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Xperia Z vs HTC One Complete Video Comparison (Full HD) - Xperia Z General

Hey Guys,
This is my video comparison of the Xperia Z against the HTC One.
Hope it helps!
Leave a comment and let me know what you think
Ash

Just saw it.
Honestly? Biased as hell, some silly things there lol.
And you say the screen is better though the HTC you got was much worse.
Weellll.... Not good really.
In general:
You justify every crap HTC made, you criticize every thing on Sony.
And in reverse, every thing Sony made well becomes less important.
Truth is, HTC has tons of gimmicks on the phone which are not useful at all.
To name just a few, it's this Blinkfeed you cannot get rid off, totally undeperforming "ultrapixel" camera,
awkward and non logical buttons system, badly designed hardware buttons.
The fact is HTC's camera is a total crap, you just can't admit it.
And as for useless things, I think those stereo speakers are a gimmick. I mean I never listen to music this way, is it really the thing
people do on their phones that often?
One more thing, you couldn't - of course.. - stop yourself from those viewing angles discussion.
But why the f... you couldn't comment it's REAL, in front-of performance? And compare it to HTC?
Meeeh...
I give it 3 out of 5, thanks for effort.

Sharp edges on the Sony? Must be your device mines are soft.
There is no real proof that xz uses both dragontrail in the front and back.
Sent from my C6603 using xda premium

doministry said:
Just saw it.
Honestly? Biased as hell, some silly things there lol.
And you say the screen is better though the HTC you got was much worse.
Weellll.... Not good really.
In general:
You justify every crap HTC made, you criticize every thing on Sony.
And in reverse, every thing Sony made well becomes less important.
Truth is, HTC has tons of gimmicks on the phone which are not useful at all.
To name just a few, it's this Blinkfeed you cannot get rid off, totally undeperforming "ultrapixel" camera,
awkward and non logical buttons system, badly designed hardware buttons.
The fact is HTC's camera is a total crap, you just can't admit it.
And as for useless things, I think those stereo speakers are a gimmick. I mean I never listen to music this way, is it really the thing
people do on their phones that often?
One more thing, you couldn't - of course.. - stop yourself from those viewing angles discussion.
But why the f... you couldn't comment it's REAL, in front-of performance? And compare it to HTC?
Meeeh...
I give it 3 out of 5, thanks for effort.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You wanna justify the screen? really? So I am biased huh? well lets break it down shall we?
Blinkfeed sucks and i pointed it out, lack of notifications suck again did mention it ...
I didnt say the One's stereo speakers are a innovation or they are the best ive ever seen... my s4 vs one comparison I said the s4 is louder, if i were being biased id have praised the one... I just mentioned its better than the xz's speakers cuz they are bad...
As for my htc one screen, had this been my 1st comparison id have mentioned the xz was brighter but I just did a comparison with the s4 where I said the s4 was brighter based on what I saw, after loads of comments that said i was wrong, i looked at ton of videos and articles to figure out wats actually brighter... so you can head on over the gsmarena and check the comparison too between the one and the xz... the one is brighter...
As for camera... its objective... the one outperforms the xperia z in low light and I "personally" keyword being "personally" like that better.. and i emphasize that its a personal call here.
As for specs again I mentioned that tho the one beats the xz in benchmarks theres nothing different in real time usage, to be biased I could have easily said the one was faster but I didnt.
Badly designed h/w buttons? Wasnt that what I started the comparison with? every -ve you talk about has been mentioned in the video...
The end result is am not the one being biased here, I dont have to be, I am a reviewer and I get every flagship phone on the market (which i need to sell off soon sadly ) and I dont need to justify my purchase and defend a device like you do...
Anyway hope you are happy with ur XZ... Peace!

When you do a review first you try to get your facts right, second you need to compare every aspect of them, you didn't compare the build quality of both phones. How about how easy aluminium scratches or dents? How about the bugs with zoe or the software, Sony has much polished software and build quality than the HTC.
You talk about speaker quality but we don't really have much time to hear both of them to feel the difference.
You can resize the album preview by pinching on the screen. So technically you were wrong about the number of thumbnails you can have as it can be much smaller or much larger.
You talk about screen quality washed angles (you put the device at extreme angles that no one watches the device) and then you can't do the same with the HTC one to see the difference? What kind of review is that if you don't compare them properly, then you talk about screen quality but you don't put both devices playing the same image or video simultaneous how can we see the difference?
Then you talk about the video player and xz is better but it's funny, you don't praise the Xperia you just excuse the HTC that has problems with codecs saying that you can use another player.
You say that the HTC one camera is more useful? How because of the zoe? Really do you think that is useful? I consider superior auto much useful than zoe and about camera quality yes it has better quality but stand still camera the xz wins hands down, try a macro shot with the z you will see the difference.
Call quality is bad on the xz? It got a second mic for noise cancellation so it's clear as the HTC one and even if the speaker is not as loud as the HTC it's does pretty good even in loud environment so don't talk bull****.
And then you end up saying that the xz screen is awful? Why? Because of the screen angles? Are you kidding? Or are you one of those that think that the screen looks washed out because of the gray ui? Compare properly both screens with a picture or a full hd movie with bravía engine and tell me how awful the screen is again.
You might say that you are not biased but it looks a hell of a lot that you prefer the HTC one personally even before the review.
Thanks for your time with the review though anyway I guess....
Sent from my C6603 using xda premium

wawyed said:
When you do a review first you try to get your facts right, second you need to compare every aspect of them, you didn't compare the build quality of both phones. How about how easy aluminium scratches or dents? How about the bugs with zoe or the software, Sony has much polished software and build quality than the HTC.
You talk about speaker quality but we don't really have much time to hear both of them to feel the difference.
You can resize the album preview by pinching on the screen. So technically you were wrong about the number of thumbnails you can have as it can be much smaller or much larger.
You talk about screen quality washed angles (you put the device at extreme angles that no one watches the device) and then you can't do the same with the HTC one to see the difference? What kind of review is that if you don't compare them properly, then you talk about screen quality but you don't put both devices playing the same image or video simultaneous how can we see the difference?
Then you talk about the video player and xz is better but it's funny, you don't praise the Xperia you just excuse the HTC that has problems with codecs saying that you can use another player.
You say that the HTC one camera is more useful? How because of the zoe? Really do you think that is useful? I consider superior auto much useful than zoe and about camera quality yes it has better quality but stand still camera the xz wins hands down, try a macro shot with the z you will see the difference.
Call quality is bad on the xz? It got a second mic for noise cancellation so it's clear as the HTC one and even if the speaker is not as loud as the HTC it's does pretty good even in loud environment so don't talk bull****.
And then you end up saying that the xz screen is awful? Why? Because of the screen angles? Are you kidding? Or are you one of those that think that the screen looks washed out because of the gray ui? Compare properly both screens with a picture or a full hd movie with bravía engine and tell me how awful the screen is again.
You might say that you are not biased but it looks a hell of a lot that you prefer the HTC one personally even before the review.
Thanks for your time with the review though anyway I guess....
Sent from my C6603 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Speaker Quality - agreed I should have shown more but its a well known fact in the 1st place, its a comparison and not a review
2. As for the album, I like the fact that it shows more... I said the xperia z utilizes the 1080p display better... it was something +ve that i was saying about the xz... phew!
3. The XZ's screen is washed out no matter how u try to justify it, so nope am not even gonna bother to reply to this...
4. You are looking at it with a bias, the video player has issues with common codecs like mkv and divx on the xz and that makes the xz better automatically...
5. Camera i left it as personal preference and i agree with u that ur preference is the xz
6. Its not BS... The volume on the earpiece is low, the lowest among flagships.. I shouldnt be pointing that out, instead I need to be pointing out what now? the fact that it has a secondary noise cancelling mic? a feature that 2 year old flagships have? phew again!
7. Yup the bravia engine improves things in the video player and i did point it out but s/w hard as it might try cannot make up for bad h/w
And I have owned the Xperia Z for well over a month now... and have used it as a daily driver for a min of 2 weeks so yup Ive tested and checked out the xperia z thoroughly...
thanks for your comment anyway i guess...

Well I compared the Samsung s4 screen to the Zs in the Tesco phone shop where I work and with auto brightness off and both screens set to max, the Z was clearly brighter. Indeed the brightness of the S4's screen is giving my girl second thoughts. Also if you still believe the htc one's camera is better than the Zs then your review isn't worth watching and I'm glad I didn't.
To be honest I just think it's become fashionable to praise the htc one. You know the old routine of the blind following the blind. The same **** that's been happening to the iPhone crowd for years.
Good job, I read the comments before watching your review. Would have been a waste of time
Sent from my C6603 using xda app-developers app

ashwin123 said:
1. Speaker Quality - agreed I should have shown more but its a well known fact in the 1st place, its a comparison and not a review
2. As for the album, I like the fact that it shows more... I said the xperia z utilizes the 1080p display better... it was something +ve that i was saying about the xz... phew!
3. The XZ's screen is washed out no matter how u try to justify it, so nope am not even gonna bother to reply to this...
4. You are looking at it with a bias, the video player has issues with common codecs like mkv and divx on the xz and that makes the xz better automatically...
5. Camera i left it as personal preference and i agree with u that ur preference is the xz
6. Its not BS... The volume on the earpiece is low, the lowest among flagships.. I shouldnt be pointing that out, instead I need to be pointing out what now? the fact that it has a secondary noise cancelling mic? a feature that 2 year old flagships have? phew again!
7. Yup the bravia engine improves things in the video player and i did point it out but s/w hard as it might try cannot make up for bad h/w
And I have owned the Xperia Z for well over a month now... and have used it as a daily driver for a min of 2 weeks so yup Ive tested and checked out the xperia z thoroughly...
thanks for your comment anyway i guess...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2. My point was that you didn't explain how it worked properly.
3. So you are telling me that viewing the screen like a normal person it still looks washed out?
4. No but it makes the xz media player better than the HTC one in this case. No harm saying it.
6. That doesn't mean is crap just that the HTC got higher.
7. Bad h/w? Really? Like what?
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zodiac100 said:
Well I compared the Samsung s4 screen to the Zs in the Tesco phone shop where I work and with auto brightness off and both screens set to max, the Z was clearly brighter. Indeed the brightness of the S4's screen is giving my girl second thoughts. Also if you still believe the htc one's camera is better than the Zs then your review isn't worth watching and I'm glad I didn't.
To be honest I just think it's become fashionable to praise the htc one. You know the old routine of the blind following the blind. The same **** that's been happening to the iPhone crowd for years.
Good job, I read the comments before watching your review. Would have been a waste of time
Sent from my C6603 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lmao "blind following the blind" that coming from sm1 who takes others opinions and decides not to watch the video and form their own opinion... talk about being a hypocrite
wawyed said:
2. My point was that you didn't explain how it worked properly.
3. So you are telling me that viewing the screen like a normal person it still looks washed out?
4. No but it makes the xz media player better than the HTC one in this case. No harm saying it.
6. That doesn't mean is crap just that the HTC got higher.
7. Bad h/w? Really? Like what?
Sent from my C6603 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2. Point is i didnt need to... I showed what was better about it.
3. Yup it does
4. When a videos already pushing 20 mins u want me to say stuff just to appease fanboys? its better it was said sue me for not singing praises
6. It is crap
7. bad display = bad hardware
Im sorry m8 I dont do 4-7min comparisons like most... I try to cover everything... It was 24 frikkin minutes for gods sakes... if theres something that i havent mentioned fair enough.. I cant spend time going into each and everything in detail for a comparison... thats what reviews are for... comparisons are what is better, what are the differences... did I show the way the ir remote on the one works? no, did I show the multiple lockscreen options that the one has in detail nope, I paid exactly the same attention to the one as i did to the xz....
Anyway I get it you've bought the phone, uve spent ur cash on it and now u want to justify it to urself... but cmon, the xz screen is really better than the one's? honest to god, you didnt open the box and for a second atleast wonder "is it juz my screen?"
As for me being biased...
I use a sony alpha 57 cam that i just purchased, I have a sony hx9v for my secondary cam, I own 2 sony playstation 3s.... do you see a pattern here? Lets take HTC.. I wasnt high on the butterfly in my comparisons and even rated the one x lower than the s3 last year in my comp... the one is the 1st htc phone that ive praised... and fyi last year everyone was singing praises for the one x... i liked it but i didnt prefer it over my s3 or note and thats exactly what i said in my vid... so this is how i genuinely feel about the device... so u still think I have it out for sony? Just like you I paid for my Xperia Z too...
Again as for the cam... I was very clear that the xz is the better cam in bright lights, as for low lights are you gonna disagree and say that that the xz performs better than the one in low light? Thats all I said.. xz better in good light, one better in low lights... whats better for you is your call but for me personally i prefer the option of shooting pics in low light... how is that a dig at the xz???
This is not me backing down cause I still say the same, sony makes amazing stuff and should have used a better screen... the audio quality is bs both the speaker as well as the ear piece...

Jeezz, seriously though the screen on the XZ is pure sh*t. Its almost painful to look at.

ashwin123 said:
lmao "blind following the blind" that coming from sm1 who takes others opinions and decides not to watch the video and form their own opinion... talk about being a hypocrite
2. Point is i didnt need to... I showed what was better about it.
3. Yup it does
4. When a videos already pushing 20 mins u want me to say stuff just to appease fanboys? its better it was said sue me for not singing praises
6. It is crap
7. bad display = bad hardware
Im sorry m8 I dont do 4-7min comparisons like most... I try to cover everything... It was 24 frikkin minutes for gods sakes... if theres something that i havent mentioned fair enough.. I cant spend time going into each and everything in detail for a comparison... thats what reviews are for... comparisons are what is better, what are the differences... did I show the way the ir remote on the one works? no, did I show the multiple lockscreen options that the one has in detail nope, I paid exactly the same attention to the one as i did to the xz....
Anyway I get it you've bought the phone, uve spent ur cash on it and now u want to justify it to urself... but cmon, the xz screen is really better than the one's? honest to god, you didnt open the box and for a second atleast wonder "is it juz my screen?"
As for me being biased...
I use a sony alpha 57 cam that i just purchased, I have a sony hx9v for my secondary cam, I own 2 sony playstation 3s.... do you see a pattern here? Lets take HTC.. I wasnt high on the butterfly in my comparisons and even rated the one x lower than the s3 last year in my comp... the one is the 1st htc phone that ive praised... and fyi last year everyone was singing praises for the one x... i liked it but i didnt prefer it over my s3 or note and thats exactly what i said in my vid... so this is how i genuinely feel about the device... so u still think I have it out for sony? Just like you I paid for my Xperia Z too...
Again as for the cam... I was very clear that the xz is the better cam in bright lights, as for low lights are you gonna disagree and say that that the xz performs better than the one in low light? Thats all I said.. xz better in good light, one better in low lights... whats better for you is your call but for me personally i prefer the option of shooting pics in low light... how is that a dig at the xz???
This is not me backing down cause I still say the same, sony makes amazing stuff and should have used a better screen... the audio quality is bs both the speaker as well as the ear piece...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, because before buying my phone I compared the difference options available and I liked the way the sony xperia screen looks.
I am not a fanboy, XD this is my first sony phone. I am NOT saying that the XZ has a better screen than the HTC one it's true. But to say that the screen is **** just because you don't like it, it's to say the least biased. And you can't deny the fact that you don't like the xz and you tried to force that view on the comparison. So it was indeed a biased review as pretty much all the reviews that compare does two phones.

wawyed said:
No, because before buying my phone I compared the difference options available and I liked the way the sony xperia screen looks.
I am not a fanboy, XD this is my first sony phone. I am NOT saying that the XZ has a better screen than the HTC one it's true. But to say that the screen is **** just because you don't like it, it's to say the least biased. And you can't deny the fact that you don't like the xz and you tried to force that view on the comparison. So it was indeed a biased review as pretty much all the reviews that compare does two phones.
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Click to collapse
Its not a mid level device, its a flagship, a phone that we pay top dollar for, is it unfair to expect it to have the best of everything? You dont think the viewing angles are bad? you could say who cares about viewing angles but for what we pay, when others can give it (hell if oppo can give it for $499) why not Sony?
What you say is partly right but uve got it the other way around.... its not that I dont like the xz and I talk about the speakers and viewing angles because i font like but its because of the viewing angles and speakers that I feel the xz is not as good as it should have been...
I dont wanna argue, am just trying to calm you down enough so that I can get feedback on my video... once the initial "damn he called my phone bad... that jackass!!!" anger dies down, maybe I can get some feedback on what I can do to improve...
honestly I have 26k subs on youtube and my videos hit the 10k mark in a month no matter what.. posting it on xda gets me a few hundred views max... the reason I do so is because I can get some actual feedback here... on youtube u have the words limit on comments and we couldnt have had this kinda conversation there.. ud probably have said "u are biased the xz rocks" and id have ignored it cuz theres no way i could reply to that with the utube word limit.
If anyone honestly feels I have been biased somewhere please let me know and I am willing to change it... just go to my channel and watch any video from a month back a couple of months back ull notice the difference, I am constantly trying to learn and improve.

ashwin123 said:
Its not a mid level device, its a flagship, a phone that we pay top dollar for, is it unfair to expect it to have the best of everything? You dont think the viewing angles are bad? you could say who cares about viewing angles but for what we pay, when others can give it (hell if oppo can give it for $499) why not Sony?
What you say is partly right but uve got it the other way around.... its not that I dont like the xz and I talk about the speakers and viewing angles because i font like but its because of the viewing angles and speakers that I feel the xz is not as good as it should have been...
I dont wanna argue, am just trying to calm you down enough so that I can get feedback on my video... once the initial "damn he called my phone bad... that jackass!!!" anger dies down, maybe I can get some feedback on what I can do to improve...
honestly I have 26k subs on youtube and my videos hit the 10k mark in a month no matter what.. posting it on xda gets me a few hundred views max... the reason I do so is because I can get some actual feedback here... on youtube u have the words limit on comments and we couldnt have had this kinda conversation there.. ud probably have said "u are biased the xz rocks" and id have ignored it cuz theres no way i could reply to that with the utube word limit.
If anyone honestly feels I have been biased somewhere please let me know and I am willing to change it... just go to my channel and watch any video from a month back a couple of months back ull notice the difference, I am constantly trying to learn and improve.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I absolutely agree with you. I certainly would have considered the XZ if it wasnt for the washed out screen, the speakers isnt that much of a deal breaker for me cause i use headphones most of the times. The XZ has a beautiful design, i absolutely LOVE the power button, it looks so slick. Waterproof and dust proof is a plus but nothig i really care about. the snapdragon S4 pro is plenty even if it isnt the best anymore, it is still one of the best and very capable SoC. But for a flagship device, and considering every phone is coming out with a 1080p display, the one on the Z is really a let down. also the placement of the volume rocker doesnt make any sense ( the speaker too quite frankly). Reason why i complain so much about the screen is cause thats where everything happens, thats what you look at. Its unacceptable to me to buy a phone for more than 500$ with a ****ty screen.

barondebxl said:
I absolutely agree with you. I certainly would have considered the XZ if it wasnt for the washed out screen, the speakers isnt that much of a deal breaker for me cause i use headphones most of the times. The XZ has a beautiful design, i absolutely LOVE the power button, it looks so slick. Waterproof and dust proof is a plus but nothig i really care about. the snapdragon S4 pro is plenty even if it isnt the best anymore, it is still one of the best and very capable SoC. But for a flagship device, and considering every phone is coming out with a 1080p display, the one on the Z is really a let down. also the placement of the volume rocker doesnt make any sense ( the speaker too quite frankly). Reason why i complain so much about the screen is cause thats where everything happens, thats what you look at. Its unacceptable to me to buy a phone for more than 500$ with a ****ty screen.
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Click to collapse
Thank you

O
ashwin123 said:
Its not a mid level device, its a flagship, a phone that we pay top dollar for, is it unfair to expect it to have the best of everything? You dont think the viewing angles are bad? you could say who cares about viewing angles but for what we pay, when others can give it (hell if oppo can give it for $499) why not Sony?
What you say is partly right but uve got it the other way around.... its not that I dont like the xz and I talk about the speakers and viewing angles because i font like but its because of the viewing angles and speakers that I feel the xz is not as good as it should have been...
I dont wanna argue, am just trying to calm you down enough so that I can get feedback on my video... once the initial "damn he called my phone bad... that jackass!!!" anger dies down, maybe I can get some feedback on what I can do to improve...
honestly I have 26k subs on youtube and my videos hit the 10k mark in a month no matter what.. posting it on xda gets me a few hundred views max... the reason I do so is because I can get some actual feedback here... on youtube u have the words limit on comments and we couldnt have had this kinda conversation there.. ud probably have said "u are biased the xz rocks" and id have ignored it cuz theres no way i could reply to that with the utube word limit.
If anyone honestly feels I have been biased somewhere please let me know and I am willing to change it... just go to my channel and watch any video from a month back a couple of months back ull notice the difference, I am constantly trying to learn and improve.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
About the screen, I don't feel that washed out colours people talk about really, you have you realise the ui is grey not black and that might cause the impression that the phone doesn't do good blacks but it does quite good if you look at a video or picture. That it's not as "vibrant/oversaturated" as an amoled screen ofc, but some people like it that way.
I'm trying to give you feedback, I couldn't care less if you like or don't like this device. But what I don't like is biased opinions and false statements in a comparison. Obviously you can have your own opinion and you might not like it but you should try to be impartial when comparing/reviewing units. All this is IMHO and with the aim to help you.
Again, I don't think the XZ is a better phone than the HTC one or the S4, they are newer phones with better processor and better screen. But XZ was the first flagship to be released, so the more time you have to release a device the more time you have to improve it.
For me, I picked the XZ because It's the phone that ticked all the boxes for me. Quad core, 2gb RAM, full hd screen, sd card slot. That's pretty much all I cared about and it does it well in all of them. Maybe on screen battery time is not the best but it's still better than my lg o2x.
At the end of the day if I didn't like the phone I could just return it and get the HTC one or the S4. ^^. But I do like it and I'm sure there is a lot of people that does too.
Edit: let me show you what I mean about the ui. This is a screenshoot of a black image with the soft keys, can you see how the soft key are grey? That can give the impression that the screen is washed out because of the soft keys

Sent from my C6603 using xda premium

Well, I dont know about you, but my friends who saw my phone, were all amazed about the quality of the XZ screen and all came running to the shops to get it. Note that they all come from iPhones, S3s and note2s..
Point to note that i do have my screen optimised with the white balance mod, black nav bars and a BE2 wallpaper.. Honestly, screen looks amazing.

wawyed said:
O
About the screen, I don't feel that washed out colours people talk about really, you have you realise the ui is grey not black and that might cause the impression that the phone doesn't do good blacks but it does quite good if you look at a video or picture. That it's not as "vibrant/oversaturated" as an amoled screen ofc, but some people like it that way.
I'm trying to give you feedback, I couldn't care less if you like or don't like this device. But what I don't like is biased opinions and false statements in a comparison. Obviously you can have your own opinion and you might not like it but you should try to be impartial when comparing/reviewing units. All this is IMHO and with the aim to help you.
Again, I don't think the XZ is a better phone than the HTC one or the S4, they are newer phones with better processor and better screen. But XZ was the first flagship to be released, so the more time you have to release a device the more time you have to improve it.
For me, I picked the XZ because It's the phone that ticked all the boxes for me. Quad core, 2gb RAM, full hd screen, sd card slot. That's pretty much all I cared about and it does it well in all of them. Maybe on screen battery time is not the best but it's still better than my lg o2x.
At the end of the day if I didn't like the phone I could just return it and get the HTC one or the S4. ^^. But I do like it and I'm sure there is a lot of people that does too.
Edit: let me show you what I mean about the ui. This is a screenshoot of a black image with the soft keys, can you see how the soft key are grey? That can give the impression that the screen is washed out because of the soft keys
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the explanation... I get the UI thats the 1st thing I notices and pointed out once I got it.. the app drawer has a greyish back that makes things look worse as in the washed out feeling more than it should but def, compared to superlcd 3 or even the oppo find 5's screen it does look washed out, my honest opinion and after doing my share of research and confirming it with a few others who own the device I decided to go with it...
you could return the phone if you want... lol, how I wish that was an option where I am from.. we have no returns here, so kinda stuck with what we buy, even RMAs are damn hard... galaxy camera (yes I was stupid enough to buy one) shipped with a dead pixel, took them 2 months & about 8 mails to samsung to replace

I'm curious as to why people here are saying the XZ's screen is washed out. I used a HTC One X before this and it pretty much had (still has imo) the best screen you can find anywhere, and I really think the XZ comes pretty darn close because of the high res. Colours are vibrant and accurate without being oversaturated. Although viewing angles aren't as good as the HOX's, it isn't so bad to the extent that colours are completely washed out or something. Besides, I have yet to find a use case where I need to view anything from a >35 degree angle anyway.

Please keep things on-topic here guys and resist the urge to make your argument personal.
It's fine to debate the phones and the review but I don't want to see personal attacks or bad language being used... This will be your only warning.
Thanks

Related

I'm curious if there is an affect on your buying decision after reading the reviews.

I so want this phone but all this talk about the display not being up to par has put some doubt in my mind now as to whether I go through with purchasing the Z. GSM arena and Phone Arena share similar views regarding the display, which I wasn't expecting.
I will be taking a look at the device at my local phones4u, and if I find the screen to be disappointing I will unfortunately cancel my order. I really really really hope this wont be the case though.

Yeah wavering here...
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stefanve said:
I'm curious if there is an affect on your buying decision after reading the reviews.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is there in those reviews that would put me off from buying one?
Problems with camera images? Not that big of a deal, I don't make photos with my phone for a living. Lag? I doubt there is any. Battery life? People report a whole day of medium to heavy usage, which is what I get from my Galaxy S3 anyway. Build quality? It's waterproof, I don't mind having to open flaps every time I want to plug in my headset.
What else is there?

Where is the option "i dont care about reviews, i want it and im gonna get it regardless" ?
I dont trust reviews. Note 2 and S3 were reviewed as the best phones even - and i'm really disappointed by those two. It's funny how reviewers sometimes ignore obvious flaws about one phone, but riot about a tiny detail in another. Reviews are not objective - so i don't really care about them. It's nice to read and compare opinions, but i always prefer to just get the phone and decide for myself.
So unless at least 5-10 review say something really bad about the battery ( like not lasting a full day even on light use, which is not the case ) i'm not going to even think about cancelling.

robogo1982 said:
What is there in those reviews that would put me off from buying one?
Problems with camera images? Not that big of a deal, I don't make photos with my phone for a living. Lag? I doubt there is any. Battery life? People report a whole day of medium to heavy usage, which is what I get from my Galaxy S3 anyway. Build quality? It's waterproof, I don't mind having to open flaps every time I want to plug in my headset.
What else is there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think most are worried about the screen, every thing else seems okay/perfect (some may not like the camera)

I have a pre-order for mine but I am a little worried.. The camera from what I've seen looks perfectly decent, and it's bound to be better than my HOX which kinda sucks compared to my last iPhone. My one concern is the display which is a pretty big deal breaker, I actually had a quick play with one in a Three store yesterday and the display was very wishy washy (Even after I had turned it down from max brightness). Originally everyone had said this was purely an issue with pre-production panels, but after the reviews claiming to be on retail devices this had worried me even more.
Think I'm going to pop into a P4U store as well to have a play, maybe there is more chance of those being full retail units seeing as they're available a little after.. Who knows!

I'm still getting it, I've seen the phone in a couple of three stores and didn't see any problems with the display, but then I'm not particularly picky.

I'm still getting it, my main reasons are:
Camera. I know Sony make decent camera phones, I have a Note 2 which is fairly decent, not brill in low light scenarios, not as good as my HOX was.
Build quality. My last two phones, S3 and Note 2...enough said!
Screen. I miss my HOX LCD screen, AMOLEDS are just a bit too false!
Size. My current phone is the Note 2, it's the only negative side of it, it's too big for one handed use nothing else. Looking forward to getting a phone that I can use with one hand comfortably again.
So I'm still getting it!
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

Screen aside I am getting concerned about the camera performance, I don't expect it to completely match up to the 920 but I was hoping it would be reasonably close.

Reviews are irrelevant. Go play with the phone at a Sony store once it becomes available and decide for yourself.
Reviewers have their own agendas...

I was planning on getting the ZL if it came out before the end of February or first week of March..... However Sony announced that Canada isn't getting the ZL till April.... And on top of that all of the issues with the inconsistent screen reviews have made me decide to just wait . Since Sony decided to force me to wait till April the logical thing to do is wait for info on the s4/Optimus g pro/ m7 / xphone, and reevaluate the market at that time
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda app-developers app

I am still getting it. Lets hear reviews of international version first aT feb 28, and lets see.

Really wanted to get this phone, but it's not coming to Canada until April. That's just too far away and sadly I am forced to go another route. I really did want this phone though...

the display doesn't look bad in this vid(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFEzXilA8B8) IMO, but why is bottom bar gray instead of black (where the home, and back button are)?

Was quite iffy since anything that offers a fHD resolution and no 3000mA+ battery doesn't get me interested much. But I guess this is a dealbreaker for me. Anywho, good luck to those who've ordered this!

I will wait for a full GSMarena review, then wait for it to appear in stores here and go test it myself and compare. The only problem for me could be bad color contrast.
Not amazing camera? - No problem for me, digital cameras are not amazing even if you stuck 9999 megapixels in them and super xmrozksda sensors. I take maybe 3 pics a month and those usually go to instagram where horrible filters and compression will make it look like a picture from 2006 anyway. If I want to make good pics I'll take my camera (or a friend will).
Bad viewing angles? - Again, the only time it will be a problem is when I let my mates to play games on it and will want to see how they are doing.
I just need a new phone kinda ASAP and Sony is releasing soon. The new HTC could be interesting for me but I'm not sure when it's coming out. I hate Samsung phones so GS4 is not an option either.

^Why do you 'hate' Samsung? Color contrast of SAMLOED I'm guessing

Getting the ZL, but it's more or less the same phone for the most part. Reviews aren't affecting my excitement to get it one bit. Can't wait for it to finally hit Canada!

Getting the ZL also. I know our country was one of the mentioned ones to get this device on the 1st quarter but if it would reach till april then mostlikely HTC M7 would prolly steal 50% of my decision to go back to sony. I love Sense UI and not Sony UI but I decided to ditch HTC Butterfly and go with sony but if they let HTC M7 pass them again then bye2 and I'll stick with HTC. Sad because Sony was my 1st android phone coming from nokia when they ditched maemo OS over microsoft.

Do you want to tell everyone your thoughts about your HTC One? Well, this is the place to do it. Any reviews which are posted in their own thread will be closed and copied into this thread instead.
As always, when posting in here all forum rules apply as well as the rules posted below
Moderator Notice
After having a discussion, we have decided to reopen this thread once again. To make sure this thread stays open this time around there are a couple of guidelines we expect you all to stick to.
*No off topic/irrelevant conversations
*No asking questions which could be found from a simple search OR better suited to a separate thread in the Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting forum
*No direct phone comparisons (just as set forth by the rules for our section). Comparing features such as camera/audio quality etc. is fine but no directly comparing the HTC One to the SGS5 for example
The above reasons were what caused this thread to be closed last time so hopefully it won't happen this time around.

I just loved the photos of the device itself
Ill be collecting the reviews as well in the mega thread, thanks
They are also complaining that the speakers are too loud lol
The camera photos look awesome as well
Don't know what the complaining about

"First look":
http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_one-review-889.php

A long video review:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kmsx0ddLtJM

Uh oh, dial a phone didn't rate the battery very highly.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

Dial a phone claiming the screen on the Z is better? ok now this is why I don't trust reviews, as this guy has to be having a laugh I have held both phones side by size and while I dont think the xz's screen is crap in anyway the HTC screen is superior.

R89SONY said:
Dial a phoen claiming the screen on the Z is better? ok now this is why I don't trust reviews, as this guy has to be having a laugh I have held both phones side by size and while I dont think the xz's screen is crap in anyway the HTc screen is superior.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's strange coming from a guy who has SONY in his ID name just kidding
Sent from my DHD

NiCk.JaY said:
That's strange coming from a guy who has SONY in his ID name just kidding
Sent from my DHD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love both HTC and Sony but I am not biased to either OEM.

Not sure they are claiming the XZ screen is better, the way i took it is that when you first see the XZ there is a wow factor, but then after actually looking at it and using it, you come to realise that it isn't up to scratch. I reckon that's what he means by the "breathtaking impression"
Just my opinion though

A mate of mine was 100% set for the Z until he saw the HTC One now he all is over that like a rash!

CNets hands on with the camera features: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2EODU1qx64&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium

I do wish people would quote accurately from reviews. What the dial-a-phone guy actually says is
The 4.7-inch super LCD 3 screen may not be as bright and dazzling as that of the Sony Xperia Z but still offers a clarity that is pretty much unmatched amongst mobile devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"Bright and dazzling" could simply be a reference to maximum screen brightness, or it could be that he likes over-saturated colours and is a fan of the Xperia's Bravia processing.

I'm skeptical of that Dialaphone review. He says some of your apps may be "tucked away further then you'd like" because of the BlinkFeed stuff, which is completely incorrect. Just don't use BlinkFeed for God's sake. Set another default screen (which he says is possible) and never look at it again. I just cannot understand that argument or how he thinks the Xperia Z's screen is better when every other hands-on, preview, write up, etc about the One says that it has the best display. Same goes for the tinny speakers, that is the first I've heard of them being tinny.
Shasarak said:
I do wish people would quote accurately from reviews. What the dial-a-phone guy actually says is
"Bright and dazzling" could simply be a reference to maximum screen brightness, or it could be that he likes over-saturated colours and is a fan of the Xperia's Bravia processing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After reading through the review and watching the video, the way he presents it definitely makes it sound like he thinks the Xperia Z's screen is better. He doesn't even reference viewing angles which should be a huge part of a screen review and we know the One outperforms the Z in that area. Plus, as a reviewer, he should make his opinion clearer. If he is insinuating that he only likes the Z's screen because it is brighter, he should say that or at least give a clear indication to what he prefers (in this case, I took it as the Z's).

And what he actually says about the speakers is
Those stereo speakers we mentioned earlier also increase the handset’s abilities, although their use is limited. The HTC One struggles to produce low frequencies and we don’t imagine these will ever truly replace headphones or external speakers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's perfectly fair: you shouldn't expect deep bass from speakers that size. (But he doesn't use the word "tinny").

He does in the video review.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

prfrma said:
Uh oh, dial a phone didn't rate the battery very highly.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In benchmark.pl review, very long battery life is one of the pros.

Shasarak said:
(But he doesn't use the word "tinny").
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Erm........you might want to listen again around 1.08:silly:

prfrma said:
He does in the video review.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, okay.

i do find it interesting what each review says about the battery.
The fact neither give any sort of details like brightness and wifi on off, 4g on off etc..etc...
Benchmark seems very impressed while dialaphone seemed dissapointed that it wouldnt last a whole day,
yet mentions several hours of streaming music and heavy usage.
If the phone lasted pretty much whole day on that kind of usage i will be chuffed. Means the way i use my phone
i will get 2 days out of it easy. (or i might just change my habbits and keep wifi and full brightness on because i could )

daleski75 said:
A mate of mine was 100% set for the Z until he saw the HTC One now he all is over that like a rash!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That was me aswell, I was set for the Z until I saw the one and decided the one was the ONE.

Hi guys,
Lets share your personal reviews/first imprrssion about Xperia Z. Below is mine..
Finally I got my Xperia Z - Black Beauty.
Overall its good phone, seriously best from Sony but it could have been more better.
Anyways, I will share more details by tomorrow as I still didnt spent much time with XZ.
UPDATED:
As I am coming from Galaxy Note 2, I want to compare XZ & Note2.
Pros:
-Beautiful Design
-Waterproof
-Good Camera (Rear only)
Cons:
-Speaker position is horrible
-Poor Battery Life
-Front Camera not so good
-Overheating Issues (can tolerate as its waterproof)
-Cannot use Default Launcher with Xperia Widgets: Lags like anything
WHAT I AM MISSING COMING FROM NOTE 2:
-MultiWindow
-Large Screen
-Customizable Notification Bar
sent from Xperia Z

I played with a retail model this afternoon got to take it outside to take some outdoor pics and videos.
Pics are good, video I was less than impressed they were not as sharp as pics and colours were off.
For example I took a pic of a bus at the bus stop the camera replicated with good colour accuracy whilst video made the bus a darker reddish/purple and there was loss of detail and man the slow auto focusing at times that has plagued all previous sony devices was raising it's ugly head again.
Loud speaker is hopeless in evena slightly noisy environment, audio is loud outdoors but bass could have been better.
Also the Z seriously feels a bit boxy imo.

i read in some review that camera app take 2 or 3 second to open up when it not running at background
is true?

r_you168 said:
i read in some review that camera app take 2 or 3 second to open up when it not running at background
is true?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes.

Can't say more than wauw. Im very impressed by the quality and quantity of this device
Sent from my C6603 using xda premium

I tried an xperia z in a "3" shop recently. There was a bit of background noise from shoppers and staff talking while I tested the speaker and ringtone volume. This was enough to drown out the sound from the xperia z. Pre-order cancelled, HTC One on order. Shame as I got quite excited about this phone. Good effort though Sony. Must try harder next time!

my mini review
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=38586217&postcount=355

mwatson said:
I tried an xperia z in a "3" shop recently. There was a bit of background noise from shoppers and staff talking while I tested the speaker and ringtone volume. This was enough to drown out the sound from the xperia z. Pre-order cancelled, HTC One on order. Shame as I got quite excited about this phone. Good effort though Sony. Must try harder next time!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its a phone, what the hell are you expecting from the speaker?
Its a phone, not a boom box you fool!

samxool said:
its a phone, what the hell are you expecting from the speaker?
Its a phone, not a boom box you fool!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The ability to hear the ringtone while out and about I imagine, hardly an unreasonable expectation or reason to be called a fool.

Im in case 5% in 5 minutes(mkv movie 3.5gb 1080p mp4 4mbps birate in bestplayer HD accelation so i was not able to finish film before i run out of juice streaming wifi) , At work i got 150mbps but at home i got 72mbps can not get 150 :silly:
except that every thing is alright I dont have any problem
ahh and manage to warm my hand to the point when they sweaty ! ) 67-70

mwatson said:
I tried an xperia z in a "3" shop recently. There was a bit of background noise from shoppers and staff talking while I tested the speaker and ringtone volume. This was enough to drown out the sound from the xperia z. Pre-order cancelled, HTC One on order. Shame as I got quite excited about this phone. Good effort though Sony. Must try harder next time!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is what really bothers me: low ringtone volume. I don't want to lose notifications or incoming calls because of it.
How's the vibration? Can you feel it properly if the phone is in your pocket?

TheKingOfPain said:
This is what really bothers me: low ringtone volume. I don't want to lose notifications or incoming calls because of it.
How's the vibration? Can you feel it properly if the phone is in your pocket?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Vibration is rather strong, im yet to miss a call or text. I always have sound off on my phones.

mwatson said:
I tried an xperia z in a "3" shop recently. There was a bit of background noise from shoppers and staff talking while I tested the speaker and ringtone volume. This was enough to drown out the sound from the xperia z. Pre-order cancelled, HTC One on order. Shame as I got quite excited about this phone. Good effort though Sony. Must try harder next time!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seems harsh just to cancel a phone just because the ringtone wasn't loud enough. Did you even try it with the xLoud etc on?
And who really uses the sound, you really only have a use for it when the phone is somewhere else but your pocket. (which is where it should be)
Either way. See ya.

I just finished up my review today.
http://geektech.ie/index.php/review-sony-xperia-z/

This is NOT good !!!
Battery draining like anything
sent from Xperia Z

xperiax10.awesome said:
This is NOT good !!!
Battery draining like anything
sent from Xperia Z
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Give it a chance too settle, after about 4-5 full charges; battery will reach full working capacity and also Rom will have built up dalvic cache. So you will certainly get better performance after a few days use.
Sent from my LG-P880 using xda premium

My first impression were very good: I posted them in many threads here.
Though I have some new info:
- Battery lasted for 11h42m yesterday, standby time. Screen on time: 3h22m (auto brightness). I have screenshots to back it up. I was always connected to wifi or mobile network. I didn't play games, mostly chatting, facebook, some youtube videos, listned to some music and internet browsing. It's not horrible, but not very good either. I got home with 1% left at 23:00 in the evening.
Today, I had worse results. Mostly at home all day, so wifi. Had a total of sub 3hours of screenon time! This is already my third charging cycle so I don't expect things to get any better. At the moment I am not impressed by the battery life of the XZ, but it's not horrible either.
- Phone's size and design: beautiful, though it's already not so "WOW" anymore (got used to it I guess). The phone atracts a lot of duts and fingerprints. But what I am starting to see is that the XZ is not so good looking at ergonomic aspects! It just doesn't feel nice in my hand because it isn't curved at the sides/back. I picked up my S3 again today and wow, it felt like a total different kind of thing. It was so comfortable in my hand compared to the XZ, while the S3 is almost as big as the XZ. And because the S3 has no onscreen buttons, the screen actually showed more info then the XZ.
- Screen: I'm getting more and more used to it, it looks really nice and sharp. Viewing angles are starting to bother me less and less, but sometimes I still see them.
- Speaker quality: seems very loud, but quality wise it seems bad. And I cover it up with my right hand a lot without wanting too.
I'm thinking about returning the XZ.... yeah. Didn't expect it myself. But the main problem is: it doesn't feel like a big leap from my S3. So basicly, I bought a new phone (the XZ) which feels much worse in my hand (ergnomic wise, it's not comfortable) then my S3, the screen is bigger but I actually see less content on it because of the software buttons, and while the screen is sharper a bit the viewing angles and contrast are worse. It also isn't a lot faster then my S3, it doens't do anything my S3 couldn't till now (yes HDR video, I tried it once and that's it).
My biggest problem is the size and design: without the curved sides/back the phone is hard to use for me with one hand. Really didn't expect this. This together with what I said above, make me consider returning the XZ and wait for a few more months. I saw (again) an article on a big Ducht newssite about the XZ's succesor and that it will come in summer 2013. It should have a 1080p 4.8 screen and the S600 chipset. This off course also doens't really help my feeling of returning the XZ...
I still have till next week to think about my XZ, but I might return it. No offence to Sony, the XZ is really a good phone, but the fact that I can't use it comfortable in my hand is something important to me. I do have small hands, but I can use the S3 perfectly and the XZ not so much.
EDIT: The other problem is, there isn't anything at the moment which I would consider buying. I have looked again at the HTC One and still don't want it. Maybe I will return my XZ and wait for Samsung to reveal the S4 and hope that it's build quality/design is a step up from the S3. If not, I can get the XZ (or the succesor of the XZ) beginning of the summer. Really bummed out..

XDA mark said:
My first impression were very good: I posted them in many threads here.
Though I have some new info:
- Battery lasted for 11h42m yesterday, standby time. Screen on time: 3h22m (auto brightness). I have screenshots to back it up. I was always connected to wifi or mobile network. I didn't play games, mostly chatting, facebook, some youtube videos, listned to some music and internet browsing. It's not horrible, but not very good either. I got home with 1% left at 23:00 in the evening.
Today, I had worse results. Mostly at home all day, so wifi. Had a total of sub 3hours of screenon time! This is already my third charging cycle so I don't expect things to get any better. At the moment I am not impressed by the battery life of the XZ, but it's not horrible either.
- Phone's size and design: beautiful, though it's already not so "WOW" anymore (got used to it I guess). The phone atracts a lot of duts and fingerprints. But what I am starting to see is that the XZ is not so good looking at ergonomic aspects! It just doesn't feel nice in my hand because it isn't curved at the sides/back. I picked up my S3 again today and wow, it felt like a total different kind of thing. It was so comfortable in my hand compared to the XZ, while the S3 is almost as big as the XZ. And because the S3 has no onscreen buttons, the screen actually showed more info then the XZ.
- Screen: I'm getting more and more used to it, it looks really nice and sharp. Viewing angles are starting to bother me less and less, but sometimes I still see them.
- Speaker quality: seems very loud, but quality wise it seems bad. And I cover it up with my right hand a lot without wanting too.
I'm thinking about returning the XZ.... yeah. Didn't expect it myself. But the main problem is: it doesn't feel like a big leap from my S3. So basicly, I bought a new phone (the XZ) which feels much worse in my hand (ergnomic wise, it's not comfortable) then my S3, the screen is bigger but I actually see less content on it because of the software buttons, and while the screen is sharper a bit the viewing angles and contrast are worse. It also isn't a lot faster then my S3, it doens't do anything my S3 couldn't till now (yes HDR video, I tried it once and that's it).
My biggest problem is the size and design: without the curved sides/back the phone is hard to use for me with one hand. Really didn't expect this. This together with what I said above, make me consider returning the XZ and wait for a few more months. I saw (again) an article on a big Ducht newssite about the XZ's succesor and that it will come in summer 2013. It should have a 1080p 4.8 screen and the S600 chipset. This off course also doens't really help my feeling of returning the XZ...
I still have till next week to think about my XZ, but I might return it. No offence to Sony, the XZ is really a good phone, but the fact that I can't use it comfortable in my hand is something important to me. I do have small hands, but I can use the S3 perfectly and the XZ not so much.
EDIT: The other problem is, there isn't anything at the moment which I would consider buying. I have looked again at the HTC One and still don't want it. Maybe I will return my XZ and wait for Samsung to reveal the S4 and hope that it's build quality/design is a step up from the S3. If not, I can get the XZ (or the succesor of the XZ) beginning of the summer. Really bummed out..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oho, than you should try ZL if it ever released soon in your country, it has smaller form factor with that curved back. Same spec of course, minus the waterproof

arcwindz said:
Oho, than you should try ZL if it ever released soon in your country, it has smaller form factor with that curved back. Same spec of course, minus the waterproof
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
XDA mark said:
My first impression were very good: I posted them in many threads here.
EDIT: The other problem is, there isn't anything at the moment which I would consider buying. I have looked again at the HTC One and still don't want it. Maybe I will return my XZ and wait for Samsung to reveal the S4 and hope that it's build quality/design is a step up from the S3. If not, I can get the XZ (or the succesor of the XZ) beginning of the summer. Really bummed out..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is my problem exactly! I ditched my Galaxy Note 1 because I kept hearing of all the earth shattering flagships coming out. The Oppo Find 5, the Xperia Z, the HTC One. I got a Note 2, and I have the same feelings. Sure its a little faster, but I feel like I am wasting my upgrade (I know that's a uniquely USA problem) on this phone. The Note 1 could do everything nearly as well, especially with custom ROMs.
I can still return my Note 2 but I honestly don't even know what I would use instead. There is nothing that really stands out. I was holding out hope for the Nokia EOS/Lumia 1000 but who knows if that will even deliver anything new.

XDA mark said:
My first impression were very good: I posted them in many threads here.
Though I have some new info:
- Battery lasted for 11h42m yesterday, standby time. Screen on time: 3h22m (auto brightness). I have screenshots to back it up. I was always connected to wifi or mobile network. I didn't play games, mostly chatting, facebook, some youtube videos, listned to some music and internet browsing. It's not horrible, but not very good either. I got home with 1% left at 23:00 in the evening.
Today, I had worse results. Mostly at home all day, so wifi. Had a total of sub 3hours of screenon time! This is already my third charging cycle so I don't expect things to get any better. At the moment I am not impressed by the battery life of the XZ, but it's not horrible either.
- Phone's size and design: beautiful, though it's already not so "WOW" anymore (got used to it I guess). The phone atracts a lot of duts and fingerprints. But what I am starting to see is that the XZ is not so good looking at ergonomic aspects! It just doesn't feel nice in my hand because it isn't curved at the sides/back. I picked up my S3 again today and wow, it felt like a total different kind of thing. It was so comfortable in my hand compared to the XZ, while the S3 is almost as big as the XZ. And because the S3 has no onscreen buttons, the screen actually showed more info then the XZ.
- Screen: I'm getting more and more used to it, it looks really nice and sharp. Viewing angles are starting to bother me less and less, but sometimes I still see them.
- Speaker quality: seems very loud, but quality wise it seems bad. And I cover it up with my right hand a lot without wanting too.
I'm thinking about returning the XZ.... yeah. Didn't expect it myself. But the main problem is: it doesn't feel like a big leap from my S3. So basicly, I bought a new phone (the XZ) which feels much worse in my hand (ergnomic wise, it's not comfortable) then my S3, the screen is bigger but I actually see less content on it because of the software buttons, and while the screen is sharper a bit the viewing angles and contrast are worse. It also isn't a lot faster then my S3, it doens't do anything my S3 couldn't till now (yes HDR video, I tried it once and that's it).
My biggest problem is the size and design: without the curved sides/back the phone is hard to use for me with one hand. Really didn't expect this. This together with what I said above, make me consider returning the XZ and wait for a few more months. I saw (again) an article on a big Ducht newssite about the XZ's succesor and that it will come in summer 2013. It should have a 1080p 4.8 screen and the S600 chipset. This off course also doens't really help my feeling of returning the XZ...
I still have till next week to think about my XZ, but I might return it. No offence to Sony, the XZ is really a good phone, but the fact that I can't use it comfortable in my hand is something important to me. I do have small hands, but I can use the S3 perfectly and the XZ not so much.
EDIT: The other problem is, there isn't anything at the moment which I would consider buying. I have looked again at the HTC One and still don't want it. Maybe I will return my XZ and wait for Samsung to reveal the S4 and hope that it's build quality/design is a step up from the S3. If not, I can get the XZ (or the succesor of the XZ) beginning of the summer. Really bummed out..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Personally I think it isn't worth will upgrading a high end 2012 phone, maybe if Google releases an android version that has something crazy cool and that needs a ridiculous amount of horsepower. Otherwise I think you can hang on to your phone until the end of 2014 or so

Yes, if you can find a used one to a reasonable price, and no if youre renewing your contract or buying a brand new one.
Reason is that even though its great phone, the samsung s4 and htc one is right around the corner and they both come with full hd displays with nearly everything better in software terms, look at the rewies.
I bought mine used for around 350 pounds it had been used for 11 days. Reason, i didnt wait for the s4 (i dont like metal (htc one)) is that i didnt wanted to renew my contract, and i had a iphone 5 (just to small of a screen) which i sold and bought the Xperia Z.
Now the Xperia Z is a great phone, its a beautiful looking phone, it has a great full hd display, the launcher is nearly stock witch i prefer etc.
The "not so great" about the phone is the software side. The camera isnt the best, but its not bad!. There arent many feauteres in the settings app, its allmost stock, so for the people who like minimality its allright, but for people like me who likes a lot of features the software dissapoints. Even though a lot of the software (samsung series) is gimmicks its nice to have them. My big issue with this phone is the battery, im a heavy user and it isnt meant for heavy users. Even in stamina mode and brightness in auto mode i have to charge the phone at least 2 times a day. And the charge time is crazy, if you are using your phone while charging it just stands still. Bluetooth is dissapointing, it connect to my cars bluetooth but when trying to make a phone call it disconnects every time. On the lockscreen theres time, music and camera icons, if u have a missed call or a message it does not show, for me thats dissapointing, the software just needs big improvements.
Now this phone is big, so if you have small hands try it out in a store before you buy. I have small hands but i like to use two hands so its fine for me, but still it could have been nice if it were a bit smaller, like the zl. The rectangular shape isnt as comfortable to hold as a others. This phone definetely needs to be tried before bought.
To round up:
Good part. Its beautifull looking, great hardware, great full hd screen, good camera, little to no lag, good launcher, notifcation lights, waterproof,
Bad part. battery life, bluetooth, software, not comfortable to hold (small hands),

I would buy one because I like Sony's UI, but the dated hardware specifications, poor viewing experience and sound quality is what's keeping me from doing that.

When you recontract (in my country), the HTC One is $528 vs the Xperia Z at $388, with the NFC speakers thrown in for free. Looking at the SGS4, it's going to be >$500 if the prices of the SGS3 were anything to go by (SGS4 drops on 27th April here). Kind of an easy choice

mahay_love said:
I would buy one because I like Sony's UI, but the dated hardware specifications, poor viewing experience and sound quality is what's keeping me from doing that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you've had the opportunity to use one for a few minutes and don't like the screen or the speaker and find the phone
sluggish/slow/underpowered for the tasks you would use it for?

Nameless One said:
So you've had the opportunity to use one for a few minutes and don't like the screen or the speaker and find the phone
sluggish/slow/underpowered for the tasks you would use it for?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd say far more than a few minutes but yes, I did find the apps to be a little unresponsive/lag-ish at times. The sound quality wasn't good but the screen was enjoyable, at least I thought so until I tried watching a video with a friend, it turned out it wasn't.

mahay_love said:
I'd say far more than a few minutes but yes, I did find the apps to be a little unresponsive/lag-ish at times. The sound quality wasn't good but the screen was enjoyable, at least I thought so until I tried watching a video with a friend, it turned out it wasn't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want to watch a movie with your friend you can go to the Cinema
Sent from my C6603 using xda premium

gm007 said:
If you want to watch a movie with your friend you can go to the Cinema
Sent from my C6603 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It was a small video clip though

mahay_love said:
I'd say far more than a few minutes but yes, I did find the apps to be a little unresponsive/lag-ish at times. The sound quality wasn't good but the screen was enjoyable, at least I thought so until I tried watching a video with a friend, it turned out it wasn't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fair enough, I get the impression that many of the people saying they were going to buy but changed their mind are going purely on what others have said including the many trolls as if anything negative said with confidence is automatically true
and true for all examples of the device (in this case the XZ) being referred to (or they are trolls themselves). There is far too much general negativity (as distinct from negative opinions).

Nameless One said:
Fair enough, I get the impression that many of the people saying they were going to buy but changed their mind are going purely on what others have said including the many trolls as if anything negative said with confidence is automatically true
and true for all examples of the device (in this case the XZ) being referred to (or they are trolls themselves). There is far too much general negativity (as distinct from negative opinions).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe on the internet but I've seen no such negativity from the people who own it, and when I displayed it to my relatives they had a clearly good impression of the device. I think I'm just too particular about my devices.

@op you say the camera isn't the Best but not bad? Yet you praise the screen...... The camera is one of the best out right now lol as for the screen, full HD yeah but the viewing angles are terrible, colors desaturate at the slightest tilt of the screen, anyways....I had my XZ for about a month now and while im happy with it for now I would gladly swap for something else, its gonna be hard to find someone who actually wants an XZ to swap with tho .
Sent from my GT-P3110 using xda premium

With respect to the OP there is simply no answer to the question. Choice is there and all the debate in the world will not alter that.
Trying to compare the top three mobiles at present is fruitless. They all have weaknesses and strengths. It will come down to personal choice and thank heavens for that choice.
I have the blessing to have purchased what mobile I like to that end I am not biased in favour of one brand nor the other. I buy what pleases me and NOT what reviews write. 'Experts' only confuse the situations. The difference between the XZ, HTC One and the SGS4 will come down to style and aesthetics, as far as daily use goes we have reached a ceiling now where the speeds etc can make zero noticeable difference in user interaction between person and device. UI's differ as does materials used in construction. I went with the Sony on this occasion as my SGS3 is a spectacular mobile, for the cost the materials used (for me) are unacceptable, it just feels cheap and the SGS4 looks exactly like its predecessor even though Samsung are using different forms of plastic it still looks cheap.
The HTC One, I fear, living in a very hot climate, that the HTC One will allow body perspiration into the phone via those large frontal speakers ? The phone looks a million dollars but again I fear the aluminium back and front plates will scratch and even dent as they did with my HTC Legend. The other point in choosing to try the Sony was signal strength.
You see I live in the middle of no where so signal strength is a vital part of my mobile ownership. Nokia, in the past, have been top notch in this area where HTC have proved abysmal and I have owned about 5 different HTC's. The Samsung Note was not too bad but the Galaxy S3 that I still have is not as strong as the Sony XZ.
I have found HTC and Nokia build quality to be very good, Samsung are, well they are plastic and look plastic!?
I am thankful for the choices. There is no best and to debate on such things is like trying to debate who the best singer is, the best song, the best brand of stereo speakers or HI-Fi separates. It is a personal choice.
What's the best fruit would be an equally pointless debate.

Best phone so far I find
The fact it's so close to stock android compared to everything else I find a real bonus as well
Feels like a nexus but with the Sony bonus features rather then a forced view of what they think android should be like e.g Samsung
Great camera
Good battery life I find
Best astetic design
Sent from my Xperia Z

swifteh said:
@op you say the camera isn't the Best but not bad? Yet you praise the screen...... The camera is one of the best out right now lol as for the screen, full HD yeah but the viewing angles are terrible, colors desaturate at the slightest tilt of the screen, anyways....I had my XZ for about a month now and while im happy with it for now I would gladly swap for something else, its gonna be hard to find someone who actually wants an XZ to swap with tho .
Sent from my GT-P3110 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the camera on both the s3 & iphone 5 are better. and those are the phones ive owned. yes the screen is beautiful and bright. i dont care about viewing angles, if you had readen the reviews you would have known that the viewing angles are not so good. well if you paid full price then yeah you should have waited.

After spending two weeks with the iPhone 5, I am unable to agree that it has a better camera than the Xperia Z. I have got better pictures with the latter when manual settings.
I would also say that the selection between Xperia Z, HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S 4 (after seeing the ad in Times Square, the name is S 4 instead of S IV) is a matter of software preferences to a high degree. In my case, the Xperia Z won because of the following:
1. IP57 and the relaxation that the smartphone can be used even if the weather is less than perfect.
2. No TouchWiz or Sense and a very clean Android experience that is more of a "refined Nexus" than a traditional manufacturer modified one. The problem with Samsung is that they change a lot of things in their devices and that results in very heavy bloated ROMs. I also think that Sony has made a better job with their apps like dialer, contacts, messaging, Album and Walkman.
The new HTC Sense isn't too attractive to me either even if I have the opinion that HTC usually make more elegant apps (Gallery, contacts, dialer etc) than Samsung.
3. Because of 2, running clean ROMs are of interest to me in the case of Samsung and HTC. Unfortunately, neither Galaxy S 4 or HTC One are too developer friendly (locked bootloaders, a lack of sources etc) which is paired with a severe fragmentation (in the case of the S 4) where different markets has different CPUs etc. Sony has made a better job with standardizing Xperia Z C6602 and C6603 since both of them can use the same ROMs and kernels. It is also worth to mention that the CM10.1 development has been very rapid for the Xperia Z and everything like camera etc is working.
4. The performance of the Xperia Z is very high, it is the first time I don't feel that overclocking is necessary. The device is very smooth and fast on the stock frequency. It is better to undervolt in order to get better battery life and less heat (it made a big difference in my case).
The performance differences between the Snapdragon S4 Pro and the 600 can be reduced by overclocking. The light ROMs for the Xperia Z is facilitating smoothness, my experience is that Samsung and HTC needs heavy debloating in order to begin to perform at their best.
The most interesting product besides the Xperia Z when it comes to the CPU is the S 4 i9500 with Exynos 5 Octa. It is a great benefit that it is always quad core in both modes (performance and power saver A15/A7). Unfortunately, the Snapdragon 600-versions are what Samsung pushes hard since the production of the Exynos 5 Octa hasn't been ramped up yet.
The drawback with the Exynos is the unwillingness of Samsung to release proper sources, a problem that has affected CM and PA on their devices. Otherwise, it is a really interesting CPU.
The step between Snapdragon S4 Pro and 600 is too small in my opinion, the step to the 800 is much more interesting.
5. The screen of the Xperia Z is very good in my opinion with good color reproduction after calibration. The viewing angle "problem" doesn't disturb me the slightest since I usually don't use the device in off angles - and the screen is still legible in those cases. The "problem" is overrated IMHO.
I also prefer the colors compared to the extreme "color explosion" Samsung offers on their AMOLED screens (which can be changed by make the proper settings). I think the Galaxy S 4 and HTC One offers decent screens but I don't see that the difference between them and the Xperia Z is much of a concern. All three are good.
6. The audio quality of the Xperia Z when decent headphones are used is very good and that is with the PureXAudio mod flashed. I don't experience any kind of "inferior sound" compared to the Galaxy Note II. For further enhancements of the sound, Power AMP can be used.
HTC focuses too much on Beats Audio instead of good DACs etc which is a drawback. Personally, I would not buy anything with Beats (Crap Audio in my opinion). When it comes to the Galaxy S 4, I think the Snapdragon 600 versions are using the integrated DAC while the Exynos version should use the Wolfson one. I therefore expect the i9500 to offer higher audio quality than i9505 et al.
I would claim the Wolfson Samsung Galaxy S 4 i9500 will be the best sounding with Xperia Z as the second while HTC with their Beats Audio will lag behind. Samsung usually manage to offer very good sound from their Wolfson equipped products.
7. The integrated battery on the Xperia Z is a drawback but can partly be explained by the water tightness. The HTC One has a completely disastrous battery placement, sandwiched between the mainboard and the screen. The 1 out of 10 in repairability that iFixit gave it would put me off completely.
The Galaxy S 4 is the winner since it offers both the user replaceable battery and a memory card slot. The Xperia Z comes in second and the HTC One suffers from a very big question mark about the internal layout.
Conclusion:
In my opinion, the Xperia Z is the most "well rounded" device available today. The Galaxy S 4 i9500 with Exynos 5 Octa offers some benefits but suffers from very restricted availability. Many of the features Samsung puts in are more of "gimmicks" than useful things. HTC focuses also on a bit of bling bling with Beats Audio and Blinkfeed.
The Xperia Z on the other hand offers a clean experience that is easy to customize and gives a more "productive" feeling rather than "bling bling". On the other hand, everything comes down to what type of Android experience that is preferred. For those that are comfortable with TouchWiz and Sense, Samsung and HTC is good choices.
On the other hand, for those that prefer a cleaner experience but think the Nexus 4 is too limited (storage, screen etc) - the Xperia Z is a very good choice - especially now when CM10.1 is out and seem to work well in the latest build. It is possible to step straight onto "pure Android" right now, without the question marks that surrounds the other options.
Personally, I think the Xperia Z is the best option right now and can only see the Galaxy S 4 with Exynos Octa as the closest competitor - then there is interesting products from Huawei that can be worth a look. HTC One is uninteresting to me, especially because of the hopeless internal layout with the sandwiched battery that makes repairs extremely complicated.
What I don't like with the Galaxy S 4 is the insane fragmentation Samsung introduced. They use two different CPUs but it doesn't end there: then we have a couple of carrier versions with alterations that make ROMs incompatible. I can see atleast FIVE different S600 versions: i9505 for Europe and then different models for AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon.
The Xperia Z C6602 and C6603 is the optimum in standardization in comparison.
HTC One seem to be more standardized too even if there are different carrier branded versions. According to available info, the AT&T version can use the EU ROMs without any alterations necessary and that is a big plus.
I think that the "worst" device of the three is the HTC One and that is purely because of the internal layout and the sandwiched battery. It is tough luck to have a problem with it. Even if it is integrated, it should be placed above the mainboard and not between it and the screen.
Galaxy S 4 is certainly a nice device in different aspects but TouchWiz and the severe fragmentation with different versions is something to keep in mind since it affects ROM development.
Xperia Z is a device that offers a very well rounded or balanced experience that is close to stock Android but with Sony refinements (that adds some value rather than just being bloat). I also think it gives an appearance of sophisticated elegance while the HTC One is a bit "bling bling" and the S 4 is a bit too much of an S III in style.
My last word is this: it is also worth to check out competitors like Huawei with their Ascend series. I think the rumored Ascend Mate II with 1080p screen will be an interesting alternative to a Note III for example.
There is also rumors about a Sony Xperia Cybershot later this year. I guess it will be powered by the Snapdragon 800.
I am very happy with the Xperia Z and don't miss Samsung the slightest.

Ryland Johnson said:
I fear the aluminium back and front plates will scratch and even dent as they did with my HTC Legend.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well maybe scratching is not as bad, looking at this short video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EWqPpYVE08

coios84 said:
the camera on both the s3 & iphone 5 are better. and those are the phones ive owned. yes the screen is beautiful and bright. i dont care about viewing angles, if you had readen the reviews you would have known that the viewing angles are not so good. well if you paid full price then yeah you should have waited.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you seriously trying to say that an 8mp camera is better than a 13 mp camera? i read lots of reviews and watched countless youtube reviews by top reviewers, yes i paid full price but im not fully flaming the phone, viewing angles dont bother me too much either, just pointing out one of the screens shortcomings.... im just hacked off at 50/50 gamble that you get a locked bootloader, which is why we buy android devices in the first place, to unlock, mod and set free, but i really needed a phone at the time so hey ho.

Quite agree with some but not all.
Battery I find it better, at least it was far better than my previous phone - Samsung Galaxy S III, and it also charging fast, at least it was faster than my previous Samsung Galaxy S III.
I don't find this phone that bad only deserved for 2nd hand value.
I do miss some useful function by Samsung especially on those sensor part, but.. it was not a must as it ain't really important.
Stability wise, I can only said this is my 1st Android that is stable out from the box. My experience with Samsung Galaxy S II - G version was the most terrible one, it hang often until I sold it after 2 months usage, actually before I sold the SII-G ROM already quit stable but it still hang maybe once a week. Then I get S III, the performance was smooth before you install anything, it drag down after install full of apps, I am not so satisfied with S III performance, I mean the international edition which only 1GB RAM, it will anytime restart the launcher once you touch the Google Chrome. Even the most simple task - opening Phone also need to wait, this is truly nightmare as older S II - G also don't have this issue, it open instant.
Then my sister buy Note II, and this is the 1st time Samsung did it pretty solid and stable. I am sure since this, they no doubt any issue on S4. But I still don't choose S4 due to bored on it similarity design.
HTC One - this is my choice before I pick Xperia Z as I had seen HTC Butterfly screen before, and it extremely impress me. But for design wise, I still pick Sony as I find it did the best in outer and inner (software part) design. Then, after seeing a lot reviews of HTC One camera, the Ultrapixel camera was quite let down, it too easier over expose in day light outdoor shoot due to it big aperture f/2.0, such aperture if not handle well is a nightmare. HTC One body is similar and even slightly bigger than S III, in such body, it was easier squeeze in 5" screen rather than current 4.7". Beside this, Xperia Z waterproof and solid build with capable of SD card was a plus.
Now talk on screen wise, I actually not please with Samsung over saturate AMOLED screen, it was just too vivid to be natural & preset color of Natural is not working, as it became too dull. Don't talk on S4, I know it came with Adobe RGB Professional profile, maybe this help, I can't justified now as I need to see in person. Xperia Z screen wise was nature but never lost it vividness and nice to look at, the only lose here is the viewing angle but it not really impact actual use.
Sound quality on Xperia Z stock not really impress me due to it too low volume loud speaker and not clear, also all the preset was too flat to listening, Clear Audio+ not flat but too high pitch. All this issue solved after with PureXAudio mod, it was really good and not worst than my S III after the mod.
Performance wise, no doubt S4 win here as it bundle with latest highest CPU and highest speed as well. But is this really matter, I doubt about it, now every flagship phone is fast enough, not really need getting the highest speed, in-fact future phone shall more look on RAM (probably is time equip with 3GB or 4GB) and battery. RAM always play important part in any IT electrical device. More RAM will eventually make everything much smoother and better.
Until now, the only thing I want Sony make it better was reduce the camera over post processing & jpeg compression, I know the output could be better if Sony reduce down the post processing especially the noise filtering, it was like a paint of wax sometimes the output.

It's a great device. At the end of the day is a flagship so it won't disappoint you but it all comes to personal preference sony xz, HTC one or Samsung s4 they are all awesome devices. Compare them and pick the one that ticks all the boxes for you.
Sent from my C6603 using xda premium

I've got my Z on ebay, sitting in front of me waiting to sell right now. I wanted so much to love the Z and still do love the Water resistance and ruggedness, as well as the size of the screen. Simply put though, the Z falls down on too many points.
Z points;
Camera : Very good, although no better than S3 or iphone 4 or 5 for that matter.
Music: Too quiet, although sound quality is great. The low volume overall, especially through the headphone socket, even with audio mods, is inexcusable from Sony.
Screen: Sony have basically just slapped a small computer monitor screen on it, as the viewing angles remind me of PC lcd screens.
Viewing angle is the big no no here, it is almost useless viewing texts with phone on desk, and watching a movie or looking at content with a friend on the screen is very disapointing.
Performance: The Z is slightly too laggy, although it is very fast.
I love the size of the Z screen and the software is very nice, especially the album app, which is hands down the best album app i've ever used.
Sony fell just short of the mark with this. Given the choice again, I would not of bought it. The HTC One i've replaced it with beats it in every respect barring screen size and water resistance.

biffsmash said:
I've got my Z on ebay, sitting in front of me waiting to sell right now. I wanted so much to love the Z and still do love the Water resistance and ruggedness, as well as the size of the screen. Simply put though, the Z falls down on too many points.
Z points;
Camera : Very good, although no better than S3 or iphone 4 or 5 for that matter.
Music: Too quiet, although sound quality is great. The low volume overall, especially through the headphone socket, even with audio mods, is inexcusable from Sony.
Screen: Sony have basically just slapped a small computer monitor screen on it, as the viewing angles remind me of PC lcd screens.
Viewing angle is the big no no here, it is almost useless viewing texts with phone on desk, and watching a movie or looking at content with a friend on the screen is very disapointing.
Performance: The Z is slightly too laggy, although it is very fast.
I love the size of the Z screen and the software is very nice, especially the album app, which is hands down the best album app i've ever used.
Sony fell just short of the mark with this. Given the choice again, I would not of bought it. The HTC One i've replaced it with beats it in every respect barring screen size and water resistance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Music: seriously check with the doctor, volume is high enough.
Perfirmance: laggy but very fast?? What app/game lags for you. Quad core 2gb ram and lags you are trolling here for sure.
Screen: that's totally bs, viewing angles are perfectly fine, right now I'm typing from my desk, I've seen videos in bed with my partner no problems at all.
Getting a bit tired of those HTC fan boys reviews.
What I suggest you to do is go to a shop try all of them and pick the one you like more. Because at the end of the day it's you who have to like it.
Sent from my C6603 using xda premium

So many negative threads about how the screen sucks, the camera sucks etc etc. Would be nice to hear from the people who actually like the Z1. Write down your experience with the phone. It doesn't have to be all rosy but hopefully it will give a little bit more nuance.

Sure.
Last Saturday I got my Z1, I've had a Gnex for a long time and my first impressions are very good. The device is amazingly fast, everything works as it should, multitasking is very good, all performance related things are nothing to complain about.
The screen 'dead-on' is also nice the viewing angles people are talking about is something I don't really see as a problem. I just held the phone in an angle and when the colours start to wash out it's an angle I would never use my phone at. Other than that the camera does have noise issues, although it's not too bad IMHO. (do bear in mind I come from the Gnex so pretty much every new device is a big upgrade) I don't think the noise issues aren't too bad though, as Sony can easily fix the noise issues with a software update. Speaking of updates, the Z1 already had 3 updates. Whether this is a good or a bad thing is up to you, but to me it sounds like it's well supported by Sony.
Battery... I feel mixed about it. It's better than my Gnex, but again, pretty much every device is. I did expect a lot more from a 3000 mAh battery though. I had about 23 hours of standby and roughly 4 hours of screen on time. That is with 3G on all the time, wifi on most of the time and applications like Twitter, Whatsapp and Facebook running in the background. It's a weird thing though, the xperia ZR gets 11:30 (11 hours and 30 minutes) of browsing in the GSMarena test. While the Z1 gets about half of that. I have the feeling Sony has to do some software optimization, since they can pull it off. (note: the ZR battery is 2300 mAh) How long this will take, and if Sony will even do it, I have no idea. If the problem is related to Qualcomm it may take a long time though since they're not very keen on doing things in a different way. (look at the Nexus 7 2013 and binaries)
Overall I personally think the Xperia Z1 is an amazing device. It's super fast, the build quality is amazing and it feels really good.(get a case though!) There are things to improve on such as battery life and it depends on whether you trust Sony to fix these issues or not.

Positve
Got mine yesterday.
S/W: problems yet
Performance: Extremely quick 9/10
Screen Quality: 8/10 but too early to say if I'm just being jaded by all the moaning.
Camera seems pretty good to me, what a blessing a proper camera button makes.
Shame I can't upload samples of photos / videos etc. I will find a way if request. Anyone wanna buy a Galaxy 3? ho ho..
Oh one thing I don't like, is having to uncover the charger port to charge it up (i know its re waterproofing).
My options are :-
Cut the cover flap off or buy a magnetic charger unit £30.00 !!!!! (I probably will.)
So far pretty dam good phone.
Paul

I've had my XZ1 since Saturday 21st sept, and so far I love it, the camera is good but has issues like the grain and noise which prevent it from being a great one.
Love the sharpness and colours of the screen and it's resolution makes browsing the Web or forums so easy.
I've gotten used to the waterproof tabs after having my Xtz before I got the z1 but at least if you don't like having to keep opening the flap you can use a magnetic charger cable or dock.
That's all I can think of at lol
Sent from my C6903 using XDA Premium HD app

screen is best... best contrast and color you can get... no yellow tint or extra blue. no issue at all..
screen performance not so good from an angle... but who use it like that... 98% i use head on... 2 % ready to sacrifice. for head on awesomeness..
battery is a ****. (Wifi and bluetooth on, may be due to this)
Auto mode of camera is a ****..
play around with ISO in manual mode to get best shot for each scenario...
sound from speaker is not so good... even headphone sound (wired) is not good...
performance... nothing can beat it... samsung s4 struggles before this beast..
i am still on 518 firmware and no software issue so far.. using wireless headphones...

jos_031 said:
screen is best... best contrast and color you can get... no yellow tint or extra blue. no issue at all..
screen performance not so good from an angle... but who use it like that... 98% i use head on... 2 % ready to sacrifice. for head on awesomeness..
battery is a ****. (Wifi and bluetooth on, may be due to this)
Auto mode of camera is a ****..
play around with ISO in manual mode to get best shot for each scenario...
sound from speaker is not so good... even headphone sound (wired) is not good...
performance... nothing can beat it... samsung s4 struggles before this beast..
i am still on 518 firmware and no software issue so far.. using wireless headphones...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For me it's this above plus
Weird touch screen issues where it goes a bit bonkers when doing the pattern unlock.

Wow a positive thread about the Z1, do my eyes deceive me?
Seriously it's nice to see positive in all the threads of doom and gloom.
Nice
Sent from my C6903 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

My showers have become a lot less of a chore and more of a pleasure;
https://vine.co/v/hvY5MVFTLXd?fb_action_ids=10151847100714799
Just add 2 hooks with a little bit of sugru

So I got mine yesterday.
Hardware: I can't tell you how gorgeous this phone is if you haven't seen it yet, the blend of pure vanilla white with the aluminium frame is a spot on direct hit in my eyes. Under the hood HW is even better. The S800 chip seriously flies and it's been a long time but Android is now becoming just as fluid as iOS and WP and it's great to see that.
Software: I am a big fan of the Sony UI simply because it's easy and it looks pretty vanilla, I haven't installed a Homescreen in 2 years now ever since I got a Xperia S and I am not changing that now. There is some minor SW bugs where some dialouges just doesn't show up but I can still press them(if I know their real position)
Camera: The camera is a serious SW mess because I know and I see that Sony has a good camera HW-wise BUT their SW and esspecially Auto mode is seriously one complete mess. Other than the major problems with the noise the camera app is fluid and it's quite promosing to have some nice options like AR and the Livestream mode.
Sound: THe loudspeaker is decent and nothing you would cheer about but it's better than my old XS of course. The headphone jack for me is perfect and I hear absolutely no difference when playing the same song on my XS or my Z1
Screen: THe screen for me is supersharp, I can only see a little difference in sharpness between my XS and Z1 but that is expected but still it's a nice feature. The colours are almost accurate(I had to increase my blue level by +3 to +4), viewing angles aren't the best but they are clearly better than my XS besides head on is the way to go in my world.
Battery: Battery is a mixed bag; Standby is EXCELLENT hours can go and the phone is still on the same percentage. However and this is a big one the battery during Web browsing or other minor things is seriously underperforming. Clearly this is also something wrong with the SW because other Sony phones does not have the same problem.
I hope this gives a good view on the phone, clearly Sony needs to fix the battery and the Camera and for some swap out faulty screens. Other than that my money was well put!

I got my XZ1 on monday and I love it so far! Yeah the viewing angles aren't the best but who is gonna use their phone from those angles? The camera is good, yes it needs some improvements but it isn't unusable.
The waterproof tabs take some getting used to after coming from a Nexus 4 but my battery lasts me about a day and a half almost 2; so I don't have to undo the tab to often.
I like the speaker, it isn't as loud as the one on the Note 2 I had but it is WAY better than the Nexus 4. I really like the notification LED also, its in a really discrete location and its pretty visible; and paired with light manager it is really useful for me.
Wifi has also been good for me, at least compared to my old N4. The overall speed of the phone is awesome! This thing rips!
Coming from the Nexus 4 this was a SOLID upgrade for me. SD card slot, better camera, Snapdragon 800, better speakers (ear piece also), and its waterproof? I can't really complain on my end!
I think people are just being a little too picky. I mean come on the phone has only been out for almost a week now. What else can you expect? Sony has been releasing updates pretty frequently so hopefully everything will get better soon.

So i will do that short: Sony Xperia Z1 is just good. Not perfect. but good and defently better as my old Xperia S. (Whiches i aso not so bad if i compare to to other cellphone from this timewindow)

Mine is good so far, only got it for 2days will test camera etc some more
One thing I can say about the screen:
I went to local store and compared to ZU screen, both on full brightness and my Z1 screen definitely has better colors and details then Z1. I tried the Sony sample pics and compared those.
Better details is due to 5" vs 6.4" I guess. But colors are really better on Z1, also in video I noticed the same result
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Love the z1
Got the Z1 on pre-order, arrived the 17th.
- First thing i notice, phone is not bulky (in oposition to what reviewers say). Second thing, sony actually provides screen protect (Awsome)
- Phone turns on great and continues to perform great, Loving 4g and the speed and smoothness of the whole system.
- Screen contrast is not superb, lost in comparison to the s4, but during video streaming/playback, it performed amazingly as being hit directly by sunlight it was still very clear.
- Overall The phone is amazing, everyone says constantly i can't stop playing around with it (so true).
The only negative i have is battery life. Due to my constant use it drains very very quickly. But i think i'll be able to fix that.

B1nny said:
Sure.
Last Saturday I got my Z1, I've had a Gnex for a long time and my first impressions are very good. The device is amazingly fast, everything works as it should, multitasking is very good, all performance related things are nothing to complain about.
....
Overall I personally think the Xperia Z1 is an amazing device. It's super fast, the build quality is amazing and it feels really good.(get a case though!) There are things to improve on such as battery life and it depends on whether you trust Sony to fix these issues or not.
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I see you're from the Netherlands. Could you confirm we are still on 14.1.G.1.518 firmware? It seems everyone who has been able to upgrade to 534 firmware has far better camera results, yet I cannot update to this new firmware, still stuck on the old one. I'd love to update the firmware to get better camera results but I do not want to root this phone. I'm on Vodafone RED 4G btw, dunno if it mathers.. Thanks.

bramgg said:
I see you're from the Netherlands. Could you confirm we are still on 14.1.G.1.518 firmware? It seems everyone who has been able to upgrade to 534 firmware has far better camera results, yet I cannot update to this new firmware, still stuck on the old one. I'd love to update the firmware to get better camera results but I do not want to root this phone. I'm on Vodafone RED 4G btw, dunno if it mathers.. Thanks.
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I am. I can confirm I didn't get any updates on my unlocked Z1. I updated to 534 manually via flashtool though. (doesn't void warranty) I have no idea why we don't get the updates pushed to our phones.

thought i'd give my 2 cents here as i have been seeing a lot of negative comments, especially from people who judge way too quickly. Back when the Z came out i followed it madly and already had it on pre-order but i ended up getting a htc one. Ive had this phone for 2 days now and compared to my htc one it is a definite improvement. The only thing im getting used to is the size of the phone, i have small hands so you can imagine its not a 1 handed affair, but you cant fault the build quality, i love the fact that sony puts its own screen and back panel protector on (remember the x10). Call quality is amazing i have to say, loud and clear. performance is amazing, i can see the improvements in the chipset s800 has over s600 (was in my htc one), in real life you wont notice it too much but its defo there, games run amazing no lags and hits a very good fps (wild blood, real racing 3 in particular looks and plays amazingly). I've not really played with the camera much but its better than my htc one, that was the only thing i was disappointed with that phone. Now i have been constantly messing about with the phone so cant really give an accurate example of battery life, but what are you supposed to expect from a phone specc'd like this, yes it has a bigger capacity battery, it also has a big screen and a powerful cpu too, if i get a full days use out of it il be happy.

The Z1 is easily the best phone ever built. Its so nice to hold and use. Definitely my favourite phone to date and I have owned nearly all the previous flagship phones from most companies.

Absolutely blown away by this phone it's just amazing for me.
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Xperia Z1 music video

Hi,
I'm totally new to android and the Z1 is my first personal android phone. My expectations where so high coming from many years of All iPhones.
I don't want to start a flame but yes I think android is a little behind (in some aspects) to ios7 BUT this device is actually freaking awesome and looks to me the only one that can beat the iPhone quality.
- High quality. When you touch it you feel that your money are well spent.
- The camera (if we consider is a phone) Is just super good.
- The Sony rom doesn't make me sad as and in a hurry to grab a random 3th party rom
- Display is super good colors looks real and rich. Yes view angles are not awesome but only crazy people use the phone in that way. One thing that NO ONE MENTION is that any phone is close to the iPhone under the sun. Surprise surprise according to phone arena the Z1 is in 2 place. That's for me means A LOT more than insane view angles. The only difect so far is the black. The display show (only in some circumstances) one of the lightest black on the market. You'll may notice it watching a movie (a dark one) in a dark room.
- screen protector: isn't so fragile as many said but yes isn't olephobic
Am I satisfied? A lot!!!!
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