Disappointed with Z3+ and going back to my Z3 - Xperia Z4/Z3+ General

I'm really Disappointed with Z3+ and I believe the Z3 is better because of the following reasons :
1- Z3 screen brightness is markedly stronger (you have to turn off the auto brightness in both of them ).. Even I felt the Z3 Screen is clearer!!
2- The frontal speakers in Z3 are better and louder especially in hard rock for example..
3- the battery life in Z3 is better
4- I'm disappointed with the build quality of Z3+ especially the back glass.. I felt it's even a plastic !!.. the Z3 build quality is noticeably better
5- believe or not.. I use the main camera to take a selfie especially while using 20.7 because the target will be farther in the photo frame (the camera lens is wider) ... and the secondary camera lens of Z3+ in skype or any video calling apps is not wider !! it's the same of Z3 !!.. this is very important for me in video calling apps
SONY what is going on !! please come back to the battle soon !! you are the best !!​

Hani88 said:
I'm really Disappointed with Z3+ and I believe the Z3 is better because of the following reasons :
1- Z3 screen brightness is markedly stronger (you have to turn off the auto brightness in both of them ).. Even I felt the Z3 Screen is clearer!!
2- The frontal speakers in Z3 are better and louder especially in hard rock for example..
3- the battery life in Z3 is better
4- I'm disappointed with the build quality of Z3+ especially the back glass.. I felt it's even a plastic !!.. the Z3 build quality is noticeably better
5- believe or not.. I use the main camera to take a selfie especially while using 20.7 because the target will be farther in the photo frame (the camera lens is wider) ... and the secondary camera lens of Z3+ in skype or any video calling apps is not wider !! it's the same of Z3 !!.. this is very important for me in video calling apps
SONY what is going on !! please come back to the battle soon !! you are the best !!​
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Click to collapse
How about the heating problem?

Belal94 said:
How about the heating problem?
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It's better after the latest update.. I should talk about it but this is a known issue

Z3+, as the name says, was probably not meant for Z3 owners. On top of that, we all know about Sony's two flagships per year policy. At least they called it Z3+. But Z3 itself should have been called Z2 Slim (not even Z2+) lol Z3 was the most underwhelming addition to the Z series.
Coming from a Z2, I found Z3+ as a perfect upgrade. It brought all the jazz Z2 slim ( I mean Z3 ) did along with the upgrades that actually matter - 64 Bit SD810, Adreno 430, DDR4, LDAC, faster LTE Cat 9 (300mbps for now which is still > Z3's 150mbps), 5mp front cam, better rear cam sw. It was quite easy for me to take these over Z3's louder speakers & better battery life.

schecter7 said:
Z3+, as the name says, was probably not meant for Z3 owners. On top of that, we all know about Sony's two flagships per year policy. At least they called it Z3+. But Z3 itself should have been called Z2 Slim (not even Z2+) lol Z3 was the most underwhelming addition to the Z series.
Coming from a Z2, I found Z3+ as a perfect upgrade. It brought all the jazz Z2 slim ( I mean Z3 ) did along with the upgrades that actually matter - 64 Bit SD810, Adreno 430, DDR4, LDAC, faster LTE Cat 9 (300mbps for now which is still > Z3's 150mbps), 5mp front cam, better rear cam sw. It was quite easy for me to take these over Z3's louder speakers & better battery life.
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ok but why Sony made the screen and speakers worse in Z3+ ??? it must at least keep them same !!

Hani88 said:
ok but why Sony made the screen and speakers worse in Z3+ ??? it must at least keep them same !!
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Did it ever came to your mind that you are somehow biased by the overall bad reviews? Do you really think you are able to judge without a bias?
Sorry I can't stand this complaining and whining about this device.
It's the same on all new devices. At first there is a big hype, then comes the reality which is behind the expectations. Same thing with the nexus 9 I own and nexus 10 I've owned. Both are great devices, but there was a great amount of people who were talking bull****.

Belal94 said:
How about the heating problem?
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addicted1900 said:
Did it ever came to your mind that you are somehow biased by the overall bad reviews? Do you really think you are able to judge without a bias?
Sorry I can't stand this complaining and whining about this device.
It's the same on all new devices. At first there is a big hype, then comes the reality which is behind the expectations. Same thing with the nexus 9 I own and nexus 10 I've owned. Both are great devices, but there was a great amount of people who were talking bull****.
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Click to collapse
Read what I wrote slowly and see by yourself in real life while comparing both of them as I said exactly and tell me then..

Only thing that is bull**** on this device is procesor. We must admit that Snapdragon 810 is heating. After update things with heating are better but Sony have to fix laging UI especially when phone is hot. Other than that phone is good. I don't understand why is screen on Z3+ worse than Z3 when screen on Z3 was calibrated to cold sometimes white looks gently blue. You can say what you want but Z3+ has better screen to me. Not to mention better viewing angles on Z3+.

tomo100brt said:
Only thing that is bull**** on this device is procesor. We must admit that Snapdragon 810 is heating. After update things with heating are better but Sony have to fix laging UI especially when phone is hot. Other than that phone is good. I don't understand why is screen on Z3+ worse than Z3 when screen on Z3 was calibrated to cold sometimes white looks gently blue. You can say what you want but Z3+ has better screen to me. Not to mention better viewing angles on Z3+.
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Cold colors issue can be reduced by adding more red in white balance settings
But how to fix the lower brightness ???

Yes, you are right. Brightness can't be fixed. And Z3+ has brighter screen.

tomo100brt said:
Yes, you are right. Brightness can't be fixed. And Z3+ has brighter screen.
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Click to collapse
You mean Z3

I gotta throw in my thoughts on this as well.
Have had the Z2, Z3 and now the Z3+. While overheating is no longer a (big) issue after reflash in SBM or PC Companion, I kinda feel like the Z3 was snappier (lagged less), camera launched faster, apps didn't crash as often, battery lasted longer, and charged up faster. And other niggles.. (no root, for instance.. CM12.1 would be blisteringly fast on this thing).
However, I'm confident that these are issues that stem from Sony hastily putting out an unfinished .24 update/5.0.2 update.. not hardware.
Oh, and I actually liked the Z3 matte copper finish better than the more glossy they put on the Z3+.

deecept said:
I gotta throw in my thoughts on this as well.
Have had the Z2, Z3 and now the Z3+. While overheating is no longer a (big) issue after reflash in SBM or PC Companion, I kinda feel like the Z3 was snappier (lagged less), camera launched faster, apps didn't crash as often, battery lasted longer, and charged up faster. And other niggles.. (no root, for instance.. CM12.1 would be blisteringly fast on this thing).
However, I'm confident that these are issues that stem from Sony hastily putting out an unfinished .24 update/5.0.2 update.. not hardware.
Oh, and I actually liked the Z3 matte copper finish better than the more glossy they put on the Z3+.
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Exactly dude
and the speakers ?? I'm really shocked.. Z3 was amazing in music !!!
and about the build quality just knock your finger many times on the back of Z3+ and you feel that's it's plastic !!
why sony whyyyyy???

Hani88 said:
Exactly dude
and the speakers ?? I'm really shocked.. Z3 was amazing in music !!!
and about the build quality just knock your finger many times on the back of Z3+ and you feel that's it's plastic !!
why sony whyyyyy???
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Click to collapse
Had to revisit this thread.
During the past week, I did a factory reset on the phone itself (no computer involved). I did this after doing a PC Companion repair phone thingie the week before.
Holy change in response time, Batman!
It's truly back to Z3 standards, and then some! I really really recommend anyone being begrudged over buying the phone to do a full wipe, first with PC Companion and then on the phone it self. Not sure wether it was the one or the other, or the combination.. but everything from battery life, to heat issues, to lagging is -gone-. Speakers might still be bad, don't know, never use them =)
Now, if we only could get a good root...

deecept said:
Had to revisit this thread.
During the past week, I did a factory reset on the phone itself (no computer involved). I did this after doing a PC Companion repair phone thingie the week before.
Holy change in response time, Batman!
It's truly back to Z3 standards, and then some! I really really recommend anyone being begrudged over buying the phone to do a full wipe, first with PC Companion and then on the phone it self. Not sure wether it was the one or the other, or the combination.. but everything from battery life, to heat issues, to lagging is -gone-. Speakers might still be bad, don't know, never use them =)
Now, if we only could get a good root...
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Really? Heat issues are gone too? What about when you use it for GPS navigation or extensive web browsing?

Culex316 said:
Really? Heat issues are gone too? What about when you use it for GPS navigation or extensive web browsing?
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I use GPS (Waze) every morning to work. With OTA update applied it used roughly 20% on the trip to the office, and was HOT when I took it out of the car. After wipe (And rewipe) before today, it used 12% on the same trip. It still gets hot doing it, mind you, but not nearly as hot as it did!
One issue I have found is apps with access to radio (i.e. data signal) keeps it alive (As reported by battery monitoring app), even if the app is dormant. I believe this is a 5.0.2 / .24 issue though, didn't happen on the Z3 I had.

deecept said:
Had to revisit this thread.
During the past week, I did a factory reset on the phone itself (no computer involved). I did this after doing a PC Companion repair phone thingie the week before.
Holy change in response time, Batman!
It's truly back to Z3 standards, and then some! I really really recommend anyone being begrudged over buying the phone to do a full wipe, first with PC Companion and then on the phone it self. Not sure wether it was the one or the other, or the combination.. but everything from battery life, to heat issues, to lagging is -gone-. Speakers might still be bad, don't know, never use them =)
Now, if we only could get a good root...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But you forgot about the screen brightness
it's not strong as much as Z3

deecept said:
I use GPS (Waze) every morning to work. With OTA update applied it used roughly 20% on the trip to the office, and was HOT when I took it out of the car. After wipe (And rewipe) before today, it used 12% on the same trip. It still gets hot doing it, mind you, but not nearly as hot as it did!
One issue I have found is apps with access to radio (i.e. data signal) keeps it alive (As reported by battery monitoring app), even if the app is dormant. I believe this is a 5.0.2 / .24 issue though, didn't happen on the Z3 I had.
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ohhhh
and even Z3 after 5.1.1 has an over heating problem now... navigating with direct sun .. my Z3 was goona explode !!!

Hani88 said:
But you forgot about the screen brightness
it's not strong as much as Z3
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Can't say I have noticed any difference in screen brightness, though!
Z3 got warm, like my Z3+ does now.. nothing out of the ordinary there

I returned my z3+ two times now. There was a gap between screen and the frame. Poor build quality vs LG G4.
Sent from my Nexus 7 WiFi using Tapatalk 2

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

Z2 after two weeks - comments

So, after two weeks of use, I am still loving the phone overall. I do however have some nitpicks that I would like to share here, just for edification.
(1) The automation software that Sony has written is buggy and I mean really buggy. My main issue is that the state changes don't return the phone back to the way it was before the automated state went into effect. For example, NIGHT silences everything, but if I was silent before and I take the phone off the charger in the middle of the night, it turns sounds back on.
(2) Bluetooth - My bluetooth module crashes EVERY time I am in the car and connected. If I'm on a call, it goes in and out at least once. I would say it is the car's bluetooth, but I've never had this happen with other phones.
(3) Wi-Fi - My wifi connection at work has been spotty, but now I sit directly under an access point. The Z2 contines to go in and out of service for no reason. It still may be the connection at work, as it doesn't happen on my home network. But, I find it quite strange.
(4) Docked - The wake-up screen doesn't switch to vertical when the phone is docked. The home screen does.
(5) Phone screen - Not sure who laid the screen out, but it is too easy to engage the phone pad screen, which in turn starts dialing numbers. The sensor doesn't seem to recognize my big face on it, so it doesn't turn off while in a call. DO NOT LIKE.
(6) Autodimming Feature - doesn't really work as advertised. If I'm in a dark room, I don't need the screen to be full on. And yet, it does.
(7) 4K camera recording shut off AND manual camera (20MP) gets an over heating after a few pictures.
now, the good part...
(1) Screen is great for everything, I don't know what people are complaining about. No it isn't flame on strong like a Galaxy S5, but it works and very well, for whatever I need.
(2) Battery life and performance are phenomenal
(3) Simple Android skin.
(4) Camera quality is fantastic. Even in a dark room I got great pictures.
Thanks for info. Looking at bright side, most of your problems should be solved with software update.
I love everything about this phone except one thing :
I have T-Mobile and before this I had Nexus 5 and mostly I had LTE almost ever where but with this phone that percentage is lowered now and rather than having 90% of LTE everywhere I have like 50% LTE everywhere and mostly H+, I don't know why or maybe that's how's this phone or maybe if they release a better radio or firmware if fix the problem, I hope for it.
Thanks for the info/initial impressions. As already mentioned, most of your problems seem to be due to software issues that could well be fixed in the future. However, the overheating issue concerns me a lot. What if it's a design fault and no ROM updates are going to fully solve it... Idk...
vctrdnl said:
Thanks for the info/initial impressions. As already mentioned, most of your problems seem to be due to software issues that could well be fixed in the future. However, the overheating issue concerns me a lot. What if it's a design fault and no ROM updates are going to fully solve it... Idk...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have had the phone for more than a week and I have to say I love it. I can confirm a few niggles here and there, but nothing deal breaking and I can see myself living with the phone for the next few years. I agree with many that the real killer issue here is overheating. While initially restricted to 4k recording, it seems that the issue is more widespread than this, and today it happened to me recording 1080p at 60fps as well as 4k recording. Only a few minutes in each time. No each time the phone did not feel particularly hot, so I suspect this is predominenty related to the threshold set for the software to go in safe mode so that could be fixed if that was inadequate calibration.
Saying that, I find it difficult to believe that an issue like this could not have been picked up during testing... Certainly makes it looked like they did fry up a few phones during development for them to be so overly (?) cautious on this...
I have the same problem with the spotty wifi. It can drop and go back to LTE all of a sudden with no apparent reason. And it has the tendency to lose mobile connection while I'm traveling on the train, I don't get this with my S3. Fortunately I'm sure Sony can fix these issues buy upgrading the radio and software updates. It's just a matter of whether they will take notice.
Sent from my non-Apple device via XDA App
You know I think Sony makes bad radio antenna. cause Xperia SP is also having issues of dropping signals right now with it's latest update.
Once I went out for skiing and I was using Xperia Z and my two friends had HTC Evo 3D and GS3, they both got h+ yet I only got edge which kinda sucked.
Well, Ive had the phone for a week today
I haven't had the same issues as the OP,
the automation software I do have issues with as in night mode it does not turn off notifications and the picture viewer starts, but the way I have got round this is to go to flight mode at night
No problems whatsoever with Bluetooth connections in my S-0max, Freelander or Jag XF, all working perfectly
no problems with wifi, but I did have to uncheck the "Avoid Poor Connections" in advanced wifi setting
no issues with phone pad random dialling or catching it
agree with camera quality, screen quality and noise cancelling headphones are great (but are awful in my ipad, terrible quality on that)
would agree the sound levels are too low, needs an update to increase volume choices
Warkman said:
Well, Ive had the phone for a week today
I haven't had the same issues as the OP,
the automation software I do have issues with as in night mode it does not turn off notifications and the picture viewer starts, but the way I have got round this is to go to flight mode at night
No problems whatsoever with Bluetooth connections in my S-0max, Freelander or Jag XF, all working perfectly
no problems with wifi, but I did have to uncheck the "Avoid Poor Connections" in advanced wifi setting
no issues with phone pad random dialling or catching it
agree with camera quality, screen quality and noise cancelling headphones are great (but are awful in my ipad, terrible quality on that)
would agree the sound levels are too low, needs an update to increase volume choices
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad I get to pick mine up today. I will say that when I had the z1 that it had low signal issues where it would cycle between LTE, HSPA and no signal in areas where other att phones stay locked on one or two bars of LTE. I'm hopeful this one will be a bit better, but we'll see.
Had my Z2 since Tuesday, It's going back!! Only for a replacement though as I love it.
Reason for going back, the gap is present on the top right on the phone.
other problems I have is the camera. Amazing results but I keep getting overheating message and shutdowns, and the keyboard is a nightmare, keep missing the space bar, but this is no big issue.
The good things, well just about everything else. The speakers are amazing, the screen is absolutely gorgeous, and it is not dim, I spend most of the day with it on auto with slider at the lowest setting. The mrs says it's ugly and looks old, I do not agree with this, it's gorgeous, and looks sleek and elegant.
Would I recommend, hell yeah!!
One further note, when you place it on the stand at night and go sleep, don't leave the bloody vibrate on, man, I sh*t myself and so did the Mrs, followed by me getting a bit of verbal!!!
Sent from my D6503 using xda app-developers app
jayc1980 said:
Had my Z2 since Tuesday, It's going back!! Only for a replacement though as I love it.
Reason for going back, the gap is present on the top right on the phone.
other problems I have is the camera. Amazing results but I keep getting overheating message and shutdowns, and the keyboard is a nightmare, keep missing the space bar, but this is no big issue.
The good things, well just about everything else. The speakers are amazing, the screen is absolutely gorgeous, and it is not dim, I spend most of the day with it on auto with slider at the lowest setting. The mrs says it's ugly and looks old, I do not agree with this, it's gorgeous, and looks sleek and elegant.
Would I recommend, hell yeah!!
One further note, when you place it on the stand at night and go sleep, don't leave the bloody vibrate on, man, I sh*t myself and so did the Mrs, followed by me getting a bit of verbal!!!
Sent from my D6503 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Iam thinking of buying this phone asap
Sent From S4 I9500 Crash Rom Final 4.4.2
paras said:
Iam thinking of buying this phone asap
Sent From S4 I9500 Crash Rom Final 4.4.2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i would too, but the overheating issues are a turn off. hoping the second batch of Z2s would not have such problems
SexyIceCream said:
i would too, but the overheating issues are a turn off. hoping the second batch of Z2s would not have such problems
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But then z3 would be announced
Sent From S4 I9500 Crash Rom Final 4.4.2
paras said:
But then z3 would be announced
Sent From S4 I9500 Crash Rom Final 4.4.2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol..perhaps a s5 would be the better choice then...but i am really tired of the design language being used by them come on, sony! lets hope the overheating can be solved through a software update
I've had mine since the 17th of April and I haven't experienced most of the problems the OP listed. I've had the 4k over heating force closing camera app but that was only on the first day because I was already using the camera for ages before testing 4k. Since then it's never happened again. Never happened with 1080p video at any point even 60fps.
No problems with lte or wifi. Don't use bluetooth much so can't comment there. Automodes work OK for me. Well it's just the night mode I used so no extensive testing done there.
Z2 rocks, put it this way, I've spent a lot of time criticising most of the Sony Ericsson and Sony devices I've owned but the z2 ain't gonna join that list.
The display is class leading, whites may not be the whitest but they're white enough. The colour reproduction is spot on despite the vibrancy unlike you know who. Performance is boss too. Only notice frame drops in games when the phone gets very hot after prolonged periods.
Sound quality is great too and I for one don't have any problems with notifications. I hear them from the living room when I'm outside. I also like the fact that it automatically adjusts the sound volume depending on what you're doing. It's loudest during gaming. I think that's good because I can just leave the phone on full volume and it automatically takes care of everything. No need to keep adjusting the volume. Another thing I discovered is that you can zoom in on any video you record with the device, not just 4k. Obviously not as much detail is preserved but it's great nonetheless.
The camera for me is the real star of the show. Not really a superior auto man because historically that produced the worst results possible especially with the Z. Not this time though. Manual for me is still king but superior auto has been greatly improved and you can be happy using it. It actually does a better job at white balance under artificial lighting. Something I hope is addressed in manual mode with software updates.
As for photo quality, it's fantastic at 8mp. Sure you can't zoom in as much as with 20.7mp but the quality is much better in ever respect. Detail preservation, colour reproduction, dynamic range etc. Fantastic job done here by Sony. They've certainly joined Nokia in the premier league of smartphone cams. If the lumia 1020 is an incredible 5mp camera, think of the z2 as an incredible 8mp camera.
Took me a while to get used to the size of the phone though but I'm over that now. Z starting to look an feel small now lol!
All in all, it's not only by far and away the best effort from Sony, it's the best smartphone ever built. It's monolithic rectangular design might not be everyone's cup of tea especial those who like to grip their phones but I love it and hope Sony never changes it. To give you some perspective, I absolutely hated the xperia arc design. That's just me I know. The m8 might feel more premium but I think it's butt ugly with those juvenile speaker grills. I actually prefer the s5's look if not feel.
There's more to talk about especially the noise cancelling genius. Works like a charm and does exactly what it claims to do.
It's also pretty solid and rugged. I've dropped mine a few times and it's shown no damage at all. I'm glad Sony went back to the original z design and put a plastic edge around the aluminum frame. My mates z1 is already showing signs of age but the z still looks fab. I think z2 will stand the test of time much like the z did.
For the bad, the phone is way too slippery hence why I've dropped it a lot. It even slides off surfaces on its own lol.
The camera also tries to force the bokeh effect on you. If you have anything that remotely looks dominant and central to the scene, the camera tends to blur out a bit objects in the background. IPhone 5s does this too but is sort of annoying especially when the z2 has a dedicated shooting mode for this. Admittedly one that's not the most accurate. Well even m8 with its secondary depth sensor is inaccurate so let's not take the high ground here.
To avoid rambling on, this is one phone I'll gladly recommend to anyone who isn't worried about size. For those of you that are, just wait for the z2 compact.
Sent from my D6503 using xda app-developers app
zodiac100 said:
I've had mine since the 17th of April and I haven't experienced most of the problems the OP listed. I've had the 4k over heating force closing camera app but that was only on the first day because I was already using the camera for ages before testing 4k. Since then it's never happened again. Never happened with 1080p video at any point even 60fps.
No problems with lte or wifi. Don't use bluetooth much so can't comment there. Automodes work OK for me. Well it's just the night mode I used so no extensive testing done there.
Z2 rocks, put it this way, I've spent a lot of time criticising most of the Sony Ericsson and Sony devices I've owned but the z2 ain't gonna join that list.
The display is class leading, whites may not be the whitest but they're white enough. The colour reproduction is spot on despite the vibrancy unlike you know who. Performance is boss too. Only notice frame drops in games when the phone gets very hot after prolonged periods.
Sound quality is great too and I for one don't have any problems with notifications. I hear them from the living room when I'm outside. I also like the fact that it automatically adjusts the sound volume depending on what you're doing. It's loudest during gaming. I think that's good because I can just leave the phone on full volume and it automatically takes care of everything. No need to keep adjusting the volume. Another thing I discovered is that you can zoom in on any video you record with the device, not just 4k. Obviously not as much detail is preserved but it's great nonetheless.
The camera for me is the real star of the show. Not really a superior auto man because historically that produced the worst results possible especially with the Z. Not this time though. Manual for me is still king but superior auto has been greatly improved and you can be happy using it. It actually does a better job at white balance under artificial lighting. Something I hope is addressed in manual mode with software updates.
As for photo quality, it's fantastic at 8mp. Sure you can't zoom in as much as with 20.7mp but the quality is much better in ever respect. Detail preservation, colour reproduction, dynamic range etc. Fantastic job done here by Sony. They've certainly joined Nokia in the premier league of smartphone cams. If the lumia 1020 is an incredible 5mp camera, think of the z2 as an incredible 8mp camera.
Took me a while to get used to the size of the phone though but I'm over that now. Z starting to look an feel small now lol!
All in all, it's not only by far and away the best effort from Sony, it's the best smartphone ever built. It's monolithic rectangular design might not be everyone's cup of tea especial those who like to grip their phones but I love it and hope Sony never changes it. To give you some perspective, I absolutely hated the xperia arc design. That's just me I know. The m8 might feel more premium but I think it's butt ugly with those juvenile speaker grills. I actually prefer the s5's look if not feel.
There's more to talk about especially the noise cancelling genius. Works like a charm and does exactly what it claims to do.
It's also pretty solid and rugged. I've dropped mine a few times and it's shown no damage at all. I'm glad Sony went back to the original z design and put a plastic edge around the aluminum frame. My mates z1 is already showing signs of age but the z still looks fab. I think z2 will stand the test of time much like the z did.
For the bad, the phone is way too slippery hence why I've dropped it a lot. It even slides off surfaces on its own lol.
The camera also tries to force the bokeh effect on you. If you have anything that remotely looks dominant and central to the scene, the camera tends to blur out a bit objects in the background. IPhone 5s does this too but is sort of annoying especially when the z2 has a dedicated shooting mode for this. Admittedly one that's not the most accurate. Well even m8 with its secondary depth sensor is inaccurate so let's not take the high ground here.
To avoid rambling on, this is one phone I'll gladly recommend to anyone who isn't worried about size. For those of you that are, just wait for the z2 compact.
Sent from my D6503 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for your input! but btw, when you mean you haven't faced the overheating for 4k, was it at least 5 minutes? i fully intend to use the z2 for an upcoming concert, so at least 5 mins of 4k would be awesome(for cropping/zooming in) :good:
SexyIceCream said:
thanks for your input! but btw, when you mean you haven't faced the overheating for 4k, was it at least 5 minutes? i fully intend to use the z2 for an upcoming concert, so at least 5 mins of 4k would be awesome(for cropping/zooming in) :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Before replying, I started another 4k video to see what happened. It recorded for 5mins 22 seconds and then forced closed. Mind you I've been using the phone all morning so was already a bit hot. I think it all depends on the temperature of the phone. If cool, you can probably record for longer. You can though zoom into any video you record. I would suggest using 1080 at 60fps at the concert or just make sure your device is cool before recording in 4k.
I think it's a threshold Sony set for it. If that's correct then removing or increasing this threshold may result in people pushing it too far and damaging their devices.
If it's not a threshold then who knows, there maybe a fix released at some point. Don't forget, the z2 really hasn't got going yet. Sony is still struggling to make it widely available so we may have to wait a few months for any fixes.
I'll wait for the device to cool down completely and retry. I'll come back to you then.
Sent from my D6503 using xda app-developers app
zodiac100 said:
Before replying, I started another 4k video to see what happened. It recorded for 5mins 22 seconds and then forced closed. Mind you I've been using the phone all morning so was already a bit hot. I think it all depends on the temperature of the phone. If cool, you can probably record for longer. You can though zoom into any video you record. I would suggest using 1080 at 60fps at the concert or just make sure your device is cool before recording in 4k.
I think it's a threshold Sony set for it. If that's correct then removing or increasing this threshold may result in people pushing it too far and damaging their devices.
If it's not a threshold then who knows, there maybe a fix released at some point. Don't forget, the z2 really hasn't got going yet. Sony is still struggling to make it widely available so we may have to wait a few months for any fixes.
I'll wait for the device to cool down completely and retry. I'll come back to you then.
Sent from my D6503 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks loads! haha if it would really take months, the Z3 would be out already(as said by another member above) i still think their 6 months refresh rate is a tad too fast but oh well
Sent from my D6503 using xda app-developers app
---------- Post added at 11:19 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:06 AM ----------
SexyIceCream said:
thanks loads! haha if it would really take months, the Z3 would be out already(as said by another member above) i still think their 6 months refresh rate is a tad too fast but oh well
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the 6 month cycle is disgusting. Nobody benefits from this. Not consumers and not Sony. With all the delays I doubt we'll see z3 until next year. I think z2 compact and possibly z2 ultra are more likely later this year. Sony would just have absolutely no justification for pushing the z3 in September. Even if they do, it'll just be another rough sketch phone like the z1 was. One which I'll surely be skipping and would advise others to do so as well. 6 months is way too short a time to develop a phone. You'll end up with another unrefined rough sketch. Let's be honest, the z1 looks now like an early prototype of the z2. If it was a proper construct, they would have called it the z2. The z1 was the original z. The z1 was a child of pure greed on Sony's part. I'm sure most z1 users will be wishing they'd skipped that device. Doing think there were that many z users who wished they'd waited for the z1 though. We've seen what Sony has to offer for 2014 and you'll realistically have to wait at least a year to any meaningful improvements. Case in point, z2 and z1 have similar camera specs but z2 produces infinitely better results. Why? The z1's camera was just the hardware without the refinements needed. Like I said, it was a rough sketch of what Sony had to come. In my opinion h2 flagships from Sony are nothing but dishonest devices. Sony's basically selling early prototypes to consumers.
Sent from my D6503 using xda app-developers app
Are you guys on the 2.55 or 2.69 firmware? Maybe the 2.69 has some changes to help with the overheating.

So I had a z3 for a week z2 vs z3 differences. Almost none! Except for design

Well. The z3 looks very nice is thinner than the z2 and also lighter. That's the major difference. Design. Software and camera is almost identical as performance too. Display on the z3 I think is slightly better but not 100% sure. The z2 display is good too. Camera is the same thing. With a two or three new features mostly the downloadable apps for the camera. Battery it is better on the z3 the z2 is not bad. So I decided to sell it. I might get the z3 compact I don't think is worth it unless u love the design and the ps4 feature. Which is not out yet. Grrrr I couldn't test that.
Sent from my D6503 using Tapatalk
ajftl said:
Well. The z3 looks very nice is thinker than three z2 and also lighter. That's the major difference. Design. Software and camera is almost identical as performance too. Display on the z3 I think is slightly better but not 100% sure. The z2 display is good too. Camera is the same thing. With a two or three new features mostly the downloadable apps for the camera. Battery it is better on the z3 the z2 is not bad. So I decided to sell it. I might get the z3 compact I don't think is worth it unless u love the design and the ps4 feature. Which is not out yet. Grrrr I couldn't test that.
Sent from my D6503 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree! Small update over Z2. With 4.4.4 Z2's battery performace will be as good as Z3.
And if Z2 gets good update to 4.4.4 (at it definitely will), differences will be even harder to see
But, as we said few times already - Z3 isn't here for Z2 users.
It's aiming to Z and Z1 users...
The fact that both devices are mirror images of themselves was known the day the specs of the z3 got confirmed.
Most of the differences are software based and that will narrow significantly once the z2 gets updated.
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Free mobile app
Good thing I went with the Z2 three weeks ago, I saved 150 euro ?
Sent from my Xperia Z2
Jiyeon90 said:
Good thing I went with the Z2 three weeks ago, I saved 150 euro ?
Sent from my Xperia Z2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't really say dats a good thing. Z2 price will drop. If I was going to buy a phone right now, I will be getting the Z3. But as I have the Z2 now, NO!
stanley08 said:
I wouldn't really say dats a good thing. Z2 price will drop. If I was going to buy a phone right now, I will be getting the Z3. But as I have the Z2 now, NO!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What he was trying to say is that he prefers the z2 at €150 less. Makes perfect sense to me. Who wouldn't?
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Free mobile app
zodiac100 said:
What he was trying to say is that he prefers the z2 at €150 less. Makes perfect sense to me. Who wouldn't?
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yh. Is quite a margin i must confess. Tempting really. But here in West Africa, when a newer device comes the older one gets a HUGE price drop and resale value is almost nothing. Well. Speaking from my own point of view. I resell my devices. But anyways, i was never gonna upgrade to the Z3 anyways.. Even Z4 not sure, i want to see what M9 looks like. I think i prefer my devices stay a flagship for a whole year
P.S: You said 'He' but i think it's a lady. Lol.
stanley08 said:
Yh. Is quite a margin i must confess. Tempting really. But here in West Africa, when a newer device comes the older one gets a HUGE price drop and resale value is almost nothing. Well. Speaking from my own point of view. I resell my devices. But anyways, i was never gonna upgrade to the Z3 anyways.. Even Z4 not sure, i want to see what M9 looks like. I think i prefer my devices stay a flagship for a whole year
P.S: You said 'He' but i think it's a lady. Lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll second that. I'm no fan of Sony's 6 month nonsense either. It's got me thinking of trying the s6 next year. Don't trust htc on the camera front. Their phones have never had good cameras and that's even before ultrapixels bull****
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Free mobile app
zodiac100 said:
I'll second that. I'm no fan of Sony's 6 month nonsense either. It's got me thinking of trying the s6 next year. Don't trust htc on the camera front. Their phones have never had good cameras and that's even before ultrapixels bull****
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol. Exactly why I want to see what they have to offer really... But Z4 might be good tho. Oh well... Only time will tell
stanley08 said:
I wouldn't really say dats a good thing. Z2 price will drop. If I was going to buy a phone right now, I will be getting the Z3. But as I have the Z2 now, NO!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Funny you should say that. I've just bought a new Z2, primarily because the phones were so similar and the Z2 was cheaper. I didn't see any reason to go for the Z3 other than better battery life.
The Z3 has remote play and such like, but that WILL come to the Z2, either by Sony themselves or by some talented individual on these very forums.
I also like the styling of the Z2 better. The Z3 looks too much like the new iphone for my tastes.
Battery life isn't an issue for me because my phone is plugged in every night anyway.
And anyway, it's only six months wait till the Z4.....
Quick Edit - I see by your signature that you have unlocked your bootloader. Have you seen any difference in the Camera or other DRM protected apps since you did it? Also, I take it you backed up your TA? Was it easy to do?
ianrobbie said:
Funny you should say that. I've just bought a new Z2, primarily because the phones were so similar and the Z2 was cheaper. I didn't see any reason to go for the Z3 other than better battery life.
The Z3 has remote play and such like, but that WILL come to the Z2, either by Sony themselves or by some talented individual on these very forums.
I also like the styling of the Z2 better. The Z3 looks too much like the new iphone for my tastes.
Battery life isn't an issue for me because my phone is plugged in every night anyway.
And anyway, it's only six months wait till the Z4.....
Quick Edit - I see by your signature that you have unlocked your bootloader. Have you seen any difference in the Camera or other DRM protected apps since you did it? Also, I take it you backed up your TA? Was it easy to do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unlcoked bootloader, didn't backup TA. Camera is better than HTC M8, I'm not a photographer. So I'm living Happily ever after.
hehehe saved my pocket too! Will stay on Z2 until Z5 which most probably will be a copy of Z4
ianrobbie said:
Funny you should say that. I've just bought a new Z2, primarily because the phones were so similar and the Z2 was cheaper. I didn't see any reason to go for the Z3 other than better battery life.
The Z3 has remote play and such like, but that WILL come to the Z2, either by Sony themselves or by some talented individual on these very forums.
I also like the styling of the Z2 better. The Z3 looks too much like the new iphone for my tastes.
Battery life isn't an issue for me because my phone is plugged in every night anyway.
And anyway, it's only six months wait till the Z4.....
Quick Edit - I see by your signature that you have unlocked your bootloader. Have you seen any difference in the Camera or other DRM protected apps since you did it? Also, I take it you backed up your TA? Was it easy to do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is definitely a difference in picture quality, especially in low light pictures. Backing up the Ta partition is easy though. You just need to root first. Can restore at any time.
I was scared to get the z2 in July not knowing what the z3/next version would be like. I'm glad to hear I didn't make a totally horrible decision.
Does it really give you 2 days battery life?
ajftl said:
Well. The z3 looks very nice is thinner than the z2 and also lighter. That's the major difference. Design. Software and camera is almost identical as performance too. Display on the z3 I think is slightly better but not 100% sure. The z2 display is good too. Camera is the same thing. With a two or three new features mostly the downloadable apps for the camera. Battery it is better on the z3 the z2 is not bad. So I decided to sell it. I might get the z3 compact I don't think is worth it unless u love the design and the ps4 feature. Which is not out yet. Grrrr I couldn't test that.
Sent from my D6503 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, i disagree. The differences are noticeable, but not enough to get envious of Z3 owners. Source: Wife has one and I set it up for her.
4.4.4 will address the differences in the software. Flashlight on quick settings, many more headphones listed in audio, etc
The screen is brighter and whiter, with precisely the same Nova settings on wife's z3 and my z2, hers is noticeably quicker and responsive - I'd say 10% quicker.
I have to say, I am jealous of the build quality - the covers on the side are recessed a little, so removing the phone from a pouch doesn't dislodge them occasionally.
Once 4.4.4 comes along, I'll be very happy. I bought some STH30 earphones and was disappointed that my z2 doesn't list them. Wife's z3 audio is much clearer than mine with the same headphones. Software no doubt, but she has the STH30 phones listed and it makes the difference somewhere.
The phones are different. In a lot of ways.
MichaelWT said:
Hmm, i disagree. The differences are noticeable, but not enough to get envious of Z3 owners. Source: Wife has one and I set it up for her.
4.4.4 will address the differences in the software. Flashlight on quick settings, many more headphones listed in audio, etc
The screen is brighter and whiter, with precisely the same Nova settings on wife's z3 and my z2, hers is noticeably quicker and responsive - I'd say 10% quicker.
I have to say, I am jealous of the build quality - the covers on the side are recessed a little, so removing the phone from a pouch doesn't dislodge them occasionally.
Once 4.4.4 comes along, I'll be very happy. I bought some STH30 earphones and was disappointed that my z2 doesn't list them. Wife's z3 audio is much clearer than mine with the same headphones. Software no doubt, but she has the STH30 phones listed and it makes the difference somewhere.
The phones are different. In a lot of ways.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
how about the battery performance? is it noticeably better on the z3?
rotsloeh said:
how about the battery performance? is it noticeably better on the z3?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Z2 and Z3 battery is different too. We both always get 7hrs screen on time, but wife plays *a lot* of games.
Last time we both compared, I was impressed with my 8hrs screen on time (6% batt left) and she was 10% battery up and at 8hrs46 screen on time. Not sure what she did with it those 2 days uptime though, but gaming in there no doubt.
Hope we get the z3 battery algorithms in 4.4.4!
I can't get 8 hours screen on time because if my screen is on, I'm transmitting data. I use my phone only for phone calls or chatting (sending pictures, videos, taking pictures and sharing them, etc). I get about 5-6 hours of screen on time which is just FANTASTIC in my opinion! I'm on the Z2 by the way.

Z3 compact VS S6 Edge

So I have a Samsung S6 Edge from Tmo. I like the phone but do not like all the bloatware that carriers put in it. I'm thinking of returning it and getting an unlocked Z3 compact.
I've read about it and I like the style and other things about it.
My question for those with the phone. How do you like it? Is the phone fast and snappy enough for you? Was rooting straightforward? Hows real world camera quality and speed?
Theres many things I like about the s6 edge but I wouldnt mind returning it and spending less for a phone that still seems really good on paper
bad_HABIT said:
So I have a Samsung S6 Edge from Tmo. I like the phone but do not like all the bloatware that carriers put in it. I'm thinking of returning it and getting an unlocked Z3 compact.
I've read about it and I like the style and other things about it.
My question for those with the phone. How do you like it? Is the phone fast and snappy enough for you? Was rooting straightforward? Hows real world camera quality and speed?
Theres many things I like about the s6 edge but I wouldnt mind returning it and spending less for a phone that still seems really good on paper
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Love mine.
Its the same hardware as the Z3 but is only driving a 720p screen rather than 1080, so its nippy
Rooting was a breeze and and debloated lollipop firmware available.
Not that sony fimrware is bloated as its not really compared to some.
What's important for you?
The Z3C camera isn't that good as I thought it would be... you can find one or two threads with people complaining about it... if you are not so much into photos, maybe you won't notice otherwise you will be a little disappointed. I mean, it's Sony! Others companies use their sensor and give much better images.
What I love about my Z3C is the size and the battery life. It's fast enough, not blazing fast.
Root may be a little complicated, but nothing impossible. I came from a Note II which rooting process was a piece of cake. But following the tutorials you will have it rooted with no issues.
scoobydu said:
Love mine.
Its the same hardware as the Z3 but is only driving a 720p screen rather than 1080, so its nippy
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Samsung does not have the same hardware as the Z3C. It has an Exynos processor and an AMOLED screen. Also, it feels faster in every way.
I like my Z3C and won't switch because of the Z3C's size and battery life. The Samsung does not come close in battery life.
Sony includes almost as much bloatware as Samsung.
scottjb said:
The Samsung does not have the same hardware as the Z3C. It has an Exynos processor and an AMOLED screen. Also, it feels faster in every way.
I like my Z3C and won't switch because of the Z3C's size and battery life. The Samsung does not come close in battery life.
Sony includes almost as much bloatware as Samsung.
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Click to collapse
He is comparing the Z3 to Z3 Compact, that only have of diference the screen (720p and 1080p) and RAM (2GB and 3GB).
iFlasher said:
He is comparing the Z3 to Z3 Compact, that only have of diference the screen (720p and 1080p) and RAM (2GB and 3GB).
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Click to collapse
Oops, my mistake. [emoji5]
I tried the S6 Edge for about a week. The S6 Edge is better in almost every way. It's slightly faster (and I mean very slightly), has better speakers, better build quality, better display, and the camera outclasses the Z3 Compact's. The Z3 Compact has waterproofing and much better battery life. Ultimately, I returned the S6 Edge and kept my Compact. The battery life on the S6 is awful IMO (even worse than my Z Ultra with its massive display) and that pretty much negates all the other positives.
love my z3c running my debloated FW, very fast and battery friendly
using it with root and xposed, didn't unlock the bootloader yet. root was very easy for me.
love the size and the battery life. didn't use the camera for long, but seems decent to me so far btw.
btw, bloatware that comes with the phone is a lot for me (I'd say the same I've always seen in samsung phones, maybe just a little less) so you'll have to debloat it if you don't like bloatware as I do, but that's what I always do immediately everytime I get a new phone and stay with stock FW for some time, so nothing new for me
would never buy a s6 edge especially for the screen.. how can you guys like those edges? just a waste of screen and visible area for me! :laugh:
Love my Z3C, camera is bit disappointing but still above average. The phone is very fast but somehow other phones with snapdragon 800/801 feel snappier (HTC one m8 and nexus 5). Still, no problems with speed whatsoever.
I prefer the Sony ui over Samsungs. Samsung interface looks cheap and it's the opposite of clean. Sony has a calm nice to use interface.
The killer feature of this phone however is the batterylife. I get an easy 2 days and I'm a pretty heavy user. I still laugh at people with their.iPhone 6/Galaxy S5 taking their charger everywhere while I'm just sitting here with 62% at the end of the day (3 hours SOT)
Also the water proofness is a nice addition. Still wash my phone every morning after a party (beer is sticky). It's a small plus but I would love to have it jn my next phone.
I have never rooted this phone but stock firmware works flawlessly for me (yes 5.0 also)
I would still recommend this phone to everybody who wants a practical phone(Size) without having to worry about anything(battery, memory,speed).
Sent from my D5803 using XDA Free mobile app
I love everything about the Z3 Compact except the camera. It is flaring all over and I have 2 of them. Overall PQ particularly contrast is so bad compared to Samsung or iPhone 6.
FiWi said:
I tried the S6 Edge for about a week. The S6 Edge is better in almost every way. It's slightly faster (and I mean very slightly), has better speakers, better build quality, better display, and the camera outclasses the Z3 Compact's. The Z3 Compact has waterproofing and much better battery life. Ultimately, I returned the S6 Edge and kept my Compact. The battery life on the S6 is awful IMO (even worse than my Z Ultra with its massive display) and that pretty much negates all the other positives.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yep same experience. makes the z3c a better phone for me, but when you think about it sony wouldnt have much to do to have made the z3c an excellent phone.. slightly annoying that they havent
that said.. you can get my days of battery life from the z3c off my dead cold fingers - its the main single reason for keeping it, until competition gets as good.
Z3 works great overall except its camera, but it won't be problem for you if you are not too serious about photos.
nobody mention the sound enhancement? it is great, clearly better than s6.
The S6 and Z3c are entirely different beasts so I'm puzzled why the OP is not considering the regular Z3 (or Z3+), which is at least a similar size. But anyhoo... the Z3c is fast enough for me with Lollipop, but the camera is mediocre at best. You can get good results with it, but that usually involves too much faffing around with manual settings. For quick snaps on the fly, Samsung cameras are a lot better IMO.
The biggest selling points of the Z3c, however, are size and battery life. They are the only reasons I (and probably many others) bought this phone.
bad_HABIT said:
So I have a Samsung S6 Edge from Tmo. I like the phone but do not like all the bloatware that carriers put in it. I'm thinking of returning it and getting an unlocked Z3 compact.
I've read about it and I like the style and other things about it.
My question for those with the phone. How do you like it? Is the phone fast and snappy enough for you? Was rooting straightforward? Hows real world camera quality and speed?
Theres many things I like about the s6 edge but I wouldnt mind returning it and spending less for a phone that still seems really good on paper
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hold in hand and form factor is good..
performance is adequate.. you can root easily and install a debloated lollipop rom.. Battery life is great.. Thats about it..
Coming from a edge to this is such a downgrade display (huge), camera(huge).. Display is the worst on z3 compact..very bad viewing angles.. If you dont mind display and camera then welcome..
sravanz said:
hold in hand and form factor is good..
performance is adequate.. you can root easily and install a debloated lollipop rom.. Battery life is great.. Thats about it..
Coming from a edge to this is such a downgrade display (huge), camera(huge).. Display is the worst on z3 compact..very bad viewing angles.. If you dont mind display and camera then welcome..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Although you're technically correct, I've never understood why anyone cats about viewing angles on a phone. Whenever you use it, it's going to be one foot directly in front of your face. I just don't see the point in comparing viewing angles on a 4 inch display.
Sent from my Xperia Z3 Compact
PuffDaddy_d said:
Although you're technically correct, I've never understood why anyone cats about viewing angles on a phone. Whenever you use it, it's going to be one foot directly in front of your face. I just don't see the point in comparing viewing angles on a 4 inch display.
Sent from my Xperia Z3 Compact
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are correct for the most part. However, I often put the phone down on a table or counter top while I eat and use it to read or browse sites like this. This creates an angle that can make it difficult to read even though it's only a foot and a half from my face.
PuffDaddy_d said:
Although you're technically correct, I've never understood why anyone cats about viewing angles on a phone. Whenever you use it, it's going to be one foot directly in front of your face. I just don't see the point in comparing viewing angles on a 4 inch display.
Sent from my Xperia Z3 Compact
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I care about it.. Most of the times my phone is on my desk while working.. I will just tap on it to wake to see any notifications.. at that time i dont hold my phone.. its still on table.. And from side.. black becomes gray/white and its terrible.. Even when you are showing pictures to some one you wont be viewing it straight.. Also some times while watching a video on bed.. There are many cases which bother me.. i wrote my experience.. if it bothers you or not depends on your use case.. Not all people use the phone same
I never rly understood the viewing angle issue. I type this at 70degres and i see fine. I must be crazy ?
bilboa1 said:
I never rly understood the viewing angle issue. I type this at 70degres and i see fine. I must be crazy ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree with u but not at thatextreme angle

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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