Database Users

Before I jump ship I'd like to know...

I'm about to preorder the Z2, but there are some things that I need to know before doing it:
1.Has sony had problems with too cold (blue)/ too warm (yellow) screens?
2. The holes on the left side are for a charging dock, that I know but I don't i'll ever use it, does the phone come with a flap to cover it?
3. Do Z/Z1 have been known to shatter easily? I've always thought having a glass back is a terrible idea, and after havinf the Nexus 4 I promised myself I wouldn't buy a phone with a glass back again, I was always so paranoid, it wasn't fun, I still see Iphones 4/4s and nexus 4 with cracked backs :crying: , I know the Z phones used to come with a screen protector out of the box, but I'm interested in the stories of people who took it off, since the new Z2 does not come with this protector anymore.
4. Can you get rid of that ugly bar with icons when you multitask to put some kind of widgets on the homescreen?
5. Is it true that the corners have been softened? They look identical to me on pictures
6. how long did it take developers to unlock the Z/Z1 bootloader? I'm not planning on flashing roms ever again, but I like having root and couldn't have an android phone without xposed :laugh:
7.Why was the battery life just ok with the z1? It has a 3000 mah but the LG G2 for example lasted quite a bit more with the same battery capacity and so did the Note 3 with a considerably bigger screen
8. No hope for a 32 gb version?
9: Does the phone have qualcom's quickcharge 2.0 like the G2? The LG G2 battery charges in under 2 hours! The Z1 doesn't have it, it takes the phone 3 hours to go from 0% to 100%
Thanks guys :highfive:

Can't answer every question but I'll do my best.
1. The Z1 has had problems with warm screen colors. Actually to an extent that they made an update that brought a screen calibration app to help with the issue.
2. At least my friends Z or my Z1 didn't cover the magnetic charger pins.
3. No, the Z1 has actually been surprisingly durable in drop tests and there doesn't seem to be many complaints of shattered glass. Sony claims that the Z2 will also be shatter resistant even though it doesn't have that ASF (anti shatter film)
4. Not sure what bar you mean but you can add widgets like any other Android device.
5. This is a claim about the lens and even though it may be valid I haven't seen people complain much about this. The problems with the past Xperia phone cameras are with software and processing mostly.
6. Sony gave instructions and tools to unlock the bootloader for everyone and I believe they will continue with this trend - this is basically a non-issue. Unlocking the BL on the Z1 did remove access to some of Sony's proprietary software though such as Bionz which then affected picture processing negatively.
7. The battery life was greatly improved with an early update and is now a lot closer to the LG G2
8. Never seen even one Z1 with 32GB... But they all have micro so slots.
9. The Z1 doesn't have quick charge however I don't know about the Z2.

akselic said:
Can't answer every question but I'll do my best.
1. The Z1 has had problems with warm screen colors. Actually to an extent that they made an update that brought a screen calibration app to help with the issue.
3. No, the Z1 has actually been surprisingly durable in drop tests and there doesn't seem to be many complaints of shattered glass. Sony claims that the Z2 will also be shatter resistant even though it doesn't have that ASF (anti shatter film)
4. Not sure what bar you mean but you can add widgets like any other Android device.
5. This is a claim about the lens and even though it may be valid I haven't seen people complain much about this. The problems with the past Xperia phone cameras are with software and processing mostly.
6. Sony gave instructions and tools to unlock the bootloader for everyone and I believe they will continue with this trend - this is basically a non-issue. Unlocking the BL on the Z1 did remove access to some of Sony's proprietary software though such as Bionz which then affected picture processing negatively.
7. The battery life was greatly improved with an early update and is now a lot closer to the LG G2
8. Never seen even one Z1 with 32GB... But they all have micro so slots.
9. The Z1 doesn't have quick charge however I don't know about the Z2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So that's why they created the calibration app, haha I was so naive I thought it was just because they wanted to give the customer some extra tweaking options .
What about scratches?
I meant this bar :
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
And I meant the corners of the phone , I've read the corners of the z/z1 dig into the palms of people
And the camera issue with the sides of the picture concern me, I'm thinking its a hardware issue because the z2 samples show the same situation :'( check out the grass on the left and right corners :'(
OK Sony provides with instructions to unlock the bootloader but does it void the warranty?
Gesendet von meinem Nexus 5 mit Tapatalk

Chad_Petree said:
What about scratches?
And I meant the corners of the phone , I've read the corners of the z/z1 dig into the palms of people.
OK Sony provides with instructions to unlock the bootloader but does it void the warranty?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The ASF is extremely easy to scratch but I haven't heard about people having problems with the actual Dragontrail screen under it and I doupt the ASF-less Z2 will have issues with scratching.
The corners of the phone I guess can be a little rugged but I haven't had an issue with that and they don't dig into my hands. I suppose it's up to people depending on how and where they hold the phone and how large their hands are. The Z2 indeed seems the same corner-wise as the Z1.
And yes, unlocking the bootloader does void warranty as it does with all manufacturers, however at least with the Z1 it could be rooted without unlocking the bootloader. Also it's possible to go back to a factory looking state (unlike Samsungs Knox which will always show 0x1 even if tripped).
Could you please reload the attachments or upload them to flickr/dropbox? I can't see the attachments at all.
---
Edit: If the picture quality concerns you then I suggest waiting until you can see more pictures from commercial units. The Z1 has it's issues and due to the same hardware it is entirely possible those will follow to the Z2.

akselic said:
The ASF is extremely easy to scratch but I haven't heard about people having problems with the actual Dragontrail screen under it and I doupt the ASF-less Z2 will have issues with scratching.
The corners of the phone I guess can be a little rugged but I haven't had an issue with that and they don't dig into my hands. I suppose it's up to people depending on how and where they hold the phone and how large their hands are. The Z2 indeed seems the same corner-wise as the Z1.
And yes, unlocking the bootloader does void warranty as it does with all manufacturers, however at least with the Z1 it could be rooted without unlocking the bootloader. Also it's possible to go back to a factory looking state (unlike Samsungs Knox which will always show 0x1 even if tripped).
Could you please reload the attachments or upload them to flickr/dropbox? I can't see the attachments at all.
---
Edit: If the picture quality concerns you then I suggest waiting until you can see more pictures from commercial units. The Z1 has it's issues and due to the same hardware it is entirely possible those will follow to the Z2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought the xperia z1/z2 used gorilla glass 3 , that's interesting .
Yes HTC does that too but a couple of months after the release of the phone ,developers make "s off" and you get to unlock your bootloader without voiding the warranty .
You're right I should wait a bit to read people's opinions, I saw no mention of this issue on reviews :/
I reuploaded the attachments
Gesendet von meinem Nexus 5 mit Tapatalk

Chad_Petree said:
I thought the xperia z1/z2 used gorilla glass 3 , that's interesting .
Yes HTC does that too but a couple of months after the release of the phone ,developers make "s off" and you get to unlock your bootloader without voiding the warranty .
You're right I should wait a bit to read people's opinions, I saw no mention of this issue on reviews :/
I reuploaded the attachments
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dragontrail should be just as good as Gorilla Glass - it's just a different product for the same purpose.
I have HTCs One X and to this day it doesn't have S OFF. The grass always seems greener on the other side
That issue you mentioned in pictures, I never saw it in Z1 reviews either. I first bumped into it here at XDA.
And oh THAT bar. It's just for opening up mini apps that work a bit like floating video from Samsung i.e. on top of the system. Widgets are added from the home screen settings as usual.

akselic said:
Dragontrail should be just as good as Gorilla Glass - it's just a different product for the same purpose.
I have HTCs One X and to this day it doesn't have S OFF. The grass always seems greener on the other side
That issue you mentioned in pictures, I never saw it in Z1 reviews either. I first bumped into it here at XDA.
And oh THAT bar. It's just for opening up mini apps that work a bit like floating video from Samsung i.e. on top of the system. Widgets are added from the home screen settings as usual.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not saying it's bad ,I just thought gorilla glass had a monopoly on the high end .
I didn't know the one x didn't have s off , now I'm confused, s off is basically unlocking the bootloader but without giving HTC your serial code, so you can keep using your warranty, right?
Yes that's the bar I meant, can you get rid of it ? I don't like it
Gesendet von meinem Nexus 5 mit Tapatalk

Chad_Petree said:
I didn't know the one x didn't have s off , now I'm confused, s off is basically unlocking the bootloader but without giving HTC your serial code, so you can keep using your warranty, right?
Yes that's the bar I meant, can you get rid of it ? I don't like it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, S OFF is basically access to a certain portion (NAND) of the device which is locked and unwritable when S ON. In a nutshell - read around the internet for more information. But not every HTC phone has S OFF so development on those phones isn't always any better.
And I don't think you can get rid of that bar because it's literally the only way to open those mini apps. You can just ignore it.

akselic said:
Dragontrail should be just as good as Gorilla Glass - it's just a different product for the same purpose.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From all the tests I've seen - Dragontrail is not as scratch-resistand as Gorilla Glass, but it's a lot harder, able to bend and survived in most cases where GG shattered during tests.

This thread answered me a lot of questions. I hope I will dive into z2. Currently having HTC desire HD. Only I miss is the IR
Sent from my HTC Desire HD using Tapatalk 2

Yep this is an informative thread... Answered many of my queries too!
What are sony's like for flashing ROMS? With my s3 it's very easy - I can download and flash on the go. Is this the case with the z1/z2?
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

Yep, I agree that this is a very informative thread. I am also curious about the flashing aspect of the z2 and Sony phones in general. Like the guy above me, I have also nearly flashed my s3 to death. As this will be my first Sony Android phone, are they as easy as my s3 to root and flash? I have been on the other forums and trying to read and see but, it gets all a bit confusing with info here, there and everywhere lol. I have my z2 on pre order so have made the commitment to jump ship already. Will be sad to see my s3 go :crying:. It has been a great phone. Anyway, heres to a great future with an awesome phone

rowlers said:
What are sony's like for flashing ROMS? With my s3 it's very easy - I can download and flash on the go. Is this the case with the z1/z2?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
stress40 said:
I am also curious about the flashing aspect of the z2 and Sony phones in general. Like the guy above me, I have also nearly flashed my s3 to death. As this will be my first Sony Android phone, are they as easy as my s3 to root and flash? I have been on the other forums and trying to read and see but, it gets all a bit confusing with info here, there and everywhere lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sony gives tools and instructions to unlock the bootloader and flashing isn't too difficult. The process is different from flashing with Samsung though. It even used to be possible to root without unlocking the BL but they have made that harder in later updates at least on the Z1. You need a computer to root and install the recovery but after that flashing can be done rather easily.
You have to be sure to install a recovery and do a backup before unlocking the bootloader or you will lose a partition that holds Sony's proprietary DRM keys forever
(they are unique for each device). These keys hold access to BIONZ and some other tech/software that isn't accessible on unlocked devices.

akselic said:
Sony gives tools and instructions to unlock the bootloader and flashing isn't too difficult. The process is different from flashing with Samsung though. It even used to be possible to root without unlocking the BL but they have made that harder in later updates at least on the Z1. You need a computer to root and install the recovery but after that flashing can be done rather easily.
You have to be sure to install a recovery and do a backup before unlocking the bootloader or you will lose a partition that holds Sony's proprietary DRM keys forever
(they are unique for each device). These keys hold access to BIONZ and some other tech/software that isn't accessible on unlocked devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks man :good: That's the most important bit I was looking for. So, you can install a standard recovery like Phil's touch etc? or have the devs. made one specific for Sony phones? I think I may have to buy a second hand Sony for a bit of practice lol... Anyway, thanks for the reply and info mate

I think one really important thing that the people new to Sony need to know is that when purchasing via a carrier, the carrier can disable the option to unlock the bootloader and there is literally no way around this.
To this date, the devs have still managed to obtain root and recovery on Locked Bootloaders but it has become more and more difficult (I'm not even sure if the latest Z1 or Z1C firmwares have been rooted yet - could someone confirm?), but custom ROMs and Kernels that aren't based on stock can't be done.
To ensure you get a device with an unlockable bootloader, avoid purchasing through a carrier. I'm pre-ordering mine through Clove as they don't sell locked down devices.
Sent from my LT26i using Tapatalk

stress40 said:
Thanks man :good: That's the most important bit I was looking for. So, you can install a standard recovery like Phil's touch etc? or have the devs. made one specific for Sony phones?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, most standard recoveries work including CWM, Philz and TWRP
Why So Serious? said:
I think one really important thing that the people new to Sony need to know is that when purchasing via a carrier, the carrier can disable the option to unlock the bootloader and there is literally no way around this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is true but carriers also do this on other devices, they aren't singling out Sony. Especially American carriers do this.
So my next tip is really a general tip, not just for Sony or Z2:
If you want a phone with development opportunities, get an international edition if possible because they usually don't have locked bootloaders like carrier versions. Secondly be prepared for issues; manufacturers are complicating flashing and giving a hard time after unlocking bootloaders.
- Samsung has Knox (bye bye warranty)
- Sony has proprietary DRM stuff that will be gone after unlocking
- HTC has S ON
Etc.
It seems that gone are the days of fully accessible development unless you get a Nexus or Google Play Edition.

@akselic
Thanks for the rely m8 :good: .
Yeah, I only buy unlocked phones anyway. My days of buying carrier branded phones and being tied to a 2 or 3 year contract are long gone. Just now, I am on a 1 year plan- mainly network access i.e. 3g unlimited with 3000mins for €20 month (calls to any network included) sim only. So, in April I will go and haggle a new LTE one for another year :laugh: . Like most carriers, it is easy to upgrade before end of year.
Let's see what the z2 brings in terms of modification potential. Can't wait

Thanks guys. Few posts above clarifies another set of questions. Actually what is the need for unlocking a boot loader. Because root and recovery and custom roms can be installed even with locked bootloader, it's hard but it can done right? There are custom roms based on stock Sony Rom? Another thing, if google announces z2 google play edition. We still be getting the play edition updates unofficially?
P.S..Am coming from HTC Desire HD. Which has been flashed a zillion times in the past 3 years.
Sent from my HTC Desire HD using Tapatalk 2

akselic said:
You have to be sure to install a recovery and do a backup before unlocking the bootloader or you will lose a partition that holds Sony's proprietary DRM keys forever (they are unique for each device). These keys hold access to BIONZ and some other tech/software that isn't accessible on unlocked devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds difficult. Didn't know all that stuff about Sony phones: losing DRM keys, etc.
So what happens after unlocking and rooted? Does this DRM keys and propietary software get lost forever? Then you can't go back to stock Sony rom? Or you can but there are things that won't work?

vicedens2002 said:
Actually what is the need for unlocking a boot loader. Because root and recovery and custom roms can be installed even with locked bootloader, it's hard but it can done right? There are custom roms based on stock Sony Rom? Another thing, if google announces z2 google play edition. We still be getting the play edition updates unofficially?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No maybe I was being vague, sorry. Rooting and recovery installing was possible without unlocking the bootloader. They made it harder in later upgrades though. You need to unlock the bootloader to be able to install custom roms or kernels.
There are both AOSP based roms and stock based roms for the Z1 and I think the Z also.
I'm not able to answer about Google Play Edition - there never was one for the Z1.
Sensamic said:
So what happens after unlocking and rooted? Does this DRM keys and propietary software get lost forever? Then you can't go back to stock Sony rom? Or you can but there are things that won't work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you didn't backup, then yes, the DRM keys are gone for good. You can go back to stock but some things including BIONZ won't work.

Decided to keep my Nexus 6!

Hello,
So I'm on my second Nexus 6. I originally had a Midnight Blue 32GB but I sold it after picking up a Cloud White 64GB when Amazon had them for $250. I have had it for about a year now and it still works great.
Well, I sporadically listed it on Craigslist to sell and started to look at new phones. That is when I realized, there is nothing out right now that I really want. Sure, a Google Pixel would be nice but that price tag....
So being I decided to stick with my Nexus 6, I want to make it like new again! I just ordered a New OEM Mid Frame, New OEM Back Panel, and New OEM Battery. It all cost me under $30. My display is flawless, has always had a screen protector but my frame has some dings and my back panel is starting to come up on the corners a little. I figure a new battery and some new housing will make it like new again.
Anyone have any tips on cleaning the speaker grills? I figure they may be easier to clean when I have it apart. I plan to try to clean them out along with the charger port when I have it apart.

Any chance you can list where you got your replacement frame? Thanks.

Links to the 3 products you replaced would be nice, also I used a slightly damp toothbrush to clean the speaker grills.

Good choice!
mine still looks like new being I keep it in a Supcase.

I purchased the mid frame on Amazon for $9.99
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01AL4IS3U/ref=ya_st_dp_summary
The battery and back cover I got off eBay. They are all over on there. The battery is a Motorola EZ30.

I decided to keep mine as well! The phone still rocks. Far as speaker grills I use a fine pick and pop the metal pieces out and use a toothbrush or qtip
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA-Developers Legacy app

Same here, I want to change my Nexus 6 but it seems I can't find anything else I like to replace it.
I was thinking on Nexus 6P but I've heard a lot of issues with it turning off/bootloop/death so Im going away from it.
I've had mine for more than a year now and it doesn't have any single scratch/mark/dent (Always had it on Poetic Case + Intelliarmor screen protector)

I still enjoy and appreciate the benefits of my Nexus 6 compared to other phones out there, also not wanting to spend many hundreds of dollars on a Pixel XL that would be just OK in comparison.
My *only* reason for considering a future model change is the camera, which is incredibly laggy (especially if location tagging is turned on, but even without that set). For now, I continue to put up with the shutter lag, since it's been happening since the first year and I'm used to it.
- ooofest
Sent from my shamu using XDA Labs

I order me a Mate 9 is the same Screen size and the rest over all should (is) better as on the N6. Don't get me wrong i love my N6, is the best that i ever had until now, but it's time for a new and better Phone :good:

ooofest said:
I still enjoy and appreciate the benefits of my Nexus 6 compared to other phones out there, also not wanting to spend many hundreds of dollars on a Pixel XL that would be just OK in comparison.
My *only* reason for considering a future model change is the camera, which is incredibly laggy (especially if location tagging is turned on, but even without that set). For now, I continue to put up with the shutter lag, since it's been happening since the first year and I'm used to it.
- ooofest
Sent from my shamu using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to agree! The camera is the only thing I don't like about my Nexus 6. Lucky for me, I hardly ever use it. About the only time I do is when I am taking a picture of something to post or sell.

I use a modified version of Google's camera called Camera nx1. Also I unencrypted my phone and for me the camera lag was gone.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA-Developers Legacy app

Can you tell us where to find this app? I've tried looking it up (Googling) but I was unsure which one is it.
Thanks

I was hell-bent on replacing my Nexus 6. It was getting super laggy (I was part of the Android N developer's preview), it had battery issues, etc. But before I jumped ship, I did a complete wipe + factory reset of my phone. I deleted every single byte of information on it. Then I flashed Google's factory images (+TWRP). I also used the Nexus Root Toolkit to flash the unencrypted kernel (or whatever)
Finally, I gave myself a nice new wallpaper.
It's been amazingly better since then. My battery is great, the lag is gone. And I know it sounds silly, but between flashing and the new wallpaper, it feels like a new phone. This will be my first smartphone ever that I've kept for 2+ years. Maybe in a few months I'll start looking (and I'll be looking at the Chinese phones, like Huawei, Xiomi, Honor, etc) because I ain't got no time for no $800 Pixel phone.

genti.b said:
Can you tell us where to find this app? I've tried looking it up (Googling) but I was unsure which one is it.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I found it here n XDA Nexus 6 apps section. I have sent you a PM with the link.

ozzmanj1 said:
I found it here n XDA Nexus 6 apps section. I have sent you a PM with the link.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey man, thanks for the link. It looks (hopefully it's not just a placebo effect) a little bit faster when taking a picture and maybe even processing a little bit faster. I'll try it longer and see how will respond.
Cheers

genti.b said:
Hey man, thanks for the link. It looks (hopefully it's not just a placebo effect) a little bit faster when taking a picture and maybe even processing a little bit faster. I'll try it longer and see how will respond.
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your welcome man. I'm not sure what happened to the original thread here on XDA. I couldn't find it either. My wife's and my nephews nexus 6s both use this camera apk. Also when I unencrypted my phone the camera lag is completely gone. Not sure if it has to do with the camera image having to become encrypted as it's processing,. Not sure. Anyways let me know what you think. Also sent you another PM.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA-Developers Legacy app

Me too
I was so hyped about the Pixel XL ordered thru Big Red and waited two months to get in stock only to find out they screwed up the order and they told me it would near the end of march before they could fill the order. I cancelled and stayed with my Nexus 6. Mine is only a 32gb and I would like bigger storage, the only thing I'm considering is maybe a 6P over the 6 but other than that I'm not upgrading.

ozzmanj1 said:
I use a modified version of Google's camera called Camera nx1. Also I unencrypted my phone and for me the camera lag was gone.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA-Developers Legacy app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can you send me link also please? I found the thread on xda but it says its only for 5x and 6p

Camera, and the sluggish ui. Compared to the n6p, it's slow.

DogzOfWar said:
I was hell-bent on replacing my Nexus 6. It was getting super laggy (I was part of the Android N developer's preview), it had battery issues, etc. But before I jumped ship, I did a complete wipe + factory reset of my phone. I deleted every single byte of information on it. Then I flashed Google's factory images (+TWRP). I also used the Nexus Root Toolkit to flash the unencrypted kernel (or whatever)
Finally, I gave myself a nice new wallpaper.
It's been amazingly better since then. My battery is great, the lag is gone. And I know it sounds silly, but between flashing and the new wallpaper, it feels like a new phone. This will be my first smartphone ever that I've kept for 2+ years. Maybe in a few months I'll start looking (and I'll be looking at the Chinese phones, like Huawei, Xiomi, Honor, etc) because I ain't got no time for no $800 Pixel phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you plz advise the steps you took to:
"did a complete wipe + factory reset of my phone. I deleted every single byte of information on it. Then I flashed Google's factory images (+TWRP). I also used the Nexus Root Toolkit to flash the unencrypted kernel (or whatever)"
I too replaced my battery with a new supposed "OEM" one from ebay...and it didn't change a damn thing. I still only get about 2/3 of a day out of it. When the phone was new I'd get a day and a half!
I then recently bought a brand new Mate 8 and am less than impressed with the IPS LCD Screen, vibrate mode and battery life among other things.
Would love to give "Shamu" a new life, she's been an amazing phone over the last year or so. I too have never kept a phone for more than a year.

Upgrading from Z5C, some concerns.

Hello,
Someone broke my Z5C and I'm now looking for a new phone.
I liked the form factor of the Z5C, but several things were "mehhh".
First of all, the fingerprint scanner wasn't working under certain conditions. I read here and there that it was mostly fixed and that the XC fingerprint sensor is much more accurate. Can you confirm ?
Secundo, the phone was overheating A LOT. I guess it had to do with the SoC. Is it fixed ? I don't know if it was related, but my phone randomly lagged (and would sometime reboot for no reason).
The amount of RAM was clearly not sufficient as apps would need to be restarted completely during multitasking.
Also, the screen was just "ok" for me. How deep are the blacks on the XC?
How slow is the camera to open? It was really unreliable on the Z5C for me. Can you turn off the "photo enhancement" feature that slows down the whole thing?
Concerning rooting, mods, etc.: I don't care about customizing if the ROM is good. The only thing I want is a root access. Is this something we achieve without losing any functionality on Nougat ?
And last concern... how often do you see people complaining about defective units ?
You've been using this device for several months now... so you should been able to tell me how well it survived!
I really want to love this phone, but tell me if there's anything you don't like about it!
Thank you in advance!

Stick with your Z5C, that's the phone I wish I'd have bought instead of this. In future I'll always opt for older premium over newer mid range.

XperienceD said:
Stick with your Z5C, that's the phone I wish I'd have bought instead of this. In future I'll always opt for older premium over newer mid range.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your answer.
Can you tell me what's wrong with your XC?
Because I don't know if I had a defective unit or not, but overall I wouldn't recommend the Z5C for the reasons I gave in my OP.

I've had my ZC for about 2 months now and it's my favorite phone to date. Got tired of the huge screen phones, my last being the oneplusone.
The fingerprint scanner only works if you flash the uk firmware from what I've seen. I have not gotten around to it yet so I can't say how well it work but from my reading everyone says it works well.
I have had 0 overheating issues. It barely gets warm.
Honestly I love this phone. It's fast, has every feature I wanted and is the form factor I wanted also.
The ONLY thing I really hate about this phone is sony made it out of the slipperiest material on earth, but with a case/skin that goes away.

evoliofly said:
Hello,
Someone broke my Z5C and I'm now looking for a new phone.
I liked the form factor of the Z5C, but several things were "mehhh".
First of all, the fingerprint scanner wasn't working under certain conditions. I read here and there that it was mostly fixed and that the XC fingerprint sensor is much more accurate. Can you confirm ?
Secundo, the phone was overheating A LOT. I guess it had to do with the SoC. Is it fixed ? I don't know if it was related, but my phone randomly lagged (and would sometime reboot for no reason).
The amount of RAM was clearly not sufficient as apps would need to be restarted completely during multitasking.
Also, the screen was just "ok" for me. How deep are the blacks on the XC?
How slow is the camera to open? It was really unreliable on the Z5C for me. Can you turn off the "photo enhancement" feature that slows down the whole thing?
Concerning rooting, mods, etc.: I don't care about customizing if the ROM is good. The only thing I want is a root access. Is this something we achieve without losing any functionality on Nougat ?
And last concern... how often do you see people complaining about defective units ?
You've been using this device for several months now... so you should been able to tell me how well it survived!
I really want to love this phone, but tell me if there's anything you don't like about it!
Thank you in advance!
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Can't comment on everything but I can answer a couple.
First off the phone doesn't over heat, ever. It may get a little warm at times but that's only if playing a ton of videos. And when I say a ton I mean from 100% battery down to zero. The Z5C chipset has always had heat issues. Granted it's not Sony's fault all phones had heat issues that used the 810. That's why Qualcomm was so quick to move away from the 810 back in the day when it first released. The XC uses a 650 which is basically the same thing as the 810 but it doesn't overheat. That being said it also has an extra gig of ram compared to the Z5C so it's a little snappier too imo. Granted the Z5C and the XC are both very close to one another.
I have never had an issue with the fingerprint sensor on the XC. As stated above you will need to flash the UK firmware to get it to work though. Has something to do with a patent dispute between Sony and whoever in the US at the moment.
Overall you can't go wrong either way. It sounds like you had a lot of issues with your Z5C so switching to the XC is probably worth a shot as it has dropped in price quite a bit since release. I have had mine since late October and haven't had an issue with it so far. Plus I am willing to bet the Z5C is coming to an end as far as Android updates go as to where the XC should at the very least get a bump up to 7.1 at some point if not more.

evoliofly said:
Thank you for your answer.
Can you tell me what's wrong with your XC?
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The colour first of all, it's blue, not Universe "Black", the icon on the power button is upside down, can't connect wireless to my PC and curved edges that makes applying a screen protector a real PITA.

XperienceD said:
the icon on the power button is upside down
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The icon on the z5c is exactly the same, for what it's worth.
We have both xc and z5c. I lean towards the xc because it lasts longer per charge. It also seems to run cooler. It doesn't look as nice as the z5c, but I am not as worried about damaging it

I had a z5c, and switched to XC back in sep 2016, every 'issue' you mention has been fixed on XC. The fingerprint sensor is better, so is the screen. It would be odd otherwise.
The biggest flav of the z5c though is the a57 cores (the performance cluster of z5c) is the first 64bit soc rushed out to complete with apple that had just released their 64bit soc and lets be honest this core is notorious for overheating, my raspberry pi uses 4 of them too and both can not sustain their highest clock without getting insanely hot and throttle back the clock. I realize this only happens if you play games or do a synthetic stress test, use poorly coded apps like Facebook etc, most normal os operation only produces spikes which keeps the throttling down. Imho this is a horrible core compared with the a72. The power efficiency is also as you can imagine way better, I get alot more out of a single charge on this phone than I did with the z5c and it never gets hot, maybe a little handwarm if you play games or keep the screen on for hours like watching several movies. Nowhere near the z5c which was worryingly at times.
That's not to say I did not like the z5c but overall the XC is a great improvement in any aspect just as it is supposed to be.
The colour first of all, it's blue, not Universe "Black"
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Have you ever looked up at night ? Its not completely black either, its like a blackisblue. Furthermore I like it inside its black and outside you can see a different very dark blue color depending from which angle the light hits it. I am pretty sure it is on purpose and why its called universe black. I agree whether you like it or not is another matter.
can't connect wireless to my PC
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Care to elaborate? Because like this guy I could not find an option in my phone either. This is the official answer from sony:
The feature to transfer files using Media transfer mode via Wi-Fi® has been removed in the Xperia™ Z4 Tablet and the Xperia™ Z5 series. Moreover, the Media transfer mode will not be available in Xperia™ Companion, the new tool that is replacing PC Companion, because Windows® 8.1 has removed the trigger menu.
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But perhaps you mean something else?

Thank you everyone for your answers! You would be very good salesmen!
The Z5C was a bad experience, but I hope that this one will last me as long as my Nexus 4 did!
I bought it from a third-party seller on Amazon and should receive it in 2 weeks.
Also, I wanted to buy the black one at first... but the white one was cheaper, so I went for it (and I may even like it more in the end).

the camera opens in around 1 sec, 0.6 sec according to sony btw. I also dislike the photo enhancement that takes forever to apply and sharpen the image even on zxs. this is because sony decided to not use the performance cluster in the album app (I have no idea what they bumped their heads into) but as you I do not like it anyway as it over sharpens pictures and is way to aggressive. thankfully it can be disabled and pictures sharpen normally up in a instant, if I want to add more pow or adjust the colors etc I use a tool designed for that, usually i find the photo editor to be sufficient.
Good luck. I hope it serves you well. Initially i was sceptic too until I actually used it. (ie not just standing in a store flicking back and forth in the demo mode)

I didnt have time to read other comments but let me share my experience with you
Im a guy who changes phone after phone and a heavy android user but because I like to change phones I mostly buy good midrangers.
anyway this is the only phone that I have used it for more than 6 months( its almost 9) beside xperia sp some years ago.
The design really feels good in hand - but it gets scratches very easily so u might wanna look for a back protector or cover.
The performance is liquid smooth you are not gonna see any lags only if its app related, but I wished it was a better processor anyway.
Screen quality is super awesome you will enjoy looking at it every single time you use it.
Cpu have never went more than 45 C degrees but keep in mind that its a 28nm processor.
battery life is good goes up to 2 days with normal use
app loadings speed is perfect havent seen any better phone in this price range
fingerprint sensor is very good gets your id even with a little touch
speakers are not that good I can say that and Im noticing some wizzing noises sometimes...
in the end I really suggest you to buy it cause its way better than z5c and dont buy it only if you would go for XZ premium!
Just watch out for defective units there seem to be more than normal...
---------
Edit: I forgot to say the phone is waterproof I tested it myself but no body will answer you if you damage it because its not official...

Thread closed at OP request

Moto Z Force still a decent option if purchased today (Aug 2017)?

Looking for to replace my wife's Droid Turbo 2 and not worried about root. Will there be anything like this for battery life in the Z2 lineup?

Without a moto mod? not really. if you want battery life with good performance the Moto Z Force is a good option still in my opinion, now they it just got updated to Android 7.1.1 if battery life is more important than raw performance I would say the Moto Z Play or Z2 Play are even better options. either way you go from those three options you are going to get a good phone and even more so when you start adding the moto Mods.

Zforce hands down over all other models including the new z2's what I will not be getting.
The must have is a glass screen protector. Then a nice combo is the Verizon bumper and the Incipio​ battery mod.
I love my force had it since launch and it's a great phone. And the z2's are a step back. Nice specs just a step back on stuff that matters.

I'd say it's still a good phone, especially with 7.1.1 making it more current.

bignazpwns said:
Zforce hands down over all other models including the new z2's what I will not be getting.
The must have is a glass screen protector. Then a nice combo is the Verizon bumper and the Incipio​ battery mod.
I love my force had it since launch and it's a great phone. And the z2's are a step back. Nice specs just a step back on stuff that matters.
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I agree I just got mine end of June and very happy even though this is my first Android without root. Came from a Moto x pure yes I know I'm not gonna talk about it but the Force is great and as stated tempered glass is a definite waiting for Moto turbopower pack

I feel like this phone is an overall well rounded phone... Good enough camera, great battery life, shattershield, moto mods... I think it's worth it, because the newer generation of Moto is not what it's cracked up to be...

Awesome, thanks all!
Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

It sucks I really wanted the Z2 force to be the Z2 force but it's not. The z force still has better battery life. If the phone lagged or needed a faster gpu I could see the upgrade. But it don't. So there's no need at all. It's not compelling at all. I'm worried about the Moto mods now since they pulled this and I hope people buy it on the other networks because I don't see it selling well against the z force if you have that option. Just because we all use the battery mod does not mean you can cut down on the battery. I never want to charge my phone ever. Make it powered off uranium I don't care I never wanna charge it make a 50,000 mAh Moto mod for it I'll buy it. I want more battery then I will ever need.

Make sure if you do purchase this phone, have at least a bumper for it. I didn't have one and I dropped it at a 2 ft drop, screen was intacted, but it did something to the insides where it wouldn't turn on for anything. Had to get a replacement, so shatter proof screen worked, but shock from drops might not be a good thing. It could have been a fluke thing, but just be aware of that being a possibility.
Sent from my XT1650 using XDA-Developers Legacy app

A bumper and screen protector are both good ideas.

Lg v20 keep or upgrade

So i had my lg v20 since launch and I kept thinking should I upgrade or still keep it. I was hoping you guys could shed some light and give me advice, as I love my phone but feel like i want something different such as huawei p20 Pro or Google pixel 2.

matas17 said:
So i had my lg v20 since launch and I kept thinking should I upgrade or still keep it. I was hoping you guys could shed some light and give me advice, as I love my phone but feel like i want something different such as huawei p20 Pro or Google pixel 2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
3 of my last 4 phone purchase were V20s
(We have 7 lines)
My wife got an S9 and I don't see any need to get one or spend three times the price on anything that's been released this year.
The pricing has gotten ridicules and really the one plus 6 is the only other phone that has sparked any interest here. And even it is just not worth double the price of a V20 to me.
Sent from my LG-H910 using Tapatalk

matas17 said:
So i had my lg v20 since launch and I kept thinking should I upgrade or still keep it. I was hoping you guys could shed some light and give me advice, as I love my phone but feel like i want something different such as huawei p20 Pro or Google pixel 2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
V20 stock is running low, mostly refurbs and used ones out there. If you got the itch, scratch it if you want, but based on the horrible non support of the V20 by LG I'd move on from LG altogether
Sent from my LG-H910 using XDA Labs

My V20 does everything I want/need it to do. Including the removable battery that I've upgraded to the 10k mAh from ZeroLemon. [emoji106][emoji16][emoji367]
Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

I am keeping mine until I can get the Asus ROG Phone.

Stay with it until the phone dies. No way to upgrade. Not all all! This phone is amazing. Good DAC, good camera, good microphones, 3,5mm in, swappable battery, wide angle camera. I'll stay with mine hopefully for years! But I have to admit that I don't give a **** about updates. Had my galaxy note 4, which unfortunately died, for 2,5 years running with kitkat.

I've got the 918. With the LAF root method, FM radio, removable battery, IR Blaster, wired headphone option... I'm not upgrading anytime soon.
Best phone I've had since the HTC Evo Supersonic.

Braaainz said:
I've got the 918. With the LAF root method, FM radio, removable battery, IR Blaster, wired headphone option... I'm not upgrading anytime soon.
Best phone I've had since the HTC Evo Supersonic.
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What about battery backup.... I m planning to buy it... Please give some advise

bhanu9675 said:
What about battery backup.... I m planning to buy it... Please give some advise
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Not sure what you mean about battery backup.
I am still using stock battery but have a zero lemon extended battery for when it starts to go.
The zero lemon bicycle and windshield mounts are great if you use a protective case with the stock battery btw.

I'm now on my second V20, which just had the vibrato motor die on it, but otherwise works perfectly. My ONLY bones to pick: it can't be rooted because of the last OTA update to Oreo, and if you happen to test a lot of apps as I do, it's a power-hungry beast. If I were to upgrade at this point, I would probably go back to a Note 9, since my V20 replaced my rooted Note 4.
The thing I love most about this phone, however - and its a "biggie", for me - is the fact that it's the last flagship phone on the market with a removable battery. I don't care that it's already two gens behind, simply because it quite capably does everything I need it to do, including music player, photography and video recording, casting, and NFC functions, so until someone comes out with an embedded battery, feature-rich phone that REALLY wows me, I see no reason to upgrade. Hope this helps.
Cheers
Sent from my LG-LS997 using XDA Labs

The removable battery is one of the major reasons why I'll use the V20 indefinitely. Too many people have had to buy a new phone after 2 years because the battery died... or pay a lot for a battery replacement.

Same here on the notion of the removable battery. Maybe it's what you grew up with that determines your preference, but I like a phone that I can work on even if I don't need to. I really love the IR blaster. In fact, that's the reason I went back to it. I fancy controlling the TV in whatever restaurant I go! My only issue is the charging port is going bad and I'd like to de-bloat all Sprint's crap. Currently seeking a "How To" if there is one to be found.

I went from a note 4 to this and I'm very happy.
For me... it was the removable battery, screen ratio and I love the second screen.
Love the fact I can see the time while watching Netflix. Or turn on the flashlight with out messing with the phone.
Screen ratio... Movies/tv shows work without wasted space.
Sure, it's not lightening fast like my wife's s8... But the milliseconds I wait don't add up to much. Except the the big bucks I saved. Camera is pretty good, so much to love about this phone.
Also love the flat screen, so much less prone to breaking. Most of the bloatware can be disabled, even without root. Working hot-spot on sprint (with hack) is priceless too.

Apart from battery being changeable, I like that it is easy to repair. I shifted the thermal paste, and that was an easy task. I don't know any other phone where that would be the case. On top of that, I use the audio on high quality headphones. What a shame that LG stops updating, and then also make it difficult for our developers, too.

henrylar said:
Apart from battery being changeable, I like that it is easy to repair. I shifted the thermal paste, and that was an easy task. I don't know any other phone where that would be the case. On top of that, I use the audio on high quality headphones. What a shame that LG stops updating, and then also make it difficult for our developers, too.
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Tell me more of this thermal paste shift. Why would you do it, where, how... all that good stuff. Or a link

the link is here
https://forum.xda-developers.com/v20/how-to/changed-thermal-paste-h910-t3782765
It did not make a huge difference for me since I am not using my phone for gaming, but the existing paste in my phone were definitely upon for being removed

Thanks for the link. I followed it and several other articles that it links to. It's not really definitive on if it's a good idea or not. Like you, I don't use it for gaming so I think I'll pass on it. At least until I decide to replace the screen. Saw a post about rooting and altering the profile so it can't run that hot... also not doing that.

Despite the short-coming of the V20 such as battery life and say...CPU Throttling for battery/temps (just delete Thermal-engine-8996.conf), and some weird episodes of LCD burn-in (solvable with KCAL kernels like mk2000), this phone still works well. The only hard-limit that can't be solved, through tweaking, is the fact the SD820 only has 4 CPU threads to execute tasks on. Other than that, the day-to-day of the V20 competes with other phones well-enough.

I agree with everybody else in here. In terms of features, the following phone finder search gives you a good idea about what the current alternatives are:
https://www.gsmarena.com/search.php3?nRamMin=4000&chkCameraUltrawide=selected&chk35mm=selected&chkNFC=selected&chkInfrared=selected&chkFMradio=selected&idCardslot=1&idBatRemovable=1
Cookster128 said:
...and I'd like to de-bloat all Sprint's crap. Currently seeking a "How To" if there is one to be found.
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I haven't seen any Sprint-specific bloat discussions here, probably since most of the old Sprint-based ROMs are already de-bloated. If you are on an unrootable LS997, then here is a brief discussion on the V20 Subreddit about using adb or a package disabler app to remove bloatware.

C D said:
I haven't seen any Sprint-specific bloat discussions here, probably since most of the old Sprint-based ROMs are already de-bloated. If you are on an unrootable LS997, then here is a brief discussion on the V20 Subreddit about using adb or a package disabler app to remove bloatware.
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Thanks for this. I'll have to try it out soon.