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This is for owners only, if you don't have a Z dont rate it.
So guys, since a lot of people have received their Xperia Z, rate your Z
1- Poor
2- Average
3 -Good
4- Very Good
5- Excellent
Also justify your rating. You can add a mini review too. :good:
P.S. I have not included a poll as then all the trolls would vote which will make no sense.
SEFanX10i said:
This is for owners only, if you don't have a Z dont rate it.
So guys, since a lot of people have received their Xperia Z, rate your Z
1- Poor
2- Average
3 -Good
4- Very Good
5- Excellent
Also justify your rating. You can add a mini review too. :good:
P.S. I have not included a poll as then all the trolls would vote which will make no sense.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd rate mine excellent.
Its fast, slightly laggier than my Nexus 4, has better volume in headphones and better music quality too, camera is hit and miss but has the potential to be better than sgs3 camera. Speaker and ear piece could be clearer and louder, screen is not as good as Nexus 4 but is very crisp, just not as bright and a little more washed out. The Brava engine makes things a little too dark and too blue for my liking but I can live with it.
Overal an update to improve camera performance and possibly to add screen adjustments would be a welcome addition but overall I'm happier with it.than my Nexus. Now to compare it with One when that comes out as the one will.have much better speakers, a better screen and seems to have a much better design.
SEFanX10i said:
This is for owners only, if you don't have a Z dont rate it.
So guys, since a lot of people have received their Xperia Z, rate your Z
1- Poor
2- Average
3 -Good
4- Very Good
5- Excellent
Also justify your rating. You can add a mini review too. :good:
P.S. I have not included a poll as then all the trolls would vote which will make no sense.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
5 for sure!
coming from a xperia s its a big improvement!
the camera is awesome and music quality in AUX or headphones --- F'in Awesome!
the supplied headphones are rocking!
that was my justification
and it does not lag at all for me!
heats a bit but thats ohkay!
5
The only problem is the screen in bright sun.
But that is not a serious issue for me.
Sent from my C6602 using xda app-developers app
4 because of the battery melt like a butter
sorry to be politicaly right (as a sony funb) 4.5
I rate it 2
Plus : Very good materials und Body
Fast
Minus :
1-Screen very bad (not sharp)
2-Battery life is very bad
3-Sound quality ist a disaster
wait for S4
zakwak said:
I rate it 2
Plus : Very good materials und Body
Fast
Minus :
1-Screen very bad (not sharp)
2-Battery life is very bad
3-Sound quality ist a disaster
wait for S4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you don't have one do you?
I rate it 4 maybe 4.5
but best phone I ever had, but ergonomics could be better among other small things
zakwak said:
I rate it 2
Plus : Very good materials und Body
Fast
Minus :
1-Screen very bad (not sharp)
2-Battery life is very bad
3-Sound quality ist a disaster
wait for S4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
spot the samsung troll.
bet he doesn't even have a XZ!
samxool said:
spot the samsung troll.
bet he doesn't even have a XZ!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the Xperia Z but it does not mean that i have to rate it good, i just wrote my opinion about it , may you tell me how long you can let the screen on? it is like a monster, can you compare it with Note 2 ? no comparison at all !!!
zakwak said:
I have the Xperia Z but it does not mean that i have to rate it good, i just wrote my opinion about it , may you tell me how long you can let the screen on? it is like a monster, can you compare it with Note 2 ? no comparison at all !!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
of course the battery is not as good as the note 2, but than again my tablet has better battery life than the note 2.
Anyway saying that the screen is not sharp is total BS unless it is a languages problem and you are trying to say something else. Same go's for sound quality BTW
stefanve said:
of course the battery is not as good as the note 2, but than again my tablet has better battery life than the note 2.
Anyway saying that the screen is not sharp is total BS unless it is a languages problem and you are trying to say something else. Same go's for sound quality BTW
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I feel the Screen is washed out, is not Colourful like the Amoled ones especially if you do not look direkt to it , i like the device but i hoped to get something better !
Sony did a good job but not Perfect !!
zakwak said:
I feel the Screen is washed out, is not Colourful like the Amoled ones especially if you do not look direkt to it , i like the device but i hoped to get something better !
Sony did a good job but not Perfect !!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
aha okay that's something different than sharp yup coming from amoled every thing looks washed out, but Amoled has unnatural colors, so I think in some days, if you still use the z, you will come to appreciate the more natural color reproduction , your eyes have to get used to it.
5. Or perhaps 4.5 as the battery isn't the best, so rating it full marks would be a little unjust. But everything else is all I want in a phone. Zero complaints so far, only bags of joy!
So far I rate it 4.5. Not getting any lag, any of the battery drain issues some are reporting and screen colours more than adequate. Speaker position is arse but sound is okay for my use.
Just upgraded from an S2 and not missing it at all. Will be happier still when root without unlocked bootloader is achieved.
Had the phone since Friday morning, 3 out of 5 for me.
Good point:
Good camera, went to London zoo on Sunday. Took over 300 pictures with different settings and light conditions. Pictures are very good for a phone even with digital zoom.
Battery life is good on par with high end smartphones.
Example:
Left the house at 10:30,
In zoo between 11:30 to 18:00, taken over 300 pictures.
Using GPS for 30 mins navigate to restaurant on public transport while sorting photos during the journey.
Battery around 30% left in restaurant.
Sorting photos on the way home on the underground for 50mins.
Battery almost dead at home around 11pm.
Battery had 2 full cycles before visiting the zoo. Customized stamina and low battery mod was on. Brightness was on auto with max 75% using Lux.
Bad point:
Take away 1 point for the washed out screen.
No matter if it bothers users or not. The viewing angle is not good enough for a 2013 flagship device from a major company.
Take 0.5 point for build quality.
There is a small gap on the left hand side of the phone around nail width that is not present on the right hand side.
Normally this could be fine, but not for a water resistant phone (thinking send it back).
Speaker volume is too low to hear out and about.
WIFI is slow, around 10mpbs down, other devices between 22 to 30mbps down.
software -0.5 point:
There is no clear all apps in the multi task menu, which makes clear all apps very tedious.
No notification LED with stamina mode (can't wast that much battery)
Sent from my C6603 using xda app-developers app
First of all I am not a troll and certainly not a samsung one as samsung are crap end of that! For me the only real manufacturers of phones are HTC & SONY but that doesn't mean I am biased to those OEMs because If they do something stupid or make what I feel are wrong moves or no improvements then I am going to critisize it.
I haven't got an xperia z (my friend does though) but was going to get one until I saw the HTC one. I have had a chance to use the phone for a pre longed period of time
I would say maybe a 3.5 - 4
Plus sides:
Design/look
screen
Audio is good and loud enough, especially with beats solo or over head headphones.
camera is very good but does sometimes have a pinkish hue on things that are red
video audio is good
the UI and keyboard
internet speed
call quality/loudness is good
phone is generally smooth
able to take pics or record video or both, watch videos + take screen shots all when in a phone call (only other phones that can do this are HTC phones)
Minus sides:
while far better than xperia s/t after playing with it for a while it lacks the wow, that i gained when i first played with it
the edges are sharp
Some phones aswell have gaps between the screen and edge of the phone.
loud speaker is good only in quiet environments
videos can loose sharpness at times and I don't mean in low light I mean in the daytime and colours a bit off sometimes.
battery life isn't as good as I thought it was going to be (wasn't expecting anything note 2 like here, which would be stupid)
camera auto focus even in superior auto mode still has that nagging slow focusing at times
Overall it is a very good phone but not one I feel that is worth £500 or £500+.
Infact I don't think I have played with or had any phone that is worth over £400. Also if the rumours about the C670x are to be true and coming out in july, I feel that is a proper kick in the teeth for those who have actually just bought the phone for £500 or £500 plus because imo it means SONY feel that the xperia z isn't the best they could of offered to customers.
Also if this new phone does have a s600 processor, seeing as the HTC One has the same processor and is due out next week, sony could have delayed the Z a little an used a s600 processor.
Guys wait like 2 or 3 weeks to say battery life is bad.. It was the same with XS amd XU, battery life was bad first 2 - 3 weeks.
And the screen is sharp for me and everyone I know, so I don't really get the point of washed out. Colors may be different and viewing angle is not the best, but I don't think you can say it isn't sharp when just looking directly at it.
And one thing I'll probably never understand is why people complain about viewing angles lately, a phone is to be used by looking straight at the screen as far as I know. I really don't get it why one would look from an angle of even 50 or 60 degrees towards your phone.
I'd rate it 4/5
Good development support from Sony and I know some good stuff is coming with the 4.2.2 update
Sent from my C6603 using xda app-developers app
krabappel2548 said:
And one thing I'll probably never understand is why people complain about viewing angles lately, a phone is to be used by looking straight at the screen as far as I know. I really don't get it why one would look from an angle of even 50 or 60 degrees towards your phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For one thing, we like to compare our phone to other high end smartphones. So compared to other LCD phones such as iPhone, HTC One, and Nexus 4, the Z have the worst viewing angle.
For another, the screen start to wash out around 30 degrees. A 5 inch screen is big enough to be viewed by more than one person. For example, two people sitting next to each other and view photos on the phone will not see the exact same image as I found out yesterday.
The fact is the screen viewing angle is on a level of mid range phone and worse than other high end phones, which will be noticed by majority of users.
stefanve said:
aha okay that's something different than sharp yup coming from amoled every thing looks washed out, but Amoled has unnatural colors, so I think in some days, if you still use the z, you will come to appreciate the more natural color reproduction , your eyes have to get used to it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly, I feel that people are spoiled with amoled colors thinking they look good but do not consider the fact that they are unnatural colors and are way oversaturated.
I rate my XZ a 5 - Excellent!
Coming from the Galaxy Note N7000 this phone is a bit smaller but that's not a bad thing.
I'm also coming from an AMOLED screen but you don't hear my bichin about it. The people who are complaining should try doing these things themselves I bet they talk different then.
In the end you won't use the phone your whole life, every few years or so you will switch to another phone, so it doesn't really matter if the phone isn't perfect. Your live isn't perfect never will be, the same goes for the phones, there will always be something to "cry" about.
Hello!
Most of the time >on forums like XDA< people are talking about their issues and troubleshooting, making us - readers - feel like the device only has problems and forget about the good things it offers.
There are no or close to no posts about what people like about the phone. I don't blame anyone because it actualy makes no sense of opening a thread like "I like its screen. K thanx bye."
So lets make a thread and write only about the good things it offers and what you like about HTC One and why would you suggest this phone to public.
Try to keep this thread without trolling and discouraging people of buying this phone or pointing out what problems it has. I would like to ask any MOD to delete negative comments in this thread to make it clean and ON TOPIC.
Let me begin:
When I attended HTC Launch in München I fisrt held the device in my hands. The feeling was awesome, incredible, I was speechless about the design (I didn't like it at first) and it really is an awesome device.
Sound quality is outstanding. I compared front speakers to my HTC One X and I couldn't even hear my One X ..it was like speakers weren't playing on One X. I like the Music app finding lyrics for you automaticly. Everything is easy and just works.
Zoe is amazing. I thought it was something I would never use at first (I am more like point and shoot - still images) but than I looked closely - amazing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R08se6Xc9j0
It works like charm. No problems or whatsoever.
The screen of HTC One compared to my ONE X is like night and day. I always liked HTC One X screen but compared at full brightness really makes a difference.
https://twitter.com/miHah1/status/306137264126316544/photo/1 - a note - battery savings are set to reduce CPU only, leaving brightness at full.
So I already ordered it and can't wait the day it arrives!
What do you like about HTC One the most?
Hello,
I've went to Vodafone Romania in weekend and I could put my hands on HTC ONE. The first thing that left me speechless was the DISPLAY. The display is AMAZING, STUNNING ...no words for it. Is so crisp and everything is looking incredible. (My actually phone is iPhone 4S, which has a great display, but the one on HTC is simply brilliant).
Another thing that I really like is how you feel the phone in your hand.
thanks!
I'm so hooked on this phone, something about it just gets me more interested than any other phone has for quite a while (all the others seemed to just be standard upgrades - RAM, CPU, the works)
Then I saw the One, and the dual speakers, new camera tech and general design made me hooked immediately (Also, the IR Blaster was a nice touch)
So yeah, anxiously waiting for my phone
Re: The thing I like about HTC One the most is...
Can't wait to get the phone!!
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
I really like my One because:
- fantastic music production, on headphones and using the speakers
- fast UI, especially the use of folders
- build quality, feels and looks expensive
- screen clarity makes me use this device moew than any other I have owned
- good value, in the UK it comes with free cases OR headphones OR media link etc
I don't have mine yet. But I'm sure the one thing I'm going to like most about it will be the updates to Sense 5. As far as hardware goes, the whole thing is a monster. Extreme internals along with a strong outer shell.
I love this phone, I haven't been so happy with a phone since my old Galaxy S2, which was actually my first android phone. The hardware is superb, with probably the best design of any phone so far. It is nicely weighted, and doesn't feel cheap, yet it doesn't feel like lead in my pockets. The screen is a nice size and the PPI is fantastic, with extremely sharp text. A way it is improved from my Nexus 4 is that while they are both 4.7", the HTC One screen is slightly taller and less wide, which means more can fit vertically on the screen. The touch buttons are responsive and the screen lacks the stupid wide bezel seen on the iPhone 5. The back is curved nicely and many people have commented on how thin the phone is due to the thinness of the sides, not realising that actually the phone is thicker than others out there at the back. The speakers on the HTC are amazingly loud and clear, and wipe the floor with any other phone I have put them against. When Beats mode is turned off, they deteriorate badly, and I think HTC has done this on purpose to advertise the Beats brand as offering superior sound. The camera seems really good to me, and easily beats my Nexus 4 in ANY situation, with especially fantastic low light performance, and the macro detail is second to none. Landscapes and buildings don't fare so well though and more detail can be found in other phones with more megapixels, which do make a difference at range.
I like how the notification LED is nestled invisibly inside the speaker grill, and it flashes fast enough to be spotted well. I have only seen it light up red and green and don't think it is multicoloured. The software on the phone is elegant and much simpler than previous versions of Sense which I have seen running on the One X. The animations are fast, which helps make the phone even quicker than it is. The shutter lag on the camera is non-existant and photos are taken as soon as the button is pressed. The music player is excellent, and automatically downloads album photos, as well as a nice visualiser with automatic stylised lyrics. I love HTC Zoe, and have entertained many people with some of its creations. Call quality is good. Battery life seems amazing for me so far, I get 0%-1% drain when I sleep at night, and currently my phone is on 90% after 6 hours off charge and 1 hour screen on time. The phone seems to get warm when the screen is on max brightness, although this doesn't affect anything and it may just be my device. Overall, I think this phone is amazing and would easily recommend it over the Galaxy S4 due to the amazing build quality (a few people actually asked me what phone I had when out and about taking photos) and useful software which doesn't seem bloated at all and actually contains features I actually use on a daily basis. I got this phone for £489.99 which I think is a fantastic price.
I like the screen and form factor, smaller than the Xperia Z, and with a better screen...
Makes me sad that I've got both the Z and the M7, I think the only thing the Z will be good for is ripping blu-rays onto it for my commute (that SD card slot is sorely missed on the M7)
Build quality. It's about time someone makes build quality better than Apple or even just on par with them..
I'm waiting for mine, so I don't have one yet, but this is what I fell for:
- The beautiful design, especially on the silvery one
- Blinkfeed (sure that I will love it)
- Sense 5 (like very much the look of it)
- The display (seems very clear)
- That it has a FM radio
- That it has good sound quality
- Zoe (it will be fun to try that)
the Thing I like most about HTC One is .... the waiting
pre-ordered on expansys on february 23 and still status says -19 days
seriously , for a phone's pathological sick like me the waiting is the best moment. even maybe HTC is extending my enjoyng a bit too much
Hi,
i like my htc one, cuz of this:
Sense 5 - fast and really nice
Sense Music Player - this lyric integration is awesome
speakers and microfon - great for music, videos and recording media
build quality and design - i've got an well made one
power - i can play every hd game i own lagfree :laugh:
What I like about the HTC One:
-The Screen quality
-The PPI
-The dual front facing stereo speakers (and their sound quality)
-The design
-The premium materials used (actually looks like the phone costs)
-The UI and it's smoothness (Sense 5)
-The wide angle front facing camera
-The video recording quality
-The low light picture quality
-The in-call quality
-The dual membrane microphones (audio recording quality)
-The IR LED
-The FM Radio
-Sequence shot
-Zoe
Personally though, I'll be waiting for the Nexus 5 despite how nice the S4 and HTC One are.
The main reasons I am going for the HTC One instead of the Z/S4 are:
- It's design and build quality especially
- The front facing, dual speakers (boomsound)
- 1080p SLCD3 display
- Perfect performance (S600 chipset)
- UltraPixel camera (yes, after everything I have read/seen, I am very curious to use it myself)
It's just a very, very nice overall package. The fantastic reviews also help. I have seen websites (like pocketnow and technobuffalo) give their highest scores ever to a smartphone. After listning to some podcasts from Pocketnow I also understand why. It's just a joy too use, and since I have seen multiple websites say this, I believe them.
On the other hand, my choice to go for the One is also made simpler by the alternatives. I had the Xperia Z: it looks good, but it's a pain to use ergonomicly. The GS4 looks like my GS3, so no "wow" looks, but ergonomicly it's nice. The One brings both good looks, fantastic build quality and an ergonomic design.
Then there are the "last year" - specs for the Z (S4 Pro chipset) and the pretty washed out screen. The GS4 has the best specs, but it's only a tiny bit better then the One. And the much better looking and feeling design of the One is worth so much more.
EDIT: I forgot to mention the small reasons I'm going for the One (copy/paste from the sir above me)
-The wide angle front facing camera
-The video recording quality
-The sound quality of your recorded video
-The low light picture quality
-The in-call quality
-The IR LED
-Sequence shot
-Zoe
-Highlight reels
What i like the most
Its gonne replace my galaxy s3(wich i love also) so what i like most about the htc one:
-Great design and built quality
-great sound from the front speakers
-great sound from the delivered headphones
-The best recording mic from all the phones out there
-great low light performance
-The ir blaster(remote control)
-the best screen out there...
-Zoe
-The in-call quality
-Sequence shot
-The wide angle front facing camera
-great recording cam
-Great movie and gaming experience because of the stereo speakers upfront..
So i cant wait any longer till it arrives.....
So, mine arrives tomorrow - I bought before ever seeing one in the flesh just on the design! (currently on Nexus4) but I played with my my sisters new HTC One today.
I have a Macbook Pro and Imac that I use for business and home. The One looks STUNNING alongside these products. It fits in better with my unibody mac more than an Iphone ever would! The build, design, in your hand is AMAZING before I even turned the screen on I was sold.
Turn the screen on... Sold again. WOW clarity, colours, its amazingly sharp.
Camera - Super fast, Super good.
General performance is super snappy, I was planning on rooting and putting stock straight on, now I wont.
Speakers - Best I have ever heard on a mobile device of its size and thickness.
My Beats Mixr headphones sound even better than through my Nexus4.
HTC One = WIN - very premium
Goodnight for all. What about charging time ? It take 3 hours on my one x. Some games(real racing 3, hungry shark evo..) drains battery too fast. I'll recharge my onex to play continue my games but it takes too long. Thanks.
I like my HTC One because:
Best speakers I have ever had on a phone
In-call sound quality very good too
Reliable and quick GPS
Speed and smoothness in transition across screens and in browsing
Sharp, bright screen - unrivalled ppi ratio
Blinkfeed integrated feed - quicker to access than Flipboard and includes calendar/agenda
Build quality is very good
Battery can last a day without issue (though my z10 and note 2 do a bit more)
USING: BB Z10, HTC ONE and GALAXY NOTE 2
uygar2580 said:
Goodnight for all. What about charging time ? It take 3 hours on my one x. Some games(real racing 3, hungry shark evo..) drains battery too fast. I'll recharge my onex to play continue my games but it takes too long. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pocketnow tested the charging time, because they thought the Snapdragon 600 chipset supported Quickcharge 2.0 (which would cut charging times up to 75%). They said it was an avarage 2 hours to go from 0 to 100% though. I did some research and I think only the S800 chipset will support this Quickcharge 2.0 technology.
Sadly.. it would have been great to go from 0 to 100% in 30-45 minutes
AW: Things I like most about HTC One are...
3 hours and via USB about 4h. Thats slow, but battery life is good enough.
Gesendet von meinem HTC One mit Tapatalk 2
I've posted this before on the Xperia Z reviews thread, however, I've been reading lots of posts about the Xperia Z vs the HTC One and I'd thought I'd share my opinions on the Xperia Z and why I chose it instead of the HTC One. I've modified some information in the review to tell you more about why I chose the Z. The original can be found here: [http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=40061336#post40061336]
My Honest Sony Xperia Z Review
Why I Chose The Xperia Z
I had the Xperia Z for a month or so and I'm ready to make my review on it. I was up for an upgrade last month(March) and was browsing through phones that may appeal to me. I am coming from an iPhone 5. In the end, there were only 3 phones that caught my eye. The Xperia Z, the HTC One and the HTC Butterfly, or Droid DNA in the USA. The Butterfly was the first to go as it lacked LTE and NFC. The Xperia Z and the HTC One remained. Luckily, I found a HTC One demo unit in one of the Carriers, Singtel(Plaza Singapura if any fellow Singaporeans wanna check it out). Well hidden in a corner, I should say and it was the Black one. At the same time, The Xperia Z just launched like, 2 days ago(At that time). Picking up the HTC One, I realized how solid it feels, and boy, premium was written all over it. I turned it on and played around with the software. It was good, lag-free and looks great. I tried the camera and I have to say it was horrible. No joke. It was not clear and most details looks fuzzy. Maybe thats just me, but it really looks not on par with phone cameras these days. Sense 5.0 was alright, it was clean and fresh from the previous Sense versions. BlinkFeed was just a Flipboard like widget on the homescreen. Sense 5.0 does looks nice, but it was not for me. I am also afraid of the build of the phone. I am a careless person. I have to admit. My iPhone 5 was covered in scuffs and dents all over the place. Having the full aluminium body makes me shudder every time I imagine dropping it. Wanted to know more but the HTC rep was nowhere to be seen. Next, I went to the Xperia Z demo unit. The Sony Xperia rep there gave me a run through on the specs and features. I was actually pretty impressed and excited by the fact I could take my phone to the shower and use it while showering. To me, what it means by having a good phone is having a good experience. When I picked up the phone, I immediately realized how realistic the colors looked when playing video and viewing images. Outside of that, it looked rather dark. The design was sexy. REALLY sexy. It felt extremely good in the hand and is durable. VERY durable. Dropped it a few times and not a scratch. The thing that closed the deal was the UI. I like the stock UI. In fact, I love it. The Xperia Z's UI is extremely close to stock. The Nexus 4 is not available here, so it was out of the question. The UI is neat, smooth and looked fabulous. Unlike HTC's Sense 5.0, which is an extremely heavy skin and does not appeal to me. With the water resistance, it was clear which is the phone for me. I hope after reading my review, you'll know which phone to get. We are all brothers here at XDA Developers and I hope that whichever phone we use, we may contribute to the developer community and not flame each other because of our personal preferences. XDA Developers is a place for developers, by developers. Lets not let our choice of phone affect that.
The Beauty Meets The Beast
The Xperia Z packs a SnapDragon S4 Pro Quad-core 1.5 GHz Krait processor, Adreno 320 GPU and runs Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean. It sports an all glass design, similar to the iPhone 4 and 4S. The Xperia Z has excellent build quality and looks absolutely fantastic. The ports are covered by flaps, which may prove to be an annoyance for some but with good purpose. The most prominent feature of the Xperia Z is probably the on/off button. Its large, and ridiculously well placed. It stands where the thumb rests on the phone, or the index finger if you're using your left hand and is incredibly convenient to press compared to the stretch you'd have to make on other phones. Below that is the volume rocker, also easy to access when needed. The speakers are indeed placed in a horrible position, as its easy to mute with your palm unintentionally but its not an issue for me as I use my phone with my left hand.
Overall, the design turns heads and the hardware don't fail to deliver. Feels solid in the hand, BUT might be a problem for people with small hands as it may cut into it and make it uncomfortable. Very, very impressive Sony.
User Interface
Sony's UI is probably the closes you can get to stock android, and I love it. It's simple, nothing fancy and neat, although, I'd like a Black theme rather then the Grey. There are some UI lags here and there though. The lack of Android 4.2.2 also disappoints me a little but its coming, and I'll wait for it. After all, Good things come to those who wait.
Performance Powerhouse
Lag is a thing of the past with the SnapDragon S4 Pro as everything is buttery smooth, with minor UI lags here and there. Problem solved with one of the launchers. I've also noticed a little waiting time when launching the camera. Games run smoothly and without issue, not to mention looks AWESOME on the Full HD display. Although, I'd prefer to see the SnapDragon 600 on the Xperia Z as a future proof maneuver as games get increasingly power hungry.
Camera, Video and Screen
Video playback is amazing on the Xperia Z, as a result of the Full HD 1080p screen. Words are crisp and I rarely see any pixels other then low-res images. The Camera doesn't disappoint either with a 13MP back camera and a 2.1MP front facing camera. Both camera film 1080p videos as well so vlogging on the phone will definitely be great. However, I did notice that the colors are not on par with other phones and look rather dark. The Bravia Mobile Engine 2 does help and actually make the colors extremely realistic, but only when viewing images and videos. Low contrast ratio here doesn't help either. Had no issue using the phone in daylight. The viewing angles are GREAT. Only having some colors being washed out, I don't see any issue with viewing angles. Even if there is an issue with viewing angles, who cares? Nobody, NOBODY uses their phones 90 degrees unless you're a total idiot.
Connectivity
No issues here. LTE, NFC. What else could you ask for? Have to say though, kudos to Sony on having a campaign on promoting NFC usage and even launching new TVs with NFC compatibility. Wi-Fi is great, only had issue when it keeps dropping on free public Wi-Fi access points. But hey, free Wi-Fi, who knows. No issues with the Wi-Fi at home.
Its Music To My Ears
I listen to music. A lot. Everyday to and fro school, when travelling, heck, even when I'm bored. The bundled headset, The MH-EX300AP is AWESOME in providing high quality sounds. Sony also has ClearAudio+, which is like Beats Audio on the HTC, makes the experience all the more awesome. You can say its like having an orgasm in your ears. Eargasm if i may.
Speaker & Microphone Quality
The speaker, is actually quite the disappointment as number one, its placed in a horrible position. Next, its not as loud as I'd like it to be. There's xLoud, but it sacrifices quality for volume. Considering the quality without xLoud, I'd rather have it disabled. Lastly, as said before, the quality isn't all that great. However, I got the NFC Wireless Speaker, The SRS-BTV5 for free, which solves all the above issues, thus no complaints from me. But its kinda inconvenient to carry a speaker around with you all the time, so yeah. It is an issue.
Call quality is great, however. I can hear the other party clearly and they can hear me clearly too. No issues with dropped calls.
The Xperia Z Runs Far, With Great Stamina
I start my day at 4:30AM and end at 6PM. With 80% battery left. Stamina mode is no gimmick, it really does help with the battery life. Awesome battery life. If the screen is mostly off that is, which is usually the case. I find that if LTE is enabled, battery drains extremely fast, which makes me resort to using HSPA+, which isn't that all bad in my country. HSPA+ use nearly 3 times as less battery then LTE on my set. Location Based Wi-Fi is AWESOME. Its really cool to have your Wi-Fi turn off automatically when you leave the house and turns on then you're back. Not to mention the convenience. The phone will probably last me 2 days or so, but I still charge it every night anyway. Don't we all do?
Prepared For Accidents
The Xperia Z is IP57 certified - dust and water resistant with water resistant up to 1 meter and 30 minutes. Let's be honest here. We all had times where we wished we could take our phones into the shower or bathtub. That wish is now fulfilled. I take the Xperia Z into the shower with me everyday and text or watch YouTube videos while showering. When the phone is dirty? No sweat. Rinse it under washing water. Now you also do not have to worry about dropping your phone into the water or bring it camping in the desert(whatever the reason LOL). Plus, you can wow your friends or freak your parents out by pouring water on the phone or dunk it into a glass of water. Heck, even take it swimming. Be careful about salt water though, Sony does not recommend dunking it in salt water. With Wet Finger Tracking technology, you don't have to dry your hands to use your phone, although it does get a little jumpy at times. The phone is also quite durable as I've dropped the phone a few time and there's not a scratch. That a plus as I'm usually very careless.
Take note that the phone disables touch input while underwater so, no texting while swimming.
Conclusion
The Sony Xperia Z is a great phone. Its not for everybody, and it has it's fair shares of ups and downs. I am throughly satisfied with it and do not regret not waiting for the Samsung Galaxy S4 or the HTC One. Its great for the average user and is definitely good enough for me. The water and dust resistance is not necessary but its nice to have. Its smooth, provide great music listening, plays games like a champ. I would recommend it to anybody, but hey, its your call. You have the decision to which phone is right for you and nobody can force you to take the Xperia Z or any phone for the matter. For me, I made my choice, and I have no regrets whatsoever.
Therefore, I dare say: I'M A PROUD SONY XPERIA Z OWNER
Thank you for taking your precious time to read my review. I'm still a noob, and I hope I may be more useful to the developer community here.
P.s Feedback on my review?
Thanks for your input. I suggest you take a look at the AnandTech review of the HTC One and you'll find the camera is excellent, if not the best available. I really like my Z but I find it unrealistic to say the camera is better if Sony doesn't fix the extreme post-processing. In low-light conditions the One wins hands down. Not so weird with optical image stabilization and pixels that are twice as big.
I'd suggest taking a picture (in auto mode) of a tree or bush at lets say 2-3 meters distance and then look at the picture at 100%. You'll see it's smeared out. Funny thing is, try the same in burst and you'll see it looks MUCH better.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2221246
Great review. I agree with most parts.
Only issues for me with Z, which are a real shame to me, are the mic and ear piece speakers which do not provide the best call clarity, callers and myself experience weird overprocessed sound and issues when on calls, but they are minor, and the waterproofing accounts for this I imagine.
The only other issue for me, which again is a big shame considering the phone is made by Sony, is the music quality.
The music through the earphones is far too quiet, and the quality leaves a lot to be desired.
Say what you will about Beats audio on HTC phones, but the HTC One X beats the Z into the ground on volume and sound quality.
One X has no distortion at volume levels twice that of the Z! Max volume on the Z is around 30% too quiet, and the sound quality
is a little underwhelming, with the EQ having a strange volume limiting effect on walkman player.
Aside from those, and the little lags on the phone, which occur not only in the launcher, but also in the UI such as apps and settings menu's etc, the phone is great.
Knowing me, I will love the Z for a while, but then the little issues will grow louder and louder until deafening and i'll have to go off again in search of greener pastures.
HTC One is looking good, barring the sub standard camera.
I wasn't interested in the One, till I saw on in the shop yesterday, compared the speed (which is lag free and superfast), and a HD movie on Youtube side by side with my Z and was left open mouthed at how much better the One was in those departments.
Great review ! Some of things i don't understand ( and i've seen this a couple of times already ) are :
1. If you don't like the UI of any android phone there are Launchers . I , for example , don't like the sony launcher . No problem , i went with Nova launcher wich is as closest to stock as I can get. I'm sure you could have done the same on the One.
2.It's an open comunity => I flashed mine with Purexaudio mod and now my loudspeaker is too damn loud on max haha ! ( no bootloader unlocked , just rooted )
_JT said:
Thanks for your input. I suggest you take a look at the AnandTech review of the HTC One and you'll find the camera is excellent, if not the best available. I really like my Z but I find it unrealistic to say the camera is better if Sony doesn't fix the extreme post-processing. In low-light conditions the One wins hands down. Not so weird with optical image stabilization and pixels that are twice as big.
I'd suggest taking a picture (in auto mode) of a tree or bush at lets say 2-3 meters distance and then look at the picture at 100%. You'll see it's smeared out. Funny thing is, try the same in burst and you'll see it looks MUCH better.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2221246
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would have to say the Z has excellent low light capabilities when flash is not required. I am not impressed with HTC one camera or samples at all and have read reviews that rubbish the HTC One camera.
As for burst mode, I have never ever been able to get anything buy a noisy image out of it, and it offers zero improvement in clarity. Interestingly, my pics are generally pin sharp when HDR is off.
The HTC One blurs trees in the distance though.
Thanks for that. I am deciding between the One and Z, and slightly leaning towards the Z at the moment. I do like HTC and Sense UI but then I like what Sony has done too. The Zoe features on the One do look good, but I am sure I could find alternative apps to do similar things, albeit not integrated like on the One.
I do like to flash different ROMs my phones so I guess it might come down to what has the biggest development support.
L0cke said:
Thanks for that. I am deciding between the One and Z, and slightly leaning towards the Z at the moment. I do like HTC and Sense UI but then I like what Sony has done too. The Zoe features on the One do look good, but I am sure I could find alternative apps to do similar things, albeit not integrated like on the One.
I do like to flash different ROMs my phones so I guess it might come down to what has the biggest development support.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm... Then I would recommend the Xperia Z. Its bootloader is easily unlockable. But if you prefer the HTC One, there's the Developer edition that ships with the bootloader unlocked, but its not on contract, so you might have to pay more as there are no Carrier subsidies.
biffsmash said:
I would have to say the Z has excellent low light capabilities when flash is not required. I am not impressed with HTC one camera or samples at all and have read reviews that rubbish the HTC One camera.
As for burst mode, I have never ever been able to get anything buy a noisy image out of it, and it offers zero improvement in clarity. Interestingly, my pics are generally pin sharp when HDR is off.
The HTC One blurs trees in the distance though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly! When I take an image with the HTC One, details that are in the background isn't very clear and is noisy. Glad to see that someone has the same opinion as me. As for the Xperia Z, I usually use it in Superior Auto and under 9MP. Images are very clear while burst mode are just blurry images.
fookea said:
Great review ! Some of things i don't understand ( and i've seen this a couple of times already ) are :
1. If you don't like the UI of any android phone there are Launchers . I , for example , don't like the sony launcher . No problem , i went with Nova launcher wich is as closest to stock as I can get. I'm sure you could have done the same on the One.
2.It's an open comunity => I flashed mine with Purexaudio mod and now my loudspeaker is too damn loud on max haha ! ( no bootloader unlocked , just rooted )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True, but then again, whats the point of buying the particular brand or model then? Why not go for the one that has the best specs. Just my 2 cents.
Gonna try Purexaudio. Thanks
biffsmash said:
Great review. I agree with most parts.
Only issues for me with Z, which are a real shame to me, are the mic and ear piece speakers which do not provide the best call clarity, callers and myself experience weird overprocessed sound and issues when on calls, but they are minor, and the waterproofing accounts for this I imagine.
The only other issue for me, which again is a big shame considering the phone is made by Sony, is the music quality.
The music through the earphones is far too quiet, and the quality leaves a lot to be desired.
Say what you will about Beats audio on HTC phones, but the HTC One X beats the Z into the ground on volume and sound quality.
One X has no distortion at volume levels twice that of the Z! Max volume on the Z is around 30% too quiet, and the sound quality
is a little underwhelming, with the EQ having a strange volume limiting effect on walkman player.
Aside from those, and the little lags on the phone, which occur not only in the launcher, but also in the UI such as apps and settings menu's etc, the phone is great.
Knowing me, I will love the Z for a while, but then the little issues will grow louder and louder until deafening and i'll have to go off again in search of greener pastures.
HTC One is looking good, barring the sub standard camera.
I wasn't interested in the One, till I saw on in the shop yesterday, compared the speed (which is lag free and superfast), and a HD movie on Youtube side by side with my Z and was left open mouthed at how much better the One was in those departments.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The mic and speakers are alright to me though. Maybe its just me. About the earphones, yeah, they are kinda soft, but loud enough for me. They output the same volume level as I had set before on the iPhone 5 when I was using it. I don't really like my music loud. About Beats Audio, I did not say anything bad about it? I was trying to explain that the ClearAudio+ is similar to Beats Audio on HTC phones that is just a setting that you enable/disable. Don't get me wrong, Beats audio is great. I agree with the little UI lags on the Xperia Z. Its kinda irritating? I don't know. But it does annoy me a little. About the HTC One, yes, its a fast phone, but Sense 5.0 is not for me and no, I won't use launchers. Period. The screen is better? I don't know. Thats what reviews and people that own it say. It actually doesn't matter to me, at least. As long as the screen looks great, who cares if there are other better ones out there. I like my Xperia Z screen just fine, thank you. Call me dumb, but this is just my opinion. And the above is YOUR opinion, and I respect that. Everyone have different views on different phones.
Thanks for letting me know what you think
_JT said:
Thanks for your input. I suggest you take a look at the AnandTech review of the HTC One and you'll find the camera is excellent, if not the best available. I really like my Z but I find it unrealistic to say the camera is better if Sony doesn't fix the extreme post-processing. In low-light conditions the One wins hands down. Not so weird with optical image stabilization and pixels that are twice as big.
I'd suggest taking a picture (in auto mode) of a tree or bush at lets say 2-3 meters distance and then look at the picture at 100%. You'll see it's smeared out. Funny thing is, try the same in burst and you'll see it looks MUCH better.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2221246
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm... Sure, I'll have a look. In my experience, I find the Xperia Z camera to be better then the HTC One. The Xperia Z takes great pictures. Details are present even far in the background, unlike the HTC One, which is just a fuzzy mess. Maybe its the particular model that I tried out. I'm just content with my Xperia Z camera now. Thanks for sharing your view
Great reviews. I like sony smartphone's special interface very much, and as well as its music. But I just want to experience the Ultrapixel camera of HTC One.
Good review. I did a similar SWOT analysis between the HTC One, the Sony Xperia Z and the HTC Butterfly and finally bought the Xperia Z. Here's the link for those who'd like to see and decide (or comment).
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2171584
Dead cookies leave no trails...
I am wondering how many people here that say their pictures with the HTC One looks worse actually own the device and have tested it extensively instead of just a quick pic in the store.
biffsmash said:
I would have to say the Z has excellent low light capabilities when flash is not required. I am not impressed with HTC one camera or samples at all and have read reviews that rubbish the HTC One camera.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe this is interesting to see: http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_one_software_update_improves_camera_performance-news-5759.php
biffsmash said:
The only other issue for me, which again is a big shame considering the phone is made by Sony, is the music quality.
The music through the earphones is far too quiet, and the quality leaves a lot to be desired.
Say what you will about Beats audio on HTC phones, but the HTC One X beats the Z into the ground on volume and sound quality.
One X has no distortion at volume levels twice that of the Z! Max volume on the Z is around 30% too quiet, and the sound quality
is a little underwhelming, with the EQ having a strange volume limiting effect on walkman player.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I totally disagree on this point. The quality I've heard from the XZ surpasses every phone (In my opinion) If you're having some issues regarding the sound try out the sound mods in the dev section.
About the volume itself: I'm biking each day to work with music on (earpiece) and most of the times I don't even come near the 75% mark of volume and even then i hear everything perfect. So that's while the wind is blowing in/over my ear. I've heard some more people complain about the volume itself, each time I read it, I ask myself: What have these people been doing to their ears that they find the sound too low, or either you're all 60+ (No offense).
So if you haven't tried any of the sound mods, I'd say do so, it might change your mind. Each and every day I'm amazed about the sound quality.
Sounds mods (require root):
[SOUNDMOD] PureXAudio v10.1
AC!D Audio Engine v2
Dsteppa said:
I totally disagree on this point. The quality I've heard from the XZ surpasses every phone (In my opinion) If you're having some issues regarding the sound try out the sound mods in the dev section.
About the volume itself: I'm biking each day to work with music on (earpiece) and most of the times I don't even come near the 75% mark of volume and even then i hear everything perfect. So that's while the wind is blowing in/over my ear. I've heard some more people complain about the volume itself, each time I read it, I ask myself: What have these people been doing to their ears that they find the sound too low, or either you're all 60+ (No offense).
So if you haven't tried any of the sound mods, I'd say do so, it might change your mind. Each and every day I'm amazed about the sound quality.
Sounds mods (require root):
[SOUNDMOD] PureXAudio v10.1
AC!D Audio Engine v2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After your and biffsmash posts I got curious. Quickly tried my Jamo in-ears and AKG DJ619. Result: Jamo's were VERY loud and max volume on the AKG was just about enough, really wouldn't want any louder than that. Not sure wether I heard distortion but this was streamed, need to listen to good quality recordings first before I can judge sound quality. From what I can remember from my HOX it wasn't really louder.
Dannyada1988 said:
Great reviews. I like sony smartphone's special interface very much, and as well as its music. But I just want to experience the Ultrapixel camera of HTC One.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Be sure to drop by your local Carrier retail store to check it out!
Cookie Ninja said:
Good review. I did a similar SWOT analysis between the HTC One, the Sony Xperia Z and the HTC Butterfly and finally bought the Xperia Z. Here's the link for those who'd like to see and decide (or comment).
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2171584
Dead cookies leave no trails...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! I'll take a look at your post as well.
_JT said:
I am wondering how many people here that say their pictures with the HTC One looks worse actually own the device and have tested it extensively instead of just a quick pic in the store.
Maybe this is interesting to see: http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_one_software_update_improves_camera_performance-news-5759.php
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is good to hear for HTC One users and potential owners. Its actually pretty bad. I spent 30mins at the store checking it out. But that's before the update though. Maybe its much better now
Well I am using Xperia Z for 4-5 day's now.. It's really beautiful phone and if I can say - something different for me..
After years of using Galaxy ( S, S2, S3, Note 2) I decided to switch to Sony for the first time.. Some things are different, but I was able to do those simple things root/CWM.. (And that all I know how to do, but again those are most important things for me).. I don't want to play with those bootloaders because I don't know what it's doing and I can f..k up my phone - so no ROM's for me now..
What I don't like about phone (or where I am little disappointed) :
SOUND is too low on max volume.. On my Galaxy I could never put it on max volume.. Here on max volume is just - pfff... weak..
(Headphones which come with phone - REALLY STUPID not having volume up/down, so you have to take your phone every time when you want to change volume.. That cord on right earphone sooo long, on the left so short - annoying... )
CAMERA - I did't use it for this couple of day's - but I was looking here on XDA thread with Xpera Z images/photos... VERY disappointing.. Photos are just NOT SHARP at all.. Only thing that I am hoping for is that Sony will fix that with some software update.. Because you can't tell me that one SONY whose sensor has been used by so many other phones - can't make its camera perfect (at least better than competition)..
Those are things for now that I can see.. But as I said I am using this phone only for couple of days now - will see..
_JT said:
Maybe this is interesting to see: http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_one_software_update_improves_camera_performance-news-5759.php
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Might wanna look at this
http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_one_vs_xperia_z-review-917p9.php
Winner: Sony Xperia Z. The color rendering and HDR could have been better, but if Sony tweaks its image processing algorithms, the Xperia Z can put out some pretty good shots. Even as things stand now though, it has an advantage over the HTC One.
The HTC One enjoys a wider FoV, better color accuracy HDR, but the low 4MP resolution limits the resolved detail and image noise eats further into it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
PokerFaze said:
I've posted this before on the Xperia Z reviews thread, however, I've been reading lots of posts about the Xperia Z vs the HTC One and I'd thought I'd share my opinions on the Xperia Z and why I chose it instead of the HTC One. I've modified some information in the review to tell you more about why I chose the Z. The original can be found here: [http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=40061336#post40061336]
My Honest Sony Xperia Z Review
Why I Chose The Xperia Z
I had the Xperia Z for a month or so and I'm ready to make my review on it. I was up for an upgrade last month(March) and was browsing through phones that may appeal to me. I am coming from an iPhone 5. In the end, there were only 3 phones that caught my eye. The Xperia Z, the HTC One and the HTC Butterfly, or Droid DNA in the USA. The Butterfly was the first to go as it lacked LTE and NFC. The Xperia Z and the HTC One remained. Luckily, I found a HTC One demo unit in one of the Carriers, Singtel(Plaza Singapura if any fellow Singaporeans wanna check it out). Well hidden in a corner, I should say and it was the Black one. At the same time, The Xperia Z just launched like, 2 days ago(At that time). Picking up the HTC One, I realized how solid it feels, and boy, premium was written all over it. I turned it on and played around with the software. It was good, lag-free and looks great. I tried the camera and I have to say it was horrible. No joke. It was not clear and most details looks fuzzy. Maybe thats just me, but it really looks not on par with phone cameras these days. Sense 5.0 was alright, it was clean and fresh from the previous Sense versions. BlinkFeed was just a Flipboard like widget on the homescreen. Sense 5.0 does looks nice, but it was not for me. I am also afraid of the build of the phone. I am a careless person. I have to admit. My iPhone 5 was covered in scuffs and dents all over the place. Having the full aluminium body makes me shudder every time I imagine dropping it. Wanted to know more but the HTC rep was nowhere to be seen. Next, I went to the Xperia Z demo unit. The Sony Xperia rep there gave me a run through on the specs and features. I was actually pretty impressed and excited by the fact I could take my phone to the shower and use it while showering. To me, what it means by having a good phone is having a good experience. When I picked up the phone, I immediately realized how realistic the colors looked when playing video and viewing images. Outside of that, it looked rather dark. The design was sexy. REALLY sexy. It felt extremely good in the hand and is durable. VERY durable. Dropped it a few times and not a scratch. The thing that closed the deal was the UI. I like the stock UI. In fact, I love it. The Xperia Z's UI is extremely close to stock. The Nexus 4 is not available here, so it was out of the question. The UI is neat, smooth and looked fabulous. Unlike HTC's Sense 5.0, which is an extremely heavy skin and does not appeal to me. With the water resistance, it was clear which is the phone for me. I hope after reading my review, you'll know which phone to get. We are all brothers here at XDA Developers and I hope that whichever phone we use, we may contribute to the developer community and not flame each other because of our personal preferences. XDA Developers is a place for developers, by developers. Lets not let our choice of phone affect that.
The Beauty Meets The Beast
The Xperia Z packs a SnapDragon S4 Pro Quad-core 1.5 GHz Krait processor, Adreno 320 GPU and runs Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean. It sports an all glass design, similar to the iPhone 4 and 4S. The Xperia Z has excellent build quality and looks absolutely fantastic. The ports are covered by flaps, which may prove to be an annoyance for some but with good purpose. The most prominent feature of the Xperia Z is probably the on/off button. Its large, and ridiculously well placed. It stands where the thumb rests on the phone, or the index finger if you're using your left hand and is incredibly convenient to press compared to the stretch you'd have to make on other phones. Below that is the volume rocker, also easy to access when needed. The speakers are indeed placed in a horrible position, as its easy to mute with your palm unintentionally but its not an issue for me as I use my phone with my left hand.
Overall, the design turns heads and the hardware don't fail to deliver. Feels solid in the hand, BUT might be a problem for people with small hands as it may cut into it and make it uncomfortable. Very, very impressive Sony.
User Interface
Sony's UI is probably the closes you can get to stock android, and I love it. It's simple, nothing fancy and neat, although, I'd like a Black theme rather then the Grey. There are some UI lags here and there though. The lack of Android 4.2.2 also disappoints me a little but its coming, and I'll wait for it. After all, Good things come to those who wait.
Performance Powerhouse
Lag is a thing of the past with the SnapDragon S4 Pro as everything is buttery smooth, with minor UI lags here and there. Problem solved with one of the launchers. I've also noticed a little waiting time when launching the camera. Games run smoothly and without issue, not to mention looks AWESOME on the Full HD display. Although, I'd prefer to see the SnapDragon 600 on the Xperia Z as a future proof maneuver as games get increasingly power hungry.
Camera, Video and Screen
Video playback is amazing on the Xperia Z, as a result of the Full HD 1080p screen. Words are crisp and I rarely see any pixels other then low-res images. The Camera doesn't disappoint either with a 13MP back camera and a 2.1MP front facing camera. Both camera film 1080p videos as well so vlogging on the phone will definitely be great. However, I did notice that the colors are not on par with other phones and look rather dark. The Bravia Mobile Engine 2 does help and actually make the colors extremely realistic, but only when viewing images and videos. Low contrast ratio here doesn't help either. Had no issue using the phone in daylight. The viewing angles are GREAT. Only having some colors being washed out, I don't see any issue with viewing angles. Even if there is an issue with viewing angles, who cares? Nobody, NOBODY uses their phones 90 degrees unless you're a total idiot.
Connectivity
No issues here. LTE, NFC. What else could you ask for? Have to say though, kudos to Sony on having a campaign on promoting NFC usage and even launching new TVs with NFC compatibility. Wi-Fi is great, only had issue when it keeps dropping on free public Wi-Fi access points. But hey, free Wi-Fi, who knows. No issues with the Wi-Fi at home.
Its Music To My Ears
I listen to music. A lot. Everyday to and fro school, when travelling, heck, even when I'm bored. The bundled headset, The MH-EX300AP is AWESOME in providing high quality sounds. Sony also has ClearAudio+, which is like Beats Audio on the HTC, makes the experience all the more awesome. You can say its like having an orgasm in your ears. Eargasm if i may.
Speaker & Microphone Quality
The speaker, is actually quite the disappointment as number one, its placed in a horrible position. Next, its not as loud as I'd like it to be. There's xLoud, but it sacrifices quality for volume. Considering the quality without xLoud, I'd rather have it disabled. Lastly, as said before, the quality isn't all that great. However, I got the NFC Wireless Speaker, The SRS-BTV5 for free, which solves all the above issues, thus no complaints from me. But its kinda inconvenient to carry a speaker around with you all the time, so yeah. It is an issue.
Call quality is great, however. I can hear the other party clearly and they can hear me clearly too. No issues with dropped calls.
The Xperia Z Runs Far, With Great Stamina
I start my day at 4:30AM and end at 6PM. With 80% battery left. Stamina mode is no gimmick, it really does help with the battery life. Awesome battery life. If the screen is mostly off that is, which is usually the case. I find that if LTE is enabled, battery drains extremely fast, which makes me resort to using HSPA+, which isn't that all bad in my country. HSPA+ use nearly 3 times as less battery then LTE on my set. Location Based Wi-Fi is AWESOME. Its really cool to have your Wi-Fi turn off automatically when you leave the house and turns on then you're back. Not to mention the convenience. The phone will probably last me 2 days or so, but I still charge it every night anyway. Don't we all do?
Prepared For Accidents
The Xperia Z is IP57 certified - dust and water resistant with water resistant up to 1 meter and 30 minutes. Let's be honest here. We all had times where we wished we could take our phones into the shower or bathtub. That wish is now fulfilled. I take the Xperia Z into the shower with me everyday and text or watch YouTube videos while showering. When the phone is dirty? No sweat. Rinse it under washing water. Now you also do not have to worry about dropping your phone into the water or bring it camping in the desert(whatever the reason LOL). Plus, you can wow your friends or freak your parents out by pouring water on the phone or dunk it into a glass of water. Heck, even take it swimming. Be careful about salt water though, Sony does not recommend dunking it in salt water. With Wet Finger Tracking technology, you don't have to dry your hands to use your phone, although it does get a little jumpy at times. The phone is also quite durable as I've dropped the phone a few time and there's not a scratch. That a plus as I'm usually very careless.
Take note that the phone disables touch input while underwater so, no texting while swimming.
Conclusion
The Sony Xperia Z is a great phone. Its not for everybody, and it has it's fair shares of ups and downs. I am throughly satisfied with it and do not regret not waiting for the Samsung Galaxy S4 or the HTC One. Its great for the average user and is definitely good enough for me. The water and dust resistance is not necessary but its nice to have. Its smooth, provide great music listening, plays games like a champ. I would recommend it to anybody, but hey, its your call. You have the decision to which phone is right for you and nobody can force you to take the Xperia Z or any phone for the matter. For me, I made my choice, and I have no regrets whatsoever.
Therefore, I dare say: I'M A PROUD SONY XPERIA Z OWNER
Thank you for taking your precious time to read my review. I'm still a noob, and I hope I may be more useful to the developer community here.
P.s Feedback on my review?
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I have Xperia Z for 2 weeks. For me the battery is horrible, it ends up for only one day. I'm thinking to much about HTC One. Now I rooted my Z, removed preloaded apps, battery is fine now
I just could not decide so got both One and Z
Water proof, without that, i wouldn't have bought Z .
daniel.nguyen said:
I have Xperia Z for 2 weeks. For me the battery is horrible, it ends up for only one day. I'm thinking to much about HTC One. Now I rooted my Z, removed preloaded apps, battery is fine now
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hmmm... The battery life on mine is awesome. 8 hours in school and the battery doesn't drop a single percentage. The preloaded apps might be the issue.
mndgz said:
I just could not decide so got both One and Z
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Well, I guess that solves the problem as well
Sent from my Sexy White Xperia Z
I thiink exactly the same, great post
I was little bit skeptical before buying this phone, but I have it now for few days and all has been great. The build quality is OK, even with those plastic edges, and I really like the simplistic design. I can imagine this phone lasting me for about 4-5 years!
It's fast and it's responsiveness is insane! For all the people who can't decide because of some bad experience of some users here, they are just a small fraction and there are thousands of happy owners of this beauty...
Only two things than can be improved is the storage capacity (only 16gb) and the overheating (this phone can get really hot), otherwise it's all great...
This is my small review of the features of the phone.
design: 10/10 (this design is timeless)
build quality: 9/10 (much better than I was expecting)
performance: 10/10 (can't be better)
battery life: 10/10 (about 7 hours on display)
display: 8/10 (the white balance is not perfect)
camera: 8/10 (photos are not the best, video quality is amazing)
audio quality 10/10 (it's awesome for listening to mp3 albums)
speakers: 8/10 (loud enough, not the best quality)
system UI: 10/10 (just great)
texting/calling/signal: 10/10 (no problems at all)
overall: 9.5/10 ...best phone I've ever had!
Thanks Sony, you did it!
Mine doesn't get hot. A little warm when it's working hard, but temps are very manageable.
It is a great device though.
Continue : my small review ( I had / Have a Moto G before )
design: 9/10 nice, but very 1990's
build quality: 8/10 feels fragile , plastic sides not wonderful
performance: 10/10 (can't be better)
battery life: 10/10 it goes on and on and on on
display: 8/10 not as good as some other "flagship " phones out there
camera: 9/10 all good so far , have three camera apps , google and stock is best so far
audio quality 9/10 , it has a equalizer , and can be tweaked , out of the box , not bad
speakers: 8/10 (loud enough, not the best quality)
system UI: 9/10 Not 5.0
texting/calling/signal: 9/10 sound a bit muffled ... water proofing etc
Linking with my Sony TV 10/10 seamless
overall: 8.5/10 can it beat my desire ??? so far its giving it a good go !
I am currently with MOTO G .There is a serious improvement? after
You buy Sony Xperia Z3 Compact
I love this phone too. I pair my my ANT+ strap and go out running, i take a lot o photos and i like to install many apps that make my life better. This phone never gives up whatever i do and it's unbelievable the potentials that it has for its small size. It's the phone of the decade for me!
New Sony fanboy here. I love this little powerhouse!
Sent from my D5803 using xda-developers.com, powered by appyet.com
amos700 said:
I am currently with MOTO G .There is a serious improvement? after
You buy Sony Xperia Z3 Compact
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My gf has the Moto g. On paper it's a serious improvement. However the Moto g is a great phone. If it's truly an improvement, depends on your personal needs. If you want specific comparisons based on your needs, ask away.
Sometimes i think my Z3c has a Ghost Touch problem. Anyone else?
I have read on Reddit and a few other places where Z3C users are not getting text and mms messages and sometimes can not get calls.
Are these people who are trying to use the wrong version
on USA Carriers instead of D 5803 ?
With the power of the Compact, how is it working as a Phone/Mini Computer?
Are you guys able to make clear audible Speakerphone calls?
Can you put 6 photos together in a slideshow and adjust timing of each slide ?
Can you easily type a Proposal in Desktop Gmail and send it
with photos and attachments ?
Problems, issues ?
Thanks.
williamgrant said:
Sometimes i think my Z3c has a Ghost Touch problem. Anyone else?
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It has a very sensitive touch screen, although that's mitigated somewhat by having a screen protector.
I've had the phone for a few weeks now and it's been pretty good. The one feature I had high hopes for, however, is proving to be an increasing disappointment -- the camera. Between the pink spot, awful white balance, often weird choice of settings in auto mode, and different features for different resolutions, the camera is proving to be inconsistent and infuriating in equal measure. I'm jealous of my GF's iPhone camera, which just works consistently all the time. Need a quick photo with the Z3c in auto mode? Just be prepared for the lottery of whether it turns out blurry, pink, noisy or OK.
Yeah the camera is particularly awful... They should have stuck to a simple UI too, instead of having 20 different photo modes, none of which are straightforward. I actually use Google camera, way better in its ergonomics... The most impressive thing i find about this phone is its battery life and Sony's software effort on Stamina mode. Screen white balance is utterly random across devices (I've tried 3 different z3c's...) which doesn't fit the quality effort from Sony's on its screen...
amos700 said:
I am currently with MOTO G .There is a serious improvement? after
You buy Sony Xperia Z3 Compact
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I have / had a moto g . the difference is chalk and cheese! You have a good phone but very cheap against a flagship phone... Well worth the move , loads of videos on you tube , comparing them both
phentex said:
Yeah the camera is particularly awful... They should have stuck to a simple UI too, instead of having 20 different photo modes, none of which are straightforward. I actually use Google camera, way better in its ergonomics... The most impressive thing i find about this phone is its battery life and Sony's software effort on Stamina mode. Screen white balance is utterly random across devices (I've tried 3 different z3c's...) which doesn't fit the quality effort from Sony's on its screen...
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If you go in and disable the various camera mode in your apps list they will not show up in the camera UI... makes things look a whole lot cleaner and if I ever want to play around with elves I can just enable the particular plugin.
On a side note the Manual mode can take some seriously impressive pictures. Been comparing the Z3c to my wife's Canon XTI DSLR and its really remarkable how good the little sony cam is. They do need a better white balance adjustment option. Colors also seem to come out a bit bluish on some of the pics for some reason. Still need to play around with a few different cam apps to see if that fixes things.
Cronis said:
If you go in and disable the various camera mode in your apps list they will not show up in the camera UI... makes things look a whole lot cleaner and if I ever want to play around with elves I can just enable the particular plugin.
On a side note the Manual mode can take some seriously impressive pictures. Been comparing the Z3c to my wife's Canon XTI DSLR and its really remarkable how good the little sony cam is.
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I can take impressive photos in good light, but Sony's infamous noise reduction/detail-smearing jpeg processing can also sometimes do a number on low-light photos (I took a photo in manual of a menu last night, for example, and the color of some of the text was smeared nicely into the surrounding white). But it's the auto mode lottery that annoys me the most and the auto mode is the one I tend to use the most with the dedicated shutter button. I really hope Sony fixes this in the next update. Yes, battery life is phenomenal, but I'd happily trade that for a decent camera. Plugging a phone in to recharge once a day is tolerable and easy to get used to. Having a photo you just took of a unique moment in time turn out a blurry, pink-tinged mess gets annoying very fast.
The Superior Auto mode will be improved for Z3c after the update to Android 5.0 like as it did for Z2 after the update to 4.4.4.
Katsigaros said:
The Superior Auto mode will be improved for Z3c after the update to Android 5.0 like as it did for Z2 after the update to 4.4.4.
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i dont believe till see it...
"Inferior Auto" will likely become slightly less inferior with the next update, but I'm not holding my breath that it will ever live up to the "Superior" moniker. Meanwhile we have a few more months of crappy photos to tolerate :crying:
Not sure why people bash this phones Camera so much. Maybe a skill issue? yes its not the type of cam you can just whip out and take great shots with(like an Iphone 5/6 or S5), but it does reward a little research/learning immensely. I would be willing to bet most people seeing a lineup of pictures taken by a reasonably skilled photographer using a Iphone 5/6 S5 G3 and Z3c could not accurately pick out the individual phones pics.
The main fault I have found with this cam is the bluish tint that seems to come out when using the auto white balance. Its hard to adjust, because the other white balance options in manual mode tend to make the pics too red or yellow. I will try playing around with other cam apps to see if I can improve things. Any recomendations on camera apps? I have heard good things about Camera FV-5.
Either way I don't mind all the complaining too much... if it gets Sony in a tizzy to get their cam software improved all the better for us!
I will say this thing blows my OG Moto X out of the water for quality of pics in virtually any setting.
Any tips for taking good pics then?
Im finding the camera appalling, the other day it was just overwhelmed by light and incredibly blurry, seriously it was like having a Motorola Razr all over again, tried taking it outside and it was exactly the same. Then 2 hours later it was back to being just mediocre. Very weird.
Cronis said:
Not sure why people bash this phones Camera so much. Maybe a skill issue? yes its not the type of cam you can just whip out and take great shots with(like an Iphone 5/6 or S5), but it does reward a little research/learning immensely. I would be willing to bet most people seeing a lineup of pictures taken by a reasonably skilled photographer using a Iphone 5/6 S5 G3 and Z3c could not accurately pick out the individual phones pics.
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It's a phone, not an SLR! I expect the majority of people (me included) simply want to use it as a simple point and shoot, which it's really not very good for that. Sure, if I find myself without my SLR gear and have the time to take a higher-quality pic then the manual mode can be good. But as a basic phone camera for quick, on-the-go photos, it's often appalling.
As for other camera apps... I've tried FV-5, and it offers almost too many options (it can also be unstable.... it kept crashing on my Nexus 4). ProCapture is another good option and I also quite like Open Camera. I'm still trying to work out if any of them do better in auto mode than the Sony software.
Please take a look at this review from Brent Rose from Wired and voice your opinion in the comments section of the article. I have never seen such a slanted/poor review and think he should be called out on it.
http://www.wired.com/2014/11/sony-xperia-z3/
what an unusual review
The speaker/camera comparison was somewhat accurate though it seems a little exaggerated, but the rest of the review was crap. The Z3 UI is better than stock where you can't even custom arrange the app drawer. My Z3 is rock stable, I even went through 3 of them for cosmetic defects (on my 4th now) and none ever crashed. If you look at the comment section you can see most of them pointing out that the review was bad.
Wow that review is so ridiculously invalid
That was such a horrible review. There are some cons to the phone, but over-exaggerating them at the level is so unprofessional.
This is very similar to my Z3C experience and in that regard all bias off I believe everything he wrote was correct...This is the reason Z3c went back and I was reluctant to even try Z3 since the internals are the same with bigger screen which would result in even worst battery than z3c
-Goran
The review wasn't that bad. I pretty much agree with everything said, except for the stability issues. Not once did I have to reboot the phone due to apps crashing.
Don't get me wrong, I like this phone a lot. There is not a single phone out right now that I'd choose over the Z3.
Love the phone but the first thing I did was switch to nova because of the rubbage skin.
Also the camera post processing on auto is garbage too.
mfpreach said:
Love the phone but the first thing I did was switch to nova because of the rubbage skin.
Also the camera post processing on auto is garbage too.
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Similarly, I've disabled many of Sony's stock apps, threw Nova on as the launcher, and have been plenty happy. I haven't had a single app crash, and I've gotten between 1d 16h and 2d 6h of battery. Sony says up to 2 days, so yeah, I'm good.
Besides, I can't remember the last time I trusted "Wired" for a review. Maybe they purposely did a negative review just to get a reaction for page views and ad impressions.
Absolutely agree with this review (except for the good points regarding the camera), its very accurate and the conclusion is spot on. Out of the box it is terrible, and not for Joe Public.
If it wasnt for the ps4 features, looks, waterproofing and memory card slot and me wanting to get away from Apple I would have something else. It could be much better. I've replaced or uninstalled all the pointlessly "Sony-ed" pre-installed apps, the Sony version of the calendar would constantly crash to desktop, the camera apps are horrible, the camera app is slow, clunky and terrible to navigate and all of it, really cheapens this phone. Coming from iPhone this was a very poor show.
Thankfully, after several hours of customising nova launcher, adding a new lock screen and notification handler its improved. Still lacking in many areas.
Still, I prefer this freedom over iOS so I can't complain too much! Well... apart from....
Excuse the rant here but this is the biggest issue I have with the Z3 (maybe android in general). There is one very glowing thing that the Z3/android still haven't really "got it down" on. The camera, I've noticed this on a few phones (S4, LG G2, HTC One M8, Z3, Nexus 5) too.
I'm an amatuer photographer in my spare time and without any bias I very quickly noticed that despite the extra megapixels, manual options in the software, upgraded lens etc etc the camera lags (lag the keyword) very much behind in the camera stakes to apple! The speed of opening the camera and taking a photo, the colours, the jpg processing profile, the autofocus speed and accuracy are all way way better even on an aging iPhone 4S in my mind. Its a phone, not an dslr, its designed to be there to take a "good" photo fast and I've not seen an android phone do this well. Especially in low light.
I was talking to an HTC One M8 owner who absolutely refuted this, so I asked a simple challenge, pull your phone out on 3 and take a photo of your bar snacks as quick as you can, he agrees... 3-2-1 bam, my old, slow iphone 4s (which I'm using while my broken z3 is awaiting repair) is out of my pocket at the same time but I'm done while his is trying to take focus (its as slow as my Sony as I tested this too) but not only that, his doesn't look great focus wise, colour wise etc, the iphone has sharp focus on the subject and a smooth defocused background, nice depth of field and really good colours, processing looks "interesting".
This is my general experience with a non iphone camera, in particular the Z3 and frankly the ONLY thing I miss :crying:
Lol I've been using the z3 for 3 days ago and I haven't had a single problem. Yes apps do crash but not the pre-installed apps.
Battery last me more than a day on heavy use. I still have about 32% after two days on normal use.
Camera has no washed out pictures like in the review.
The review is a load of bull.
Sent from my D6616 using XDA Free mobile app
batousan said:
Absolutely agree with this review (except for the good points regarding the camera), its very accurate and the conclusion is spot on. Out of the box it is terrible, and not for Joe Public.
If it wasnt for the ps4 features, looks, waterproofing and memory card slot and me wanting to get away from Apple I would have something else. It could be much better. I've replaced or uninstalled all the pointlessly "Sony-ed" pre-installed apps, the Sony version of the calendar would constantly crash to desktop, the camera apps are horrible, the camera app is slow, clunky and terrible to navigate and all of it, really cheapens this phone. Coming from iPhone this was a very poor show.
Thankfully, after several hours of customising nova launcher, adding a new lock screen and notification handler its improved. Still lacking in many areas.
Still, I prefer this freedom over iOS so I can't complain too much! Well... apart from....
Excuse the rant here but this is the biggest issue I have with the Z3 (maybe android in general). There is one very glowing thing that the Z3/android still haven't really "got it down" on. The camera, I've noticed this on a few phones (S4, LG G2, HTC One M8, Z3, Nexus 5) too.
I'm an amatuer photographer in my spare time and without any bias I very quickly noticed that despite the extra megapixels, manual options in the software, upgraded lens etc etc the camera lags (lag the keyword) very much behind in the camera stakes to apple! The speed of opening the camera and taking a photo, the colours, the jpg processing profile, the autofocus speed and accuracy are all way way better even on an aging iPhone 4S in my mind. Its a phone, not an dslr, its designed to be there to take a "good" photo fast and I've not seen an android phone do this well. Especially in low light.
I was talking to an HTC One M8 owner who absolutely refuted this, so I asked a simple challenge, pull your phone out on 3 and take a photo of your bar snacks as quick as you can, he agrees... 3-2-1 bam, my old, slow iphone 4s (which I'm using while my broken z3 is awaiting repair) is out of my pocket at the same time but I'm done while his is trying to take focus (its as slow as my Sony as I tested this too) but not only that, his doesn't look great focus wise, colour wise etc, the iphone has sharp focus on the subject and a smooth defocused background, nice depth of field and really good colours, processing looks "interesting".
This is my general experience with a non iphone camera, in particular the Z3 and frankly the ONLY thing I miss :crying:
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I have the HTC M8 right now and the pictures are realy bad. It's a hardware issue with the lens. Sounds from all the reviews that the Xperia camera is decent, but not great. Would you agree?
dspcap said:
I have the HTC M8 right now and the pictures are realy bad. It's a hardware issue with the lens. Sounds from all the reviews that the Xperia camera is decent, but not great. Would you agree?
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In my opinion m8 has one of the fastest cameras in the market. Definitely faster than old iPhone 4.
Z3 biggest problem is how slow the camera is.
CandyAndy said:
In my opinion m8 has one of the fastest cameras in the market. Definitely faster than old iPhone 4.
Z3 biggest problem is how slow the camera is.
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wth are you talking about? slow? with my Z3 I can take a picture from sleep, in less than 2 sec. .
rspy said:
wth are you talking about? slow? with my Z3 I can take a picture from sleep, in less than 2 sec. .
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So take a picture while you are moving and let's see how it looks.
It doesn't look good. M8 has faster camera and you can snap away while walking
I went through the review, and i am with him for most of the flaws except the STABILITY issues.
I had the Z3 for 15 days, and then i had to sell it off and back to Samsung S5 as it was not rootable.
The Camera definately is not as good, and even the phone body - especially the back glass, was too slippery for me, and i did drop it a few times, and its also a mega fingerprint magnet. I say the plastic back of S5 is way more superior.
Even the front speakers were just OK, yea, they were loud, and front facing, but thats it. the clarity isn't there and sounded very "tinny".
Otherwise, the performance, speed, os, battery were all brilliant!
I am now on the S5, and just a general comparision against the Z3, i like the size and finish of the S5 more better than the Z3. The S5 back (Especially the Black one) has a leather/slightly rubbery feel to it, which enhances the grip. The Camera in the S5 is excellent, capturing superb pictures! battery life is very good, though Z3 has better life. Performance wise, though the S5 has 2gb ram, never felt it under stress. Maybe it would be if i am playing some really heavy games, but as such never had a problem in regular usage.
CandyAndy said:
In my opinion m8 has one of the fastest cameras in the market. Definitely faster than old iPhone 4.
Z3 biggest problem is how slow the camera is.
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The issue here is the comparison is an iPhone 4 which was released in June 2010, there should be no excuse for any delay in camera boot 4 years on with much more powerful hardware.
batousan said:
The issue here is the comparison is an iPhone 4 which was released in June 2010, there should be no excuse for any delay in camera boot 4 years on with much more powerful hardware.
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Well I have allergy for Apple products so I cannot comment [emoji2]
CandyAndy said:
Well I have allergy for Apple products so I cannot comment [emoji2]
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That doesn't mean you should bury your head in the sand on something so fundamental, surely thats just as bad than blindly buying apple products year on year? :laugh:
batousan said:
That doesn't mean you should bury your head in the sand on something so fundamental, surely thats just as bad than buying blindly buying apple products year on year? [emoji23]
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Well I never compared z3 to iPhone.
In fact I am right now on my way to buy my second z3 since I can't stand this current note 4, buy which I originally made because z3 camera wasn't good enough. But now I realize that I can live with a bit worse camera if everything else is so fantastic.
I am shocked how quickly the battery drains with the note, and it is supposed to have quite a good battery also