Wheres the Z2 Ultra? - Sony Xperia Z Ultra

Wheres the Z2 Ultra? - Sony Xperia Z Ultra

Sony have updated their Z1 and Tablet Z. When are we expecting a Z2 Ultra?

Ukbondraider said:
Sony have updated their Z1 and Tablet Z. When are we expecting a Z2 Ultra?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this is for Xperia Z Ultra Forum only LOL

Ukbondraider said:
Sony have updated their Z1 and Tablet Z. When are we expecting a Z2 Ultra?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hopefully not anytime soon, its only been out like 6 months, they did release a smaller version of it, the T2 ultra
sony cant really get any bigger without having tablets that you can make and call with
and they might not make one at all if sales werent great
J

The improvement might be too minimal i guess. It is like they already reached the maximum size for a phone. Bigger than that it's a tablet. The only improvement they can do might be related to the camera but that's it. Maybe lower power ips screen will be nice to have (I'm not sure if the z ultra screen is really ips, because at some angle, the loss of contrast is still there but still far better than Z1, plus sony never mention ips about z ultra screen, only starting from Z1C) and negligible performance gain with newer soc. Other than that, the Z Ultra is still very much adequate for my needs.
Sent from my C6802 using xda app-developers app

I don't mine getting a flash and better camera upgrade if there is a Z Ultra 2 on the horizon.

Yeah there is not much that can be done with the Ultra to make it better really.
A better camera for those who care. I dont as I have a camera for that.
A flash would be nice as a flashlight.
And if they could somehow keep it the same way and give me a removable battery then that would be my dream

hansip87 said:
The improvement might be too minimal i guess. It is like they already reached the maximum size for a phone. Bigger than that it's a tablet. The only improvement they can do might be related to the camera but that's it. Maybe lower power ips screen will be nice to have (I'm not sure if the z ultra screen is really ips, because at some angle, the loss of contrast is still there but still far better than Z1, plus sony never mention ips about z ultra screen, only starting from Z1C) and negligible performance gain with newer soc. Other than that, the Z Ultra is still very much adequate for my needs.
Sent from my C6802 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They can't or won't make it any bigger. Just check out the Z2 and you'll see that they have made the bezel a little smaller, so they'll probably continue with that. They can also not make it any thinner without either removing the minijack or making a bump on the back, which will ruin their Omni Balance design, so that won't happen either. The Ultra does have an IPS panel, but the "loss of contrast" is actually light from the LEDs. I guess they can do something about that though.
So i guess the Ultra 2 will be just as thin, and probably just as big with a better display (like the one on the Z2), and probably a Snapdragon 801 or 805, and that's pretty much it, i guess?

shaolin95 said:
Yeah there is not much that can be done with the Ultra to make it better really. \
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Click to collapse
Huh?
A flash and brighter screen for starters.
Z Ultra is obscenely behind the times in these two categories when compared with less expensive and even older superphones.

CZ Eddie said:
Huh?
A flash and brighter screen for starters.
Z Ultra is obscenely behind the times in these two categories when compared with less expensive and even older superphones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd rather have the unsaturated colours on the Ultra.

CZ Eddie said:
Huh?
A flash and brighter screen for starters.
Z Ultra is obscenely behind the times in these two categories when compared with less expensive and even older superphones.
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Click to collapse
The Screen is very bright imo, How much bright do you want it to be? Or in other term, how much faster do you want the battery to go down the drain? If i bring it outdoor it's perfectly readable in sunlight, and plus the auto brightness works perfectly.
Sent from my C6802 using xda app-developers app

Hope there's no such phone like Z2 Ultra,I only want Z Ultra be the Sony's only big phone apart from the T2 something..
Sent from my C6806_GPe using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Same size chassis
Bigger screen/smaller bezels
Better speaker
Flash
Better camera
Removable battery
That would make this phone perfect, IMO.
The ZU is like an indie rock band with a good following. It may never be as big as Justin Bieber or Lady Gaga, but people will continue to buy it if it hovers at that phone/tablet border; it's a true phablet. I will buy another with updated hardware. Would they really lose that much by scaling the production back a bit?

Poi25 said:
Same size chassis
Bigger screen/smaller bezels
Better speaker
Flash
Better camera
Removable battery
That would make this phone perfect, IMO.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, that would make a completely different phone.
I agree on the first two, the speaker is more than ok for me, I don't care for the flash and camera, and I most certainly won't risk the waterproofing for a removable battery (I'm already seeing S5 users crying for their poor phone that opened up while they were diving in the pool...).
Sony has gone with the tablet timetable for the ZU, AKA once a year, and that's fine by me.
I don't feel the need to change device, and they better come up with something really FANTASTIC next year for the ZU2, because they gave us something that's nearly UNimprovable.
Sent from my C6833 using Tapatalk

hansip87 said:
The Screen is very bright imo, How much bright do you want it to be? Or in other term, how much faster do you want the battery to go down the drain? If i bring it outdoor it's perfectly readable in sunlight, and plus the auto brightness works perfectly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you serious?! And it brings up another weak point. The battery.
Maybe *you're* happy with it and that's all that matters.
But the phone is about 1/2 as bright in the sunlight when compared to the Note 3.
And the battery is only about 75% as efficient when compared to the Note 3.
And I call BS on you saying your phone is "perfectly readable in the sunlight".
My S4 is brighter than your phone and I have trouble viewing it when the sun is shining down on it.
Look, the Z Ultra is a very good phone.
But it's still heavily outshined by current phones and thus, "doesn't really need any update" is an illogical argument.

CZ Eddie said:
Are you serious?! And it brings up another weak point. The battery.
Maybe *you're* happy with it and that's all that matters.
But the phone is about 1/2 as bright in the sunlight when compared to the Note 3.
And the battery is only about 75% as efficient when compared to the Note 3.
And I call BS on you saying your phone is "perfectly readable in the sunlight".
My S4 is brighter than your phone and I have trouble viewing it when the sun is shining down on it.
Look, the Z Ultra is a very good phone.
But it's still heavily outshined by current phones and thus, "doesn't really need any update" is an illogical argument.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wait a second. We're talking about two different display technologies here. Half as bright compared to the Note 3? I don't think so. Try them both in a dark room, with full brightness.
Let's talk about battery.
Im arriving late at night with 4+ screen hours and 20% of battery left. What more could you want?
I guess they could fit a bigger battery (how about no, since it would thicken the phone and noone wants that) but let's see how KK is energy efficient before talking s*it about battery consumption.
Outshined? By the Note 3?? If you're talking about the camera, ok, If you're talking about anything else, well, no.
Look, the Note 3 is a really good phone. But it isn't an update at all.
Or it is, if you consider an update 4K videos and a few pen tricks.
P.s. I also have used a Note 3, an S4 (both with stock and GPe roms) and have owned an S3 in the past year, so I'm backing up what I'm talking about.
Sent from my C6833 using Tapatalk

CZ Eddie said:
Are you serious?! And it brings up another weak point. The battery.
Maybe *you're* happy with it and that's all that matters.
But the phone is about 1/2 as bright in the sunlight when compared to the Note 3.
And the battery is only about 75% as efficient when compared to the Note 3.
And I call BS on you saying your phone is "perfectly readable in the sunlight".
My S4 is brighter than your phone and I have trouble viewing it when the sun is shining down on it.
Look, the Z Ultra is a very good phone.
But it's still heavily outshined by current phones and thus, "doesn't really need any update" is an illogical argument.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Note 3:
"The biggest improvement, however, is brightness. The Note 3 can achieve up to 400 nits of brightness in most conditions, on par with the best LCDs out there. Moreover, outdoors, the Note 3 can deliver a whopping 660 nits of brightness, 40 percent more than the Galaxy S4 and around 10 percent more than the iPhone 5s. The screen is less reflective, which helps outdoor visibility as well."
Z Ultra:
"The display is also sufficiently luminant, at 445 nits peak brightness measured, and with good antireflectance coating, plus the OptiContrast tech that bonds the cover glass to the LCD panel underneath delivers a more direct way for the backlight to go through. This further increases brightness, contrast and outdoor visibility in general, which is on par with the best mobile displays out there, like those on the HTC One or the iPhone 5."
You are really exaggerating. Also, the battery is actually very good. I don't know if you've checked the battery thread, but people are getting good times. My personal record is 8 hours of screen time. How is THAT bad? "And the battery is only about 75% as efficient when compared to the Note 3". Oh? You don't say. Is the Note's battery bigger than the Ultra's? Yes. Will it last longer than a smaller battery? Yes. How is this surprising to you?

I don't really need better battery life than this. I get two full days with my normal usage. It can last me three days at times. I had the Note 2 but certainly don't want a Note 3 after that. Strongly dislike Samsung software and bloat.
The only thing I would wish for is a better camera (sensor).
Last battery cycle stats (around 50% brightness):
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Sent from my Sony Z Ultra

I also get 5+ hours of screen time on the regular basis. I'm definitely not complaining about battery life on this device.
Sent from my C6833 using xda app-developers app

By no means am I implying that the Z Ultra (original) is an inferior device, but I am one of the ones on the fence hoping an update will come that adds some of the more requested things:
Flash on the camera
Update to the camera (but even then, I could bend on this one.. .e.g. same camera with a flash would be ok)
User replaceable battery (even if it's a fairly involved process, e.g. unscrewing the case or similar... provided it's a Sony sanctioned user replaceable part

hpka said:
By no means am I implying that the Z Ultra (original) is an inferior device, but I am one of the ones on the fence hoping an update will come that adds some of the more requested things:
Flash on the camera
Update to the camera (but even then, I could bend on this one.. .e.g. same camera with a flash would be ok)
User replaceable battery (even if it's a fairly involved process, e.g. unscrewing the case or similar... provided it's a Sony sanctioned user replaceable part
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Will probably happen
2. Will happen
3. Will not happen. Ever. It would've been a PR disaster for Sony when 1 million clowns brick their devices Don't ever forget how stupid people are.

Related

Initial Xperia Z Ultra impressions

Here comes some of my initial impressions and pictures including photo and video samples from the Sony Xperia Ultra.
Build quality and impression
The device feels extremely solid and luxurious - in fact even better than the Xperia Z. The aluminum sides makes a noticeable difference and the lids feels more sturdy and reliable. Sony improved the design, which is good since there has been reports about leaks on the Z (like wet SIM card despite closed lids). Another interesting thing is that the weight is perfectly balanced, which makes the device easy to hold without showing any tendency to tip in any direction. The 212 grams feels light because of the large size so there's never any impression of heaviness either.
I am completely satisfied with the build and design of it. The Sony omnibalance design is just great.
Screen quality
The screen is absolutely magnificent. It offers a very realistic color reproduction with a warm and natural color balance. It is an improvement over the Z even if I am perfectly happy with that screen (I just don't get the complaints about it even if I made comparisons with the HTC One and Galaxy S 4). Nevertheless, the Ultra is an improvement with a more natural, warm color balance and great whites (white backgrounds are really white without getting any blueish hue). The size of the screen also makes it great for reading books, magazines and documents. Portrait mode is useable with this screen estate, unlike smaller devices where landscape is must in order to get an adequate text size.
Camera quality
The new 471 firmware is an improvement when it comes to picture quality. I notice sharper, more detailed pictures compared to the older 461 version. Before I bought the Ultra, I was skeptical about the camera but it has been satisfactory to me. The Xperia Z takes better pictures with the latest ROMs, especially with the leaked Honami camera apk but the Ultra still hold its own well (from now on, the Z will be my main camera and the Ultra takes care of the rest). The Superior Auto mode seems to work good on the new device and can take some pretty nice pictures even if I think that manual is even better when the settings are adjusted for a better result.
The only thing I noticed is that it can be tricky to compensate for the sunlight, the pictures has a tendency of becoming to dark at times when attempting to get the blue rather than white sky in place. My impression is that the Z handles that part better, it is easier to compose pictures with a clear sky without ending up with everything else being very dark.
Having a huge screen is very nice when photographing and it makes it easier to get the composition in place.
Sound quality
I have tested the sound quality with Grado PS1000 direct connected to the Ultra and later with RS-2 through the SBH20. It sounds very good in both cases and can drive those headphones well. The sound is clear with good detailing and balanced frequencies. PowerAMP sounds great with different kind of music.
My general impression is that it sounds similar to the Xperia Z in most cases.
Battery life
Since I got the device three days ago, the battery isn't run in yet but my initial impression is pretty good. I managed to get 1 hour and 23 minutes out of it when it showed 20% two days ago. Exact measurements hasn't been taken yet since I want to put it through some charge cycles before making any judgments but I think it holds up well for now. I was afraid that it would suffer from short life but I think it copes well with high demands like downloads over WiFi, browsing etc.
The Stamina mode seems to work well too. It has been sitting with 67% for two hours and 18 minutes now and is absolutely cool. The heat problem that affects the Z (that I avoided on my device through UV) seems to be solved. The Z Ultra doesn't heat up that much even with prolonged use. I guess that the aluminum sides etc improves the situation and helps to dissipate some of the heat. I don't feel an acute need for undervolting yet even if I will do it when custom kernels become available.
Software
Personally, I prefer to use custom ROMs (especially PAC) so I don't go into detail when it comes to stock ROMs, especially not with the phone mode. I look forward to the day when I can put the Ultra into phablet mode with apps in tablet mode - that will be the day when I feel that it is ready for prime time. Now, the screen estate is wasted by the phone mode.
Beside that, the Sony apps (Album, Walkman, dialer etc) is great and nice additions.
The stock ROM seems to be very stable, which is promising but it isn't exciting compared to PAC, a ROM which I think is absolutely great with decent customization options that make the device much more efficient.
I am not very much into reviewing stock ROMs, it is necessary to get root and Xposed Framework with App Settings before I feel that I want to judge it.
Where I bought it
I bought my C6802 at AtGSM, Bowery Street, New York. It is the store that provided me with the Xperia Z back in March.
Unpacking pictures
The package.
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The back of the package.
Open box.
Charger, cable, headset. I expected the SBH52 here.
The device itself. I think the white version is better in the case of the omnibalance but the black one fits my black cases I usually have (wallet or flip) and was in stock so I got it rather than waited for the other one. I think it looks great in black too.
The Ultra seen from the rear.
Device comparisons and photo samples with the 461 ROM
Side by side view of the Xperia Z and Xperia Z Ultra.
They run my usual configuration based on Nova Launcher, Beautiful Widgets etc. The Z runs the PAC ROM, 0726 build.
A side shot that shows the viewing angles.
Xperia Z Ultra compared with Xperia Z, Xperia X1, P910i and HD2.
A comparison of the thickness between those devices. Even if the Ultra is thin, I think it is easy to hold it with a safe and steady grip.
Visiting Android Central. I think the Ultra works perfect with my hand size.
Here are some photo samples taken with the old 461 ROM.
Those pictures are taken at the Sony Wonder Technology Lab, NYC.
Two street views.
A small picture comparison between the Xperia Z (PAC) and Z Ultra (461) is here.
[URL=http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/834/ac5x.jpg/]
[/URL]
This picture of the Commodore PET 2001 is taken with the Ultra.
This picture of the PET 2001 is taken with the Xperia Z with PAC 0726 ROM.

Photo samples taken with the 471
First is two sample videos in 1080p I took.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cW9sjAYOabA&feature=youtu.be
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfKXiPX7syE
Here are the pictures:
I think the S 4 ad is funny. "The ultra-advanced S 4" - I wonder where that leaves the Xperia Z Ultra? Mega-Awesome-Ultra-Advanced??
Stylus compatibility
I have played with the digitizer today and found a graphite pen that works great for jotting things down, drawing etc. I like this feature very much and the ability to use different pens are great. The only thing that should be implemented is palm rejection. It is necessary to avoid touching the screen while using a stylus since it can cause the drawing of some very strange lines.
The Sony Sketch works very well and I took some notes today, which worked great when I found the proper way.
I will post more information when everything develops (root etc).
Root status
The Ultra isn't rooted yet. I cooperated with DoomLord on getting root on my device but we failed. The only response was a blank screen when root kernels and packages was flashed. It is obvious that more work has to be made here.
I unlocked the bootloader in order to try the rooting; I would have done it regardless since I want custom kernels and ROMs like PAC on it later on. Keeping the bootloader locked is therefore no options for me. The screen is so great that I don't even miss Bravia Engine either. It looks great when I view pictures in QuickPic or videos with BsPlayer.
Size
To me, the size is perfect and I can carry it on my pants without any problems. It just fit their pockets and it was the first thing I checked when I bought it. I was a bit worried about taking such a big jump upwards when it comes to the size but it went very well.

Thanks for the impressions! Just waiting on more concrete battery life information for it to seal the deal.

Sorry to hear that root is not working yet. Hope you get some luck ^.^
Planning to buy one soon too.

Absolutely awesome post, and impressions. Thanks for that, I also agree with you on everything.
Also glad you got a black ZU too, what lead you to that decision? Is it because you had a white Z?

gunblazer said:
Absolutely awesome post, and impressions. Thanks for that, I also agree with you on everything.
Also glad you got a black ZU too, what lead you to that decision? Is it because you had a white Z?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The black Z Ultra was selected because the store (AtGSM) didn't have the white in stock and I realized that the flip case I ordered will be black so the color is more practical. Otherwise, I think the white color is better for this "omnibalance" (what Sony call this design) since it accentuates it more.
Now I must say that I like the black design more than I did before. It looks really high tech and sophisticated.
The fact that I have the white Z also played a role, especially since I am going to use it as my main camera further along the road.
When root (at least) is out for the Ultra, I am going to reflash the Z with Monxdified and make it my main camera (I have a lot of stuff on my memory card so using the Z for picture and video shooting solve a problem to me) and I think it looks great in white. So the need for a white Ultra isn't present.

great review
E90 Commie said:
The black Z Ultra was selected because the store (AtGSM) didn't have the white in stock and I realized that the flip case I ordered will be black so the color is more practical. Otherwise, I think the white color is better for this "omnibalance" (what Sony call this design) since it accentuates it more.
Now I must say that I like the black design more than I did before. It looks really high tech and sophisticated.
The fact that I have the white Z also played a role, especially since I am going to use it as my main camera further along the road.
When root (at least) is out for the Ultra, I am going to reflash the Z with Monxdified and make it my main camera (I have a lot of stuff on my memory card so using the Z for picture and video shooting solve a problem to me) and I think it looks great in white. So the need for a white Ultra isn't present.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you so much this is very informative. I would like to know whether you have any experience of using the NOTE with a stylus and how the stylus input compares to that?

darthmaul40 said:
Thank you so much this is very informative. I would like to know whether you have any experience of using the NOTE with a stylus and how the stylus input compares to that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The cool thing is that you can lay a piece of paper on the screen and write/draw on it, and the screen will sense it and you'll get the same thing both on paper and on screen. So if it's a little weird to write, or whatever, directly on the screen (slippery), just add the paper on top of the screen and write with a pencil or whatever you choose so you'll get some friction.

Mine is supposed to be here. I also ordered the black but looking more and more at it the white might be a better option because you probably cannot see the fingerprints as much.
When the LTE version comes out in September I might sell this one and go for the white. It will also be good to play with it for a few months before he Galaxy Note 3 comes out to decide then between he LTE version or the Note.
Do you think they used the same crappy screen protector as the Z? I instantly started getting scratches on the Z and had to get a screen protector.

darthmaul40 said:
Thank you so much this is very informative. I would like to know whether you have any experience of using the NOTE with a stylus and how the stylus input compares to that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the Note N7000 and a Note N7100 is here with me. I think the Z Ultra works great and I actually prefer the Sony concept with flexibility compared to the S-Pen. Writing works well for me but takes a little bit of training before the proper technique is applied.
The S-Pen on the Note is nice to use but it is too proprietary to my liking and too heavily tied to TouchWiz.

I know it's way to early, but where on a scale from 1-10 would you rank the ZU as a whole?
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 4

If you dont mind me asking you, how much did it end up costing you?
I also live in nyc and was looking to buy this, was thinking about ordering for ebay or a site, but would rather buy in person, any more details would be great to hear!
thanks again

I bought mine from Negri Electronics for around $750.00.

I bought mine from AtGSM in their store in Bowery Street. They charge $769 and with sales tax, it ended at $837. They have it in stock and when I bought it, they were expecting more devices the day after.
I also bought the Xperia Z there and I can recommend the store. The staff is nice and knowledgeable, they have a great selection of devices and the shopping experience is a bit particular since the store is an office. It is on the 4th floor in the building and it is really an office. There's no device displays, just regular office furniture. You tell them what you want and they will go and get the device for you.
It is different and great in my opinion.
Then there are MobileCityOnline in Walker Street. Also a great store but they are slow with the Ultra, it is not in stock since they are waiting for the C6806. AtGSM is usually much quicker when it comes to carrying new devices. They are also a bit cheaper but MobileCityOnline is still recommended.

LordManhattan said:
I know it's way to early, but where on a scale from 1-10 would you rank the ZU as a whole?
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it is early but I would rank it 10/10. The reason is that it is excellent in all areas I want it to excel in. It is fantastic for watching movies, reading documents, browsing the Internet, playing games, using apps etc. It is a great mini-tablet simply put.
The only thing I don't like right now is that the UI is in phone mode and I look forward to being able to change it into tablet mode.
I will now put some more photo samples up.
Here is a picture taken with manual settings and white balance sunny (it was sunny but with clouds when I took it).
This picture is taken with the Superior Auto mode.
A close up shot. I can't find a macro mode when I check the camera settings.
Now follows three pictures taken with Superior Auto for reference.

Do you know if the new version that comes out in September with LTE will be supported on AT&T's network for LTE?

Hardcore73 said:
Do you know if the new version that comes out in September with LTE will be supported on AT&T's network for LTE?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The C6806 should have full support for AT&T LTE with the 700/1700/2100. The C6833 offers the 1700/2100 but not 700.
The LTE bands are as follows:
LTE 700 / 850 / 900/ 1700 / 1900 / 2100 / 2600 - C6806
LTE 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1800 / 1900 / 2100 / 2600 - C6833
T-Mobile customers can buy the C6833 while AT&T customers that wants the 700 MHz band need the C6806.
Europe will get the C6833 while North America (USA/Canada) and some other markets will get the C6806.

Would you mind posting some darker images, say in your house with lights lower or something so we get can idea of what it will do without a flash.
Thanks for all the input.

I took some test pictures in low light conditions now.
Some of them is taken with Superior Auto, others are in Manual mode.
With and without Superior Auto:
The lack of a flash is evident.
On the other hand, in order to take decent shots in darkness, a xenon flash is necessary. I would say that the best option for darkness is to get a Sony DSC-WX300 camera that can be connected to the Xperia Z Ultra through WiFi and Sony PlayMemories, something that means that pictures can be taken with the camera, controlled by the Xperia. I.e. you use the Xperia screen as the viewfinder and shutter control so it is like the camera is the integrated one.
Personally, I am considering that option but my plan is to use the Xperia Z reflashed with Monxdified as my camera.

Awesome pics thanks. I don't mind them not looking perfect when it's dark out. It is good enough for me if I will be able to see the people I am shooting.
Besides if I need light I would make sure it was somewhere well lit for a better pic.
Most of the time when the flash goes off it just blurs everything out anyways because I am taking close pictures with it on.
I am getting more and more excited to get mine tomorrow! Fedex has it on hold at my location so I can pick it up tomorrow
---------- Post added at 10:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:59 PM ----------
New York looks really cool btw. Like there would always be something to do. People everywhere, not sure I could get used to that. I live in Michigan so there is never crazy traffic and people all over lol.

exchange note 2 for z ultra

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!

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.
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
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

[Q] Note 3 user heavily considering Z Ultra

Hey guys,
I was an iPhone user for years and jumped ship to android in 2012; best mobile decision I ever made. I began with the S3, then moved to Note 2, then Note 3. So my android experience has strictly been with Samsung. I like their phones and actually don't mind TouchWiz, but I keep looking at the Z Ultra. I love the size (main reason I'm considering it) and think I would really enjoy the phone. In my eyes it would truly be a 2 in 1 device. If I get it, I will sell the Nexus 7 I installed in my truck as a head unit and rig up a mount to slide the Z Ultra in to. That way I won't have to tether everytime which seems to be spotty at best (a lot of the times everything's connected with full signal but the internet doesn't work), and I can simply have one device.
Enough rambling, I have a few questions for all you Z Ultra owners:
Have any of you swithced from a Note 2/Note 3 to a Z Ultra?
What do you think is better about the Z Ultra than Note 3 (other than size)?
If I should keep the Note 3, why do you think that?
I'm a T12/L1 paraplegic from a skydiving accident resulting in a Spinal Cord Injury, so I roll around in a wheelchair all day. The Z Ultra will store nicely in a little pocket on the front of my cushion, so I don't think I'll have to deal with the typical "pocket" issues. Only thing I'll miss is the removable battery, but I could get over it. I always have two spare Note 3 batteries charged so I can swap out a dead one on the fly.
Thanks everyone!

I got my z ultra two days ago, best decision ive ever made
Its more fluid and smoother then my 2013 nexus 7 and I get asked about it all the time
I also get up to 15mbps on 3G but with my s3 I got 4 so I dont know if it made it faster
You can get one where I did at www.tiptopelectronics.Co.UK or. Com
£309 free delivery and 1year warranty
Sent from my C6833 using xda app-developers app

1. I am Sony user basically (just a one timer with Motorola) so no
2. Well:
The Screen estate is bigger (1080p with 320dpi, compared with 1080p with 480dpi in Note 3), Yeah the icon is smaller but you got a lot more room.
really slim and sexy compared to Note 3
no TouchWiz ugly UI (but that's just me )
NFC connectivity feature is a lot more pronounced and all the Sony NFC enabled accessories are the bomb too
waterproof of course (The cleanest of device i have ever used because when it's dirty, just wash it on the drain)
able to use any pencil as an input device (even if you don't have one, soaked wooden chopstick is perfect for XZU)
3. Note 3 is good because:
S-Pen (if you're an artist though)
Not really as ugly as the predecessor (more boxy i guess so more love i give)
Removable Battery (Not that XZU is bad in battery life but might be a niggling problem for some, but those Sony slim powerbank is the solution)
Camera (13MP + Flash + Samsung algorithm)
More dev support @ XDA
Well i'd say you'd better wait for the Xperia Z2 Ultra, because that Note 3 is quite sufficient for you imho and you won't gain too much with XZU (plus if you ever want to have a big screen, that N7 is probably enough for now). But if you really want to save some space right now, then XZU is the perfect answer bro..

If your goal is to replace your 7" tablet and your phone by a single device, then the Ultra is definitely your choice. I come from a Note+ Tablet combination, and haven't regretted one single day my new Z Ultra Only limitation imho is the camera in poor light conditions. For the rest, the phone rocks.
Sent from my C6833 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Enough rambling, I have a few questions for all you Z Ultra owners:
Have any of you swithced from a Note 2/Note 3 to a Z Ultra?
What do you think is better about the Z Ultra than Note 3 (other than size)?
If I should keep the Note 3, why do you think that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
#1 Yes came from a long line of Samsung phones, including Note 1, Note 2 and a test of Note 3 which made me skip it as I was still upset with Samsung about changing from the rumored 6" display to a whopping .18" increase :/
#2 Well, I was afraid of changing from Samsung where I knew pretty much everything..to a new system...but today, I can say....it is the BEST change I have done. As much as I enjoyed my Note 2, the Ultra is just another thing!
Smooth as butter...this stock ROM is just amazingly fast, clean and the fact that it is customized to actually use the bigger screen and fit more stuff in it, that is just sweet!
So what I like more than Note 2 is the way it is designed with the bigger size in mind and how smooth it is. Fast like crazy and just the screen size makes it an awesome experience.
Another thing I love is how easy it connects to a PS3 controller if that matters to you. Basically if yuo have bluetooth one, press the button on your PS3 controller and that is it...ready to rock.
It even tells you what charge level your controller has and lets you turn it off from the phone too. :good:
Another thing I love..the display quality..yes it does not have the deep blacks of the Notes but the colors look much more accurate..I do photo editing so finally I dont feel like having to tweak the "Punky Brewster like" Note 2 and 3 colors
#3 well if drawing on the phone is important to you, the Note 3 clearly has the advantage there. Yes the Ultra works with pretty much anything to draw but the precision of the Note 3 is clearly on a different level.
The Camera on the Note 3 is also better (not that phone cameras really matter to me) but one trick on the Ultra is to manually set your ISO then the quality looks a LOT better.
Overall, I would go with the Ultra...I just love mine! :good:

Another Samsung ex-user here. I came from note1, got fed up with touchwizz and poor batteries. I know they've improved on that, but even so, despite a few niggles with Sony roms, I much prefer the interface, much more stock android. No bells and whistles that you find in touchwizz but you can find an alternative app for pretty much anything.
Media wise it really is awesome, the screen is wonderbra. Obviously I'm biased, but get one and update to 290 for best results.
Sent from my C6833 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

I have own both the note 3, xperia z ultra and the Google play edition z ullra. My only complaint is the camera is absolutely garbage and no led flash to boot, so low lit area camera shots are especially horrible. Other than that the z ultra is a better phone in EVERY way.
Sent from my LG-V510 using Tapatalk 2

Also switched from Note 3. Note 3 has way more features packed in. But, well, I find myself not using any of them.
What I do miss are flashlight and TV remote.
Z Ultra is a beast - no, even BEAST. It`s fast and smooth, has great battery life (with stamina mod It uses 1% over night for me)
Also you have to understand that this phone is people magnet - everyone starts looking on you and asking questions. Also you will have to take it out of the pocket each time you sit down. So you will get alot of attention even if it will just lay on the table
Another minus I have noticed - Z Ultra has somewhat low sound volume. Sound quality is great but I often find myself missing a call while phone is in my pocket (never happened with my s3 or Note 3 with same soundtrack)

venorme said:
Also switched from Note 3. Note 3 has way more features packed in. But, well, I find myself not using any of them.
What I do miss are flashlight and TV remote.
Z Ultra is a beast - no, even BEAST. It`s fast and smooth, has great battery life (with stamina mod It uses 1% over night for me)
Also you have to understand that this phone is people magnet - everyone starts looking on you and asking questions. Also you will have to take it out of the pocket each time you sit down. So you will get alot of attention even if it will just lay on the table
Another minus I have noticed - Z Ultra has somewhat low sound volume. Sound quality is great but I often find myself missing a call while phone is in my pocket (never happened with my s3 or Note 3 with same soundtrack)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Enable "xLOUD" if you haven't already.

LordManhattan said:
Enable "xLOUD" if you haven't already.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It requires Root and I am not willing to unlock bootloader (290) - will wait for 4.4.

venorme said:
It requires Root and I am not willing to unlock bootloader (290) - will wait for 4.4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No it doesn't. xLOUD is a stock feature. Just open the equalizer.
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Sent from my C6833_GPe using Tapatalk

Thank you - haven`t noticed these.

I have a N3 and a ZU (GPe). I use my ZU as a portable tablet. My Z tablet, I only use for flights and I find my Nexus 7 a little too big to carry around for every day use. For me, the ZU and Nexus 5 combo are great for various tasks throughout the day.

chefdave12118 said:
I have own both the note 3, xperia z ultra and the Google play edition z ullra. My only complaint is the camera is absolutely garbage and no led flash to boot, so low lit area camera shots are especially horrible. Other than that the z ultra is a better phone in EVERY way.
Sent from my LG-V510 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I said, change it to manual ISO 50 or 100 and it looks a LOT cleaner.
If we are going to say garbage then I can say that from pretty much any camera phone compared to my real cameras so its all in the eye of the beholder

shaolin95 said:
As I said, change it to manual ISO 50 or 100 and it looks a LOT cleaner.
If we are going to say garbage then I can say that from pretty much any camera phone compared to my real cameras so its all in the eye of the beholder
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can play with the settings all you'd like, but in low light situations picture results are less than to be desired (garbage may have been a little harsh ). I would have kept the Z Ultra Google Play Edition, but having kids and owning a restaurant, having a better camera than the Z Ultra was a must for me. Z Ultra is my all time favorite phone, but that camera made me mental. If taking pictures isn't a priority for you the the Z Ultra is pure win. If you count on good pics or an LED flash daily then you're S.O.L with the Ultra. Just saying.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

chefdave12118 said:
You can play with the settings all you'd like, but in low light situations picture results are less than to be desired (garbage may have been a little harsh ). I would have kept the Z Ultra Google Play Edition, but having kids and owning a restaurant, having a better camera than the Z Ultra was a must for me. Z Ultra is my all time favorite phone, but that camera made me mental. If taking pictures isn't a priority for you the the Z Ultra is pure win. If you count on good pics or an LED flash daily then you're S.O.L with the Ultra. Just saying.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Problem is to me, if taking picture is a priority then you get a REAL camera..so for me picture taking priority and phone camera are not terms that go together.
Also, a tiny flash for low light photography is for me as crappy as a grainy low quality image. Both suck big time..that why we have real cameras with big sensors if photography is really that important.
Just my 2 cents
And like I said, test them..I did MANY times with many apps...manual ISO on .290 roms is a LOT cleaner. But yeah neither can touch a real camera as should be expected.
Regards

shaolin95 said:
Problem is to me, if taking picture is a priority then you get a REAL camera..so for me picture taking priority and phone camera are not terms that go together.
Also, a tiny flash for low light photography is for me as crappy as a grainy low quality image. Both suck big time..that why we have real cameras with big sensors if photography is really that important.
Just my 2 cents
And like I said, test them..I did MANY times with many apps...manual ISO on .290 roms is a LOT cleaner. But yeah neither can touch a real camera as should be expected.
Regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe I'll get a galaxy zoom lol. Idk. The Note 3 and LG G2 take really nice pics. I don't need professional quality, but decent pics to share and what not. Now stop arguing with me lol j/k
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

chefdave12118 said:
Maybe I'll get a galaxy zoom lol. Idk. The Note 3 and LG G2 take really nice pics. I don't need professional quality, but decent pics to share and what not. Now stop arguing with me lol j/k
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okok I get carried away when it comes to photography
Sent from the Mighty Xperia Z Ultra using XDA Premium HD app.

shaolin95 said:
Okok I get carried away when it comes to photography
Sent from the Mighty Xperia Z Ultra using XDA Premium HD app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lmao
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

shaolin95 said:
Okok I get carried away when it comes to photography
Sent from the Mighty Xperia Z Ultra using XDA Premium HD app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Sony Xperia Z Ultra sequel with ‘smaller’ screen and tab trio tipped for MWC

http://www.technologytell.com/gadge...h-smaller-screen-and-tab-trio-tipped-for-mwc/
Quote:
"The Z2 Ultra, or however it ends up being called, will allegedly go a little smaller on screen real estate this time around, as it tries to more clearly set itself apart from conventional slates.
So we’re looking at a 6.2, maybe 6-incher, with Full or Quad HD resolution, possibly a souped-up battery (Z Ultra’s was pretty terrible), as well as water and dust protection. Any evidence to support all that? Just the word of a few insiders who’ve been right before.
It’s unclear though if the Z2 Ultra is indeed prepped for an MWC intro, as its predecessor is a measly six months old, but the good news is if Sony delays its launch, it might use the extra time to swap Z Ultra’s Snapdragon 800 SoC for an improved S805."
Any truth or just hot air?
Sent from my C6806_GPe using XDA Premium HD app

Battery life is good, 6 hours screen on time sometimes
And if they do that just means no more support from Sony
J
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

waste of time. releasing it now wont improve performance enough!
At the best we'd get the same processor, bigger battery?? better camera...
My bet is that it will be released after a year of the Ultra being released. They certainly don't want to get apples reputation for releasing a new iPhone every quarter!

mias1 said:
http://www.technologytell.com/gadge...h-smaller-screen-and-tab-trio-tipped-for-mwc/
Quote:
"The Z2 Ultra, or however it ends up being called, will allegedly go a little smaller on screen real estate this time around, as it tries to more clearly set itself apart from conventional slates.
So we’re looking at a 6.2, maybe 6-incher, with Full or Quad HD resolution, possibly a souped-up battery (Z Ultra’s was pretty terrible), as well as water and dust protection. Any evidence to support all that? Just the word of a few insiders who’ve been right before.
It’s unclear though if the Z2 Ultra is indeed prepped for an MWC intro, as its predecessor is a measly six months old, but the good news is if Sony delays its launch, it might use the extra time to swap Z Ultra’s Snapdragon 800 SoC for an improved S805."
Any truth or just hot air?
Sent from my C6806_GPe using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Time will tell, I'm extremely interested in what happens with the camera & battery next as these will be Deciding factors regarding my next Sony purchase...

Screw that one! I want this one It looks like a "zero bezel" Sony device, and it looks like pure sex. It's probably fake though, but i'm allowed to dream ain't i?
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nah, couldn't use a 0 bezel, us country bumpkins downunder have farmers hands - real hands

Well if sony decides to go smaller I'm no go. This is my wish. I would go to 6.5" smaller Bazel, better camera and battery and full throttle CPU and flash to use as flashlight and that is all I'm wishing.

Sony would not go anything lesser in terms of screen size for the successor as that will be meaningless.
We already have Z1 for the 5 incher, T2 Ultra for the 6 incher. Releasing Z1 Ultra in 6 inch will confuse the market.
Z Ultra family should remain in the 6.5" range to retain the existing market share of people who wants Ultra Screen.
That is the only reason I bought the Ultra, for the screen else, I would get the Z1 instead.
For speculation, I would want a Z1 Ultra to be 6.5", Snapdragon 805, 13MP camera (20MP would be nicer), 3GB Ram.

hamdogg said:
waste of time. releasing it now wont improve performance enough!
At the best we'd get the same processor, bigger battery?? better camera...
My bet is that it will be released after a year of the Ultra being released. They certainly don't want to get apples reputation for releasing a new iPhone every quarter!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
apple? i think you meant samsung. lol

Why they dont bring great camera to Z2 Ultra

ps000000 said:
Why they dont bring great camera to Z2 Ultra
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1stly the thickness don't permit a great camera
2ndly if they put a great camera into the Z Ultra then, it might affect the sales of Z1.
Sent from my C6833_GPe using Tapatalk

Leechoonhwee said:
1stly the thickness don't permit a great camera
2ndly if they put a great camera into the Z Ultra then, it might affect the sales of Z1.
Sent from my C6833_GPe using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
exactly!

Leechoonhwee said:
1stly the thickness don't permit a great camera
2ndly if they put a great camera into the Z Ultra then, it might affect the sales of Z1.
Sent from my C6833_GPe using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hamdogg said:
exactly!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right on the money........

Leechoonhwee said:
1stly the thickness don't permit a great camera
2ndly if they put a great camera into the Z Ultra then, it might affect the sales of Z1.
Sent from my C6833_GPe using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seems like the S4 and Note 3 beating each other previous year because of all the more-or-less same feature set. But even if you equipped the Z2 Ultra with the old 13MP sensor of Xperia Z ones that would not eat Z1 market share i guess.. an extra 0.5mm of thickness with extra 500mAh and 13MP + flash + slightly smaller screen at 6.2 inch will be the best bet for the Z2 Ultra.
The law at Sony's design is always this:
Bigger screen, thinner it is, Smaller Screen, thicker it is. All that to improve the in-hand impression of the handset, so if Sony really goes down into 6.2 inch, i won't complain, because lets face it, 6.4inch already 100% fit into any pocket due to passport width reference. So the only way is down (plus the news of the new 2K screen at 6.2inch) but make it slightly thicker. if Sony wants to improve it into, let say, 6.6 inch in the same dimension of the Z Ultra, i'd imagine many things need to be shuffled like how the G2 was designed, with back buttons, thus breaking the omni balance design and losing the waterproof feature.

hansip87 said:
Seems like the S4 and Note 3 beating each other previous year because of all the more-or-less same feature set. But even if you equipped the Z2 Ultra with the old 13MP sensor of Xperia Z ones that would not eat Z1 market share i guess.. an extra 0.5mm of thickness with extra 500mAh and 13MP + flash + slightly smaller screen at 6.2 inch will be the best bet for the Z2 Ultra.
The law at Sony's design is always this:
Bigger screen, thinner it is, Smaller Screen, thicker it is. All that to improve the in-hand impression of the handset, so if Sony really goes down into 6.2 inch, i won't complain, because lets face it, 6.4inch already 100% fit into any pocket due to passport width reference. So the only way is down (plus the news of the new 2K screen at 6.2inch) but make it slightly thicker. if Sony wants to improve it into, let say, 6.6 inch in the same dimension of the Z Ultra, i'd imagine many things need to be shuffled like how the G2 was designed, with back buttons, thus breaking the omni balance design and losing the waterproof feature.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly, however since the Ultra have already built a pool of users, it wouldn't hurt to include even a 20MP into the next successor.

If it gets smaller I won't buy it; I have no interest in a smaller screen after using this for as long as I have.
I'd like for them to make it thicker (So they can do the rest of this), and invest in a bigger battery, more internal storage (16GB on a media device like a phablet is absurd), put an LED light in the thing, and do a routine Screen/Processor update, such as the next Snapdragon iteration (The thing AFTER the current S805's that aren't being used yet but are complete), and making the bezels small enough to accomodate a full 6.5" screen.
If I were to get my absolute dream device, it would be all that, but it uses an actual SD card reader rather than a Micro; I find myself butting heads with 64GB now, but I wouldn't have that problem with 128GB (Or more deliciously those 256GB SD cards out there). Besides that, the incremental upgrades are all I really want.
And for that next device, I'd want them to create a cheaper case with their quality with a bigger battery but less overall size to it.

I personally don't want it to get any thicker. The only reason i tolerate its current size is because of its thinness. Also, they can make it smaller without shrinking the screen. There's quite a bit of bezel on the top and bottom of the Ultra.

LordManhattan said:
I personally don't want it to get any thicker. The only reason i tolerate its current size is because of its thinness. Also, they can make it smaller without shrinking the screen. There's quite a bit of bezel on the top and bottom of the Ultra.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm still of the opinion that the thing is a little too thin for completely comfortable use; Not much so, since any case at all alleviates this, but it's noticeable. I'm not saying double the thickness or anything, but a little thicker so it's more comfortable to hold would be nice. Mostly, though, I just want them to increase the thickness so they CAN remove the bezels; I'm fairly confident that the only reason the bezels are there is because Sony wanted the claim of being the thinnest.

It's all good with me, as I'll most-likely miss this upgrade and go for the next one anyway, but my wish list would be:
MUCH smaller bezels. They could take 3CM of the height of this thing with no detriment to screen size, just by killing the bezels at the top/bottom.
A53/A57 SoC - The phone is fast enough really, but why not eh? I want to be able to mine at 100KH/s on my phone.
Same screen. Literally, the exact same one would be just fine with me.
That's it really. This is the best phone I've ever owned, but I must admit having used/owned it for months now it is a bit too tall. I can't lift my knees above hip-height with it in my pocket or it stabs me in the groin!

stiggy2012 said:
It's all good with me, as I'll most-likely miss this upgrade and go for the next one anyway, but my wish list would be:
MUCH smaller bezels. They could take 3CM of the height of this thing with no detriment to screen size, just by killing the bezels at the top/bottom.
A53/A57 SoC - The phone is fast enough really, but why not eh? I want to be able to mine at 100KH/s on my phone.
Same screen. Literally, the exact same one would be just fine with me.
That's it really. This is the best phone I've ever owned, but I must admit having used/owned it for months now it is a bit too tall. I can't lift my knees above hip-height with it in my pocket or it stabs me in the groin!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is my thoughts exactly. I can't imagine using a smaller screen phone after getting used to this.
Sent from my C6833 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Sony C5 Ultra - After One Week

Please note this is my opinion and experience with the phone. I love trying all kinds of smart phones.
I wanted to love this phone...
Being a heavy google apps user and a lover of customization and android, I recently switched back to android from the iPhone 6 Plus (previous phones as well include Blackberry Passport, Note Edge, Note 3, LG G3, Oneplus One, Xperia Z1, Sharp SH-03G (Docomo), Ascend Mate 7 to name a few). The C5 Ultra caught my attention with it's good looks, 6" screen and Sony's boasting of it's great front and rear facing 13mp cameras. Both cameras sounded perfect for me to take photos of my 2 year old and family selfies with the front camera. After a week of use here are my thoughts:
Pros:
- Beautiful design - very sleek with edge to edge (sides have little to no bezel) glass on the front making this a tall looking phone
- Dual Sim - great when I travel overseas
- Separate MicroSD card slot - some manufacturers force you to use the second sim slot but not Sony
- Unlocked
- GPS accurate
- Wifi reasonably strong
- Call quality good
Cons
- Screen (Innolux) lacks contrast and does poorly with blacks, colours are dull and washed out. There is screen backlight bleeding especially around the bottom edges.
- Camera Images - What a disappointment. Perhaps mine is a dud but colors are dull, photos over exposed, highlights blown out, photos are not sharp, even taken in daylight.
- Camera Performance - It doesn't matter how beautiful photos are a camera CAN take if it CANNOT catch the moment. The lag on the phone is terrible. Camera app slow to open. Focus slow to acquire. Shutter terribly slow. After focusing on an object which is slow to do, I press the shutter and the camera tries to focus again then shoot taking more than a second to do so. Because of this I keep missing the moment even outside in broad daylight.
- Camera Software - Slow, occasionally crashes. Doesn't stay on the last setting you used if you reopen the app.
- Battery life - very disappointing. I am not a heavy user. I take maybe 10-15 photos, read some email, browse the web. Rarely watch videos or listen to music and the phone struggles to make it 12-13 hours. Charges very slowly whether plugged in via usb or directly into a wall.
- The iPhone 6 Plus battery and Blackberry Passport I previously had blow this away when it comes to battery.
- Phone performance - Occasional lag or stutter opening apps, swiping between home screens
- Auto brightness is very inconsistent, in an evenly lit room, it is constantly adjusting up and down brightness.
In case anyone is interested benchmark numbers here (It's the Non-verified score)
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Bottom line:
Visually a beautiful phone. Functionally a huge disappointment. The hype of a higher end or top mid range phone but not the same performance to back up the hype. Perhaps a lot of this, like the camera performance and the battery life and some OS performance can be tweaked and fixed with software updates. I love Sony products, and my house is full of Sony goods. Sony has a great name and reputation here in Japan but at the end of the day, Xperia phones still let me down and I end up going to solid phones from Samsung and LG. LG G4 on the way...

I feel u bro.

scpion said:
I feel u bro.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought about it a bit and I think it may be that I expected too much... ie coming from many so called "flagship" models I expected the C5 Ultra to perform like one (since it's pretty pricey), but it obviously didn't.
I'm going to ride with it for the rest of the week, trying some 3rd party camera apps and seeing if I can optimize the setup (or wait for a root and custom rom) to see if it would improve performance and battery life.

On the contrary, personally I feel it's punching above its weight.. It's relatively cheap here on contract. Other than the irritating problems I mentioned in my other thread, I think it's pretty ok. Battery have been great for me and performance decently fast. I never had high hopes for the cam anyway though I was hoping for a surprise this time round. Let's not forget the C series had always been a mid ranger.

It's a shame, really. The C5 is the best looking phone I've ever seen. If only the screen was better and the battery was larger I'd consider buying it.
It's even better looking than the Xperia Z5 series and has less bezel.
I'd love to put the hardware of the Z5 into the C5 ultra then it'd be the perfect phone.

I really hope developers will take up interest in this phone. As of now, there are basically nothing on the Web regarding this phone.. No reviews, not even accessories..

The Z5 range has recently been published on gsmarena. I was shocked to see the C5 looks WAY better than the expensive flagship Z5. Issue with the Z5 it looks the same as the Z2 and Z3, too much bezel.
I'm thinking of getting the C5 ultra for it's sexy looks and ultra thin bezel!
I hope a developer/modder can soon release a mod to make this phone output stereo sound. We just need output from the top speaker grill which will then give us true stereo speakers/sound.

The sound from this phone is pretty loud with audio+. Tweaking the white balance gives pretty decent colours as well. The colour just sucks straight from factory.

scpion said:
The sound from this phone is pretty loud with audio+. Tweaking the white balance gives pretty decent colours as well. The colour just sucks straight from factory.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds good! I currently own the Sony Xperia Z3 D6633. The screen I have is better, sound is stereo, ram is 3Gb, camera is 21MP/video 4k and battery is more (3100mAh) vs 2900...
Should I purchase the C5 Ultra, in many ways it indeed is a downgrade. However, the beautiful design and large screen/thin bezel is a win and I'm thinking of buying one.
The main thing that concerns me is the large 6'' screen and small battery of under 3000mAh. Sony really should of made the battery at least 3500 mAh to power the large screen.
I'd like, if possible more feedback from other users with regards to battery life. Also, how are the black levels and viewing angles of the screen?
How would the camera compare say to a Samsung Note 5/Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge and the LG G4?

First up, I really have no problem with the battery. The 29xxmah battery may sound small, I have no problem lasting a full day. I try to post screen shots later. I feel that sony has one of the best optimised system around.
Screen needs some tweaking to get the colours right. Contrast still slightly on the lower side. Viewing angle is ok. No where near the shocking level of gen 1 xperia z. Colour shift at a acute angle similar to N4 if u know what I mean. To me, I think it's acceptable. And it's really bright.
I dun take a lot of picture.. But from my finding, superior auto is a disaster in this case. Manual gives me good results. Details are good and noise keep to a minimum in low light. Pics with flash turns out great as well, surprisingly. The other phones u mentioned are all flagship class so it might be a bit unfair to do the comparison. They can point and shoot and give good results. This, u have to point, tweak, shoot.... Lol. Results are not half bad. At least the last settings are retained so u do not go back to the superior auto by default.
Then again, do not forget this is a "midranger". And let's not forget there is no such thing as a perfect phone.
---------- Post added at 02:45 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:39 PM ----------
I am typing this from my Z Ultra. Seriously, if they carry on the Z line in the Z ultra's design and power, I think sony will do much better..

Here u go. these are 2 sets of battery usage. I am getting rather good results from it. Google sync on, Lte all the way. Staminal mode on. Manual screen brightness is at just 15% and its really bright indoors. Outdoors usually at just 40% or auto brightness. This is a really bright panel. On down side, battery charging is pretty slow. Using a 1.5a charger, it take me around 3-4hrs to charge from around 15%. I never tried the supplied 850mah one... maybe I should..

Hey! Theres one more thing that I want to mention for the screen. It FREAKING flickers whenever it tries to play a video for the first 1 sec. It should be a software issue. The display sets have this problem, the set i changed have this problem as well.

Just got c5 ultra. Was trying to connect my 1tb ext hdd, but it always shows "usb storage removed" as soon as i connect it.. However once it did got connected properly and i was able to access files on it but only once and after that i am continuously having the above mentioned problem.. Anyone else tried this? Also i am having some wierd clock ticking voice from my hdd after connecting.. It works fine though on my note 4 without such voice..
Sent from my SM-N910G using XDA Free mobile app

the usb port doesn't have enough power to power your hdd. better don't use it. you might force the hdd to keep reading and might damage the hdd

^ Thanks for the feedback bro. I'm currently living in Dubai, UAE. It seems, unfortunately the phone is not yet released here.
However, it should be released anytime soon. I'm going to call the Sony agent at Jumbo Electronics and see when the phone is due to be released.
As I said before, I'm seriously considering selling my several month old Sony Xperia Z3 D6633 dual sim and getting the C5 Ultra. In many ways it is indeed a downgrade.
That said, I'm also an ex owner of the legendary Sony Xperia Z Ultra which had the massive 6.44'' screen which was gorgeous. My current Z3 on the other hand has a much smaller screen of only 5.2'' and Although the screen is better and brighter, I'm not happy with the smaller screen. It seems Sony will not release a successor anytime soon for the Z Ultra so as of now the nearest option is the C5 Ultra. Though slightly smaller than the Z Ultra, it's the nearest phone to compare.
May I also ask, how does the C5 Ultra screen compare to the Z Ultra. Please tell me it's as good as if not better.
Unsure about you, but the best on screen time I've had with my previous Z Ultra was 5 hours and 44 minutes! Not bad for a phone having almost 6.5'' in size and a 3000mAh battery...

I think I would prefer the Z ultra's screen over this, at least for now. I personally like how much we can adjust the screen contrast and colour on the Z. Colour adjustment can be make to be very close to my Z but C5 still lacks the deeper colours.. Dpi is smaller as well so I can see more things. Think the C5 dpi is at 480. It's a waste of screen estate. We seriously need development on this to make it a great device.

Yeah, the device is still too new. I'm sure that with some development and custom roms, it'll be even better. Sadly it'll take some time...
At least they've improved the sound quality and finally the output is better than previous models.
Then there's front and rear flash which the Z Ultra completely lacked.
I've seen many brand new C5 Ultra's for just £250 in ebay, around 300 euros. For a 6'' mid range device the price is fantastic...

How does battery life compare to the Xperia Z Ultra? How is the quality/sharpness of the camera? Image noise low and under control?

I usually get around a full day with 3-4hrs screen on time with Z ultra. C5, that kind of timing is usually when I am at around 40%. I never finish my day with a flat battery for C5. I dun play games. Just lots of browsing, Facebook and YouTube. Cam is a mixed bag. Most of the time, details and colours are pretty good. Sometimes overly exposed. Superior auto is a disaster though. But overall, good pics can be achieved with manual without much trouble.

Finally bought my C5 Ultra last night! Overall I'm satisfied with it and there is more good than bad.
Screen is actually great AFTER calibration. By default the whites and colours are dead. For me, white balance is as follows; Red 38, Green 49 & Blue 40. Colour as well as the white and blacks are great and not far off from my Xperia Z3. So bear in mind the display does need a good calibration to get decent results.
After going through some high quality pictures and full HD 1080P movies and animated cartoons, colour is strong and black levels do actually look great, screenshots below of Shaun The Sheep Movie. Viewing angles are brilliant.
Speed. Generally the device is fast and responsive. It does at times pause and there is a slight delay. However, this should be fixed in a future update and when we get root access and recovery!
Looks. This was the key reason I bought the device. Specification is high mid range, a step above the Xperia Z Ultra, however, I wasn't bothered with the specification, it's gorgeous looks lured me into buying the device! As internet photos show, the left/right side of the phone literally has no bezel, the stunning display stretches out right to the edges. The top/bottom of the phone are still thin and the upper part is mostly taken by the huge 13mp camera with it's flash.
The bottom of the screen is still pretty thin and compared to my Xperia Z3, though a bigger phone, the bottom bezel of the C5 Ultra is still thinner!
As explained above, the screen by default is lifeless, colours are wrong and whites are more warm. You will have to calibrate the white levels in order to get decent looking whites and other colours...
Camera. I've not had the time to fully experiment, however, it is decent and photos are sharp and clear. Others have mentioned the camera is slow especially if selecting the memory card to store the images. Completely wrong. I took several pictures last night, one after the other and other than a split second delay, it was ready to take the second and the third picture. it's fast and responsive, no lag whatsoever when taking photos whether you select the memory card slot or the internal memory.
The flash is VERY bright and even when using the light/torch mode, the light was excellent, stronger than my Xperia Z3.
Gaming. Aside from Ski Safari, I didn't try any other game. However, colours were great, whites were excellent and there was no lag or delays at all. Nice and smooth.
Whether surfing the web, gaming or using the camera, there was no sign at all of overheating, in fact, the phone never even got warm when using for long periods! So no need to worry about overheating or getting warm.
Body/Build quality. Although the rear of the phone is plastic, it's a very high quality plastic, very strong and it's appearance is good. The sides of the phone are a solid aluminium and the front is entirely glass. Build quality is very sturdy and overall excellent. There are no gaps around the phone/bezel and the sides are well put together. So far the best design I've ever seen from Sony.
I was actually going to wait and purchase the Xperia Z5. Once I saw the design was VERY similar to the current Z2/Z3 series I thought why buy the Z5 when it looks too similar to my current phone? I wanted something different, unique and affordable. This is where the C5 Ultra fits in, perfectly...
Battery. Unfortunately, since I've only just used the phone for several hours, I'm yet to comment on battery life. In fact, I've still not even charged the battery, not even once. Battery was around 61% when the phone was first turned on. After around 2 hours of on screen time, some wi-fi, phone calls, sms messages and camera use, battery is still around 22% .
Speakers/sound - I'd say decent but not loud. My Xperia Z3 having dual speakers was around 25% louder. That said, we can only pray that sooner or later, a developer can release custom sound for louder, clearer audio having dual loud speakers when listening to music, watching movies, gaming or simply when making a phone call. We simply need audio output via the upper earpiece to give us stereo sound. Lazy Sony, unfortunately didn't bother doing this...
Verdict. Based on the above, I'd give the phone 8.5/10 for overall use/features/looks/battery, etc.
Some screen shots of the phone and screen:

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