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Finally got some play time on the HTC One, and coming from a Nexus 4, the One felt dated to me. The Sense UI just kills the One. I didn't realize how modern Jellybean 4.2.2 feels compared to Sense until I spent time with them side by side. The One's hardware fit and finish are nice but I can't say it feels any more premium than the Nexus 4. In my hands, the Nexus glass body feels more comfortable than the aluminum on the One. Speedtest results (LTE) were little below average compared to other devices I tested but not dismal.
The One has some nice features (1080p, IR remote, dual front speakers, NFC, LTE) and if it can be flashed with stock Jellybean while keeping those features working, it would be so much better.
Just wanted to share a few thoughts about the One. I went in to buy the One but came back with a renewed appreciation for the Nexus.
Go home, you're drunk.
Sent from my M7 using xda premium
g1bJ1 said:
Finally got some play time on the HTC One, and coming from a Nexus 4, the One felt dated to me. The Sense UI just kills the One. I didn't realize how modern Jellybean 4.2.2 feels compared to Sense until I spent time with them side by side. The One's hardware fit and finish are nice but I can't say it feels any more premium than the Nexus 4. In my hands, the Nexus glass body feels more comfortable than the aluminum on the One. Speedtest results (LTE) were little below average compared to other devices I tested but not dismal.
The One has some features (IR remote, dual front speakers, NFC, LTE) and if it can be flashed with stock Jellybean while keeping those features working, it would be so much better.
Just wanted to share a few thoughts about the One. I went in to buy the One but came back with a renewed appreciation for the Nexus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sell your phone please to us....
mgxplyr said:
Go home, you're drunk.
Sent from my M7 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
Yay apparently going to a phone with LTE is going backwards! :silly:
So LG is paying people to come on sites and say this stuff now too?
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium
I went in to buy a new IPhone after coming from an Iphone and.........
One of the great things about Android is choice. We have Nexus devices, Sense, Touchwiz, and lots of launchers and skins.....gotta Love it. Rubin and Duarte are fans of skins and overlays as well. El goog even praised Facebook home as an example of what is possible with open source.
Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk HD
He's right about the sens UI part..
Why isn't this closed yet?
Choices are great to have, I agree. I loved my OG HTC EVO which had an older version of Sense. But with the improvements Google has made with stock Android, Sense didn't seem that great to me. For example, the stock icon layouts didn't take advantage of the nice 1080 resolution display, only 3 icons across with huge gaps between them.
Anyhow I'm just sharing my initial impression of the HTC One. After reading all the glorious reviews of the One I had higher expectations.
Good thread, would read again.
Lol sucks to have your brain.
He's just jelly, it's his friends phone lol.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
g1bJ1 said:
Finally got some play time on the HTC One, and coming from a Nexus 4, the One felt dated to me. The Sense UI just kills the One. I didn't realize how modern Jellybean 4.2.2 feels compared to Sense until I spent time with them side by side. The One's hardware fit and finish are nice but I can't say it feels any more premium than the Nexus 4. In my hands, the Nexus glass body feels more comfortable than the aluminum on the One. Speedtest results (LTE) were little below average compared to other devices I tested but not dismal.
The One has some nice features (1080p, IR remote, dual front speakers, NFC, LTE) and if it can be flashed with stock Jellybean while keeping those features working, it would be so much better.
Just wanted to share a few thoughts about the One. I went in to buy the One but came back with a renewed appreciation for the Nexus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't agree.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
The bloke is perfectly entitled to express his personal opinion and I'm in total agreement about his views on sense vs stock - that's just my preference.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2
g1bJ1 said:
Finally got some play time on the HTC One, and coming from a Nexus 4, the One felt dated to me. The Sense UI just kills the One. I didn't realize how modern Jellybean 4.2.2 feels compared to Sense until I spent time with them side by side. The One's hardware fit and finish are nice but I can't say it feels any more premium than the Nexus 4. In my hands, the Nexus glass body feels more comfortable than the aluminum on the One. Speedtest results (LTE) were little below average compared to other devices I tested but not dismal.
The One has some nice features (1080p, IR remote, dual front speakers, NFC, LTE) and if it can be flashed with stock Jellybean while keeping those features working, it would be so much better.
Just wanted to share a few thoughts about the One. I went in to buy the One but came back with a renewed appreciation for the Nexus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I buy HTC devices because of Sense. If the One came without sense I would have bought the S4. I have tried AOSP roms but I come screaming back to sense within minutes, they are just too limited, too spartan.
Stock android is so highly over rated it is unreal.
The only main thing that I love about it, is the stock android theme. Less amount of apps preinstalled is a bonus too
For me sense is superior to stock for these reasons:
- the apps kick ass especially the camera (zoe, more options and filter effects to choose from and a nicer, more functional UI), gallery (live tiles/thumbnails plus other wee things like being able to take a photo of a moment in video playback and even more effects) and browser app (text reflow when you pinch to zoom and double tap, modified quick thumb controls that are pure win, flash player, fast and smooth and most importantly it renders text and web sites correctly)
- unified feel, no skin can match sense in this area (aside from possibly motorola's newest skin), everything feels unified throughout, same colour scheme and same layout unlike stock; dialer has the black/blue theme, SMS and calendar etc. has the white theme, play music has a blue theme, clock has a grey theme, the menu button placement is either on the bottom or the top and then the settings menu has a holo theme throughout, minor things but damn annoying for me
If you really want stock android look without having to root, you can install the following:
stock android keyboard
stock Alarm clock
Stock SMS app
Dialer with this theme
Stock calendar
stock camera & Gallery
Nova launcher prime with the built in stock android icons
Lock screen (can get the stock lock screen theme/UI)
Stock (CM10) calculator
Multi-tasking window
And disable whatever you don't like about sense through the app settings.
Terminator19 said:
Stock android is so highly over rated it is unreal.
The only main thing that I love about it, is the stock android theme. Less amount of apps preinstalled is a bonus too
For me sense is superior to stock for these reasons:
- the apps kick ass especially the camera (zoe, more options and filter effects to choose from and a nicer, more functional UI), gallery (live tiles/thumbnails plus other wee things like being able to take a photo of a moment in video playback and even more effects) and browser app (text reflow when you pinch to zoom and double tap, modified quick thumb controls that are pure win, flash player, fast and smooth and most importantly it renders text and web sites correctly)
- unified feel, no skin can match sense in this area (aside from possibly motorola's newest skin), everything feels unified throughout, same colour scheme and same layout unlike stock; dialer has the black/blue theme, SMS and calendar etc. has the white theme, play music has a blue theme, clock has a grey theme, the menu button placement is either on the bottom or the top and then the settings menu has a holo theme throughout, minor things but damn annoying for me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It really is a personal preference and so he should be able to express his own opinion thus I don't really understand why people are bashing him. It's not like the Nexus 4 is a iphone3gs or something. I feel like his opinion is reasonable. I have always liked how sense has looked and felt (smoothness scrolling compared to stock android) and all that but it definitely is something you have to get used to. I definitely prefer sense over that samsung junk they call touchwiz and all that but stock is nice! although yes it might be a little overrated, it's still nice! But I have to agree with on that three icon thing... it just doesn't really make sense. I'm not really feeling the menus but I will have to wait til I actually get the phone, whenever the preorder fiasco finally works out..
Anyways, to each their own.
Yeah stock android is great. That's why there are hundreds of replacements in Play Store for every single element of it.
I sort of agree with his post. Just picked up my One this morning and it feels dated even compared to my HTC Evo 3D in terms of UI. It seems to be less customizable than my EVO 3D running stock sense for some reason. It seems like HTC is going with Microsoft "simple is better" approach.
I already miss the physical settings button my EVO 3D had. I also don't like how the power/volume buttons are flush with the body. The buttons should protrude a bit imo... but I suppose these are things I'll get used to it in time.
A problem I've been noticing so far is I'm losing home screen settings. For example I add all 5 home screens to expand the default 3, arranged my icons, widgets etc. This is now the second time where it randomly gets reset and I've lost settings. Now I have to go back and add the additional home screens/apps/widgets etc.
When I finished setting up the phone, storage use already showed 9GB out of 32GB before I even transferred my data (apps/music/photos/etc). Why is it using 9GB of storage out of the box?
@AndrewAmazed
Yup, all personal preference the software, just to clear things up, I wasn't bashing his opinion at all , just stating that I think stock is highly over rated, I always see people saying things like "stock android is 100 times better than everything", "never buying a non-nexus device again", review sites much preferring it to the OEM skins etc. it is good but it isn't "that" good imo.
Indeed, touchwiz is just awful, nice features etc. but everything else is a joke, completely disjointed feel throughout, horrible colour scheme, overall it just feels like a 10 year old has designed it.
All HTC need to do imo is go with a nice holo/dark theme instead of mostly white and drop some of the pointless apps, widgets.
All google need to do is sort the unified feel out (most people have already done this here for them) and add more features/options plus bring the old browser back! chrome is trash imo.
My main reasons were the beautiful physical design on the phone but more importantly the software and UX. But recently Punit Soni, Software Product Management at Motorola, went over Motorola’s tenets when it comes to software development on Android and two of them ironically enough described why I like Sony, even though he was talking about Motorola phones. Here's the 2 that stood out:
1. Ensure that we build on a foundation of pure Android
MotoBlur’s long gone. Expect the user interface on all new Motorola Android devices to look and feel like “stock” Android - not far off from a Nexus or a Google Play edition device. Motorola doesn’t want to take over the Android interface.
2. Build experiences that compliment Android and Google services, not compete with them.
I realized after reading this that this is more or less the same direction Sony has chosen to take as well. Good for them! :good:
Why I chose Z1 (Sony)
- Most premium feeling smartphone in my opinion:
The 1 piece aluminum body with glass on front and back looks and feels so premium, also a slightly heavier weighing phone is a big addition to me in this department. I don't like very light phones.
- Sony firmware:
By far the most beautiful UI. Sony theming is really beautiful, the media apps upto settings, home launcher etc everything just fits. It makes vanilla android look boring to be honest.
- Long software support:
Sony doesn't abandons support for phones too fast nowadays, it's great to see how T , TX, V will still receive 4.3 and get a lot of new features.
- Updates which introduce something new every time:
When you receive a major update from Sony (4.2 to 4.3 for example) they always introduce some nice and new features. Most of them aren't even gimmicks like Samsung for example.
- less devs so more fun and challenges for me and other devs
Sent from my C6903 using xda app-developers app
krabappel2548 said:
- less devs so more fun and challenges for me and other devs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
:good:
Why I chose Sony...
1. Build Quality
2. Screen ( I actually love it and the viewing angles don't bother Me)
3. Connectivity with the Sony eco system
4. Software. I love their UI
I came from HTC (which I loved) and before that Samsung (which I hated)... And now with Sony I've never been happier!
Sent from my C6916 using xda app-developers app
Why I chose Sony?
1. The Sony convergence. From Bravia, to Cybershot, Walkman, to Playstation, all of the Sony's in-house technologies in the power of one.
2. Build quality. Although I was bothered on my Xperia Arc days when there are a lot of paint chippings on my silver cover,
3. Sony's Android development. Every Android iteration from Sony introduces new (but helpful) features. From ICS (Album, Walkman and Movies integration), to Jelly Bean 4.1 (although Small Apps were introduced post-ICS days of T,TX and V), to 4.2 (new lockscreen and ecosystem), to 4.3 (Xperia themes and Xperia camera),
4. Last but not the least, I started with a Sony Ericsson T68i way back 2003, and I will end (not hopefully the soonest) with Sony
Why I choose Sony?
I don't know. I didn't figure it out yet. I think something is wrong with me!
I love Sony phones. Back 5-6 years ago, we all used Sony Ericsson phones. Everybody was telling me that they have the best camera. My girlfriend still have her Sony Ericsson k800i phone that had the best camera back then. Of course, with Xenon flash!
I chose Sony mobile phones for the main reason that I love the great and unique design. The software interface is also better looking (for me), than the stock Android interface.
For me, right now, Z1 have the best design that I've seen. We'll see in future.
Thanks!
krabappel2548 said:
Why I chose Z1 (Sony)
- Most premium feeling smartphone in my opinion:
The 1 piece aluminum body with glass on front and back looks and feels so premium, also a slightly heavier weighing phone is a big addition to me in this department. I don't like very light phones.
- Sony firmware:
By far the most beautiful UI. Sony theming is really beautiful, the media apps upto settings, home launcher etc everything just fits. It makes vanilla android look boring to be honest.
- Long software support:
Sony doesn't abandons support for phones too fast nowadays, it's great to see how T , TX, V will still receive 4.3 and get a lot of new features.
- Updates which introduce something new every time:
When you receive a major update from Sony (4.2 to 4.3 for example) they always introduce some nice and new features. Most of them aren't even gimmicks like Samsung for example.
- less devs so more fun and challenges for me and other devs
Sent from my C6903 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree with you. The reasons why I recently switched from a Galaxy Note 3 (SM-N900) to the Sony Xperia Z1 (C6903) are:
Sony's device build quality starting from the Xperia Z are outstanding next only to the iPhone and Nokia Lumia designs
The device designs are not generic and cheap looking
The Sony Software UX is overall pretty good and WAY better than all other manufacturers especially Samsung and their Touchwiz UX. HTC is at par with Sony in Android Land
Plus, Samsung's recent region locking stupidity really tilted the odds against it. And, the nerve of these people to ask for close to US$ 70-80 for removing the lock and the device goes out of warranty once it is done. WTF? I bought the device and it's not subsidised by any carrier and I travel to different regions!!!! None of this is applicable to other manufacturers.
So, I guess the current best in terms of specs, handling and design and UX in android land is definitely the Xperia Z1. Followed by Z Ultra and HTC One (if we discount the Snapdragon 600).
Proud owner of Xperia Z1!
Camera, design and Software.
Camera - the best camera on any Android Smartphone if you give it a try.
Design - It's just beautiful
Software - No software gimmicks. Media apps are just awesome.
Well, I had to choose Sony since I lost my Galaxy Note 3 yesterday, and the Xperia Z1 was the best camera phone available (and it was cheap second-hand). Just bought it a few hours back, and I quite like the software's looks and performance. I hate the display though, it's so much behind compared to other flagships (viewing angles do matter to me, and Sony's displays just go bad in an instant at even small angles, I also don't like Sony isn't using Gorilla Glass), though it does look good when viewed straight. The camera isn't exactly great either (the Note 3's 13MP photos were better in that there was lots of detail in outdoor photos and very little to no noise) but it's certainly there at the top.
Hoping to stick it out with the Xperia Z1 for the months to come, let's see how it goes (I do love that Sony gives long support for updates, though I hope KitKat will come soon as it has on the competition's devices.)
Oh, and I also like the fact that Sony has brought back some amazingly useful things that manufacturers have forgotten in their quest to copy Apple and make things as inconvenient as possible, like a slot for a lanyard and the camera shutter button. Seriously, it's amazingly sad how these things have been ignored, especially the lanyard slot which makes protecting your phone while in use so much easier!
Just started using Z1 and i was on Samsung phone for many year. Never to buy Samsung in future. Looking for phone with water resistance, lanyards and the camera button so I choose Sony. It was outstanding among all other brands. I can upgrade/downgrade the software without problems. Well designed and came with 3000mah battery which can last me at lease 8 hours of heavy used, S4 only last me less then 5 hours. Now I rooted it with dual recovery and never gave me flash counter/know warranty void problems like Samsung phone . With xpose framework and gravity box, which made it very useful and enjoy! Cheers.
Send from my C6903 using TapatalkPro
my Sg device: Z1 rooted136 ROM by NUT with 2.7.86 dualrecovery, mod by GavityBox 2.9.6. Samsung S2 standby for Z1 when Z1 no power.
I probably have the simplest reason:
It was the only phone in current gen with quad core, great camera, enough ram, AND MICRO SD!:laugh:
So I had an XZ and I loved it to death. Unfortunately the screen cracked, but I carried it to a repair guy, who repaired the screen...but damaged other stuff in the process -_-. He gave me a new Samsung S4 in replacement of my XZ....I was disappointed...the S4 was just not what I was used to in a Sony phone. Reading this thread encouraged me to sell that S4 plastic mess and I got my XZ1 yesterday....
1. The appearance of this phone...just sheer beauty, I have the white one. Was in town with it and people were just staring lol
2. The feel of it is like what people describe as "premium", but that word just doesn't justify the feel of this phone in my hand...have to make up another word for this.
3. The smoothness, speed and beauty of the UI is incredible. Every time I pick up my phone and use it I feel refreshed.
4. A freaking phone made me emotional!!!....
ligerblitz said:
4. A freaking phone made me emotional!!!....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You know you're a nerd when you get emotional from phones :crying:
I actually understand it though. I've ordered myself an Xperia Z1 today and I can't wait to see how much of an upgrade it really is from my current Xperia S. I'm far from rich, but I really love Sony devices and the Xperia S just can't keep up with me. I figured I'd be able to afford it if I wouldn't buy anything else in the coming two years anymore :fingers-crossed:
Hermantje said:
You know you're a nerd when you get emotional from phones :crying:
I actually understand it though. I've ordered myself an Xperia Z1 today and I can't wait to see how much of an upgrade it really is from my current Xperia S. I'm far from rich, but I really love Sony devices and the Xperia S just can't keep up with me. I figured I'd be able to afford it if I wouldn't buy anything else in the coming two years anymore :fingers-crossed:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You certainly won't regret having the Z1! great phone... I love mine...
So after 6 months with the Z1 I left it for and S5. Well actually my girlfriend dropped her nexus 5 in the sink and it didn't make. After playing with all the new phones I settled on the the S5. So far I do really like it but I still hate touchwiz as much as I did on my Note 2. This time they really screwed up the settings menu and it's just so hard to look at.
The things I like about the S5
screen is much nicer
fits better in my hand and is more comfortable to hold
heart rate monitor lol joking useless to me
I like having my menu buttons built into the phone so there is less space used on the screen although 4.4 help sony in this regard
removable battery
wireless charging
I have an unlockable bootloader ( my fault for buying the Z1 from a carrier)
Thing I miss from the Z!
Metal and glass construction
I found the camera to be slightly better than the S5
Camera button
walkman app ( I really liked that app)
Sony's skin is much less intrusive
Performance comparison
To tell you the truth despite the S5 having a newer processor I found the Z1 to have a little less hiccups and I'm sure touchwiz is to blame here.
My recommendation for switching if your thinking about it. Unless you really find the Z1's screen that bad I would stick with the Z1. I am happy with my S5 and overall I do like a little more than my Z1 but really its new so I'm not sure if I'm still in the honeymoon phase.
Any questions feel free to ask
Glad you found a phone you can like more,,
And from my experience playing around with my cousin's S5, i found all the same things you dont like from S5...
Freaking weird setting menu, slightly worse camera (faster focus, yes -- slightly, but stuttering UI and slower shutter), UI hiccups, and the 'isthisthingevenworking' heart rate monitor
I do found the screen to be really gorgeous, but to my hands, both Z1 and S5 are comfy in my grip.. Probably because i have big hands
I also tried to remove the back cover and sure it reminds me of Xperia ZR, but with thinner and smaller rubber shields which worries me
ほなみー
---------- Post added at 06:19 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:11 AM ----------
Image samples...
Galaxy S5
http://imgur.com/7wLRWWG
Taken in 16mp 4:3
My Z1
http://imgur.com/1443mpB
Taken in 20mp 4:3
As you can see, S5 seems to have bigger focal length than Z1.. It shows from how much Z1 captures a bit more than S5 since those were taken from the same spot
ほなみー
zegun said:
Glad you found a phone you can like more,,
And from my experience playing around with my cousin's S5, i found all the same things you dont like from S5...
Freaking weird setting menu, slightly worse camera (faster focus, yes -- slightly, but stuttering UI and slower shutter), UI hiccups, and the 'isthisthingevenworking' heart rate monitor
I do found the screen to be really gorgeous, but to my hands, both Z1 and S5 are comfy in my grip.. Probably because i have big hands
I also tried to remove the back cover and sure it reminds me of Xperia ZR, but with thinner and smaller rubber shields which worries me
ほなみー
---------- Post added at 06:19 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:11 AM ----------
Image samples...
Galaxy S5
http://imgur.com/7wLRWWG
Taken in 16mp 4:3
My Z1
http://imgur.com/1443mpB
Taken in 20mp 4:3
As you can see, S5 seems to have bigger focal length than Z1.. It shows from how much Z1 captures a bit more than S5 since those were taken from the same spot
ほなみー
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so is it worth getting s5 ??
I would say no, unless you hate your screen on the z1 which I didn't find that bad
Sent from my SM-G900W8 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Bleh s5 should probably get play edition as soon as they figure out how to implement the heart rate monitor or the fingerprint scan, because look at the z ultra play edition, it has x reality in the settings lol
LaosPerson said:
Bleh s5 should probably get play edition as soon as they figure out how to implement the heart rate monitor or the fingerprint scan, because look at the z ultra play edition, it has x reality in the settings lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly I could care less about either one of those features my GF is a nurse I'll get her to check my pulse lol, the fingerprint scanner has been flaky in my experience doesn't work good one handed which is useless to me. Only thing is the S5 has a knox on it and a counter so you trip it in you flash custom recovery rumor has it that voids your warranty but on the upside there will be a way more active development community for the S5.
bodson66 said:
Honestly I could care less about either one of those features my GF is a nurse I'll get her to check my pulse lol, the fingerprint scanner has been flaky in my experience doesn't work good one handed which is useless to me. Only thing is the S5 has a knox on it and a counter so you trip it in you flash custom recovery rumor has it that voids your warranty but on the upside there will be a way more active development community for the S5.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The note 3 looked kinda dead lol, but for tmobile might be completely different since the bootloader is unlocked, but knox still gets in the way
But interesting that the s5 should have more devolpment
LaosPerson said:
The note 3 looked kinda dead lol, but for tmobile might be completely different since the bootloader is unlocked, but knox still gets in the way
But interesting that the s5 should have more devolpment
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ya I'm not sure about american carriers but I think only Verizon locks the bootloader not sure though, either way it seems like it is getting harder and harder to flash roms and do what you like with these new phones. I really wanted the oppo find 7 but it was on back order and needed a phone
bodson66 said:
So after 6 months with the Z1 I left it for and S5. Well actually my girlfriend dropped her nexus 5 in the sink and it didn't make. After playing with all the new phones I settled on the the S5. So far I do really like it but I still hate touchwiz as much as I did on my Note 2. This time they really screwed up the settings menu and it's just so hard to look at.
The things I like about the S5
screen is much nicer
fits better in my hand and is more comfortable to hold
heart rate monitor lol joking useless to me
I like having my menu buttons built into the phone so there is less space used on the screen although 4.4 help sony in this regard
removable battery
wireless charging
I have an unlockable bootloader ( my fault for buying the Z1 from a carrier)
Thing I miss from the Z!
Metal and glass construction
I found the camera to be slightly better than the S5
Camera button
walkman app ( I really liked that app)
Sony's skin is much less intrusive
Performance comparison
To tell you the truth despite the S5 having a newer processor I found the Z1 to have a little less hiccups and I'm sure touchwiz is to blame here.
My recommendation for switching if your thinking about it. Unless you really find the Z1's screen that bad I would stick with the Z1. I am happy with my S5 and overall I do like a little more than my Z1 but really its new so I'm not sure if I'm still in the honeymoon phase.
Any questions feel free to ask
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Traitor just kidding
I had the s4 and it was good but I hated the buttons... Really liked the fast settings in the statusbar though..
Does their screens still have the pink tint issue?
Sent from my C6903 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
HellRoot said:
Traitor just kidding
I had the s4 and it was good but I hated the buttons... Really liked the fast settings in the statusbar though..
Does their screens still have the pink tint issue?
Sent from my C6903 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All my friends have Samsung and they have alot more Problems then i have with Lags, UI Hiccups and more. For me Sony is the best, i had iPhone, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and alot of Phones but since my X10 i only had Sony becouse i hate the Samsung UI and i like Sonys UI alot more then AOSP. The good thing about Sony is the Quality of the Production and the simple but nice UI, good Camera and for me the Sony Phones look alot better then Samsung. I dropped my Xperia P alot and even once when it fall down the Stairs i thought it was completly broke becouse it was more then 2 meters but had not even damaged Display, 3 of my Friends dropped their S4 from not even 1 meter and Display is broke. Another reason is i dont like Mainstream Phones that everyone has like Samsung or iPhone haha
Wolfbreak said:
All my friends have Samsung and they have alot more Problems then i have with Lags, UI Hiccups and more. For me Sony is the best, i had iPhone, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and alot of Phones but since my X10 i only had Sony becouse i hate the Samsung UI and i like Sonys UI alot more then AOSP. The good thing about Sony is the Quality of the Production and the simple but nice UI, good Camera and for me the Sony Phones look alot better then Samsung. I dropped my Xperia P alot and even once when it fall down the Stairs i thought it was completly broke becouse it was more then 2 meters but had not even damaged Display, 3 of my Friends dropped their S4 from not even 1 meter and Display is broke. Another reason is i dont like Mainstream Phones that everyone has like Samsung or iPhone haha
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsung's UI is very ugly Nova launcher helps a bit but it is heavy and is the main cause of lag for sure. As for build quality my Xperia ZL broke after a month (mic died) then replacement lasted 2 month before the usb port broke. My xperia Z after two months of use the back glue came undone from the heat the phone produced. My Z1 has been great no complaints. They all have issues but I had less problem with my samsung devices then I did Sony just my experience. No doubt the Sony looks nicer though, and I agree I first went from samsung to sony because I wanted something everyone didn't have.
Thanks for sharing your exp. with us mate.
To be honest i cant find more attractive than Z1 for now , performance wise i am happy with it and i am loving the camera specially with i hackers mod , one question how is the build quality generally ? because i owned Note2 and the build quality was terrible.
Cheers
Vatis
vatis24 said:
Thanks for sharing your exp. with us mate.
To be honest i cant find more attractive than Z1 for now , performance wise i am happy with it and i am loving the camera specially with i hackers mod , one question how is the build quality generally ? because i owned Note2 and the build quality was terrible.
Cheers
Vatis
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The quality is the best Samsung has put together, everything feel tight ans I do like the textured back, but the Sony has more heft and I wish Samsung would have at least make the frame aluminum.
I the S4 and a tab 3 10.1, a combo that put me off Samsung for good
So i dont have a good opinion about the S5
Sent from my C6906 using Tapatalk
negrobembon said:
I the S4 and a tab 3 10.1, a combo that put me off Samsung for good
So i dont have a good opinion about the S5
Sent from my C6906 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsung seems to be focusing on to many gimmicks rather than improving what people want most. I have yet to try a samsung tablet that I like. I work in I.T and we have never had great success with samsung tablets. As an android fan it hurt me to suggest Ipads for my company but they just worked better for what we needed. I have a Nexus 7 that I do really like. We do have a BYOD program at work and samsung's don't cause much problem but neither do most newer androids, but the fragmentation due to slow updates does cause us some headaches. Blackberries have been the worst since BB10 though.
best phone they did was the SG2 game changer.
Sticking to my z1 should last a few years and still be a good phone.
juDGEY2k10 said:
best phone they did was the SG2 game changer.
Sticking to my z1 should last a few years and still be a good phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that and the note 1 I had the galaxy s then s2 and then note 1, I wish they would pool together their resources and start making some deadly exynos chips again
Before owning a Z1 I had a Xperia X10 Mini Pro and a Galaxy S4. When I decided to upgrade my old X10 Mini Pro I started to search for the best device available in the moment, I had 3 options back then, which were Xperia Z, HTC One and Galaxy S4. After reading a lot, I decided to change from Sony to other device, and many people started to pressure me to get S4 because it was Samsung. In the end I got the S4, which was an amazing device indeed, very powerful and had an amazing screen.
Back in January, my S4 broke (apparently bootloader problem ) and Samsung refused to fix it (I never asked to do the repair free of charge, actually I said I'd pay, but they still didn't want to fix it)! So, I'm staying away from Samsung after this. And when you have such a powerful device you don't want to downgrade anymore, so I started to search for a great device that would be good for me. I was between Nexus 5 and Z1, personally I'm not a big fan of LG, and the point that I already had a 32GB Sdcard from my S4 made me go for Sony again, if I have to change a device it'll surely be Sony again lol.
Now to the true comparison between S4 and Z1 (I never used a S5 before, so I decided to share what's the experience of changing from Samsung to Sony). When it comes to processing power, Z1 simply destroys S4, true, it's not fair comparing a Snapdragon 800 to a 600, but not only the processor is faster, but the OS in Z1 was optimized, so it gives you a better experience, not only Xperia UI is faster, but is way better looking that Touchwiz, which looks too colorful and somewhat "childish" to me (just my personal opinion). It takes me to another point in UI, now comparing Sony, Apple and Samsung... If you look at Apple iOS 7 design, it's all colorful like Touchwiz, personally I'm not a big fan of those colorful "happy/childish" designs, sometime back if you asked me about iOS design (before 7), I'd say it is professional looking, while Touchwiz was focused more on a different aspect. Now, if you ask me the same thing, I'd say that Xperia is the one with professional looking, while the other two are fighting for a younger fanbase probably.
In terms of holding the device, I never had a problem with either, however, I feel using my Xperia with two hands more than I think I did with S4, not that it is a problem though, as most of times I'm using the cellphone with only one hand, but, being a person with 190cm I have very big hands, which probably helps in this. The thing is that Xperia feels more premium due to the glass back, it's also more comfortable to hold feeling it like this.
And talking about the exterior characteristics of the device, there's one thing that's really funny that happens. When I owned a S4, people would look at it and ask: "Is it a S4?", and only after I answered "yes", they'd say "OMG! That's so GREAT!!". Now with Z1, they don't even know the device, they look and say "OMG! It looks amazing!! What device is it?", I never thought the device aesthetics would do much, now I know how it changes the way others will look at your cellphone.
Another thing that I need to say is about the camera and screen. I'm not a professional photographer, actually I took just a few, so the amazing Z1 camera is just a bonus for me, but I think Xperia's camera beat easily Galaxy's camera, specially having a physical button! When changing from X10 Mini Pro to S4 I actually felt a little harder to took more focused pictures without a button . And the screen is hard to compare, both have an amazing screen, but I will give the point for S4 on this one, the viewing angles were way better, however you have a display over saturated in Galaxy, which can be a little annoying, that's why I loved Sony's display .
Also, like said by someone before me, I think Samsung has many useless apps, while Z1 had apps that I actually used or if I didn't use there were just a few anyway. At least, but not last, I like the exclusivity of being a Sony user, as everyone either has an iPhone or a Samsung .
Glad to know that OP liked his new acquisition . Personally Samsung is a no go for me anymore, hope you enjoy your device ^^.
~Lord
XxLordxX said:
Before owning a Z1 I had a Xperia X10 Mini Pro and a Galaxy S4. When I decided to upgrade my old X10 Mini Pro I started to search for the best device available in the moment, I had 3 options back then, which were Xperia Z, HTC One and Galaxy S4. After reading a lot, I decided to change from Sony to other device, and many people started to pressure me to get S4 because it was Samsung. In the end I got the S4, which was an amazing device indeed, very powerful and had an amazing screen.
Back in January, my S4 broke (apparently bootloader problem ) and Samsung refused to fix it (I never asked to do the repair free of charge, actually I said I'd pay, but they still didn't want to fix it)! So, I'm staying away from Samsung after this. And when you have such a powerful device you don't want to downgrade anymore, so I started to search for a great device that would be good for me. I was between Nexus 5 and Z1, personally I'm not a big fan of LG, and the point that I already had a 32GB Sdcard from my S4 made me go for Sony again, if I have to change a device it'll surely be Sony again lol.
Now to the true comparison between S4 and Z1 (I never used a S5 before, so I decided to share what's the experience of changing from Samsung to Sony). When it comes to processing power, Z1 simply destroys S4, true, it's not fair comparing a Snapdragon 800 to a 600, but not only the processor is faster, but the OS in Z1 was optimized, so it gives you a better experience, not only Xperia UI is faster, but is way better looking that Touchwiz, which looks too colorful and somewhat "childish" to me (just my personal opinion). It takes me to another point in UI, now comparing Sony, Apple and Samsung... If you look at Apple iOS 7 design, it's all colorful like Touchwiz, personally I'm not a big fan of those colorful "happy/childish" designs, sometime back if you asked me about iOS design (before 7), I'd say it is professional looking, while Touchwiz was focused more on a different aspect. Now, if you ask me the same thing, I'd say that Xperia is the one with professional looking, while the other two are fighting for a younger fanbase probably.
In terms of holding the device, I never had a problem with either, however, I feel using my Xperia with two hands more than I think I did with S4, not that it is a problem though, as most of times I'm using the cellphone with only one hand, but, being a person with 190cm I have very big hands, which probably helps in this. The thing is that Xperia feels more premium due to the glass back, it's also more comfortable to hold feeling it like this.
And talking about the exterior characteristics of the device, there's one thing that's really funny that happens. When I owned a S4, people would look at it and ask: "Is it a S4?", and only after I answered "yes", they'd say "OMG! That's so GREAT!!". Now with Z1, they don't even know the device, they look and say "OMG! It looks amazing!! What device is it?", I never thought the device aesthetics would do much, now I know how it changes the way others will look at your cellphone.
Another thing that I need to say is about the camera and screen. I'm not a professional photographer, actually I took just a few, so the amazing Z1 camera is just a bonus for me, but I think Xperia's camera beat easily Galaxy's camera, specially having a physical button! When changing from X10 Mini Pro to S4 I actually felt a little harder to took more focused pictures without a button . And the screen is hard to compare, both have an amazing screen, but I will give the point for S4 on this one, the viewing angles were way better, however you have a display over saturated in Galaxy, which can be a little annoying, that's why I loved Sony's display .
Also, like said by someone before me, I think Samsung has many useless apps, while Z1 had apps that I actually used or if I didn't use there were just a few anyway. At least, but not last, I like the exclusivity of being a Sony user, as everyone either has an iPhone or a Samsung .
Glad to know that OP liked his new acquisition . Personally Samsung is a no go for me anymore, hope you enjoy your device ^^.
~Lord
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to make clear I do like the S5 a lot but my main point to the thread was to give people an idea of what the next gen was like comparing it to the Z1. I agree with all your points I'm 6'4 so my hands are big and neither devices is that easy to use one handed. Although I do like how samsung puts the back button on the right. Despite sony having some odd hicups with software there skin is way better and way nicer to look at.
The main reason I made this thread was for people to ask some questions and mostly to tell people not get envious of the new phones. My gf has my Z1 now and I still miss it. Performance in benchmarks are better on the S5 but as the saying goes that means nothing. I turned off all the animation on my S5 so the UI would be more fluid and that says a lot about Samsungs UI. Basically the only things that really makes me feel like I improved on is the screen. I am photographer and both cameras are good for the small sensor size but the sony camera app is way better. I use mostly pentax K3 and K2IIs for most my shooting and just bough the Sony A7r and I can tell sony has been really pushing advancement in the full frame camera world. I too like you switched to sony because everyone had a samsung and I wanted something different, If the Z2 was availible here to buy I would have gotten that one
bodson66 said:
Just to make clear I do like the S5 a lot but my main point to the thread was to give people an idea of what the next gen was like comparing it to the Z1. I agree with all your points I'm 6'4 so my hands are big and neither devices is that easy to use one handed. Although I do like how samsung puts the back button on the right. Despite sony having some odd hicups with software there skin is way better and way nicer to look at.
The main reason I made this thread was for people to ask some questions and mostly to tell people not get envious of the new phones. My gf has my Z1 now and I still miss it. Performance in benchmarks are better on the S5 but as the saying goes that means nothing. I turned off all the animation on my S5 so the UI would be more fluid and that says a lot about Samsungs UI. Basically the only things that really makes me feel like I improved on is the screen. I am photographer and both cameras are good for the small sensor size but the sony camera app is way better. I use mostly pentax K3 and K2IIs for most my shooting and just bough the Sony A7r and I can tell sony has been really pushing advancement in the full frame camera world. I too like you switched to sony because everyone had a samsung and I wanted something different, If the Z2 was availible here to buy I would have gotten that one
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
I get what your thread was, sorry if I went off topic . I saw some people sharing their experiences with other Samsung devices and I felt inspired myself hehe. I didn't intend to rant at Samsung, S5 or anyone, just a personal opinion .
For Sony camera app I completely know what you mean! When I installed a custom ROM on my X10 Mini Pro I really felt the lack of the camera app hahaha! And now Z1 is great for me, reminds me of a Cybershot camera (you know, those small ones).
By the way, I ended up forgetting to ask a question . I saw some pics of S5 and it looked a little bulky, do you feel the difference in it? Also much do you think they've improved from the older devices build? Because personally I didn't like build quality of S4, specially after some time the back started to get scratched, but I did like how the bezels were small, which I think they didn't do in S5...
~Lord
Well it is time for my annual upgrade and I really want this phone. I have some hesitations moving off of Nexus hardware. My first Android phone was a HTC One X+ and I hated sense. Absolutely hated it. I also felt like I was missing out as the software was never updated past 4.1 or something along those lines. Anyway I guess my question pertains to how Sony handles software updates. The Z3 hardware looks amazing but I don't want to be stuck with 4.4.4, have they announced plans to go to L? Also how intrusive are the Sony customizations? I love the stock android experience so I don't want to end up with something half baked. Anyway any help here is appreciated. If only the N6 wasn't so damn big.
From owning a Xperia Tablet Z, I can say I'm rather happy with their releases. There's been several, up to 4.4.4 on a device that's now a few years old. They are obviously not as timely as a nexus device, since Google has lots of internal lead time to develop on the nexus units before the code gets out to partners like Sony. However, I think 3 months isn't horrible to test and develop when Sony is doing it simultaneously for several tablets and numerous phones. If anything, they've been getting faster and faster at it over the last year. I'd guess that 5.0 might show up around 2-3 months after the initial Google release, maybe even faster.
Good to know How has Sony's overall software experience been? Can you delete all the built in apps like walkman and what not?
Well most of built in apps you cant delete (walkman, album, movies, and other stuff).
Also, Z1 was Announced with 4.2, then we receive 4.3, 4.4.2 than 4.4.4 and now we will get 5.0..
And they are fast in my opinion, and generaly i like sony UI the most. I hate touchwiz, and sense and other stuff.
Sony UI is prety close to Original Android feel.
Same hesitations from me...currently have a Nexus 4 and have been trialling the Z3 for the past week. All good so far and I like the fact the battery life is miles better than the Nexus, has a great camera, is Pentaband so I don't need two handsets when travelling to different parts of the World (I didn't upgrade to the Nexus 5 due to the fact it wasn't Pentaband) and is slightly larger...but not too large. The Sony software is not as bloated as others but I will miss the ability to not have vanilla Android and have access to the latest software releases directly from Google. Just hope we don't have to wait too long for Sony to make the latest software available.
I'm heading to the US shortly and have ordered a dual-SIM Z3 since it's not available in the UK (it's also cheaper, approx £410).
-Mikee-
Careful with the dual Sim, mine may have been an anomaly, but one of the Sim slots didn't work and the other gave me horrible reception. Traded it back in for a D6603 and all is right with the world.
I think I will be doing the same. After having the Nexus 4 and then the 5, I'm not interested in the 6 (mainly due to the price though as $800-$850 CDN for 64GB is just too much).
What I like about the Z3 is the battery life (seems like it may be the best out there for an Android phone and the battery on the N5 was awful) and bright screen (the N5 wasn't nearly as bright enough outdoors). I'm hooked on the 5 inch screen size as it is just easier for me to type on. Adding to that you have the waterproofing aspect which may come in handy (though in all my years, I haven't got my phone wet yet!).
I'm worried about the UI aspect as some reviews say there is a bit too much bloatware on the Sony's (though I guess you can always disable it) and of course there is the question of updates. You would have to assume you'd get L from Sony unless they expect you to upgrade to the Z4 to get it (which will probably be out in 6 months ).
Maybe Sony's past history with updating their handsets to the latest software release would give an indication but I don't know what that history is.
I think I'll be getting the Z3 and keeping my N5 around for the first weeks before the return policy expires. I'll have L on it so if it performs well enough I may hold off on the Z3 until L is out. Love me that material. I've been running the Dev preview since it was released and I find KitKat dated to say the least
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
I ended up from a glass back phone to another glass back phone (n4 to z3)
However this over doesn't feel that fragile
Pros over my broken screen nexus 4
1) The screen is much brighter and has superb colors!
2) The speakers are in front and are as loud as my nexus!
3) The performance has to be better (s801) and psp emulation is so much easier now!
4) looks more premium (personal opionion)
5) I don't feel heat as much as I did on my nexus 4
6) That amazing camera blows my mind
7) Waterproofing and dust tight build
8) Easy switch from notifications to quick settings using a swipe
9) Theming app is okokgood, not cyanogenmod good!
Cons over my nexus 4
1) I miss the developer love. There may be amazing development, it actually has started (cm11) but nexus were always on a different level
2) The biggest con is that i miss aosp, its love and beauty
3) Ability to switch to art! Why xperia! Why can't you allow me to switch to art? Why can't you make your apps compatible with art?
4) Bloat
5) Why do i have a what's new thing on my navigation bar? Why can't I disable the small app launcher?
These are my views, if you don't mind any of the cons, you wouldn't mind an Xperia
Ps- i got this phone cause one plus hates India, they don't want to give us their phones and nexus 6 is just too big to use! Right now the only phone i may consider switching to would be nexus 5 because aosp is love, is life!
darkrai said:
I ended up from a glass back phone to another glass back phone (n4 to z3)
However this over doesnt feel that fragile
Pros over my broken screen nexus 4
1) The screen is much brighter and has superb colors!
2) The speakers are in front and are as loud as my nexus!
3) The performance has to be better (s801) and psp emulation is so much easier now!
4) looks more premium (personal opionion)
5) I dont feel heat as much as I did on my nexus 4
6) That amazing camera blows my mind
7) Waterproofing and dust tight build
8) Easy switch from notifications to quick settings using a swipe
9) Theming app is okokgood, not cyanogenmod good!
Cons over my nexus 4
1) I miss the developer love. There may be amazing development, it actually has started (cm11) but nexus were always on a different level
2) The biggest con is that i miss aosp, its love and beauty
3) Ability to switch to art! Why xperia! Why cant you allow me to switch to art? Why cant you make your apps compatible with art?
4) Bloat
5) Why do i have a whats new thing on my navigation bar? Why cant I disable the small app launcher?
These are my views, if you dont mind any of the cons, you wouldnt mind an Xperia
Ps- i got this phone cause one plus hates India, they dont want to give us their phones and nexus 6 is just too big to use! Right now the only phone i may consider switching to would be nexus 5 because aosp is love, is life!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can block the what's new and the mini app bar with adb commands
jonshipman said:
You can block the what's new and the mini app bar with adb commands
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No no
You don't root and unlock a 830$ phone in the first month itself (if adb needs root)
Of this doesn't need root, steps to disable them please
darkrai said:
No no
You dont root and unlock a 830$ phone in the first month itself (if adb needs root)
Of this doesnt need root, steps to disable them please
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Adb doesnt need root.
As for the steps, I'd Google them because we probably don't have the same computer.
wolf0491 said:
I feel the development is usually pretty good on the Z line. Depends on if you unlock bootloader or not of course.
Had quite a number of Rom choice for my original Z.
As for the dual Sim 6633 mine works fine in US on ATT. Using only one Sim though.
Sent from my Xperia Z3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think this is where our thoughts will differ
Xperia z was Sonys comeback phone
Intended to be a hit and it was
Therefore they had to give it special treatment
Now if they stop it, it would feel weird to all those upgrading for development
And Xperia z3 is no comeback phone, it's just a slight upgrade over z2
So you cannot be that sure
Nexus Smexus
I was a big Nexus fan. But there was always some corners being cut. I really just loved the stock Android experience which is why I was greateful for the GPe editions. After having owned a GPe HTC One M8, and a regular M8, I was rather impressed with the skin, they didn't over do it, it was just a matter of having the features that were lacking from stock experience. I found the Sony Z3 to be the same. They didn't over do it on the customizations, in fact they in my opinion did just the right amount of customizations. Sure I wish they didn't put the "what's new" garabage on the phone, but it's not a deal breaker. I plan to freeze the crap apps I never intend to use. Which aren't many. In fact it feels very much stock with minimal customizations. Well worth the camera, beauty, added features, and the waterproofing. I reluctantly threw it in a bowl of water and took a photo...flawless. Though I haven't soaked a phone accidently in years, it's nice to have the feature.
derrickonline said:
I was a big Nexus fan. But there was always some corners being cut. I really just loved the stock Android experience which is why I was greateful for the GPe editions. After having owned a GPe HTC One M8, and a regular M8, I was rather impressed with the skin, they didn't over do it, it was just a matter of having the features that were lacking from stock experience. I found the Sony Z3 to be the same. They didn't over do it on the customizations, in fact they in my opinion did just the right amount of customizations. Sure I wish they didn't put the "what's new" garabage on the phone, but it's not a deal breaker. I plan to freeze the crap apps I never intend to use. Which aren't many. In fact it feels very much stock with minimal customizations. Well worth the camera, beauty, added features, and the waterproofing. I reluctantly threw it in a bowl of water and took a photo...flawless. Though I haven't soaked a phone accidently in years, it's nice to have the feature.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey Derrick,
Do you mind elaborating on the corners being cut? I am in the market between the z3 and nexus 6 and cannot decide which would be better overall. Should I go for the latest phone with stock android? or go for a more premium designed phone? What influenced your decisions?
Richie5767 said:
Hey Derrick,
Do you mind elaborating on the corners being cut? I am in the market between the z3 and nexus 6 and cannot decide which would be better overall. Should I go for the latest phone with stock android? or go for a more premium designed phone? What influenced your decisions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ritchie:
I swap phones every 6 months. So I've had just about every flagship phone out there (Android), including the OnePlus. Nexus devices tend to have poor speakers, and below average cameras. They never look premium (except for the Nexus 4, which was actually the LG Optimus G variant)I owned both and preferred the LG Optimus G version. I found the Nexus devices tend to be thicker. If they're not thicker, they feel thicker (likely due to the Qi wireless charging). Also battery life always feel average.
Even though I much prefer stock Android, I must say OEMs (at least HTC and Sony). I hate Samsung phones, bloated to the max and just plain boring looking. I was happy with the skinned version HTC used even having owned the GPe version as well. Sony feels very much stock with a few tweaks that add value not take away. They also don't add complete non-sense crap you'd ever use like Samsung. Well they do have this stupid "What's New" thing but it's easy to ignore.
Now to answer your question. I recently purchased a OnePlus. That phone was freakin' HUGE!!! It has a 5.5 inch screen, and I believe the Z3 is 5.2. The problem was the phone was just tall and wide with large bezels. It dwarfed an HTC M8 and that's a fairly tall phone. So for me personally I sold it and got a Z3. The size is PERFECT even though it has a 5.2 inch screen. It doesn't feel bigger than my HTC One M8, but I don't have both in hand right now. It definitely feels slipper than the M8, and just as premium. I have not owned a Nexus 6, but right off the bat for me personally I have no interest. It's too big. Much like the OnePlus.
So I really boils down to what's most important to you. If you're worried about getting Android L when it comes out. You'll get it. Even if it's not through official Sony channels. With a phone as popular as the Z3, the only thing holding back development here is waiting for root without unlocking the bootloader. Once that happens, development is going to blow up and that means you'll get your Android L. So don't let that be your limiting factor (assuming you're OK with rooting your device and unlocking the bootloader at some point down the road when the devs have figured out how to backup the DRM keys). If size is a factor and you don't mind talking into what looks like a tablet. Go with the Nexus 6. Me personally I hate phablets. Sony's 5.2 inch Z3 is the sweet spot. It also has a very premium finish, glass front and back. It won't draw attention like pulling out an M8 or even an M7 for that matter, the speakers can't touch the M8 (but who's speakers can?), but the perfect size, perfect software combo (not overly skinned), decent camera (nothing earth shattering), and being water proof...it's a win for me. It's fast, has 3GB of memory, looks premium, and has all that I need. Only thing it's missing: Wireless charging, and an iR blaster. The iR blaster was neat when I couldn't find my remote, but it didn't get a lot of real world use from me so it's not terrible that the Sony doesn't have it.
My favorite flagship phones hands down have been HTC One M8, and this Sony Z3. Hope that helps answer your question.
Stick the Google Now Launcher on it and block What's New & Small Apps and it will feel like stock. I love it.
Just say hello on this part of the XDA world, had my first Sony Smartphone ever yesterday the Z5...
Always used Mostly HTC and a few Samsung and my Last phone was a nexus 6...
First impressions are really good, lot of stuff by default that I used to root the other phones for 2 most useful being the battery percentage (why others don't do this baffles me) and the clear all in the recent apps i could almost live with this phone not rooted...
Its not as super zippy as the nexus 6 and the screen is a little smaller obviously but i found the Nexus just a bit too big.
Hopefully they'll be some more rooting and custom rom options soon...
Not sure about battery life yet but seems ok so far...
Biggest issue is the shape does anybody find this phone comfy to hold ?
Compared to my HTC M8 which is still have (as a spare) it feels really unnatural suppose you get used to it...
Be sure you're using the latest firmware, it made everything snappier and more responsive.
It's my first Sony phone too. Always had iPhones, Samsung and OnePlus phones before.
I highly recommend going for a third party launcher. I myself use Apex Pro for my Z1 which gives me more functions, better graphical effects/animations and overall much nicer GUI. This coupled with custom icons pack "Elun" for an elegant clean design. Pretty much always have a perfectly fluid 60fps interface and scrolling and I have lots of persistant apps that gives me various functions loaded all the time using resources. And I have compared against the S5, S6 Edge, M4 Aqua, Iphone 6S Plus and they all often fall under 60fps making for a stuttery GUI experience while looking worse and having less features running. So keyword is custom launcher to bring out the beast!