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.
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Click to collapse
Hmm... Then I would recommend the Xperia Z. Its bootloader is easily unlockable. But if you prefer the HTC One, there's the Developer edition that ships with the bootloader unlocked, but its not on contract, so you might have to pay more as there are no Carrier subsidies.
biffsmash said:
I would have to say the Z has excellent low light capabilities when flash is not required. I am not impressed with HTC one camera or samples at all and have read reviews that rubbish the HTC One camera.
As for burst mode, I have never ever been able to get anything buy a noisy image out of it, and it offers zero improvement in clarity. Interestingly, my pics are generally pin sharp when HDR is off.
The HTC One blurs trees in the distance though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly! When I take an image with the HTC One, details that are in the background isn't very clear and is noisy. Glad to see that someone has the same opinion as me. As for the Xperia Z, I usually use it in Superior Auto and under 9MP. Images are very clear while burst mode are just blurry images.
fookea said:
Great review ! Some of things i don't understand ( and i've seen this a couple of times already ) are :
1. If you don't like the UI of any android phone there are Launchers . I , for example , don't like the sony launcher . No problem , i went with Nova launcher wich is as closest to stock as I can get. I'm sure you could have done the same on the One.
2.It's an open comunity => I flashed mine with Purexaudio mod and now my loudspeaker is too damn loud on max haha ! ( no bootloader unlocked , just rooted )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True, but then again, whats the point of buying the particular brand or model then? Why not go for the one that has the best specs. Just my 2 cents.
Gonna try Purexaudio. Thanks
biffsmash said:
Great review. I agree with most parts.
Only issues for me with Z, which are a real shame to me, are the mic and ear piece speakers which do not provide the best call clarity, callers and myself experience weird overprocessed sound and issues when on calls, but they are minor, and the waterproofing accounts for this I imagine.
The only other issue for me, which again is a big shame considering the phone is made by Sony, is the music quality.
The music through the earphones is far too quiet, and the quality leaves a lot to be desired.
Say what you will about Beats audio on HTC phones, but the HTC One X beats the Z into the ground on volume and sound quality.
One X has no distortion at volume levels twice that of the Z! Max volume on the Z is around 30% too quiet, and the sound quality
is a little underwhelming, with the EQ having a strange volume limiting effect on walkman player.
Aside from those, and the little lags on the phone, which occur not only in the launcher, but also in the UI such as apps and settings menu's etc, the phone is great.
Knowing me, I will love the Z for a while, but then the little issues will grow louder and louder until deafening and i'll have to go off again in search of greener pastures.
HTC One is looking good, barring the sub standard camera.
I wasn't interested in the One, till I saw on in the shop yesterday, compared the speed (which is lag free and superfast), and a HD movie on Youtube side by side with my Z and was left open mouthed at how much better the One was in those departments.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The mic and speakers are alright to me though. Maybe its just me. About the earphones, yeah, they are kinda soft, but loud enough for me. They output the same volume level as I had set before on the iPhone 5 when I was using it. I don't really like my music loud. About Beats Audio, I did not say anything bad about it? I was trying to explain that the ClearAudio+ is similar to Beats Audio on HTC phones that is just a setting that you enable/disable. Don't get me wrong, Beats audio is great. I agree with the little UI lags on the Xperia Z. Its kinda irritating? I don't know. But it does annoy me a little. About the HTC One, yes, its a fast phone, but Sense 5.0 is not for me and no, I won't use launchers. Period. The screen is better? I don't know. Thats what reviews and people that own it say. It actually doesn't matter to me, at least. As long as the screen looks great, who cares if there are other better ones out there. I like my Xperia Z screen just fine, thank you. Call me dumb, but this is just my opinion. And the above is YOUR opinion, and I respect that. Everyone have different views on different phones.
Thanks for letting me know what you think
_JT said:
Thanks for your input. I suggest you take a look at the AnandTech review of the HTC One and you'll find the camera is excellent, if not the best available. I really like my Z but I find it unrealistic to say the camera is better if Sony doesn't fix the extreme post-processing. In low-light conditions the One wins hands down. Not so weird with optical image stabilization and pixels that are twice as big.
I'd suggest taking a picture (in auto mode) of a tree or bush at lets say 2-3 meters distance and then look at the picture at 100%. You'll see it's smeared out. Funny thing is, try the same in burst and you'll see it looks MUCH better.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2221246
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm... Sure, I'll have a look. In my experience, I find the Xperia Z camera to be better then the HTC One. The Xperia Z takes great pictures. Details are present even far in the background, unlike the HTC One, which is just a fuzzy mess. Maybe its the particular model that I tried out. I'm just content with my Xperia Z camera now. Thanks for sharing your view
Great reviews. I like sony smartphone's special interface very much, and as well as its music. But I just want to experience the Ultrapixel camera of HTC One.
Good review. I did a similar SWOT analysis between the HTC One, the Sony Xperia Z and the HTC Butterfly and finally bought the Xperia Z. Here's the link for those who'd like to see and decide (or comment).
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2171584
Dead cookies leave no trails...
I am wondering how many people here that say their pictures with the HTC One looks worse actually own the device and have tested it extensively instead of just a quick pic in the store.
biffsmash said:
I would have to say the Z has excellent low light capabilities when flash is not required. I am not impressed with HTC one camera or samples at all and have read reviews that rubbish the HTC One camera.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe this is interesting to see: http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_one_software_update_improves_camera_performance-news-5759.php
biffsmash said:
The only other issue for me, which again is a big shame considering the phone is made by Sony, is the music quality.
The music through the earphones is far too quiet, and the quality leaves a lot to be desired.
Say what you will about Beats audio on HTC phones, but the HTC One X beats the Z into the ground on volume and sound quality.
One X has no distortion at volume levels twice that of the Z! Max volume on the Z is around 30% too quiet, and the sound quality
is a little underwhelming, with the EQ having a strange volume limiting effect on walkman player.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I totally disagree on this point. The quality I've heard from the XZ surpasses every phone (In my opinion) If you're having some issues regarding the sound try out the sound mods in the dev section.
About the volume itself: I'm biking each day to work with music on (earpiece) and most of the times I don't even come near the 75% mark of volume and even then i hear everything perfect. So that's while the wind is blowing in/over my ear. I've heard some more people complain about the volume itself, each time I read it, I ask myself: What have these people been doing to their ears that they find the sound too low, or either you're all 60+ (No offense).
So if you haven't tried any of the sound mods, I'd say do so, it might change your mind. Each and every day I'm amazed about the sound quality.
Sounds mods (require root):
[SOUNDMOD] PureXAudio v10.1
AC!D Audio Engine v2
Dsteppa said:
I totally disagree on this point. The quality I've heard from the XZ surpasses every phone (In my opinion) If you're having some issues regarding the sound try out the sound mods in the dev section.
About the volume itself: I'm biking each day to work with music on (earpiece) and most of the times I don't even come near the 75% mark of volume and even then i hear everything perfect. So that's while the wind is blowing in/over my ear. I've heard some more people complain about the volume itself, each time I read it, I ask myself: What have these people been doing to their ears that they find the sound too low, or either you're all 60+ (No offense).
So if you haven't tried any of the sound mods, I'd say do so, it might change your mind. Each and every day I'm amazed about the sound quality.
Sounds mods (require root):
[SOUNDMOD] PureXAudio v10.1
AC!D Audio Engine v2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After your and biffsmash posts I got curious. Quickly tried my Jamo in-ears and AKG DJ619. Result: Jamo's were VERY loud and max volume on the AKG was just about enough, really wouldn't want any louder than that. Not sure wether I heard distortion but this was streamed, need to listen to good quality recordings first before I can judge sound quality. From what I can remember from my HOX it wasn't really louder.
Dannyada1988 said:
Great reviews. I like sony smartphone's special interface very much, and as well as its music. But I just want to experience the Ultrapixel camera of HTC One.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Be sure to drop by your local Carrier retail store to check it out!
Cookie Ninja said:
Good review. I did a similar SWOT analysis between the HTC One, the Sony Xperia Z and the HTC Butterfly and finally bought the Xperia Z. Here's the link for those who'd like to see and decide (or comment).
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2171584
Dead cookies leave no trails...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! I'll take a look at your post as well.
_JT said:
I am wondering how many people here that say their pictures with the HTC One looks worse actually own the device and have tested it extensively instead of just a quick pic in the store.
Maybe this is interesting to see: http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_one_software_update_improves_camera_performance-news-5759.php
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is good to hear for HTC One users and potential owners. Its actually pretty bad. I spent 30mins at the store checking it out. But that's before the update though. Maybe its much better now
Well I am using Xperia Z for 4-5 day's now.. It's really beautiful phone and if I can say - something different for me..
After years of using Galaxy ( S, S2, S3, Note 2) I decided to switch to Sony for the first time.. Some things are different, but I was able to do those simple things root/CWM.. (And that all I know how to do, but again those are most important things for me).. I don't want to play with those bootloaders because I don't know what it's doing and I can f..k up my phone - so no ROM's for me now..
What I don't like about phone (or where I am little disappointed) :
SOUND is too low on max volume.. On my Galaxy I could never put it on max volume.. Here on max volume is just - pfff... weak..
(Headphones which come with phone - REALLY STUPID not having volume up/down, so you have to take your phone every time when you want to change volume.. That cord on right earphone sooo long, on the left so short - annoying... )
CAMERA - I did't use it for this couple of day's - but I was looking here on XDA thread with Xpera Z images/photos... VERY disappointing.. Photos are just NOT SHARP at all.. Only thing that I am hoping for is that Sony will fix that with some software update.. Because you can't tell me that one SONY whose sensor has been used by so many other phones - can't make its camera perfect (at least better than competition)..
Those are things for now that I can see.. But as I said I am using this phone only for couple of days now - will see..
_JT said:
Maybe this is interesting to see: http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_one_software_update_improves_camera_performance-news-5759.php
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Might wanna look at this
http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_one_vs_xperia_z-review-917p9.php
Winner: Sony Xperia Z. The color rendering and HDR could have been better, but if Sony tweaks its image processing algorithms, the Xperia Z can put out some pretty good shots. Even as things stand now though, it has an advantage over the HTC One.
The HTC One enjoys a wider FoV, better color accuracy HDR, but the low 4MP resolution limits the resolved detail and image noise eats further into it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
PokerFaze said:
I've posted this before on the Xperia Z reviews thread, however, I've been reading lots of posts about the Xperia Z vs the HTC One and I'd thought I'd share my opinions on the Xperia Z and why I chose it instead of the HTC One. I've modified some information in the review to tell you more about why I chose the Z. The original can be found here: [http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=40061336#post40061336]
My Honest Sony Xperia Z Review
Why I Chose The Xperia Z
I had the Xperia Z for a month or so and I'm ready to make my review on it. I was up for an upgrade last month(March) and was browsing through phones that may appeal to me. I am coming from an iPhone 5. In the end, there were only 3 phones that caught my eye. The Xperia Z, the HTC One and the HTC Butterfly, or Droid DNA in the USA. The Butterfly was the first to go as it lacked LTE and NFC. The Xperia Z and the HTC One remained. Luckily, I found a HTC One demo unit in one of the Carriers, Singtel(Plaza Singapura if any fellow Singaporeans wanna check it out). Well hidden in a corner, I should say and it was the Black one. At the same time, The Xperia Z just launched like, 2 days ago(At that time). Picking up the HTC One, I realized how solid it feels, and boy, premium was written all over it. I turned it on and played around with the software. It was good, lag-free and looks great. I tried the camera and I have to say it was horrible. No joke. It was not clear and most details looks fuzzy. Maybe thats just me, but it really looks not on par with phone cameras these days. Sense 5.0 was alright, it was clean and fresh from the previous Sense versions. BlinkFeed was just a Flipboard like widget on the homescreen. Sense 5.0 does looks nice, but it was not for me. I am also afraid of the build of the phone. I am a careless person. I have to admit. My iPhone 5 was covered in scuffs and dents all over the place. Having the full aluminium body makes me shudder every time I imagine dropping it. Wanted to know more but the HTC rep was nowhere to be seen. Next, I went to the Xperia Z demo unit. The Sony Xperia rep there gave me a run through on the specs and features. I was actually pretty impressed and excited by the fact I could take my phone to the shower and use it while showering. To me, what it means by having a good phone is having a good experience. When I picked up the phone, I immediately realized how realistic the colors looked when playing video and viewing images. Outside of that, it looked rather dark. The design was sexy. REALLY sexy. It felt extremely good in the hand and is durable. VERY durable. Dropped it a few times and not a scratch. The thing that closed the deal was the UI. I like the stock UI. In fact, I love it. The Xperia Z's UI is extremely close to stock. The Nexus 4 is not available here, so it was out of the question. The UI is neat, smooth and looked fabulous. Unlike HTC's Sense 5.0, which is an extremely heavy skin and does not appeal to me. With the water resistance, it was clear which is the phone for me. I hope after reading my review, you'll know which phone to get. We are all brothers here at XDA Developers and I hope that whichever phone we use, we may contribute to the developer community and not flame each other because of our personal preferences. XDA Developers is a place for developers, by developers. Lets not let our choice of phone affect that.
The Beauty Meets The Beast
The Xperia Z packs a SnapDragon S4 Pro Quad-core 1.5 GHz Krait processor, Adreno 320 GPU and runs Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean. It sports an all glass design, similar to the iPhone 4 and 4S. The Xperia Z has excellent build quality and looks absolutely fantastic. The ports are covered by flaps, which may prove to be an annoyance for some but with good purpose. The most prominent feature of the Xperia Z is probably the on/off button. Its large, and ridiculously well placed. It stands where the thumb rests on the phone, or the index finger if you're using your left hand and is incredibly convenient to press compared to the stretch you'd have to make on other phones. Below that is the volume rocker, also easy to access when needed. The speakers are indeed placed in a horrible position, as its easy to mute with your palm unintentionally but its not an issue for me as I use my phone with my left hand.
Overall, the design turns heads and the hardware don't fail to deliver. Feels solid in the hand, BUT might be a problem for people with small hands as it may cut into it and make it uncomfortable. Very, very impressive Sony.
User Interface
Sony's UI is probably the closes you can get to stock android, and I love it. It's simple, nothing fancy and neat, although, I'd like a Black theme rather then the Grey. There are some UI lags here and there though. The lack of Android 4.2.2 also disappoints me a little but its coming, and I'll wait for it. After all, Good things come to those who wait.
Performance Powerhouse
Lag is a thing of the past with the SnapDragon S4 Pro as everything is buttery smooth, with minor UI lags here and there. Problem solved with one of the launchers. I've also noticed a little waiting time when launching the camera. Games run smoothly and without issue, not to mention looks AWESOME on the Full HD display. Although, I'd prefer to see the SnapDragon 600 on the Xperia Z as a future proof maneuver as games get increasingly power hungry.
Camera, Video and Screen
Video playback is amazing on the Xperia Z, as a result of the Full HD 1080p screen. Words are crisp and I rarely see any pixels other then low-res images. The Camera doesn't disappoint either with a 13MP back camera and a 2.1MP front facing camera. Both camera film 1080p videos as well so vlogging on the phone will definitely be great. However, I did notice that the colors are not on par with other phones and look rather dark. The Bravia Mobile Engine 2 does help and actually make the colors extremely realistic, but only when viewing images and videos. Low contrast ratio here doesn't help either. Had no issue using the phone in daylight. The viewing angles are GREAT. Only having some colors being washed out, I don't see any issue with viewing angles. Even if there is an issue with viewing angles, who cares? Nobody, NOBODY uses their phones 90 degrees unless you're a total idiot.
Connectivity
No issues here. LTE, NFC. What else could you ask for? Have to say though, kudos to Sony on having a campaign on promoting NFC usage and even launching new TVs with NFC compatibility. Wi-Fi is great, only had issue when it keeps dropping on free public Wi-Fi access points. But hey, free Wi-Fi, who knows. No issues with the Wi-Fi at home.
Its Music To My Ears
I listen to music. A lot. Everyday to and fro school, when travelling, heck, even when I'm bored. The bundled headset, The MH-EX300AP is AWESOME in providing high quality sounds. Sony also has ClearAudio+, which is like Beats Audio on the HTC, makes the experience all the more awesome. You can say its like having an orgasm in your ears. Eargasm if i may.
Speaker & Microphone Quality
The speaker, is actually quite the disappointment as number one, its placed in a horrible position. Next, its not as loud as I'd like it to be. There's xLoud, but it sacrifices quality for volume. Considering the quality without xLoud, I'd rather have it disabled. Lastly, as said before, the quality isn't all that great. However, I got the NFC Wireless Speaker, The SRS-BTV5 for free, which solves all the above issues, thus no complaints from me. But its kinda inconvenient to carry a speaker around with you all the time, so yeah. It is an issue.
Call quality is great, however. I can hear the other party clearly and they can hear me clearly too. No issues with dropped calls.
The Xperia Z Runs Far, With Great Stamina
I start my day at 4:30AM and end at 6PM. With 80% battery left. Stamina mode is no gimmick, it really does help with the battery life. Awesome battery life. If the screen is mostly off that is, which is usually the case. I find that if LTE is enabled, battery drains extremely fast, which makes me resort to using HSPA+, which isn't that all bad in my country. HSPA+ use nearly 3 times as less battery then LTE on my set. Location Based Wi-Fi is AWESOME. Its really cool to have your Wi-Fi turn off automatically when you leave the house and turns on then you're back. Not to mention the convenience. The phone will probably last me 2 days or so, but I still charge it every night anyway. Don't we all do?
Prepared For Accidents
The Xperia Z is IP57 certified - dust and water resistant with water resistant up to 1 meter and 30 minutes. Let's be honest here. We all had times where we wished we could take our phones into the shower or bathtub. That wish is now fulfilled. I take the Xperia Z into the shower with me everyday and text or watch YouTube videos while showering. When the phone is dirty? No sweat. Rinse it under washing water. Now you also do not have to worry about dropping your phone into the water or bring it camping in the desert(whatever the reason LOL). Plus, you can wow your friends or freak your parents out by pouring water on the phone or dunk it into a glass of water. Heck, even take it swimming. Be careful about salt water though, Sony does not recommend dunking it in salt water. With Wet Finger Tracking technology, you don't have to dry your hands to use your phone, although it does get a little jumpy at times. The phone is also quite durable as I've dropped the phone a few time and there's not a scratch. That a plus as I'm usually very careless.
Take note that the phone disables touch input while underwater so, no texting while swimming.
Conclusion
The Sony Xperia Z is a great phone. Its not for everybody, and it has it's fair shares of ups and downs. I am throughly satisfied with it and do not regret not waiting for the Samsung Galaxy S4 or the HTC One. Its great for the average user and is definitely good enough for me. The water and dust resistance is not necessary but its nice to have. Its smooth, provide great music listening, plays games like a champ. I would recommend it to anybody, but hey, its your call. You have the decision to which phone is right for you and nobody can force you to take the Xperia Z or any phone for the matter. For me, I made my choice, and I have no regrets whatsoever.
Therefore, I dare say: I'M A PROUD SONY XPERIA Z OWNER
Thank you for taking your precious time to read my review. I'm still a noob, and I hope I may be more useful to the developer community here.
P.s Feedback on my review?
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I have Xperia Z for 2 weeks. For me the battery is horrible, it ends up for only one day. I'm thinking to much about HTC One. Now I rooted my Z, removed preloaded apps, battery is fine now
I just could not decide so got both One and Z
Water proof, without that, i wouldn't have bought Z .
daniel.nguyen said:
I have Xperia Z for 2 weeks. For me the battery is horrible, it ends up for only one day. I'm thinking to much about HTC One. Now I rooted my Z, removed preloaded apps, battery is fine now
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hmmm... The battery life on mine is awesome. 8 hours in school and the battery doesn't drop a single percentage. The preloaded apps might be the issue.
mndgz said:
I just could not decide so got both One and Z
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Well, I guess that solves the problem as well
Sent from my Sexy White Xperia Z
I thiink exactly the same, great post
A interview of the engineers behind the xperia zu posted on sony's blog..
What experience does “X-Reality for mobile” offer?
Kosaka: ”X-Reality for mobile” incorporates the knowhow of the super resolution technology “X-Reality,” in Sony’s BRAVIA TVs, into mobile devices.
X-Reality™ for mobile analyzes each image and reproduces lacking pixels to optimize quality for the sharpest videos. It analyzes elements depending on the scene and adjusts them based on pattern, outline and colour composition. It strengthens subtle patterns and accurately portrays their detailed feel, as well as reinforces bold outlines. It also enhances colour composition, vividly reproducing hard-to-display natural colours
You mean “X-Reality for mobile” can recreate the data that was once there?
Kosaka: ”X-Reality for mobile” is based on the “X-Reality,” incorporated into Sony’s BRAVIA TVs. However, it is unrealistic to use the exact same video processing chip found LCD TVs in a smartphone for various reasons such as power consumption. The distance that users view smartphones at also differs significantly from LCD TVs. This is why we developed and incorporated a super resolution processing technology, unique to Sony, that is ideal for smartphones including our new Xperia Z Ultra.
The super resolution processing of “X-Reality for mobile” analyzes videos one frame at a time, estimating and complementing any lost information. At the same time, it combines suitable video processes for each frame and applies them. Such video process patterns are stored in a database, and the most suitable pattern is selected for each various scene from the database and applied, thereby reproducing video quality infinitely closer to the original.
The super resolution technology, which estimates any lost information from videos and restores it by combining various processes, can be said to be a fruit of Sony’s video technologies. Each and every one of the process patterns stored in the database has been created by an internal development team in Sony, operating on high-performance workstations. By storing complex super resolution processing in a database, “X-Reality for mobile” enables you to enjoy high-quality video reproduction real-time that would otherwise take a few days.
With the adoption of the high-performance Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 800 quad-core processor for its CPU and graphic chip, Xperia Z Ultra has made it possible to perform super resolution processing that had been difficult to do thus far.
Sent from my C6602 using Tapatalk 4
Sent from my C6602 using Tapatalk 4
This is where xda chips in
Sent from my C6603 using xda app-developers app
msc3169 said:
This is where xda chips in
Sent from my C6603 using xda app-developers app
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I hope they do it...but if it is really dependent on the snpdrgn 800 then i dont even they will be able to do it
Sent from my C6602 using Tapatalk 4
if sony wants the z to have it the z will have it
its all a question if sony wants
That's true - if sony wants to, they will give it. But there are some facts to be said - the Xperia ZU that is now launching hasn't got the X-reality onboard but will get it with an software update. So for this part is seems that the X-reality is software dependent. Which is a plus in considering that Xperia Z might get it as an software update as well.
Secondly, with the Honami leak of apps I tried a mod with X-reality on my Xperia Z - and you could really see that it worked cuz if you quickly zoomed in on a photo you saw the image getting sharper one area at a time. So as far as I'm conserned - S4 pro chip has no trouble handling X-reality. And I didn't notice any more battery drain than otherwise..
So yes, in my view it's only really a question of if sony wants to give it to Xperia Z.
Sidd_9 said:
That's true - if sony wants it, they will give it. But there are some facts to be said - the Xperia ZU that is now launching hasn't got the X-reality anboard but will get it with an software update. So for this part is seems that the X-reality is software dependent. Which is a plus in considering that Xperia Z might get it as an software update.
Secondly, with the Honami leak of apps I tried a mod with X-reality on my Xperia Z - and you could really see that it worked cuz if you quickly zoomed in on a photo you saw the image getting sharper one area at a time. So as far as I'm conserned - S4 pro chip has no trouble handling X-reality. And I didn't notice any more battery drain than otherwise..
So yes, in my view it's only really a question of if sony wants to give it to Xperia Z.
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i agree that it worked but it only worked in images it didnt work at all in videos..theres some super resolution technology used by x-reality for videos which improves the quality besides the normal color sharpness etc stuff
Ame123 said:
i agree that it worked but it only worked in images it didnt work at all in videos..theres some super resolution technology used by x-reality for videos which improves the quality besides the normal color sharpness etc stuff
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Can you really say that you can see superresolution in videos? I don't think so. But from what I can tell, video looked super awesome with X-reality for me. I saw difference between on/off X-reality. Was it just BME2 behind or was it super resoultion? I don't think that anyone can tell that just by viewing a video because it's not the same as in pictures to see it happening before you.
If I was a Sony executive of anykind, I'd vote for to give Xperia Z/ZL/ZR X-reality even if had to be limited in it's functions just to keep the software among 2013 devices equal (and to stop the hype in media/XDA )
Sidd_9 said:
Can you really say that you can see superresolution in videos? I don't think so. But from what I can tell, video looked super awesome with X-reality for me. I saw difference between on/off X-reality. Was it just BME2 behind or was it super resoultion? I don't think that anyone can tell that just by viewing a video because it's not the same as in pictures to see it happening before you.
If I was a Sony executive of anykind, I'd vote for to give Xperia Z/ZL/ZR X-reality even if had to be limited in it's functions just to keep the software among 2013 devices equal (and to stop the hype in media/XDA )
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lol...u saw difference in videos with x-reality on...stop faking..even the developers who made the x-reality mod agree that its not working on videos then how could u see the differrence?
...perform super resolution processing that had been difficult
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This is what i took out of the article , it clearly states its only "super resolution processing" and that cpus before werent capablepreviously, yeah sure the s800 is 30-40% more powerful, but that still leaves the fact that the s4 is still half capable of processing it, its just whether now they want to implement it in ONLY their new phone, so it looks like a new feature specific to that range is anybodies clue. but thats how i see it , interpretations may differ
Ame123 said:
lol...u saw difference in videos with x-reality on...stop faking..even the developers who made the x-reality mod agree that its not working on videos then how could u see the differrence?
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Who's faking anything? Dont be a douchebag. Like I said - how can anyone tell if it's doing super resolution in a video or not? The difference that I mentioned previosly was to the overal video and I even said dont know if it was just BME or if it was X-reality.
Besides - 1080p in a 5inch display - who needs super-resolution? If you got a crappy video to watch it's still gonna look crappy.
Sidd_9 said:
Who's faking anything? Dont be a douchebag.
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Ok then post some screenshots showing the difference with x-reality on and off
Sent from my C6602 using Tapatalk 4
Ame123 said:
Ok then post some screenshots showing the difference with x-reality on and off
Sent from my C6602 using Tapatalk 4
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look i'm on stock now with the new firmware. If you want or need to pick on someone that's your problem.
Sidd_9 said:
look i'm on stock now with the new firmware. If you want or need to pick on someone that's your problem.
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As your wish but i dont need to check anything as i too used the mod and theres was not a single effect on video it just worked on images in the album app..
See it here.
http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_z3_compact-review-1135.php
So according to this review, the screen, the speakers/audio quality and the camera aren't that great. ... What gives?
according to the review the screen, audio quality from the speaker and camera are better than the Z1C. I own a Z1C and a bunch of Samsung galaxys, that's how I see it:
I found the Z1C screen to be great except in sunlight. (better colors than my AMOLEDs, but the AMOLEDS worked a tad better in sunlight)
GSMA says the Z3C is similar but is better in sunlight.
Audio on my Z1C from the speaker was good enough that i never had an issue with it. Mainly, I listen to audio through the headphones most of the time (which has good audio quality) - but the few times I didn't it was decent. The iphone 5s of a friend did a bit of a better job tho. So anyway, thats supposed to be better in the Z3C according to GSMA.
The camera.. the camera has pros and cons on all the xperias IMO (Z1, Z2 and now Z3). It does look better in 20MP mode and I don't know if they changed the processing, lens, tweaked the sensor, or a bit of everything.
On the Z1C it made great pictures, worked well with low light, but in some conditions the sides of the pictures wouldn't be as great. You can look at the user samples on XDA, which are IMO a much better benchmark than the crops of GSMA. Almost every phone has a thread about photography.
In my eyes the competitors here are:
- iphone5s/6
- galaxy alpha
- z3c
and while they all have some advantages here and there, the z3c seems to have the most advantages where it matters to me: much greater battery life, very good camera, good audio via the audio jack, waterproofing, fast CPU/GPU, sdcard expansion slot, supports a bunch of frequencies.
Sony also support USB audio out of the box if you want to pipe out to a quality USB DAC
Sent from my C6903 using Tapatalk
I wasn't that pleased with the review part of the camera especially =/ I was expecting much improvments with software/lens/everything this time around. I had a s5 for a while and i really liked the camera on it and i was hoping to see similar results from this camera - but i still need to check some more samples to see analyse photo quality better. I might check the z1c and z2 camera threads as suggested, but i thought they improved some things on this camera so i guess the results can be a bit different
The second I saw that battery rating, it was a done deal for me. I had heard the Z1C was already pretty amazing, but to find out the Z3C had double the rating was shocking. Now I don't expect the Z3C to last twice as long as its predecessor, that would be absurd (and a pleasant surprise), but if can last as long or longer, that would be fantastic!
With my current phone, I'm getting on average 6hrs on screen time (no power saving or dimming of the display), lasting me the whole day, that is for 24 hours, not just the work day, so if the Z3C can match or exceed that slightly, which I'm expecting it to, I'd be VERY happy!
techguyone said:
GSMArena Review in - and it's a cracker
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Cracker? (I assume that means "and it's a good review")
For those who don't want to read through the full thing, here's a highlight of points by GSMArena's review:
Built quality is top notch, and stands apart from the rest of the Z3 series
The display is adequately bright and has good sunlight legibility
Battery life is phenomenal
It has an all-round connectivity package including LTE, USB Host and FM radio
Speaker loudness scored an Average rating, likely due to the IP rating
Benchmark performance is flagship grade, although helped by only having to push out 720p pixels
Audio quality is very good, with minor exceptions in some areas
Video player handles all the major formats except for AC3 audio and AAC audio with AVC video
Camera is OK, but not as good as competing offerings from Samsung. 2160p videos come out smooth
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Yes good review, good phone hopefully, might be my next as motos latest are woefully short in battery and almost phablet size elsewhere. z3 c might just fit the bill.
Yep, this will be my next phone - sorry to let my S4 Mini down after only one year but this one just looks great (and the battery!)
Btekt just posted a sample 4K recording and the audio is pretty bad:
Sony Xperia Z3 Compact 4K video sample http://youtu.be/ak9Q4c6m534
Especially when compared to the Galaxy Alpha sample:
Samsung Galaxy Alpha 4K video sample http://youtu.be/kRK48rDnjwk
boojay said:
Btekt just posted a sample 4K recording and the audio is pretty bad
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I personally don't give even the slightest consideration to 4K recording when I buy a smartphone.
The main things I care about is the size, battery life, screen quality, and camera.
That did sound terrible. Oh well. Can't win them all can we.
I currently run the z1c
Camera on z1c is terrible in my opinion... I have little faith that the z3c camera will be a vast improvement upon the z1c camera
This typical scenario on the z1c detailed in this thread is very annoying indeed http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2780290
I hope Sony has rectified this bug within the z3c - otherwise poor show.
never had the slow loading issue except on cyanogen roms on the z1c
it always loads at worse in like 1 second at best instant
dillalade said:
That did sound terrible. Oh well. Can't win them all can we.
I currently run the z1c
Camera on z1c is terrible in my opinion... I have little faith that the z3c camera will be a vast improvement upon the z1c camera
This typical scenario on the z1c detailed in this thread is very annoying indeed http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2780290
I hope Sony has rectified this bug within the z3c - otherwise poor show.
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Here's an interesting result though; I tried viewing the same two sample clips I shared in my previous comment at home on my theater system, with the volume turned up relatively high (I watched them on my work PC and mobile earlier), and I got the exact opposite result. That is, the Z3C footage sounded better and the Alpha fared worse. The latter was too bassy and the former's quality improved a great deal. Weird.
Also, in terms of picture video quality, the Z3C was the clear winner on my HD LED TV.
charliebigpot said:
Yep, this will be my next phone - sorry to let my S4 Mini down after only one year but this one just looks great (and the battery!)
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That's exactly what I'm doing too.
Apparently this guys at DxOMark do not know what they are talking about?
I have the same result with this video comparison:
iPhone 5s vs Sony Xperia Z3 Compact http://youtu.be/M3SZQCm2DDM
That is, the iPhone sounded better on my phone, but the Z3C was much clearer sounding on my home theater system. The iPhone was muted in comparison.
While the Z3C was overexposed, its colors were more accurate, autofocus and image stabilisation were better, and it let in more light in the shaded areas.
Can't wait for the low light video comparison. The Z3C should be crushing the competition!
Wow... Battery life is out of this world. I have never seen any results like this before, not even on the LG GFlex. Wow.
Sent From my Nokia Lumia 635
Even though GSMarena does their own audio tests, can someone with a Z1C please confirm the audio quality is very good?
(I know, everyone has their own opinion about sound quality)
I remember that in a video someone said that the software they were reviewing were not final. So could it be that these more disapointing results of the camera were due to that and that it can be fixed?
Is it only me who thinks that all the videos online show the Z5 premium 4K screen at 1080p resolution ? For such a high pixel density the icons and menu should be much smaller and app list in the menu should be more than 4x5 .
I found a video showing the Z5 Premium running at a different resolution but much slower. I must admit I don't understand spanish but anyone can watch the end where things get really laggy ?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYn76ywh4tg
Old software running at 300 dpi. Will not be present in the finalized product
Have to admit that when I hear 4K I expect the resolution to be similar to the one in the video. It makes a huge difference and looks much better.
LitoNi said:
Old software running at 300 dpi. Will not be present in the finalized product
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You look like expert of Sony and you have many xperia mobiles . I had one in the past, the Ultra T2 and although I liked everything about it that time, but sold it after 1 week becuse the low call voice in the loud speakers, althoigh the music was fine . I found out on the net, that may eb all Sony experia has this issue, may be thier standard.
Can you tell me if all the xperia you used has the same low call voice. I am thinking of buying C4 or may be the z5 , but I am afraid to have the same issue.
Thanks
Premium will not use 4k all the time, only when needed.
mseif said:
You look like expert of Sony and you have many xperia mobiles . I had one in the past, the Ultra T2 and although I liked everything about it that time, but sold it after 1 week becuse the low call voice in the loud speakers, althoigh the music was fine . I found out on the net, that may eb all Sony experia has this issue, may be thier standard.
Can you tell me if all the xperia you used has the same low call voice. I am thinking of buying C4 or may be the z5 , but I am afraid to have the same issue.
Thanks
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Hi, I only have used flagship devices from Sony and all have excellent call voice quality. If you have the cash fro the Z5 definitely go for the Z5.
mele80 said:
Premium will not use 4k all the time, only when needed.
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That means it will use 4K 1% of the time... Seriously I hope this is some kind of joke from Sony... When I hear 4K I expect browsing and reading at 4K.
Also more room for more icons on the home screen.... IMO it makes a lot more sense to downscale games etc.. to HD and keep the resolution at 4K
http://www.modaco.com/news/android/of-course-the-z5-premium-doesnt-run-in-4k-all-the-time-r1515/
mele80 said:
http://www.modaco.com/news/android/of-course-the-z5-premium-doesnt-run-in-4k-all-the-time-r1515/
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I'll wait for the official release. If that's really the case I'll go for a Z5. There is no point in paying $200 more for something I won't be using.
Xeon said:
I'll wait for the official release. If that's really the case I'll go for a Z5. There is no point in paying $200 more for something I won't be using.
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You get a larger battery and screen though
It's exactly like macbook pro retinas... you still have the desktop space of the standard resolution, yet much crispier
http://www.androidauthority.com/sony-explains-xperia-z5-premium-4k-642067/
“Xperia Z5 Premium features a 4K display with a resolution of 3840×2160 pixels based on SID Standard and enables all video and image content to be enjoyed in 4K resolution. All other content is displayed at 1080P or lower resolution in order to optimise the performance and battery stamina for this device, ensuring you can enjoy the 4K resolution when you need it most.“
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Almost no point of the Z5 Premium in that case, as my old laptop certainly isn't going to render it, nor is my 2010 spec plasma
Once you root it and have xposed installed I'm sure you can set a per app DPI. I can't use a phone if it doesn't have root (won't connect to headunit) and exposed makes everything so much better.
Xeon said:
That means it will use 4K 1% of the time... Seriously I hope this is some kind of joke from Sony... When I hear 4K I expect browsing and reading at 4K.
Also more room for more icons on the home screen.... IMO it makes a lot more sense to downscale games etc.. to HD and keep the resolution at 4K
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Even if that's the case, you are never going to browse and read at more than 480p. I've seen almost none apps for "simple" things going higher than 480p... Neither Chrome for browsing, nor Play Books for reading...for example!
Info
I Like it
it s smart management for speed & power
I don need 4K rendering when watching HD clips So It s better that phone switch to FHD/HD rendering
:good:
Xeon said:
That means it will use 4K 1% of the time... Seriously I hope this is some kind of joke from Sony... When I hear 4K I expect browsing and reading at 4K.
Also more room for more icons on the home screen.... IMO it makes a lot more sense to downscale games etc.. to HD and keep the resolution at 4K
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Lol u want to browse and read in 4K, but anything above 1080p is nearly undetectable for humans eye
4K will become standardised very soon, as VR goggles are getting more and more popular.
Now, on 1080p, when using VR goggles, the screen does get separated into two images. Thus screen resolution you see thru the glasses be like 400x800 or so..
Imagine, when using 4K... VR goggles will still display 2K.. Which is more pixels than our 1080p res.
Take a magnifier and look at a 1080p screen, count the pixels and multiply that by 2. That's the resolution you'll see thru VR goggles when using a 4k display, and that's exactly what it's designed and meant for.
Sooner or later, Sony will come up with their very own VR goggles like Samsung with VR gear.
langeveld024 said:
Lol u want to browse and read in 4K, but anything above 1080p is nearly undetectable for humans eye
4K will become standardised very soon, as VR goggles are getting more and more popular.
Now, on 1080p, when using VR goggles, the screen does get separated into two images. Thus screen resolution you see thru the glasses be like 400x800 or so..
Imagine, when using 4K... VR goggles will still display 2K.. Which is more pixels than our 1080p res.
Take a magnifier and look at a 1080p screen, count the pixels and multiply that by 2. That's the resolution you'll see thru VR goggles when using a 4k display, and that's exactly what it's designed and meant for.
Sooner or later, Sony will come up with their very own VR goggles like Samsung with VR gear.
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I dont really understand what's with the "undetectable thing " people keep repeating.
If you browse at 4K, text is much smaller and the content displayed is much more than 1080p . I don't have to scroll 2 pages to see everything where I can see it in only one @4K.
When you buy bigger PC screen you get more space on your desktop ( icons / files etc.. ) because resolution gets higher not because the screen gets bigger.
Whether I can see the pixel or not is my least concern.
Xeon said:
I dont really understand what's with the "undetectable thing " people keep repeating.
If you browse at 4K, text is much smaller and the content displayed is much more than 1080p . I don't have to scroll 2 pages to see everything where I can see it in only one @4K.
When you buy bigger PC screen you get more space on your desktop ( icons / files etc.. ) because resolution gets higher not because the screen gets bigger.
Whether I can see the pixel or not is my least concern.
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That's not about resolution.
Resolution is about pixels.
How things appear on the screen is about layout / DPI.
U can easily spoof ur DPI in build.prop or with an xposed module, even per-app.
Just Google a bit and you'll find out
langeveld024 said:
That's not about resolution.
Resolution is about pixels.
How things appear on the screen is about layout / DPI.
U can easily spoof ur DPI in build.prop or with an xposed module, even per-app.
Just Google a bit and you'll find out
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Higher DPI means higher resolution....
In the first video I posted the dpi was increased as u can see in the end of the video the device becomes very laggy during transition.
bottom line, xperia can't handle 4K resolution.
Xeon said:
Higher DPI means higher resolution....
In the first video I posted the dpi was increased as u can see in the end of the video the device becomes very laggy during transition.
bottom line, xperia can't handle 4K resolution.
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Cool! So if I just put higher DPI, and everything looks smaller on my Z, that means I suddenly have 4K lol
Believe what u want to believe Bro :thumbup: