent from my SGP521 using XDA Free mobile app
The only real issue I've experienced with my tablet is the touch issue, no creaking or anything and it froze once, but other than that it's run awesome and it plays hearthstone fantastically
I do have a touch issue with icons on the home screen, especially if they're positioned close together.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA Free mobile app
I just get an issue where touches aren't resisted, for instance in heath stone when I drag a card it drops like I let go but my finger is clearly still there, turning the screen on and of again fixes it
thanitos said:
The only real issue I've experienced with my tablet is the touch issue, no creaking or anything and it froze once, but other than that it's run awesome and it plays hearthstone fantastically
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Click to collapse
Does the Wifi version play Hearthstone just as well as LTE version, and why would LTE be 'better'? What version Z2 do you have?
Aid777 said:
Does the Wifi version play Hearthstone just as well as LTE version, and why would LTE be 'better'? What version Z2 do you have?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Game would play the same, WIFI AND LTE are just different technologies for connecting to a network. It'd only be if you had a poor connection through either, because you must log online to play.
Sent from my SGP521 using XDA Free mobile app
Yup the device certainly has touch issues as from the general concensus.
Mine has too. The screen will lose feedback while you drag things. It doesnt happen always but its more than enough to break the immersion.
Yeah ive got the z2 tablet and what Sony has achieved is great.
What is dissapointing however is the range of Android apps for the device.
Or should i say android tablets in general. An iPad provides better valute to the consumer, and until the ranger of apps available drastically improves im regretting the choice of eco system rather than sony itself.

Z2 Worst smart phone?

Out of all the smart phones I have owned since 2009, my experience with the Z2 has probably been the worst. On paper, the phone looks good. Nice big screen, good battery life, nice camera and water and dust proof to boot. In my mind, it beat all of the competitors at the time. The big problem I have found is the terrible software.
Sony seems to be clueless. Each new build introduced new bugs and didn't squash the old ones. Since Lollipop I have had issues with the screen not locking properly. The phone was constantly unlocking itself in my pocket and pocket dialling my contacts. I had to disable tap to unlock and this stopped that but still the phone wont always lock properly. I will have read a text say, close the application and lock the phone. The screen goes dark but a press of the button and it's unlocked again. No swipe of the screen. When you lock it, it should be locked. Typing out texts, sometimes it will freeze for a moment, then catch up with what I typed. I'm not fast at typing or anything. In fact I'm pretty rubbish lol.
The camera isn't great by any means. My old S3 was just as good and took better low light images. I don't think I will ever get a Sony again. It's a shame as my k700i was a great old phone.
Is it just me or does anyone else have issues with the Z2's dodgy software?
I am satisfied except camera performance.
@5nakedoc , i think it's just you...
I never had the phone unlock by itself, never had a pocket call and never disabled tap to unlock either...
Go to settings --> security --> automatically lock --> choose immediately and it should solve the problem of phone not locking right away when you press power button.
Lags? if you have lags the problem is on your side for sure, i have 55gb of stuff on my phone and i run my cpu at 1.5ghz max most of the time, no lags here.
I never used sony keyboard maybe it has bugs, i use swype in all my android phones, zero lag typing on my z2.
About camera...yeah auto mode sucks, manual mode is better, but camera fv-5 is what does the trick for me. Just try other camera apps...
I would hate to know what you think about the rest of the phone as you said the camera is one of your favourite features :/
5nakedoc said:
Build quality
Waterproofing
Noise Cancelling
Large friendly screen
Free Speaker!!!
Magnetic charging dock
Quality Sony case
Two stage camera button
Camera
AR app
Background Blur app
The banana dispenser
OK I lied about the last one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my D6503 using Tapatalk
I don't think an awful lot of it. The software bugs are annoying. That post was just after I got it and before the worst of the bugs began to plague me. Plus the expensive case I bought from Sony direct, failed on two corners and is completely useless now. (Not dropped ever) I think I mentioned that the problems really only started when they updated to Lollipop.
I was unable to locate the setting mentioned above, perhaps you are not running the most recent software but it wasn't where you described or anywhere else that I looked within settings.
Lags may be down to the sheer number of texts I have from that contact. I suspect they number in the thousands. I might try a factory reset when I have an evening spare and see if this helps. I do feel a little sentimental about those texts though but they are backed up to google.
Nope i have not seen any single problm except battery
to me the performance is still a issues even in lollipop update , dont know whether it was android fault or not , i need to restart each 2 days since i can see framedrop which is pretty annoying . Kinda agree , the update also lower the loudness of the speaker , camerawise their superior auto is pretty bad hmm. and my screen sometimes become crazy i dont know before this i dont have this problem i have own z2 since june 2014 , and the problems appear like 2-3 months ago until now.
5nakedoc said:
The phone was constantly unlocking itself in my pocket and pocket dialling my contacts. I had to disable tap to unlock and this stopped that but still the phone wont always lock properly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How about you turn the phone screen away from your body when you place it in your pocket?
Android version
muhammadnajmi96 said:
to me the performance is still a issues even in lollipop update , dont know whether it was android fault or not , i need to restart each 2 days since i can see framedrop which is pretty annoying . Kinda agree , the update also lower the loudness of the speaker , camerawise their superior auto is pretty bad hmm. and my screen sometimes become crazy i dont know before this i dont have this problem i have own z2 since june 2014 , and the problems appear like 2-3 months ago until now.
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Click to collapse
Hi Najmi,I'm currently running version 5.1.1,i dont have encountered any issues with this version,I'd like to ask at what android version did you start to have these problems?Thank you
Maybe you should try asking for solutions to each of your problems. I don't like Lollipop either. Its been crap on all but nexus phones. Have you the S5? It became a bugs galore with Lollipop. Every non-nexus smartphone had the awake problem and extended power consumption.
I would advise you to go back to KK. Its bug-free.
About the camera, I tried indoor image comparison between both phones in auto-mode (I just got both phones and didnt get the time to properly compare the cameras) and the Z2 was clearly better indoors without lighting. Macros and close shots were also better on Z2. Later on I learnt about the Night Scene Mode in Manual mode. No phone could match Z2 at the time. There was a lot of noise but the pictures had more details than what was visible through the naked eyes. Nowadays phones with manual mode can shoot the same type of photos. But comparing the phones that came with Z2 it was the best.
Oh and I used to get 8 hours SoT in KK in 2 days without any root or such thing.
5nakedoc, I regret being in complete disagreement with you. For me, the Z2 has been one of my most appreciated phones. I bought it with Android 4.1.2 and have been updated since then until 4.4.4. I have not kept updating it more because I have a very useful app to my health insurance does not work with Lollipop.
Certainly, I recognize that the lock-release of Lollipop do not like as much as Kit Kat, but with a Xposed framework and modules in kit kat, I have a super performance, without any problem to lock-unlock, even removing the button emergency call and also the one of the camera.
The Stamina mode gives me an excellent performance during the day, coming to the end of the day with an average of 50-70% of battery, using whatsapp usually.
Also the wifi mode based on location works well, etc.
The camera fully satisfy me, and with an optical zoom could be the summum
What else can I want from a phone?
Perhaps you must keep in Kit kat and forget Lollipop experiences. I think there's most stable with old android versions.
5nakedoc said:
The camera isn't great by any means. My old S3 was just as good and took better low light images.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You dont know to use camera for sure.Look at my pictures from Z2 on my flickr account and you will see how camera is really good.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/
The Sony Xperia™ Z2 is one awesome device. If it has cons, it would be the speakers, I guess. But that's all. I've been using it since June 2014 and NEVER got those same problems with you.
Get your phone checked instead of coming here and blabbing about how bad it is.
androidforlyfe said:
Hi Najmi,I'm currently running version 5.1.1,i dont have encountered any issues with this version,I'd like to ask at what android version did you start to have these problems?Thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since Lollipop of course. Latest one also. Fresh install including formatting both internal and external storage. You should compared kitkat and lollipop. That's why I revert back to Kitkat which give me better battery life and louder speaker.
Totally disagree
5nakedoc said:
Out of all the smart phones I have owned since 2009, my experience with the Z2 has probably been the worst. On paper, the phone looks good. Nice big screen, good battery life, nice camera and water and dust proof to boot. In my mind, it beat all of the competitors at the time. The big problem I have found is the terrible software.
Sony seems to be clueless. Each new build introduced new bugs and didn't squash the old ones. Since Lollipop I have had issues with the screen not locking properly. The phone was constantly unlocking itself in my pocket and pocket dialling my contacts. I had to disable tap to unlock and this stopped that but still the phone wont always lock properly. I will have read a text say, close the application and lock the phone. The screen goes dark but a press of the button and it's unlocked again. No swipe of the screen. When you lock it, it should be locked. Typing out texts, sometimes it will freeze for a moment, then catch up with what I typed. I'm not fast at typing or anything. In fact I'm pretty rubbish lol.
The camera isn't great by any means. My old S3 was just as good and took better low light images. I don't think I will ever get a Sony again. It's a shame as my k700i was a great old phone.
Is it just me or does anyone else have issues with the Z2's dodgy software?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The ONLY thing you have proven with your attitude is that old saying ...
"You can't please ALL the people ALL the time."
Aside from being a techie with over 35 years of computer and phone skills, I've been through dozens of smartphones from the original iPhone to my current Sony Z2. I've RARELY kept any of them for more than 6 months. I've jailbroken or rooted every single one of them (except a Sharp which nobody has been able to root).
IMHO, the Sony Z2 is THE BEST smartphone I've ever carried. I'm NOT saying it's perfect. None of them are perfect. However, having carried and compared Apple, HTC, Samsung, LG, Motorola and Sharp smartphones, I believe that the Sony Z2 has the BEST screen image quality, color accuracy and camera (excluding the Z5). The photos I've captured with my Z2 are so good, I no longer haul around my expensive Hasselblad equipment when I travel. I've blown up my Sony pics and turned them into life-size pieces of artwork. No other smartphone lets you turn it sideways and keep it charged in a magnetic $4 cradle. Very few smartphones since the original Nexus have the ability to program the notification light with different colors. It even feels like a quality device, not a plastic toy.
Sony has been one of the very few manufacturers that embraces developers like the ones on XDA,
instead of trying to stop us from rooting and customizing our phones.
I'm sorry that you don't have the abilities or desire to resolve your Z2 software dislikes.
I'm currently running Mx ROM V7.70 which has Android 5.1.1 plus lots of Z5 apps
and am not having ANY problems with it. Only complaint are 2 apps he adds which I uninstalled.
I'm so happy with my Z2, I'm even passing up the new Z5 (for now anyway) and may keep my Z2 for a second year.
Glenn
P.S. I also have a Sony Smartwatch 3 and am loving how Google keeps improving Android Wear.
Nexus 7 / Sony Z2 / Teclast X98 Air 3G / iPhone 2S
Yea the z2 is by far my favourite smart phone ever. It may have some minor issues here and there, but all in all, it really is a solid device. I've had it for a year and a half now, and I still don't see any devices that I could justify upgrading to (with the exception of the z3, z4, z5). Every other manufacturer would have some sort of drawback in some way. My z2 does everything I need plus more.
Bull Sh*t. Z2 is one of the best phones. If you compare it with Z3 I think design wise Z3 maybe good but other than that I think Z2 is an amazing device.
Display, Battery Life, Software, everything is perfect. Yes Lollipop actually made the phone to die fast. It's all because of the "Mobile Radio Active bug"
If you talk about Camera it all comes to personal experience. I agree it doesn't do well on Superior Auto mode but it does a great job if you tweak the manual mode and you need to know the stuff you're dealing with.
Then again I think Sony kinda ruined HDR mode but I am okay with it.
I can't use single phone for a good year, I upgrade fast, dude this phone I am using for 2 freaking years now. I am more than happy and I'm actually not pleased with any of the phones which was released this year(maybe because of SD810). @Authi it was released with 4.4.2 not 4.1.2
This phone is awesome are you kidding. My only issue is people are always asking what kind of fancy phone that is. Noone in the US even has any idea that Sony even makes phones even though they like the look of it. This is exactly why Sony is losing money because of no marketing presence.
mrsatan said:
This phone is awesome are you kidding. My only issue is people are always asking what kind of fancy phone that is. Noone in the US even has any idea that Sony even makes phones even though they like the look of it. This is exactly why Sony is losing money because of no marketing presence.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly. Anyone with an interest in phones that has seen my z2, loves it. Even people I know who don't have an interest, when they see all the pros of it, they still comment asking what kind of phone it is. I've said it from day one. Sony makes an incredible device, it's just that nobody knows about them (in North America at least).
5nakedoc said:
Out of all the smart phones I have owned since 2009, my experience with the Z2 has probably been the worst. On paper, the phone looks good. Nice big screen, good battery life, nice camera and water and dust proof to boot. In my mind, it beat all of the competitors at the time. The big problem I have found is the terrible software.
Sony seems to be clueless. Each new build introduced new bugs and didn't squash the old ones. Since Lollipop I have had issues with the screen not locking properly. The phone was constantly unlocking itself in my pocket and pocket dialling my contacts. I had to disable tap to unlock and this stopped that but still the phone wont always lock properly. I will have read a text say, close the application and lock the phone. The screen goes dark but a press of the button and it's unlocked again. No swipe of the screen. When you lock it, it should be locked. Typing out texts, sometimes it will freeze for a moment, then catch up with what I typed. I'm not fast at typing or anything. In fact I'm pretty rubbish lol.
The camera isn't great by any means. My old S3 was just as good and took better low light images. I don't think I will ever get a Sony again. It's a shame as my k700i was a great old phone.
Is it just me or does anyone else have issues with the Z2's dodgy software?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have owned a Galaxy S3 before my XPERIA Z2 (and before the Galaxy S3 I owned the x10i). The Samsung phone (not a fanboy of Sony here) was my worst phone EVER. It was faster than my XPERIA x10i, yeah, but I can't relate to anything you say. My XPERIA has NEVER unlocked out of nothing, even with tap to unlock (I know this feature can cause automatic unlocks in your pockets for example). My camera is much and much better than the Galaxy S3. Battery life is also much better. My S3 couldn't hold out a full day, my XPERIA can reach up to 2 days. Freezing? Well it never freezed here only by a faulty third party app.
And you're saying the phone is full of new bugs each update? Which bugs? I haven't seen any major bugs, only on that crappy slow Galaxy, which was freezing all the time because of the heavy Touchwiz software that was running. Okay, I'm exaggerating with all the time, but you know how frustrating it is since your XPERIA has been freezing too. But I haven't experienced one of the problems you describe, my girlfriend owns the XPERIA Z2 too, and she hasn't experienced it too.
I think the source of the problems is you and not the phone and the software that is pre-installed on the phone. Don't take this as a personal attack, because it isn't one.
Cheers.

Z5C vs XC

Hello, friends.
I'm a user of a Z3C (had a Z1C before that). Now that Nougat isn't available anymore for our phone, I was wondering if I should buy a Z5C or a XC.
I'm not a stock user. I use a lot of mods and custom stuff on my phone. Stock isn't for me. I know that Z5C is more powerful and more affordable that a XC, but it only has one more year of support.
Would you recommend upgrading (at all)? And if yes, which of the models
I was thinking about waiting for the new Nexus phone...but damn, that price! Also took into consideration a Nexus 5X or a Samsung S7...I don't want a big phone, nor to sell my kidneys for a phone.
Man I was in the same situation as you deciding between Z5c and Xc. I had a Nextbit Robin for around 3 months. Worse decision ever. Don't get me wrong the Robin is nice, looks great and high specs but the poorly optimised software from Nextbit is just awful. Huge problems with audio playback (3.5mm).
So I was looking for a new Android device. The two models that got my attention was Z5c and Xc. Having already used the Xc from family member I liked it. It did everything the Nextbit Robin did but BETTER! Audio playback is the biggest feature for me. Works perfectly. However I decided to go for the Xperia Z5 Compact due to being waterproof, better specs. Also something to note with Xc is that the back will get scratched easily due to the material finish which is cheap plastic and very glossy. No matter even if you are the most careful person looking after your gadgets.
Here in the UK I got ordered the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact Yellow for £179. Black out of stock and the retailer don't stock White variant. So being a guy this will be my first yellow phone LOL. Hope women out in public see my new flashy phone and get attracted to me LOL but if gay men do then I need to run LOL
My Z5c arrives tomorrow (06/10/2016). I can post my feedback tomorrow if you want. Also I ain't fussed about updates eg Android N, L etc LOL. Within a year or so there probably be Z6c or something along the lines.
I'd appreciate the feedback. Thanks!
doriandiaconu said:
I'd appreciate the feedback. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any games you'd like me to try out?
Having just upgraded from my Z3 Compact to a Z5 Compact, I must say, you will not be disappointed! It is noticeably faster and battery life has been better even. I'm using XPower 4 as my ROM, rooted, bootloader unlocked, DRM-fixed, thermal-patched, xposed, amplify, greenify, etc. Basically the exact same setup I had under SliMM 3.x on my Z3 Compact, all backed up with Titanium Backup and restored onto my Z5 Compact. Every xposed module works exactly as before, and overall I was back up and running in no time. I feel that the X Compact is a slightly less high-end device compared to the Z5 Compact, it lacks waterproof rating, fingerprint sensor (as long as you import your Z5c), and the really cool looking speaker design.
MiracleMiah said:
Any games you'd like me to try out?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not much of a gamer. But I am a update freak
MiracleMiah said:
Here in the UK I got ordered the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact Yellow for £179.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where did you get it for £179? Is this new or second hand?
pelago said:
Where did you get it for £179? Is this new or second hand?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I received mine today and it's looks new!
https://www.o2.co.uk/shop/phones/so...47868-_-blank-_-blank#contractType=paymonthly
So far it's showing out of stock now but keep any eye on stock level then click Pay & Go option on right side of the page.
MiracleMiah said:
I received mine today and it's looks new!
https://www.o2.co.uk/shop/phones/so...47868-_-blank-_-blank#contractType=paymonthly
So far it's showing out of stock now but keep any eye on stock level then click Pay & Go option on right side of the page.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I already bought one a couple of weeks ago, £289, from Giffgaff, in black, definitely brand new, but £179 (especially if it really is in new condition) is a bargain.
doriandiaconu said:
I'd appreciate the feedback. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right I got the device today. So far so good. Everything setup and updated to the latest version. The phone is amazing. Fast and smooth using the OS. Love the build quality and the camera, I'm in love with that. Been taking some photos of family and I love the quality and the amount of manual tweaking you can do.
I have played some games such as Spider-Man, Asphalt etc on it and I noticed after like 15 minutes the back get's slightly hot but nothing too extreme.
However one downside I noticed is the speakers volume is weird. If I play music (on max) it will be loud but after 1 second will go quiet. It's like some sort of auto audio kick in. I did some research and on Sony forums, staff member said after 45 minutes it should be fine. Some users state charge phone to 100%. So will try these method and see how it goes.
Any other Z5 Compact owners notice the issue with the speakers?
---------- Post added at 05:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:52 PM ----------
pelago said:
Well, I already bought one a couple of weeks ago, £289, from Giffgaff, in black, definitely brand new, but £179 (especially if it really is in new condition) is a bargain.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes indeed what a bargain! Did you notice the speaker volume output level was low on first day?
MiracleMiah said:
Right I got the device today. So far so good. Everything setup and updated to the latest version. The phone is amazing. Fast and smooth using the OS. Love the build quality and the camera, I'm in love with that. Been taking some photos of family and I love the quality and the amount of manual tweaking you can do.
I have played some games such as Spider-Man, Asphalt etc on it and I noticed after like 15 minutes the back get's slightly hot but nothing too extreme.
However one downside I noticed is the speakers volume is weird. If I play music (on max) it will be loud but after 1 second will go quiet. It's like some sort of auto audio kick in. I did some research and on Sony forums, staff member said after 45 minutes it should be fine. Some users state charge phone to 100%. So will try these method and see how it goes.
Any other Z5 Compact owners notice the issue with the speakers?
---------- Post added at 05:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:52 PM ----------
Yes indeed what a bargain! Did you notice the speaker volume output level was low on first day?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
happen to me randomly sometime alot (usually when i play games top speakers become really quiet), i think its hardware bug. because i had it in all stock versions 5.1.1-6.0- 6.1
besides that and the heat and low RAM ( CSR 2 and Modern Combat 5: took all the 2GB RAM)phone has good battery great
GFX almost 200% faster, from XC
ATM, XC no backup TA so for any root user better to get Z5c plus it got waterproof. Z5c can be a very good phone but really need heavy modding and quite trouble, it's a phone that root is a must. Stock is completely useless.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/xperia-z5/development/mod-smartemperaturex-best-balanced-s810-t3438890
Just make sure you guys flash the SmartTempX v1.61 thermal mod for gaming bcoz v1.7/1.8 got slow charge bug.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/z5-compact/development/rom-xpower-v1-0-aroma-debloat-custom-t3371100
Remember to install greenify to free up memory bcoz 2GB ram isn't enough for this device and debloat the rom by yourself. Suggested to flash XPower V3/V4 rom.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/crossdevice-dev/sony-themes-apps/sonyz5-family-unlocked-xz-xc-camera-t3463148
http://forum.xda-developers.com/crossdevice-dev/sony-themes-apps/mod-cyberian-camera-t3267271/page203
Originally, I want to upgrade to XC for the camera since camera is the most important part to me. Stock Z5c cam is just way below my expectation but after used stock mod cam and photo quality been much improved, so the plan pushed back a bit now. Will stick with Z5c in this year, next year might get XC when price lower.
MiracleMiah said:
However one downside I noticed is the speakers volume is weird. If I play music (on max) it will be loud but after 1 second will go quiet. It's like some sort of auto audio kick in. I did some research and on Sony forums, staff member said after 45 minutes it should be fine. Some users state charge phone to 100%. So will try these method and see how it goes.
Any other Z5 Compact owners notice the issue with the speakers?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did the same thing to me on day one. Next day it was okay. That was 6 months ago and so far so good
I'm a Z5C owner thinking of buying XC. Because I'm sick and tired of this phone.
The one and only option for obtaining Z5C is buying it in a store with a moneyback policy. Most of the phones have overheating and battery drain problems. If you are lucky to get a phone without these issues then you get an awesome smartphone. And if you get the same as others... well, there's moneyback for you.
These issues can't be fixed with any software tweaks, the best way to improve the situation is flashing 5.1 which makes the phone heat much less and allows it to last a day of minor usage which is a great improvement over charging twice a day with Marshmallow. No hope for improvements in Nougat.
I hate Sony for making potentially awesome phones and not paying attention to quality. Z5C could be perfect.
jufofu said:
These issues can't be fixed with any software tweaks, the best way to improve the situation is flashing 5.1 which makes the phone heat much less and allows it to last a day of minor usage which is a great improvement over charging twice a day with Marshmallow.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Totally disagreed. Do you real root and try? I've got nightmare battery drain at idle with 5.1.1 stock .152/.200 and battery problem completely fixed with XPower rom. I don't think 5.1.1 heat much less too.
TheEndHK said:
Totally disagreed. Do you real root and try? I've got nightmare battery drain at idle with 5.1.1 stock .152/.200 and battery problem completely fixed with XPower rom. I don't think 5.1.1 heat much less too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course I did. But all the tweaking just made it a little bit cooler, still as hot as my gf. Even after I severely limited the frequencies it became very slow but didn't stop overheating. 10-15 minutes in Chrome made it extremely hot and drained a few percent of battery charge.
After I downgraded it to 5.1.1 it doesn't even need tweaking anymore. Yes, the battery life still is mediocre at best, and it gets warm from usage, but it lasts twice longer and doesn't throttle down the CPU anymore.
jufofu said:
Of course I did. But all the tweaking just made it a little bit cooler, still as hot as my gf. Even after I severely limited the frequencies it became very slow but didn't stop overheating. 10-15 minutes in Chrome made it extremely hot and drained a few percent of battery charge.
After I downgraded it to 5.1.1 it doesn't even need tweaking anymore. Yes, the battery life still is mediocre at best, and it gets warm from usage, but it lasts twice longer and doesn't throttle down the CPU anymore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do u try water cool your gf?
It's weird the heat appeared same to me in both 5.1.1 and 6.0.1(.253 is more hot than .224) but Sony MM I believe got some memory leaks so 5.1.1 is real faster during in my experiences(bluetooth and wifi is also faster and more stable). But I can't fix the radio active bug in .152/.200 and just keep draining battery, XPower V3/V4 real fixed that.
Plus camera is more important to me, both photo/video much better in MM with mod cam.
TheEndHK said:
Do u try water cool your gf?
It's weird the heat appeared same to me in both 5.1.1 and 6.0.1(.253 is more hot than .224) but Sony MM I believe got some memory leaks so 5.1.1 is real faster during in my experiences(bluetooth and wifi is also faster and more stable). But I can't fix the radio active bug in .152/.200 and just keep draining battery, XPower V3/V4 real fixed that.
Plus camera is more important to me, both photo/video much better in MM with mod cam.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course I tried, didn't help, she's still hot. Will try again. And again.
I'm going to flash the latest MM firmware now and see if anything has changed. If it hasn't I'll flash LP back.
I have to reflash the phone anyway because I got into a bootloop on LP after a few days of using it.
Update;
Reporting back.. Totally love this phone. I'd say get this over the XC Compact. For me the Z5c better build quality and finish. It's been such a smooth experience. Making calls, texting, apps & games.
It put's shame on Nextbit Robin which I had (now sold).
MiracleMiah said:
Update;
Reporting back.. Totally love this phone. I'd say get this over the XC Compact. For me the Z5c better build quality and finish. It's been such a smooth experience. Making calls, texting, apps & games.
It put's shame on Nextbit Robin which I had (now sold).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What make you change your idea vote for Z5c now?
http://phandroid.com/2016/09/21/htc-bolt-photo/
Keep an eye on new mid range of HTC Bolt. Some suggested a smaller size and cheaper ver of HTC10, not sure 4.7" or 5" at this time if 4.7" can be a good replacement of Z5c and XC.

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