Hi all XSP users
in just a few days, it will be 1 year since i own this phone. here i'm trying to give a sort of review-ish view and opinion about this phone
So without further ado, allow me to start (please forgive me for any inappropriate or ineligible english since its not my main language)
1 year ago i was looking for a replacement for my samsung galaxy gio which has become obsolete (hardware wise especially) because it cannot keep up with my demands. so at that time i was searching for a phone that meets my budget (cant go on a spending spree at that time) but still packs a can of whoop-ass.
at that time in my country was the time where 3 high spec phones launches samsung galaxy s4, sony xperia Z, and oppo find 5. all of them were top of the class. too bad they were all above my budget
other brand like HTC has no interesting line up for me, LG has some not bad spec phone but none to my liking.
Lo and behold i found out about the xperia SP about 2 weeks before the event. at the price it was offered, no other phone can match XSP specs, camera wise, processor wise (at that time of course). i bought the phone without hesitation.
my review
Size
for me this phone hits the sweet spot for size. although i can still held 5,5 inch phone without problem, but this phone is nice to grasp
screen size
screen size is adequate for me, although sometimes feel a little too small. too bad its not IPS
camera
one of the downfall for XSP for me. the camera quality is quite bad, my dads nokia x5 can even shot almost if not sometimes better images. though in my opinion since 4.3 update and using xperia M ported camera its a little bit better, i still wish it was better
processor
one of the best performance processor for midrange phone at that time and still is today IMO.
GPU
same, one of the best for playing games on a midrange phone
RAM
this is the ultimate donwfall for me in XSP. we were promoted with a 1GB RAM for XSP but how much did we get?? just a freakin' 768 ram.
thats downright false advertising. no amount of excuse and logic can justify a 1GB ram on spec sheet and only 768 in reality. this is what tied down our XSP from becoming the Beast that it could've and should've been.
although after 4.3 update the RAM increased to 848, it's still a long way from 1GB. even lenovo can put 900+MB on their 1GB RAM phone, so i am truly dissapointed at sony for this one.
My Experience
okay, hardware review aside, now im going to share how the phone feels for my daily usage
my XSP is LB, but i root it. i'll split this part to pre 4.3 and 4.3
PRE 4.3
the phone before the 4.3 update was so-so performance wise for me. mind you im a gamer, and understanding that our XSP have adreno 320 it should be handle all graphics intensive game, so i installed many heavy game. real boxing, real racing, asphalt 8, modern combat 4, NFS, chaos rings. all of that game should've played flawlessly if not for that darn RAM. you cant even browse and listen to walkman without the walkman suddenly stop. you gotta change the ram management and dalvik to help ease the RAM management, n i think that sucks. because if im not an xda member and dont root my phone, how else am i gonna improve XSP performance. there were slight regret buying this phone at that moment, but i cant change my phone again. no phone pique my interest yet again.
POST 4.3
post 4.3 update the phones performance got better a little bit since the increase in RAM but, performance wise its still so-so. if i have to give it a score before 4.3 was 7 and now it was 7.5. but luckily 4.3 update brings more than just bigger RAM it brings loads of things, from social camera, updated media apps, themes, so updating to 4.3 was like having a new phone all over again.
Conclusion
im still happy with this phone, eventhough theres major flaw (RAM)
so, will i still use this phone? YES
is it still one of the strongest budget mid range phone right now? YES (IMO, compared with other brand like samsung, LG, HTC, lenovo, OPPO)
will u still suggest this phone to friend of relatives? if they're not going to root it, NO, if they're going to root it then YES
well thats what i think about our beloved XSP
please share your opinion about this :good:
You don't need 500 MB of ram to run one game.
I love my SP,I recommend moving to a custom ROM to increase performance
Also,it's surprisingly strong. I dropped my phone on the asphalt and it slided few meters and it's fine (few scratches) !
darkkfruit said:
You don't need 500 MB of ram to run one game.
I love my SP,I recommend moving to a custom ROM to increase performance
Also,it's surprisingly strong. I dropped my phone on the asphalt and it slided few meters and it's fine (few scratches) !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well u need it if you want to play real racing 3 with default graphics. had not for rr3 graphics apps and reducing it to low, that game was quite a disaster to play for more than 15 minutes.
no, im not thinking of using custom ROM. im not going to unlock my bootloader
pavapizza said:
well u need it if you want to play real racing 3 with default graphics. had not for rr3 graphics apps and reducing it to low, that game was quite a disaster to play for more than 15 minutes.
no, im not thinking of using custom ROM. im not going to unlock my bootloader
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't need to unlock bootloader.:laugh:
You can find a list with locked bootloaders here.
Press CTRL F and type LB then search at the Stock Based roms. You will find 9 ROMs that do not require UBL
Klaudas said:
You don't need to unlock bootloader.:laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
darkkfruit said:
You can find a list with locked bootloaders here.
Press CTRL F and type LB then search at the Stock Based roms. You will find 9 ROMs that do not require UBL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
oh yeah, forgot that there are ROMs that doesn't need unlocked bootloader. but still, I dont want to use custom ROM. its not that I lost hope for this phonr that I don't want to try custom ROM, its the opposite actually. I like this phone and its stock ROM. That's why I only do minor tweaks.
Still loving mine as well. The size, build, fit, look... It's perfect for me. I get lots of comments on it.
I can overlook the minor software quirks. I figure once Sony leaves it behind I'll move over to CM which will be nice n stable by that time!
cyapalmpos said:
Still loving mine as well. The size, build, fit, look... It's perfect for me. I get lots of comments on it.
I can overlook the minor software quirks. I figure once Sony leaves it behind I'll move over to CM which will be nice n stable by that time!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, i may also do that when sony has abandoned our phone and no longer supports it. But right now im loving this phone the way it is with all the flaws. Still an excellent rocking phone :good:
Actually, the XSP does have 1Gb of RAM. The amount that you think missing is actually dedicated to the GPU
(kinda like a PC's Graphics card with its own chip and RAM, only here we have 2 in 1 chip, both CPU and GPU)
Other than that, a very reliable review, mate!
cnkhanh said:
Actually, the XSP does have 1Gb of RAM. The amount that you think missing is actually dedicated to the GPU
(kinda like a PC's Graphics card with its own chip and RAM, only here we have 2 in 1 chip, both CPU and GPU)
Other than that, a very reliable review, mate!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so does that mean our GPU memory decreases now, since after 4.3 our device memory increase?
(btw not a sarcastic question, i really do want to know :good
pavapizza said:
so does that mean our GPU memory decreases now, since after 4.3 our device memory increase?
(btw not a sarcastic question, i really do want to know :good
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting question, maybe there is also some shared memory now. Or our GPU memory is decreased . Want to know .
Th3Duck said:
Interesting question, maybe there is also some shared memory now. Or our GPU memory is decreased . Want to know .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This phone has 1024mb of ram but only 839mb is usable because the GPU uses that 185mb that we can't use
Sent from my C5303 using XDA Free mobile app
Please tell me camera quality of SP? I'm gonna buy this tomorrow
I have 2 questions
1-how is the battery life after one year?
2-how often do you charge your phone
eranda84 said:
Please tell me camera quality of SP? I'm gonna buy this tomorrow
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, the camera is decent. Pictures tend to have a lot of noise. But outdoor picture can still look very beautiful though. If u buy this consider using 3rd party camera app, like camera 360 or lenovo super camera.
ironshadow2 said:
I have 2 questions
1-how is the battery life after one year?
2-how often do you charge your phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Battery life is still not bad i think. Im an active user, i chat n play game. If i only chat, n email, n browsing, this phone can last 12+ hours. You can force it to 20+ hours too if u solely use it for chat. Mind you the provider im using has ****ty coverage so that probably factors.
2. I charge it every night. If i unplug at, say 6am, then probably i charge again at 10 or 11 pm. usually i play games at 8 or 9pm, before charge so i can reduce the battery percentage.
noahvt said:
This phone has 1024mb of ram but only 839mb is usable because the GPU uses that 185mb that we can't use
Sent from my C5303 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thats what i want to know. like i said before 4.3 our memory device is 760, does that mean our GPU can use the other 240mb?
if it can does that mean our GPU memory actually decreases after 4.3, since our device memory got increase to 840mb?
pavapizza said:
thats what i want to know. like i said before 4.3 our memory device is 760, does that mean our GPU can use the other 240mb?
if it can does that mean our GPU memory actually decreases after 4.3, since our device memory got increase to 840mb?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They reserved more for GPU in Android 4.1.2 maybe due to Sony thinking it is vital like what they do on the Xperia Z. But after custom ROMs like CM shows that their RAM is north of 800MB, Sony releases more RAM for other purposes.
Nice post, guy! Since I bought XSP I just use it for listening to music, suffering the web, and I don't like to play game on mobile (PC too ). So I think it's actually good enough for my need.
I've been using XSP for almost 1 year too, now I think the RAM is getting not enough to use, maybe it's time to buy a new phone with 2G+ RAM.
quilipham said:
Nice post, guy! Since I bought XSP I just use it for listening to music, suffering the web, and I don't like to play game on mobile (PC too ). So I think it's actually good enough for my need.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well if someday you decide to play games, just know that this phone can play almost any game flawlessly
TinaSA said:
I've been using XSP for almost 1 year too, now I think the RAM is getting not enough to use, maybe it's time to buy a new phone with 2G+ RAM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah, me too. been setting my eye for the new g3 or HTC e8. or maybe xperia z3 lol
Related
Two days ago operator made me an offer of any smartphone for free, I narrowed it down to the most expensive hehe: Iphone 4, Desire HD or a sgs and don't know which to buy. This is a once time deal I can't wait for dual cores and whatever else comes out next year I need to reach a decision this week.
What should I buy? I have seen and used all OSs . The only thing I like about the ios is the app store, I generally dislike Apple and Idrones.
I'm relatively tech savvy (in the non-douchy kinda way xD
Except some minor annoyances here and there I love android. Can any one give some advice? Thx and ho ho ho
iPhones kinda nice but not as much for the geek in you.
HD Desire ??
SGS awesome phone. Too bad they're blowing up left right and center.
Android app store is choke full of goodies and I've found cool stuff my bro can't get on his iphone4
Imo the SGS, the screen is just beautiful and the processor is a monster compared to the Desire HD and iPhone 4 is just not my cup of tea.
SGS will most likely be more optimised after Nexus S is release, I realy think it's already fast and powerfull, and it will only get better!
Camera is amazing and Night mode is franckly pretty amazing, you'd get more than what you can see!
HD Videos is pretty good also!
Sync is all with your GMail account, so pretty simple and straight forward. You can sync your outlook with GMail if needed.
And if you need to access the files on the device, the USB can be mounted so it's pretty fast to transfer things.
Only down I can see on the SGS is the "sometime" flawing GPS, not all the time but can be anoying sometimes :|
Videonut said:
SGS awesome phone. Too bad they're blowing up left right and center.
4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Say whaat?
I think you should go for the Desire HD. It's got 768 MB of RAM vs. the 340 MB available (out of a claimed 512 MB) on the SGS. And it's got a bigger screen, almost an equally powerful processor, very snappy, and it's already got 2.3 Gingerbread.
If you need a powerhouse for games, SGS is the way to go though. Nothing matches it's GPU at the moment.
ed10000 said:
I think you should go for the Desire HD. It's got 768 MB of RAM vs. the 340 MB available (out of a claimed 512 MB) on the SGS. And it's got a bigger screen, almost an equally powerful processor, very snappy, and it's already got 2.3 Gingerbread.
If you need a powerhouse for games, SGS is the way to go though. Nothing matches it's GPU at the moment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
but i hear the battery wont hold me the entire day thats kinda important for me
and how does it have gingerbread ? the nexus s isnt even out yet i assume its just ripped from the emulator
calexus1182 said:
Say whaat?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The internal SDCards are crapping out...
hmmm isnt that becouse of the ****ty samsung filesystem and/or bad kernel
and should i be concerned about only 339 ram?
Buy the iPhone 4, sell it for $600-$800 off contract, buy whatever phone you want. Personally I'd says Desire HD simply because Sense is much better than Touchwiz and it has the Sense.com features (free remote wipe, GPS tracking, text through phone through website, etc). However, the battery is kind of weak so I'd recommend a bigger one if you can find one.
calexus1182 said:
but i hear the battery wont hold me the entire day thats kinda important for me
and how does it have gingerbread ? the nexus s isnt even out yet i assume its just ripped from the emulator
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They ported it from Nexus One to Evo, and Desire HD is basically a variant of Evo
Damm I'm more confused now than when I started...
Iphone: don't really like how it feels in my hand, really small screen, absolutely no customization whatsoever.
good things: apps, no major bugs and better shades of blue lol.
Desire HD: seems to have the worst hardware out of the three (cpu and gpu) piece if crap battery, seems if it falls once is over, ****ty battery and sim cover and imo the camera that sticks out like the evo is really effing ugly
Good things: most ram out of the three, htcsense.com, biggest screen (preferences but I think 4" is perfect)
SGS: plagued by software bugs apparently, random data corruption, no flash, needs most tweaking out of the box
Good things: best screen cpu & gpu, the nexus s is almost the same phone which means better development porting the works(here's hoping) and best battery life
By comparison seems that the sgs wins overall categories
Its easy. If you want the best smartphone the its sgs.
Iphone is not as good many say.
I did have one and i did sell it.
Iphone has more good games. That's the only good with it.
The rest is much better with sgs.
HD phone is not better either.
It has more serious flaw then both sgs and iphone together.
Sgs is a powerhouse and it got the best screen of all phones.
Sure sgs can be laggy out of the box, but that is easy to fix.
So right now there is not a phone that's has anything to compete with.
The sgs will win it all the time.
**Using my own JPU kernel, z4mod, 339MB Ram and ext2 filesystem**
My father has an iphone3g and my uncle has the iphone 4 I jailbreaked it for him honestly I wasn't that impressed with the phone. The only thing I like about it is the apps mainly the games are much more refined than on android phones
Also why has the sgs only have 340ram ? On every page I looked it says 512. Will that bite us on the ass later I mean the dhd almost has 800 and phones are moving on 1gb .are you telling me the sgs has as much ram as my old ass hero?
calexus said:
Also why has the sgs only have 340ram ? On every page I looked it says 512. Will that bite us on the ass later I mean the dhd almost has 800 and phones are moving on 1gb .are you telling me the sgs has as much ram as my old ass hero?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does use a 512MB chip, but only ~340MB of it is visible after you're booted up. Out of the other ~172MB, there's around 40MB that's unaccounted for (we don't know where its being used) and the rest of it is "reserved" (even when the functions it's reserved for are not in use) for stuff like video playback, 3G calling etc.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
I'd have to say i agree with Product F(RED)
Desire HD is the best phone on the list IMHO. But getting the ipoop and selling on will mean you can get the HD desire and still have some cash in your pocket
sgs is the best (imho!) it's a pain out of the box but that's why we love it so much, let's face it, most of us like tweaking and playing with our phones, it's half the fun. Flashing new roms, installing different lagfixes, uninstalling new roms, uninstalling new lagfixes, whoops I've broken it, nope, it's going again. The sgs is a geeks wet dream and in my experience it is very difficult to fully brick.
So if you want a phone that you are going to have to fiddle with, get the sgs. Jpu seems to have ironed out a lot of problems, I get perfect gps now, although it was pretty good before. I'm actually a little disapointed that jpu works so well, it kinda takes the fun out of it all
If this doesn't appeal to you then get the hd, it's a good phone, screen is not as good and it doesn't feel as fast as my tweaked sgs, but overall it's definitely a winner and you won't be disapointed
The iphone is also a good phone and not to be sniffed at, if you don't mind being spoon fed by apple.
i have to say SGS, because of the most powerful hardware, software is not important, because we can fix that easy , as surprise Samsung also tries there best, i think with JPU Firmware they show that they are willing todo everything, Hardware we can't fix, SGS has currently the fastest CPU + GPU specially the GPU!!!!! is amazing, why do you think Google went with Nexus S , because of Hardware, Speed, Quality, Availability.......
Nexus S and Android 2.3 Gingerbread was made to give game developers the best available Hardware and with Gingerbread many things which will make Game development easier and because of the CPU + GPU, which is almost the same as Iphone 4 has (SGS a little bit better), it will also make porting games from iphone to android pretty easy now.
About HTC Sense i agree it is a nice homescreen, but on the other hand it is a memory, cpu and battery monster! why do you think they have 768MB Memory and if we look at different homescreen replacements (ADW, Laucher Pro, Zeam,.......), then i really don't see the big advantage at all, but thats a taste decission
So for me i have to say i am very happy that i went with the SGS, i really can't understand users who say that the SGS is built cheap, i have the SGS now since the beginning, i don't use a screenprotector, the plastic is thin but it still looks like new also after falling on the floor (shame on me), compared to my previous HTC Units which where loosing color on there great metal casing and not by falling on the floor but because i used a leather case, the signal was often a issue for me (metal), dust was behind the screen after a short time,........
I have to say that the Samsung Hardware is such an improvement compared to HTC that i won't anytime soon look back to any HTC unit even if it would have a killler hardware.
But that are just my 2 cents on it
Go for the iPhone 4 unless you really need flash. It has the best screen of the three(the pentile matrix of the SGS is just horrible) and works correctly out of the box.
Toss3 said:
Go for the iPhone 4 unless you really need flash. It has the best screen of the three(the pentile matrix of the SGS is just horrible) and works correctly out of the box.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Care to elaborate on this? The iphone does have a gorgeous screen, but to call the sgs screen horrible is a bit like saying that Angelina Jolie is a dog. Sure there are better looking girls out there than her, but would you kick her out of bed? Most definitely not, unless you bat for the other team of coursee, in such a case swap angelina for brad or whom ever floats your boat.
[LONG POST WARNING ]
there might be some typos and some unintentional things (tone of writing this may be)... I do not mean to offend any one... u can consider the following as a random blog post not targetting anyone
please dont laugh.. i am not good at these kind of things...
Ok now before u start flaming and start fanboy-wars on this, I suggest that u read the full content…
I AM NOT A SE FANBOY!
I have tried to provide an unbiased review of Samsung Galaxy S2 from point of view of a Xperia X10 user/android user… oh btw I am writing this considering that u use custom kernels on X10!
Some background… I have primarily used Symbain phones for almost 4-5 yrs… just last year I bought my first android phone the Xperia X10! Since then I have bought many androids for myself, my friends & family… I have personally used Motorola Milestone, SE Xperia Arc, LG Optimus One and now just last week I got the Samsung Galaxy S2 (SGS2)…
this will be sort of comparison between SGS2 and X10 and my personal opinion regrading both these devices as they CURRENTLY stand
[ THE SPECS ]
The SGS2 is a beast!
The most significant difference is the screen… Super AMOLED PLUS which quite frankly is THE MOST BEAUTIFUL DISPLAY I have EVER USED! It just blows away the LCD/LED displays (compared to X10 which has LCD display) Now before some ppl catch my throat saying that “colors are not ‘natural’” let me share with u that there is a setting provided by Samsung called “Background Effect” which basically can allow u to adjust the saturation & contrast of the images on screen! For the “natural color” minded folks u can use the “movie” option… others can enjoy the “Standard” or better “Dynamic” options…
It has 4.3’’ screen which is slightly bulky in hand and little bit hard to grip (compared to X10 which has 4’’ screen) frankly the difference is only noticeable if u are watching videos…
It has 1.2 Ghz dual core ARM-9 chips (compared to X10 single core 1 Ghz Arm-8 chip)
very powerful dedicated GPU [Mali-400] which will handle any of the latest games u can throw at it! (compared to Adreno 200 on X10)
sgs2 has 836 MB User accessible RAM (compared to 280 MB on X10)
The internal memory is eMMC so there is actually an microSD card used for system, data, etc… so the actual usable /data partition is 2GB!!!! (compared to 465MB on X10)
Also the internal sdcard has 12 GB free space [I have the SGS2 16GB version] AND there is room for additional external SDCARD!!! (compared to 8GB supplied by SE for X10)
SGS2 supports simultaneous 10 point finger recognition! Take that multi touch games!
SGS2 has lots cool features like HDMI output/USB On-the-GO [but u will need to buy these adapter/cables separately]
Front facing camera and fullHD (1920x1080p) recording are few other perks (x10 can do 720p recording)
SGS2 has 1650 mAh battery compared to 1500 mAh of X10
SGS2 has HSPA+ (21 Megabit/sec) compared to HSDPA (7.2 Megabit/sec) on X10
And ofcourse SGS2 comes with unlocked bootloader (there is a thing called download-mode binary counter which keeps a tab on how many time u flashed using the flashing tool ODIN, though this can be reset using a hack )
[ ACTUAL USAGE ]
SGS2 just comfortably cruises thru menus/etc… no lag whtsoever... menu scrolling/web browsing anything u throw at it SGS2 will just devastate it
Using live wallpaers, having 10 tabs open in browser, multitasking with a game running in the background and then scrolling thru menus it doesn’t LAG!
[ THE GOODIES ]
Ok now comes the dev aspect, with SGS2 being adapted by so many users/devs, within just 2 months of release, there are already tons of ROMs/Kernels/themes/etc…
U have the freedom to choose overclock/undervolt/overvolt kernels… there are even apps to control voltage of every frequency set! U can overclock/regulate the GPU too! Some guys over at SGS2 forums run it at 1.9Ghz without a hitch! (compared to X10 which only is able to handle 1.1 Ghz overclock)
btw this doesnt mean that i dont respect/honor our devs here at X10 sub-forums... i have a HUGE respect for them and all that they have achieved and are currently doing/working on... they have done / are doing a great job to make our terribly limited device (cause of manufacturer policies) awesome & rocking
[ THE BAD / UGLY ]
Ok the screen resolution on SGS2 is really bad... I mean seriously, a 4.3’’ screen deserves 960×540 (qHD) resolution not 800x480… sure u can change dpi but then that’s NOT TRULY changing resolution…
There is no hardware camera button! It is very funny but seriously I miss the camera button…
when will they get good XENON flash in top end android devices? i really miss the xenon flash from my old Nokia N82
another problem is that there is NO LED FOR NOTIFICATIONS
A lot of defective display units are there… I myself had this problem and had to get it replaced with a new piece… also many users at SGS2 forums have reported this…
Device heats up even using stock FW… I was playing Modern Combat 2 for 15-20 mins and I could feel the back of the device getting really warm…
NOW THE BIGGEST ISSUE there are not many apps currently available which can make use of dual core processors… may be multi-threaded/multi-core optimized apps will take time to get in but currently not many apps can make use of this…
[ MY VIEWS ]
Now from this point forward are my personal views/opinions... I am not telling u to do something… this is just wht I personally feel… if u wish u can read this whole thing and say “wht a bunch of crap… he doenst know wht he is talking abt” I don’t mind that, those are ur views these are mine
The final decision if u want to buy a new phone ALWAYS is with YOU AND YOU ONLY!
As I said before SGS2 is a great device but there are some thing to consider before u UPGRADE… keep in mind that the following views/opinions are only valid if u are upgrading from an X10 to a SGS2… if u are upgrading from sub-1Ghz phone then this will not matter...
I wouldn’t call an upgrade from X10 to SGS2 a BIG GAME CHANGING thing… there is not much difference in 4.3’’ and 4’’ screen sizes… also if u have been using custom kernels on X10 (fps uncapped /overclocked) then SGS2 feels slightly smoother… the screen/image quality is obviously better on the SGS2... But honestly 16million colors (SGS2) vs 65k colors (x10) is not that great a difference, it is only noticeable in some images/videos which have heavy gradation…
The big issues is that currently there are not many apps that can use this much power… then there is the practical issue… see u can play games/overclock/etc for some time BUT most of the time (>80%) u will be running the device @ 800Mhz to 200 Mhz (lowest speed which can be set)…
Though if u are upgrading from a 600Mhz phone (with < 3.5’’ screen size) then SGS2 is a TOTALLY different experience…
One thing to keep in mind currently most of the issues faced by us X10 users (like camera not fully working in 2.2+ custom roms, stability of custom kernels) are related to the restrictions imposed by SE… thing may improve once we get the GB update…
[ FINAL REMARKS ]
So keeping all of the above in mind here are my recommendations
Why u shouldn’t jump to dual-core bandwagon? (AS OF NOW)
If you still have a few months left on you contract and if u don’t mind a few sec delay/slight lag I recommend that u WAIT FOR NEXT generation phone… I am not talking about quad core/etc… frankly CURRENTLY there is just no point for a 2+ core phone… even 2 cores is an overkill! What I suggest is that u wait for next gen technology (28nm fabrication) which will greatly improve battery life… hold on till the apps/games can actually make use of the tremendous processing power packed into today’s dual core phones…
Who should go for this upgrade?
u just liked it
u are upgrading for < 1Ghz phones
u have the money and don’t mind spending that much for the BEST PHONE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE
u are a POWER USER and do heavy multitasking, need to play latest games at max frame rate
u want an additional phone to use (like me )
u are stuck on X10 stock 2.1 rom and don’t want to install custom roms/kernels
u are totally frustrated with the X10 and don’t want to wait for GB upgrade
why currently u shouldn’t “upgrade” to any other single core phone?
See single core phones are already very old hardware… there is no point spending so much money on a single core phone which will be outdated in next 6 to 8 months (tops)…
Instead wait for a few more months and then get a dual core phone
I hope u guys appreciate this and it helps those who are currently planning to u buy a new phone…
P.S.: I hope u have noticed that I keep saying CURRENTLY, cause all that I have psoted above (my views/opinions) is only valid for things UPTO THIS POINT (July 8, 2011 01:00 AM GMT+05:30)… technology is an every changing thing and wht is best today wont be the best (or even good) tomorrow!
WOW, nice...thanks for the review! I myself own a X10 but the current news of GB 2.3.3 & unlocked bootloader is really awesome!
Enjoy your S2 buddy
I tried a SGS2 couple of days back and only one thing annoyed me the most. The home button takes ages to wake the phone up from sleep. I know it is nothing but it annoyed me a lot Apart from that nothing to complain. I will surely get it once I can go to store
Sent from my X10i
realunited123 said:
I tried a SGS2 couple of days back and only one thing annoyed me the most. The home button takes ages to wake the phone up from sleep. I know it is nothing but it annoyed me a lot Apart from that nothing to complain. I will surely get it once I can go to store
Sent from my X10i
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i disabled home screen waking it was getting annoying... better to use power button to lock/unlock device...
load of c**p!
a) dual core is using more battery than single core.
b) dual core price is much larger than single core + no full usage of dualcore.
c) single core processors won't be outdated. NEVER! Why? For example in Croatia
i payed like half my pay for year old X10 and my pay is like 600 usd per month, imagine how much would cost dual core?
Conclusion dual-core is for gamer freaks... / ppl that don't get that "lag" here or there is normal thing from pc to smart phone...
Find me one pc / phone that has never had any lag in any game / program and i will ... something with stone ...
But review is ..... long and detailed ..... and very usefull! Thanks!
Very nice and thorough review, thanks a lot!
Turns out that those were exactly my thoughts too. My cousin bought the SGS 2 and even though it feels great in use, I want to wait another year, save some serious money and buy the top phone available then.
Xperia X10i via Tapatalk
DooMLoRD said:
i disabled home screen waking it was getting annoying... better to use power button to lock/unlock device...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hence another problem of pressing volume button instead of power. I had it for a day and a half to play with it. BTW was it just me or it gives an alarm that battery is full!?? Dunno why Samsung made it that way.
Sent from my X10i
aZuZu said:
load of c**p!
a) dual core is using more battery than single core.
b) dual core price is much larger than single core + no full usage of dualcore.
c) single core processors won't be outdated. NEVER! Why? For example in Croatia
i payed like half my pay for year old X10 and my pay is like 600 usd per month, imagine how much would cost dual core?
Conclusion dual-core is for gamer freaks... / ppl that don't get that "lag" here or there is normal thing from pc to smart phone...
Find me one pc / phone that has never had any lag in any game / program and i will ... something with stone ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
agree with u on some aspects BUT here is some info if u didnt already know...
dual core doenst use more battery... it only kicks in after certain speeds... so if u are idling (say 500mhz/200mhz) then only single core is active... only when u need more processing the other core (s) get active... something similar to turbo boost but the other way
My_Immortal said:
Very nice and thorough review, thanks a lot!
Turns out that those were exactly my thoughts too. My cousin bought the SGS 2 and even though it feels great in use, I want to wait another year, save some serious money and buy the top phone available then.
Xperia X10i via Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
great decision! till then the android market will have sufficient apps to make use of that much power...
OH BTW currently andorid doesn't native-ly support gpu based screen/UI/framework acceleration...
realunited123 said:
Hence another problem of pressing volume button instead of power. I had it for a day and a half to play with it. BTW was it just me or it gives an alarm that battery is full!?? Dunno why Samsung made it that way.
Sent from my X10i
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i know! its damn annoying... pulser_g2 has a dev thread going on regarding that!
What I find absolutely stupid about Android as a whole is, that you need a frigging dualcore phone to run it smooth 'ala iOS. I mean smooth as in the UI running at a constant framerate without any dips at all. That was the only reason I was looking up to Apple's devices for a while.
Then SGS2 happened. Now I know what my next phone is.
Thanks for this great review...all i can said is that you are perfectly right about dual core phones advantages! have you already tried to compare arc display with sgs2 one?and how much better is arc compared to x10? thanks doom..nice work!
Cheers
Sent from my X10i using XDA App
ooidort said:
What I find absolutely stupid about Android as a whole is, that you need a frigging dualcore phone to run it smooth 'ala iOS. I mean smooth as in the UI running at a constant framerate without any dips at all. That was the only reason I was looking up to Apple's devices for a while.
Then SGS2 happened. Now I know what my next phone is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well the problem is that iOS supports gpu based acceleration of UI! which android doesnt! android depends completely on CPU for UI rendering which causes this lag... u can check even on HC this is a problem... BUT once the gpu acceleration based apis are in place then OH MAN will these things fly!
djkekko89 said:
Thanks for this great review...all i can said is that you are perfectly right about dual core phones advantages! have you already tried to compare arc display with sgs2 one?and how much better is arc compared to x10? thanks doom..nice work!
Cheers
Sent from my X10i using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes dude i have compared X10 / Arc / SGS2 display... wanted to compare with iPhone4 and SGS1 but couldnt get hold of those devices...
let me put it plainly SGS2 display IS THE BEST U CURRENTLY CAN HAVE...
the colors are much better on SGS2 display (again this is personal preference)...
DooMLoRD said:
well the problem is that iOS supports gpu based acceleration of UI! which android doesnt! android depends completely on CPU for UI rendering which causes this lag... u can check even on HC this is a problem... BUT once the gpu acceleration based apis are in place then OH MAN will these things fly!
yes dude i have compared X10 / Arc / SGS2 display... wanted to compare with iPhone4 and SGS1 but couldnt get hold of those devices...
let me put it plainly SGS2 display IS THE BEST U CURRENTLY CAN HAVE...
the colors are much better on SGS2 display (again this is personal preference)...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So..the only way to have the better screen is super amoled??cause if you want the best phone you need this kind of screen but it is made only by few manufactures..like samsung and some htc..so there not much choise!
Sent from my X10i using XDA App
djkekko89 said:
So..the only way to have the better screen is super amoled??cause if you want the best phone you need this kind of screen but it is made only by few manufactures..like samsung and some htc..so there not much choise!
Sent from my X10i using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
see thats the thing... its not the case that Super AMOLED is the best...
its more on personal preference... w.r.t. display u can ur self check out SGS1, Nokia N8, SGS2, Arc, HTC Sensation...
Very nice review, i'd love to buy the sgs 2 too but the price is just tooo big
a2ha said:
Very nice review, i'd love to buy the sgs 2 too but the price is just tooo big
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
just wait for a few months (2-3) till then the prices would go down by 15-20%... also that will be time then next gen processors hit the market...
@all
almost forgot... another issue of SGS2...
NO LED FOR NOTIFICATIONS
Also I heard the camera is not as good as Arc's? Atleast it records video in 1080p though
Well SE in hardware is always in time of the needs if you can see arc was the best smart phone in 2011 above SGS2 and now there is a dual core xperia smartphone on the target but of course it will come when the software is totally ready for that i would like to see the xperia duo
ooidort said:
What I find absolutely stupid about Android as a whole is, that you need a frigging dualcore phone to run it smooth 'ala iOS. I mean smooth as in the UI running at a constant framerate without any dips at all. That was the only reason I was looking up to Apple's devices for a while.
Then SGS2 happened. Now I know what my next phone is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ios runs smoothly because it's a much simpler platform than android. If apple ever get the balls to revamp their os to support homescreens and widgets, I am pretty sure the performance would dip significantly.
Sent from my X10i using XDA App
pngface said:
Also I heard the camera is not as good as Arc's? Atleast it records video in 1080p though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I took some photos with the SGS II and the quality was superb.
Lightning conditions were not good, but still there was very little noise,
the picture was sharp and the colors vivid.
Only thing is, there was some short of pink hue in the corners of the picture.
I don't know if that's the case for this phone, or that one was faulty.
Also, the flash is VERY BRIGHT!!!!!!
What do you think about the camera Doom?
[ THE BAD / UGLY ]
Ok the screen resolution on SGS2 is really bad... I mean seriously, a 4.3’’ screen deserves 960×540 (qHD) resolution not 800x480… sure u can change dpi but then that’s NOT TRULY changing resolution…
There is no hardware camera button! It is very funny but seriously I miss the camera button…
when will they get good XENON flash in top end android devices? i really miss the xenon flash from my old Nokia N82
another problem is that there is NO LED FOR NOTIFICATIONS
A lot of defective display units are there… I myself had this problem and had to get it replaced with a new piece… also many users at SGS2 forums have reported this…
Device heats up even using stock FW… I was playing Modern Combat 2 for 15-20 mins and I could feel the back of the device getting really warm…
NOW THE BIGGEST ISSUE there are not many apps currently available which can make use of dual core processors… may be multi-threaded/multi-core optimized apps will take time to get in but currently not many apps can make use of this…
Nice review, but these things made me happy that I haven't bought a SGS2 yet!! I would miss the camera button, led, and especially devective unit which are much of them... Very much... Great phone, but lacks of the most standard functions of a smartphone... Maybe that's why the phone is so thin... Also I've heard from many SGS2 users that there is a some kind of yellow shine on the left side of the screen. Super phone, but little things that aren't worth for this price... It's a smart choise from me to wait till any quad-core phone, and I really hope there will come a very sexy Nexus Quad-core phone. Camera is also nice, but for real recording get a camcorder LOL.
Before fanboys start screaming at me, PHONE IS GREAT but just these things...
And DooM, don't let our negative things/or things the x10 has but SGS2 not have spoil the fun. Enjoy your new super phone!
EDIT:
Doom, you also talked about higher resolution. Well, that's not possible on AMOLED screens. They can only support up to what the SGS2 now has...
Hey guys my nexus 4 was recently stolen :crying: and now its time to start looking for a new phone
This is probably the best option i've found so far in my price range but... I have a few questions I'd like to ask to people who actually own the phone, not biased internet reviewers
First of all, I will not ask about benchmarks or specs as we all know they mean nothing if the software is not optimized... but here are a few doubts I have before I buy it
1- How is the overall user experience, I mean, are the transitions smooth and do apps open fairly quick?
2- What do you think from the display? Ive read that its pretty good for a mid/almost high-end smartphone but viewing angles aren´t the best
3- Should i be worried about ram? On my fist android phone, apps crashed because there wasnt enough ram, for example if I was playing a ram intensive game, while listening to music, the music suddenly stoped playing
4- How is sony's support, has anyone had any problems with their phone?
5- What are the most popular roms arround here? and kernels? This is a big one for me, as i consider my self a flashoholic hehehe I ask because after a quick look at the android development forum in here i haven´t found much althrough Im happy to see DoomLord around (remember him, and his awesome kernels for the Xperia play)
6- Is there any specific thing you hate about this phone? Anything?
7- How is the wifi reception? Ive read somewhere that it was terrible but that seems unlikely, so what do you think about it?
8- Camera... How is it? And how does the front facing camera perform? I use it a lot in low light situations, and my nexus camera was kind of terrible
9- Finally, would you recommend a different phone (in a similar price range of course) over this one? How do you think it compares to the s4 mini, or an lg L7 as those are probably the only other options available in my country
1- How is the overall user experience, I mean, are the transitions smooth and do apps open fairly quick?
Yes - it's a fast phone. A high clock speed and the fact it renders to 720p rather than 1080 means it's very snappy
2- What do you think from the display? Ive read that its pretty good for a mid/almost high-end smartphone but viewing angles aren´t the best
A good screen, not great like flagship devices. Viewing angles are fine IMO - Sony has a bad rep for this but the SP's viewing angles are a vast improvement on their older xperia phones
3- Should i be worried about ram? On my fist android phone, apps crashed because there wasnt enough ram, for example if I was playing a ram intensive game, while listening to music, the music suddenly stoped playing
I don't think you should be worried, this is improving with each update, but people have complained about this.
4- How is sony's support, has anyone had any problems with their phone?
Sony have a good support network, but there are some issues they seem unwilling/unable to address with this phone. Wifi is clearly a problem
5- What are the most popular roms arround here? and kernels? This is a big one for me, as i consider my self a flashoholic hehehe I ask because after a quick look at the android development forum in here i haven´t found much althrough Im happy to see DoomLord around (remember him, and his awesome kernels for the Xperia play)
A relatively new device and not especially common IMO, but development is steady, a rom a week maybe. I don't know which are popular, but stripped back ROMS and ones attempting to give the feel and look of flagship Xperia devices dominate. Kernels are all stock based at the moment, but FreeXperia and some independent developers are planning to bring CM10.1 and CM10.2 to the phone. After that I expect things to gather pace - MIUI and AOSP roms should follow on pretty quickly I imagine. There are a decent amount of mods as well
6- Is there any specific thing you hate about this phone? Anything?
The internal storage - around 5gb is available for the user, this is just about adequate, coming from a 2011 device I thought it would be enough, but because you can't move apps to an external SD, it get's used up quickly. I'm not a power user and it doesn't feel like enough. There are ways around it if you're rooted, but you wish Sony would do what Samsung have done and mod their builds to allow this
7- How is the wifi reception? Ive read somewhere that it was terrible but that seems unlikely, so what do you think about it?
I think it helps if you've got a newish router, but my experience isn't great and this is echoed by many others here and on Sony's support forums. There are ways to improve it, but out of the box performance for some users is unacceptable IMO. However with the tweaks in place I now get reception in parts of my house where none of my other devices (laptop, netbook, old phone) get reception - for me range has always been excellent, but connecting in the first place sometimes took several attempts or needed a phone reboot
8- Camera... How is it? And how does the front facing camera perform? I use it a lot in low light situations, and my nexus camera was kind of terrible
The camera is average, don't know whether this is a hardware issue or Sony's image processing - but the fact that people complain about the cameras on better Xperia devices suggests that Sony's software may be at fault. They definitely cut costs with the front camera - fine for video calls and basic snaps but not suitable for photography. Ultimately, whoever the manufacturer, people complain about cameras
9- Finally, would you recommend a different phone (in a similar price range of course) over this one? How do you think it compares to the s4 mini, or an lg L7 as those are probably the only other options available in my country
The S4 mini has a smaller screen (lower resolution too?), but more RAM, I think it's a better device if you want a more compact phone. The SP feels better in the hand IMO, it is somewhat chunky and heavy but feels solid and well made. If you've come from an N4 going to a smaller screen may be difficult. The SP is almost flagship standard - the corners cut aren't that important to sensible users, do mobiles really need 4 core processors, 1080p and 2gb of ram? I don't think you can do much better for the price - so it's really about the screen size when it comes to choosing between this and the S4 mini. I don't know about the L7
Parkside said:
1- How is the overall user experience, I mean, are the transitions smooth and do apps open fairly quick?
Yes - it's a fast phone. A high clock speed and the fact it renders to 720p rather than 1080 means it's very snappy
2- What do you think from the display? Ive read that its pretty good for a mid/almost high-end smartphone but viewing angles aren´t the best
A good screen, not great like flagship devices. Viewing angles are fine IMO - Sony has a bad rep for this but the SP's viewing angles are a vast improvement on their older xperia phones
3- Should i be worried about ram? On my fist android phone, apps crashed because there wasnt enough ram, for example if I was playing a ram intensive game, while listening to music, the music suddenly stoped playing
I don't think you should be worried, this is improving with each update, but people have complained about this.
4- How is sony's support, has anyone had any problems with their phone?
Sony have a good support network, but there are some issues they seem unwilling/unable to address with this phone. Wifi is clearly a problem
5- What are the most popular roms arround here? and kernels? This is a big one for me, as i consider my self a flashoholic hehehe I ask because after a quick look at the android development forum in here i haven´t found much althrough Im happy to see DoomLord around (remember him, and his awesome kernels for the Xperia play)
A relatively new device and not especially common IMO, but development is steady, a rom a week maybe. I don't know which are popular, but stripped back ROMS and ones attempting to give the feel and look of flagship Xperia devices dominate. Kernels are all stock based at the moment, but FreeXperia and some independent developers are planning to bring CM10.1 and CM10.2 to the phone. After that I expect things to gather pace - MIUI and AOSP roms should follow on pretty quickly I imagine. There are a decent amount of mods as well
6- Is there any specific thing you hate about this phone? Anything?
The internal storage - around 5gb is available for the user, this is just about adequate, coming from a 2011 device I thought it would be enough, but because you can't move apps to an external SD, it get's used up quickly. I'm not a power user and it doesn't feel like enough. There are ways around it if you're rooted, but you wish Sony would do what Samsung have done and mod their builds to allow this
7- How is the wifi reception? Ive read somewhere that it was terrible but that seems unlikely, so what do you think about it?
I think it helps if you've got a newish router, but my experience isn't great and this is echoed by many others here and on Sony's support forums. There are ways to improve it, but out of the box performance for some users is unacceptable IMO. However with the tweaks in place I now get reception in parts of my house where none of my other devices (laptop, netbook, old phone) get reception - for me range has always been excellent, but connecting in the first place sometimes took several attempts or needed a phone reboot
8- Camera... How is it? And how does the front facing camera perform? I use it a lot in low light situations, and my nexus camera was kind of terrible
The camera is average, don't know whether this is a hardware issue or Sony's image processing - but the fact that people complain about the cameras on better Xperia devices suggests that Sony's software may be at fault. They definitely cut costs with the front camera - fine for video calls and basic snaps but not suitable for photography. Ultimately, whoever the manufacturer, people complain about cameras
9- Finally, would you recommend a different phone (in a similar price range of course) over this one? How do you think it compares to the s4 mini, or an lg L7 as those are probably the only other options available in my country
The S4 mini has a smaller screen (lower resolution too?), but more RAM, I think it's a better device if you want a more compact phone. The SP feels better in the hand IMO, it is somewhat chunky and heavy but feels solid and well made. If you've come from an N4 going to a smaller screen may be difficult. The SP is almost flagship standard - the corners cut aren't that important to sensible users, do mobiles really need 4 core processors, 1080p and 2gb of ram? I don't think you can do much better for the price - so it's really about the screen size when it comes to choosing between this and the S4 mini. I don't know about the L7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot for taking the time to answer everything I asked!!!
This really seems like a good phone, specially for the price. Regarding the screen size, thats why im interested in this phone more than any other "budget" phone, I know it will be hard to go any smaller than 4.5" and 720p. Anyways thanks a lot for your time, guess Ill try to go to a store where I can use it for a while and compare it with others
fcb-1899 said:
Thanks a lot for taking the time to answer everything I asked!!!
This really seems like a good phone, specially for the price. Regarding the screen size, thats why im interested in this phone more than any other "budget" phone, I know it will be hard to go any smaller than 4.5" and 720p. Anyways thanks a lot for your time, guess Ill try to go to a store where I can use it for a while and compare it with others
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Plus... If you're a gamer, then this is it! Amazing performance!
Sent from my C5303 using xda app-developers app
Go for it mate.. Using it since 3 months.. Amazing performance.. With the latest Update all bugs are solved for me.. Camera is not great but not bad.. And u will get upcoming android 4.3 and 4.4 ( may be)
Rajeev said:
Go for it mate.. Using it since 3 months.. Amazing performance.. With the latest Update all bugs are solved for me.. Camera is not great but not bad.. And u will get upcoming android 4.3 and 4.4 ( may be)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think I will! thanks a lot man, I've seen you around a lot on this forum, glad to know we have people like you guys helping the community!
I have one more question, do I have to unlock my bootloader in order to intall custom roms and kernels, or iin order to make them perform better? If so , I hope any of you can guide me on how to unlock the bootloader without loosing any features as I've read that you'll loose bravia engine and some other stuff... Please excuse my ignorance but the method to do this on the N4 was pretty straight forward and Im a little confused right now lol
Btw: I know I don't even have the phone yet but usually the first thing I do is rooting and unlocking the bootloader and installing a rom so I really want to know a bit more before doing anything stupid :silly:
Thanks again
To open the bootloader it is easy but not like n4, if you open bootloader then you will loose be2 etc.
You can root and install cwm without opening bootloader.
Many Sony xda members use software called flash tools to install ftf files these contain all the stock ROM files.
To install custom stock ROMs you generally can use on locked bootloader, for some custom ROMs like cm 10.xx you will need to unlock bootloader to use kernels(this applies to all kernels)
Sent from my C5303 using xda premium
zolaisugly said:
To open the bootloader it is easy but not like n4, if you open bootloader then you will loose be2 etc.
You can root and install cwm without opening bootloader.
Many Sony xda members use software called flash tools to install ftf files these contain all the stock ROM files.
To install custom stock ROMs you generally can use on locked bootloader, for some custom ROMs like cm 10.xx you will need to unlock bootloader to use kernels(this applies to all kernels)
Sent from my C5303 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah thats what I thought, but I think ill install a "stock enhanced" rom or something similar, Xperia pureness seems to be a good rom with a bit of customization while keeping all Sony features. No custom kernel for me, although I was kind of exited to try doomlodr's
Once again, I appreciate your quick response and support. Think ill buy this little guy today
fcb-1899 said:
Hey guys my nexus 4 was recently stolen :crying: and now its time to start looking for a new phone
This is probably the best option i've found so far in my price range but... I have a few questions I'd like to ask to people who actually own the phone, not biased internet reviewers
First of all, I will not ask about benchmarks or specs as we all know they mean nothing if the software is not optimized... but here are a few doubts I have before I buy it
1- How is the overall user experience, I mean, are the transitions smooth and do apps open fairly quick?
2- What do you think from the display? Ive read that its pretty good for a mid/almost high-end smartphone but viewing angles aren´t the best
3- Should i be worried about ram? On my fist android phone, apps crashed because there wasnt enough ram, for example if I was playing a ram intensive game, while listening to music, the music suddenly stoped playing
4- How is sony's support, has anyone had any problems with their phone?
5- What are the most popular roms arround here? and kernels? This is a big one for me, as i consider my self a flashoholic hehehe I ask because after a quick look at the android development forum in here i haven´t found much althrough Im happy to see DoomLord around (remember him, and his awesome kernels for the Xperia play)
6- Is there any specific thing you hate about this phone? Anything?
7- How is the wifi reception? Ive read somewhere that it was terrible but that seems unlikely, so what do you think about it?
8- Camera... How is it? And how does the front facing camera perform? I use it a lot in low light situations, and my nexus camera was kind of terrible
9- Finally, would you recommend a different phone (in a similar price range of course) over this one? How do you think it compares to the s4 mini, or an lg L7 as those are probably the only other options available in my country
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1- So far very smooth and great experience. I have around 50 apps installed and so far no noticeable lag or performance issues.
2- The display is pretty good, the viewing angles are not very good but it doesn't bother my much as I'm usually holding my phone straight or have it propped up against something. Other than that the screen is very crisp and beautiful.
3- Like in point #1, no ram issues so far but I haven't tried any resource intensive apps to test it to it's limit yet.
4- Haven't needed to contact Sony so far hope it stays that way. Bear in mind their support services might change from one region to another.
5- Personally I'm really enjoying the stock rom so I didn't feel like I need to install any custom ones. There are a few custom roms out there though including Cyanogen Mod
6- There is something that bothers me about this phone but I don't hate it, it's just an annoyance. The phone feels a bit fragile and if you're clumsy or paranoid like me you'll want to get a case for it. The problem is this model doesn't have that much accessories out for it (and no official accessories) so you might have a hard time finding something. I had to order stuff for it online and it was quite costly.
7- WiFi reception is pretty bad, especially when I use it side to side with my other devices. There is a couple of WiFi fix threads on this forum, I haven't read them yet but you should definitely check them out.
8- Camera isn't amazing but it's not bad either. In low light conditions you have to fiddle around the settings a bit first to get a decent shot. Again there's a thread on this forum with users' camera shots to give you a good idea on how good or bad the camera is
9- The Galaxy S4 mini is a decent competitor for this phone, it has a better camera and better viewing angles if that's important for you, but it has a smaller screen.
The Sony Xperia ZR is slightly more expensive than this phone but has higher specs and some extra features. Mind that the water proof models have all their ports covered with water tight flaps and the sound on the speakers sound a bit muffled probably also because they are made water proof. (http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_zr-5421.php)
There are some nice mid-range HTC phones but the new HTCs often have internal battery and memory (no SD card slot).
Overall I'm absolutely in love with this phone. I love the battery life, the screen and the sound (loud speakers included). If you're into gaming this phone performs good and it also supports Sony Playstation's Dual Shock 3 controller which is a nice little bonus. (Hook it up to your TV and play with the controller :victory: )
fcb-1899 said:
I think I will! thanks a lot man, I've seen you around a lot on this forum, glad to know we have people like you guys helping the community!
I have one more question, do I have to unlock my bootloader in order to intall custom roms and kernels, or iin order to make them perform better? If so , I hope any of you can guide me on how to unlock the bootloader without loosing any features as I've read that you'll loose bravia engine and some other stuff... Please excuse my ignorance but the method to do this on the N4 was pretty straight forward and Im a little confused right now lol
Btw: I know I don't even have the phone yet but usually the first thing I do is rooting and unlocking the bootloader and installing a rom so I really want to know a bit more before doing anything stupid :silly:
Thanks again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good thing you asked this because I stupidly unlocked my bootloader without paying attention and I permanently gimped my phone in the process. Xperia devices have a hidden partition that contains DRM keys. Without them the Bravia Engine and certain non-essential features in the Walkman app won't work. There is a way to back up and restore that partition before unlocking the bootloader. This will keep your phone's full features and warranty intact if you need them.
Check this thread here before unlocking the bootloader :
forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2292598
ByteFalcon said:
1- So far very smooth and great experience. I have around 50 apps installed and so far no noticeable lag or performance issues.
2- The display is pretty good, the viewing angles are not very good but it doesn't bother my much as I'm usually holding my phone straight or have it propped up against something. Other than that the screen is very crisp and beautiful.
3- Like in point #1, no ram issues so far but I haven't tried any resource intensive apps to test it to it's limit yet.
4- Haven't needed to contact Sony so far hope it stays that way. Bear in mind their support services might change from one region to another.
5- Personally I'm really enjoying the stock rom so I didn't feel like I need to install any custom ones. There are a few custom roms out there though including Cyanogen Mod
6- There is something that bothers me about this phone but I don't hate it, it's just an annoyance. The phone feels a bit fragile and if you're clumsy or paranoid like me you'll want to get a case for it. The problem is this model doesn't have that much accessories out for it (and no official accessories) so you might have a hard time finding something. I had to order stuff for it online and it was quite costly.
7- WiFi reception is pretty bad, especially when I use it side to side with my other devices. There is a couple of WiFi fix threads on this forum, I haven't read them yet but you should definitely check them out.
8- Camera isn't amazing but it's not bad either. In low light conditions you have to fiddle around the settings a bit first to get a decent shot. Again there's a thread on this forum with users' camera shots to give you a good idea on how good or bad the camera is
9- The Galaxy S4 mini is a decent competitor for this phone, it has a better camera and better viewing angles if that's important for you, but it has a smaller screen.
The Sony Xperia ZR is slightly more expensive than this phone but has higher specs and some extra features. Mind that the water proof models have all their ports covered with water tight flaps and the sound on the speakers sound a bit muffled probably also because they are made water proof. (http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_zr-5421.php)
There are some nice mid-range HTC phones but the new HTCs often have internal battery and memory (no SD card slot).
Overall I'm absolutely in love with this phone. I love the battery life, the screen and the sound (loud speakers included). If you're into gaming this phone performs good and it also supports Sony Playstation's Dual Shock 3 controller which is a nice little bonus. (Hook it up to your TV and play with the controller :victory: )
Good thing you asked this because I stupidly unlocked my bootloader without paying attention and I permanently gimped my phone in the process. Xperia devices have a hidden partition that contains DRM keys. Without them the Bravia Engine and certain non-essential features in the Walkman app won't work. There is a way to back up and restore that partition before unlocking the bootloader. This will keep your phone's full features and warranty intact if you need them.
Check this thread here before unlocking the bootloader :
forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2292598
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you talking about the TA partition? Just curious...i did back it up before i unlocked bootloader..so if i restore it, will my "features" be back? Also..any special procedure for restoring the backup? By the way i am on .254 ..i made the backup while on .245 . So will restoring, in any way, harm the device? And also. Does restoring TA wipe data of the phone? ..sorry for so many questions.
Sent from my C5303 using xda app-developers app
That was quick! Congrats on your new phone
Yep, I mean the TA partition. What did you use to back it up? Either FlashTool or TA_Backup script (the .bat file) should give you the option to restore, so use the same one you used in the first place. Yes, it should restore all your features back. I haven't tried restoring before since I lost mine, but I would assume it would wipe your phone since it also re-locks your Bootloader.
As for firmwares, I'm not sure. You can check this thread (use the "search this thread" box) or maybe even ask them directly. If you're feeling brave you can go ahead and try it. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2292598
Edit: Sorry, my internet is a bit slow today. I did a quick search and it seems it's safe to restore to any firmware. I still highly recommend you check the thread for yourself first. Don't take my word for it.
That was quick! Congrats on your new phone <br />
<br />
Yep, I mean the TA partition. What did you use to back it up? Either FlashTool or TA_Backup script (the .bat file) should give you the option to restore, so use the same one you used in the first place. Yes, it should restore all your features back. I haven't tried restoring before since I lost mine, but I would assume it would wipe your phone since it also re-locks your Bootloader.<br />
<br />
As for firmwares, I'm not sure. You can check this thread (use the "search this thread" box) or maybe even ask them directly. If you're feeling brave you can go ahead and try it. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2292598<br />
<br />
Edit: Sorry, my internet is a bit slow today. I did a quick search and it seems it's safe to restore to any firmware. I still highly recommend you check the thread for yourself first. Don't take my word for it.
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Click to collapse
Oh thanks man and i'm not the one who made this thread XD i just wanna restore to stock completely
Sent from my C5303 using xda app-developers app
Sadman Khan said:
Oh thanks man and i'm not the one who made this thread XD i just wanna restore to stock completely
Sent from my C5303 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oops! Looks like my internet isn't the only thing that's slow today xD
Sent from my C5303 using xda app-developers app
ByteFalcon said:
Oops! Looks like my internet isn't the only thing that's slow today xD
Sent from my C5303 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha XD and just letting you know, i did a full wipe and returned to .245 , then rooted it and THEN restored TA partition. Afterwards i clean flashed 245 and updated to 254 via OTA.everything's fine now and i finally feel the effects of Bravia Engine
Sent from my C5303 using xda app-developers app
Very Very good phone.
Hi,
I'll try to give you my most honest feedback, unbiased as much as possible. I'd like to state that XSP is my 1st droid phone ever, my last phone was nokia E52 (which had a high velocity encounter with a wall) so it is quite a change so my opinion might be and prolly is influenced by that. Ofc i played around with other droid phones like my brother's HTC wildfire S so i have some minor comparison to the inferior phones. Lest get started...
fcb-1899 said:
Hey guys my nexus 4 was recently stolen :crying: and now its time to start looking for a new phone
This is probably the best option i've found so far in my price range but... I have a few questions I'd like to ask to people who actually own the phone, not biased internet reviewers
First of all, I will not ask about benchmarks or specs as we all know they mean nothing if the software is not optimized... but here are a few doubts I have before I buy it
1- How is the overall user experience, I mean, are the transitions smooth and do apps open fairly quick?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The overall Xperia'ence is very good if not great. I would say that 99% of apps you will find run flawlessly, the one i remember that manages to stutter having influent scrolling is A1 SD bench (it also doesnt recognize SD card as a external card). Every game i installed and toyed with ran beautifully be it Osmos, PvZ or nearly anything else. The most extreme fps drop i've managed to get is in (this is the "nearly") arcane legends where there is like 30 people at once on the screen. i think that fps might drop there to like ~25 fps, personally i find it a very secluded and specific case and i am not bothered with it. For crying out loud this little gadget runs full HD 1080p mkv movies like its nothing... The processing power is insane and you really have to find/do some crazy stuff to encounter any kind of unsmooth transition. The only other situation i can think of when things get a bit jerky is the first few seconds after boot up. But i guess it's normal when there is a crapload of things to load up at once.
fcb-1899 said:
2- What do you think from the display? Ive read that its pretty good for a mid/almost high-end smartphone but viewing angles aren´t the best
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At first when i got the phone i was in 3 days awe, things looked insane. When i started to read reviews there is indeed some truth to it but lets face it... why would anyone need some sick viewing angles on a 4.6" display? Its not a display large enough to view from to great distance to get in the bad angle range. When you are looking at it straight or even on some minor angle, like 3 people looking at the display at once things look great. So... angles aren't THE best, true but are really really great. Not only for this price, but in general they display is performing great. You also have to be aware that you (you as eye-brain) get used to things. So if you are using a very high end IPS display day to day with 120 Hz+ refresh rate you are likely to be not satisfied ONLY due the fact are used to something so much better. I use S27B350 Samsung display daily so my eye is used to similar class or quality and i am very satisfied with XSP display. I am sorry i cant give you any angle values but i didnt measure it so i can only give some examples from practice.
fcb-1899 said:
3- Should i be worried about ram? On my fist android phone, apps crashed because there wasnt enough ram, for example if I was playing a ram intensive game, while listening to music, the music suddenly stoped playing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont think you should be worried about that. I very rarely seen app crash but i did nonetheless. I cant even recall what were the apps to crash since it was so rare. At some point i used Google navigation, music and had a browser opened in the back - no problem, phone not breaking a sweat (apart from insane battery drainage and some heat).
fcb-1899 said:
4- How is sony's support, has anyone had any problems with their phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would be influenced a little by your country. I once called polish support, since i am polish, and the lady i talked to... god id rip her throat out, quite a b*tch she was. The one problem i encountered is the LTE. Let me explain, when my phone is set to LTE (preffered) / WCDMA / GSM the gsm reception (signal) is often lost - i get 0 bars and red x for few seconds. This goes away when i set to WCDMA (preffered) / GSM.
fcb-1899 said:
5- What are the most popular roms arround here? and kernels? This is a big one for me, as i consider my self a flashoholic hehehe I ask because after a quick look at the android development forum in here i haven´t found much althrough Im happy to see DoomLord around (remember him, and his awesome kernels for the Xperia play)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I cant help on this one i use stock, rooted, locked bootloader (btw rooting with DoomLord's method nearly always generate an offline charging bug - fixable but needs some work). Isnt Cyanomod an option?
fcb-1899 said:
6- Is there any specific thing you hate about this phone? Anything?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes in fact there is but minor. I hate the color inconsistency of apps. I would shoot in the head the one responsible for not making black/dark gui (only white) as a stock option for sms phonebook etc. I love that smartconnect in stock is black but hate with passion that updates are white and no longer support gps toggle. Last one is more about 4.1.2 not XSP, i hate that i cant get a popup when i connect to PC via USB asking which mode to connect in. The option to choose either Media Transfer Protocol (MTP) or Mass Storage mode (MSC) is only manual and "hidden" very deep in options (settings > Xperia > USB connectivity > USB connction mode).
fcb-1899 said:
7- How is the wifi reception? Ive read somewhere that it was terrible but that seems unlikely, so what do you think about it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That one might be true. Prolly one of the biggest if not the biggest issue of this phone - quite bad wifi antenna. It really works bad with weak signals, where laptops or other devices have like ~30% wifi strength the XSP might not have it at all. Where my silly old E52 had 100% the XSP has 50-75%... It is also very likely to lose wifi connection on very weak signals. Some people claim that the 2.254 soft fixed the issue but the only fix i noticed, compared to 1.257, is that i dont need to wait few seconds after unlocking the phone to connect to wifi (at home situation). Sadly I cant see the signal strength to be one bit better.
fcb-1899 said:
8- Camera... How is it? And how does the front facing camera perform? I use it a lot in low light situations, and my nexus camera was kind of terrible
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Personally i am not too satisfied with the camera, neither of the 2.[Rear] I think that compression of images is way to great. I wouldnt mind having 4 MB photos from 8 Mpix camera and not 2-2.2 MB like now. I cant compare to your nexus but i feel that camera could have been a tiny bit better. However, many/most people say it is very good and are happy with it. I dont do too many photos so i am living with that but if you really like or need to do good photos... you might wanna think twice. [Front] And front facing? It's a tiny, little thing in VGA, let's not expect miracles from 640x480 resolution form optics that are the size of a needle (?). Although, I dont know if you would get anything better in that price range...
fcb-1899 said:
9- Finally, would you recommend a different phone (in a similar price range of course) over this one? How do you think it compares to the s4 mini, or an lg L7 as those are probably the only other options available in my country
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Click to collapse
Personally i hate samsung phones mostly cos they **** them out like they had a diarrhea which leaves little time to introduce updates. Only because like 50% of the market is samsung doesnt mean its good. The LG L7 i dont know... literally i have no opinion. I for one am very happy with XSP. It has one of the highest capacity batteries out there: 2370 mAh, compared to high end considered Xperia Z's 2330 mAh it looks darn good. Beaten by far afaik only by Xperia's Z ultra's 3050 mAh battery. With moderate and reasonable usage the battery can last even 2 days which is quite a feat for any new generation smartphone with a display of that size. XSP to this day has one of the best dual core CPUs and GPU which performs superbly in practice. It is also made quite well, u dont see any "cheapness" in the material. If i were to chose again from the three S4 mini vs LG L7 vs XSP id still go for the Xperia. One more good thing is that we are expecting the 4.3 JB update soon, which gives hope that this phone won't be disregarded and leaves hope for upgrades in foreseeable future. The phone seems optimized dead on in terms of software efficiency which perhaps why many people on XDA are quite glad with stock rom - simply it really is good and well made, not perfect simply because there is are no perfect things in this world.
Personally i think it is the best choice it its class.:good:
Any Front camera samples?
Not expecting any miracles tbh just want to see how it looks.
They should'v ereally put a 1.3 on the front tbh
I can vouch for Sony Support, a few drops of water were in my screen and the aluminum casing was totally messed up(scratched and chipped) from an awful fall, I sent it in using warranty, saying that the display was acting up, and they replaced the screen and the aluminum casing ^_^
it seems that there are fairly decent reviews for SP in this thread.
Actually, I cant decide between a N4 and a SP since I can get either one for the exact same price
I am an average user who tends to do some light gaming, browsing and whatsap
I just wish to have a smooth user experience. Personally I am inclined to have a sony sp, given that the various bugs (wifi, touch screen sensitivity) are actually solved by the recent updates.
Are they major differences between the two handsets ( apart from 3g and 4g) or I would be happy with either one of them?
Thank you.
Main issue for me is the lack of internal storage on the n4. The n5 is rumored to only be a month away and its supposed to be quite competitively priced. Only a rumour though.
Sent from my C5303 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Im between several phones tbh.
Been looking at the HTC One X, not brand new but used, better camera and what not but I heard the battery lifes horrible.
So I am interested what do you think. Is 2gb of ram enough to avoid any lagg?
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk
For average smartphone user like my mom, father or my brother yes. Its more than enough. My mother has LWP, some widgets, almost all stock even Samsung launcher. she's using phone for texting, learning, web browsing... in her phone she has only 768mb RAM on phone alavaible, 200-300 free no lag. She is happy. But who someone who like to have TONS of widgets, launchers and other heavy apps somentimes I see small lag like 2 seconds. But I downloaded like 350-400 apps/games lots is running in background. So lag is my/bad apps fault, im sure of this. When I unistall those most RAM hungry I have 800 RAM free.
Time to delete some apps. I dont need 4 app monitors, 5 file organisers and so
Wysłane z mojego GT-I9295 przy użyciu Tapatalka
Hrm, the question isn't really 'is it okay today' because it's kind of okay right now, but in 12 months will it still be ok? I mean, if we're throwing a huge amount of cash dollars at this phone is it going to last 2 years?
I'd foresee no. Apps aren't lightweight anymore and their coders are exploiting the growth in power in the phones. I think in 12 months there will be some frustrating times making you wonder why they saved $4 a phone at manufacturing. And we know the answer is simple. If the phone was amazing, they wouldn't get away with 12 month new releases.
ewa12321 said:
For average smartphone user like my mom, father or my brother yes. Its more than enough. My mother has LWP, some widgets, almost all stock even Samsung launcher. she's using phone for texting, learning, web browsing... in her phone she has only 768mb RAM on phone alavaible, 200-300 free no lag. She is happy. But who someone who like to have TONS of widgets, launchers and other heavy apps somentimes I see small lag like 2 seconds. But I downloaded like 350-400 apps/games lots is running in background. So lag is my/bad apps fault, im sure of this. When I unistall those most RAM hungry I have 800 RAM free.
Time to delete some apps. I dont need 4 app monitors, 5 file organisers and so
Wysłane z mojego GT-I9295 przy użyciu Tapatalka
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here, TW doesn't lag at all when not loaded with 300+ apps, but some people still live in 2011.
Lets see I had the GS3, GS4, GN2 and GN3 and of those devices only 1 had 3GB of RAM and ALL worked just fine for me. So to answer the 2GB of RAM issue you will be just fine. KitKat 4.4.2 is even more optimized and runs even better on lower RAM devices. About 18 months ago we only saw 1GB of RAM on devices and now we have 2-3GB of RAM so I don't see a problem.
No idea why people would have hundreds of apps on their devices. For me, I probably have 40-50 apps installed at any given time...and that's being pretty generous. 2GB will be more than enough for me.
This is kind of a trivial question. First there's the philosophy of trying to utilise as little RAM as possible, thus being efficient on both RAM and battery. Secondly there's the hunt for specs; we all want more and more RAM, more and more milliamps on that battery. That makes sense, more = better, but when you combine these 2 things, there is a limit on both. I don't even use 3GB of RAM on my pc (have 4). Not even photoshop uses that much (unless you are some crazy artist - but then you'd be using a workstation with 64GB of RAM).
TL;DR: 2GB will be enough until phones become desktop replacements.
RAM isn't the biggest reason why TW lags - the Note 3 has 3 gigs and it still has hiccups even when there's plenty of RAM available. TouchWiz is a horrible human creation that apart from a few aspects should not even exist. Sonys, HTCs and even LGs modern smartphones are virtually lag free even though they have their own skins just like Samsung.
So to answer the OPs question, no I don't think 2 or even 22 gigs of RAM would make the SGS5 lag free.
akselic said:
RAM isn't the biggest reason why TW lags - the Note 3 has 3 gigs and it still has hiccups even when there's plenty of RAM available. TouchWiz is a horrible human creation that apart from a few aspects should not even exist. Sonys, HTCs and even LGs modern smartphones are virtually lag free even though they have their own skins just like Samsung.
So to answer the OPs question, no I don't think 2 or even 22 gigs of RAM would make the SGS5 lag free.
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Click to collapse
You do know that it is Android 4.4.2 and a totally new Touch Wiz version, you can say nothing about how it performs before you have tested it unless you actually are psychic!
xeizo said:
you can say nothing about how it performs before you have tested it unless you actually are psychic!
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Click to collapse
You are right about this. Based on Samsungs (or rather TouchWiz) track record I don't have high expectations though. I also seriously doubt they have completely rewritten TW, they have just changed some of the looks in it. And my point still stands - modern smartphones with modern processors and a relatively good amount of RAM should run Android fine without lag. If competition can do it, so can Samsung. If they lag with the same hardware that competition doesn't lag with, then there is something different in the software that differs from competitors e.g. skins, launchers etc.
Can't answer that yet nobody knows how the new TW will perform. One thing is for sure I will always replace the standard UI with either Apex or Nova Launcher.
I'm only using important apps because a smartphone to me is still a phone, so I hardly have any games, widgets or all that stuff installed but having said that more RAM can never be a bad thing, nobody knows what the future holds. When it comes down to more and more multitasking 3 GB should provide a smoother experience despite all the optimization.
I have owned the Galaxy S3, S4, Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy Note 3 and while I experience some lag on the S3 and Note 2, I didn't notice anything major on the S4 or Note 3 and maybe its just me, how I use it or I missed it. I think Samsung continues to improve on their UI and unless we ditch them as an OEM we are stuck with it. I do wish they would go stock Android like they do on the GPE and just put their added apps into it but that won't ever happen.
I have chosen my next phone and pre-ordered my accessories, the Galaxy S5 is what I will be getting, I like what Samsung does, what they offer and ultimately I am happy with their gear.
Just updated my Sprint S4 to 4.4.2 and there is no lag at all 110 apps installed. Blazing fast, looking forward to the same in the S5
Nice to hear. So I am buying s5 instead of z2 becouse I hate sony's design.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Most of the phones today come with 2GB of RAM, the phablets come with 3GB perhaps due to the larger screen, more likely to have multiple windows open (dual apps) not sure why we the S5 doesn't have it. The G3 is supposed to have a 2k display which again is just a specs war thing. A 2k display is useless and unnecessary on a 5-6" display because it will require a much bigger battery just to match what it got last year.
RaptorMD said:
A 2k display is useless and unnecessary on a 5-6" display because it will require a much bigger battery just to match what it got last year.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I saw an interview last fall from one of the manufacturers considering 2k screens and he said that they abandoned it at the time because the resolution difference resulted in a whopping 60% more battery consumption compared to a full HD screen.
I'll use the LG G2 as an example because it was considered quite long lasting. It had 3000 mAh, and to compare the G3 would need 4800. I'll repeat myself, 4800 mAh just to be on par with the G2. How many of you honestly think that's going to happen anytime soon? Even the massive phablets don't sport batterys even close to that capacity.
akselic said:
I saw an interview last fall from one of the manufacturers considering 2k screens and he said that they abandoned it at the time because the resolution difference resulted in a whopping 60% more battery consumption compared to a full HD screen.
I'll use the LG G2 as an example because it was considered quite long lasting. It had 3000 mAh, and to compare the G3 would need 4800. I'll repeat myself, 4800 mAh just to be on par with the G2. How many of you honestly think that's going to happen anytime soon? Even the massive phablets don't sport batterys even close to that capacity.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well said. For me 1080p displays on a 5-6" screen work just fine for me, nothing against higher res dislays but lets not put them there for specs sake, do it because they offer something.
I will get the GS5 now and wait to see what the GN4 looks like in the fall and trade up or wait for the GS6 and trade up then.
akselic said:
I saw an interview last fall from one of the manufacturers considering 2k screens and he said that they abandoned it at the time because the resolution difference resulted in a whopping 60% more battery consumption compared to a full HD screen.
I'll use the LG G2 as an example because it was considered quite long lasting. It had 3000 mAh, and to compare the G3 would need 4800. I'll repeat myself, 4800 mAh just to be on par with the G2. How many of you honestly think that's going to happen anytime soon? Even the massive phablets don't sport batterys even close to that capacity.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Plus 1, 2k is overkill, way overkill. But smartphone displays can still improve at 1080p. For example Sony can have better viewing angles and colors, Samsung could use better whites... Things like that otherwise 1080p is great.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
RaptorMD said:
Lets see I had the GS3, GS4, GN2 and GN3 and of those devices only 1 had 3GB of RAM and ALL worked just fine for me. So to answer the 2GB of RAM issue you will be just fine. KitKat 4.4.2 is even more optimized and runs even better on lower RAM devices. About 18 months ago we only saw 1GB of RAM on devices and now we have 2-3GB of RAM so I don't see a problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know what the point of lying is. Why do it? The GS3 is infamous for being laggy becuse of touchwiz. Mine was no different. For you to say there was none on yours is simply a falsehood.
Caelrie said:
I don't know what the point of lying is. Why do it? The GS3 is infamous for being laggy becuse of touchwiz. Mine was no different. For you to say there was none on yours is simply a falsehood.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Gs3 didn't lag for me AT ALL. The S4 however did a lot.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
So I've got my new device, and I'm so glad to be rid of my SP, I bought it around April 2014 for £250 and at the time, it sounded like a decent performer on paper. Then we got our first update, pretty buggy, then we got the news of the 4.4 update being cancelled. Then FXP moved us to a legacy device. Today, I sold my device for a measly £25 at cash converters after CeX said my loud speaker was too distorted and couldn't be accepted.
I still to this day don't understand why the phones memory management was so horrible. 1gb should be enough to get by, all I got was crashes, even on the lock screen and system ui.
I hope people who still have the SP can move on from what has been a massive let down for me. Anyone looking to pick one up for cheap, avoid it unless the disco lights draw you in like they did to me.
donk165 said:
So I've got my new device, and I'm so glad to be rid of my SP, I bought it around April 2014 for £250 and at the time, it sounded like a decent performer on paper. Then we got our first update, pretty buggy, then we got the news of the 4.4 update being cancelled. Then FXP moved us to a legacy device. Today, I sold my device for a measly £25 at cash converters after CeX said my loud speaker was too distorted and couldn't be accepted.
I still to this day don't understand why the phones memory management was so horrible. 1gb should be enough to get by, all I got was crashes, even on the lock screen and system ui.
I hope people who still have the SP can move on from what has been a massive let down for me. Anyone looking to pick one up for cheap, avoid it unless the disco lights draw you in like they did to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1, it was mainly the lights that attracted me as well (and cheap price, I got mine from an ebay auction for £160 ). Decent hardware/beautiful design but let down by poor software, 1GB RAM is plenty. I should be getting my replacement very soon as well :fingers-crossed: .
Tbh my experience with Sony has only gotten worse with time, I remember back when I was using the Xperia X8-happy days :good:.
another unhappy customer
crappy screen, constant lag!!! my samsung s2 and nexus7 2012 blow this thing away. i have ordered a new phone and am actually looking forward to smashing this thing with a hammer!
Same here... I hate my XSP. Battery life is bad, buggy update, 4.4 cancelled... I need new phone but don't know what to buy. I am considering XZ3C but its Sony.....
Yea, the worst part I thought the phone is very good and and comes near the s4 when I bought it, because of the benchmarks. This is the last time I trust benchmarks. I have got my phone since 1 year and I think I will wait for the note 5 .
For the money the XP has very decent specs. Yet somehow no matter which ROM I use there always seem to be lag issues. My wife's S2 performs much better in that respect even though its specs are somewhat lower.
I noticed that greenifying background apps help a lot to reduce lag in day to day usage. But still whenever I do some multitasking, e.g. switching to a music app while tracking my run using runtastic, the phone lags.
It would be very interesting to find out why the SP with its more than decent specs is so laggy.
del
So
Ever since i saw this phone i was like MUST HAVE THIS
When i finally bought it last year it was huge upgrade from xperia mini pro that i has.
But as time passed i was seeing the flaws that i cant unseen.
UNRESPONSIVE DIGITALIZER OMG SO BAD - any custom rom and sometimes even on STOCK
The hw seems good, i dont know where the problem is but this phone is just too slow, i think it is because of slow internal memory.
I cant affort upgrade so......
Running RR 5.4.0 Finally working well...... (still ram problems like any other rom on this phone.....)
Yes the hardware lied to me too. I had a phone with 15k on antutu and ran smoother than xsp. I sold it yesterday. I don't have much money so I will buy a budget device like lg l bello or lenovo a6000 and they will still be better than this xsp.
yea, we all have something in common.
I'm very happy with my XSP now, but I had to do a lot of cleaning on the ROM.
Out of the box experience is bad, I must admit.
I tried custom ROMs and none of them really satisfied me. I got back to stock rooted (.207), removed all Sony apps and a lot of other system apps I don't use. Now battery life is very good and even multitasking is OK. I have ~320MB free RAM after boot. I installed Xposd to have all the nice tweaks that custom ROMs provide.
Having to tweak the phone so much to get it to work is not acceptable for an average customer, but I am happy with my XSP because I did it.
Also note that i bought my phone in July 2013 for 320€, and at that time it was a very good deal. Best hardware for the price.
So I am not unhappy at all, but totally aware that this phone is not a good deal if you stick to out of the box experience.
thewild said:
I'm very happy with my XSP now, but I had to do a lot of cleaning on the ROM.
Out of the box experience is bad, I must admit.
I tried custom ROMs and none of them really satisfied me. I got back to stock rooted (.207), removed all Sony apps and a lot of other system apps I don't use. Now battery life is very good and even multitasking is OK. I have ~320MB free RAM after boot. I installed Xposd to have all the nice tweaks that custom ROMs provide.
Having to tweak the phone so much to get it to work is not acceptable for an average customer, but I am happy with my XSP because I did it.
Also note that i bought my phone in July 2013 for 320€, and at that time it was a very good deal. Best hardware for the price.
So I am not unhappy at all, but totally aware that this phone is not a good deal if you stick to out of the box experience.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For someone this phone can be ok, but the digitizer problems are just a disaster for android phone like this.....
I am probably not buying sony phone again, but only reason for that is really poor software support
you guys are lucky
My xperia SP is boot loader locked by my carrier (EE) have tried every rom available to get good performance. So I'm back to stock with xposed.
Anyway 1gb of RAM should be fine, and would be fine, but the xperia SP doesn't have 1gb of RAM, 185mb is used by the baseband processor, leaving 839mb for the OS. Oh wait that isn't optimised. Darn only 256mb for the user. Great thinking Sony.
Also you give it 720p how is the CPU going to push the OS. Give me strength.
System UI works hard... Typo because the screen responsiveness has stopped. I meant hardly working.
The camera well that produces more noise than the speaker.
The aluminium "co-molded" chassis The metallic version of chipboard. The back of the phone that flexes inward and disintergrates due to the amount of times I've had to remove it to hard off the phone
These kinks that our phone has, make it for me.
The Design Connoisseur's smartphone, remind me to nail it to the wall when I'm done with it.
The phone always let me down but then I found out it was because I was using way too many modules on xposed lol.
I recently unlocked my bootloader and flashed mrcl's CM12.1 with Tangerine kernel (the first ever CM12 based kennel for the XSP and the first custom kernel I've ever used). Everything is incredibly smooth, feels like I'm playing a game at 60FPS.
Here's what I did with the kernel
CPU Governor: Smartassv2
GPU Governor: ondemand
I/O Scheduler: bfq
Here's what I did for speed
1. SD Maid Pro
2. Z3's Xperia Home (believe it or not)
Sent from my Xperia SP using XDA Free mobile app
TheAvengingTITAN said:
The phone always let me down but then I found out it was because I was using way too many modules on xposed lol.
I recently unlocked my bootloader and flashed mrcl's CM12.1 with Tangerine kernel (the first ever CM12 based kennel for the XSP and the first custom kernel I've ever used). Everything is incredibly smooth, feels like I'm playing a game at 60FPS.
Here's what I did with the kernel
CPU Governor: Smartassv2
GPU Governor: ondemand
I/O Scheduler: bfq
Here's what I did for speed
1. SD Maid Pro
2. Z3's Xperia Home (believe it or not)
Sent from my Xperia SP using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have a good battery life?
Spasik said:
For someone this phone can be ok, but the digitizer problems are just a disaster for android phone like this.....
I am probably not buying sony phone again, but only reason for that is really poor software support
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What are your problems with the digitizer ?
I don't have any. I play some games, so I believe I would have noticed.
As for RAM, it is not that much of a problem once you've cleaned the ROM. I can play games like Asphalt 8 without any issue.
Anyway, I agree that the stock software is very bad, but the hardware is fine IMHO.
Whatever you do you will not able to make it normal. I sold it and bought a lenovo a6000. The lenovo is faster even tho it has 20k on antutu, you install apps extremely fast and you have much better display, it is not heavy as a nokia like the xsp was and overall even tho it has 20 k points on anututu it does the job better
lvints said:
Do you have a good battery life?
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Click to collapse
Excellent battery life.
Sent from my Xperia SP using XDA Free mobile app
---------- Post added at 12:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:17 PM ----------
rdlegy said:
The lenovo is faster even tho it has 20k on antutu, you install apps extremely fast
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Click to collapse
The SP with CM12.1 gave me a score of 27000+ and everything is blazing fast. I actually compared this side by side with a Z2 and Z3 and I can say, the SP is as fast as them with the new ROMs when It comes to installation and multitasking.
Sad to see you left the XSP. But at least you're happy with your lenovo
Sent from my Xperia SP using XDA Free mobile app
I took this when my phone was overheating, so this is the lowest score I got on AnTuTu with Android 5.1
Sent from my Xperia SP using XDA Free mobile app
rdlegy said:
Whatever you do you will not able to make it normal. I sold it and bought a lenovo a6000. The lenovo is faster even tho it has 20k on antutu, you install apps extremely fast and you have much better display, it is not heavy as a nokia like the xsp was and overall even tho it has 20 k points on anututu it does the job better
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Antutu is antutu. It relies a lot on gaming performance for instance, and the XSP is good at 3D games. It does not rely much on storage performance, and XSP is not good there.
But you say that you can't make it normal and I have to disagree with this because mine is behaving perfectly, on stock (cleaned) ROM.
Even battery life is good. (one day with quite heavy usage, Waze, Ingress, podcasts over Bluetooth...)
Good that you like your new phone anyway. My XSP will soon be 2 years old, and I think it might last another year.
TheAvengingTITAN said:
I took this when my phone was overheating, so this is the lowest score I got on AnTuTu with Android 5.1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have about the same score with stock 4.3 (26.819 actually), default io and scheduler.
But benchmarks are. just benchmarks.