SGS3 Spare Camera module - Is there any use? - Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hey guys,
A few weeks ago my sgs3 broke (screen) and I claimed another one under insurance but I took out the camera module for the pure fact of how impressed I was with the optics on this phone. I've got an iPhone 4s and actually think that the s3 is better in quality.
I was thinking of getting an android development board (like odroid x or something) and experimenting with somehow connectng it up to the board with all the right drivers and learning a bit of coding. Even though I've got absolutely no idea how to do anything like this.
Does anyone know if this would be possible or should I just flog the camera on ebay?

I phone4s got a old module ,I doubt it fit in

seems such a shame when all this camera needs is a good tegra3 or A9 processor to capture great photos

sikodemon said:
seems such a shame when all this camera needs is a good tegra3 or A9 processor to capture great photos
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Its also a shame that all the phone needs is a screen to be a phone again! If that's really the case I'd consider throwin a new screen on the phone (if that's all that broke). I know they're pricey but still seems worth it over the cost of a development board.

Depends if the OPm claimed a new screen or a new phone. Would insurance automatically replace the phone or go for repairs? If they replaced the phone I'd say put the cam back in, get the screen replaced and sell the phone.
Learning coding isn't simple and learning the hardware codes to make the phone work isn't necessarily going to lead into coding android apps.

Related

Is there no perfect smartphone on the market?

Hi, I have been looking for a new android device for a couple of weeks now, been reading all sorts of articles about mobile congresses. It seems to me that no producer wants to build the perfect smartphone (for me)... Every new device has some major flaw that makes it unusable for me.
For example:
Nexus 4: Wow, great hardware, great screen! For that price? Nice deal! But wait... no SDcard slot? Small storage? Bad camera? Meh.
LG Optimus4X: Well yeah, great hardware too, but after the Optimus2X I'll NEVER buy LG again. Their software support is the worst.
Galaxy S3/S4: This may be a device that some consider perfect, but for me the design is a turn-off. I know, this is highly subjective, but the rounded edges and all-plastic look is so 2010.
Xperia Z: When this was announced I was very excited and wanted to buy one right at the release... Nice hardware, supposedly awesome camera, and above all, waterproof. But the first reviews revealed an average camera and a horrible screen.
HTC One: Top-notch hardware, revolutionary camera, alu unibody, big storage despite no SDcard... What could go wrong with this one? Again, reviews soon revealed the camera is not as good as advertised, and the battery life is poor.
All I need is state-of-the-art hardware in a nice case for a reasonable price. I could't care less about the stock ROM since I am addicted to flasing the latest custom ROMs, that means however that the phone should have decent support at xda.
Come on. I WANT to buy a new phone, why do you make it so hard for me? I cannot bear buying a device where I know beforehand that it has some big flaws that are going to annoy me for as long as I use it. I guess I just have to keep on using my old Nexus S until Google hopefully announces the XPhone in May.
I Totally agree with you on the Samsung's... Their supposed high quality "polycarbonate" - Just a fancy name for PLASTIC if you ask me... Quite a predicament... I personally own an HTC One, while the camera is DEFINITELY not as good as advertised, the quility is similar to the Galaxy S3... And as for battery life... It lasts longer than the S3, One X, HD2, Desire X and iPhone 5 (Just a few examples).. Battery life is actually quite good... Just my opinion... But you are right... There is no perfect smartphone at the moment... You just have to decide in which areas you are willing to sacrifice...
Good Luck...
Is it that damn hard to make good phone nowadays?
I do remember few models which are STILL awesome, though hardware is dated.
Every new model on market is flawed, as OP stated either it's missing some component(WHY?!) or is not functional.
I own HD2 and sometimes I envy quad-cores, but damn, my phone got everything.
Only God is perfect
rakijaman said:
Only God is perfect
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Go away, troll somewhere else. Or add something valuable to this thread.
Anyway, there is some hope on the horizon, with new Intel based phones. Lenovo K900 is one of them, looks nice.

S4 Zoom Owner

just wondering how well S4 Zoom in the market? S4 Zoom owner pls sign in tell us more what you feel after got ur Zoom.
the development doesn't seem expending bad product? or any other reasons?
since the samsung pixon12 i was waiting for a phone like this.
its not a popular phone and i like it stay that way.
opdrago said:
since the samsung pixon12 i was waiting for a phone like this.
its not a popular phone and i like it stay that way.
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I agree with you it is not as popular as other smartphones. I think this is heavily due to its size and the probably the lumia 1020. But so far i am using the s4 zoom for 2 weeks i have not yet encountered any problems. I have use its camera in day and night and the picture quality really makes me dont care about its size. Bought straps to pull it out easily from my pocket and a cover that protect the screen so that i could the phone upside down without the scare of scratching my phone. Many of my friends were like "what is that is a phone?" when the phone rings. A few of my friends said the would buy it but majority of them did not like the big size of the phone. I am quite impressed with its battery life. For my normal usage with my data plan turn on it could easily last one and a half day. However if i snap a lot of pictures using the xenon flash it could only last for one full day which i am still more then happy with it. In terms of gaming apps i haven't yet put it to the test yet. So far for apps not even a single app has crash and the phone has never went on a software crash. Fought with my friends iphone 5 siri and was quite happy with results. I am starting to love this unique phone.
annukman said:
I agree with you it is not as popular as other smartphones. I think this is heavily due to its size and the probably the lumia 1020. But so far i am using the s4 zoom for 2 weeks i have not yet encountered any problems. I have use its camera in day and night and the picture quality really makes me dont care about its size. Bought straps to pull it out easily from my pocket and a cover that protect the screen so that i could the phone upside down without the scare of scratching my phone. Many of my friends were like "what is that is a phone?" when the phone rings. A few of my friends said the would buy it but majority of them did not like the big size of the phone. I am quite impressed with its battery life. For my normal usage with my data plan turn on it could easily last one and a half day. However if i snap a lot of pictures using the xenon flash it could only last for one full day which i am still more then happy with it. In terms of gaming apps i haven't yet put it to the test yet. So far for apps not even a single app has crash and the phone has never went on a software crash. Fought with my friends iphone 5 siri and was quite happy with results. I am starting to love this unique phone.
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I don't mind to have a multi purpose device even through it's size is bigger It always my dream to have a camera + smart phone together. :victory:
but shame of samsung, it doesn't launch LTE at my region
I agree with you. Most of the cellphone are pretty much the same, big screen, better cpu's etc... i want my device to be more than that. To be a multi function device.
Sent from my SM-C101 using xda app-developers app
opdrago said:
I agree with you. Most of the cellphone are pretty much the same, big screen, better cpu's etc... i want my device to be more than that. To be a multi function device.
Sent from my SM-C101 using xda app-developers app
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Yeah
I love my new s4 zoom too.:laugh:
I was previously using note2 which function well but without optical zoom
the s4 zoom 24-240mm equivalent lens and the relatively bigger sensor make it a perfect handy backup camera for daily use.:good:
as a father of 2 children, I can hardly always carry my sony NEX mirrorless system around
looknsee said:
just wondering how well S4 Zoom in the market? S4 Zoom owner pls sign in tell us more what you feel after got ur Zoom.
the development doesn't seem expending bad product? or any other reasons?
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Seems this phone not popular cuz of the design, its a CAMERA with phone function . But i bought one to replace my trusted camera phone PV808 (symbian :crying. this camera + android function really a good choice for casual photographers
totally love it ! yeah, our phone/camera -multidevice its something more then casual trend, but why not, we are geeks My "problem" was, that i won it in one competetion, & i was not really decided if i want it, keep it or sell it... but ive decided to keep it, start using it & from that time its really hard for me to leave him for a sec im totally amazed, photos are perfect (for me as a casual photographer), performance is great, ive tested all the new games (asphalt8 too) and they works without any problem.... i love my SGS4 ZOOM !
ericwww said:
Yeah
I love my new s4 zoom too.:laugh:
I was previously using note2 which function well but without optical zoom
the s4 zoom 24-240mm equivalent lens and the relatively bigger sensor make it a perfect handy backup camera for daily use.:good:
as a father of 2 children, I can hardly always carry my sony NEX mirrorless system around
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Haha Someone with a similar thought process as me. Im a NEX owner (not a father though, does a dog count?). Im due for an upgrade in the next few months and have been umming and arring about this one. I tend to carry a point and shoot with me everywhere. My thoughts were that this, although much bigger than my blackberry that I currently use, would be a smaller alternative to the combination I carry with me on a day to day basis.
I also have a Nikon v1, but thats a discussion for a different forum.

Whats so Special about the Xperia z2?....

I've had the xperia z2 phone for about 3 weeks now,and i must say its a pretty descent phone. But i cant help asking myself whats so special about this phone that i paid so much for?. Its indisputable that the z2 is a highly spec'd phone with the gorgeous screen and all,but when talking smartphone,its not all the internal specs that matters,the build quality does matter too,which IMO the z2 doesnt possess. I mean come to think of it,z2 is one of the most complained about smartphones out there,not to mention...
~The spaces found between the metal frame and the glass panel,in-which my phone also have + the back glass got replaced,making it more susceptible to water damage and what not!
~The issue of self cracking,although i understand its of minority,but com'on! Its worrying
~Overheating issues,i know this have been addressed already in several places,a phone like the z2 should be able to withstand some average period of 4k recording without overheating,not just few minutes.
~The inability for the other party to hear during calls...well,even though i was able to find a temporary solution to it by flashing a custom ROM,but do all the z2 owners with same problem have to flash custom rom as well? Also,not to talk of the absurd location of the mic.
~And Oh! Did i mention the camera? Well it has a good amount of MegaPixel but seriously,the camera software suuuuuuuuu*cks!! Most especially the superior auto mode. I find myself using the ProCapture more often now. And the other day,I and a friend of mine with an iPhone 5s snapped same photo,and he mocked me 'cos his images were better than mine.
Lastly,i know That no Smartphone is perfect,buy Sony,You could do better than this!!
Anybody on my side?
You cant judge an entire Brand off of one defective Unit
I have never had overheating from 4k
I never have overheating from gaming
The camera is perfectly fine, it isnt perfect in low light but not many phones can do as good as Z2
Self cracking glass? I dont understand how this posible, glass nor aluminum does not expand nor shrink enough to cause self cracking
Spaces, what spaces?
Yes on my previous defective unit had all these problems but since that defective device was replaced i have had no issues at all
Abdl said:
I've had the xperia z2 phone for about 3 weeks now,and i must say its a pretty descent phone. But i cant help asking myself whats so special about this phone that i paid so much for?. Its indisputable that the z2 is a highly spec'd phone with the gorgeous screen and all,but when talking smartphone,its not all the internal specs that matters,the build quality does matter too,which IMO the z2 doesnt possess. I mean come to think of it,z2 is one of the most complained about smartphones out there,not to mention...
~The spaces found between the metal frame and the glass panel,in-which my phone also have + the back glass got replaced,making it more susceptible to water damage and what not!
~The issue of self cracking,although i understand its of minority,but com'on! Its worrying
~Overheating issues,i know this have been addressed already in several places,a phone like the z2 should be able to withstand some average period of 4k recording without overheating,not just few minutes.
~The inability for the other party to hear during calls...well,even though i was able to find a temporary solution to it by flashing a custom ROM,but do all the z2 owners with same problem have to flash custom rom as well? Also,not to talk of the absurd location of the mic.
~And Oh! Did i mention the camera? Well it has a good amount of MegaPixel but seriously,the camera software suuuuuuuuu*cks!! Most especially the superior auto mode. I find myself using the ProCapture more often now. And the other day,I and a friend of mine with an iPhone 5s snapped same photo,and he mocked me 'cos his images were better than mine.
Lastly,i know That no Smartphone is perfect,buy Sony,You could do better than this!!
Anybody on my side?
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Click to collapse
You are too naive on this issue. Z2 isn't a bad device in any aspect. True, u have got a defective piece. But that doesnt make everyone else has. I'll answer all your questions.
1. Spaces are coz of defective units. Every manufacturers have this defective units problem when the demand for the phone is higher. You saw iPhone6(bendgate), S5(Overheating and some more), etc.
2. Self cracking? Hardly that's an issue. I haven't seen that in common. Its a rare issue which is likely to occur only @worst case scenarios.
3. My Z2 only heats up when Camera/Games are running, which is normal on any phone. Need i remind u other devices are bulky and include heat sinks which reduce heating and all Xperia's are slimmer than any other brand compared and yet built tough to survive. All slim phones heat more, but in Sony i have never seen an issue caused of heating(Been using Sony mobiles since 2011).
4. About 4k recording, last time i tested 4k i was able to hit 67 mins with custom thermal settings and was using DoomKernel on 314 fw. Device was on 67 degrees max. Still nothing happened. All devices that support 4k heats n this feature can be only used for a temporary time, provided Sony gave max time of usage of 4k.
5. Call problems? Again, since u might hv had a defective unit, the speaker might be faulty or u might have done something wrong with some mods installation or something.
6. About the Camera, PLS LEARN TO USE MANUAL SETTINGS. All phones in Auto mode SUCKS BIG TIME. Even the phones with best camera's. Manual Settings gives u the best results. Ask any professional photgrapher and prove me wrong(I challenge u). BTW i have seen Z2 producing best camera results after Lumia(The one with 41mp). If u doubt me, look at this thread.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2673226
Tell me all those snaps by our Z2 users are LAME.. :silly:
Like Envious_Data said, u cant judge an entire brand jus coz of a defective unit. U might be a lil unlucky, but that doesnt mean SONY isn't a good brand. From my experience, Sony has been the PREMIUM device manufacturer unlike most of the brands.. I suggest u do a lot of reading and do a lot of research and experiment with ur device b4 erasing it off..
Abdl said:
I've had the xperia z2 phone for about 3 weeks now,and i must say its a pretty descent phone. But i cant help asking myself whats so special about this phone that i paid so much for?. Its indisputable that the z2 is a highly spec'd phone with the gorgeous screen and all,but when talking smartphone,its not all the internal specs that matters,the build quality does matter too,which IMO the z2 doesnt possess. I mean come to think of it,z2 is one of the most complained about smartphones out there,not to mention...
~The spaces found between the metal frame and the glass panel,in-which my phone also have + the back glass got replaced,making it more susceptible to water damage and what not!
~The issue of self cracking,although i understand its of minority,but com'on! Its worrying
~Overheating issues,i know this have been addressed already in several places,a phone like the z2 should be able to withstand some average period of 4k recording without overheating,not just few minutes.
~The inability for the other party to hear during calls...well,even though i was able to find a temporary solution to it by flashing a custom ROM,but do all the z2 owners with same problem have to flash custom rom as well? Also,not to talk of the absurd location of the mic.
~And Oh! Did i mention the camera? Well it has a good amount of MegaPixel but seriously,the camera software suuuuuuuuu*cks!! Most especially the superior auto mode. I find myself using the ProCapture more often now. And the other day,I and a friend of mine with an iPhone 5s snapped same photo,and he mocked me 'cos his images were better than mine.
Lastly,i know That no Smartphone is perfect,buy Sony,You could do better than this!!
Anybody on my side?
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Click to collapse
-Yes, the spaces are real problem as Sony is already guilty about this from the previous phones. Luckily mine does not have any but that does not change the fact that they exist on many phone
- No idea about that one as I only read 1-2 things about it and never faced it in reality (me, my brother and my sister's husband bought 3 Z2s together and than my sister got an Z3 and none had any problems so far, so no experience on this one)
-Overheating is not an issue about daily usage or even heavy usage. It only matters on video recording because when video recording not only CPU cores and GPU being used at the same time but also camera processor (I don't know how this one is called) is heavily working to "catch" all that detail (simply taking 30, 4MP photos every single second and has to catch the light and decide for each pixel). Other than that I have not witnessed overheating cousing disconfort or slowing to phone down (I tried playing games more than 2 hours).
- Again, I haven't experienced this either. So no comments here.
- Camera software is really good actually, every setting is there but raw format. Only bothering thing is the AI which is supposed to choose the right settings. It behaves too "human-like" and "emotional" thus resulting some unrealistic color reproduction sometimes. So if you have time (Hope it's not a bird that you are trying to catch) and patience, it's best to make manual setting.
Anyway, apart from the subjects you mention, Let's compare what the "rivals" offer;
LG: there is G3. unnecessarily high screen resolution with a result that is not any better than Sony's screen thus also resulting worse battery life and more waste of GPU power. Although I like the design, and the placement of the buttons to the back side, very much; Sony has more premium materials and better camera with better results against the OIS, laser focusing camera of LG's.
Besides, G3 comes with two different amounts of RAM which makes me take the company as "disturbingly arrogant after the succesfull Nexus 4,5 and G2 and quickly forgot the days that they were punished by the customers' wallets because of locked bootloader of Optimus G and other unsuccesfull phones". Still, they choose to make things harder for developers after a very developer friendly G2. I believe there is no match in this land to Sony.
HTC; One (M8). HTC has been trying to bring some changes to the game since long time with their Beats Audio and other audio projects. They also tried to change things in the camera section too. I can't say they are doing bad things but I believe 20.7MP is still has higher capability of catching the light better than dual 4MP, bigger pixel camera. And I also believe (and tested) Sony's sound capabilities are better than HTC's when it comes to headphones (which is what is really important for a true music lover in my opinion. Who can truly enjoy the music from a mobile devices speakers? Want real music, use the jack)
On the chipset performance section, One (M8) is still not a rival to Sony's Z2. Not talking about the battery, it's 2600MAh.
Besides (I don't know if things are different from my One X days) HTC devices come with an extra security to try to prevent you from unlocking bootloader and saving themselves when they need to honor the warranty. After losing my patience over my One X's waiting for an S-OFF solution, I run away from HTC and never looked back (I can't even consider Nexus 9, thinking Nvidia and HTC coming together is like another Saw movie, it scares me). In a world even jailbreaking is legal that is too much for an Android user to accept.
Let's come to Motorola/Google; Nexus 6. It's a great rival, an honorable one. And maybe the only one with the ability of putting a real fight. Still, with that 6" screen it's not everyones cup of cake. Design and the specs are gorgeus, so is the screen. But it's big. I came to Xperia Z2 after a long time Note 2, then Nexus 4 usage and it feels right with 5.2" screen. This one is about preferences though, not the actual spec comparison.
Nexus 6 becomes a real deal with it's AMOLED screen (not calibrated by Samsung thankfully), water ressistance, best CPU&GPU and it's cutting edge software. However, when it comes to one-hand compatibility, MicroSD card expantion chance, camera and soudn quality Sony still has it's advantages.
And finally Samsung; S5 and Note 4. I guess I should take Note 4 into account as it's newer and better. Samsung has fingerprint sensor as different from it's rivals. A nice one to accept.
I understand that Samsung is a hardware making company. So they have to create and sell their hardwares and it's easy to see Quallcomm dominated the market since the Nexus 4 attack. Google did this to unify the market. Since the S4 Pro evey Quallcomm chipset has great similarities on their softwares and drivers, mostly their performance vary. This helps developers to measure their fresh-written apps/games on 1 or 2 devices and easily make sure they will run on many devices out there. It sounds good right? Well, Samsung is always bringing their SoCs to the market and always trying to push the limits (sometimes by cheating on benchmarks). On the raw power side, that could seem as a good thing but on the software side it messes things. As a big part of the market, almost every developer has the feeling to make their game/app compatible with Samsung devices. But they come with different SoCs and Samsung refuses to share their own chipsets' source codes. So they just make everything harder for developers. I guess we all know that a well optimised software is always better than the highest hardware.
One more thing about Samsung, they are first company to open their bootloaders to the public and shared every necessary code on their Galaxy S days. This is how they got so respected and made all that money. So they still have the unlocked bootloader but with some ir-reversable flagging system that flags you if you alter anything as small as a rooting attempt to your system. And then, they claim you out of warranty. Besides, as they refuse to share their source codes for their hardware, most developers have really hard time preparing custom ROMs or early fixes etc. for Samsung phones. So basically, Samsung tells you that "you have a phone which comes with an unlocked bootloader so you can do whatever you want with it.........If you can"
If you are a fan of Samsung's software and policy than it's a good semi-independent eco system in Android world. The S-Pen is also good. However I can not take them anymore after the Note II's hard days, waiting for a simply working AOSP ROM.
I know there are other Android companies but these are best-known ones globally and after that comparison I believe Xperia Z2 started to seem better in your eyes. If still not, I can also remind you;
-Sony is the only company which update kernels too,
-Sony is the only company which provides the AOSP code for their devices (the other compaines rather selling their devices as GPEs but apperiently Google has taken this idea down)
-Xperia Z2 has the best music experience throught the headphones among it's rivals
-One of the best (If not best) cameras out there
-Has that DRM keys problem for the "discoverer" people like us but thanks to our developers there is cure to that.
Let me start by saying You guys got me abit wrong. I didn't write all that based solely on my personal experience with the phone. Trust me,I've done some good research and found out that vast majority of the issues encountered with by the xz2 users revolve around all these problems. I understand my phone could be one of the defective units sold,so you saying that the thousands of users who complain about the same set of problems in different forums all bought the defective units? I dont think that would make any sense.
tOrNadO™ said:
4. About 4k recording, last time i tested 4k i was able to hit 67 mins with custom thermal settings and was using DoomKernel on 314 fw. Device was on 67 degrees max. Still nothing happened. All devices that support 4k heats n this feature can be only used for a temporary time, provided Sony gave max time of usage of 4k.
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What if i dont wanna customize the thermal settings or play around with kernels? Does that mean i cant get same results as yours?? Besides,I(and im sure many people) wont buy a phone like this just to start tempering with stuff!!
tOrNadO™ said:
5. Call problems? Again, since u might hv had a defective unit, the speaker might be faulty or u might have done something wrong with some mods installation or something.
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I dont think the call problems i faced have anything to do with the mic,as ive stated,i solved the problem by simply flashing a custom rom(eXistenZ) into it. But Hey! Not everyone would want to root their phones or flash a custom rom just to fix the basic function of a phone!!
tOrNadO™ said:
6. About the Camera, PLS LEARN TO USE MANUAL SETTINGS. All phones in Auto mode SUCKS BIG TIME. Even the phones with best camera's. Manual Settings gives u the best results.
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You're definitely wrong about this! Not every's phone Auto Mode sucks. Coz iPhone's Auto Mode doesnt suck as much as it does on xz2,(not comparing iOS with Android by any chance)and trust me,it produces some descent shots for the on-the-go photographer like me who wouldn't want/have to temper with manual settings,perhaps i dont know much about it
One thing most of you fail to realize is that an ideal smartphone should aim at satisfying both the average users and the Know-How guys like me and you
And Oh! Does Anybody know how i can reduce the intensity of incoming call vibration on this phone?? Its more like an earthquake
It's a little annoying you created this thread and expect people to agree points substantiated with poor arguments? So what's go great of the S5? Exploding batteries, laggy UI?! M8, the "awesome" camera???
Everyone phone has its flaws, but sadly, the those mentioned for the Z2 are mostly invalid. Overheating won't happen unless you use 4k. Dropped my phone numerous times and not a single scratch on my the glass panel. My unit screen is aligned accurately. I don't know what you're trying to get out of this thread? Or you're a keyboard warrior paid by Samsung?
And how old are you? Your post is riddled with smileys and stuff. If you find this discussion funny, please do not start this thread, you're wasting everyone's time. And your best friend mocked you because he presumed the iPhone takes better photos than the Z2 (not true)?? Such maturity.
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Free mobile app
Abdl said:
Let me start by saying You guys got me abit wrong. I didn't write all that based solely on my personal experience with the phone. Trust me,I've done some good research and found out that vast majority of the issues encountered with by the xz2 users revolve around all these problems. I understand my phone could be one of the defective units sold,so you saying that the thousands of users who complain about the same set of problems in different forums all bought the defective units? I dont think that would make any sense.
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The thing is Sony started to manufacture phones themselves since Z2 and before that they had a client tied up manufacturing the units. Since they started their own, they had a setback, a lot of defective Z2 units and Sony did agree to replace the defective ones with a proper unit and they did(One of our RC's got his Z2 replaced like 4 times). So when u get a proper unit, u won't be seeing any of these issues. All Z2's having batch nos til 14w21 are defective in one or the other way. Some are major defective and some are minor. Batches after 14w25 are clean as a whistle, aka no defects even if u search with a magnifying glass.
What if i dont wanna customize the thermal settings or play around with kernels? Does that mean i cant get same results as yours?? Besides,I(and im sure many people) wont buy a phone like this just to start tempering with stuff!!
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I am on a non-rooted phone right now. Still 4k ran for half hour without problems. Although u don't seem to accept the fact that 4k is still kinda in the initial phase of the mobile market. Smartphones require more improvements which will come in the near future.
I dont think the call problems i faced have anything to do with the mic,as ive stated,i solved the problem by simply flashing a custom rom(eXistenZ) into it. But Hey! Not everyone would want to root their phones or flash a custom rom just to fix the basic function of a phone!!
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Call problem hasn't been a problem on any Z2 i have seen so far. 8 of my friends have bought a Z2 ever since they saw mine. None of them complained any of the issues u faced. Plus Call clarity is better than other phones that i have compared.
You're definitely wrong about this! Not every's phone Auto Mode sucks. Coz iPhone's Auto Mode doesnt suck as much as it does on xz2,(not comparing iOS with Android by any chance)and trust me,it produces some descent shots for the on-the-go photographer like me who wouldn't want/have to temper with manual settings,perhaps i dont know much about it
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Android doesn't support RAW exif until Android 5.0. With Lollipop, Image processing changes drastically. But for the better of the performance. Although i disagree with u on this. I even linked u to the pictures thread, did u see it? Did u see atleast 10 pages? I was impressed by the Z2's Camera capability even with 4.4.4(KitKat). On any phone, Auto Mode isn't recommended. Manual Settings are a MUST. If u say otherwise, then the whole photography concept is WRONG. (Which isn't). Even average users use Manual Settings pal, no one uses Auto mode anymore unlike very few.
One thing most of you fail to realize is that an ideal smartphone should aim at satisfying both the average users and the Know-How guys like me and you
And Oh! Does Anybody know how i can reduce the intensity of incoming call vibration on this phone?? Its more like an earthquake
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Again, you're able to notice issues nobody else have. Vibration intensity? Its more than normal. Its like 10% of what my Nokia 3310 caused. Now that's what u call an Earthquake, Z2 is fine. If u feel otherwise, you should consider selling it and go for other brands. That's my suggestion. But i'm pretty sure you're gonna come back to Xperia section itself. You should do more research and find facts unlike some sites only provide false stats n reviews.
lee480 said:
It's a little annoying you created this thread and expect people to agree points substantiated with poor arguments? So what's go great of the S5? Exploding batteries, laggy UI?! M8, the "awesome" camera???
Everyone phone has its flaws, but sadly, the those mentioned for the Z2 are mostly invalid. Overheating won't happen unless you use 4k. Dropped my phone numerous times and not a single scratch on my the glass panel. My unit screen is aligned accurately. I don't know what you're trying to get out of this thread? Or you're a keyboard warrior paid by Samsung?
And how old are you? Your post is riddled with smileys and stuff. If you find this discussion funny, please do not start this thread, you're wasting everyone's time. And your best friend mocked you because he presumed the iPhone takes better photos than the Z2 (not true)?? Such maturity.
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Free mobile app
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+1
Totally agree with that bro @lee480
Kinda useless if you ask me, why such people open new threads like this, they can read the specs and informations on google but for some it is hard to find and it is also useless to compare different devices like Sony v.s. Samsung or any other brand with eachother, every device have his own abilities, so if some dont like the Xperia Range step then over to another one, so they dont have to bother us with they frustrations, simple as that !
Sony is just the best in my eyes and i use it for years and i see and feel the improvements what they bring to us and i dont have any complainings on that.
Sony rocks !!
Sent From Somewhere On Earth With My Z2 ^^
I switch from nexus 5 to z2 hopin it will be on higher ends of things but it turn out to be worse tha N5. The only pro it has over N5 is the screen size and battery life. The camera on z2 is awful. I can take my N5 out and take pics with perfect clarity and brightness in dark restaurant. With my z2, it takes yellowish pictures and dark front camera. I wish I never brought it and now im stuck with it
spike378 said:
I switch from nexus 5 to z2 hopin it will be on higher ends of things but it turn out to be worse tha N5. The only pro it has over N5 is the screen size and battery life. The camera on z2 is awful. I can take my N5 out and take pics with perfect clarity and brightness in dark restaurant. With my z2, it takes yellowish pictures and dark front camera. I wish I never brought it and now im stuck with it
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I admit the z2 camera sucks compared to like the s5 or note 4 or even the g3 in some cases, but against the nexus 5? I am beginning to question your eyesight.
No need to force everyone to agree with your perception. U can sell your device and get a new one, buy the iPhone if u like the features of the Apple. Its so annoying if u keep complaining and forcing people to agree with your logic. Get a life, smartphone is not everything.
+1 @yuskhayru said pretty much what i was going to say
Honnestly Xperias Rival Nokia in terms of camera quality
I have only seen 2 brands truly suprize me with quality and i just mentioned them
Im also dead sick of seeing all this repetitive complaining about silly thing.
If you have a defective unit, Have it replaced.
If you dont like your phone, sell it and buy another.
Abdl said:
I've had the xperia z2 phone for about 3 weeks now,and i must say its a pretty descent phone. But i cant help asking myself whats so special about this phone that i paid so much for?. Its indisputable that the z2 is a highly spec'd phone with the gorgeous screen and all,but when talking smartphone,its not all the internal specs that matters,the build quality does matter too,which IMO the z2 doesnt possess. I mean come to think of it,z2 is one of the most complained about smartphones out there,not to mention...
~The spaces found between the metal frame and the glass panel,in-which my phone also have + the back glass got replaced,making it more susceptible to water damage and what not!
~The issue of self cracking,although i understand its of minority,but com'on! Its worrying
~Overheating issues,i know this have been addressed already in several places,a phone like the z2 should be able to withstand some average period of 4k recording without overheating,not just few minutes.
~The inability for the other party to hear during calls...well,even though i was able to find a temporary solution to it by flashing a custom ROM,but do all the z2 owners with same problem have to flash custom rom as well? Also,not to talk of the absurd location of the mic.
~And Oh! Did i mention the camera? Well it has a good amount of MegaPixel but seriously,the camera software suuuuuuuuu*cks!! Most especially the superior auto mode. I find myself using the ProCapture more often now. And the other day,I and a friend of mine with an iPhone 5s snapped same photo,and he mocked me 'cos his images were better than mine.
Lastly,i know That no Smartphone is perfect,buy Sony,You could do better than this!!
Anybody on my side?
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sorry about your unit you should have it replaced like what others have suggested.
the z2 for me is quite the looker (even compared to z3).
- i don't have the gap issue. my build number is 14w34.
- self cracking? been using it for 3 months now, not a single crack since. (also on tempered glass back to back).
- overheating is normal. we just have to deal with it. especially with 4k and some heavy gfx games.
- mic/call issue? i don't have it
- camera software sucks? if you can flash a custom rom, then surely you might have heard of xposed? not running 20mp superior auto? i usually photograph sceneries and my experience with the z2 has never been more awesome.
*cough, shameless plug *cough : http://instagram.com/cryogenix
not to mention, manual mode is there plus the many other camera shooting modes like background defocus (which is super awesome) and the likes.
and lastly, waterproof (*resist) nuff said.
the only downer for me is that warranty doesn't cover water damage but hey, that's another issue.
my two cents worth
From june 2014 till yesterday when i got my last replacement its 4 UNITS REPLACED for one year, all these faults happend to me , first was the selfcracking backplate , then on the next unit people were unable to hear me , and it backplate opened by itself and wasnt waterproof anymore, so 2days ago got my 4th replacement...its good from one side that you buy phone and after almost year you got still new device,buuuut guys thata not acceptable after all these faults with the 'Z" anf Sony just didnt learn their lessons, same faults on the flagships each new year, dont say to me all these bull****s thats its normal,because its not normal to replace 4 units for 1 year...
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Free mobile app
Soooo can you report a thread on xda for being useless and a waste of the interwebs?
If you want to complain I suggest you should head over to the sony support forum to vent your frustration. This may have the unintended benefit of someone seeing the rant that could help.
I have to agree that sony z series main weakness is camera software. But did you try used other camera app? It might help you anyway, it is better to have a software deficiency rather than lack of hardware feature. From z to z2 im happy it had improved alot problem only is other oem had improved alot also. Anyway hope sony outshines this. Cause there are no drastically added features in smartphone.
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Free mobile app
o0 Matt 0o said:
Soooo can you report a thread on xda for being useless and a waste of the interwebs?
If you want to complain I suggest you should head over to the sony support forum to vent your frustration. This may have the unintended benefit of someone seeing the rant that could help.
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+1
Aparently reporting does nothing.
Envious_Data said:
+1
Aparently reporting does nothing.
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Yes it do ^^
A Moderator take a look into it and close it but not sure but i think yes if they read the replies here.
Sent From Somewhere On Earth With My Z2 ^^
Ok guys!
Im sorry if I've caused anybody a headache by creating this thread,i was just trying to rule out some things about my new phone so i thought i could see the opinions of you guys that are using the same phone.
We could be a little bit diplomatic when addressing issues like this,No big deal. It was just a thread!!
Anyways,like i said,Im sorry.
yuskhayru said:
No need to force everyone to agree with your perception. U can sell your device and get a new one, buy the iPhone if u like the features of the Apple. Its so annoying if u keep complaining and forcing people to agree with your logic. Get a life, smartphone is not everything.
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Im not forcing anybody to agree with my perception. I obviously came from an iPhone so i dont need another.
You're right,smartphone is not everything. Sorry about the annoyance:angel:

USA customers will you be switching?why?

all hype aside i have a sony xperia z3 and i will be making the switch to a V10 when it comes to T-mobile. I tried the note5 even with no removable back or expandable storage and it was not anything special. Sure it was fast, good screen, and great camera but the experience was like " eh its the same note". When i look to buy a phone i ask myself " will i use this feature?" and i found myself not using any of the notes.
The LG V10 is an upgrade from my xperia z3. 5.7 screen has been shown to be a great size for quad hd. Yes Amoled is better brighter but not sure if LG has ever done AMOLED before i know they had OLED. Removable back to swap out just in case your battery burns out buy using it while its charging lol. stock 64 gigs of storage! which means my micro slot can just be for raw files and or audio flac files. Phone has top tier camera and best video experience of 2015. IR blaster just in case you loose your remote and your to lazy to look for it lol or another ex: at the gym and your doing cardio and its time for your show just change it yourself and everyone will be like " who changed the channel?". HIFI audio is a plus yes you wont be able to play any files in 32bit but flac files of vinyl files will sound amazing. It comes with HIFI earphones which is awesome because if it didnt you would have to spend alot more money on a pair just to get the experience you should have gotten right out of the box. 4 gigs of ram is future proof and as far as the 808 chip goes when theres root on this phone you can always overclock the cpu to a fast and safe speed. I also find its great that it has gorilla glass 4 and metal sides with a softer plastic feel to protect from drops so a case is not necessary for this phone. Im sure it will get Qi charge even if you have to buy a back cover to get it which is my only flaw with this phone is that it doesnt have it standard but its not a deal breaker since its just as easy to plug it in and plug in is faster anyway. The UI i saw was improved but if you dont like it still just get a launcher ( google) and your good or wait for root. the second screen from what i saw on all the videos is handy since the notifications get displayed on the side and doesn't interrupt your screen experience. is it placed weird yes at the top is to far to move your thumb to the top so you would have to hold it with two hands and given this is a 5.7 inch screen you should know already that its a two handed device (but lg does have a one hand screen mode). The second screen really is meant for just notifications and the occasional quick app select. some people say they should have placed the second screen on the bottom and I agree but im sure they placed it on the top because that is where the cameras are and they didnt want to make a longer 2nd screen since it should be used for a quick glance. if it were at the bottom im sure the phone would have been a tad bit bigger since the cameras would stay on top and an extra screen on the bottom. The finger print scanner is in the logical spot for LG since that was the power button for the G series.
This phone just has to many thing i know i would use then things i wouldn't. Samsung honestly has a great chip and a great screen but thats really all it has.
So in short i will be getting this phone when it comes to the USA and if LG does a yearly release then ill be happy to wait a year to see if the upgrade would be worth it to a lg V10 2 lol.
Tl;Dr to be honest
Well, I am switching from my LG G3 to this phone probably end of November...
I don't typically upgrade to another phone of the same manufacturer, or at least I haven't in recent years. The LG G3 set a great first impression for me with LG devices. The hardware was great, build quality second to none. The software skin the least invasive and most closely resembles vanilla Android. The camera and software for the camera the best of any smartphone in my opinion....
I think we can expect this device to release on major US carriers by middle of November I think I've seen quoted.
This is going to be a great device I really think it captures the essence of what Android has become. A very high end phone.
The V10's second screen seemed such a gimmick to me when it was announced. After seeing pre release reviews from those LG sent devices to, wow it is a wonder we haven't seen this implemented sooner. I am very eager to get this device. I really had my heart set on the Nexus 6P, having never had the opportunity to own a Nexus device before. However due to the fact that I upgrade through my carrier I will not be able to get it... Then enters the V10... Gotta have it!!! Can't remember the last time I was as excited for a new device.... Maybe the S3, and that was a while ago. I think you will really enjoy the phone compared to your Sony.
Will be upgrading from a G Flex 2, this phone looks amazing.
CoNsPiRiSiZe said:
Tl;Dr to be honest
Well, I am switching from my LG G3 to this phone probably end of November...
I don't typically upgrade to another phone of the same manufacturer, or at least I haven't in recent years. The LG G3 set a great first impression for me with LG devices. The hardware was great, build quality second to none. The software skin the least invasive and most closely resembles vanilla Android. The camera and software for the camera the best of any smartphone in my opinion....
I think we can expect this device to release on major US carriers by middle of November I think I've seen quoted.
This is going to be a great device I really think it captures the essence of what Android has become. A very high end phone.
The V10's second screen seemed such a gimmick to me when it was announced. After seeing pre release reviews from those LG sent devices to, wow it is a wonder we haven't seen this implemented sooner. I am very eager to get this device. I really had my heart set on the Nexus 6P, having never had the opportunity to own a Nexus device before. However due to the fact that I upgrade through my carrier I will not be able to get it... Then enters the V10... Gotta have it!!! Can't remember the last time I was as excited for a new device.... Maybe the S3, and that was a while ago. I think you will really enjoy the phone compared to your Sony.
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I totally get where your coming from. I to am on carrier and i wanted the 5x but saw only 2 gig of ram and only one of the facing speakers work for audio. I only upgrade from carrier also and was going to wait but this phone looks beast theres just way to much stuff to pass off on getting this phone. every time i think about what this phone has in it compared to the other carrier phones i get excited. I love my sony the battery life is amazing the camera takes good photos and the HI-res sounds so clear. Software though is starting to lag.
@BatmanLBC
I hear you. Seems like we are on the same page.
I think I will be happier with this device. Even if the bootloader never gets cracked open, whereas the Nexus will almost certainly... I explained in another thread I don't need the ROM support, really root at all. I am more interested in having a device that works out of the box and offers me what I expect from a phone. Android is maturing to a point where we don't need root to do a lot of what was only available through root. The best part of my LG G3, and the V10 is that the software does have some very useful features baked in and LG has done this without ruining the integrity of the software, and without hindering performance (exceptionally clear in the V10 reviews, very very snappy) or battery life that much at all.
The screen on my G3 beats the iPhone 6S outright, which my mom has for work. She still loathes the thing and prefers her Note 2. Ha. Anyways... This phone has me very very excited. I am looking forward to upgrading now, where I was fairly content before the news of this came out. Yeah, the Nexus would be very neat, but I think Google made a mistake only offering it through the Play Store. There are plenty of people like us who upgrade through the carriers we pay... I never really needed a camera that is close to a point and shoot as I have a point and shoot that takes great photos, however after getting my G3 I can't go back to something with a subpar camera, and this puppy's camera is going to rein supreme for a long while I predict... It just looks fantastic. My hope is that I will be able to take a macro shot without a macro lens. I think we will be able to, judging by the reviews of the camera.
The V10 seems to be everything we asked for this year in a flagship, honestly... It has a removable battery, micro SD support (up to 2 TB!?), an amazing screen, camera that I believe to be second to none... I don't know why other manufacturers couldn't put something out similar to this.. Anyways! Can't wait to see some hands on reports when this is released state side.
yes, as soon as tmo announces a launch date, i will be there to purchase in store. this will be an upgrade from the note 3 and a change from the samsung line as all i have purchased have been samsung priducts. i watched samsung's presentation for the note 5 and edge 6+ and was absolutely underwhelmed by it. the thing is, if it had a removable battery and sd slot, i probably would have bought a note because why change something that wasn't obviously broken. samsung's design language tells me that they're broken and are going to stay broken for a while. they have moved in the direction of being a fashion android device with this all glass and metal thing they're doing now and that is a fragile phone that won't survive drops without a case.
i hope that root is able to happen. i don't need root, but i think it's always a good option to know it's there if i want it.
I had a G3 for a year and really enjoyed it. I switched to the Moto X Pure Edition which is pretty good but I got to try out the V10 yesterday and now I want it. I'll probably get it in a couple of months once I see if there's root available.
It feels quite nice especially with the metal frames on the sides. The battery cover is grippy with the texture they have on it. The screen felt brighter than what I remember the G3 being like. The camera will obviously destroy the MXP camera. I got to see the rose gold one which I actually may end up getting. I usually just get boring black but the color was a nice champagne color. The 120 degree camera was impressive for people who like to take self portraits. I refuse to use the other word
ctkatz said:
yes, as soon as tmo announces a launch date, i will be there to purchase in store. this will be an upgrade from the note 3 and a change from the samsung line as all i have purchased have been samsung priducts. i watched samsung's presentation for the note 5 and edge 6+ and was absolutely underwhelmed by it. the thing is, if it had a removable battery and sd slot, i probably would have bought a note because why change something that wasn't obviously broken. samsung's design language tells me that they're broken and are going to stay broken for a while. they have moved in the direction of being a fashion android device with this all glass and metal thing they're doing now and that is a fragile phone that won't survive drops without a case.
i hope that root is able to happen. i don't need root, but i think it's always a good option to know it's there if i want it.
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I'm with you. As soon as T-Mobile drops this device on their shelves I'm there. As much as I love my N6 I'm not going to miss it (nasty bug in Marshmallow right now plaguing WiFi where it has issues at times staying connected). I'm also done with the custom ROM community. The entitlement issues and some of the shoddy work is unreal. I'm done with needing root as well. I wanted a Nexus 6P but that craptastic 810 SoC, the AMOLED (burn-in on my N6 is driving me insane and it's not even a year old) and the lack of selling through carriers killed that for me. I was pondering what to do then a week later the V10 was announced. I can't wait to get my hands on it. T-Mobile and LG need to hurry the hell up so they can take my money.
Is everyone here writing poems. But I have a nexus 6 that I'll be keeping and am still getting this phone
6p is a great phone i herd someone blew a fuse when they rooted it or something. i would love to have one lol but they dont sell them on carriers and im not wealthy enough to shell out money.
I hope the price comes down like in Korea to compete with the galaxy s6 to 610. 640 would be perfect. I do believe with the software changes LG has made it makes the experience more enjoyable then the stock lg skin like on the lg g3 when it first came out. I cant wait to try this phone out.

Just purchased a Moto Z, is it too late?

Hello all,
I'm new to XDA and impressed by the amount of information available for all different phones!
I would love to get your suggestions on this -
I recently purchased the Moto Z unlocked at around $288 (in a deal). Just because it was such a low price, I pulled the trigger on this deal, but now thinking if I did the right thing. Though the phone performs very good, camera is a huge disappointment, always giving "hold camera steady" message.
Since I am still within return period for this phone, it would be great to hear from you experts if this phone is good value for money I paid for it, or should I wait to get OnePlus 5 or the Huawei Mate 9 pro or something very current gen (HTC U which will launch next month?)
I'm ready to put few extra $ if the upgrade seems worth it, but I'm confused right now if such upgrade would really give extra value. Your thoughts please?
Thanks!
Hi all,
Waiting for your expert suggestions please...
With that price it's the best phone you got.
And there's nothing exciting about the new phones launching this year. Just the jump from snapdragon 820 to 835, 4gb ram to 6gb.. and other unwanted stuff. Even theres nothing new about the upcoming Moto Z2. I think you got the best phone with that price.
(And next time whenever you think of buying a Moto, don't ever think that you'll get an amazing camera)
The camera is good enough. Maybe not as S7, but very very close, and in some situations even better. And the front flash is awesome
My wife bought a LG G5 and I got the Moto Z. I can safely say the camera is better than a G5. Haven't used a Samsung. But I'd say it's an average or above phone camera.
For low light, and zoom, I will soon get the camera mod, and use it for those situations.
Just my personal opinion, but I don't let cameras worry me. If I want great pics, I use my camera. No phone can compete with even the cheapest of real cameras. I get a phone based on my phone needs, since a small digital camera can be used when I go anywhere knowing I'm going to take a lot of pics.
But to each their own. :good:
Darth said:
My wife bought a LG G5 and I got the Moto Z. I can safely say the camera is better than a G5. Haven't used a Samsung. But I'd say it's an average or above phone camera.
For low light, and zoom, I will soon get the camera mod, and use it for those situations.
Just my personal opinion, but I don't let cameras worry me. If I want great pics, I use my camera. No phone can compete with even the cheapest of real cameras. I get a phone based on my phone needs, since a small digital camera can be used when I go anywhere knowing I'm going to take a lot of pics.
But to each their own. :good:
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Hi? I just got this too off craigslist with no charger . When I got a charger for it and it came up, and ended up having pin code enabled. How do I get this off? I'm new to moto. I'm used to flashing on samsung with Odin and stuffs. So not exactly a noob. It might have a Google lock, I don't mind. Can always find a way around that
Thanks all for the responses!
How bad is the Samsung bloatware? I have a week more remaining in my return period but this $288 price tag for this phone looks very good at which I bought this. The S7 edge is also selling today at the same price, though a refurbished one. Still not sure which one to go for.

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