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Hello,
I'm currently a proud owner of HTC Tattoo (running android 2.3.7) and I'm looking to buy a new phone. There are few phones that I had in mind, but mini pro is currently my favorite. I love the fact that it has a real qwerty keyboard, 1Ghz processor, and the small screen (I like a phone that fits in my pocket).
But, I have few questions:
Do the newer versions have the noise issue ?
Is the touch screen responsive ?
Is battery life good, and is battery overheating ?
Is reception good ?
Is the phone generally fast ? (I'm tired of Tattoo's occasional lags)
So what do you think, should I buy it ?
Kind regards,
Andrew
Some have reported that they still have the electrostatic noise even after updating to 2.3.4 although Sony Ericsson have stated that it's fixed. Of course, as an owner of a Sony Ericsson Xperia mini Pro sk17a, after finally updating, I still get the electrostatic noise.
I've seen much improvement with the touchscreen after updating to 2.3.4. As in its pretty responsive.
In terms of battery life, it's decent, I can get several hours of movie watching on it (like 10 hours) and it still hasn't reached 15%. Charging is really fast, you can probably charge the phone dead to full in an hour. The battery won't overheat unless you're playing games on the beach. I haven't seen the phone go above 42C.
Reception depends on location, carrier, etc, factors like that. I'm getting full bars right now so I guess it's good.
The phone is generally fast, but you will see a difference comparing to your old phone or to a high end phone like the SGS2. I haven't seen much occasional lag. And those were very occasional.
Do you like the 3-inch screen? The thick form factor?
Whether you should buy it or not, it's your choice. It's a pretty good mid- ranged phone.
Feel free to ask more questions.
AndrewB. said:
Do the newer versions have the noise issue ?
Is the touch screen responsive ?
Is battery life good, and is battery overheating ?
Is reception good ?
Is the phone generally fast ? (I'm tired of Tattoo's occasional lags)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"Newer" phones have had a hardware fix - according to Sony Ericsson. The jury is out on that one though as there's no confirmation of the build number's that have the fix and there's no real agreement on whether it has "gone" or merely been reduced to a lower level. In fact, there appears to be at least two different noise problems - a rythmic pulsing and a higher-pitched clicking noise - so it's often difficult to know which people are talking about when their posts aren't detailed.
Touch screen - excellent. I've had no problems with it - even with a screen protector attached.
Battery life - difficult question. If used as a phone, it will last for ages. If you use wi-fi and other heavy draws, it will obviously reduce battery life. Even then, it's very difficult to make a fair comparison with any other phone - you'd have to have a genuine like-for-like comparison - even the signal strength and line speed from the network source will impact on how much work the phone has to do. As a purely subjective opinion - it's acceptable. I often leave wi-fi on all day and play games, watch videos and generally "play" with the phone for a full day - I just recharge it at night - and it's never run flat. Regarding heat - I've never noticed it even getting more than vaguely warm.
Reception - an odd one. It does seem well able to pick-up on the weakish signal where I live but it has a strange habit of losing the connection even when there is a string signal. It doesn't do that all the time and it appears to me to be a software rather than a hardware problem as it seems to happen after using certain apps or performing certain functions. Having said that, I've yet to lose a call.
Is it fast - hell yes. A 1GB single-core processor is hardly going to break any records but the phone "feels" great - I've yet to find anything that suffered any obvious issues as a result of the CPU speed. Considering the price - which has recently halved in the UK - it is miles faster and more responsive than anything else I could find. Video playback is smooth and seeking within vids is instantaneous, webpages are rendered very quickly - including graphics and - of course - the phone supports Flash properly so that includes animated graphics. The games I've played have been smooth and I've not noticed any feeling that the phone is holding me or the game back. There is an occasional, very slight, stammer if playing a game which has banner-adverts popping up but I've seen that happen on phones with faster CPUs - and switching off network connections (or rooting and installing an ad blocker) stops that anyway.
Overall - you can't buy £500's worth of performance for £130 - but I reckon this phone delivers twice what it cost. If you need top-of-the-range performance, you have to pay top dollar - but if you are looking at a phone in this price range, I don't think there are currently any serious alternatives.
One thing - the small screen is something you have to take into account - and that is entirely down to what you expect to use the phone for. Bear in mind that although the screen is small in size, the resolution is actually pretty good compared with most phones at this price. It's not ideal if you want to do a lot of reading or browsing - text is lovely and clear but no screen this size can compete with a larger screen where you can see more than a paragraph at a time. For general browsing though - checking the news and reading through forums etc - it's perfectly good.
It's worth mentioning too that the keyboard is great. The keys look tiny but there's plenty of space between them so accurate typing is pretty easy.
There's one big downer for me with this phone and even though it's something you didn't ask about (and may not matter to you), it deserves a mention. The camera - still and video - is awful. The still camera produces lifeless, soft pictures that look like they came from a sub-1M camera from ten years ago. The supposedly "HD" video camera is just about acceptable in the brightest of natural light - otherwise it is soft, grainy and about as "good" as the average 1.3M webcam - only the pixel size of the output film is high - as if it filmed at 1M and then stretched the film in software. This is one of the most common criticisms of this phone and it is hoped that SE can fix these problems as they appear to be down to the software over compressing the photos and vids to reduce file-sizes. A "quality" setting for the camera (often found on higher resolution cameras) would be the obvious solution - and should be easy to add.
And then there's the BIG upper for a lot of people - SE are already working on getting Android 4 - Ice Cream Sandwich - rolled out for this phone. It is hoped that we'll start seeing that within a few weeks. If nothing else, that will protect the resale value of the phone - you should be able to get a good price if you sell the phone in a year's time because it will still be fairly up-to-date - the same doesn't apply to many other phones in this price-range.
Hope that helps
Thank you for helping me decide.
I bought the phone and I love it.
AndrewB. said:
Thank you for helping me decide.
I bought the phone and I love it.
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Click to collapse
congrats man! =D
Hi guys,
I am about to exchange my note 2 with z ultra amd some added cash ? Should I go forward ? Comparing the battery life after 4.3 update is it better, a little better or a ton better ?
Hard to tell what your needs are but I came from Note 1 to Note 2 then Xperia Z Ultra and aside from some things the spen can do, I couldnt be happier!
This thing is a beast but I wanted the extra large display so that made it a great option for me.
So it all depends on your needs..like for example why are you not considering the Note 3? Think is too small of a jump display wise?
shaolin95 said:
Hard to tell what your needs are but I came from Note 1 to Note 2 then Xperia Z Ultra and aside from some things the spen can do, I couldnt be happier!
This thing is a beast but I wanted the extra large display so that made it a great option for me.
So it all depends on your needs..like for example why are you not considering the Note 3? Think is too small of a jump display wise?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yuo I kinda like to draw and I like added pixel. m very picky on display. I just never thought of note 3 as it didnt have the 'wow' factor for me. plus somehow the pixel are still visible to me. I love big working space but the only thing thats keeping me from buying it is the battery life. how good is it afer 4.3 update ?
Honestly, for battery life I cannot really help as I am most of the time connected to power and the few times I let it run a bit low on power, I didnt pay attention to how long it lasted but of course, I will never feel as confident as when I had my Note 2 and 4 extra batteries
Still, the Stamina mode is very nice in my opinion but hopefully someone else will provide feedback on battery life.
Battery life it's excellent in my experience: I use 2x Battery (search it into the Play Store), and I get two full days of usage. In line with my previous Galaxy Note. But for the rest, believe me, there is no comparison: the Ultra is totally in another league.
Sent from my C6833 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Pannam said:
yuo I kinda like to draw and I like added pixel. m very picky on display. I just never thought of note 3 as it didnt have the 'wow' factor for me. plus somehow the pixel are still visible to me. I love big working space but the only thing thats keeping me from buying it is the battery life. how good is it afer 4.3 update ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well if you don't mind the absence of pressure sensitve stylus, the z ultra will still cater you fine with its pencil sensitive screen. But better prepare it with screen protector (the anti glare one) so those shallow scratches won't bother you too much. Or if you have some extra dough you could buy the z ultra stylus or the adonit stylus.
The battery life for a non intense internet will have you around 6-7.5 hours of screen time. I have tried it by taking a note in evernote and the battery reaches 50% with 4 hours of screen time which can be calculated to be around 8 hours tops if i continue doing the same thing, plus i was using bluetooh mouse and keyboard too. So if you really focused while you're drawing, then the battery will not be a concern most of the time. Just don't try to browse with mobile data too often. It will drain the battery in 5 hours tops.
Plus the only concern with non removable battery is only after you use the phone for more than 2 years, but if you can take care of your battery (i.e don't charge it while it's hot or don't charge after its fully depleted), 3 years of lifetime is not impossible. In the mean time those slim sony powerbank will certainly help you to extend battery life should you want it.
So yeah nothing to worry i guess.
Sent from my C6802 using xda app-developers app
I would do it. I just came from the note 2 and not going to go back. Everything the Samsung has the Sony has way better. Sony quality is awesome.
Sent from my C6806 using XDA Premium HD app
Oh and the Sony stock ROM is the best I have ever tried stock. I dont feel the need to keep looking for Custom Roms as It was with my Note 2..then again, this thing is a beast so nothing can make it seem laggy lol
Go for it mate!
The following is just my own personal opinion and my experience using the z ultra...originally i had a note 2 and the moved over to the z ultra...after 3 months i sold the z ultra and bought a note 3 which iam very happy with. The main reasons why i decided to switch to the note 3 are as follows;
1) At first i didn't really mind the size, in fact the main reason i bought the phone in the first place was due to size. My main use of a smartphone are media consumption first and communication second. although the z ultra is a lot more portable than some 7 inch tablets, its still pretty big for a phone. often times i found my self getting frustrated due to not being able to fit it properly in some of my pockets. Unless i went out with a bag, i had to think carefully about the types of clothes i had to wear just so i can carry the z ultra. The note 3 seems to provide a big enough screen while not compromising portability, now i don't have to dress for the phone anymore.
2) the screen is not as good as i had thought. Now i have to reiterate this is my own opinion: after using the z ultra i found that the screen had some flaws which i just couldn't get over. The black levels are poor compared to other LCD like the htc one and LG G pro. When looking at the screen in bright ambient lighting you wont notice how poor the black levels are, its only in dimly lit light that it becomes evident, now i use my phone a lot in a dimly lit bedroom so it becomes an issue. The blacks also wash out becoming milky white if you view the phone off angle, the color does not shift, only the color of the blacks...this issue is not as apparent as like the xperia z. but its still far worse compared to other flagships out there.
The screen is very bright even at the lowest setting, i had to use a screen adjuster app just to get the screen to be comfortable to use at night.
X-reality is pure garbage, sony replaced bravia engine with x reality, why they did this i will never understand as x-reality brings along image sharpening and grain which makes videos look unwatchable. But turning it off makes the screen look washed out. I compared every phone i had to the z ultra without x-reality and the z ultra was the worse of the bunch. One color the z ultra the z ultra seemed to have trouble producing accurately was green, compared to other high end phones, any green that's not dark green always appeared to look yellowish green.
One issue i found annoying when viewing pictures and videos was that the screen had poor gamma levels. skin tones appear too bright for what they should be and shadows appear too dark. watching dark scenes was just unbearable as all the shadowy areas would loose all detail and look all black, while the faces especially for light skinned people would look pale white. other phones would show details in the shadows and skin tones would be full of color.
3) sound quality is pretty bad, coming from the note 2 i thought the speaker sound wouldn't bother me, after a few weeks it become annoying as the z ultra has the worst external speaker on any smartphone i have used.
4)The camera is complete utter crap...now i dont take photos much, and i didnt think it would be an issue, but the few times i did take pictures always thought of the note 2 which i had sold off to buy the z ultra. If you like taking picture, do not buy the z ultra.
5) the sony UI is very beautiful and snappy, but after using lg pro, htc one x and note 2 and 3 i found it the least functional especially when it comes to calling and messaging. don't have time to elaborate on this one.
6) The font and icons are so tiny, this for some people wont be an issue but it was for me. even though you can view more content on the z ultra screen, everything is so shrunk down that reading on the thing becomes straining on the eyes. even when you increase the font size in the settings menu, some apps still show font too small.
After a few months i just could not stand these flaws and sold the phone to buy note 3. So far i couldn't be happier. I can carry the phone with no issue, the screen is vibrant and clear with multiple modes to choose from. skin tones look better and shadows are represented accurately. sound quality is vastly improved, the list could keep going on.
trellva25 said:
The following is just my own personal opinion and my experience using the z ultra...originally i had a note 2 and the moved over to the z ultra...after 3 months i sold the z ultra and bought a note 3 which iam very happy with. The main reasons why i decided to switch to the note 3 are as follows;
1) At first i didn't really mind the size, in fact the main reason i bought the phone in the first place was due to size. My main use of a smartphone are media consumption first and communication second. although the z ultra is a lot more portable than some 7 inch tablets, its still pretty big for a phone. often times i found my self getting frustrated due to not being able to fit it properly in some of my pockets. Unless i went out with a bag, i had to think carefully about the types of clothes i had to wear just so i can carry the z ultra. The note 3 seems to provide a big enough screen while not compromising portability, now i don't have to dress for the phone anymore.
2) the screen is not as good as i had thought. Now i have to reiterate this is my own opinion: after using the z ultra i found that the screen had some flaws which i just couldn't get over. The black levels are poor compared to other LCD like the htc one and LG G pro. When looking at the screen in bright ambient lighting you wont notice how poor the black levels are, its only in dimly lit light that it becomes evident, now i use my phone a lot in a dimly lit bedroom so it becomes an issue. The blacks also wash out becoming milky white if you view the phone off angle, the color does not shift, only the color of the blacks...this issue is not as apparent as like the xperia z. but its still far worse compared to other flagships out there.
The screen is very bright even at the lowest setting, i had to use a screen adjuster app just to get the screen to be comfortable to use at night.
X-reality is pure garbage, sony replaced bravia engine with x reality, why they did this i will never understand as x-reality brings along image sharpening and grain which makes videos look unwatchable. But turning it off makes the screen look washed out. I compared every phone i had to the z ultra without x-reality and the z ultra was the worse of the bunch. One color the z ultra the z ultra seemed to have trouble producing accurately was green, compared to other high end phones, any green that's not dark green always appeared to look yellowish green.
One issue i found annoying when viewing pictures and videos was that the screen had poor gamma levels. skin tones appear too bright for what they should be and shadows appear too dark. watching dark scenes was just unbearable as all the shadowy areas would loose all detail and look all black, while the faces especially for light skinned people would look pale white. other phones would show details in the shadows and skin tones would be full of color.
3) sound quality is pretty bad, coming from the note 2 i thought the speaker sound wouldn't bother me, after a few weeks it become annoying as the z ultra has the worst external speaker on any smartphone i have used.
4)The camera is complete utter crap...now i dont take photos much, and i didnt think it would be an issue, but the few times i did take pictures always thought of the note 2 which i had sold off to buy the z ultra. If you like taking picture, do not buy the z ultra.
5) the sony UI is very beautiful and snappy, but after using lg pro, htc one x and note 2 and 3 i found it the least functional especially when it comes to calling and messaging. don't have time to elaborate on this one.
6) The font and icons are so tiny, this for some people wont be an issue but it was for me. even though you can view more content on the z ultra screen, everything is so shrunk down that reading on the thing becomes straining on the eyes. even when you increase the font size in the settings menu, some apps still show font too small.
After a few months i just could not stand these flaws and sold the phone to buy note 3. So far i couldn't be happier. I can carry the phone with no issue, the screen is vibrant and clear with multiple modes to choose from. skin tones look better and shadows are represented accurately. sound quality is vastly improved, the list could keep going on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) I dont dress for my phone...never have. The Notes are not small enough to fit that good with what I wear anyway so i always carry them so no big deal for me.
2) To me the screen was the biggest surprise on how beautiful it looks. I was afraid of black levels coming from a long line of Samsung phones but the Pros far outweight the cons.
For someone so picky about the display its odd how you seem to "not see" the issues with the note 3 screen...
Yes x-reality creates too many issues for some media. Would be better to have options for it but all the stuff you mention I just dont buy it. Your opinion it may be and I disagree totally.
3) Really..comparing phone speaker qualities....oh boy. In any case, the less clarify of the speaker is of course due to the water proof nature of the phone. You cant get something for nothing in real life.
4) The camera is utter crap...mhm...actually is not. In low light it is pretty lame, which goes for most many phones but for me to call a phone camera utter crap means I am into photography (which I am) so I use a real camera for my photos so the phone camera is good enough for what I will use it.
To correct your statement "If you like taking pictures, do not buy a phone, buy a real CAMERA!"
But I am sure the Note A7R with FF sensor is much better...
5) Of course you wont ellaborate...I wanted to see what exactly you were going to claim here is as the issue since the Sony ROM has been one of the most impressive things I have found after moving from Samsung. Just clean and smooth without needing Custom Roms.
6) Straining on the eyes? Really...you got some eye problems, go to an eye doctor, dont blame the phone.
So lets see by your logic, you want a phone with a BIG screen to resize the Icons to fit the same lame quantity of Icons and things that will fit if the screen was smaller thus not really taking advantage of the bigger screen?
That is actually one of the greatest things about the Sony Rom even compared to Googles version of the Xperia.
So after a few months you sold the phone and yet you hang around the Xperia Z Ultra forum? Interesting behavior indeed...
To each its own..but the Note 4 would have to be DAMN good for me to leave the Xperia Z Ultra...that is how GOOD and impressive this phone is.
The following is just my own personal opinion and my experience using the z ultra...originally i had a note 2 and the moved over to the z ultra...after 3 months i sold the z ultra and bought a note 3 which iam very happy with. The main reasons why i decided to switch to the note 3 are as follows;
1) At first i didn't really mind the size, in fact the main reason i bought the phone in the first place was due to size. My main use of a smartphone are media consumption first and communication second. although the z ultra is a lot more portable than some 7 inch tablets, its still pretty big for a phone. often times i found my self getting frustrated due to not being able to fit it properly in some of my pockets. Unless i went out with a bag, i had to think carefully about the types of clothes i had to wear just so i can carry the z ultra. The note 3 seems to provide a big enough screen while not compromising portability, now i don't have to dress for the phone anymore.
2) the screen is not as good as i had thought. Now i have to reiterate this is my own opinion: after using the z ultra i found that the screen had some flaws which i just couldn't get over. The black levels are poor compared to other LCD like the htc one and LG G pro. When looking at the screen in bright ambient lighting you wont notice how poor the black levels are, its only in dimly lit light that it becomes evident, now i use my phone a lot in a dimly lit bedroom so it becomes an issue. The blacks also wash out becoming milky white if you view the phone off angle, the color does not shift, only the color of the blacks...this issue is not as apparent as like the xperia z. but its still far worse compared to other flagships out there.
The screen is very bright even at the lowest setting, i had to use a screen adjuster app just to get the screen to be comfortable to use at night.
X-reality is pure garbage, sony replaced bravia engine with x reality, why they did this i will never understand as x-reality brings along image sharpening and grain which makes videos look unwatchable. But turning it off makes the screen look washed out. I compared every phone i had to the z ultra without x-reality and the z ultra was the worse of the bunch. One color the z ultra the z ultra seemed to have trouble producing accurately was green, compared to other high end phones, any green that's not dark green always appeared to look yellowish green.
One issue i found annoying when viewing pictures and videos was that the screen had poor gamma levels. skin tones appear too bright for what they should be and shadows appear too dark. watching dark scenes was just unbearable as all the shadowy areas would loose all detail and look all black, while the faces especially for light skinned people would look pale white. other phones would show details in the shadows and skin tones would be full of color.
3) sound quality is pretty bad, coming from the note 2 i thought the speaker sound wouldn't bother me, after a few weeks it become annoying as the z ultra has the worst external speaker on any smartphone i have used.
4)The camera is complete utter crap...now i dont take photos much, and i didnt think it would be an issue, but the few times i did take pictures always thought of the note 2 which i had sold off to buy the z ultra. If you like taking picture, do not buy the z ultra.
5) the sony UI is very beautiful and snappy, but after using lg pro, htc one x and note 2 and 3 i found it the least functional especially when it comes to calling and messaging. don't have time to elaborate on this one.
6) The font and icons are so tiny, this for some people wont be an issue but it was for me. even though you can view more content on the z ultra screen, everything is so shrunk down that reading on the thing becomes straining on the eyes. even when you increase the font size in the settings menu, some apps still show font too small.
After a few months i just could not stand these flaws and sold the phone to buy note 3. So far i couldn't be happier. I can carry the phone with no issue, the screen is vibrant and clear with multiple modes to choose from. skin tones look better and shadows are represented accurately. sound quality is vastly improved, the list could keep going on.
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Click to collapse
1. I fit it into my front chest pocket and never have any problem with it. in fact Sony engineers stated that it is the max that a pocket can be fitted because it is designed with a passport width in mind. So I'm not sure why can't you.
2. Blacks will never be a true black even with AMOLED one. Yeah the contrast is good when you push the brightness, but when you're reducing it you'll know that their blacks are not as black as you thought. I have had using razr Maxx fyi so there's that. If you don't like x reality then just turn it off simple. It's like you need to change color temperature mode first to get more accurate color in GS4 and Note 3. Plus those oversaturated colors.. I don't know but my eyes bleed when i saw my friend's Note 2 after using the Z Ultra. There's a reason why professional monitor doesn't use AMOLED.
3. Nothing beats HTC one in that regard i admit, but frankly all other smartphones can only produce so much sound too plus it is water proof so like shaolin said. You don't get something for nothing
4. Just switch to manual and reduce ISO to max 200. Boom done. Or better yet the qx100..
5. To each other's preferences then. But if we have to be honest, people loves to flash CM ROM on their Samsung/LG because of the bloated skin. Whereas with sony sometimes people regret doing that and came back to stock Sony ROM because the beautiful factor and simplicity is damn near AOSP one.
6. I have pity for you then. You are wasting all that ppi provided by the phone these days just for a bigger font. Granted if you have eye problem but if you do, better make it with some low end galaxy grand I suppose?
But i do understand that Note 3 has advantages over Z Ultra. S-pen and slighlty longer lasting battery, but none of the above you mentioned I'd consider as the disadvantages of the Z Ultra.
Sent from my C6802 using xda app-developers app
I clearly stated multiple times that everything i stated was based on my personal experience for the very reason that this is a z ultra forum, most people who frequent this forum will be z ultra owners of which there will be many people that do like the z ultra.
All the negatives i wrote about are based on my experiences and my uses of the phone, they wont be the same nor should they be the same as everyone's else...as of now i find the note 3 suits my needs better than the z ultra, does that mean i find the note 3 perfect....NO...does that mean the z ultra is a bad phone....NO
I use most of my phones stock, i seldom root much less use custom ROMS...if a phone does do or perform the way i want out the box then iam less likely to keep it...
The OP asked if its worth switching from the note 2 to z ultra....now since i used the note 2 for over a year before switching i felt my input could be of help, its up to the OP to look into the issues i stated and see for him/herself if 1) he can actually see the same issues stated in the phone 2) if he does see the issues are they a deal breaker for him
One thing i do know for sure is that iam not the only one who feels the way i do, each point i made has already been made by different forum members,
For example the font being too small, there is already a thread made about it in the forum, the screen issues i mentioned forum member angelofmusic has stated my experience with actual measurements made
Iam sure the z ultra is a good phone for some, but its just not for me
I have been using many phones before the Z.U. Honestly I only like Samsung phone for the Galaxy S1,S2. Since s3, the quality is, sorry for all Samsung users, never be able to beat Sony.
If you compare between the screen of Z.U and Samsung phone. Indeed the samsung will have brighter, more vivid colors, but not as real as the Z.U. I am an Z.U users and I am giving my personal opinion.
To the OP, I do NOT think it is worth to switch to the Note2. When you buy the Z.U, you know that the size is large and at some points, it may cause inconvenience. For the Note 2, it might be smaller, but I think you will miss the badass screen of Z.U soon.
With me, there is no reason to swith from Z.U to Note2, only if it is because of the battery. However, using a Phablet like the Z.U, you should prepare that the battery will not last all day long like smaller ones. Why? besides the badass screen, you have the Snap 800 inside, which is far too strong for any usual tasks.
justsomebody said:
I have been using many phones before the Z.U. Honestly I only like Samsung phone for the Galaxy S1,S2. Since s3, the quality is, sorry for all Samsung users, never be able to beat Sony.
If you compare between the screen of Z.U and Samsung phone. Indeed the samsung will have brighter, more vivid colors, but not as real as the Z.U. I am an Z.U users and I am giving my personal opinion.
To the OP, I do NOT think it is worth to switch to the Note2. When you buy the Z.U, you know that the size is large and at some points, it may cause inconvenience. For the Note 2, it might be smaller, but I think you will miss the badass screen of Z.U soon.
With me, there is no reason to swith from Z.U to Note2, only if it is because of the battery. However, using a Phablet like the Z.U, you should prepare that the battery will not last all day long like smaller ones. Why? besides the badass screen, you have the Snap 800 inside, which is far too strong for any usual tasks.
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Click to collapse
Seems like OP wants to switch from note 2 to z ultra not the other way around
Sent from my C6802 using xda app-developers app
thanx guys for ur input ,much appreciated. I have until tomorrow to make the deal so I am trying to consider all the facts. the pros and cons.very strong points from both end. I just met the guy. the screen looked washed out to me while the note 2 looked unnecessarily colorful him. the funny thing is now my note 2 looks so small and I cant get over it. wow! the screen size and all those extra space to work with but I just cant say abt the battery life if it suits my need.
lasts thank you for your time and all those long reviews. I hope I make the right choice.
Also, Z Ultra will survive a toilet dip , that's something to be bragged about.
trellva25 said:
I clearly stated multiple times that everything i stated was based on my personal experience for the very reason that this is a z ultra forum, most people who frequent this forum will be z ultra owners of which there will be many people that do like the z ultra.
All the negatives i wrote about are based on my experiences and my uses of the phone, they wont be the same nor should they be the same as everyone's else...as of now i find the note 3 suits my needs better than the z ultra, does that mean i find the note 3 perfect....NO...does that mean the z ultra is a bad phone....NO
I use most of my phones stock, i seldom root much less use custom ROMS...if a phone does do or perform the way i want out the box then iam less likely to keep it...
The OP asked if its worth switching from the note 2 to z ultra....now since i used the note 2 for over a year before switching i felt my input could be of help, its up to the OP to look into the issues i stated and see for him/herself if 1) he can actually see the same issues stated in the phone 2) if he does see the issues are they a deal breaker for him
One thing i do know for sure is that iam not the only one who feels the way i do, each point i made has already been made by different forum members,
For example the font being too small, there is already a thread made about it in the forum, the screen issues i mentioned forum member angelofmusic has stated my experience with actual measurements made
Iam sure the z ultra is a good phone for some, but its just not for me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good so like after I sold a phone, I dont keep hanging around the old forums to post stuff like you just did. Just does not make sense to hang around a forum for a device I only had for a few months and did not like...I move on with my life to the new phone I got and the corresponding forums...
I already replied to all your points before so I wont rehash that. I do not mean the Note 3 is a bad phone nor that the Ultra is perfect, it sure is not. But your post really blows things out of proportions. Your opinion it is and I totally disagree with most of it as I said...so that is MY opinion too.
The OP will decide at the end.
Pannam said:
thanx guys for ur input ,much appreciated. I have until tomorrow to make the deal so I am trying to consider all the facts. the pros and cons.very strong points from both end. I just met the guy. the screen looked washed out to me while the note 2 looked unnecessarily colorful him. the funny thing is now my note 2 looks so small and I cant get over it. wow! the screen size and all those extra space to work with but I just cant say abt the battery life if it suits my need.
lasts thank you for your time and all those long reviews. I hope I make the right choice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I always had to tame down the colors on my Note phones using a kernel feature or at least changing to movie mode or something like that. The sony just looks perfect to me but I am used to working on a calibrated monitor for photo editing so give it a bit of time for your eyes to adjust maybe.
In any case, good luck with your decision!
I wont deny I was afraid of changing from Samsung after so many phones and being a Note 1 and Note 2 fan but now I cannot see myself without my Ultra! :good:
Pannam said:
Hi guys,
I am about to exchange my note 2 with z ultra amd some added cash ? Should I go forward ? Comparing the battery life after 4.3 update is it better, a little better or a ton better ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I came from the note 2 myself... The battery on The Z Ultra is just fine, it actually got considerably better after a few weeks use. I was paranoid at first worrying when I got down to 50% etc, but honestly one the initial setup and benchmarking frenzy was over it easily lasts me a day now. I normally charge between 5 and 7 when I get home after work, and thats the only time I do charge, its left unplugged overnight. When I come to charge it the next day I've usually got 40%+ left in the tank. To summarise I don't worry about battery whatsoever with this device. :good:
People keep complaining about the black levels on the ZU's screen - but they don't seem to realize what accurate colours truly are.
If you are the type of person who sets their TV to 'vivid' or 'dynamic' or one of those other fake settings that artificially enhance the hues and saturation of colours to make them pop - then by all means, please go the Samsung route; to your eyes, the colours are most likely going to seem more vibrant and thus imply that the screen quality is actually better.
If you want colours that are as close to those you will get from a professionally calibrated television set or monitor - the Sony is hands down the way to go.
Even comparing the Sony ZU side by side with my first generation Galaxy Note, the colours on the Note can in some cases strike out a little more - but when I put them up against my 55" professionally calibrated Samsung TV - the Sony's colours are most in line with the calibrated display - the Samsung looks skewed.
In short, if you think skin tones actually are supposed to be orange - stick with a Samsung.
If you want accurate, realistic depiction of your media - go Sony.
hassanmahmood said:
People keep complaining about the black levels on the ZU's screen - but they don't seem to realize what accurate colours truly are.
If you are the type of person who sets their TV to 'vivid' or 'dynamic' or one of those other fake settings that artificially enhance the hues and saturation of colours to make them pop - then by all means, please go the Samsung route; to your eyes, the colours are most likely going to seem more vibrant and thus imply that the screen quality is actually better.
If you want colours that are as close to those you will get from a professionally calibrated television set or monitor - the Sony is hands down the way to go.
Even comparing the Sony ZU side by side with my first generation Galaxy Note, the colours on the Note can in some cases strike out a little more - but when I put them up against my 55" professionally calibrated Samsung TV - the Sony's colours are most in line with the calibrated display - the Samsung looks skewed.
In short, if you think skin tones actually are supposed to be orange - stick with a Samsung.
If you want accurate, realistic depiction of your media - go Sony.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well, cannot agree more on that
Hello,
I'm currently an owner of an S3 . I've been wanting to upgrade for some time now and I just can't decide what to buy.
I love the M8, but the camera is so awful that I am just not ready to pay a flagship-phone price for a phone like that. (my old s3 beats m8's camera (!!) )
I loved the G3 too , but reading in the GSMaren's review how bad its battery is (aside from 3G talk time , it really isn't that different than my ancient S3 in terms of its battery life which is just ridiculous! )
The Z2 has a boring and an outdated UI which is just a shame for a 2014 phone.
But , its battery ,camera, overall performance are superb. At least compared to its rivals. (Though it seems that the screen is rather dim and dark compared to the S5 and M8).
But my main concern , is that Video shooting and overheating issue.
I don't need to record videos in 4K. But as far as I understand the the overheating issue occurs even when shooting an 1080p video, and that's a problem.
Does 1080p shooting cause the overheating and camera app shut down for everyone?
If you really think the UI is "boring and outdated" (really?!) it is easily remedied with any launcher of your choice..
Regarding the overheating issue, I have been recording 12 minute 4K videos (it shut down by itself) and 30 minute 1080p videos (I stopped recording, I could have gone longer the phone was warm but not hot at that point) without any issues.
That being said, based on what everyone on here has been saying my experience is not the same as most.
At the end of the day mate, it's a mobile phone. You don't have much to lose picking this over one of the other flagships.
Have you seen the phone in person and used it? I read a lot of reviews complaining about the brightness but when I got it I was quite surprised I could use it in daylight with no issues. As for the UI you can alway use a launcher or themer to change the look of the phone, as for the 4K video recording it seems to be an issue across all companies I think it's probably being an issue of the hardware not being at that level yet. I am hoping that there will be a software fix for the overheating issues. I'm not sure if you are in the US but there are sellers who are Amazon verified once in a while that will let you do no hassle returns if you dont like it. I was really impressed with the phone but ended up returning it because it was a bit too big for my tastes but I am planning on buying it again when the prices go down. Good Luck!
jawang26 said:
Have you seen the phone in person and used it? I read a lot of reviews complaining about the brightness but when I got it I was quite surprised I could use it in daylight with no issues. As for the UI you can alway use a launcher or themer to change the look of the phone, as for the 4K video recording it seems to be an issue across all companies I think it's probably being an issue of the hardware not being at that level yet. I am hoping that there will be a software fix for the overheating issues. I'm not sure if you are in the US but there are sellers who are Amazon verified once in a while that will let you do no hassle returns if you dont like it. I was really impressed with the phone but ended up returning it because it was a bit too big for my tastes but I am planning on buying it again when the prices go down. Good Luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One thing for sure when the price reduces the phone will NOT reduce in size
Ryland
Somnium1 said:
The Z2 has a boring and an outdated UI which is just a shame for a 2014 phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would have to disagree with you here. The Z2 has a beautiful elegant UI IMO, one of the best Android "skins" aside from stock Android on the flagship devices. I've owned the One M8, Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note 3, and this is my favorite device by far.
I had...well,still have a z2 (its in for repair, after three days of light use the back panel cracked).
I did want to like it, but a few things missing from it that I missed from previously having Samsungs. Yes the ui is cleaner,closer to stock android but the the features of Touchwiz for me, make android better.
Like the swipe left to call/right to text.... Vibrate when there is an unread text, scheduled text messages, block numbers etc.
Ok, apps can be installed to mimic most of these but arnt as fluid as the built in features of Touchwiz.
Also had issues with the volume of notifications and screen brightness in the sun.
Great looking phone tbh, but have a play properly with a demo unit before committing.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk (how ironic is that eh)
Somnium1 said:
Does 1080p shooting cause the overheating and camera app shut down for everyone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is the ambient temperature where you will be shooting ?
---------- Post added at 05:54 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:52 AM ----------
ProdigalFather said:
Regarding the overheating issue, I have been recording 12 minute 4K videos (it shut down by itself) and 30 minute 1080p videos (I stopped recording, I could have gone longer the phone was warm but not hot at that point) without any issues.
That being said, based on what everyone on here has been saying my experience is not the same as most.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It isn't from what i can see and i'm trying to figure it out.
Go on then. Tell us what was the ambient temperature when you recorded those vids ? particularly that half hour long 1080p one.
Ryland Johnson said:
One thing for sure when the price reduces the phone will NOT reduce in size
Ryland
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I know, I got a Z1 Compact as primary would like a Z2 eventually for those times I want a bigger screen
jawang26 said:
Yeah I know, I got a Z1 Compact as primary would like a Z2 eventually for those times I want a bigger screen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Get the Z2 tablet.
irishrally said:
Get the Z2 tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha I have an iPad already (don't judge!) like having a different eco system...We'll see hopefully I can hold out of the Z3 or Sony releases something similar in the 4.7 - 5 range.
As of now the Z2 is the best phone I've used compared to the S5 and the HTC One M8 but everyone has different preferences and tastes
I wrote a FULL REVIEW of the Xperia Z2 here - http://bit.ly/1kPjBJP
Read it and i'm pretty sure you will make up your mind easier.
One Twelve said:
What is the ambient temperature where you will be shooting ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ambient temp is around 30-40C (Sometimes more). Summers are hot here.
And I still can't understand.. the overheating issue occurs in 1080p videos too?? Or just for some..?
If it's only with 4K I can live with that, but 1080p... sucks.
It's weird that no serious mobile reviews mention that.(Engadget,GSMarena,etc.)
One Twelve said:
It isn't from what i can see and i'm trying to figure it out.
Go on then. Tell us what was the ambient temperature when you recorded those vids ? particularly that half hour long 1080p one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Around 11-13C for both.
Any Middle east user out there? How is the heat problem with z2 as ambient is around 45+ C
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
I'm reading answers here and it's very annoying to see some of them...
Most of us choose one brand and stick to it, why?
Just because we found something on that brand that cannot be found on others.
To compare touchwiz and Sony UI is... Hmm...let's say odd..
Why to compare?
I like Sony UI and I'm using Xperia devices, for years.
I don't like touchwiz so I don't use it.
Sony UI isn't outdated, dev brought UI on XS and older devices back in 2012/2013 but it wasn't meant to be for those devices.
Sony UI (new UI) was built for Honami, for Z1 and that's not old guys...
I thought I won't buy Z2, I own Z1 and Z2 now and I can't tell which one is Z2 from distance...so, yeah, there's not much new when you look device while it's off.
But...
When you take Z2 in your hands, when you feel it, when you see that fantastic IPS screen - you'll see the difference.
While I'm talking about screen I'll say just a few things about heating, not overheating.
If you watch 4K video or shoot one, play heavy games - it'll be hot, quite hot but there'll be no apps crashing or device freezing - that's the difference between heating and overheating.
That's perfectly normal and I'm sure next update will reduce that a bit...
Also, screen is a bit dark and you'll have trouble to watch video outside on bright sun.
You won't see problems in menus and other apps but video is hard to watch...
That's minus, at least for me...
But that's something next firmware releases could fix without any problems.
Even custom kernels could fix something like that...
If you can wait, wait for next Xperia device, it'll be better, that's for sure.
But comparing this device with Z/ZL/ZR/Z1 I can say this is not just a better device, Z2 is something new from Sony...
Believe me, I'm using Z1 at the same time and comparing them all the time - Z2 is really, really something else...
Is it better then competitions flagships?
For me it is but if you like Sony and their ideas it'll be best for you as well...
Sent from my D6503 using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 11:58 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:55 AM ----------
Somnium1 said:
Ambient temp is around 30-40C (Sometimes more). Summers are hot here.
And I still can't understand.. the overheating issue occurs in 1080p videos too?? Or just for some..?
If it's only with 4K I can live with that, but 1080p... sucks.
It's weird that no serious mobile reviews mention that.(Engadget,GSMarena,etc.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wait for a new update and we'll confirm if that heating is fixed.
55 has that problem and I think next one has it to (I think it's 402 or 420, I'm not sure) so next firmware update could fix that problem.
Wait for that and you'll know...
BTW, I just tried to shoot 1080 / 60fps video.
I recorded 3.20mins and played it, so it's almost 7 mins of 1080p videos and no heating at all.
Device is just a bit warmer (top back) but that's nothing.
It's not hot at all....
Sent from my D6503 using Tapatalk
I have the M8 and Z2. The screen on the Z2 is brighter than my M8.
Sent from my C6806_GPe using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
jawang26 said:
Yeah I know, I got a Z1 Compact as primary would like a Z2 eventually for those times I want a bigger screen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A suggestion. If you have the Z1 compact as your mobile phone and desire on times a larger viewing area I would skip the Z2 and go for the Xperia Z Ultra. Prices are incredibly low now and its one hell of a viewing experience. I own the Ultra and Z2 and think the Ultra is certainly better quality in terms of materials used and construction methods. Nothing wrong with the Z2 but I was some what surprised when I received it last week. I used to own the Xperia Z and that was, despite many negative comments, a very good phone. I am unsure if the jump in size from the compact to the Z2 would be worth the financial outlay. Now the Ultra has a far greater viewing area and its less than half the price of the new Z2.
Again, just some food for thought. Your choice will be right for you I am sure of that. Good luck with what ever you purchase.
Ryland
Why I like the Xperia Z2 over other competitors (Galaxy S5, One M8, G3). Below are just my personal opinion and observations. I have used my Z2 for 3 weeks now. This is my first noob review so please bear with me.
Camera
I was disappointed when I first heard that Sony limited its Superior Auto mode to 8MP only, I admit Im one of the people who believes more megapixel the better, but I was wrong. Even at 8MP, Z2 captures amazing shots, HDR is not as great as Galaxy S5s HDR shots, but as a whole camera, its better. Color accuracy is near perfect as I have compared through reviews. 4K video, although it heats up the phone quickly, I dont often use them. 1080p video recording is great, with a choice of 30fps or 60fps, sound is loud. Shots are fast and focus is 90% hit. Dont mind about HTC One M8's "Ultrapixel", they shoot awful shots.
Battery
3200mah Z2 vs 3200mah G3? G3 with QHD screen undoubtly will eat up more battery that Z2's FHD screen. Galaxy S5's 2800mAh and HTC One 2600 will normally never last longer than Z2. Rocking the phone for 24 hrs is a piece of cake. Dont forget Sony's Stamina mode that saves up a significant amount of juice.
Screen display
Although many people have been complaining about Z2's screen a bit dim. In my opinion its not too dim or too bright that I have to squint to see what im looking at. In my observation, Z2's brightness bursts from 75% and above. Previous flagships use TFT LCD and that was a big deal breaker for me. I could have got the Z1 if the screen was IPS. Texts and icons are sharper and brighter. Images are more vivid and accurate. Coming from Galaxy S4, I am used to those AMOLED displays, downside is that its not as sharp as IPS LCD, plus X-Reality does the job well done to movies and pictures (sharper and more vivid). As for HTC One M8, screen is comparable to IPS, but gives a bluish tint as I have read. Imagine yellows with blueish/colder colors.
Stereo Speakers/Sound
HTC is undoubtly the champ. But we are pinning Z2's dual front facing stereo speakers at 2nd, ahead of Galaxy S5 or G3 with one speaker. Sound is a bit soft/low even at 50%. You wont even notice a significant change from 1%-50% volume. Volume bursts from 50% and above. Thats just my opinion. Theres a little bit of trick with Z2's speakers to sound great or at least better. Watching movies or listening to music in landscape greatly improves the audio experience. Its probably because sound is distributed well to your left and right ear.
Noise-cancelling headphones
Its my first ever high-end earphones ever had. I was amazed how it cancels out 98% of background noise. And its 0 outside noise when im playing music. I couldnt even hear my friend shout at me. Bass is good, im not a boomboom person but I think its better than my GS4 generic headphones, or my Sony MDR ZX100. Definitely a steal.
Design/Build Quality
Coming from GS4, im loving my premium Z2. The glass and metal finish it has over Samsung's plastic, and horrible GS5 design, GS3 was good though. M8s design is good too, but that camera and battery . G3 is a bit big for me, and the back buttons are something that needs to get used to. Although heavy (Z2), Im getting used to it. Im using Spigen Ultra Fit case for increased grip and protection. I believe its a must for cases because the sides of the Z2 is kinda slippery. And I dont wanna scratch the back glass, lol.
User Interface and features
I find Z2 a wee bit lacking of features, like Touchwiz S-Beam. Palm tap to mute, especially calls and alarm and Smart Stay. Nevermind smart scroll and Air view stuff, they are hardly useful. The Sony UI feels light, not much bloated than Samsung. And it doesnt lag!! Unlike Samsung. Generally speaking. The UI is simple and snappy, though personally I feel its getting old/outdated. Needs to freshen up the icons and apps. With the new Quick Settings tab under notification, its a big improvement from older android versions with only limited and un-editable quick settings
Conclusion:
Coming from Galaxy S4, I am not disappointed that I ditched GS4 for Xperia Z2. With the screen improved from TFT LCD to IPS LCD, with 2 front facing stereo speakers, with the much improved camera than the previous Z1, the premium noise cancelling earphones, a premium phone made with glass and aluminum, water-proof, and ofcourse the massive 3200mAh battery. You cant go wrong buying the Xperia Z2.
Upon writing this lousy review back from a fresh shower, I just dropped my Z2 (with case ofcourse, 2nd time) from shoulder height to the floor tiles, and survived. Not a single scratch or crack.
I came from the SIII and certainly don't regret it. My main concern was the size. Whilst I have got used to it, it definitely is not pocket sized. In fact, ignoring weight and thickness it is the same size as my first ever mobile, the Ericsson Hotline EH97! Ok, the screen is a bit larger
On the plus side, the biggest improvement is the battery. I always struggled to get one day out of the SIII but get a day and a half comfortably now.
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Free mobile app
Somnium1 said:
Ambient temp is around 30-40C (Sometimes more). Summers are hot here.
And I still can't understand.. the overheating issue occurs in 1080p videos too?? Or just for some..?
If it's only with 4K I can live with that, but 1080p... sucks.
It's weird that no serious mobile reviews mention that.(Engadget,GSMarena,etc.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How long do you want to shoot 1080p ? Also if you don't use stabilisation then it will last longer. But this may not always be an option you want.
Not a problem for those that shoot at half the temperature.
The thread on undervolting looks promising. There apparently is a difference with .420, maybe they will lower it further in future updates.
---------- Post added at 04:02 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:00 AM ----------
funky0308 said:
While I'm talking about screen I'll say just a few things about heating, not overheating.
If you watch 4K video or shoot one, play heavy games - it'll be hot, quite hot but there'll be no apps crashing or device freezing - that's the difference between heating and overheating.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like a fair way to draw a distinction
People tend to use it in a relative way though, this other device does not get so hot so Z2 gets hotter than them therefore it overheats.
Hello there,
After much inquiry, I've become undecided about this phone. I have been looking for a 4.7-5in phone with a good and snappy camera, battery, USA bands, and micro sd support, and the z5 compact seems to fit the bill. However, I keep reading problems about this device mainly concerning its software and camera. I really like the device given all it has to offer but I'm just not inclined to dish out $500+ on a device that has a problematic camera i.e. blurred edges caused by software or hardware, no warranty (here in the USA), over-heating, sony ui, etc. I currently have an LG G4 which absolutely meets my needs but like I said, I'm looking for a smaller phone for traveling and one hand handling.
So my question for those who own the Z5c, is it really THAT bad and will the firmware update fix the purported problems of this device? I'm concerned about the blurry edges being a hardware issue and perhaps Sony is just covering their tracks by saying that an "update" will fix that problem. If you have updated your device, could you post a sample of the fixed camera or at least let us know here?
Really appreciate your time and input!
Coming from the z1 compact and z3 compact, although I loved those phones I did find the camera sub par, and the external speaker volume too low and muffled, the front and back screens were finger print magnets and easily scratched.
But I love the compact series and put my hope and money back into the z5-compact.
Had mine for 2 weeks now (Arctic white) and I love the new design, the no finger print frosted rear glass and the front screen also just doesn't seem to attract finger prints either!, improved and much louder external speakers, the camera has improved dramatically. I have none of the reported issues of blurred edges, slow camera opening etc it's all good. Oh and the fingerprint scanner is awesome!
I love this phone to death it's perfect in my eyes. It will be hard to part with this when it comes time to upgrade to the z6 compact ☺
Woza72 said:
Coming from the z1 compact and z3 compact, although I loved those phones I did find the camera sub par, and the external speaker volume too low and muffled, the front and back screens were finger print magnets and easily scratched.
But I love the compact series and put my hope and money back into the z5-compact.
Had mine for 2 weeks now (Arctic white) and I love the new design, the no finger print frosted rear glass and the front screen also just doesn't seem to attract finger prints either!, improved and much louder external speakers, the camera has improved dramatically. I have none of the reported issues of blurred edges, slow camera opening etc it's all good. Oh and the fingerprint scanner is awesome!
I love this phone to death it's perfect in my eyes. It will be hard to part with this when it comes time to upgrade to the z6 compact ☺
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does the software seem good and fast? No stutters or lag?
Thanks
Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk
Notchr302 said:
Does the software seem good and fast? No stutters or lag?
Thanks
Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There were stutters and lags, but since the last update they all are gone.
Drakorcarnis0 said:
There were stutters and lags, but since the last update they all are gone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm so confused because some say there is still lag after the update. Ugh lol
Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk
I am one of those who would say that the lags are gone after the update. And whatever that guy said, I agree wholeheartedly. This phone is a beast. I also come from a Z3 Compact and I am loving the Z5c. Especially the camera
It was a little stuttery straight out of the box but I downloaded Sony PC companion (just googled it) and then downloaded the latest firmware 32.0.A.6.152 (it took a couple of hours, which by all reports is normal) then updated my phone.
Happy to report it is buttery smooth with no stutters or lags all super fast.
Interesting to see that the pre installed photo analyzer app (Sony) which was reportedly causing some lag, had disappeared in the latest firmware.
I hope this has helped you with your decision.
Cheers
Do you still have the blurry edges or has it been fixed?
moist_line said:
Do you still have the blurry edges or has it been fixed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
99% sure it's good. You be the judge. Just a quick picture, tried to place items on every edge/corner.
I'm sitting at the park, it's dusk and a little cloudy. No flash, superior auto, 8mp.
I've had the Z5C for a week now and I can't comment too much on certain details because this is my very first Android phone - I am coming straight from a Nokia 808. The phone is compact, slick-looking, seems incredibly fast to me and I am liking the Android experience as a whole, although a few things Symbian had were simpler and more elegant (changing phone profiles, searching for contacts under phone, for instance).
The one issue I have, and that is a big one and it is so big of an issue that I registered today on XDA to ask for help, is the extremely poor photo/camera quality. I cannot understand what is going on here. This is a $600 2015 brand new release phone. Something must be wrong either with the software or hardware on my phone, which sucks since I purchased it for US operation (no warranty). I do not know how to express in words how disappointed I am with the camera. Let's just say that my 2012 Nokia 808 takes photos comparable to my SLR system. I was expecting at least equivalent photo quality from a modern/newer phone.
OldSkewler said:
I've had the Z5C for a week now and I can't comment too much on certain details because this is my very first Android phone - I am coming straight from a Nokia 808. The phone is compact, slick-looking, seems incredibly fast to me and I am liking the Android experience as a whole, although a few things Symbian had were simpler and more elegant (changing phone profiles, searching for contacts under phone, for instance).
The one issue I have, and that is a big one and it is so big of an issue that I registered today on XDA to ask for help, is the extremely poor photo/camera quality. I cannot understand what is going on here. This is a $600 2015 brand new release phone. Something must be wrong either with the software or hardware on my phone, which sucks since I purchased it for US operation (no warranty). I do not know how to express in words how disappointed I am with the camera. Let's just say that my 2012 Nokia 808 takes photos comparable to my SLR system. I was expecting at least equivalent photo quality from a modern/newer phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What are your thoughts on the quick photo I posted? All standard settings in quite average light? Do you see any of the issues you are experiencing on your phone?
Woza72 said:
What are your thoughts on the quick photo I posted? All standard settings in quite average light? Do you see any of the issues you are experiencing on your phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For the resolution posted, I dont see any issues. What I see on my photos is some sort of sharpening which causes details to be lost when zooming in. And believe me, I am not even remotely pixel-peeking, just basic cropping for creative purposes.
I'll try to post some sample photos to illustrate what I am facing here.
Cheers,
BB
OldSkewler said:
The one issue I have, and that is a big one and it is so big of an issue that I registered today on XDA to ask for help, is the extremely poor photo/camera quality. I cannot understand what is going on here. This is a $600 2015 brand new release phone. Something must be wrong either with the software or hardware on my phone, which sucks since I purchased it for US operation (no warranty). I do not know how to express in words how disappointed I am with the camera. Let's just say that my 2012 Nokia 808 takes photos comparable to my SLR system. I was expecting at least equivalent photo quality from a modern/newer phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you haven't already, you might want to check the main Xperia Z5 subforum about this issue, specifically this thread where they talk about the camera, and the best settings for particular lighting. It could be you have a defective camera though, and if so, I feel for ya since I also imported my device.
Adrift98 said:
If you haven't already, you might want to check the main Xperia Z5 subforum about this issue, specifically this thread where they talk about the camera, and the best settings for particular lighting. It could be you have a defective camera though, and if so, I feel for ya since I also imported my device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly how my photos look like! Thanks for linking me to this thread, even though what I learned from it is not exactly great news!
OldSkewler said:
Exactly how my photos look like! Thanks for linking me to this thread, even though what I learned from it is not exactly great news!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same problem for me. It's a very expansive phone and you have to read pages of forums to understand how to make the most of it.
But still, the camera to me is a complete disaster. The app is cheap, very laggy, menus are terrible and the most improtant part, it takes poor photos.
Oversharpened and zooming in a tiny bit on a 23Mp pictures is just horrible.
The photo shared a few post back in the park is just awful too, sorry bro no offense, but it's not a defective camera it's just what is sold.
When you come from other brands, you are automatically disapointed.
P.S. videos are quite amazing though, especially in 60fps and the management of the edit app of videos is very good too.
I just switched to the nexus 5X, and there are no comparaison. Much much simpler, you don't need to test every little setting to take a good pic and zooming in is incredible, the best.
Yet I really loved the compact shape and overall build quality of the z5 device.
Comments non related to the camera is : the system is quite good as it is very similar to stock android but a little disappointed too by the performance.
I don't speak about lags and everything as it is quite fluid, but it just takes time to open or reload apps compared to my other devices.
I am still keeping the device to see if there will be improvement (there should be a major camera app update this month) but i don't believe in miracles, i don't think that will solve the pictures quality.
If you know how to use it (8mp at SA for darker scenarios, 23mp manual for bright daylight) it's been reviewed in a number of places as the best camera currently on the market. It's interesting to me how polarizing the camera is for people though. People either think it's the second coming, or the antichrist. I imagine that the improvements to the software promised with the Marshmallow update will go a long way to getting a lot of naysayers to give it a second look.
Adrift98 said:
If you know how to use it (8mp at SA for darker scenarios, 23mp manual for bright daylight) it's been reviewed in a number of places as the best camera currently on the market.
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Click to collapse
That is a very interesting perspective on the topic; so basically it boils down to misuse by users! And I suspect this is from someone that has never even tried the phone!
Let me propose the exact opposite, and I suspect a portion (if not majority) of people complaining about the imaging performance on these Z5 phones are actually far from amateur photographers and do understand what is achievable and should be expected in terms o quality. There is no way to slice this or put a twist on it, and I don't care about DXO ratings.
OldSkewler said:
That is a very interesting perspective on the topic; so basically it boils down to misuse by users! And I suspect this is from someone that has never even tried the phone!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, it's certainly been by those who've tried the phone. By the looks of it you didn't get too far into that thread I previously recommended, but Timaustin2000 and a few others in that thread really turned the tone around with their investigations on the ability of the camera, and comparison shots. They've even had an influential effect on reviewers. So for instance, it wasn't till TimAustin pointed out to the reviewers at Android Authority that they were crippling the phone by using the 23mp in low light scenarios that they took into consideration the supersampling of the 8mp default settings. From there a number of other reviewers, bloggers, vloggers, and the like took a second look at the camera in the phone and tested appropriately with often very very positive results (many of these reviews and videos are also mentioned in that thread).
Let me propose the exact opposite, and I suspect a portion (if not majority) of people complaining about the imaging performance on these Z5 phones are actually far from amateur photographers and do understand what is achievable and should be expected in terms o quality. There is no way to slice this or put a twist on it, and I don't care about DXO ratings.
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Click to collapse
From the recent reviews that I've been reading and watching, that doesn't appear to be the case, but of course, you're free to come to your own conclusions.
Haven't had much experience with the Z5C camera yet, only had it for a week.
But one thing, it takes so long to open. This is my 1St Android phone, been an ios user for around 4.5 years & the iPhones were just easier to access their camera. Slide up, click camera & it opened. On the Z5C, you press & hold the camera button, feel it vibrate, let it go... & wait.
After a second or so, the screen goes black, then the camera opens, then the screen starts to set itself up.
Just tried then & it was around 4 seconds.
I love the phone so far, but it seems to really struggle with normal usage.
By normal usage, for me, I mean it lags. Playing YouTube videos, it lags, I'm in Oz & we have an online streaming movie/TV service called Stan.... It doesn't work on the Z5.
Switching between tasks can give the phone a heart attack. For example, I was playing Clash Of Clans & some one tried to call me, the box popped down, I clicked answer & nothing happened.
I clicked answer two or three more times, before clicking back to the home screen, the phone call went to message bank while my phone locked up, went black & I had to wait around 30 seconds for it to sort itself out.
Even typing this it lags every now & then.
8 Ball Pool is laggy... If messages pop while playing, it gets even worse.
I do love the phone, I am enjoying Android (I miss a few ios advantages), but I just wish that the phone didn't feel like it was made with enough Ram to run the OS & one app at a time.
Oh... The audio is quiet, it doesn't go as loud as my iPhone 4 did, with my Bose head set & it lacks the same bass, but does sound alright.
The included Sony ear plugs are uncomfortable, have no sound advantages, have annoying different length ear cords & no volume control.
No supplied quick charger.
The back of the phone tends to get quite hot.
Sid3wayz said:
Haven't had much experience with the Z5C camera yet, only had it for a week.
But one thing, it takes so long to open. This is my 1St Android phone, been an ios user for around 4.5 years & the iPhones were just easier to access their camera. Slide up, click camera & it opened. On the Z5C, you press & hold the camera button, feel it vibrate, let it go... & wait.
After a second or so, the screen goes black, then the camera opens, then the screen starts to set itself up.
Just tried then & it was around 4 seconds.
I love the phone so far, but it seems to really struggle with normal usage.
By normal usage, for me, I mean it lags. Playing YouTube videos, it lags, I'm in Oz & we have an online streaming movie/TV service called Stan.... It doesn't work on the Z5.
Switching between tasks can give the phone a heart attack. For example, I was playing Clash Of Clans & some one tried to call me, the box popped down, I clicked answer & nothing happened.
I clicked answer two or three more times, before clicking back to the home screen, the phone call went to message bank while my phone locked up, went black & I had to wait around 30 seconds for it to sort itself out.
Even typing this it lags every now & then.
8 Ball Pool is laggy... If messages pop while playing, it gets even worse.
I do love the phone, I am enjoying Android (I miss a few ios advantages), but I just wish that the phone didn't feel like it was made with enough Ram to run the OS & one app at a time.
Oh... The audio is quiet, it doesn't go as loud as my iPhone 4 did, with my Bose head set & it lacks the same bass, but does sound alright.
The included Sony ear plugs are uncomfortable, have no sound advantages, have annoying different length ear cords & no volume control.
No supplied quick charger.
The back of the phone tends to get quite hot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Previous iPhone only user here too. Have you updated to the latest firmware? My camera takes about 2 seconds to come up pressing the side button since the update. Further improvements are expected with the Marshmallow update.
Also, I have no lag since the latest firmware, but I'm also using the Nova Launcher which you can get for free in the Play Store (not sure if that makes any difference or not).
I also have a problem with the volume, especially from the front speakers. Thought having two speakers instead of one, as I did on my iPhone 2G, 3G, 4S. and 6S would make it louder, but it's not. Still, honestly, I don't find it much quieter than those devices either. the 6S was maybe a tick louder, but not by much. I still want more punch from the front speakers, and I'm hoping that's something I can fix by doing some sort of ROM tweak. If not, I suppose I can live with it, but its the biggest disappointment about the device for me, not because its so much quieter than my iPhone devices, but because it doesn't stand head and shoulders above them.
I don't know about you, but my Sony ear plugs are way way wayyyyy more comfortable than my iPhone headphones. In fact, they're the most comfortable in-ear headphones I've ever worn. The different length on the cords I don't really have much issue with, since I usually drape the longest cord behind my head to my right ear (which is how I'm assuming they're meant to be worn). I will admit that they seem slightly cheap-ish, and I was hoping that where the volume button was (which I DO have on my pair) also had a mic so I could answer in-coming calls, but overall, I think they're pretty okay. Again, they're much more comfortable than the headphones that came with my iPhones. As far as loudness in the headphones is concerned, they're loud enough, but I definitely wouldn't mind if they were louder. I'll probably end up getting some sort of thin amp/dac like the dragonfly or the Aqua to boost the volume. Shame I have to do that, but oh well.
Again, its interesting to me how varied people's reactions are to this device. I'm FAR more happier with this device than I am my previous iPhones. Its not perfect, but it hits so many of the checkboxes for me that its hard to complain.
Edit: Oh, also, I got a quick charger with my device, but I bought the Taiwan version, so maybe that accounts for the difference in headphones and charger.
Lastly, after the initial setup, and especially after the update, my phone doesn't get very hot. Maybe I'm not using the same intensive programs that you are, though. The phone gets a little warm with Candy Crush and Asphalt 8, but my iPhone 6S also got pretty hot just using the camera (which is something my mother noticed when I handed her the phone to see some pictures).
I read a lot of reviews and opinions here about the Z5C that are from people that were or still are using a Sony device. The Z5C is usually compared in terms of the Z3C or even the Z1C. Those comparisons are good if you own those devices, but I have no prior contact with Sony. My current device is a Moto G (1st Gen).
So I'd like to know what people who had no prior contact, or at least not in the past years, with Sony say about the phone. How does it feel and how much "crap" is on a Sony phone compared to a Nexus or Motorola phone? How good/bad are the Sony-Apps ? What "oddities" do Sony phones have?
Thanks for your opinions.
I came from a Moto G (2nd Gen) to the Z5C which is my first Sony phone. So a similar path to what you are considering. It comes with way more "crap" on in than the Motorola did. Where my Moto G (2nd Gen) might have had 5 Motorola utilities, the Z5C has maybe 30. Many of them are app/tools that seemingly connect you into the Sony Sphere. PlayStation stuff, Dinosaur images pop up in the camera you can stamp on your photos and super cheesy Japanese schoolgirl emoticons for your text input.
If you like the clean native Google apps such as Gmail, Calendar, Photos messaging and so on you will find yourself having to disable the Sony versions.
One oddity my Z3C has is that is is fussy about which micro USB cable will charge it. So if like me you have a collection of micro USB cables and chargers from previous phone they may not all work. I guess this may be due to tighter tolerances required water proofing the charge port. Not a biggy but worth knowing.
I find the Xperia Keyboard gesture input (aka Swype input) to be a PITA. Miss rate is too high and deleting errors is tedious. Shame becuase it works very well on other phones.
Small size is great. Can easily slip it in a front trouser pocket.
BUT I have yet to feel "vibrate on for calls" when it is my pocket. When someone does call when Z5C in pocket when I am doing somehting noisey like mowing a lawn, I dont feel the vinration alert, it seemingly wakes the phone and thereafter movement leads to random screen presses. So when I eventually retrieve it form my pocket an hour later the screen is still on and it is in some weird screen such as the camera or emerg dialer. Perhpas I am missing something here though. Oh and definitely don't buy it for the camera if you are expecting a point and shoot with a high % of great shots.
That's my thoughts.
Coming from a nexus 5, I love this phone! Never charge it from the mains only from my car every day(1 hour commute each way) and it keeps going strong! Pretty quick and feels good.
Sent from my E5823 using Tapatalk
Coming from Samsung S3
This Z5 is very bad...unstable sw, no optimization, really slow...bleah! I think i will never buy again a sony device. Oh...customer care is bad too.
Camera is slow and poor quality, GPS is very inaccurate, BT disconnet and reconnect every 15 secs (i think the problem is trhow but i can't disable it...)
So...i'm not a satisfied user..
Thank you all for your replies.
logger said:
I came from a Moto G (2nd Gen) to the Z5C which is my first Sony phone. So a similar path to what you are considering. It comes with way more "crap" on in than the Motorola did. Where my Moto G (2nd Gen) might have had 5 Motorola utilities, the Z5C has maybe 30. Many of them are app/tools that seemingly connect you into the Sony Sphere. PlayStation stuff, Dinosaur images pop up in the camera you can stamp on your photos and super cheesy Japanese schoolgirl emoticons for your text input.
If you like the clean native Google apps such as Gmail, Calendar, Photos messaging and so on you will find yourself having to disable the Sony versions.
One oddity my Z3C has is that is is fussy about which micro USB cable will charge it. So if like me you have a collection of micro USB cables and chargers from previous phone they may not all work. I guess this may be due to tighter tolerances required water proofing the charge port. Not a biggy but worth knowing.
I find the Xperia Keyboard gesture input (aka Swype input) to be a PITA. Miss rate is too high and deleting errors is tedious. Shame becuase it works very well on other phones.
Small size is great. Can easily slip it in a front trouser pocket.
BUT I have yet to feel "vibrate on for calls" when it is my pocket. When someone does call when Z5C in pocket when I am doing somehting noisey like mowing a lawn, I dont feel the vinration alert, it seemingly wakes the phone and thereafter movement leads to random screen presses. So when I eventually retrieve it form my pocket an hour later the screen is still on and it is in some weird screen such as the camera or emerg dialer. Perhpas I am missing something here though. Oh and definitely don't buy it for the camera if you are expecting a point and shoot with a high % of great shots.
That's my thoughts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually never use the original cables since I have set up a "charging station". Which cables does the Z5C not accept? Is there a pattern?
And I'm not buying this for the camera, I have a DSLR for that
Tuonorosso said:
Coming from Samsung S3
This Z5 is very bad...unstable sw, no optimization, really slow...bleah! I think i will never buy again a sony device. Oh...customer care is bad too.
Camera is slow and poor quality, GPS is very inaccurate, BT disconnet and reconnect every 15 secs (i think the problem is trhow but i can't disable it...)
So...i'm not a satisfied user..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have the newest firmware ? AFAIK a few things should have been fixed with the latest update. What experience do you have with the customer care ?
ricostuart said:
Coming from a nexus 5, I love this phone! Never charge it from the mains only from my car every day(1 hour commute each way) and it keeps going strong! Pretty quick and feels good.
Sent from my E5823 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How was the Z5C in terms of "snappiness" compared to the Nexus ?
nazgoul said:
Do you have the newest firmware ? AFAIK a few things should have been fixed with the latest update. What experience do you have with the customer care ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, last fw: 32.0.A.6.152
Customer care have reset the phone 4 times. Each trial did not resolve the problem. In the end they told me to bring it to service but they had no idea of the repair time and they not given me any temporary phone.
My phone has only one month and i need it for work...i can't stay weeks without it. For a 600$ phone i think this is unacceptable.
At this time i have the same initial problems...
I hope in Marshmallow ...
Coming from Moto G first Gen (falcon)
Coming from Moto G 1st Gen. This is my first Sony Phone.
I am loving the Z5C.
Few things to note that that will give you an idea between the two phones
1. The flash on the moto g is noticeably brighter and warmer. Idc about cameras, but I find I use the flashlight a lot
2. The chip on the Z5C does feel much faster. Not sure how to describe it other than the UI on the Z5C being more "fluid"
3. The chip on the Z5C does get noticeably warm (but not hot) on the back under certain loads. E.g. running long sessions of RDP or installing lots of apps in quick succession or recording 4K video. Under normal use like browsing the web or watching youtube it does not get warm.
4. The camera is way better than the Moto G
5. The hardware feels really solid. It feels dense. I like it
6. The battery life is significantly better. At my usage, the Moto G will die at about 8pm or 9pm (taking off the charge at 7am). I have yet to kill the Z5C in a single day in my normal use
(my normal use usually has a few hours of music, and at least 4 hours of screen time)
7. The stereo speakers are much nicer, but the stereo effect is small, and they aren't not as loud as the moto g's single speaker
8. The max brightness of the Z5C's screen is about the same as the one on the Moto G. The min brightness is on the Z5C is lower though.
9 The physical dimensions of the Z5C is smaller in width and height. The Z5C does feel thicker because of its more boxy shape though
In terms of bloatware, there is quite a bit. I have a lot of apps disabled from settings or hidden (I use Apex)
There are some features that sony added that are nice though.
1. Built in screen recording
2. "Small Apps" - a bit like floating widgets
3. Nice audio optimizations that make my music experience nicer
4. Being able to customize the quick settings in the notification center
5. Battery percentage in the status bar (this is important to me )
6. The screen colours can be calibrated to your liking
Other things to consider
- The fingerprint sensor is pretty bad, but that could be just my fingers.
- The phone is really slippery compared to the Moto G. A case is highly recommended.
- Stamina mode - I havent tested if this has a positive effect on battery life, but i'm letting the placebo effect take place
- The microsd slot is nice for future proofing, although given that I had a 8GB moto g, and the Z5C comes with 32GB, Im not going to need a microsd in the near future.
- Water proofing
- Of the 32GB, about 10GB is taken up by the android system, and thus we cannot use for our own stuff
- I found the volume button placement on the Z5C wierd until I got used to it in less than a week. Unless you actively need access to it all the time, its not annoying
- I find that everything on screen is too large for my liking, so I have my DPI set to 280, the same as what I had on my Moto G
In response to some of the things said above:
- Bluetooth works fine for me. It has never lost connection to my Microsoft Band when I needed them to be connected
- I've used my Z5C with 3 different usb cables, none of them have a problem.
- Camera does launch slow if Photo Analyser Service is not disabled. The camera launches quite fast now (but admittedly not as fast as say an iPhone 6s)
- The GPS locks quicker than the Moto G, and has yet to be inaccurate for me.
I am really looking forward to Marshmallow
I hope that answers your questions. Sorry for long response lol
I have both nexus 6p and z5 compact. Previously had nexus 6.
I went for the z5c as it had wifi calling, and is a pretty small but powerful phone.
Notables, z5c is under-clocked, could be because heat dissipation on small device yielded unsatisfactory result, could be another one of those battery optimisation things.
It also seems to be on a conservative or power save profile, making it slow to start, but if you launch a game it gets into gear.
It was stuttering even with the OTAs of which i had received two, just a few days ago, even with factory resets it did not go away.
I used the sony PC companion to do a full firmware flash, not an incremental OTA and it became pretty smooth and slick to use again with all 0.5 speed animations and about 20 apps installed. I also disabled all of the original media apps and extra Sony stuff and use my own, poweramp and mxplayer is all i really need.
Pretty good experience to use now. Too bad about it using some sort of powersave profile even with stamina disabled. Good thing i have an nexus 6p to play with too.
you5urf said:
I used the sony PC companion to do a full firmware flash, not an incremental OTA and it became pretty smooth and slick to use again with all 0.5 speed animations and about 20 apps installed. I also disabled all of the original media apps and extra Sony stuff and use my own, poweramp and mxplayer is all i really need.
Pretty good experience to use now. Too bad about it using some sort of powersave profile even with stamina disabled. Good thing i have an nexus 6p to play with too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you know how to disable throw?
Coming from the N5:
Disadvantages:
- Much less free RAM (N5X also has this issue, I think it's related to Android 64 bits).
- Much lower photo quality
Advantages:
- 200% or much more battery life.
- overall quality
- vídeo quality
Sent from my E5823
I am coming from the HTC One M7 which can be considered an old phone now I guess.
Good:
-Battery life finally gets me over the day and sometimes into the second.
-Better camera, but by far not great.
-Better display brightness
Bad:
-Sonys Android design looks like a toy. It lacks the beautiful HTC Sense look and features.
-Even with the latest firmware and fresh format its doesnt feel any fast than the old HTC One. Sense had a nicer flow overall.
-In general, switching between apps is not faster, once in the app, the processor surely shows its power. Antutu gave me 31k on HTC One and 62k on Z5C, so technically twice as fast.
-Having the phone in the front pockets of your jeans just looks stupid with the hard edges. The HTC one with its beautiful round design was basically invisible in your pocket.
The HTC One was far from perfect and had its issues, but my heart is still with that phone and I dont beleive I am gonna buy another Sony phone. I wanted a small powerful phone, but its not easy to like this phone I am afraid.
eivissa said:
I am coming from the HTC One M7 which can be considered an old phone now I guess.
Good:
-Battery life finally gets me over the day and sometimes into the second.
-Better camera, but by far not great.
-Better display brightness
Bad:
-Sonys Android design looks like a toy. It lacks the beautiful HTC Sense look and features.
-Even with the latest firmware and fresh format its doesnt feel any fast than the old HTC One. Sense had a nicer flow overall.
-In general, switching between apps is not faster, once in the app, the processor surely shows its power. Antutu gave me 31k on HTC One and 62k on Z5C, so technically twice as fast.
-Having the phone in the front pockets of your jeans just looks stupid with the hard edges. The HTC one with its beautiful round design was basically invisible in your pocket.
The HTC One was far from perfect and had its issues, but my heart is still with that phone and I dont beleive I am gonna buy another Sony phone. I wanted a small powerful phone, but its not easy to like this phone I am afraid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm also coming from a HTC ONE M7 and I'm feeling exactly as you. I have had the phone for 5 days now and I'm seriously considering to sell it and keep using my M7 since I'm seeing the same things than you see.
I have great expectations for this phone but now that I have it, I'm a little bit disappointed...I don't know if it's cause I'm so use to my old phone or cause my old phone is sooo good that I don't see anything new or improved on the z5c...maybe expect for the waterproofing things.
I'll give it another week to see If I can fall in love with it...maybe when the custom roms start showing up I'll start to see the advantages of changing.
I've been used some HTC and got a Z1c and S6. Guys plz give sometime to this phone, my S6 also took a couple of months to improve before got satisfy result. I believe Android 6.0 will give a new life to this phone.
I've only experienced Apple's devices so I came over from an iPhone 3G, iPhone 4S and then an iPhone 6S. I absolutely LOVE this sucker. And I must have gotten very lucky because I haven't seen any of the issues that others have.
Pros:
1. Fascinated by the Android OS. There's just so much you can do with it! So much more freeing than Apple's IOS. They both have a few positive and negative quirks, but I'm not really missing IOS that much. I did miss the Safari left/right swipe browser initially, but found out about the Rbrowser app with built in ad-block and the swipe feature, and couldn't be happier.
2. The device is quick. Compared to my iPhone devices haven't experienced nearly as much lag even under load.
3. I love the camera and video. Takes far better pictures and video than any camera I've ever used before, and with the latest update, the menu selection is so easy to use. I think the side button to open the camera app is a genius. I also never experienced the blur issue that a lot of others complained about.
4. The size and look of the device totally compliments me. I find modern phones like the Galaxy S6 and the iPhone 6S way too big and clunky. This device is exactly the right size. Slightly larger than my old 4S, but still comfortable to hold, and type one handed with. I also absolutely love the sharp right angles on the phone. I dig the thickness of the Compact, and I love the bright punky yellow of the case color I selected.
5. The fingerprint scanner is so fun to use. I had one on the 6S that worked maybe slightly better, but that's only because there was more surface area to press, but still having a fingerprint reader makes me feel like a spy a bit.
6. I haven't had any issues with the heat of the phone. It gets warm, but after a month of use, I've never experienced it getting warmer than the 4S or the 6S even while playing graphic intensive games, using the GPS, or recording video. It never gets warm while browsing websites, or doing day to day smartphone things.
7. The device did have a little bit of bloatware, but then, so did Apple's devices. Removing/disabling the bloat was easy to do.
8. So far no unexpected surprises. The alarm works. the phone rings and vibrates as it ought. The apps all open fine. I get all my expected alerts and then some. Messaging works fine. The screen is bright and easy to read and watch. I love the little FM radio app (though I don't use it too much). Haven't had any issues with the GPS. Everything does what it's supposed to do.
Negatives:
1. Coming from devices with only one bottom speaker, I thought that having two front facing stereo speakers would make this device monster loud....it isn't. In fact, it's slightly quieter than the 6S (though louder than the 4S). That said, I do love the stereo effect, and I think having so many audio controls is awesome. I just wish the device was a bit louder. Hopefully when the device becomes rootable I can find a fix for that.
2. The boot up time on this device is pretty slow. From powered off, the 6S starts up in a matter of a couple seconds. It takes like half a minute or longer for the Z5 to start up. Course, this isn't much of an issue most of the time since the device doesn't usually need to be powered off or restarted.
3. The iPhone 6S 3D touch is pretty amazing, and I can see them doing some cool things with it over time. There was nothing about it that was super amazing while I had it. No apps to really take too much of an advantage of it yet, but I can see that it'll be awesome to have some time down the road.
4. The voicemail was a bit odd to set up. I'm used to Apple's easy voicemail integration that just works out of the box. For this device I had to download and setup a "visual voicemail" system that I'm not used to, and that I found a bit annoying.
My first Android phone was a Sony xperia mini. Was worse than Motorola Milestone (gsm droid) that replaced it. I since moved onto Samsung original Galaxy S and then Galaxy Nexus. Then the original Moto X dev edition which is the same size as this Z5C. I love the form factor. Ever since the Nexus 6 which I have one of those, Moto is obsessed with phone size. The Nexus 6 was named Shamu for a reason. I am hoping the just under 5" phones are not s dying breed because this device is the perfect size for me. I also like the subtle tweaks Sony does with their ROM compared to vanilla stock. Its also a fast device and I like the build quality compared to the Samsung devices I have owned. Those are my thoughts anyway.