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Hello!
I recently switched my HTC Desire for a HTC Desire HD, because I got bored of the purple`ish AMOLED and the used battery...
Now, I find myself in deeper ****, or perhaps it's just the "trial" period I need to go through to fully accomodate with my DHD.
The screen... I didn't trust specification lists, so I went on with the assumption that it's got a S-LCD, just like the other HTC's. But no, the kick-ass DHD got an LCD. I find it very... well, the colours are so musty (sorry if this isn't the right word, just Google Translating around, trying to find the proper word). You get my point, I hope. Comparing my DHD to my girlfriend's Desire S, mine kicks ass, and, at the same time, sucks badly. How do you feel about this? Does it ever irritate your eyes/brain so much to the point that you want to throw it to the wall? I've got a hard case, I could throw it
The speaker...
I was stuck on stock GB w/ Sense until I finally decided to S-OFF, root and all that (3 days, that is). The speaker SUCKED. Not only the quality sucks (say, when you play a dubstep or something like that, the noise really gets... NOISY), but the loudness... it's just lacking! The Desire was kicking everybody's ass when it came to speaker. With that, when the phone rang, the entire subway station could hear it. Now, with the DHD, not even I hear it...
Now, I found LordMod kernels, with +20% volume on speaker. It still sucks.
The camera...
I don't know what's wrong here : me, the camera, or the screen. Doesn't look like 8 megapixels. The Desire S's 5MP camera looks so much better :/ what the hell?!
And now... the last thing... THE BUTTONS!
No, not the touch ones - they work flawlessly, no argue about that. I'm talking about the volume rocker and, more importantly, the power button.
The power button seems to be... well, stuck in. It's not like it is supposed to be. It is somewhat tilted inward the phone, making it not-so-easy to press (compared to the Desire, Desire S, Desire Z, Sensaton).
And the volume buttons... you don't even realise when you just turned the volume up to the maximum, cause it just happened in less than 1 second!
Above all, I have a MOMAX (iCase Pro) hard case, so the access to the power button is even harder, and the access to volume buttons is... well, excessive. I would press the volume buttons by mistake.
My old Desire had the worse volume rocker (had to attempt multiple times in order to actually increase/decrease the volume), but the power button.. IT WAS ORGASMIC!
So, how do you, other DHD owners, feel about all these? The display, the speaker, the hard buttons, the camera...
You're alone on the camera, try camera360 or vignette, might give you better results.
From what I believe is you have used your Desire for a long time and it will take some time for you to get used to this phone.
Yes the screen is not AMOLED but its not bad either, I love the size of screen it has and find resolution absolutely fine.
Speakers I agree I too dislike them but I find them audible when on max even in crowded and always use decent headphones for music and videos in any case.
I don't know why you feel that way for camera, maybe check the settings first and then try the other camera apps as mentioned. I have personally no problems with camera and images are sharp and focussed.
As for the power button, even mine is bit sunken but it took only about a week for me to get used to it and how to unlock and i can now even do it in my sleep without any problem. Volume keys though are something I loathe, they are too fragile and prone to failure and I use it to the minimum by using widgets for changing volume.
It's been almost 3 weeks since I got this, and now, I love it.
Even though the display isn't S-LCD, but LCD, it still rocks (just with its size). My girlfriend's Desire S seems so freaking small now, but the colours, I agree, are sharper than on the DHD, but on the other hand, everything is so small... and dark... x)
I've got a new battery now (it seems that the first one was faulty, barely holding ~50% charge). Things seem to go pretty well so far, and I haven't even calibrated the OS just yet.
On the other hand, right now, the only things that make me wanna say "F*CK YOU, HTC" are the camera, which would be outperformed by a Galaxy S and the speaker, which, too, would EASILY be outperformed by a Galaxy S.
Other than that, everything is working perfectly. I can never fear being left aside from a future OS update, since the RAM and CPU (OC`ed, of course) are MORE than enough. I like it because the screen is very responsive, and so are the capacitive buttons, as well! They are so well placed, unlike on the Desire S and Z, for example.
Only if it had a S-LCD screen...
Well, about the camera. I think the camera is ok in day light but as soon as it gets a little dark it totally sucks.
monki79 said:
Well, about the camera. I think the camera is ok in day light but as soon as it gets a little dark it totally sucks.
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Click to collapse
The camera is at least head-turning. People get stunned for a second when they hear it's got a 8MP module. What they don't know is that it's worse than the Galaxy S's 5MP module, or even the iPhone 4's 5MP module.
A classmate of mine has the iPhone 4S. It really is an amazing camera...
I don't get why HTC puts so crappy cameras inside their phones. I mean, why focus on the senzor, when they should work on the lens -.-
Anyway, I'm not using my camera TOO MUCH, but when I do, I wish I had more light with me...
That's sadly true
Even iPhone 4 has a better camera quality, especially in night time. I don't understand, DHD is a younger and stronger smartphone then iPhone 4, still has a worse camera.
Formhault said:
The camera is at least head-turning. People get stunned for a second when they hear it's got a 8MP module. What they don't know is that it's worse than the Galaxy S's 5MP module, or even the iPhone 4's 5MP module.
A classmate of mine has the iPhone 4S. It really is an amazing camera...
I don't get why HTC puts so crappy cameras inside their phones. I mean, why focus on the senzor, when they should work on the lens -.-
Anyway, I'm not using my camera TOO MUCH, but when I do, I wish I had more light with me...
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Click to collapse
ok so i went through two desires before switching to desire HD, which i had now for well over a year and half without feeling outdated yet
the first desire was amoled, i hated its guts, the depressing screen color tone and pentile pixel grid made me hate every bit of it, i then switched to SLCD desire which i found amazing almost matching the iphone 4 especially in view angles
when i upgraded to the DHD i found the screen a little disappointing yes its not really SLCD moderate view angles and lesser blacks, however u get used to it and u start liking eventually, also the screen has a cleaner pixels output then the sharp slcd in desire, also starting with GB the colors has imporved a lot
as for the touch buttons and multi touch, i love them a lot better then the desire and its real multi touch here, i cant stand hard buttons anymore, power buttons and volume u find them weird at first but then u start to love the flushed nature of them and the matte metal quality
The camera is a lot better then the iphone 4 in many ways u just need to learn how to use the HTC camera app, check my guide in my signature
and finally build quality! its freaking amazing the DHD is a tank, it has survived so many deadly falls with pixel sized scartches at most on the metal paint, zero damage or scartches to screen/camera, which reminds me the screen is gorilla glass and the plastics despite feeling a little weak they are not they are actually scratch resistant, my DHD has hugged rough asphalt and stones few times, still feels new from box!
check the links in my sig for camera and performance, my DHD with the stock sensation XL ER3bUS sense 3.5 ROM plus ultra smooth roise plus super charger, faster then the Sensation with official ICS firmware, locked 60 fps smooth, it has roughly the same specifications as the Sensation XL so ROMs based on XL firmware runs perfectly
i find this phone better then the newer Sensation in many ways, im still waiting for something to beat it from HTC
Youre definitely alone there
I think the screen is great and I came from an IPhone also the camera is better than my gfs 14.4 MP camera. I do agree the hard buttons aren't the best but I love this phone, I'm upgrading to the galaxy nexus next week but keep this phone for messing around with. its great!
Maate.. the cameras quality.. the iphones camera is cack in comparison, agreed on screen it is diff when u come from desire...
But serious.. dhd wipes the floor with the majority.
Plus sensation is a girls phone so its still winning lol
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA Premium App
As stated, on a nice sunny day camera is awesome, but in a room it just plain suck, but I don't have a DHD cause of camera so that's fine
As for the hardware buttons, actually I find them pretty nice, I love the fact that they're not sticking out, especially the power, since I like tossing the phone in the car and plugging in a headphones cable, so it would end up getting started otherwise. All in all maybe not the best screen, but I love the size and durability.
Yeah amoled vs LCD is a never ending discussion I'm totally used to LCD screens so when i see a galaxy S2 i always feel like somethings wrong with the screen. It looks so unnatural and some colors like the old android market's green are just so ugly for my eyes. I really love the DesireHD screen. I even had some iphone4 users telling me that they love it and thats gotta mean something right?
I guess its all about what you're used to.
All in all i'm still very happy with my over a year old DHD. It has some amazing custom roms that make it totally smooth and give it some pretty good battery life. It runs all the apps including games and emulators perfectly and never feels outdated.
Camera is certainly ok. Not perfect, not bad. It does its job though. I'm not a camera guy so i guess i really dont care all that much about that part of the phone.
And yeah its sturdy as hell. I took mine on several vacations. At the beach, mountain climbing, city trips. It still has no scratch at all. Looks like new.
The power button is a bugger though. Solved it by applying some sticky foam on it.
I'm gonna use it happily another year until my contract runs out and i get a cheap update. Looking forward to see what HTC has in store for us next year. And i hear some rumors on Galaxy S3 as well. I really hope there will be some strong 4.3" phones though. I dont think i want anything bigger.
I agree the camera is nice on the DHD its got more enhancement than the Iphone, in my opinion, its never failed me. Why do people think its lacking?
First off, I don't want this to turn into a "best rom" "best phone" type thread.
My HTC One X recently bit the dust, and a nexus 4 is my only option. (besides sending it in for repairs at $200, and when I paid $100 for the HOX, why not just shell out another $50 for the N4?) I was planning on buying a Nexus 4 later down the road, or a Nexus device at the next generation. Unfortunately, the time has come, a little too soon for my liking. Nonetheless, I think I will be happy with the Nexus.
Anyways, the only phones I have used have hardware buttons.. I have tried the software (navigation keys) on AOKP.
I was wondering, what are they like? Will I have a hard time getting used to them.. or do they just feel right?
If any of you have ever held an HTC One X, it feels a little weird to operate with one hand.
How does the phone feel when holding it? Is it easy to grip, or a little bulky?
Again.. Just a few simple questions, hopefully you guys understand.. We are a little unforgiving in the HOX forums towards people that ask questions about best ROMs or talk about other phones, or ask something that has been stickied, etc.
You will absolutely love the software buttons^^ So much better than hardware buttons imo. You can configure them and do anything you want with them (if on a custom ROM of course)! And to me the Nexus feels great in the hand!
Ngo93 said:
You will absolutely love the software buttons^^ So much better than hardware buttons imo. You can configure them and do anything you want with them (if on a custom ROM of course)! And to me the Nexus feels great in the hand!
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Of course on an HTC device I would naturally run aosp ROMs. But since nexus is already aosp... Might run that for a few weeks and then look at ROMs or dev my own
If I have any other questions I'll bump this thread
Ngo93 said:
You will absolutely love the software buttons^^ So much better than hardware buttons imo. You can configure them and do anything you want with them (if on a custom ROM of course)! And to me the Nexus feels great in the hand!
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Its a matter of opinion. I personally dislike software keys, they take up valuable screen real estate. You can also set hardware keys to do whatever you want (much like the Viper rom for the One X). Why waste a portion of your screen on buttons?
That being said its still a great phone. Although it lacks the storage capacity, capacitive keys and LTE of my Optimus G...
I've also had the One X, and they're similar in terms of form factor and feel in the hand.
Mercath said:
Its a matter of opinion. I personally dislike software keys, they take up valuable screen real estate. You can also set hardware keys to do whatever you want (much like the Viper rom for the One X). Why waste a portion of your screen on buttons?
That being said its still a great phone. Although it lacks the storage capacity, capacitive keys and LTE of my Optimus G...
I've also had the One X, and they're similar in terms of form factor and feel in the hand.
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Click to collapse
Why aren't you using LTE on N4 when you're in Canada?
i too came from a HOX and dont regret it one bit. N4 definitely feels more hefty than the HOX but only because of the materials used as oppsed to the plastic used on the hox, also in my opinion n4 feels better in hand than the hox, theres not too much of a weight difference overall is just a wayyyy better more premium feel of the n4 comparing it to HOX, not to say HOX wasnt premium, N4 is just above it.
and to your question on onscreen vs soft keys question.To be honest i never wanted to turn on the on screen keys on roms i ran with HOX, defeated the whole purpose of having the soft keys. transitioning to on screen keys didnt take much effort at all in fact i actually love it and prefer it over the soft keys of the HOX. To me it just seems to flow better with the Jellybean OS and overall look of stock android.
All is just opinion though but id definitely buy the n4 again no regrets
I came from a One XL with no regrets.
I find the on screen buttons to be a lot more responsive than the capacitive buttons on any phone i've used before, including the One X. And i actually prefer that they take up screen real estate since they make the usable part of the screen more or less 4.5" which is far more comfortable than a full 4.7" screen. Also, the extra empty space below the on screen keys means the keys are higher up and easier to reach, as opposed to the One X keys which are waaay at the bottom of the phone and tough to get to with my thumb.
Maybe its just me, but i always felt the One X was really awkward to hold. It was never really mentioned much in reviews before i bought it. The screen bezel was really thick, and on top of the weird angled frame on the sides, it made it difficult, if not uncomfortable to hold, for me at least. The N4 is about the same width, but the grippy flat sides make it a lot easier to hold. Not the most comfortable phone i've held in my hand, but a big improvement over the One X.
The only thing i miss from the One X is the better screen. It had better viewing angles, and more vibrant colours. Pretty obvious when you hold them side by side, but you get accustomed to the N4 screen after a while. The One X camera also captured more detail and took less noisy photos, but i don't miss the camera much since it always seem to get the exposure wrong, faces always looked orange when taken indoors.
The performance difference is pretty huge, especially with multitasking, even compared to AOKP and CM10 on the HOX.
All in all, its a much easier phone to handle.
My last 2 phones where HTC and what I did to adjust was set my navbar much like my HTC devices.
Home. Menu. Back. Search
It made the change from my doubleshot really easy. At first I was SO lost using nav keys and everything but after an hour I don't think I could use anything other than full touch.
Sent From a Freaked out Nexus 4
andyondroid said:
I came from a One XL with no regrets.
I find the on screen buttons to be a lot more responsive than the capacitive buttons on any phone i've used before, including the One X. And i actually prefer that they take up screen real estate since they make the usable part of the screen more or less 4.5" which is far more comfortable than a full 4.7" screen. Also, the extra empty space below the on screen keys means the keys are higher up and easier to reach, as opposed to the One X keys which are waaay at the bottom of the phone and tough to get to with my thumb.
Maybe its just me, but i always felt the One X was really awkward to hold. It was never really mentioned much in reviews before i bought it. The screen bezel was really thick, and on top of the weird angled frame on the sides, it made it difficult, if not uncomfortable to hold, for me at least. The N4 is about the same width, but the grippy flat sides make it a lot easier to hold. Not the most comfortable phone i've held in my hand, but a big improvement over the One X.
The only thing i miss from the One X is the better screen. It had better viewing angles, and more vibrant colours. Pretty obvious when you hold them side by side, but you get accustomed to the N4 screen after a while. The One X camera also captured more detail and took less noisy photos, but i don't miss the camera much since it always seem to get the exposure wrong, faces always looked orange when taken indoors.
The performance difference is pretty huge, especially with multitasking, even compared to AOKP and CM10 on the HOX.
All in all, its a much easier phone to handle.
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Click to collapse
Thats what worried me. I love the colors of the screen and the camera. (I use cm10.1, which apparently doesn't have the camera quality of sense, but I prefer it anyway.) If the camera on n4 compares to aosp ROMs for the hox, then I'm in the clear. I don't have any option though as my hox is in shambles really looking forward to the n4 though
I got this phone because I've been waiting for a smaller Android device that doesn't treat you like a second class citizen. This is really the first one out there that does this, I found it for £360 on sale which is only £30 more than the 32gb Nexus 5 and tbh since it has a micro SD slot, I think it is a really great deal,, especially seeing as the specs are like a main flagship device.
So some thoughts...
- Really well made, feels like an iPhone 5/5s for Android.
- I've been with my Mum today and she had a go on it and said it is the first Android mobile she'd ever think about upgrading to because of the small size.
- When I put it side by side with the iPhone 5, it really isn't much bigger, just a tad wider which is better since my biggest complaint with the 5 is the screen is so narrow
- I can easily use the phone one handed and use the whole screen, I've got average sized hands and I've found all these 5inch Android phones to have just gotten too big, especially my old HTC One, I hand to slide the phone up and down my hand to use the power button.
- Power button is great, the volume rocker is slightly too small as is the camera button, but they're minor flaws.
- The Sim tray and Micro SD slot I found to be really tricky to use, the Sim especially seems rather fiddly and I doubt the average user would work it out without possibly breaking the tray.
- I love the led charging light by the top speaker, I'm not sure if it doubles up as a notification light, but I hope it does.
- The loud speaker is not great, it's serviceable, will get you by, but you wont want to be listening to music or video out of it. That said I never wanted to do that from my HTC One and always used an external speaker or headphones any ways as no small speaker is that good in a phone. However if you walk the dog up the fields like me and don't like using headphones as you want to hear what is going on around you, the loud speaker isn't going to cut it, I struggled to hear it sometimes.
- The Magnetic charging is a cool touch, it really is needed as having to open that flap all the time would be so annoying. I mean I bought a Micro USB to Magnetic charge adapter for a few quid on Amazon, I'd suggest you all do the same as it is pretty necessary, I don't understand why one isn't sold with it as standard.
- Comes with a nice usb adapter so you can do stuff like plugging in your PS3 controller to play games. Maybe this would compliment screen mirroring or Chromecast gaming? I dunno, I haven't tried it, but just a nice little bonus.
- The X reality engine is ****, it just ruins the picture, usually just makes a picture too bright like it has been over exposed. The phone comes with it on by default... turn it off.
- The screen is a mixed bag for me, resolution and pixel density wise, I cannot fault it, looks as crisp as an iPhone and tbh I don't get why people care about having 440PPI when I cannot see a pixel at 340PPI, you never look at a screen under a magnifying glass. Again it is 720p, but for the size screen I just turn browse text to large and everything looks crisp and great, I really do not miss having the 1080p screen of my HTC One. Maybe if I was using a 4.7 inch+ screen again I'd want 1080p, but for this small screen 720p works, Apple have proved this as no one cares abut the iPhones resolution, which is like 640?
That said though I can see the digitizer when the sun glances off the phone, it is a downer as I never saw it on my last phone (Nokia 1020) or my HTC One before that. Though screens are a lottery it seems as they're all made from different companies, my friend got a HTC One and could see his badly.
The black levels aren't that great, neither are the viewing angles, I'm being picky here as they're totally fine, just I'm used to an OLED screen now and it is hard to go back. Black levels on OLED screens aren't perfect, they do have light bleed and a weird effect as the pixels go from colour to black, but... it is hard to adjust back to seeing more of a grey if you're in a dark room.
The colours seem fine to me, the white seems fine, I don't notice any tints, though maybe if I compared it side by side to other phones I would. However I wouldn't let this bother you as you'll never do that in real life, as long as the whites aren't so far off they're obvious.
I'm am struggling however with brightness levels, there doesn't seem to be much control like other phones. I wish there were more brightness presets, I can turn it down to the lowest on the slider and it still seems too bright, I could really make my other phones go quite dark. I dunno if it is brightness or if it is just washing out light colours in particular, but the x reality engine makes it worse... like way worse!
Overall though the screen is good, it isn't the best, but it is still a great screen that I've personally been picky on as I've owned a lot of different phones.
- The software is good, Sony don't mess around with it too much, it is a non offensive Android Skin. My only problem is I'm on 4.3 and that seems a bit weird, you'd have thought it would have a newer version by now. Some things are nice with the software as well, Sony have added some good apps of theirs and the battery stuff is cool. Everything is so fast, faster than any other phone I've used, including HTC One, iPhone 5 and Nokia 1020, omg just SO FAST! The 720p screen also probably helps it too over 1080p screens.
- On to battery, it is amazing, I don't get how they can cram so much life into such a small phone, I can say it is definitely a major step up from the 1020 and the horrible life I seemed to get from Windows Phone. It seems a step up from my HTC One as well and it performs better than my Mum's iPhone 5, though that is a year old now so the battery is probably less efficient at this point. I find it amazing how fast it charges over USB alone on my PC and through the magnetic charge, way faster than anything I've used before. Also though I was playing some games on it earlier and the battery didn't seem to go down much at all.
- The phone doesn't heat up that much, I was expecting worse since it is so small and light, but while I noticed it get hot, it wasn't bad like my Nokia 1020 and obviously since it is a plastic back it doesn't act like the HTC One, which got hot like a radiator... series that was the worst! Never get a mobile with a metal back and that isn't made by Apple, not a good idea.
- I find the speaker position just fine, I kept hearing how it was easy to cover up... with my usage, I haven't experienced that, even when gaming and most likely you'll get a case any ways.
- The camera is a mixed bag and sadly a bit of a downer I'm afraid, I was expecting better from a phone with a larger sensor than the Nokia 1520. Auto mode seems worse than useless, every picture just looks plain bad and I have a feeling it is restricting the pictures to 8mp and there is no way to increase it. Manual mode is really the only viable way to take pictures, sadly though there is no higher res 16:9 option. Every picture though seemed to be different, I could never take the same picture twice and I ended up taking several just so I would get a good one. The good news is when the software did it's job the quality did look good, not as good as I was expecting, but I have been using a 1020 until recently, so maybe that is why it is such a shock.
My main problem with the camera though was the screen never really reflected on what the final picture would look like. Your screen would be out of focus and blurred, yet when the picture comes from, it looks fine, also all the colours and lighting would change, I could never get it to accurately display what I was going to take.
The good news though is the camera is fast and I think it uses oversampling like Nokia's Pureview when it is in 8mp auto mode. Though I'm sick of smart phones today and how they all over saturate everything, the Z1 compact is no different, even the 1020 did this, but at least with the 1020 I could use a .DNG file and open it in lightroom to get natural colours, no such raw files on this phone exist, so you have to live with it.
The Mic performance on recording video is great, unlike with most Android Phones I've had in the past (including the S4) you're able to record loud noises like a concert. I turned up my sound system pretty high with the sub woofer going and it coped as well as Nokia which was amazing for concerts.
The video quality is fine too, the software stabilization works fine, I'm not a fan of OIS is mobiles, I never thought it worked well in the 1020 or HTC One, it always made the image into a watery or dreamy effect and recording on my bicycle was impossible as a result. Yes it is a bit less stable, but tbh so was my 1020, OIS worked poorly on it, though the HTC One it actually worked ok. I'm not missing OIS, all I'm saying, yes it works on dedicated cameras, you can shake them all you like and they cope, but no mobile has managed to perfect it yet.
So the camera is a mixed bag, I'm sure it can all be fixed with software, but I dunno how well Sony do on updates?
My only question really goes out to how well the screen protector Sony put on as designed hold up. It is THE major flaw really and I can see it frustrating a lot of people who do not know it comes with it as it scratches so easily. That reason alone is why I couldn't recommend it to women who shove their phone in their handbag, the phone wouldn't hold up. If you put a screen protector over it (one comes free with in the box) then it is fine, but I just think it is stupid to put a screen protector over a screen protector. There is no protective coating on the glass under either... which means you cannot simply just take it off.
Conclusion...
I love it, looks so premium, feels so premium, has the functionality of a 5inch + screened Android phone, it is the fastest phone I've ever used, Sony's software isn't bad or intrusive like TouchWiz or some other Android skins and the camera is potentially really good but needs a firmware update to fix auto mode.
I have pointed out bad points, but I could do that with any phone, I mean I couldn't stand Windows Phone and how it has no apps and no functionality. With this Z1 Compact I've mirror'd my phone to my TV effortlessly and without chromecast, I can just screen mirror and it works every time. This hasn't happened with any other phone I've used, I could never get it to work with my HTC which had it built in either.
I really think it is THE best iPhone alternative for people who don't want IOS and I think it is finally THE handset to buy for Android if you want a smaller device without all the internals being downgraded.
My favourite Android mobile ever!
I love the colour I chose too, it reminds me of the colour of an old Adidas watch I had in the 90s...
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/SkyForce6/Adidaswatch.jpg
The Yellowing Green one.
http://s15.postimg.org/c6ttrs2ij/IMG_7694.jpg
+ I've never liked Sony before, it is my first Sony experience when it comes to mobiles.
Added this to the resource thread!
Great review!
I want to add that the LED light on the camera bleeds into the pictures, so it is pretty much worthless, though I've never used led flash on a mobile for anything other than a torch, Xenon is the only thing worth it.
This is probably a hardware design fault tbh, maybe fixed with a replacement back that doesn't have a see-through layer that lets the light bounce to the side? I dunno.
I used semi-permanent marker fix around the rim of the camera and it stopped the light bleed into it from the LED. My guess is Sony will do a hardware refresh on this, so maybe hold out until they've done that.
I didn't realise the rear cover was the problem until I searched fro fixes, I guess I was right about the clear part leaking light from the LED into the camera.
Overall I've been a pretty happy Z3C user. My two main beefs with the Z3C we're some build quality issues (screen on two devices would pop/flex) and I've never been crazy about the photos. They were just ok.
So here's my take on the Z5C:
First, the fingerprint sensor changes a lot in terms of how I interact with the device and how quickly I can access the device. I really like it. However, as reported elsewhere the scanner is not always completely reliable if my finger has recently been wet, cold, etc. I'm still exploring how to optimize my fingerprint readings, and it may also be a case that my fingerprints are a bit worn down and so fingerprint scanners in general may not work very well for me (this is the first one I've tried using). But overall it's an excellent addition and I love the location of it on the side.
Second, the speed of the 810 processor is phenomenal and makes the phone feel so much quicker. This is something I did not anticipate liking as much as I do, and it has been a real pleasant surprise. If you're a Z3C owner and on the fence about upgrading definitely do not use the Z5C unless you're ready to move up to it as I think you'd have a hard time going back to the relatively slower Z3C.
Third, the build quality has dramatically improved on the Z5C. It feels much more solid and sturdy; a firmer hold in the hand. Z3C was much more slippery, bigger risk to drop. In addition to the screen pop issues I had, my Z3Cs always had more flex and creaking than I liked. Really glad Sony did away with the second flap/compartment on the Z5C, which I'm sure helped reduce device flex. The new SD card/SIM compartment closure feels more solid. Making the USB waterproof was also a great move. I thought I might miss magnetic charging, but I'm not.
Fourth, the audio quality, in terms of both phone call quality and speaker music, is much improved. I can hear people much more clearly on this device than the Z3C. I also play music from the speakers when I jog, and the sound quality is much crisper. I want to also say that using my headphones (aptX Sennheiser Momentum wireless) that sound quality is also slightly improved, perhaps due to a better DAC? I'm not 100% sure about this and was already pretty happy with the Z3C headphone performance.
Fifth, battery life seems to be about the same, which is a relief. I had heard some people were experiencing worse performance, but I have no problems getting through the day with 30 to 40% still left after heavy use.
Sixth, the display seems to be improved. Slightly sharper and more vibrant. I didn't expect this and I'm not quite sure why this is the case because the resolution/spec has not changed much.
Seventh, the location of the volume button has not been a problem. Some early reviews complained about this, particularly on the bigger model, but I find its placement on the Z5C just fine.
Eight, I'm not a gamer or 4K video shooter, but I have not experienced the phone overheating or getting too hot, which was something that was a concern.
Ninth, I have not experienced any of the software stuttering that the Verge and others have reported. I'm wondering if some of the complaints here were on an earlier firmware.
Tenth, using the screen in the tub when the screen is wet, or with a wet finger, also works a lot better. I think Sony rolled out this improvement in the Z4/Z3+. Much appreciated.
I have not had a chance to thoroughly test the camera yet or do a side-by-side with the Z3C, but so far (especially after the 2.0 upgrade) I'm happier with the Z5Ccamera.
So overall, well done Sony!
Good to hear. Mine is coming in the mail today so it's good to hear this positive review.
The improved audio quality is something I've noticed. On calls or when connected to bluetooth headphones / headset.
I'm with you on the volume button position. Once you get acquainted with the change, it is no problem. Quite a few reviews made a big deal of this , but I have no problem adjusting volume on a call.
I have 2 of the z5c and have yet to experience even one issue regarding complaints from users and previous reviews, from battery life and buttery smooth performance to the blurring in the camera,
Everything works perfectly, and it's a fantastic phone.
I wonder if the issues were resolved with an update? I made sure to update before doing anything else once I first activated the devices .
I am coming from a Sony Xperia ZL (basically a Z1). I also had the Z1 Compact.
I've had mine for a week. Mine even came with headphones (which I saw most unboxing videos didn't)
I absolutely love my Z5C. A very beautiful phone (it's more grey than black which i love) and it feels very premium due to it's frosted glass back and weight. I have not had a single issue with it. No overheating and the camera (using 2.0) launches quickly. Picture quality is great (i use manual mode every now and then). Some videos out there show lag if moving through the menu to fast, i have not had this issue. Battery lasts an entire day (disconnect at 8AM connect at 11PM with over 50% of batt. with medium to heavy use and screen on brightest).
By far the best phone i have ever owned. I do not see myself changing anytime soon.
Thanks for this nice impression write-up.
Very clear to understand, and more and more I read about it, the more I get convinced to buy one too.(still using the first Z)
Though, what do u guys talk about with the "2.0 update"?
(Edit) never mind, just read some post beneath this thread. Looks good!
Maybe some of the issues you heard about, are "only" issues for certain people, but not the device in general?
I can agree with quite some stuff you mentioned, but for me:
2) or 9) It looks like the processing apps/devices is much slower than with my z1c. F.i. scrolling down through a page isn't as smooth, loading apps slows down my phone a lot, and some apps open way too slow. I'm still guessing this has something to do with my configuration, and I'm sure I'll figure it out one of these days.
11) The camera... I didn't read too many reviews but quite some people seem to be really happy about it. I can't figure out why. It's an ok camera to take snapshots in bright light, but apart from that it would rather make me cry. The delay between clicking to take a picture and getting the actual picture is gigantic, which make it (again: for me) impossible to take the cam serious. It's much more like a gadget-camera, it's hardly able to make sharp pictures and it's performance in low(er) light conditions isn't that well either...
What can you say about the plastic sides? I really like the metal sides of my z1c and z2, so I'm not sure if I will be satisfied with the plastic. After holding a z3c I wasn't very impressed. Unfortunately, no actual stores here carry the z5 or z5c so I can't test myself.
mmceorange said:
What can you say about the plastic sides? I really like the metal sides of my z1c and z2, so I'm not sure if I will be satisfied with the plastic. After holding a z3c I wasn't very impressed. Unfortunately, no actual stores here carry the z5 or z5c so I can't test myself.
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I will just say that the grey one looks very premium. And trust me on this. Hold one and you won't be disappointed. The other colours look plasticky to me though
What about how they feel in the hand while using?
mmceorange said:
What about how they feel in the hand while using?
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I love it. Has a very sturdy feel to it. The sides feel like aluminium. The back feels amazing and smooth in the hand but can be a little slippery.
Personnally, I wait Android M before giving my opinion about battery and average perfs.
Crappy Lollipop/launch rom/etc...
Besides that, I found the phone is really great and smooth.
And I like the brightness, enough to see outside, don't kill your eyes at night on lowest setting.
Just wondering what is the real utility of the camera button ?
mmceorange said:
What about how they feel in the hand while using?
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I came from Z, the feel is better because angles are rounded.
ninjy said:
Personnally, I wait Android M before giving my opinion about battery and average perfs.
Crappy Lollipop/launch rom/etc...
Besides that, I found the phone is really great and smooth.
And I like the brightness, enough to see outside, don't kill your eyes at night on lowest setting.
Just wondering what is the real utility of the camera button ?
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To lock focus and to take the photo after that instantly. It actually helps in a lot of cases and gives you the "camera" feel. Also, it allows you to launch the camera from within any app.
Also take pictures under water
mmceorange said:
Also take pictures under water
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How could I miss that :|
1 of the big downsides that is also not talked about is the screen pixel quality, if you look closer to lets say a white icon on a black background you can see some ugly RGB bleeding if you watch carefully youll see the red subpixels bleeding out of the white icon on the right side of it, i have no idea why this is happening on z5 compact but it got me so upset that i ended up choosing for a galaxy s6 instead, which is a shame as i really liked z1 compact and wanted to "upgrade" rather than switch to another brand and such a big screen size.
TheWarKeeper said:
1 of the big downsides that is also not talked about is the screen pixel quality, if you look closer to lets say a white icon on a black background you can see some ugly RGB bleeding if you watch carefully youll see the red subpixels bleeding out of the white icon on the right side of it, i have no idea why this is happening on z5 compact but it got me so upset that i ended up choosing for a galaxy s6 instead, which is a shame as i really liked z1 compact and wanted to "upgrade" rather than switch to another brand and such a big screen size.
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Well it all comes down to what you want. For me a sd card is a must so a s6 wont do it for me. And hard to finjd a high end phone is such a small size with a awesome camera.
I had a Z3c, and the Samsung S6 Active. I returned the active and have the Z5c on the way!!! I agree with the expansion slot, that was a real killer with the S6. The camera on the S6 was not as good as my Z3c and the Z5c sounds AMAZING!!! I hope the speakers are better than the Z3c, the S6 was very loud and clear. Love the camera button too, hated the S6 for not having a dedicated button. Pulling it out of my pocket and snapping pictures or giving it to a passer-by to take a picture for me without having to unlock or explain buttons is great. S6 can do it with the home key, but then you gotta tap the screen to snap the pic, not as easy IMO.
Look forward to my YELLOW Z5c in two days!!!
Yellow... hahahahahahaha!
Huli13 said:
I had a Z3c, and the Samsung S6 Active. I returned the active and have the Z5c on the way!!! I agree with the expansion slot, that was a real killer with the S6. The camera on the S6 was not as good as my Z3c and the Z5c sounds AMAZING!!! I hope the speakers are better than the Z3c, the S6 was very loud and clear. Love the camera button too, hated the S6 for not having a dedicated button. Pulling it out of my pocket and snapping pictures or giving it to a passer-by to take a picture for me without having to unlock or explain buttons is great. S6 can do it with the home key, but then you gotta tap the screen to snap the pic, not as easy IMO.
Look forward to my YELLOW Z5c in two days!!!
Yellow... hahahahahahaha!
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The speakers are better than those on Z3c once you turn Clear Audio on
RiTCHiE007 said:
Well it all comes down to what you want. For me a sd card is a must so a s6 wont do it for me. And hard to finjd a high end phone is such a small size with a awesome camera.
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Yep, i am really happy that so many people picked up a z5 compact, i really like powerfull compact phones, hopefully Sony will make more in the future when galaxy s6 is obsolete so i can switch back, and by then they probably will wake up and make physical buttons for the compact series as its silly to waste such limited screen space for some virtual keys, all in all z5 compact is the best compact phone out there
Sell me on the device! I currently have the S7E and its due for an upgrade and looking to pick up the V20 primarily for its video and audio awesomeness. Is it worth doing this upgrade? Part of me thinks its not really a good idea being they are pretty even spec wise (what I can see). So for people that use the phone camera alot is it worth upgrading to?
My wife has S7E. I came from Note 7. Felt like S7E was a downgrade from Note 7.
I've been thrilled with the V20 overall. I'm not a big camera person - so can't give much input there. But from an overall experience I'd definitely recommend it.
Absolutely worth the shift. Move on with V20 without any doubt.
Sent from my LG-H990 using Tapatalk
Some people will tell you "don't because the photos will come up with an oil painting effect " however, i only see that when i zoom the photo to the maximum and not in all the photos i get to see it. But i love how this phone take pictures ans videos. And also how it sounds. If you happen to have a friend with a V20, ask him to lend it to you for a couple of minutes and give it a try. In my opinion, it is worth the $820 - 200 = 600. 600 - 149 = 451. This if you got all the promotions ?
I actually switched from a S7 Edge to the V20, and I love it. The V20 is so much faster, and I think the second display implementation is much better than the edge display (although I kinda miss AOD and the Amoled but it's not a huge loss).
kbkrunner said:
I actually switched from a S7 Edge to the V20, and I love it. The V20 is so much faster, and I think the second display implementation is much better than the edge display (although I kinda miss AOD and the Amoled but it's not a huge loss).
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I agree w 2nd display vs edge. Never used edge. If i had gone to S7, might have gone non-edge variety. Use 2nd screen all the time on V20.
Never used always on display on Note 7 - 2nd screen is much better implementation for the same info
Also thought id miss LED - haven't one bit.
Thought the finger print sensor on back was awkward at first. But with V20 just have to put finger there, not push button to activate like Note 7 - it has worked well.
Lack of physical buttons - real ones feel strange now lol.
Thought i would miss SPen - don't - EXCEPT the ability to make gifs with it.
Several other new features too that have enhanced my opinion of V20 as not only a replacement of Note 7, but an upgrade.
Smidgers said:
I agree w 2nd display vs edge. Never used edge. If i had gone to S7, might have gone non-edge variety. Use 2nd screen all the time on V20.
Never used always on display on Note 7 - 2nd screen is much better implementation for the same info
Also thought id miss LED - haven't one bit.
Thought the finger print sensor on back was awkward at first. But with V20 just have to put finger there, not push button to activate like Note 7 - it has worked well.
Lack of physical buttons - real ones feel strange now lol.
Thought i would miss SPen - don't - EXCEPT the ability to make gifs with it.
Several other new features too that have enhanced my opinion of V20 as not only a replacement of Note 7, but an upgrade.
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The one downside with 2nd screen is, being LCD, I have to turn it off at night because there's a good amount of light leaking. Not a huge issue, at least LG include the feature to put it on a timer.
I love the position of the fingerprint sensor, it's so much better than being on the front. With front scanners, you have to bend your thumb terribly to reach the scanner when holding the phone with 1 hand. With the back sensor you can practically rest your finger on the sensor. And the Tap-On unlock code is such a cool feature for when you can't reach the back of the device. The 1 thing I hate though is the power button. I love how fast the device unlocks but sometimes I actually want to see the lock screen.
kbkrunner said:
The one downside with 2nd screen is, being LCD, I have to turn it off at night because there's a good amount of light leaking. Not a huge issue, at least LG include the feature to put it on a timer.
I love the position of the fingerprint sensor, it's so much better than being on the front. With front scanners, you have to bend your thumb terribly to reach the scanner when holding the phone with 1 hand. With the back sensor you can practically rest your finger on the sensor. And the Tap-On unlock code is such a cool feature for when you can't reach the back of the device. The 1 thing I hate though is the power button. I love how fast the device unlocks but sometimes I actually want to see the lock screen.
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Ive never really noticed the light leaking (i prob will now, thanks lol)
I used tap on/pin personally when finger print is not convenient. But that's rare. I cant remember the last time i actually pressed the power button.
Smidgers said:
Ive never really noticed the light leaking (i prob will now, thanks lol)
I used tap on/pin personally when finger print is not convenient. But that's rare. I cant remember the last time i actually pressed the power button.
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Haha sorry it really isn't that bad, just noticeable after using AOD on S7E
That's fair, I guess it's just nice to have the option. Maybe Android will do away with the lock screen in a few years anyway lol
Honestly I would say wait until the G6 is released or the Galaxy S8 is released. Then you can make your decision. Sure they are a couple of months out, but those phones more than likely could and probably will be a better upgrade than the V20. But then again, if you're wanting a phone that you can for sure root and have an unlocked bootloader then definitely make sure you pick one of these guys up soon.
Look. I came from a N7 to the V20. I actually quite prefer the asthetics and the AMOLED display of the N7. However, when I decided to make the switch, I knew what I was going for in the device. I wanted a multitude of features that the V20 had that the N7 lacked. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I actually wanted the V20 more than the N7, so it felt like an upgrade to me. If you are looking to be talked into a device, it isn't the right one for you. I say hold off until end of Feb middle March when they announce the S8 line and see what that brings. If nothing exciting is projected, then you still have the V20 (or even the G6) to upgrade to.
Love the v20 of you like crisp clear audio its a must buy.
I drive truck so i use it for music etc 12 hours a day.
Sent from my LG-VS995 using XDA Labs
Well, I came from the short-lived Galaxy Note 7.
Strictly camera wise, I think the S7/N7 camera is a clear winner, especially in low light. But the wide angle lens for the V20 is incredibly useful. Just be careful with the lens, it's fragile.
But everything else about the V20 is terrific. Multi tasking with Nougat is brilliant. It's speedy, with lots of RAM. Battery life is good, removable and supports Quick Charge. At least for my variant, it supports Cat. 12 LTE, so it's future proof. And VoLTE, which means call quality is very clear.
Overall, I'm very satisfied with this phone. It's underrated IMO.
My only disappointment is it doesn't support 3G video calls. But I've read that some US variants support this.
My most recent phones have been the Galaxy S7e, Note 7, back to the S7e, 2nd Note 7, and now the V20. I went with the V20 because it had decent specs and I'd already done the S7e twice. If you like the camera in the S7 , you'll be disappointed with the one in the V20. I'd put the picture quality about equivalent with what I got from the Note 4. Personally I will probably get the S8 in April. I miss too many things from the Samsung line like the AMOLED screen, Samsung Pay, water proofing, wireless charging, and camera quality. I also like the edge screen better than the second LCD. I find the icons on the second LCD too high up to easily hit one handed. A couple things I have liked on the V20 are the rear fingerprint reader and the metal back.
Oh that I agree. The second screen on the top is too high, due to the large screen. So I don't really use it much.
I'm looking forward to the S8. Hopefully there is a model without the Edge display. I don't really need that.
V20 is a great phone feature wise, looks much better than the S7E (in my oppinion of course), audio output is great, software is decent, but battery life is a big letdown. Choose it only if you don't care about the battery life.
Thanks for all the reply's! I think I'm gonna go with the LG V20 switch it up. Is the Version version rootable?
Well it looks like many people answered your question,, myself i had the S7E for two weeks, before seeing that there was not a lot of development for the phone. That's why i switched.
i actually came from a note 7 as well. Had a choice between a v20 or a s7e.
I figured the s7e was a downgrade so i went with the v20.
my thoughts:
1. Note 7 camera is way better. At auto, you practically end up with great pictures almost every time. Many people will tell you here the v20 camera is awesome when it's in manual, but I don't have time to set the settings first before taking a shot. Taking pictures of moving objects such as people walking will end up with blurred people even in bright light. Manual settings at a faster shutter speed will fix that of course.
2. The second screen is useful when off when I want to turn on the flash light. But that's about the only use I have for it lol. I still end up using nav button to switch apps...habits die hard.
3. Battery life is good for both phones.
4. Screen of Note 7 is still better.
5. I think Note 7 to v20 wasn't an upgrade. It was a little downgrade, but it was newer than the s7e...so I guess I really didn't have a choice. It was a Note 4 to Note 7 anyways...so still an upgrade from that.
6. Do I think you should switch from an s7e to a v20....right now? no. Last year, probably a yes...but now that new phones are around the corner, I suggest you wait for those.
Look at the Mate 9 it's a great phone with insane battery and the speed of the software is unmatched. I also have a v20