Database Users

Another bad impression?

Is anyone else completely unsure as to whether this device is going to be any good? For every positive post about it I see several negative ones, like this from a bloggers hands-on at the London Fashion Show Xperia event
"After playing with the phone for about 2 hours, the overriding impression is lack of polish. This is especially apparent when compared with HTC’s Touch Pro, which exudes a wow factor which the Xperia X1 seems to lack. The Panels interface seems disjointed, without any overriding theme or integration, and also seemingly a lot of duplication. The device included the Opera browser, but all the internet links still pointed to PIE. One of the panels was SPB Mobile Shell, and of course this worked differently from all the panels UI-wise. The colour scheme was different for each panel, and the graphics appeared low resolution and again, unfortunately, unpolished.
The hardware also did not impress, feeling on on the flimsy side, especially compared to the extremely solid HTC Touch Pro. The device itself felt much lighter than the Touch Pro, but not necessarily in a good way. The keyboard was not as bad as feared, but still pretty soft and squishy, and depressing one key seemed to depress the whole membrane around it. Despite having a 3 inch screen, the screen actually appeared smaller due to being more narrow. Recessed screens are also very 2007."
The most concerning thing here is the commentary on build quality - worse than the Touch Pro? I like my Touch Pro, but the build quality is only acceptable, its not like its fantastic. At least the keyboard seems better than others have had us believe, he also said the Panels interface was smooth, which is a relief to hear.
At this point I've seen so many conflicting reports I really don't know what to make of the phone at all - what do you guys think? Bottom line: I'm really looking forward to hearing from some actual users in a few weeks.

NZtechfreak said:
I'm really looking forward to hearing from some actual users in a few weeks.
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Click to collapse
So do I, though I'm pretty sure that I'll buy it right from the start.
I do not care if the color scheme is out of sync with other panels and stuff like this.
I want a very good screen, a usable slide out keyboard, good reception quality, good data connection capabilities.
I'm focusing more on functionality then on beautification - I currently have a HTC TyTN and still using the default HTC green Scheme with original background. It's quite ugly but I don't care.

Hmmm...
He didn't give much details about the hardware other than the keyboard. He says that the device is light but might not be in a good way, is something that i'd like to understand. As for the screen seeming small, from what i can tell - it is only slightly smaller in width from the Touch Pro and larger in height...
Anyways... to each his own opinion, but after his first statements the following statement: "The screen was very good, touch focusing in the camera application worked well, the Handango Inhand client looked good, and appeared very easy to use, and the Panels interface was pretty smooth." is the golden statement and gives me hope.
The set he was using - as shown in the screen-shots - was Silver... to compare a black set with a silver set and then say that the silver doesn't deliver the wow factor is injustice. Silver might look cool and smooth, black is the ultimate color and i'm sure Xperia will deliver with that. Also, i'm sure there would be a much polished look on the final set...
Let's wait an see...
Best Regards.

After reading the on site review, I got an unbias feeling about the author. I might be wrong but it looks he was looking to reconfirm his own bad feelings, oing back and forth and even saying that will wait to have to review it again.

Is X1 screen really better than Diamond??

From the Spec of X1, it should be better than Diamond.
I tried a X1 on yesterday, the screen was sharp and the color looked a little bit milky. Is the problem of screen protector or the intrinsic problem?
I want to buy it but I am not sure if the screen is really good.
Any idea??

I have both of them right next to each other. If you turn both to max brightness, they're about the same. The X1 wins in terms of sharpness and obviously pixels. For color, I think the diamond is a TINY bit more vibrant, but not really noticeable.
Returning my Diamond tomorrow =)

it is better, and the fact that the screen is wider/longer portrait makes it better at reading mail etc

Thanks.
This solved my problem.
But did any of you notice any hanging in the 9 panels?
Besides does coremediaplayer work well on it??

Coming from a Touch Pro I can tell you the extra pixels are worth it. Browsing is so nice with the entire width of web pages rendered within one viewing pane...

another thing that is good compared to the diamond is that the x1 screen is more sensitive.maybe thats the reason that the screen is a little recessed on the x1.

.
The Xperia has 60000 more pixels on the screen than the Diamond/Pro.
Do you agree The xperia can show more detail and a lot sharper?
.

Pinguino1 said:
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The Xperia has 60000 more pixels on the screen than the Diamond/Pro.
Do you agree The xperia can show more detail and a lot sharper?
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yea of course, the dots per inch on the x1 is allot more, its better how ever you turn it.
the problem on the x1 is ,,,, can your eyes see the change in the higher resolution?, mine can =)

The X1 is a joy to own and I have had all the Winmo phones including Touch Diamond and Pro. The pro was pretty good but the X1 is amazing. The screen is clear enough to do general browsing on sat on your sofa. The Touch Pro wasnt IMO.

stuartforrest said:
The X1 is a joy to own and I have had all the Winmo phones including Touch Diamond and Pro. The pro was pretty good but the X1 is amazing. The screen is clear enough to do general browsing on sat on your sofa. The Touch Pro wasnt IMO.
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Yes, you are right as the response for X1 is better than Touch Pro and that should be the way for WM device.
Touch Pro is really slow in response and a pain to own.

Yes I agree. I regularly had to press the screen more than once on the TP for something to happen. The X1 is far more sensitive.

My verdict
I currently own both the Touch Pro and the X1, my findings are:
The X1 screen is more responsive definitely but I don't think it is as sharp as the TP. Maybe it's because everything is a lot smaller and my eyesight aint what it used to be!
The real pain of the X1 screen is the fact that not all my favourite apps are compatible. Some make a bad attempt at fitting the screen, others appear as incredibly tiny graphics in the corner of the screen.
The X1 has niggles, like a soft reset button that can only be used once the battery cover is removed. The battery cover is also a bit of a pain to snap on/off sometimes.
You only get 9 panels (most of which are pretty useless), Touch Flo would have been great on the X1, and although you can get this 'working' on the X1 it's a bit hit and miss. Finally, the keyboard is nowhere near as good as the Touch Pro.
The Touch Pro is probably the most unreliable HTC device I have ever owned (I have owned many) It badly needs a ROM upgrade. Shame as I really like the screen and the keyboard is simply the best ever.
As I have only just bought the X1 I need a bit more time to judge its reliability. But I do think it has potential.

apprentice said:
I currently own both the Touch Pro and the X1, my findings are:
The X1 screen is more responsive definitely but I don't think it is as sharp as the TP. Maybe it's because everything is a lot smaller and my eyesight aint what it used to be!
The real pain of the X1 screen is the fact that not all my favourite apps are compatible. Some make a bad attempt at fitting the screen, others appear as incredibly tiny graphics in the corner of the screen.
The X1 has niggles, like a soft reset button that can only be used once the battery cover is removed. The battery cover is also a bit of a pain to snap on/off sometimes.
You only get 9 panels (most of which are pretty useless), Touch Flo would have been great on the X1, and although you can get this 'working' on the X1 it's a bit hit and miss. Finally, the keyboard is nowhere near as good as the Touch Pro.
The Touch Pro is probably the most unreliable HTC device I have ever owned (I have owned many) It badly needs a ROM upgrade. Shame as I really like the screen and the keyboard is simply the best ever.
As I have only just bought the X1 I need a bit more time to judge its reliability. But I do think it has potential.
Click to expand...
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I don't own a X1...but hope to shortly with the X1a...there was one point you made that is really irking me about my new upcoming device.
Your mention of the reset hole being under the battery cover, I agree, is a really piss off. Although you never want to have to use that pin/hole, it is bound to happen at some point. Making it a multistep process of turning over the device, popping off the battery cover and then hitting the button is rather annoying..especially if you have the device in a case (for example the upcoming Noreve case)
I like my Prophet on the other hand (and the style it has). That is the reset hole is at the bottom of the device, done and done...

hofo_mofo said:
I don't own a X1...but hope to shortly with the X1a...there was one point you made that is really irking me about my new upcoming device.
Your mention of the reset hole being under the battery cover, I agree, is a really piss off. Although you never want to have to use that pin/hole, it is bound to happen at some point. Making it a multistep process of turning over the device, popping off the battery cover and then hitting the button is rather annoying..especially if you have the device in a case (for example the upcoming Noreve case)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is a pain, the manual suggests the alternative reset method... hold down the power button to switch off the device completely and then turn on again. OK, this 'works' but is still not as quick as the reset hole. I also use a software 'soft-reset' (available on many shell utilities) which is ok but then useless if the screen has locked up of course!
I don't think we'll ever get complete satisfaction with our devices. Each new model brings with it better features but often drops features that were useful in previous models. All I can say is the X1 is a very good smartphone overall.

The reset button is stupid but I reset mine nowhere near as much as my Touch Pro etc.
The Xperia is awesome and I dont agree the screen is less sharp. It is the first device I can truly sit on the sofa and broswe the web on. Way better than the Touch Pro. The only thing is the the Touch Pro screen is a little brighter, but only a tiny amount.
The Xperia is awesome hardware. I would have preferred a flusger screen or perhaps totally flush like the Pro and so far the panels are a waste of time but that doesnt mean they will always be and you dont need them anyway.
I absolutely love it!

The xperia screen is better no question about.
size, reolution and pixel density is superior to ANY mobile phone.
soft reset is not a big deal.
removing the cover to insert the stylus is nothing.
You don't plan to do this all the time.
Once your Xperia is personalized and all your foreign apps
and ports are stabled, you will reset almost never or very rarely.
I just went to AT&T store to play with the Fuze (the Pro) and
after an hour of playing with it in he store. It was a total let down.
Unresponsive, small screen hard to read and fuzzy, limited zooming,
the flush screen is a mess with fingerprints, I rather have the recessed
screen is more responsive.
When flipping to landscape the screen changes to a different display.
A lot of black and white displays.
But I liked the bounce in the keyboard keys despite that are very small.
Not bias here, because at $299 I wanted to see if it was a good alternative for the Xperia.

I agree. I rarely have to reset mine so the button is not a big deal and if I do I can usually do it by holding own the power button to turn it on and off.
The xperia is miles more stable than the buggy Touch Pro and the screen is wonderful. I scratched my Touch Pro and Diamond screen really easily and they were both very unresponsive compared to the Xperia (in fact compared to any touch screen phone I have had)

My plan is to get a drill and a file and make a hole and groove in the back case to allow access to microsd and reset hole. Should be an easy solution to the problem.

Sony Ericsson X1 or HTC Touch HD?

which would you guys pick...BUT DISREGARD THE KEYBOARD PART...just simply everything else other than the hardware keyboard....which would you guys choose

The Touch HD, bigger screen, no cracks in case, g-sensor etc.

Indeed. Generalized a lot, the Touch HD is an X1 with a bigger screen and without keyboard.

I chose the xperia because of looks keyboard and I what really made the difference that I found a really cheap 2nd hand phone still in the box.
My friend has the Touch hd and it's also very nice but I really like the keyboard.
If that doesnt matter to you, you should choose the HD.

which one has better battery life?thanks.

tornado000013 said:
which one has better battery life?thanks.
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Definately the Xperia, so far at least. I think it´s partly due to the HD screen taking much more power and that the bttery is smaller in the HD. I love them both though...

Touch HD: Big screen, accelerometer
Xperia: Hardware keyboard

xperia for me.
they keyboard, the metal case, the extra buttons (optical pad, d-pad and probably teh OK button (acts as close and so on ...)
the HD has by far the better/ bigger screen, but it doesnt feel liek a cellphone after all. its a little bit to big for my taste. xperia fits my hand better.
having a gyro is fun but its not like u realy need it. i abrley used gyro features in my old phones. defacto i disabled them cause they rotated my screen when i didnt want to.
if u realy dont want a keyboard, gor for the HD.

For me the Xperia is the choice for me
1. Smaller
2. Opital pad is awesome for browsing & emails and means the screen stays clean
3. battery life is brilliant
4. Screen res is better, just smaller
5. Camera is much better. Proves pixels aren't everything. Has a light too!
6. Build quality and being all metal is nice (but heavier)
My bro loves his HD as he watches heaps of movies, so the bigger screen is a clear winner if this is your need.
Listen, both are great devices and it really depends on your needs.
Good luck.
Dev

So I wasn't the only one who had this dilemma, I was thinking exactly the same, like all previous replies, they are basically the same in terms of specs. I really like the big screen on the HD but I went for the X1 only because O2 doesn't bloody sell the HD directly and it means I would have to pay GBP15 extra a month for the line rental if I went for the HD... so the decision for me was I love my money more than a bigger screen. Also, the keyboard on the X1 is really good, although I think the virtual keyboard would probably be as good. I would say if you don't have any loyalty waiting for you from your network provider, then go for the HD, but I would guess the battery might not be as good. My X1 can last up to 3 whole days with normal usage (couple of calls, good few texts, messing about, and some internet).
Sure whichever you go for, you will have loads of fun.

Its really unfair to disregard the keyboard, because the X1 relies on this aspect of its design so firmly. Most would choose the HD over the Xperia if the keyboards are disregarded, but i don't think its fair to leave out one phone's strong point in a comparison. The X1 has a keyboard and one has to consider this when making a purchase choice, there is no changing that. Either way, i would go with the Xperia, its screen is more sensitive, it has at least one US 3G band either model, it has that awesome metal finish and really beautiful design, and is just so smooth and stylish overall, as well as having that huge battery.

when the THD was announced i did consider it along with the X1. but the size of the thing just puts me off..
its so wide across and taller than the X1. ive held the iphone and it didnt feel good in my palm. and the THD is slightly wider...

I was unsure of which to take from those 2, but i got the xperia and now after nearly 2 weeks i am satisfied with my decision, i wanted a bigger display for video but opted for a hardware keyboard and a light flash (HD no flash at all).
Now i find myself happy with it, the hardware keyboard is useful when i want to type more than 2-3 words, lot easier than onscreen keyboard.

so how about the web surfing?i saw video shows that x1's opera won't reflow text when zoom,does that cause any inconvenience?

i would go for the hd.. bigger screen. i do like the x1 for being small but if the x1 screen was 3.2 or 3.5 than it would almost be perfect for me.

in my eyes right now, the most ideal phone for me would be
the Xperia with a 3.2-3.8" screen
8-10mp camera with Xenon Flash
and
hadware keyboard lol
i know..i know..i can only keep dreaming

elite-fusion said:
in my eyes right now, the most ideal phone for me would be
the Xperia with a 3.2-3.8" screen
8-10mp camera with Xenon Flash
and
hadware keyboard lol
i know..i know..i can only keep dreaming
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
haha, I would love that, size has never been a problem for me when it comes to phones, although I was forced to have the horrible C092 (insurance replacement after having lost my W960) but based on your requirements, the phone would probably be the size of a netbook, but the price of a proper computer...
Does anyone else here think having a bigger phones nowadays is more stylish than having those tiny mobile phones?
Also I agree being a woman with slightly smaller hands, I think the X1 is probably the biggest I can handle with pleasure, I have always liked the iphone (being a Mac user) but the size is a bit of an issue...
After all, I am bitter coz I didn't even have a chance to choose the HD coz O2 doesn't do it... I think it's fair to say it all depends on if you like coffee to tea, both tasty and keep you awake...

Xperia for me cos...
1.Optical pad etc buttons, better handle music in -5° with u gloves on +Faster to handle
2.Better sound? Dont know never heard HD's sound quality, but in X1 it's just awesome.
3.Better battery.
4.qwerty-keyboard.
5.Looks better, imo, metal case etc.
6.Smaller.
But HD is great also.

Omnia 7 or not?

At the moment I'm balancing between Omnia 7 and Optimus 7. I haven't been able to feel Omnia live yet (today's the day I hope), and I've only had a quick touch with Optimus 7. I have to test them thoroughly myself, buying either one blindfolded is not an option.
So far I'm attracted by Optimus 7's physical buttons and smaller size; Omnia just sounds so huge compared to several other phones (not really comparable with non-smartphones, I know) but then again Galaxy S didn't feel that big when I got hold of one. Remembering LG's display, it wasn't that poor either but then again, I have yet to see Omnia's and compare them properly (maybe not exactly next to each other, otherwise the choice could end up too obvious)
What worries me the most is LG's lock key, which has a really bad placement and poor ease-of-use compared to Omnia's equivalent. Other thing I'm worried about is LG's buttons' build quality, having read here how they make clicky noises and such. One other thing that's confusing me is that can you really unlock Omnia using the Windows key exactly the same way the actual lock key would function (as long as the proximity and/or light sensors are not blocked)? And is it so that the LG has no similiar function? Software wise, how much (if any) software there is - official or less official (by that I mean the file system explorers, registry editors, etc) - for the other model but maybe not for the other? I haven't had the time to familiarize myself with all the custom software available yet.
Please share your thoughts of these two models if you've had the experience of using both, aspects I may have overlooked and so on. The only thing I give close to zero value is the camera. As I said, I hope to have some "quality time" trying them both later today in a store and end up with the other one, but any tips what I should be mindful of or especially sceptical with are most welcome!

Regarding size, according to this infographic the Optimus 7 is both taller and thicker than the Omnia7 (although not as wide) http://thenextweb.com/microsoft/files/2010/12/windows-phone-7-comparison-spec.jpg

Well I haven't tried LG, but I had a Galaxy S before. And about the size, they are actually almost 100% same size, except Omnia7 is just 1mm thicker and it has a sharper edges. It fits very well in my pockets. Build quality is also great in Omnia7.
And SuperAMOLED just looks awesome, especially with this UI. So far I have been very happy with this.

I have used both the Optimus 7 and Omnia 7, and I'd go for the Omnia 7 without ANY doubt.
What you say about build quality is true: The LG feels cheap, and not very sturdy or solid. The omnia 7 feels strong and 'premium', especially because of the metal back. It's large, but definitely not too big. The size comparison with Galaxy S is pretty similar, which shouldn't be surprising because they use exactly the same screen.
Talking about screens: the difference between the LG and Samsung is like day and night. The S-AMOLED on the Omnia is a lot brighter, with much nicer colors. Also, blacks are really BLACK on the Omnia. It's just great to see the black background 'blend' with the black surround the screen. It's as if its a single surface, if you get what I mean.
In the end it has to be your decision, but I would definitely suggest the Omnia 7.

Omnia 7 looks really good and classy. Personally, I did not like the look of the LG phone. I am first-time smartphone user and find Omnia7 a bit big to handle. Perhaps the HTC trophy is another you could consider (except if you are an avid gamer -- any many reports about its slow loading, owing to SD card storage).
Another thing to consider: Omnia has touch-sensitive back and find buttons, which maybe an annoyance for some people -- I have no problems (mostly).
Good luck with getting a shiny new WP7 phone! WP7 rocks!!!

Thanks for all the replies! I managed to get a good hour trying both (not at the same time, the models were security-locked on the opposite sides of one, huge, display stand and couldn't be taken next to each other so I kept going round the stand, hah!) yesterday.
I was already mentally prepared to grab myself the Omnia, but the more I played around with Optimus, the more I became convinced it would be the choice for me. The wideness isn't that big of a difference between the two, but the 5mm is just enough for my palm not to be able to grab and handle the Omnia properly (one handed, that is). I ended up going through every button and corner of the Optimus' screen properly with one hand, which I couldn't do with Omnia (buttons I could do, reaching the 'Back' with my thumb with only a little trouble, but not the entire screen). To be honest, this was an ability I wasn't expecting any bigger smartphone to have.
Omnia's screen was way superior compared to Optimus, but Optimus still wasn't bad at all. After a while, I also noticed that the responsivity of Optimus was somehow more natural and swift, even though Omnia's wasn't bad in any way. I remember Engadget comparing Optimus with HTC phones' "glancing blow" -like capacitive responsiveness I'm a friend with physical buttons as well, so that way Optimus still felt better, though I could live with Omnia's one physical and two touch buttons, but not with any HTC device.
LG's lock button is the biggest issue for me and that's the only thing still holding me back; it's just so f***ing tiny and poorly placed compared to Omnia's perfect solution (including the opening with Start-button which of course LG is missing). At the moment I'm looking though a selection of rubber and silicone casings for Omnia (surprisingly many available, not so many for LG) which could help with the firm grip - which is now crippled by the wideness. Only other things I couldn't get a feeling at all were call quality and the display visibility in sunlight (Omnia would own that one, but how bad would LG be), hopefully I have to make the choice on monday and still have a weekend ahead to continue to play with both. I hope the store won't kick me out for hanging around before that
Now that I think of the Engadget article again, they were quite right saying "It's hard to quite crown it the finest WP7 launch device -- after all, Samsung's Omnia 7 has a bigger and significantly better display -- but the LG Optimus 7 might just be the one we most enjoyed using."

After a long, long, long weekend of thinking, I'm now a proud owner of Omnia 7 The lock key on LG was eventually the final deal breaker for me, let's see how I get comfortable with extra the 0.5cm of wideness, heh!

haha, also got an Omnia because I can turn it on by pressing the Windows key (seems to be the only WP7 device to offer that) because I find that to be 100% more convenient.
Too bad it has an AMOLED screen, I really don't like the readability of small text on these...

Love my Omnia 7, best buy since HD2 from HTC
Sent from my OMNIA7 using Board Express

lapingultah said:
After a long, long, long weekend of thinking, I'm now a proud owner of Omnia 7 The lock key on LG was eventually the final deal breaker for me, let's see how I get comfortable with extra the 0.5cm of wideness, heh!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha
I'm sure you won't regret it too much!
WP7 is nothing like WM6.5 where you really needed to hit those corners so accurately etc.
I find that WP7 is very well designed and most options and buttons are quite central rather than being on the edges of the screen so hopefully you won't have a problem with the extra width!
Look forward to interacting with you more on this board!
I'd recommend you get a case and a screen protector.
The case is really essential as the phone is randomly very very slippery...also it keeps the battery cover on when you do accidentally drop it!
and the screen is rather easy to scratch... I never put my phone with anything else in my pocket but still somehow managed to get 3 separate long scratches on the screen

I bought this phone today and have some feedback for any one on the fence...

I got this phone because I've been waiting for a smaller Android device that doesn't treat you like a second class citizen. This is really the first one out there that does this, I found it for £360 on sale which is only £30 more than the 32gb Nexus 5 and tbh since it has a micro SD slot, I think it is a really great deal,, especially seeing as the specs are like a main flagship device.
So some thoughts...
- Really well made, feels like an iPhone 5/5s for Android.
- I've been with my Mum today and she had a go on it and said it is the first Android mobile she'd ever think about upgrading to because of the small size.
- When I put it side by side with the iPhone 5, it really isn't much bigger, just a tad wider which is better since my biggest complaint with the 5 is the screen is so narrow
- I can easily use the phone one handed and use the whole screen, I've got average sized hands and I've found all these 5inch Android phones to have just gotten too big, especially my old HTC One, I hand to slide the phone up and down my hand to use the power button.
- Power button is great, the volume rocker is slightly too small as is the camera button, but they're minor flaws.
- The Sim tray and Micro SD slot I found to be really tricky to use, the Sim especially seems rather fiddly and I doubt the average user would work it out without possibly breaking the tray.
- I love the led charging light by the top speaker, I'm not sure if it doubles up as a notification light, but I hope it does.
- The loud speaker is not great, it's serviceable, will get you by, but you wont want to be listening to music or video out of it. That said I never wanted to do that from my HTC One and always used an external speaker or headphones any ways as no small speaker is that good in a phone. However if you walk the dog up the fields like me and don't like using headphones as you want to hear what is going on around you, the loud speaker isn't going to cut it, I struggled to hear it sometimes.
- The Magnetic charging is a cool touch, it really is needed as having to open that flap all the time would be so annoying. I mean I bought a Micro USB to Magnetic charge adapter for a few quid on Amazon, I'd suggest you all do the same as it is pretty necessary, I don't understand why one isn't sold with it as standard.
- Comes with a nice usb adapter so you can do stuff like plugging in your PS3 controller to play games. Maybe this would compliment screen mirroring or Chromecast gaming? I dunno, I haven't tried it, but just a nice little bonus.
- The X reality engine is ****, it just ruins the picture, usually just makes a picture too bright like it has been over exposed. The phone comes with it on by default... turn it off.
- The screen is a mixed bag for me, resolution and pixel density wise, I cannot fault it, looks as crisp as an iPhone and tbh I don't get why people care about having 440PPI when I cannot see a pixel at 340PPI, you never look at a screen under a magnifying glass. Again it is 720p, but for the size screen I just turn browse text to large and everything looks crisp and great, I really do not miss having the 1080p screen of my HTC One. Maybe if I was using a 4.7 inch+ screen again I'd want 1080p, but for this small screen 720p works, Apple have proved this as no one cares abut the iPhones resolution, which is like 640?
That said though I can see the digitizer when the sun glances off the phone, it is a downer as I never saw it on my last phone (Nokia 1020) or my HTC One before that. Though screens are a lottery it seems as they're all made from different companies, my friend got a HTC One and could see his badly.
The black levels aren't that great, neither are the viewing angles, I'm being picky here as they're totally fine, just I'm used to an OLED screen now and it is hard to go back. Black levels on OLED screens aren't perfect, they do have light bleed and a weird effect as the pixels go from colour to black, but... it is hard to adjust back to seeing more of a grey if you're in a dark room.
The colours seem fine to me, the white seems fine, I don't notice any tints, though maybe if I compared it side by side to other phones I would. However I wouldn't let this bother you as you'll never do that in real life, as long as the whites aren't so far off they're obvious.
I'm am struggling however with brightness levels, there doesn't seem to be much control like other phones. I wish there were more brightness presets, I can turn it down to the lowest on the slider and it still seems too bright, I could really make my other phones go quite dark. I dunno if it is brightness or if it is just washing out light colours in particular, but the x reality engine makes it worse... like way worse!
Overall though the screen is good, it isn't the best, but it is still a great screen that I've personally been picky on as I've owned a lot of different phones.
- The software is good, Sony don't mess around with it too much, it is a non offensive Android Skin. My only problem is I'm on 4.3 and that seems a bit weird, you'd have thought it would have a newer version by now. Some things are nice with the software as well, Sony have added some good apps of theirs and the battery stuff is cool. Everything is so fast, faster than any other phone I've used, including HTC One, iPhone 5 and Nokia 1020, omg just SO FAST! The 720p screen also probably helps it too over 1080p screens.
- On to battery, it is amazing, I don't get how they can cram so much life into such a small phone, I can say it is definitely a major step up from the 1020 and the horrible life I seemed to get from Windows Phone. It seems a step up from my HTC One as well and it performs better than my Mum's iPhone 5, though that is a year old now so the battery is probably less efficient at this point. I find it amazing how fast it charges over USB alone on my PC and through the magnetic charge, way faster than anything I've used before. Also though I was playing some games on it earlier and the battery didn't seem to go down much at all.
- The phone doesn't heat up that much, I was expecting worse since it is so small and light, but while I noticed it get hot, it wasn't bad like my Nokia 1020 and obviously since it is a plastic back it doesn't act like the HTC One, which got hot like a radiator... series that was the worst! Never get a mobile with a metal back and that isn't made by Apple, not a good idea.
- I find the speaker position just fine, I kept hearing how it was easy to cover up... with my usage, I haven't experienced that, even when gaming and most likely you'll get a case any ways.
- The camera is a mixed bag and sadly a bit of a downer I'm afraid, I was expecting better from a phone with a larger sensor than the Nokia 1520. Auto mode seems worse than useless, every picture just looks plain bad and I have a feeling it is restricting the pictures to 8mp and there is no way to increase it. Manual mode is really the only viable way to take pictures, sadly though there is no higher res 16:9 option. Every picture though seemed to be different, I could never take the same picture twice and I ended up taking several just so I would get a good one. The good news is when the software did it's job the quality did look good, not as good as I was expecting, but I have been using a 1020 until recently, so maybe that is why it is such a shock.
My main problem with the camera though was the screen never really reflected on what the final picture would look like. Your screen would be out of focus and blurred, yet when the picture comes from, it looks fine, also all the colours and lighting would change, I could never get it to accurately display what I was going to take.
The good news though is the camera is fast and I think it uses oversampling like Nokia's Pureview when it is in 8mp auto mode. Though I'm sick of smart phones today and how they all over saturate everything, the Z1 compact is no different, even the 1020 did this, but at least with the 1020 I could use a .DNG file and open it in lightroom to get natural colours, no such raw files on this phone exist, so you have to live with it.
The Mic performance on recording video is great, unlike with most Android Phones I've had in the past (including the S4) you're able to record loud noises like a concert. I turned up my sound system pretty high with the sub woofer going and it coped as well as Nokia which was amazing for concerts.
The video quality is fine too, the software stabilization works fine, I'm not a fan of OIS is mobiles, I never thought it worked well in the 1020 or HTC One, it always made the image into a watery or dreamy effect and recording on my bicycle was impossible as a result. Yes it is a bit less stable, but tbh so was my 1020, OIS worked poorly on it, though the HTC One it actually worked ok. I'm not missing OIS, all I'm saying, yes it works on dedicated cameras, you can shake them all you like and they cope, but no mobile has managed to perfect it yet.
So the camera is a mixed bag, I'm sure it can all be fixed with software, but I dunno how well Sony do on updates?
My only question really goes out to how well the screen protector Sony put on as designed hold up. It is THE major flaw really and I can see it frustrating a lot of people who do not know it comes with it as it scratches so easily. That reason alone is why I couldn't recommend it to women who shove their phone in their handbag, the phone wouldn't hold up. If you put a screen protector over it (one comes free with in the box) then it is fine, but I just think it is stupid to put a screen protector over a screen protector. There is no protective coating on the glass under either... which means you cannot simply just take it off.
Conclusion...
I love it, looks so premium, feels so premium, has the functionality of a 5inch + screened Android phone, it is the fastest phone I've ever used, Sony's software isn't bad or intrusive like TouchWiz or some other Android skins and the camera is potentially really good but needs a firmware update to fix auto mode.
I have pointed out bad points, but I could do that with any phone, I mean I couldn't stand Windows Phone and how it has no apps and no functionality. With this Z1 Compact I've mirror'd my phone to my TV effortlessly and without chromecast, I can just screen mirror and it works every time. This hasn't happened with any other phone I've used, I could never get it to work with my HTC which had it built in either.
I really think it is THE best iPhone alternative for people who don't want IOS and I think it is finally THE handset to buy for Android if you want a smaller device without all the internals being downgraded.
My favourite Android mobile ever!
I love the colour I chose too, it reminds me of the colour of an old Adidas watch I had in the 90s...
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/SkyForce6/Adidaswatch.jpg
The Yellowing Green one.
http://s15.postimg.org/c6ttrs2ij/IMG_7694.jpg
+ I've never liked Sony before, it is my first Sony experience when it comes to mobiles.

Added this to the resource thread!

Great review!

I want to add that the LED light on the camera bleeds into the pictures, so it is pretty much worthless, though I've never used led flash on a mobile for anything other than a torch, Xenon is the only thing worth it.
This is probably a hardware design fault tbh, maybe fixed with a replacement back that doesn't have a see-through layer that lets the light bounce to the side? I dunno.
I used semi-permanent marker fix around the rim of the camera and it stopped the light bleed into it from the LED. My guess is Sony will do a hardware refresh on this, so maybe hold out until they've done that.
I didn't realise the rear cover was the problem until I searched fro fixes, I guess I was right about the clear part leaking light from the LED into the camera.