Hi what you guys think of this phone? Is it worth to buy? I'm planning to upgrade my phone
kelvinkou said:
Hi what you guys think of this phone? Is it worth to buy? I'm planning to upgrade my phone
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Well of course it is! Awesome phone! And you should ask what to buy and stuff in the device suggestion thread
I've been holding out for the Nexus 4 but I have to admit that the Xperia Z has my attention. I think the splash proof feature is great but taking off the charging port cover every time it needs charging (at least once a day possibly more) would be a real pain. If only they included wireless charging then I would have been sold. If I do get the Xperia Z then I'll probably permanently remove the cover for the charging port and thus lose the splashproof aspect. Luckily the Xperia Z has a lot more going for it. The other reason that I might be apprehensive of the Xperia Z is possibly slow Android OS updates.
Techno79 said:
I've been holding out for the Nexus 4 but I have to admit that the Xperia Z has my attention. I think the splash proof feature is great but taking off the charging port cover every time it needs charging (at least once a day possibly more) would be a real pain. If only they included wireless charging then I would have been sold. If I do get the Xperia Z then I'll probably permanently remove the cover for the charging port and thus lose the splashproof aspect. Luckily the Xperia Z has a lot more going for it. The other reason that I might be apprehensive of the Xperia Z is possibly slow Android OS updates.
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don`t worry if you are a even a barely proficient rom flasher (like me ) sony makes it very easy for you to unlock the bootloader with official support It literally took me less than 10 minute to unlock the bootloader and install cm10 plus kernel.
i think this Xperia Z was the best phone from sony...but more interested with Galaxy Note II GT-N7100
cs098 said:
don`t worry if you are a even a barely proficient rom flasher (like me ) sony makes it very easy for you to unlock the bootloader with official support It literally took me less than 10 minute to unlock the bootloader and install cm10 plus kernel.
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I know that custom ROMs make a number of enhancements and improvements over stock but I'm actually really keen on using a phone that is just totally stock (or as close to it as possible).
Plus, I've always found custom ROMs to be more unstable than an official ROM specifically for that phone. I've never tried CM ROMs (mainly been using the Resurrection Remix ROM for SGS2).
Techno79 said:
I know that custom ROMs make a number of enhancements and improvements over stock but I'm actually really keen on using a phone that is just totally stock (or as close to it as possible).
Plus, I've always found custom ROMs to be more unstable than an official ROM specifically for that phone. I've never tried CM ROMs (mainly been using the Resurrection Remix ROM for SGS2).
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when the xperia z come out you should try stock based roms, these only takes a week or two become stable with very minimal changes and because the xperia z has jellybean it should be a smooth experience. And besides I heard sony will be upgrading the z and zl to jb 4.2 shortly after its release
cs098 said:
when the xperia z come out you should try stock based roms, these only takes a week or two become stable with very minimal changes and because the xperia z has jellybean it should be a smooth experience. And besides I heard sony will be upgrading the z and zl to jb 4.2 shortly after its release
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Sure, I appreciate that but Sony would shoot itself in the foot if it hadn't announced a quick 4.2 update after release as it would really hamper sales. I doubt they'll be so timely when the phone is 6 to 12 months old and their attention is focused on a new flag ship phone.
Similar story with the Samsung S2 and S3. S3 gets the JB update very quickly after release but S2 still hasn't gotten JB even though JB was released about 14 months after it's initial release.
I'm really hoping that the N4 will continue to receive updates until it is hardware cannot keep up with the Android OS (which will hopefully be at least 2 years).
Hi
I've just purchased a Sony Xperia Z (second hand). I've run the root programme from Kingo (only via PC worked, not via Android itself).
I've got Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) and want to upgrade to the latest one as this version is precluding me from having a couple of apps that I want and have on my other phone.
Can someone please help me?!
Thanks!!
As far as I can tell both are the same as far as bands go.
However, my question lies in, which is more favorable to get in terms of user experience? Which would you prefer? I hear the "bloatware" that Sony includes is actually pretty useful in the Sony version and rather unobtrusive. But at the same time, I thought that the Google play edition was supposed to be more easy to load custom roms. I also understand that the Google play edition is supposed to get the updates faster, but is it really that bad with Sony?
If you had the choice between the two, which would you go for? They are both about the same price, so it's not an issue, it's just a matter of which would be more preferable out of the box.
From Sony Store
http://store.sony.com/xperia-z-ultr...atid-All-Unlocked-Phones?vva_ColorCode=000000
Or...
Google play edition:
https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=sony_z_ultra
ssnova said:
As far as I can tell both are the same as far as bands go.
However, my question lies in, which is more favorable to get in terms of user experience? Which would you prefer? I hear the "bloatware" that Sony includes is actually pretty useful in the Sony version and rather unobtrusive. But at the same time, I thought that the Google play edition was supposed to be more easy to load custom roms. I also understand that the Google play edition is supposed to get the updates faster, but is it really that bad with Sony?
If you had the choice between the two, which would you go for? They are both about the same price, so it's not an issue, it's just a matter of which would be more preferable out of the box.
From Sony Store
http://store.sony.com/xperia-z-ultr...atid-All-Unlocked-Phones?vva_ColorCode=000000
Or...
Google play edition:
https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=sony_z_ultra
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I have the GPe but ordered it before Sony dropped their price. The GPe ROM has been ported over to Sony so if you get Sony you can run that. From what I have seen they can both be unlocked and rooted fairly easily. As for the update I would expect it to be ported to Sony rather quickly. Lots more Roms for Sony but there is work going on with a tool to convert Sony Roms to GPe. I would lean towards Sony but get as many opinions as you can before deciding.
I also have the gpe and would've preferred the xperia version. All the native xperia apps are missing obviously and the Google alternatives aren't that great IMO.
Get the cheapest one and root it (maybe even unlock it) and try the rom that fits you.
Sent from my C6833 using Tapatalk
adfurgerson said:
I have the GPe but ordered it before Sony dropped their price. The GPe ROM has been ported over to Sony so if you get Sony you can run that. From what I have seen they can both be unlocked and rooted fairly easily. As for the update I would expect it to be ported to Sony rather quickly. Lots more Roms for Sony but there is work going on with a tool to convert Sony Roms to GPe. I would lean towards Sony but get as many opinions as you can before deciding.
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First, thanks for all the replies from everyone guys.
Second, @ adfurgerson, in order to port the GPe ROM over to the Sony, I"d have to root and unlock right?
I find it interesting that ROMs for the Sony won't work on the GPe. I was under some impression it'd be practically the same, and that the GPe version would be easier to root and unlock, but didn't know the real story behind it.
I whisked through some threads on here that gave me the impression that rooting and unlocking and loading custom roms was quite challenging on the Z Ultra, is this true?
Because of this, I thought I'd just keep it headache free and stick with stock.
On that note, how is the Z Ultra stock? Or is it really that desirable to root/unlock/load custom rom? FOr example, I have an ASUS Transformer TF700, stock, the thing is frustratingly slow/laggy/buggy, IMO, you MUST root/unlock/load custom ROM on that device to make it "functional"/ really appreciate the machine. Another example is the GS3 and GS4, I know plenty of people who are ok with stock.
THanks again to all. Looks like I'm leaning towards the Sony edition, the two grips I had with the z Ultra in general were: lack of LED flash(I like having a "flashlight" on my phones), and perhaps the "small" battery for such a large device.
The Sony Edition is the best option in this case.
The problem with the GPe is that the partitioning has been changed, something that make it very problematic to cross-flash between GPe and Sony and no solution has been offered as of yet. The result is that the ROM selection for the Sony Edition is much better.
Since the GPe ROM has been ported and there are a couple of options including Sony based ones to choose from, the best route is to go with the Sony Edition. Even if you decide to run the GPe ROM (like I do for now), the better selection of ROMs such as Paranoid Android, PAC, SlimKat, CarbonROM etc favors the Sony Edition.
It is also worth to mention that the Sony Edition came out a couple of months before the GPe - the availability of it is also superior since it is being sold worldwide while the GPe can be sourced only from Google in the US. This means that more developers and users have the Sony version, hence more development of ROMs.
When it comes to Sony Editions, I would go for the C6802 (no LTE) or either C6806 or C6833 depending on location and the importance of LTE bands. I have the C6802 since I consider US LTE to be of no importance to me. If I would be in Sweden, I would take the C6833.
The reason for my LTE stance is the fact that decent data plans are cheaper in Sweden than in the US. I don't see any benefits of having 2 GB of LTE data since Internet browsing etc works great on the HSPA+ network of AT&T. I would not start going on Netflix etc with 2 GB of data.
ssnova said:
First, thanks for all the replies from everyone guys.
Second, @ adfurgerson, in order to port the GPe ROM over to the Sony, I"d have to root and unlock right?
I find it interesting that ROMs for the Sony won't work on the GPe. I was under some impression it'd be practically the same, and that the GPe version would be easier to root and unlock, but didn't know the real story behind it.
I whisked through some threads on here that gave me the impression that rooting and unlocking and loading custom roms was quite challenging on the Z Ultra, is this true?
Because of this, I thought I'd just keep it headache free and stick with stock.
And for more controll rom i Installed App Ops
On that note, how is the Z Ultra stock? Or is it really that desirable to root/unlock/load custom rom? FOr example, I have an ASUS Transformer TF700, stock, the thing is frustratingly slow/laggy/buggy, IMO, you MUST root/unlock/load custom ROM on that device to make it "functional"/ really appreciate the machine. Another example is the GS3 and GS4, I know plenty of people who are ok with stock.
THanks again to all. Looks like I'm leaning towards the Sony edition, the two grips I had with the z Ultra in general were: lack of LED flash(I like having a "flashlight" on my phones), and perhaps the "small" battery for such a large device.
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Im using the Sony ultra (c6833) stock and rooted with unlocked bootloader . After i tried almost all of them rom i got back to stock sony rom and installed xposed and changed some stuff . I even have the DooMKernel kernel on it and works awsome
@ssnova the GPe was very much usable stock and I tried to convince myself to leave it that way. Unlocking , rooting and recovery was easy enough. I must admit I am unsure on which methods are current for Sony so won't comment there. I plan to do more testing of this over the weekend, if it works it would take one factor out of the equation.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2746562
E90 Commie said:
The Sony Edition is the best option in this case.
The problem with the GPe is that the partitioning has been changed, something that make it very problematic to cross-flash between GPe and Sony and no solution has been offered as of yet. The result is that the ROM selection for the Sony Edition is much better.
Since the GPe ROM has been ported and there are a couple of options including Sony based ones to choose from, the best route is to go with the Sony Edition. Even if you decide to run the GPe ROM (like I do for now), the better selection of ROMs such as Paranoid Android, PAC, SlimKat, CarbonROM etc favors the Sony Edition.
It is also worth to mention that the Sony Edition came out a couple of months before the GPe - the availability of it is also superior since it is being sold worldwide while the GPe can be sourced only from Google in the US. This means that more developers and users have the Sony version, hence more development of ROMs.
When it comes to Sony Editions, I would go for the C6802 (no LTE) or either C6806 or C6833 depending on location and the importance of LTE bands. I have the C6802 since I consider US LTE to be of no importance to me. If I would be in Sweden, I would take the C6833.
The reason for my LTE stance is the fact that decent data plans are cheaper in Sweden than in the US. I don't see any benefits of having 2 GB of LTE data since Internet browsing etc works great on the HSPA+ network of AT&T. I would not start going on Netflix etc with 2 GB of data.
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Thanks, your post clears up a lot from a technical standpoint. I'd probably go with the C6806 since I live in the US and we have LTE in my areas.
Ended up stumbling upon this, thanks to your post.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2451590
I guess the Sony edition it is.
As a person learning to develop android I would choose the GPe, as a consumer it's 50 / 50.
The Sony stock firmware is quite good and the only thing that lags in 4.4 seems to be the live wallpaper, and blote is a minimum - and usefull.
Unlocking either is exactly the same, the only difference ifs if you want to keep your TA partition (DRM keys). You can only do this on the Sony version by doing the downgrade/root exploit/backup dance.
As for ROMs for the GPe there is CM, Carbon, LiquidSmooth and Slimkat, and I believe that if someone would test the flashable zip I wrote we could convert any (I even think stock) ROM to run on the GPe - but no one wants to have developers making thing for their phone by the looks*
* this could easily develop into a rant so I'll stop there
blueether said:
As a person learning to develop android I would choose the GPe, as a consumer it's 50 / 50.
The Sony stock firmware is quite good and the only thing that lags in 4.4 seems to be the live wallpaper, and blote is a minimum - and usefull.
Unlocking either is exactly the same, the only difference ifs if you want to keep your TA partition (DRM keys). You can only do this on the Sony version by doing the downgrade/root exploit/backup dance.
As for ROMs for the GPe there is CM, Carbon, LiquidSmooth and Slimkat, and I believe that if someone would test the flashable zip I wrote we could convert any (I even think stock) ROM to run on the GPe - but no one wants to have developers making thing for their phone by the looks*
* this could easily develop into a rant so I'll stop there
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Sounds like you're pretty close to making it work for the GP-e, only a matter of time and testers,
I guess I'll lean towards the Sony edition though, since I'll be using it more than developing, though I do play around once and a while.
Slightly astray, but what makes the Google play edition better for learning to develop on android?
nothing really, although I believe it has a much better bootloader/recovery
blueether said:
nothing really, although I believe it has a much better bootloader/recovery
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Just to confirm
1) if we use the GPE rom on a Sony, will we be able to restore the TA partition and still use the Xperia-specific display enhancements?
2) Even though the partitioning is different, one can flash specific partitions and not the entire ROM, yes? Or are the wires truly crossed: for instance, the bootloader located is in boot?
christcentric said:
Just to confirm
1) if we use the GPE rom on a Sony, will we be able to restore the TA partition and still use the Xperia-specific display enhancements?
2) Even though the partitioning is different, one can flash specific partitions and not the entire ROM, yes? Or are the wires truly crossed: for instance, the bootloader located is in boot?
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1. No, we can't restore the partition while on a custom kernel, but we still get the image processing without the DRM keys intact (aka TA partition) on KitKat builds.
The DRM keys are only important to have in case you have to send your device in for repairs.
2. You can flash the GPe ROM on the Xperia Ultra. You can't run a dully functioning stock Sony ROM on the Ultra GPe (yet), due to partitioning issues and what not. You van flash "everything" on the regular Ultra, not on the GPe, which makes the regular Ultra a better device if you plan to flash a lot of ROMs and you want the option to cross-flash between Sony ROMs and GPe (AOSP ROMs).
Bought mine from Sony, best stock firmware I've ever used, of course mod the hell out of it, but I am very pleased
Sent from my C6806 using Tapatalk
I have multiple Bluetooth devices with Apt-X baked in. GPe does not support it, and I don't think that is going to change anytime soon.
So for me, stock is the only option. Not even CM.
I have tried out most of the alternatives, but keep coming back to stock - the audio quality improvement with apt-x is noticeable. Especially while listening to FLAC, using a player like Neutron.
I prefer gpe, because it feel smoother, simpler, less batt consumption. But yes the gpe is very limited at features and option.
billyliem said:
I prefer gpe, because it feel smoother, simpler, less batt consumption. But yes the gpe is very limited at features and option.
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Sure, but the GPe ROM is available for the stock Xperia Ultra.
LordManhattan said:
Sure, but the GPe ROM is available for the stock Xperia Ultra.
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Yes i use gpe rom 4.4.4 at my 6802, i like it.smoother than gpe 4.4.2. And more responsive too. How about the price on the hardware? Stock sony vs the gpe? Is it different?
billyliem said:
Yes i use gpe rom 4.4.4 at my 6802, i like it.smoother than gpe 4.4.2. And more responsive too. How about the price on the hardware? Stock sony vs the gpe? Is it different?
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only ~$10 in it
http://www.expansys-usa.com/sony-xperia-z-ultra-c6833-unlocked-lte-16gb-purple-251965/
http://www.expansys-usa.com/sony-z-ultra-google-play-edition-unlocked-lte-16gb-black-263504/
Hell, can even get the GPe in nz now http://www.expansys.co.nz/sony-z-ultra-google-play-edition-unlocked-lte-16gb-black-263504/
I'm currently using a note 3 and I'm thinking of getting a Z Ultra,. Is the conversion from a Sony to GPE flawless meaning it'll be exactly the same? (like on the HTC one?) or will be slight differences in performance and battery life? How is the sony rom kitkat running on this thing? No more stuttering or lag?
The official Sony rom is better is my opinion. And you can always convert the Sony one into a GPe one. So it's better to get a stock Sony version.
Sent from my C6802 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
If you reboot your device every two day or so it will keep on going like a charm :good: ...im not a big fan of that. I have my device running as many weeks until it starts doing funny things.. like all linux machines tends to do when they run for months or longer without rebooting
SÜPERUSER said:
If you reboot your device every two day or so it will keep on going like a charm :good: ...im not a big fan of that. I have my device running as many weeks until it starts doing funny things.. like all linux machines tends to do when they run for months or longer without rebooting
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Doing linux wrong then
kingofthebraves said:
I'm currently using a note 3 and I'm thinking of getting a Z Ultra,. Is the conversion from a Sony to GPE flawless meaning it'll be exactly the same? (like on the HTC one?) or will be slight differences in performance and battery life? How is the sony rom kitkat running on this thing? No more stuttering or lag?
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No the conversion from sony to GPe is not a full one, it is just a custom ROM. Now @DooMLoRD has a GPe we might see a full conversion. Performance and battery should be the same between full GPe and the port. The Sony KK firmware is quite nice. The live wallpaper stutters once in a while though, but if you change it then all is good.
I was using GPE custom rom,simple and clean.If use Sony rom,4.3 would be better!
I would say this:
On 4.4.x, the GPe ROM or CM11/AOKP/PA/PAC is better choices of the simple reason that they can use phablet mode properly. I am talking about changing the DPI to 240 with separate notification/quick settings bars. On the other hand, Settings lacks tablet mode on 4.4.
The problem with the Sony ROM (4.4) is the loss of working notifications when the DPI is lowered. They have modded the notification bar with quick settings, which breaks down when something lower than 320 DPI is used.
On 4.3, the stock Sony works perfectly in phablet/tablet mode on 240 DPI.
I think 240 DPI is perfect for the Ultra, it uses the screen space very efficiently and enables phablet/tablet mode in different apps etc.
On GPe or CM11 et al, 240 DPI works perfectly. It is also worth to mention the fact that most Sony apps are ported and runs great on the GPe ROM. There's no need to use a Sony stock/based ROM just in order to get Album, Movies, Walkman or Sketch etc to work. Even the latest Z2 based versions of those apps run great on GPe et al ROMs.
This fact, paired with the problems caused by DPI changes result in this simple situation:
1. Sony based ROMs are better in 4.3 since they can handle phablet/tablet mode properly.
2. On 4.4, go for the GPe or other non-Sony based ROMs like PA or AOKP.
3. The Sony Edition of the device is more spread and gives more ROM options compared to the GPe one. It is therefore better to get it from Sony and then flash the GPe ROM.
Greetings ZU owners,
I had a Nexus 4 that I dearly loved but I accidentally broke the phone and had to find a replacement. I looked around and landed on a ZU - the screen size is great for me as I do a lot of reading on my phone. Though, I highly prefer (personal preference) vanilla kitkat over Sony interface. I looked for a Gpe version but couldn't find one (there were a few on ebay but with ridiculous asking price). I was using 4.4.4 on my nexus and I do like it.
My questions: is there any ported rom from Gpe available that you have used and recommend? Also, anyway to convert this to a Gpe? If there is would I be able to receive Ota update from Google? I just had this phone for about a week - please kindly point me in the right direction.
Thanks and any feedback is appreciated!!
Yes there is the GPe port, no it wont make it a true gpe
It only took about a day or so for the last two updates to be ported from Gpe to standard Sony phones.
Ultra GPE is $349 brand new at Expansys.
Flaco05 said:
Ultra GPE is $349 brand new at Expansys.
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Thanks! I was trying to flash gpe rom but running into too much trouble just to get back a stock rom up and running - I just ordered a gpe and thanks for pointing this out!!!