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Why I Chose The Xperia Z and not HTC One

I've posted this before on the Xperia Z reviews thread, however, I've been reading lots of posts about the Xperia Z vs the HTC One and I'd thought I'd share my opinions on the Xperia Z and why I chose it instead of the HTC One. I've modified some information in the review to tell you more about why I chose the Z. The original can be found here: [http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=40061336#post40061336]
My Honest Sony Xperia Z Review
Why I Chose The Xperia Z
I had the Xperia Z for a month or so and I'm ready to make my review on it. I was up for an upgrade last month(March) and was browsing through phones that may appeal to me. I am coming from an iPhone 5. In the end, there were only 3 phones that caught my eye. The Xperia Z, the HTC One and the HTC Butterfly, or Droid DNA in the USA. The Butterfly was the first to go as it lacked LTE and NFC. The Xperia Z and the HTC One remained. Luckily, I found a HTC One demo unit in one of the Carriers, Singtel(Plaza Singapura if any fellow Singaporeans wanna check it out). Well hidden in a corner, I should say and it was the Black one. At the same time, The Xperia Z just launched like, 2 days ago(At that time). Picking up the HTC One, I realized how solid it feels, and boy, premium was written all over it. I turned it on and played around with the software. It was good, lag-free and looks great. I tried the camera and I have to say it was horrible. No joke. It was not clear and most details looks fuzzy. Maybe thats just me, but it really looks not on par with phone cameras these days. Sense 5.0 was alright, it was clean and fresh from the previous Sense versions. BlinkFeed was just a Flipboard like widget on the homescreen. Sense 5.0 does looks nice, but it was not for me. I am also afraid of the build of the phone. I am a careless person. I have to admit. My iPhone 5 was covered in scuffs and dents all over the place. Having the full aluminium body makes me shudder every time I imagine dropping it. Wanted to know more but the HTC rep was nowhere to be seen. Next, I went to the Xperia Z demo unit. The Sony Xperia rep there gave me a run through on the specs and features. I was actually pretty impressed and excited by the fact I could take my phone to the shower and use it while showering. To me, what it means by having a good phone is having a good experience. When I picked up the phone, I immediately realized how realistic the colors looked when playing video and viewing images. Outside of that, it looked rather dark. The design was sexy. REALLY sexy. It felt extremely good in the hand and is durable. VERY durable. Dropped it a few times and not a scratch. The thing that closed the deal was the UI. I like the stock UI. In fact, I love it. The Xperia Z's UI is extremely close to stock. The Nexus 4 is not available here, so it was out of the question. The UI is neat, smooth and looked fabulous. Unlike HTC's Sense 5.0, which is an extremely heavy skin and does not appeal to me. With the water resistance, it was clear which is the phone for me. I hope after reading my review, you'll know which phone to get. We are all brothers here at XDA Developers and I hope that whichever phone we use, we may contribute to the developer community and not flame each other because of our personal preferences. XDA Developers is a place for developers, by developers. Lets not let our choice of phone affect that.
The Beauty Meets The Beast
The Xperia Z packs a SnapDragon S4 Pro Quad-core 1.5 GHz Krait processor, Adreno 320 GPU and runs Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean. It sports an all glass design, similar to the iPhone 4 and 4S. The Xperia Z has excellent build quality and looks absolutely fantastic. The ports are covered by flaps, which may prove to be an annoyance for some but with good purpose. The most prominent feature of the Xperia Z is probably the on/off button. Its large, and ridiculously well placed. It stands where the thumb rests on the phone, or the index finger if you're using your left hand and is incredibly convenient to press compared to the stretch you'd have to make on other phones. Below that is the volume rocker, also easy to access when needed. The speakers are indeed placed in a horrible position, as its easy to mute with your palm unintentionally but its not an issue for me as I use my phone with my left hand.
Overall, the design turns heads and the hardware don't fail to deliver. Feels solid in the hand, BUT might be a problem for people with small hands as it may cut into it and make it uncomfortable. Very, very impressive Sony.
User Interface
Sony's UI is probably the closes you can get to stock android, and I love it. It's simple, nothing fancy and neat, although, I'd like a Black theme rather then the Grey. There are some UI lags here and there though. The lack of Android 4.2.2 also disappoints me a little but its coming, and I'll wait for it. After all, Good things come to those who wait.
Performance Powerhouse
Lag is a thing of the past with the SnapDragon S4 Pro as everything is buttery smooth, with minor UI lags here and there. Problem solved with one of the launchers. I've also noticed a little waiting time when launching the camera. Games run smoothly and without issue, not to mention looks AWESOME on the Full HD display. Although, I'd prefer to see the SnapDragon 600 on the Xperia Z as a future proof maneuver as games get increasingly power hungry.
Camera, Video and Screen
Video playback is amazing on the Xperia Z, as a result of the Full HD 1080p screen. Words are crisp and I rarely see any pixels other then low-res images. The Camera doesn't disappoint either with a 13MP back camera and a 2.1MP front facing camera. Both camera film 1080p videos as well so vlogging on the phone will definitely be great. However, I did notice that the colors are not on par with other phones and look rather dark. The Bravia Mobile Engine 2 does help and actually make the colors extremely realistic, but only when viewing images and videos. Low contrast ratio here doesn't help either. Had no issue using the phone in daylight. The viewing angles are GREAT. Only having some colors being washed out, I don't see any issue with viewing angles. Even if there is an issue with viewing angles, who cares? Nobody, NOBODY uses their phones 90 degrees unless you're a total idiot.
Connectivity
No issues here. LTE, NFC. What else could you ask for? Have to say though, kudos to Sony on having a campaign on promoting NFC usage and even launching new TVs with NFC compatibility. Wi-Fi is great, only had issue when it keeps dropping on free public Wi-Fi access points. But hey, free Wi-Fi, who knows. No issues with the Wi-Fi at home.
Its Music To My Ears
I listen to music. A lot. Everyday to and fro school, when travelling, heck, even when I'm bored. The bundled headset, The MH-EX300AP is AWESOME in providing high quality sounds. Sony also has ClearAudio+, which is like Beats Audio on the HTC, makes the experience all the more awesome. You can say its like having an orgasm in your ears. Eargasm if i may.
Speaker & Microphone Quality
The speaker, is actually quite the disappointment as number one, its placed in a horrible position. Next, its not as loud as I'd like it to be. There's xLoud, but it sacrifices quality for volume. Considering the quality without xLoud, I'd rather have it disabled. Lastly, as said before, the quality isn't all that great. However, I got the NFC Wireless Speaker, The SRS-BTV5 for free, which solves all the above issues, thus no complaints from me. But its kinda inconvenient to carry a speaker around with you all the time, so yeah. It is an issue.
Call quality is great, however. I can hear the other party clearly and they can hear me clearly too. No issues with dropped calls.
The Xperia Z Runs Far, With Great Stamina
I start my day at 4:30AM and end at 6PM. With 80% battery left. Stamina mode is no gimmick, it really does help with the battery life. Awesome battery life. If the screen is mostly off that is, which is usually the case. I find that if LTE is enabled, battery drains extremely fast, which makes me resort to using HSPA+, which isn't that all bad in my country. HSPA+ use nearly 3 times as less battery then LTE on my set. Location Based Wi-Fi is AWESOME. Its really cool to have your Wi-Fi turn off automatically when you leave the house and turns on then you're back. Not to mention the convenience. The phone will probably last me 2 days or so, but I still charge it every night anyway. Don't we all do?
Prepared For Accidents
The Xperia Z is IP57 certified - dust and water resistant with water resistant up to 1 meter and 30 minutes. Let's be honest here. We all had times where we wished we could take our phones into the shower or bathtub. That wish is now fulfilled. I take the Xperia Z into the shower with me everyday and text or watch YouTube videos while showering. When the phone is dirty? No sweat. Rinse it under washing water. Now you also do not have to worry about dropping your phone into the water or bring it camping in the desert(whatever the reason LOL). Plus, you can wow your friends or freak your parents out by pouring water on the phone or dunk it into a glass of water. Heck, even take it swimming. Be careful about salt water though, Sony does not recommend dunking it in salt water. With Wet Finger Tracking technology, you don't have to dry your hands to use your phone, although it does get a little jumpy at times. The phone is also quite durable as I've dropped the phone a few time and there's not a scratch. That a plus as I'm usually very careless.
Take note that the phone disables touch input while underwater so, no texting while swimming.
Conclusion
The Sony Xperia Z is a great phone. Its not for everybody, and it has it's fair shares of ups and downs. I am throughly satisfied with it and do not regret not waiting for the Samsung Galaxy S4 or the HTC One. Its great for the average user and is definitely good enough for me. The water and dust resistance is not necessary but its nice to have. Its smooth, provide great music listening, plays games like a champ. I would recommend it to anybody, but hey, its your call. You have the decision to which phone is right for you and nobody can force you to take the Xperia Z or any phone for the matter. For me, I made my choice, and I have no regrets whatsoever.
Therefore, I dare say: I'M A PROUD SONY XPERIA Z OWNER
Thank you for taking your precious time to read my review. I'm still a noob, and I hope I may be more useful to the developer community here.
P.s Feedback on my review?

Thanks for your input. I suggest you take a look at the AnandTech review of the HTC One and you'll find the camera is excellent, if not the best available. I really like my Z but I find it unrealistic to say the camera is better if Sony doesn't fix the extreme post-processing. In low-light conditions the One wins hands down. Not so weird with optical image stabilization and pixels that are twice as big.
I'd suggest taking a picture (in auto mode) of a tree or bush at lets say 2-3 meters distance and then look at the picture at 100%. You'll see it's smeared out. Funny thing is, try the same in burst and you'll see it looks MUCH better.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2221246

Great review. I agree with most parts.
Only issues for me with Z, which are a real shame to me, are the mic and ear piece speakers which do not provide the best call clarity, callers and myself experience weird overprocessed sound and issues when on calls, but they are minor, and the waterproofing accounts for this I imagine.
The only other issue for me, which again is a big shame considering the phone is made by Sony, is the music quality.
The music through the earphones is far too quiet, and the quality leaves a lot to be desired.
Say what you will about Beats audio on HTC phones, but the HTC One X beats the Z into the ground on volume and sound quality.
One X has no distortion at volume levels twice that of the Z! Max volume on the Z is around 30% too quiet, and the sound quality
is a little underwhelming, with the EQ having a strange volume limiting effect on walkman player.
Aside from those, and the little lags on the phone, which occur not only in the launcher, but also in the UI such as apps and settings menu's etc, the phone is great.
Knowing me, I will love the Z for a while, but then the little issues will grow louder and louder until deafening and i'll have to go off again in search of greener pastures.
HTC One is looking good, barring the sub standard camera.
I wasn't interested in the One, till I saw on in the shop yesterday, compared the speed (which is lag free and superfast), and a HD movie on Youtube side by side with my Z and was left open mouthed at how much better the One was in those departments.

Great review ! Some of things i don't understand ( and i've seen this a couple of times already ) are :
1. If you don't like the UI of any android phone there are Launchers . I , for example , don't like the sony launcher . No problem , i went with Nova launcher wich is as closest to stock as I can get. I'm sure you could have done the same on the One.
2.It's an open comunity => I flashed mine with Purexaudio mod and now my loudspeaker is too damn loud on max haha ! ( no bootloader unlocked , just rooted )

_JT said:
Thanks for your input. I suggest you take a look at the AnandTech review of the HTC One and you'll find the camera is excellent, if not the best available. I really like my Z but I find it unrealistic to say the camera is better if Sony doesn't fix the extreme post-processing. In low-light conditions the One wins hands down. Not so weird with optical image stabilization and pixels that are twice as big.
I'd suggest taking a picture (in auto mode) of a tree or bush at lets say 2-3 meters distance and then look at the picture at 100%. You'll see it's smeared out. Funny thing is, try the same in burst and you'll see it looks MUCH better.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2221246
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would have to say the Z has excellent low light capabilities when flash is not required. I am not impressed with HTC one camera or samples at all and have read reviews that rubbish the HTC One camera.
As for burst mode, I have never ever been able to get anything buy a noisy image out of it, and it offers zero improvement in clarity. Interestingly, my pics are generally pin sharp when HDR is off.
The HTC One blurs trees in the distance though.

Thanks for that. I am deciding between the One and Z, and slightly leaning towards the Z at the moment. I do like HTC and Sense UI but then I like what Sony has done too. The Zoe features on the One do look good, but I am sure I could find alternative apps to do similar things, albeit not integrated like on the One.
I do like to flash different ROMs my phones so I guess it might come down to what has the biggest development support.

L0cke said:
Thanks for that. I am deciding between the One and Z, and slightly leaning towards the Z at the moment. I do like HTC and Sense UI but then I like what Sony has done too. The Zoe features on the One do look good, but I am sure I could find alternative apps to do similar things, albeit not integrated like on the One.
I do like to flash different ROMs my phones so I guess it might come down to what has the biggest development support.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm... Then I would recommend the Xperia Z. Its bootloader is easily unlockable. But if you prefer the HTC One, there's the Developer edition that ships with the bootloader unlocked, but its not on contract, so you might have to pay more as there are no Carrier subsidies.
biffsmash said:
I would have to say the Z has excellent low light capabilities when flash is not required. I am not impressed with HTC one camera or samples at all and have read reviews that rubbish the HTC One camera.
As for burst mode, I have never ever been able to get anything buy a noisy image out of it, and it offers zero improvement in clarity. Interestingly, my pics are generally pin sharp when HDR is off.
The HTC One blurs trees in the distance though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly! When I take an image with the HTC One, details that are in the background isn't very clear and is noisy. Glad to see that someone has the same opinion as me. As for the Xperia Z, I usually use it in Superior Auto and under 9MP. Images are very clear while burst mode are just blurry images.
fookea said:
Great review ! Some of things i don't understand ( and i've seen this a couple of times already ) are :
1. If you don't like the UI of any android phone there are Launchers . I , for example , don't like the sony launcher . No problem , i went with Nova launcher wich is as closest to stock as I can get. I'm sure you could have done the same on the One.
2.It's an open comunity => I flashed mine with Purexaudio mod and now my loudspeaker is too damn loud on max haha ! ( no bootloader unlocked , just rooted )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True, but then again, whats the point of buying the particular brand or model then? Why not go for the one that has the best specs. Just my 2 cents.
Gonna try Purexaudio. Thanks
biffsmash said:
Great review. I agree with most parts.
Only issues for me with Z, which are a real shame to me, are the mic and ear piece speakers which do not provide the best call clarity, callers and myself experience weird overprocessed sound and issues when on calls, but they are minor, and the waterproofing accounts for this I imagine.
The only other issue for me, which again is a big shame considering the phone is made by Sony, is the music quality.
The music through the earphones is far too quiet, and the quality leaves a lot to be desired.
Say what you will about Beats audio on HTC phones, but the HTC One X beats the Z into the ground on volume and sound quality.
One X has no distortion at volume levels twice that of the Z! Max volume on the Z is around 30% too quiet, and the sound quality
is a little underwhelming, with the EQ having a strange volume limiting effect on walkman player.
Aside from those, and the little lags on the phone, which occur not only in the launcher, but also in the UI such as apps and settings menu's etc, the phone is great.
Knowing me, I will love the Z for a while, but then the little issues will grow louder and louder until deafening and i'll have to go off again in search of greener pastures.
HTC One is looking good, barring the sub standard camera.
I wasn't interested in the One, till I saw on in the shop yesterday, compared the speed (which is lag free and superfast), and a HD movie on Youtube side by side with my Z and was left open mouthed at how much better the One was in those departments.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The mic and speakers are alright to me though. Maybe its just me. About the earphones, yeah, they are kinda soft, but loud enough for me. They output the same volume level as I had set before on the iPhone 5 when I was using it. I don't really like my music loud. About Beats Audio, I did not say anything bad about it? I was trying to explain that the ClearAudio+ is similar to Beats Audio on HTC phones that is just a setting that you enable/disable. Don't get me wrong, Beats audio is great. I agree with the little UI lags on the Xperia Z. Its kinda irritating? I don't know. But it does annoy me a little. About the HTC One, yes, its a fast phone, but Sense 5.0 is not for me and no, I won't use launchers. Period. The screen is better? I don't know. Thats what reviews and people that own it say. It actually doesn't matter to me, at least. As long as the screen looks great, who cares if there are other better ones out there. I like my Xperia Z screen just fine, thank you. Call me dumb, but this is just my opinion. And the above is YOUR opinion, and I respect that. Everyone have different views on different phones.
Thanks for letting me know what you think
_JT said:
Thanks for your input. I suggest you take a look at the AnandTech review of the HTC One and you'll find the camera is excellent, if not the best available. I really like my Z but I find it unrealistic to say the camera is better if Sony doesn't fix the extreme post-processing. In low-light conditions the One wins hands down. Not so weird with optical image stabilization and pixels that are twice as big.
I'd suggest taking a picture (in auto mode) of a tree or bush at lets say 2-3 meters distance and then look at the picture at 100%. You'll see it's smeared out. Funny thing is, try the same in burst and you'll see it looks MUCH better.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2221246
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm... Sure, I'll have a look. In my experience, I find the Xperia Z camera to be better then the HTC One. The Xperia Z takes great pictures. Details are present even far in the background, unlike the HTC One, which is just a fuzzy mess. Maybe its the particular model that I tried out. I'm just content with my Xperia Z camera now. Thanks for sharing your view

Great reviews. I like sony smartphone's special interface very much, and as well as its music. But I just want to experience the Ultrapixel camera of HTC One.

Good review. I did a similar SWOT analysis between the HTC One, the Sony Xperia Z and the HTC Butterfly and finally bought the Xperia Z. Here's the link for those who'd like to see and decide (or comment).
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2171584
Dead cookies leave no trails...

I am wondering how many people here that say their pictures with the HTC One looks worse actually own the device and have tested it extensively instead of just a quick pic in the store.
biffsmash said:
I would have to say the Z has excellent low light capabilities when flash is not required. I am not impressed with HTC one camera or samples at all and have read reviews that rubbish the HTC One camera.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe this is interesting to see: http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_one_software_update_improves_camera_performance-news-5759.php

biffsmash said:
The only other issue for me, which again is a big shame considering the phone is made by Sony, is the music quality.
The music through the earphones is far too quiet, and the quality leaves a lot to be desired.
Say what you will about Beats audio on HTC phones, but the HTC One X beats the Z into the ground on volume and sound quality.
One X has no distortion at volume levels twice that of the Z! Max volume on the Z is around 30% too quiet, and the sound quality
is a little underwhelming, with the EQ having a strange volume limiting effect on walkman player.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I totally disagree on this point. The quality I've heard from the XZ surpasses every phone (In my opinion) If you're having some issues regarding the sound try out the sound mods in the dev section.
About the volume itself: I'm biking each day to work with music on (earpiece) and most of the times I don't even come near the 75% mark of volume and even then i hear everything perfect. So that's while the wind is blowing in/over my ear. I've heard some more people complain about the volume itself, each time I read it, I ask myself: What have these people been doing to their ears that they find the sound too low, or either you're all 60+ (No offense).
So if you haven't tried any of the sound mods, I'd say do so, it might change your mind. Each and every day I'm amazed about the sound quality.
Sounds mods (require root):
[SOUNDMOD] PureXAudio v10.1
AC!D Audio Engine v2

Dsteppa said:
I totally disagree on this point. The quality I've heard from the XZ surpasses every phone (In my opinion) If you're having some issues regarding the sound try out the sound mods in the dev section.
About the volume itself: I'm biking each day to work with music on (earpiece) and most of the times I don't even come near the 75% mark of volume and even then i hear everything perfect. So that's while the wind is blowing in/over my ear. I've heard some more people complain about the volume itself, each time I read it, I ask myself: What have these people been doing to their ears that they find the sound too low, or either you're all 60+ (No offense).
So if you haven't tried any of the sound mods, I'd say do so, it might change your mind. Each and every day I'm amazed about the sound quality.
Sounds mods (require root):
[SOUNDMOD] PureXAudio v10.1
AC!D Audio Engine v2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After your and biffsmash posts I got curious. Quickly tried my Jamo in-ears and AKG DJ619. Result: Jamo's were VERY loud and max volume on the AKG was just about enough, really wouldn't want any louder than that. Not sure wether I heard distortion but this was streamed, need to listen to good quality recordings first before I can judge sound quality. From what I can remember from my HOX it wasn't really louder.

Dannyada1988 said:
Great reviews. I like sony smartphone's special interface very much, and as well as its music. But I just want to experience the Ultrapixel camera of HTC One.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Be sure to drop by your local Carrier retail store to check it out!
Cookie Ninja said:
Good review. I did a similar SWOT analysis between the HTC One, the Sony Xperia Z and the HTC Butterfly and finally bought the Xperia Z. Here's the link for those who'd like to see and decide (or comment).
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2171584
Dead cookies leave no trails...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! I'll take a look at your post as well.
_JT said:
I am wondering how many people here that say their pictures with the HTC One looks worse actually own the device and have tested it extensively instead of just a quick pic in the store.
Maybe this is interesting to see: http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_one_software_update_improves_camera_performance-news-5759.php
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is good to hear for HTC One users and potential owners. Its actually pretty bad. I spent 30mins at the store checking it out. But that's before the update though. Maybe its much better now

Well I am using Xperia Z for 4-5 day's now.. It's really beautiful phone and if I can say - something different for me..
After years of using Galaxy ( S, S2, S3, Note 2) I decided to switch to Sony for the first time.. Some things are different, but I was able to do those simple things root/CWM.. (And that all I know how to do, but again those are most important things for me).. I don't want to play with those bootloaders because I don't know what it's doing and I can f..k up my phone - so no ROM's for me now..
What I don't like about phone (or where I am little disappointed) :
SOUND is too low on max volume.. On my Galaxy I could never put it on max volume.. Here on max volume is just - pfff... weak..
(Headphones which come with phone - REALLY STUPID not having volume up/down, so you have to take your phone every time when you want to change volume.. That cord on right earphone sooo long, on the left so short - annoying... )
CAMERA - I did't use it for this couple of day's - but I was looking here on XDA thread with Xpera Z images/photos... VERY disappointing.. Photos are just NOT SHARP at all.. Only thing that I am hoping for is that Sony will fix that with some software update.. Because you can't tell me that one SONY whose sensor has been used by so many other phones - can't make its camera perfect (at least better than competition)..
Those are things for now that I can see.. But as I said I am using this phone only for couple of days now - will see..

_JT said:
Maybe this is interesting to see: http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_one_software_update_improves_camera_performance-news-5759.php
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Might wanna look at this
http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_one_vs_xperia_z-review-917p9.php
Winner: Sony Xperia Z. The color rendering and HDR could have been better, but if Sony tweaks its image processing algorithms, the Xperia Z can put out some pretty good shots. Even as things stand now though, it has an advantage over the HTC One.
The HTC One enjoys a wider FoV, better color accuracy HDR, but the low 4MP resolution limits the resolved detail and image noise eats further into it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

PokerFaze said:
I've posted this before on the Xperia Z reviews thread, however, I've been reading lots of posts about the Xperia Z vs the HTC One and I'd thought I'd share my opinions on the Xperia Z and why I chose it instead of the HTC One. I've modified some information in the review to tell you more about why I chose the Z. The original can be found here: [http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=40061336#post40061336]
My Honest Sony Xperia Z Review
Why I Chose The Xperia Z
I had the Xperia Z for a month or so and I'm ready to make my review on it. I was up for an upgrade last month(March) and was browsing through phones that may appeal to me. I am coming from an iPhone 5. In the end, there were only 3 phones that caught my eye. The Xperia Z, the HTC One and the HTC Butterfly, or Droid DNA in the USA. The Butterfly was the first to go as it lacked LTE and NFC. The Xperia Z and the HTC One remained. Luckily, I found a HTC One demo unit in one of the Carriers, Singtel(Plaza Singapura if any fellow Singaporeans wanna check it out). Well hidden in a corner, I should say and it was the Black one. At the same time, The Xperia Z just launched like, 2 days ago(At that time). Picking up the HTC One, I realized how solid it feels, and boy, premium was written all over it. I turned it on and played around with the software. It was good, lag-free and looks great. I tried the camera and I have to say it was horrible. No joke. It was not clear and most details looks fuzzy. Maybe thats just me, but it really looks not on par with phone cameras these days. Sense 5.0 was alright, it was clean and fresh from the previous Sense versions. BlinkFeed was just a Flipboard like widget on the homescreen. Sense 5.0 does looks nice, but it was not for me. I am also afraid of the build of the phone. I am a careless person. I have to admit. My iPhone 5 was covered in scuffs and dents all over the place. Having the full aluminium body makes me shudder every time I imagine dropping it. Wanted to know more but the HTC rep was nowhere to be seen. Next, I went to the Xperia Z demo unit. The Sony Xperia rep there gave me a run through on the specs and features. I was actually pretty impressed and excited by the fact I could take my phone to the shower and use it while showering. To me, what it means by having a good phone is having a good experience. When I picked up the phone, I immediately realized how realistic the colors looked when playing video and viewing images. Outside of that, it looked rather dark. The design was sexy. REALLY sexy. It felt extremely good in the hand and is durable. VERY durable. Dropped it a few times and not a scratch. The thing that closed the deal was the UI. I like the stock UI. In fact, I love it. The Xperia Z's UI is extremely close to stock. The Nexus 4 is not available here, so it was out of the question. The UI is neat, smooth and looked fabulous. Unlike HTC's Sense 5.0, which is an extremely heavy skin and does not appeal to me. With the water resistance, it was clear which is the phone for me. I hope after reading my review, you'll know which phone to get. We are all brothers here at XDA Developers and I hope that whichever phone we use, we may contribute to the developer community and not flame each other because of our personal preferences. XDA Developers is a place for developers, by developers. Lets not let our choice of phone affect that.
The Beauty Meets The Beast
The Xperia Z packs a SnapDragon S4 Pro Quad-core 1.5 GHz Krait processor, Adreno 320 GPU and runs Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean. It sports an all glass design, similar to the iPhone 4 and 4S. The Xperia Z has excellent build quality and looks absolutely fantastic. The ports are covered by flaps, which may prove to be an annoyance for some but with good purpose. The most prominent feature of the Xperia Z is probably the on/off button. Its large, and ridiculously well placed. It stands where the thumb rests on the phone, or the index finger if you're using your left hand and is incredibly convenient to press compared to the stretch you'd have to make on other phones. Below that is the volume rocker, also easy to access when needed. The speakers are indeed placed in a horrible position, as its easy to mute with your palm unintentionally but its not an issue for me as I use my phone with my left hand.
Overall, the design turns heads and the hardware don't fail to deliver. Feels solid in the hand, BUT might be a problem for people with small hands as it may cut into it and make it uncomfortable. Very, very impressive Sony.
User Interface
Sony's UI is probably the closes you can get to stock android, and I love it. It's simple, nothing fancy and neat, although, I'd like a Black theme rather then the Grey. There are some UI lags here and there though. The lack of Android 4.2.2 also disappoints me a little but its coming, and I'll wait for it. After all, Good things come to those who wait.
Performance Powerhouse
Lag is a thing of the past with the SnapDragon S4 Pro as everything is buttery smooth, with minor UI lags here and there. Problem solved with one of the launchers. I've also noticed a little waiting time when launching the camera. Games run smoothly and without issue, not to mention looks AWESOME on the Full HD display. Although, I'd prefer to see the SnapDragon 600 on the Xperia Z as a future proof maneuver as games get increasingly power hungry.
Camera, Video and Screen
Video playback is amazing on the Xperia Z, as a result of the Full HD 1080p screen. Words are crisp and I rarely see any pixels other then low-res images. The Camera doesn't disappoint either with a 13MP back camera and a 2.1MP front facing camera. Both camera film 1080p videos as well so vlogging on the phone will definitely be great. However, I did notice that the colors are not on par with other phones and look rather dark. The Bravia Mobile Engine 2 does help and actually make the colors extremely realistic, but only when viewing images and videos. Low contrast ratio here doesn't help either. Had no issue using the phone in daylight. The viewing angles are GREAT. Only having some colors being washed out, I don't see any issue with viewing angles. Even if there is an issue with viewing angles, who cares? Nobody, NOBODY uses their phones 90 degrees unless you're a total idiot.
Connectivity
No issues here. LTE, NFC. What else could you ask for? Have to say though, kudos to Sony on having a campaign on promoting NFC usage and even launching new TVs with NFC compatibility. Wi-Fi is great, only had issue when it keeps dropping on free public Wi-Fi access points. But hey, free Wi-Fi, who knows. No issues with the Wi-Fi at home.
Its Music To My Ears
I listen to music. A lot. Everyday to and fro school, when travelling, heck, even when I'm bored. The bundled headset, The MH-EX300AP is AWESOME in providing high quality sounds. Sony also has ClearAudio+, which is like Beats Audio on the HTC, makes the experience all the more awesome. You can say its like having an orgasm in your ears. Eargasm if i may.
Speaker & Microphone Quality
The speaker, is actually quite the disappointment as number one, its placed in a horrible position. Next, its not as loud as I'd like it to be. There's xLoud, but it sacrifices quality for volume. Considering the quality without xLoud, I'd rather have it disabled. Lastly, as said before, the quality isn't all that great. However, I got the NFC Wireless Speaker, The SRS-BTV5 for free, which solves all the above issues, thus no complaints from me. But its kinda inconvenient to carry a speaker around with you all the time, so yeah. It is an issue.
Call quality is great, however. I can hear the other party clearly and they can hear me clearly too. No issues with dropped calls.
The Xperia Z Runs Far, With Great Stamina
I start my day at 4:30AM and end at 6PM. With 80% battery left. Stamina mode is no gimmick, it really does help with the battery life. Awesome battery life. If the screen is mostly off that is, which is usually the case. I find that if LTE is enabled, battery drains extremely fast, which makes me resort to using HSPA+, which isn't that all bad in my country. HSPA+ use nearly 3 times as less battery then LTE on my set. Location Based Wi-Fi is AWESOME. Its really cool to have your Wi-Fi turn off automatically when you leave the house and turns on then you're back. Not to mention the convenience. The phone will probably last me 2 days or so, but I still charge it every night anyway. Don't we all do?
Prepared For Accidents
The Xperia Z is IP57 certified - dust and water resistant with water resistant up to 1 meter and 30 minutes. Let's be honest here. We all had times where we wished we could take our phones into the shower or bathtub. That wish is now fulfilled. I take the Xperia Z into the shower with me everyday and text or watch YouTube videos while showering. When the phone is dirty? No sweat. Rinse it under washing water. Now you also do not have to worry about dropping your phone into the water or bring it camping in the desert(whatever the reason LOL). Plus, you can wow your friends or freak your parents out by pouring water on the phone or dunk it into a glass of water. Heck, even take it swimming. Be careful about salt water though, Sony does not recommend dunking it in salt water. With Wet Finger Tracking technology, you don't have to dry your hands to use your phone, although it does get a little jumpy at times. The phone is also quite durable as I've dropped the phone a few time and there's not a scratch. That a plus as I'm usually very careless.
Take note that the phone disables touch input while underwater so, no texting while swimming.
Conclusion
The Sony Xperia Z is a great phone. Its not for everybody, and it has it's fair shares of ups and downs. I am throughly satisfied with it and do not regret not waiting for the Samsung Galaxy S4 or the HTC One. Its great for the average user and is definitely good enough for me. The water and dust resistance is not necessary but its nice to have. Its smooth, provide great music listening, plays games like a champ. I would recommend it to anybody, but hey, its your call. You have the decision to which phone is right for you and nobody can force you to take the Xperia Z or any phone for the matter. For me, I made my choice, and I have no regrets whatsoever.
Therefore, I dare say: I'M A PROUD SONY XPERIA Z OWNER
Thank you for taking your precious time to read my review. I'm still a noob, and I hope I may be more useful to the developer community here.
P.s Feedback on my review?
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Click to collapse
I have Xperia Z for 2 weeks. For me the battery is horrible, it ends up for only one day. I'm thinking to much about HTC One. Now I rooted my Z, removed preloaded apps, battery is fine now

I just could not decide so got both One and Z

Water proof, without that, i wouldn't have bought Z .

daniel.nguyen said:
I have Xperia Z for 2 weeks. For me the battery is horrible, it ends up for only one day. I'm thinking to much about HTC One. Now I rooted my Z, removed preloaded apps, battery is fine now
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Click to collapse
hmmm... The battery life on mine is awesome. 8 hours in school and the battery doesn't drop a single percentage. The preloaded apps might be the issue.
mndgz said:
I just could not decide so got both One and Z
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Click to collapse
Well, I guess that solves the problem as well
Sent from my Sexy White Xperia Z

I thiink exactly the same, great post

Really want to buy this phone

I've been debating to get this over G2 but i've been reading some problems about the camera overheating. My main purpose for a smartphone is for pictures and videos (especially live music/shows)

carlosii said:
I've been debating to get this over G2 but i've been reading some problems about the camera overheating. My main purpose for a smartphone is for pictures and videos (especially live music/shows)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Buy the z1 dude, u wont regret

carlosii said:
I've been debating to get this over G2 but i've been reading some problems about the camera overheating. My main purpose for a smartphone is for pictures and videos (especially live music/shows)
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Click to collapse
both have pros and cons. but i prefer Z1. and i dont have any of those issues

carlosii said:
I've been debating to get this over G2 but i've been reading some problems about the camera overheating. My main purpose for a smartphone is for pictures and videos (especially live music/shows)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never had that issue, yesterday I recorded a 25 min 1080p video and no signs of overheating.
Sent from my Xperia Z1 using Tapatalk

LG Software is the one helding me from buying it
Sent from my C6903 using Tapatalk

carlosii said:
I've been debating to get this over G2 but i've been reading some problems about the camera overheating. My main purpose for a smartphone is for pictures and videos (especially live music/shows)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
BLK900 said:
LG Software is the one helding me from buying it
Sent from my C6903 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've come from the iPhone 4s and I can tell you I'll never go back to Apple. The Xperia Z1 is a fantastic phone. The camera has never overheated for me, and I use it lots to record videos, take photos. The phone rooted is even more powerful, the battery easily lasts all day for me. It also lasts 2 days with light use.
It's a little big for some people, but I do so much with it, I won't be letting go of this phone for a while. It's fast, it's smart, it's a great design.
You won't regret buying it.

My gf has a G2 and I have a Z1, I really do prefer the Z1. Except smaller bezels and a slightly better screen IMHO the Z1 wins out on all areas. G2 UI is very touchwiz like, cluttered and looks like it drawn with crayons while Z1 is clean and super smooth. Z1
Sent from my C6903 using Tapatalk

I wouldn't be so hasty to get this phone if I were you. I own both a S4 and a Z1 and I'd have to say that the S4 is way more value for money. It takes equivalent pics (despite having only 13 MP cam compared to Z1's 20MP), comparable performance in day-to-day use, much better screen, smaller size, removable battery, IR blaster. It's overall a more versatile device and I use it as my daily driver for that reason.
The only aspects Z1 has the S4 beat hands-down are the beautiful design, smooth and elegant UI and premium feel in hand. If these are important to you, then by all means consider the Z1. You should however be wary of the numerous issues plaguing this phone - worst of which is the touchscreen issue which I'm experiencing. Just look through the threads and you'll know what I mean.

I previously had the s4 and would never go back it would feel like a downgrade
Sent from my C6903 using xda app-developers app

Both phones are pretty awesome really, but the LG software...damn its uglier than a natural disaster
Never had an issue with the camera(or anything else) myself and it has great battery life
Now the G2 has better viewing angles and more saturated colors so if that's your kind of thing, other than that well its up to you
Sent from my C6906 using Tapatalk

I have the Z1, and my dad has the G2. I prefer the G2 for videos, as the screen is bigger and more comfortable to hold. Images taken with the G2 also tend to be less grainy from what I could see, and the colors seemed to be better, however, this is without adjusting any of the camera settings, since I unfortunately do not know how to fully utilize the camera. UI wise though, the Z1 wins by a longshot, the LG UI is a bastardized and even more cluttered version of Touchwiz.

Am Buying this device,decided to wait for 2014 flagship but as in official announcement Z1 will be the 2014 flagship this is a great device.
+ Point is expandable storage,which other phones like G2,Nexus 5 don't have.
Development is little slower,but not abandoned.Will try to port MIUI As well.
Regards,
acervenky,
XPT

I have both phones and the G2 takes much clearer and crisper pictures. I'm not at all satisfied with the camera on the Z1. So if that is your main use I would recommend that you try both before making a decision.
Sent from my C6906 using Tapatalk

droidiac13 said:
I have both phones and the G2 takes much clearer and crisper pictures. I'm not at all satisfied with the camera on the Z1. So if that is your main use I would recommend that you try both before making a decision.
Sent from my C6906 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
G2 Is a great device flawed by its storage,I can't live with limited storage(Previously Nexus 4)
Mainly use it as a multimedia device,for some gaming as well
Hence Z1:angel:
Regards,
acervenky,
XPT

Here's my point of view. I've used LG g2 for a brief period and let me tell you, it has the best smartphone display I've ever seen in my life. The reviews don't mention it or nor do they do justice to it. It's almost like you're touching the words when you're browsing the Web . I hate their UI but that's something that can be easily fixed with a launcher like nova or apex. Having said that let me move on to the next one.
Galaxy s4, this device I've had for almost three months. I used to own the Google edition. I know you didnt asked for this to be compared but since some of the guys mentioned above I thought I'd add my pov. It's a nice device. The screen is beautiful, the camera is decent, supports sd card, removeable battery and ir blaster. Decent phone but if you look past this some of these features are novelties plus you're getting a processor ie a generation behind. I also I don't know if it's just me but the phone tends to get boring really fast.
Now to the final one. The z1. After looking at the first two devices you'll immediately notice one thing. The xperia z1 has the worst viewing angles than any phone I've ever used. It's horrific. It kinda reminds me of Sega game gear from the 80's. Some people might tell you it doesn't bother them but according to me their are not paying attention. In order to get the complete image quality you need to hold the phone straight to your face. Even a tiny 5 degree tilt will make the images look washed out. The closed thing I can compare it with is the 3m privacy screen protectors for computer monitors. Try one out and you'll see what I'm talking about.
Now, if you look past the horrible viewing angles things start looking up for the Z1. Here are some of the advantages over g2: outstanding building quality, sd card support, amazing battery life, outstanding camera, water proof and better ui (in my opinion).
The camera: anyone whose stating above that g2's or s4s camera is great is incorrect. The reason being the displays. These phones have saturated displays with higher contrast ratios which automatically makes the pictures look better. However if you were to take pictures on all three phones and to watch the pictures on a monitor, you'll see that the xperia z1 clearly has the best camera. As per reviews and benchmarks the z1's camera is only second to lumia 1020 and that's saying something.
So, now you decide. Based on your requirement z1 looks like an obvious choice. Personally for me I'm using z1. But what I would have liked to use is the LG g2. The only reason I went with z1 is because of the SD card support, camera is not a priority for me.

I've had both and the G2 pimp slaps the Z1.. The display which way better and because of the smaller bezels, you get a bigger screen with the G2 and its the same size as the Z1.. My screen time on the stock G2 with same brightness is about 1.5 hours better than the Z1.. Viewing angles are better... The Z1 weighs like a brick and although better built then the G2 and feeling better to hold, I prefer the G2 due to its lightness... The Z1 is clumsy IMO.. Software wise, Sony is better.. LG UI is like Bloatwiz but less way less laggy.. Sony UI is faster and I do miss that... Camera on G2 doesn't have all the yellow hue problems but low light focusing is atrocious... Lack of SD is a problem but you can get around it with an external micro USB SD card reader... On the whole, no regrets here getting the G2..
Sent from my LG-D802 using xda app-developers app

plsdunbiteme said:
I wouldn't be so hasty to get this phone if I were you. I own both a S4 and a Z1 and I'd have to say that the S4 is way more value for money. It takes equivalent pics (despite having only 13 MP cam compared to Z1's 20MP), comparable performance in day-to-day use, much better screen, smaller size, removable battery, IR blaster. It's overall a more versatile device and I use it as my daily driver for that reason.
The only aspects Z1 has the S4 beat hands-down are the beautiful design, smooth and elegant UI and premium feel in hand. If these are important to you, then by all means consider the Z1. You should however be wary of the numerous issues plaguing this phone - worst of which is the touchscreen issue which I'm experiencing. Just look through the threads and you'll know what I mean.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
and performance,
snapdragon 600 struggles with 1080p gaming, Snapdragon 800 has no issues

here is the deal:
* if you value display over everything else, then you go with G2
* if you value extra storage, better camera, better UI, better build quality, then go with Z1
Mind you, only advantage of G2 over Z1 Display is a viewing angles, other than that its on par...

acervenky said:
G2 Is a great device flawed by its storage,I can't live with limited storage(Previously Nexus 4)
Mainly use it as a multimedia device,for some gaming as well
Hence Z1:angel:
Regards,
acervenky,
XPT
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Storage is the main reason I spent $700 on the 6906 version of this device. I have really missed the expandable storage and always having to pull things off the G2 becomes a real pain in the butt.
aliim said:
Here's my point of view. I've used LG g2 for a brief period and let me tell you, it has the best smartphone display I've ever seen in my life. The reviews don't mention it or nor do they do justice to it. It's almost like you're touching the words when you're browsing the Web . I hate their UI but that's something that can be easily fixed with a launcher like nova or apex. Having said that let me move on to the next one.
Galaxy s4, this device I've had for almost three months. I used to own the Google edition. I know you didnt asked for this to be compared but since some of the guys mentioned above I thought I'd add my pov. It's a nice device. The screen is beautiful, the camera is decent, supports sd card, removeable battery and ir blaster. Decent phone but if you look past this some of these features are novelties plus you're getting a processor ie a generation behind. I also I don't know if it's just me but the phone tends to get boring really fast.
Now to the final one. The z1. After looking at the first two devices you'll immediately notice one thing. The xperia z1 has the worst viewing angles than any phone I've ever used. It's horrific. It kinda reminds me of Sega game gear from the 80's. Some people might tell you it doesn't bother them but according to me their are not paying attention. In order to get the complete image quality you need to hold the phone straight to your face. Even a tiny 5 degree tilt will make the images look washed out. The closed thing I can compare it with is the 3m privacy screen protectors for computer monitors. Try one out and you'll see what I'm talking about.
Now, if you look past the horrible viewing angles things start looking up for the Z1. Here are some of the advantages over g2: outstanding building quality, sd card support, amazing battery life, outstanding camera, water proof and better ui (in my opinion).
The camera: anyone whose stating above that g2's or s4s camera is great is incorrect. The reason being the displays. These phones have saturated displays with higher contrast ratios which automatically makes the pictures look better. However if you were to take pictures on all three phones and to watch the pictures on a monitor, you'll see that the xperia z1 clearly has the best camera. As per reviews and benchmarks the z1's camera is only second to lumia 1020 and that's saying something.
So, now you decide. Based on your requirement z1 looks like an obvious choice. Personally for me I'm using z1. But what I would have liked to use is the LG g2. The only reason I went with z1 is because of the SD card support, camera is not a priority for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can agree with you on a lot of your points, but as far as battery life, the G2 is unbelievable! I use my phone as much as anyone. I can get 6+ hours of on screen time along with close to 3 hours of talk time in a single charge and still be at 15% before needing to charge the phone. It has a 3000 battery like the Z1. Time will tell on the Z1 and it is doing well so far. If it can truly do better on battery than the G2, I will be highly impressed.
For me, I primarily use the camera for snapping pictures of my daughter, work projects and just day to day things. I don't own another camera so I need to rely heavily on my phone. I am still learning the ins and outs of the camera on the Z1, but the settings right out of the box seem to pretty low standard. However, if you put the camera in manual mode, choose the 20.7 resolution and then use the multi focus mode, they are MUCH better than what you get from the superior auto option.
These are just my opinions and experience.

droidiac13 said:
Storage is the main reason I spent $700 on the 6906 version of this device. I have really missed the expandable storage and always having to pull things off the G2. Becomes a real pain in the butt.
I can agree with you on a lot of your points, but as far as battery life, the G2 is unbelievable! I use my phone as much as anyone. I can get 6+ hours of on screen time along with close to 3 hours of talk time in a single charge and still be at 15% before needing to charge the phone. It has a 3000 battery like the Z1. Time will tell on the Z1 and it is doing well so far. If it can truly do better on battery than the G2, I will be highly impressed.
For me, I primarily use the camera for snapping pictures of my daughter, work projects and just day to day things. I don't own another camera so I need to rely heavily on my phone. I am still learning the ins and outs of the camera on the Z1, but the settings right out of the box seem to pretty low standard. However, if you put the camera in manual mode, choose the 20.7 resolution and then use the multi focus mode, they are MUCH better than what you get from the superior auto option.
These are just my opinions and experience.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I easily get 6 hours + screentime on my Z1
1 -2 hours asphalt 8
2-4 hours 3g browsing, movies, camera etc...

Wired magazine review of the Z3

Please take a look at this review from Brent Rose from Wired and voice your opinion in the comments section of the article. I have never seen such a slanted/poor review and think he should be called out on it.
http://www.wired.com/2014/11/sony-xperia-z3/

what an unusual review

The speaker/camera comparison was somewhat accurate though it seems a little exaggerated, but the rest of the review was crap. The Z3 UI is better than stock where you can't even custom arrange the app drawer. My Z3 is rock stable, I even went through 3 of them for cosmetic defects (on my 4th now) and none ever crashed. If you look at the comment section you can see most of them pointing out that the review was bad.

Wow that review is so ridiculously invalid

That was such a horrible review. There are some cons to the phone, but over-exaggerating them at the level is so unprofessional.

This is very similar to my Z3C experience and in that regard all bias off I believe everything he wrote was correct...This is the reason Z3c went back and I was reluctant to even try Z3 since the internals are the same with bigger screen which would result in even worst battery than z3c
-Goran

The review wasn't that bad. I pretty much agree with everything said, except for the stability issues. Not once did I have to reboot the phone due to apps crashing.
Don't get me wrong, I like this phone a lot. There is not a single phone out right now that I'd choose over the Z3.

Love the phone but the first thing I did was switch to nova because of the rubbage skin.
Also the camera post processing on auto is garbage too.

mfpreach said:
Love the phone but the first thing I did was switch to nova because of the rubbage skin.
Also the camera post processing on auto is garbage too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Similarly, I've disabled many of Sony's stock apps, threw Nova on as the launcher, and have been plenty happy. I haven't had a single app crash, and I've gotten between 1d 16h and 2d 6h of battery. Sony says up to 2 days, so yeah, I'm good.
Besides, I can't remember the last time I trusted "Wired" for a review. Maybe they purposely did a negative review just to get a reaction for page views and ad impressions.

Absolutely agree with this review (except for the good points regarding the camera), its very accurate and the conclusion is spot on. Out of the box it is terrible, and not for Joe Public.
If it wasnt for the ps4 features, looks, waterproofing and memory card slot and me wanting to get away from Apple I would have something else. It could be much better. I've replaced or uninstalled all the pointlessly "Sony-ed" pre-installed apps, the Sony version of the calendar would constantly crash to desktop, the camera apps are horrible, the camera app is slow, clunky and terrible to navigate and all of it, really cheapens this phone. Coming from iPhone this was a very poor show.
Thankfully, after several hours of customising nova launcher, adding a new lock screen and notification handler its improved. Still lacking in many areas.
Still, I prefer this freedom over iOS so I can't complain too much! Well... apart from....
Excuse the rant here but this is the biggest issue I have with the Z3 (maybe android in general). There is one very glowing thing that the Z3/android still haven't really "got it down" on. The camera, I've noticed this on a few phones (S4, LG G2, HTC One M8, Z3, Nexus 5) too.
I'm an amatuer photographer in my spare time and without any bias I very quickly noticed that despite the extra megapixels, manual options in the software, upgraded lens etc etc the camera lags (lag the keyword) very much behind in the camera stakes to apple! The speed of opening the camera and taking a photo, the colours, the jpg processing profile, the autofocus speed and accuracy are all way way better even on an aging iPhone 4S in my mind. Its a phone, not an dslr, its designed to be there to take a "good" photo fast and I've not seen an android phone do this well. Especially in low light.
I was talking to an HTC One M8 owner who absolutely refuted this, so I asked a simple challenge, pull your phone out on 3 and take a photo of your bar snacks as quick as you can, he agrees... 3-2-1 bam, my old, slow iphone 4s (which I'm using while my broken z3 is awaiting repair) is out of my pocket at the same time but I'm done while his is trying to take focus (its as slow as my Sony as I tested this too) but not only that, his doesn't look great focus wise, colour wise etc, the iphone has sharp focus on the subject and a smooth defocused background, nice depth of field and really good colours, processing looks "interesting".
This is my general experience with a non iphone camera, in particular the Z3 and frankly the ONLY thing I miss :crying:

Lol I've been using the z3 for 3 days ago and I haven't had a single problem. Yes apps do crash but not the pre-installed apps.
Battery last me more than a day on heavy use. I still have about 32% after two days on normal use.
Camera has no washed out pictures like in the review.
The review is a load of bull.
Sent from my D6616 using XDA Free mobile app

batousan said:
Absolutely agree with this review (except for the good points regarding the camera), its very accurate and the conclusion is spot on. Out of the box it is terrible, and not for Joe Public.
If it wasnt for the ps4 features, looks, waterproofing and memory card slot and me wanting to get away from Apple I would have something else. It could be much better. I've replaced or uninstalled all the pointlessly "Sony-ed" pre-installed apps, the Sony version of the calendar would constantly crash to desktop, the camera apps are horrible, the camera app is slow, clunky and terrible to navigate and all of it, really cheapens this phone. Coming from iPhone this was a very poor show.
Thankfully, after several hours of customising nova launcher, adding a new lock screen and notification handler its improved. Still lacking in many areas.
Still, I prefer this freedom over iOS so I can't complain too much! Well... apart from....
Excuse the rant here but this is the biggest issue I have with the Z3 (maybe android in general). There is one very glowing thing that the Z3/android still haven't really "got it down" on. The camera, I've noticed this on a few phones (S4, LG G2, HTC One M8, Z3, Nexus 5) too.
I'm an amatuer photographer in my spare time and without any bias I very quickly noticed that despite the extra megapixels, manual options in the software, upgraded lens etc etc the camera lags (lag the keyword) very much behind in the camera stakes to apple! The speed of opening the camera and taking a photo, the colours, the jpg processing profile, the autofocus speed and accuracy are all way way better even on an aging iPhone 4S in my mind. Its a phone, not an dslr, its designed to be there to take a "good" photo fast and I've not seen an android phone do this well. Especially in low light.
I was talking to an HTC One M8 owner who absolutely refuted this, so I asked a simple challenge, pull your phone out on 3 and take a photo of your bar snacks as quick as you can, he agrees... 3-2-1 bam, my old, slow iphone 4s (which I'm using while my broken z3 is awaiting repair) is out of my pocket at the same time but I'm done while his is trying to take focus (its as slow as my Sony as I tested this too) but not only that, his doesn't look great focus wise, colour wise etc, the iphone has sharp focus on the subject and a smooth defocused background, nice depth of field and really good colours, processing looks "interesting".
This is my general experience with a non iphone camera, in particular the Z3 and frankly the ONLY thing I miss :crying:
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I have the HTC M8 right now and the pictures are realy bad. It's a hardware issue with the lens. Sounds from all the reviews that the Xperia camera is decent, but not great. Would you agree?

dspcap said:
I have the HTC M8 right now and the pictures are realy bad. It's a hardware issue with the lens. Sounds from all the reviews that the Xperia camera is decent, but not great. Would you agree?
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In my opinion m8 has one of the fastest cameras in the market. Definitely faster than old iPhone 4.
Z3 biggest problem is how slow the camera is.

CandyAndy said:
In my opinion m8 has one of the fastest cameras in the market. Definitely faster than old iPhone 4.
Z3 biggest problem is how slow the camera is.
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wth are you talking about? slow? with my Z3 I can take a picture from sleep, in less than 2 sec. .

rspy said:
wth are you talking about? slow? with my Z3 I can take a picture from sleep, in less than 2 sec. .
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So take a picture while you are moving and let's see how it looks.
It doesn't look good. M8 has faster camera and you can snap away while walking

I went through the review, and i am with him for most of the flaws except the STABILITY issues.
I had the Z3 for 15 days, and then i had to sell it off and back to Samsung S5 as it was not rootable.
The Camera definately is not as good, and even the phone body - especially the back glass, was too slippery for me, and i did drop it a few times, and its also a mega fingerprint magnet. I say the plastic back of S5 is way more superior.
Even the front speakers were just OK, yea, they were loud, and front facing, but thats it. the clarity isn't there and sounded very "tinny".
Otherwise, the performance, speed, os, battery were all brilliant!
I am now on the S5, and just a general comparision against the Z3, i like the size and finish of the S5 more better than the Z3. The S5 back (Especially the Black one) has a leather/slightly rubbery feel to it, which enhances the grip. The Camera in the S5 is excellent, capturing superb pictures! battery life is very good, though Z3 has better life. Performance wise, though the S5 has 2gb ram, never felt it under stress. Maybe it would be if i am playing some really heavy games, but as such never had a problem in regular usage.

CandyAndy said:
In my opinion m8 has one of the fastest cameras in the market. Definitely faster than old iPhone 4.
Z3 biggest problem is how slow the camera is.
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The issue here is the comparison is an iPhone 4 which was released in June 2010, there should be no excuse for any delay in camera boot 4 years on with much more powerful hardware.

batousan said:
The issue here is the comparison is an iPhone 4 which was released in June 2010, there should be no excuse for any delay in camera boot 4 years on with much more powerful hardware.
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Well I have allergy for Apple products so I cannot comment [emoji2]

CandyAndy said:
Well I have allergy for Apple products so I cannot comment [emoji2]
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That doesn't mean you should bury your head in the sand on something so fundamental, surely thats just as bad than blindly buying apple products year on year? :laugh:

batousan said:
That doesn't mean you should bury your head in the sand on something so fundamental, surely thats just as bad than buying blindly buying apple products year on year? [emoji23]
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Well I never compared z3 to iPhone.
In fact I am right now on my way to buy my second z3 since I can't stand this current note 4, buy which I originally made because z3 camera wasn't good enough. But now I realize that I can live with a bit worse camera if everything else is so fantastic.
I am shocked how quickly the battery drains with the note, and it is supposed to have quite a good battery also

How's Your Xperia Z doing?

After my Z ultra screen cracked,the people at service centre are giving me a new Xperia Z as replacement with 1 yr warranty(FREE? ofcourse NOT,i paid 7500 INR for it)..so my question is how is the 2013 flagship phone performing now?
Is it good for daily use(browsing,facebook,whatsapp,small-medium gaming)??
And mainly how's the camera??
As I'm a former z Ultra user, i've become used to with the lag free usage,Will it be the same for Xperia Z?
The camera in z ultra was really very very bad,so i think Z will have a better camera...

Speed, performance on games/apps: 8/10
Tried most of new games and heavy apps... Sometimes its lag, but mostly because I have other apps working on the background
It have problem with heating, and battery is like waterfall when you use it heavy, but for daily use and gaming... I have no idea why people want more powerful hardware if this one in XZ is actually still top of the line...
Of course benchmark people gonna start complaining but real life is not benchmark :] So if someone want to fight for 200 more points in Antu... antutu... that crappy app for people that like numbers... feel free to fight for dead in the name of holy "top10" xD
Camera quality: 3/10
It was always crap, still no matter in what condition m taking pic, my old Xperia Arc S is still taking better pics, other phones also take better but its nice comparison to old=new.
To be honest XZ with android 5.0 taking the same pics as old Xperia Neo V(sometimes even worst)
I can make comparison with arc s and neo V, but I dont see the point, if someone think that XZ have good camera... its probably never used other phones.
Its also not that fast, average it take 3-5sec to open it from lockscreen, and alos 3-4 from homescreen.
Autofocus is not that great in low light conditions, and Automatic mode is good only if you want to snap pic of your coffee or Lunch and post it on Instagram
And to be more funny, like most of new phones, when you try to play with functions(colors mods etc) its stop after few minutes with really nice window: "phone need to cool down", hilarious that instead of fixing it, they spend time to make this window...
Also HDR and stabilization option is worst I'v seen, object that move faster than snail have annoying ghosting effect and colors and shadows are like after nuclear attack when you use HDR.
Screen: 9/10
Still its one of better I used, even compared to new models. And viewing angles? Dont care...
Battery: 3/10
Almost one and half year I have my XZ, still the same battery. Battery on LP is crappy as F. Some fanboys say that its ok... but to be honest I think this people spend most of their time in home or use their phones once per few hours. When you use your phone to work and media, AS MOST OF PHONES ARE ADVERTISING... its dead after 5-6h of usage.
Build quality: 4/10
Mostly because of crappy cover flaps, they are dead after 2-3 months. Also that mat painting on housing can peal off after few months on corners
Is also good to mention that XZ have back panel problems... I actually changed back cover three times, I found out that its mostly because of heat and crappy glue method...
So even if I love my Xperia Z, its really average device with really annoying "small" problems and today with the same price you can buy better phones, few days ago I found in one of market in Spain Xperia Z1 compact that cost less than XZ... :]

I'd have to disagree with you on almost all of the things you just said
Speed - 6.5/10 The device actually does stutter because of the old and "slow"(by today's standards) CPU. But most of all, bad coding and bad software is pissing me off, for example recent apps with smallapps usually takes about 2-5 seconds just to show after pressing the button. I'd say speed is OK, the Z won't piss you off, most of the time but compared to lets say nexus 5 its slow as a ****ing snail.
Camera - 8/10 I really have no idea how can you rate this camera so low. What were your criteria really for grading the camera?
Yes, it's not on par with current flagships, but if you go back to 2013, it was right there with back-then flagships, except for low-light photos.
BTW, you probably got a bad phone, since i never got the overheating message, nor did my friends that have/had the Z.
Screen - 5/10 Out of all the things that are actually good, for the only thing that is really bad on the Z, you say its good.... Seems to me you never held more than a few serious phones in your life but OK...
Screen is OK, but lack of contrast, oversaturated screen which needs to be adjusted so it isnt all yellow on white background, and those ****ing viewing angles.... the screen is just OK, nothing less, nothing more.
i dont even agree with build quality, because it seems to be different for different batches of phones. My phone for example is perfect for almost 2 years now, and material usage is cool for me, because it would be fatter with metal edges(like the Z1).

You can agree or disagree, I really dont care.
Why I say that camera in XZ suck? because I compared it to bunch of other phones, and most important to my older phones, and its not that great.
Someone say that its my model have problem... nope. Getting other xz to compare was first what I do.
And for gods sake of course Im not comparing it to new phones... (Jesus Christ... really you thought that Im compare it to new phones?)
Maybe you dont care about things like HUGE chromatic aberration, about good color balance, about algorithm that F up anything that is green or blurry shoots made in day light condition, or ghosting when HDR is enabled.
Maybe you use your camera to shoot selfies or random stuff when you are in park and after that you add massive amount of instagram effect.... Then you can put any camera n your device and you would say that its amazing... Its good for you, really. But other people actually care about image quality, because when your phone have good camera you can actually use for work.
Also no I dont expect that my phone need to shoot DLSR quality images... but there is a line when you get phone that its after all flagship(back then) its need to make a bit better photos than your older phones(after all that why we pay for evolution of phones?)
Other people can like or dont like my opinion, but they need to know that I speed lots of time with this camera and overall with mobile photography and such things is annoying. Im doing loots of pictures in car show and races(I work in car shop and we travel a loot with our cars) and few years ago I actually stopped using normal camera because no one saw difference between image quality(after small processing them in PC of course) and with xz... its just annoying to use it.
And about CPU... most of problem that you pointed out its more about android update(LP or KK im guessing) and its not because old hardware, I really cant stop laughing because of this saying "old hardware" in most of cases its 99% problem of lazy system and app devs that instead of optimizing their work, they use raw power to hind all crappy coding and after that not only battery is dying but CPU is just pissing it self because it just cant handle of laugh looking at what it need processed...
Its really remind me a bit Unity Engine that I need to use for one of project... Effect-Resource Usage ratio of it is just hilarious.... no matter what you doing...
People like to saying crap about hardware instead of bashing crappy software...
You used iPhone? with half of power that Android have you still get the same or better experience, yes its different platform but dont you thing its funny? especially in games? And IM not talking about new iPhone... I mean old models compared to new Android phones....
PS...
Seems to me you never held more than a few serious phones in your life but OK...
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I need to say that I didnt expect such childish sentence in xda forum :] You actually understand that we live in world when we can just go to shop or friend... and use for few mnutes other phones? Or just buy them?
Just because I use old xperia Z it doesnt mean that I didnt use other phones... Some people like me dont see the point of bying phone every year... XZ have few annoying bugs but its still good phone... You get that right?

OK since i took the time reading you rubbish kilometer post i gotta answer.
i never saw noticable chromatic abberation.
you do know how proper HDR mode works? it pieces together 2 photos? ofcourse you are gonna see ghosting if you move the ****ing phone while shooting.
BTW blurry day shots are because of superior mode yet again, because it automatically activates HDR if there is high contrast on the picture.
check some tests that professionals did. the camera is GOOD, except low light. colors are oversaturated on superior mode. But 90% of users and reviewers are probably crazy, yeah, the camera on Z is ****
the OP asked if it was better than his previous Z ultra. it is miles better.

I'm selling my Z soon. If I had known I'd have so many problems, I'd never have bough it. I changed USB cover flap 2 times already, changed back cover because it cracked (that was my fault, though, didn't have a case and dropped it on the floor, but still), had to peel off the ASF because it scratched pretty quickly and bought a screen protector to replace it. To top it off, my camera has started to get more and more dead pixels, and it's very noticeable. The quality of photos has gone from good to horrible. It's like I'm not even using what used to be a flagship. Front facing camera is pretty bad as well. Battery life is poor, but it's an old chipset, so not much can be done in that department. Screen is okay, I don't really care about viewing angles. Multitasking is fine, too. A bit slow compared to the new phones, but still fast enough (I don't play any heavy games on phone). Typing is for some reason a nightmare at times. I type more accurately on my old Xperia Arc and my boyfriend's Meizu M1 Note than on XZ.
Xperia Z feels like a heavy test subject for latter Z series. Personally, if I had to choose a phone from this series, it would definitely be Z2. I liked its design the best. But for now, I'm staying away from Sony products. Not only because they have disappointed me again (Xperia Arc had build quality issues to begin with), but are also out of my price range now.
Even though I liked Z in the beginning, I somewhat regret spending so much money on it.
Sent from my eXposed C6603

TorN-d- said:
OK since i took the time reading you rubbish kilometer post i gotta answer.
i never saw noticable chromatic abberation.
you do know how proper HDR mode works? it pieces together 2 photos? ofcourse you are gonna see ghosting if you move the ****ing phone while shooting.
BTW blurry day shots are because of superior mode yet again, because it automatically activates HDR if there is high contrast on the picture.
check some tests that professionals did. the camera is GOOD, except low light. colors are oversaturated on superior mode. But 90% of users and reviewers are probably crazy, yeah, the camera on Z is ****
the OP asked if it was better than his previous Z ultra. it is miles better.
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totaly agree with u about the camera taking good pics outside when its brite and bad pics in low lite condition. i had xperia Z for about a year, now my mother has it still a good phone but those flaps are bad made and yea i also forgot to say that it has very very i mean very bad quality speaker LOL did they make joke with us back then in 2013...my first thing when i got it was, i rooted the phone and flashed sound mod lol eveything else was fine i think.now im using Z2 for more then a year and im so satisfied with the phone that my next will be from Sony again maybe Z5 or whatever it comes. :highfive:

My review of the HTC One M9.

I was sick and tired of the OG Moto G due to increasingly poor performance so it was time to upgrade. After much deliberation I decided to buy the HTC One M9 a rather unpopular choice it seems. However in my opinion there are many reasons to buy it even now.
1. At $450 this offered great value for money that rivals pretty much anything else you can buy right now in that price.
2. The build quality, looks and ergonomics are phenomenal. Yes if you previously used the M8 or even the M7 the design may not wow you but for those of us who are buying an HTC phone for the first time it's still quite magical. In my opinion this trumps the Galaxy S6 and Xperia Z3 in all design departments but of course this is subjective.
3. Near perfect screen. Now I don't really know what the fuss was about the screen being not as good as the M8. Maybe it isn't as I haven't used the M8 but it is nevertheless absolutely fantastic. I am VERY picky on display quality and I could honestly not ask for anything better from an LCD screen.
4. Absolutely STELLAR performance. I feel we focus too much on benchmarks and not on the real world performance. Not only does it zip through literally everything but the multi-tasking performance is literally second to none. It absolutely destroys the Galaxy S6 in this department and it really is as good as it gets. The NAND performance is also great something that's also not given as much importance as it should be.
5. Reasonable size. While it's taller than I would ideally like but at least it's not uncomfortably wide which means one handed use is very much possible.
6. Best audio experience bar none. The speakers aren't the loudest but they are loud enough that I never felt a need for more while watching videos or talking on speaker, the quality is excellent for mobile speakers and the placement is perfect. The output from headphones is just mind blowing, first phone I have ever used that can actually power my Sennheiser 598 headphones without feeling under powered.
7. Really good selfie camera. The use of the front camera has shot so exponentially in the last year that it deserves a mention if a phone does really good at it. Some of the most important and memorable moments are captured from the front camera these days.
Now on to a few not so good things.
1. Back camera is behind the competition. While I am sure you guys would know this already and this is one of the biggest reasons why people don't recommend this phone. I personally don't care so much about camera so I could accept this compromise. And yes the camera is not as good as most of the recent flagship phones but it isn't nearly as bad as is sometimes portrayed. It isn't going to take embarrassingly bad pictures and is not going to be destroyed by a random 3 year old phone. Daylight photography is actually pretty great in my opinion.
2. Run of the mill battery life. This is not really a negative because it isn't any worse than most of it's competitors but it would have been nice to have been a star performer in this category.
3. No fingerprint sensor.
4. The placement of the buttons is questionable. While I don't have any issue with the placement of the power button but what creates a problem is the presence of the 2 volume buttons right on top of it. I believe if they want all buttons on 1 side then they should use a volume rocker to eliminate any confusion, a textured power button isn't enough. However best configuration would be to have the volume buttons on the other side. Taking pics with the volume buttons is also problematic due to this.
So bottom line is in my opinion that if you can live without having the best back camera and fingerprint sensor then this phone is still a better deal than the Nexus 5X and Xperia Z5 Compact.

It is good to hear that you're also enjoying your phone. The numerous bad reviews I read before purchasing my M9 had me believing this was a dog of a phone. On the contrary, it is a pleasure to use on a daily basis. As a sound engineer the audio quality is second to none. It seems only Apple and HTC give serious attention to the audio output of their products.
The knives were definitely out for HTC...

well wait to androi MM they say the camera improved so much! =D

I am honestly happy with the camera. I guess maybe it's because I was expecting it to be incredibly bad due to all the reviews lol.
Sent from my HTC One M9 using Tapatalk

LLegion said:
well wait to androi MM they say the camera improved so much! =D
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Who is saying it will be much better? Do you have a link? I can see why battery life will improve with MM but I don't see why the camera would improve.

neo905 said:
Who is saying it will be much better? Do you have a link? I can see why battery life will improve with MM but I don't see why the camera would improve.
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Ya and if it did somehow then it would be a pretty big fail on the part of HTC that why it took that long.
Sent from my HTC One M9 using Tapatalk