Improving Z1 Compact; camera, audio, screen, battery, ...

Improving Z1 Compact; camera, audio, screen, battery, ... - Xperia Z1 Compact General

Hello everybody!
I'm writing from Italy. I had a Z1 Compact that I returned to Amazon for water damages.
Now I'm thinking of buying another phone (I think Moto X) because I had some problems with Z1 Compact.
Before buying the Moto X, I'll try to find if this problems can be solved so I can buy another Z1 Compact, that is a nice phone.
My problems (not mine, but of all the Z1 Compact) were:
- Camera: The camera was pretty good, but I hated the way that it recorded videos. The stabilization was good but, moving a little the hand, all the edges of the figures blurred, and above all the focus was really slow and inaccurate;
- Audio recording: The audio recoding was really bad... I didn't like the recorded audio quality at all, it seemed like it was underwater, the quality was always crappy IMHO, and with big volumes (concert, disco) it was really really distorted;
(for these camera and audio problems I tried different camera softwares, but they were even worse than the Sony original one!)
- Multimedial audio: The multimedial audio was really low and with a normal (but not good or excellent) quality. I tried this boost; it improved the speaker volume (even if the quality wasn't good at all) but not the headphones one;
- Screen and battery: Screen's colours didn't impressed me, they were always faded. Battery was good but non excellent (however, these aren't big problems).
Now... Can I solve this problems in some ways or they are unsolvable hardware problems?
Thank you so much. Bye!

There is no perfect mobile in the market and it's the same for our phone z1c
I love this phone,for me camera is nice,video recording is good(way better then some phones i have tried(yeah its not real camcorder),audio is great recording quality and with sound boost speaker is enough loud for my taste Cheers
That's how this phone work's and if you don't like it you can always try another with things that suits you more cheers
ps. I have yet to meat the person that holded our phone for the first time,played with it and said "this phone sucks"

If you think the Moto X is a better phone overall just buy that one. If you don't like the screen,battery,camera and multimedia related stuff what's left for you to like about this phone ?! This site can only tweak some aspects about a phone , not change it entirely.

I like it because it's compact and very powerful. Plus, I like Sony interface.
But I hate the problems I listed, so I asked to know if I can solve it with mod or tweak or they are hardware "issues" and so not solvable...

Andrea45 said:
I like it because it's compact and very powerful. Plus, I like Sony interface.
But I hate the problems I listed, so I asked to know if I can solve it with mod or tweak or they are hardware "issues" and so not solvable...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem you listed almost all can be partly solved but there is no bugs free or perfect android phone in the world because your requirement is very high.
1. In reality, I found many of digital stabilization on smartphone somehow got some drawback like you mentioned. It will also happen on other phone but just maybe in some other ways and the perfect solution is get a OIS like HTC M7, N5(video quality is just normal in my experiences) or LG G2/G3. If you got a real fast cpu and know how to do video editing, there are some software stabilization available and they are all better but very time consuming works.
This camera has details because of 1/2.3" sensor but the focus is bad. If you need a fast and accurate focus then only HTC and Samsung can help you in my experiences, you should consider HTC M7(with OIS) or Galaxy S5 but remember HTC M7 UltraPixel is only 4MP and many guys not satisfy with that.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2730097
Indeed, the z1c focus already improved noticeably in 4.4.4(but still can't beat HTC and Samsung) and with this mod(remember to only flash v7 8MP ver) the image, video and audio quality is also improved. Our tiny phone got a small mic just never expect to get real good quality.
2. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=54328280&postcount=53
Many to complain about the multimedia and looking for some complicated solutions but I found it can be easily solved via PowerAMP. The Dynamic normaliser got boost nearly 50% volume in headphone without distort during in my experiences.
3. The screen actually not impressed me either but in general, Sony never use top quality LCD like HTC, LG and Samsung. The IPS screen on z1c is already the 2nd best in Sony history(1st sure is Z2). Battery is ok but it won't be excellent because 2300mah is not enough for S800.
MotoX won't help because it doesn't has dedicated ISP and the camera is bad overall comments on net. MotoX+1 may equipped with dedicated ISP. In your case, actually I would recommend you LG G2. The G2 mod cam is great on xda(but the dev got temp. banned you gonna find some backup download) and it also got OIS. The focus is a little bit accurate than z1c but G2 focus is also same slow, G3 focus is faster. If you think G3 5.5" is too big then consider G3 beat 5". The screen quality and battery is all good on LG.
But if you just want a small flagship, then no choice now only Z1 Compact. Indeed, with 4.4.4 and the mod cam been many things improved.

I don't like LG phones because they have distorsion with high volume too, and I think that they don't have reception and audio of Moto X.
However, what is a "dedicated ISP"? Thank you.

Andrea45 said:
Hello everybody!
I'm writing from Italy. I had a Z1 Compact that I returned to Amazon for water damages.
Now I'm thinking of buying another phone (I think Moto X) because I had some problems with Z1 Compact.
Before buying the Moto X, I'll try to find if this problems can be solved so I can buy another Z1 Compact, that is a nice phone.
My problems (not mine, but of all the Z1 Compact) were:
- Camera: The camera was pretty good, but I hated the way that it recorded videos. The stabilization was good but, moving a little the hand, all the edges of the figures blurred, and above all the focus was really slow and inaccurate;
- Audio recording: The audio recoding was really bad... I didn't like the recorded audio quality at all, it seemed like it was underwater, the quality was always crappy IMHO, and with big volumes (concert, disco) it was really really distorted;
(for these camera and audio problems I tried different camera softwares, but they were even worse than the Sony original one!)
- Multimedial audio: The multimedial audio was really low and with a normal (but not good or excellent) quality. I tried this boost; it improved the speaker volume (even if the quality wasn't good at all) but not the headphones one;
- Screen and battery: Screen's colours didn't impressed me, they were always faded. Battery was good but non excellent (however, these aren't big problems).
Now... Can I solve this problems in some ways or they are unsolvable hardware problems?
Thank you so much. Bye!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
get your phone under warranty. On mine, screen is sharp as knife, audio quality on headphones is a KILLER. Just send it to warranty or whatever. Battery on Z1 Compact is one of the best out here (comparing to i9505, 801n etc). Maybe you have chinese copy Or sell your phone and problem will be solved.

Andrea45 said:
I don't like LG phones because they have distorsion with high volume too, and I think that they don't have reception and audio of Moto X.
However, what is a "dedicated ISP"? Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There won't be perfect phone in the world atm as we all mentioned in this thread. You either need to accept one or two problem existed or else your decision making is ridiculous and just wasting your time.
Things changed, LG is much better now. But if you want good audio, I think only HTC BoomSound and Sony Z2 S-Force speaker do the job on android. HTC M7 got OIS and BoomSound but the camera is just 4MP. Nokia almost did all things you want but it is a WP device. If you are so like MotoX then just get it, don't ask.

i've several phones here: N4 / N5 / One Mini / Xcover2 / Moto G / Z1c
washed out Colors? That would Fit N5, not Z1c. Z1c has great colours, only the blacks are to black
Audio sucks? have you exer listened to N4 / N5 / Xcover? I mean, it is not HTC Boomsound, but it is a phone, and thats okay. The only real drawback from a One: like all Phones with one Speaker, is does matter how you hold it while listening to the speaker...
are you sure your z1c has no physical problem?

For audio recording i guess you are using the stock recording app? I use the app ASR and it is amazing. beautiful stereo audio.

In apps and themes section is mod which one activate headspeaker and when you listen to music 2 speakers works fine and you have stereo music the same situaton is when somebody calls to you 2 spekares are on about camre i think that update after update something is changed and works always better. Nothing is perfect remember that everyone!))
Screen is great really great but no compete with old s2 super amoled
i have both fones and when i compare in the same situations amoled was always better but this is my own private opinion. I was thinking for a long time about changing my s2 and z1c is the only one phone for me there is no better phone in this size

mosespl said:
In apps and themes section is mod which one activate headspeaker and when you listen to music 2 speakers works fine and you have stereo music the same situaton is when somebody calls to you 2 spekares are on about camre i think that update after update something is changed and works always better. Nothing is perfect remember that everyone!))
Screen is great really great but no compete with old s2 super amoled
i have both fones and when i compare in the same situations amoled was always better but this is my own private opinion. I was thinking for a long time about changing my s2 and z1c is the only one phone for me there is no better phone in this size
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I come from HTC One S and also used 4.3" Super AMOLED from Samsung. They both have pros and cons. The color is much accurate on IPS but lack of contrast and saturation levels, amoled does much better job but somewhat over as we all know. So, they are just 50/50. No winner.
The real advantage is the touch sensitive on amoled is better than IPS panel. But since the galaxy s5 mini spec. is very ****, we have no choice but z1c.

Related

Things I like most about HTC One are... :)

Hello!
Most of the time >on forums like XDA< people are talking about their issues and troubleshooting, making us - readers - feel like the device only has problems and forget about the good things it offers.
There are no or close to no posts about what people like about the phone. I don't blame anyone because it actualy makes no sense of opening a thread like "I like its screen. K thanx bye."
So lets make a thread and write only about the good things it offers and what you like about HTC One and why would you suggest this phone to public.
Try to keep this thread without trolling and discouraging people of buying this phone or pointing out what problems it has. I would like to ask any MOD to delete negative comments in this thread to make it clean and ON TOPIC.
Let me begin:
When I attended HTC Launch in München I fisrt held the device in my hands. The feeling was awesome, incredible, I was speechless about the design (I didn't like it at first) and it really is an awesome device.
Sound quality is outstanding. I compared front speakers to my HTC One X and I couldn't even hear my One X ..it was like speakers weren't playing on One X. I like the Music app finding lyrics for you automaticly. Everything is easy and just works.
Zoe is amazing. I thought it was something I would never use at first (I am more like point and shoot - still images) but than I looked closely - amazing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R08se6Xc9j0
It works like charm. No problems or whatsoever.
The screen of HTC One compared to my ONE X is like night and day. I always liked HTC One X screen but compared at full brightness really makes a difference.
https://twitter.com/miHah1/status/306137264126316544/photo/1 - a note - battery savings are set to reduce CPU only, leaving brightness at full.
So I already ordered it and can't wait the day it arrives!
What do you like about HTC One the most?

Hello,
I've went to Vodafone Romania in weekend and I could put my hands on HTC ONE. The first thing that left me speechless was the DISPLAY. The display is AMAZING, STUNNING ...no words for it. Is so crisp and everything is looking incredible. (My actually phone is iPhone 4S, which has a great display, but the one on HTC is simply brilliant).
Another thing that I really like is how you feel the phone in your hand.
thanks!

I'm so hooked on this phone, something about it just gets me more interested than any other phone has for quite a while (all the others seemed to just be standard upgrades - RAM, CPU, the works)
Then I saw the One, and the dual speakers, new camera tech and general design made me hooked immediately (Also, the IR Blaster was a nice touch)
So yeah, anxiously waiting for my phone

Re: The thing I like about HTC One the most is...
Can't wait to get the phone!!
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium

I really like my One because:
- fantastic music production, on headphones and using the speakers
- fast UI, especially the use of folders
- build quality, feels and looks expensive
- screen clarity makes me use this device moew than any other I have owned
- good value, in the UK it comes with free cases OR headphones OR media link etc

I don't have mine yet. But I'm sure the one thing I'm going to like most about it will be the updates to Sense 5. As far as hardware goes, the whole thing is a monster. Extreme internals along with a strong outer shell.

I love this phone, I haven't been so happy with a phone since my old Galaxy S2, which was actually my first android phone. The hardware is superb, with probably the best design of any phone so far. It is nicely weighted, and doesn't feel cheap, yet it doesn't feel like lead in my pockets. The screen is a nice size and the PPI is fantastic, with extremely sharp text. A way it is improved from my Nexus 4 is that while they are both 4.7", the HTC One screen is slightly taller and less wide, which means more can fit vertically on the screen. The touch buttons are responsive and the screen lacks the stupid wide bezel seen on the iPhone 5. The back is curved nicely and many people have commented on how thin the phone is due to the thinness of the sides, not realising that actually the phone is thicker than others out there at the back. The speakers on the HTC are amazingly loud and clear, and wipe the floor with any other phone I have put them against. When Beats mode is turned off, they deteriorate badly, and I think HTC has done this on purpose to advertise the Beats brand as offering superior sound. The camera seems really good to me, and easily beats my Nexus 4 in ANY situation, with especially fantastic low light performance, and the macro detail is second to none. Landscapes and buildings don't fare so well though and more detail can be found in other phones with more megapixels, which do make a difference at range.
I like how the notification LED is nestled invisibly inside the speaker grill, and it flashes fast enough to be spotted well. I have only seen it light up red and green and don't think it is multicoloured. The software on the phone is elegant and much simpler than previous versions of Sense which I have seen running on the One X. The animations are fast, which helps make the phone even quicker than it is. The shutter lag on the camera is non-existant and photos are taken as soon as the button is pressed. The music player is excellent, and automatically downloads album photos, as well as a nice visualiser with automatic stylised lyrics. I love HTC Zoe, and have entertained many people with some of its creations. Call quality is good. Battery life seems amazing for me so far, I get 0%-1% drain when I sleep at night, and currently my phone is on 90% after 6 hours off charge and 1 hour screen on time. The phone seems to get warm when the screen is on max brightness, although this doesn't affect anything and it may just be my device. Overall, I think this phone is amazing and would easily recommend it over the Galaxy S4 due to the amazing build quality (a few people actually asked me what phone I had when out and about taking photos) and useful software which doesn't seem bloated at all and actually contains features I actually use on a daily basis. I got this phone for £489.99 which I think is a fantastic price.

I like the screen and form factor, smaller than the Xperia Z, and with a better screen...
Makes me sad that I've got both the Z and the M7, I think the only thing the Z will be good for is ripping blu-rays onto it for my commute (that SD card slot is sorely missed on the M7)

Build quality. It's about time someone makes build quality better than Apple or even just on par with them..

I'm waiting for mine, so I don't have one yet, but this is what I fell for:
- The beautiful design, especially on the silvery one
- Blinkfeed (sure that I will love it)
- Sense 5 (like very much the look of it)
- The display (seems very clear)
- That it has a FM radio
- That it has good sound quality
- Zoe (it will be fun to try that)

the Thing I like most about HTC One is .... the waiting
pre-ordered on expansys on february 23 and still status says -19 days
seriously , for a phone's pathological sick like me the waiting is the best moment. even maybe HTC is extending my enjoyng a bit too much

Hi,
i like my htc one, cuz of this:
Sense 5 - fast and really nice
Sense Music Player - this lyric integration is awesome
speakers and microfon - great for music, videos and recording media
build quality and design - i've got an well made one
power - i can play every hd game i own lagfree :laugh:

What I like about the HTC One:
-The Screen quality
-The PPI
-The dual front facing stereo speakers (and their sound quality)
-The design
-The premium materials used (actually looks like the phone costs)
-The UI and it's smoothness (Sense 5)
-The wide angle front facing camera
-The video recording quality
-The low light picture quality
-The in-call quality
-The dual membrane microphones (audio recording quality)
-The IR LED
-The FM Radio
-Sequence shot
-Zoe
Personally though, I'll be waiting for the Nexus 5 despite how nice the S4 and HTC One are.

The main reasons I am going for the HTC One instead of the Z/S4 are:
- It's design and build quality especially
- The front facing, dual speakers (boomsound)
- 1080p SLCD3 display
- Perfect performance (S600 chipset)
- UltraPixel camera (yes, after everything I have read/seen, I am very curious to use it myself)
It's just a very, very nice overall package. The fantastic reviews also help. I have seen websites (like pocketnow and technobuffalo) give their highest scores ever to a smartphone. After listning to some podcasts from Pocketnow I also understand why. It's just a joy too use, and since I have seen multiple websites say this, I believe them.
On the other hand, my choice to go for the One is also made simpler by the alternatives. I had the Xperia Z: it looks good, but it's a pain to use ergonomicly. The GS4 looks like my GS3, so no "wow" looks, but ergonomicly it's nice. The One brings both good looks, fantastic build quality and an ergonomic design.
Then there are the "last year" - specs for the Z (S4 Pro chipset) and the pretty washed out screen. The GS4 has the best specs, but it's only a tiny bit better then the One. And the much better looking and feeling design of the One is worth so much more.
EDIT: I forgot to mention the small reasons I'm going for the One (copy/paste from the sir above me)
-The wide angle front facing camera
-The video recording quality
-The sound quality of your recorded video
-The low light picture quality
-The in-call quality
-The IR LED
-Sequence shot
-Zoe
-Highlight reels

What i like the most
Its gonne replace my galaxy s3(wich i love also) so what i like most about the htc one:
-Great design and built quality
-great sound from the front speakers
-great sound from the delivered headphones
-The best recording mic from all the phones out there
-great low light performance
-The ir blaster(remote control)
-the best screen out there...
-Zoe
-The in-call quality
-Sequence shot
-The wide angle front facing camera
-great recording cam
-Great movie and gaming experience because of the stereo speakers upfront..
So i cant wait any longer till it arrives.....

So, mine arrives tomorrow - I bought before ever seeing one in the flesh just on the design! (currently on Nexus4) but I played with my my sisters new HTC One today.
I have a Macbook Pro and Imac that I use for business and home. The One looks STUNNING alongside these products. It fits in better with my unibody mac more than an Iphone ever would! The build, design, in your hand is AMAZING before I even turned the screen on I was sold.
Turn the screen on... Sold again. WOW clarity, colours, its amazingly sharp.
Camera - Super fast, Super good.
General performance is super snappy, I was planning on rooting and putting stock straight on, now I wont.
Speakers - Best I have ever heard on a mobile device of its size and thickness.
My Beats Mixr headphones sound even better than through my Nexus4.
HTC One = WIN - very premium

Goodnight for all. What about charging time ? It take 3 hours on my one x. Some games(real racing 3, hungry shark evo..) drains battery too fast. I'll recharge my onex to play continue my games but it takes too long. Thanks.

I like my HTC One because:
Best speakers I have ever had on a phone
In-call sound quality very good too
Reliable and quick GPS
Speed and smoothness in transition across screens and in browsing
Sharp, bright screen - unrivalled ppi ratio
Blinkfeed integrated feed - quicker to access than Flipboard and includes calendar/agenda
Build quality is very good
Battery can last a day without issue (though my z10 and note 2 do a bit more)
USING: BB Z10, HTC ONE and GALAXY NOTE 2

uygar2580 said:
Goodnight for all. What about charging time ? It take 3 hours on my one x. Some games(real racing 3, hungry shark evo..) drains battery too fast. I'll recharge my onex to play continue my games but it takes too long. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pocketnow tested the charging time, because they thought the Snapdragon 600 chipset supported Quickcharge 2.0 (which would cut charging times up to 75%). They said it was an avarage 2 hours to go from 0 to 100% though. I did some research and I think only the S800 chipset will support this Quickcharge 2.0 technology.
Sadly.. it would have been great to go from 0 to 100% in 30-45 minutes

AW: Things I like most about HTC One are...
3 hours and via USB about 4h. Thats slow, but battery life is good enough.
Gesendet von meinem HTC One mit Tapatalk 2

Why I Chose The Xperia Z and not HTC One

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I just could not decide so got both One and Z

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

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

I thiink exactly the same, great post

Best of Sony... is not really great..

First, I'd like to say that I'm not trying to hate on Sony or bash them, just pointing out that what they call "the best of Sony" isn't exactly great or better than the competition, though I really just want to point out about the display and camera. I moved on from the Note 3 to the Z1 (lost my Note 3, wanted a good phone with a good camera for a low price so I got an Xperia Z1), and here's what I've noticed.
Display:
Well, there's no other way to say it: for a flagship phone, the Z1's display isn't that great. Viewing angles are poor, and viewing it at even small angles puts a whitish hue over it that just doesn't look good. It might be good for privacy, but otherwise it's plain to see that they're using an inferior IPS tech than other manufacturers. The Note 3 or the Nexus 5's displays are clearly much better, and so is the one on the HTC One from early 2013. I've heard that the Z1 Compact finally has a great screen among Sony devices, so that's great, but I feel that many Sony fans are clearly ignorant of how much greener the grass in on the other side when it comes to displays.
Camera
To be honest, this is the biggest disappointment I've had with the Z1. I don't know if Sony was focusing purely on lossless zoom when adding the 20MP camera, but when it comes to resolved detail and visible noise, the Note 3's camera was better despite no fancy tech and standard sensor. Sure, it has a 13MP camera while the Z1 takes photos at 8MP after downsampling, but in general its photos are clearer and more detailed. I've tried taking 20MP pics, and they just do not come out as great as one would expect (if they focused on lossless zoom, even that hasn't worked out well in general outdoor photos), and Sony has basically squandered a nice opportunity.
But on the flip side, I love some things about the camera. It's fast to open (mainly thanks to the camera button), it's smooth, and is quick to change modes, which helped a lot on my weekend trip with my family.) I don't like that HDR isn't a dedicated mode and is simply a switch when you select 8MP photos in Manual, but other than that, it's pretty good overall. In fact, the quickness and the shutter button are what make me ignore the fact that in quality I've come down to a noticeably not-so-great-at-capturing-detail camera (the Note 3 took ages to select modes, open the camera app, and open pictures.)
That's something that's true in Sony's software overall: it's beautiful, sleek, and quick and responsive. I do miss some features from the Note 3 (Multi-Window, Smart Stay (extremely useful when you can't be bothered touching the screen to keep it awake), some camera modes, and the better multitasking (my Z1 is abysmal at holding apps in memory, and not because it's just 2GB of RAM.) It feels good to use, and that's a pretty good thing.
But again, the screen and camera have let me down considerably. Again, on the flip side, I love the phone's build (though it's a bit too bulky, but then it is waterproof), and things like the lanyard slot and camera button (conveniences manufacturers have forgotten in their quest to copy and follow Apple since the first iPhone arrived on the market).
So in the end it's clear that "the best of Sony" just isn't the right thing to say when your tech is behind the competition in some things and just isn't as great as owners of flagship devices of the competition have become used to. The pricing is great, though, but I kinda don't think I'd want to save a few bucks next time I want a phone, not unless Sony focuses on making the hardware more complete regarding awesomeness.
Sorry for the rant, and again, I wasn't bashing, overall I like my Z1, just don't love it (yet)!
P.S.: My Galaxy Gear is also now sitting idle, but I guess we can blame Samsung for making its watch incompatible with other devices. It's a useful watch, but not in use anymore. There is a hack to make it work with others, I tried it with the Z1, but most stuff just doesn't work. So I guess I'll buy Sony's smartwatch next. :silly:
P.P.S.: I hope KitKat comes soon. I like that Sony takes time to test its software, but with Samsung and HTC moving pretty quick with KitKat despite having heavy skins, and Samsung has even managed to not introduce any quirky bugs (they disabled third-party accessories, but an update over the weekend reversed that), I really want KitKat to come quick. I want wireless printing support (Samsung had this even before KitKat, one of the few reasons I appreciate Samsung's bloat sometimes, it has some useful features), and it might also solve the issue of lack of RAM on the Z1, even if only a little bit.

This is what you do on Sunday afternoon? We know Z1 is not best like expected.

eclyptos said:
This is what you do on Sunday afternoon? We know Z1 is not best like expected.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's Sunday night where I am, and I had to get my thoughts out there after using the Z1's camera extensively the last two days (I bought the phone on Thursday.)

addicted2088 said:
It's Sunday night where I am, and I had to get my thoughts out there after using the Z1's camera extensively the last two days (I bought the phone on Thursday.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Saturday Night? You should be in some club! ..ahah...just kidding...I know...I am really disappointed by the camera too....what I can surely said is that the problem of the camera quality is related to the Software, but I don't know if we will get better pictures. Many telling me that the Z1 make amazing pictures but mine is not fake and I still not get clear pictures like it should be. Full of Noise, and with Unlocked Bootloader get even worse.

I understand what you're saying, and you have valid points, but these type of complaints come up with every phone out there.
The HTC One has exactly the same Camera complaint that you do. The UltraPixel was a big disappointment for some. The thing about the Z1's camera is that it CAN be improved. The camera is actually extremely good if you use it in manual, and the pictures that come out are the best I've seen on an Android phone. Superior Auto is a bit of a mess though. That's a software problem, not hardware, so we hope kitKat can fix that.
The display is a valid complaint, but I feel head on it's better than the Note 3. The Z1 has one of the most color accurate screens out there, which I prefer over AMOLED oversaturation. The viewing angles personally for me isn't a problem but yes, it is a negative about this phone.
So in the end it's clear that "the best of Sony" just isn't the right thing to say when your tech is behind the competition in some things and just isn't as great as owners of flagship devices of the competition have become used to
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, the Z1 IS the best of Sony...not sure what you're trying to say. I still feel like the Z1 is one of the best phones out there. Although lacking in some parts, the overall package is hard to beat: Snapdragon 800 processor, great battery life, great camera (Yes the camera is still very very good, just not as good as advertised), and best of all premium feeling. There is really no other phone that has all that together in one package right now. The Note 3 is better in some respects but for me feels cheap, and that is a HUGE con for me that overshadows anything else. The Nexus 5 has meh battery life and camera. The HTC One has a meh camera and lower end specs. The Galaxy S4 is no longer talked about when discussing high-end phones.
The point is there's no 'perfect' phone, and I concede that the Z1 does have weaknesses, but so does every other electronic device out there

addicted2088 said:
First, I'd like to say that I'm not trying to hate on Sony or bash them, just pointing out that what they call "the best of Sony" isn't exactly great or better than the competition
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Uh huh.
My advice to you, since it appears you wrote this to practice the writing career you're hoping to have, is to consider other career options. You're not good at this.

learn to make the picture and you will find Z1 camera is great. all the comparatives with Note 3 and the other smartphones take Z1 on the top of Android world
display is very good. poor viewing angle are not a gap, but I can assume it is subjective.
when I watch photos and videos on Z1 display they are much nicer than on other displays.

kantk20111 said:
I understand what you're saying, and you have valid points, but these type of complaints come up with every phone out there.
The HTC One has exactly the same Camera complaint that you do. The UltraPixel was a big disappointment for some. The thing about the Z1's camera is that it CAN be improved. The camera is actually extremely good if you use it in manual, and the pictures that come out are the best I've seen on an Android phone. Superior Auto is a bit of a mess though. That's a software problem, not hardware, so we hope kitKat can fix that.
The display is a valid complaint, but I feel head on it's better than the Note 3. The Z1 has one of the most color accurate screens out there, which I prefer over AMOLED oversaturation. The viewing angles personally for me isn't a problem but yes, it is a negative about this phone.
Well, the Z1 IS the best of Sony...not sure what you're trying to say. I still feel like the Z1 is one of the best phones out there. Although lacking in some parts, the overall package is hard to beat: Snapdragon 800 processor, great battery life, great camera (Yes the camera is still very very good, just not as good as advertised), and best of all premium feeling. There is really no other phone that has all that together in one package right now. The Note 3 is better in some respects but for me feels cheap, and that is a HUGE con for me that overshadows anything else. The Nexus 5 has meh battery life and camera. The HTC One has a meh camera and lower end specs. The Galaxy S4 is no longer talked about when discussing high-end phones.
The point is there's no 'perfect' phone, and I concede that the Z1 does have weaknesses, but so does every other electronic device out there
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not so sure about that ...
HTC has the best software updates ATM and fastest after Google.
It has the best low light camera + best smart flash with the 5 modes
Average daylight shots
best front cam with wide angle
The best mics hdr mics
The best speakers
The best headphones sound
It's the most quality phone
It has the best screen in overall
It has unmatched feel in the hand
Ir blaster
Ois
60 fps video + zoe + really working hdr video
BlinkFeed which is still unmatched with copies
Decent battery life
Great xda development
Most of these things aren't yet matched by the competition which is shame imo since htc one is 1 year old and it's still considered the best overall package phone even in 2014 and I doubt anything but HTC one 2 will surpass it which is only a month or two away.

A lot on that list are gimmicks and a few items there are disputable. If HTC were as ahead of everyone as you make them appear to be, then that's extremely incongruent to the terrible shape the company is in.

Another "OMG Sony why did you do this to me" thread.
Sony rules!!

Shan89 said:
Not so sure about that ...
HTC has the best software updates ATM and fastest after Google.
It has the best low light camera + best smart flash with the 5 modes
Average daylight shots
best front cam with wide angle
The best mics hdr mics
The best speakers
The best headphones sound
It's the most quality phone
It has the best screen in overall
It has unmatched feel in the hand
Ir blaster
Ois
60 fps video + zoe + really working hdr video
BlinkFeed which is still unmatched with copies
Decent battery life
Great xda development
Most of these things aren't yet matched by the competition which is shame imo since htc one is 1 year old and it's still considered the best overall package phone even in 2014 and I doubt anything but HTC one 2 will surpass it which is only a month or two away.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't want to get in a fight about whose phone is better, but everyone's got different preferences in a phone. A lot of the points you mentioned are opinions, and really can't be said in a comparison.
The most 'quality' phone and 'ummatched feel' is extremely subjective.
The Z1 is no less in quality than the HTC One and has as premium materials.
The Moto X and Z1 compact both have better feel, just because they're smaller.
Z1's battery life has been much better for me than HTC One in my experience.
Headphone sound is exactly the same for me. Beats is a gimmick and just a equalizer preset which I can also set on my Z1.
I will admit the HTC One's speakers is miles ahead of the Z1's and the display is better.
Camera as well is a lot better in the Z1 in daylight, but I remember you're the guy who wrote that HTC One vs Z1 camera test and I don't want to get in a fight again about that, so I won't go there. HTC One's better in low light, but the Z1 isn't that bad either.
The Z1's camera has a ton more features as well that are pretty cool to play around with. Gimmicks? Sure, but they're still fun. Also the Z1's viewfinder is much smoother.
All front facing cameras suck equally and don't believe there's a 'best' front facing camera.
edit: Oh, also concerning updates: This is the first time HTC have actually done well with updates. We'll see a year from now how they treat HTC One users. One X and One X+ users are stuck with official 4.2 while the Xperia T, which came out around the same time+, just got updated to 4.3. Sony might be slower at giving updates but they support their phones longer.
See, I just refuted half of your points. Of course you will disagree with me, but that's what's great about Android: everyone has different preferences and different opinions on what's the best. The HTC One is a fantastic phone and is my number 2 after the Z1, but it's still not the best for me. Nothing wrong with that.

omnius1 said:
A lot on that list are gimmicks and a few items there are disputable. If HTC were as ahead of everyone as you make them appear to be, then that's extremely incongruent to the terrible shape the company is in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What exactly is gimmic ?
Ir blaster is very useful
Ois is very helpful in low light / movement or any other type of using the camera / 60 fps video is smooth as camera app on z1 and looks like you're looking thru the glass when watching an video / hdr video is awesome as well at low light , so is the zoe especially if you wanna take out some snaps after which are full sized , I forgot slow motion video as well which is fun tho.
Smart flash is very useful indeed and can take photos from 5cm in pitch black up to 10 meters , with the walls it can go even further
Stereo frontal speakers ...how is this a gimmic lol , anything you do on a phone sounds crazy good + loud + it hits you in the face.
Full metal body is always a good thing , it screams premium ...
Feel in the hand indeed is unmatched due metal + device shape
hdr mics pick up the sound you wouldn't believe that the phone is doing it.
I've forgot also talking via phone is unmatched as well , you get stereo sound + you can talk in super loud environment perfectly fine.
Headphones sound wouldn't be a gimmic as well lol ... Ppl just use that ...on daily bases ..
Software updates is definitely not an gimmic we all want fast and working updates ASAP ,which is not the case with the Sony , it's far from it.
Xda development for me personally is very important since I love to flash + the fact HTC one has about 9/10 times more development it's a must have for me.
The only gimmicky thing would be if you don't like the the BlinkFeed that'd be all which can be turned off.
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

We have to open a thread " @@Shan89 VS @kantk20111 " ..hahah..
Ladies and Gentlemen may I present, Shan89 from HTC Section VS kantk20111 from Sony section, Round 2.
FIGHT!
:laugh:

lol
I had Xperia z1 , camera sucked , phone was too hot and screen is utter **** , so I changed to HTC one for the same stuff you wrote here!

Honestly I am huge fan of HTC but actually I do not brought HTC One, which was cheaper, just because there is no micro SD Slot, and when Apps to SD will be available on Z1, or even Apk on internal and Data on SD on Custom Roms, I will not have regrets to have Z1.

eclyptos said:
We have to open a thread " @@Shan89 VS @kantk20111 " ..hahah..
Ladies and Gentlemen may I present, Shan89 from HTC Section VS kantk20111 from Sony section, Round 2.
FIGHT!
:laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nah mate it ain't fight Lol. I was just pointing that there are devices which are quite more complete. Of course I can't think of anything else besides z1 that comes equal to m7 pretty much all devices lack design and quality which both z1 and htc have.
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

eclyptos said:
We have to open a thread " [MENTION=3721363 [user=4914682]@Shan89[/user][/MENTION] VS @kantk20111 " ..hahah..
Ladies and Gentlemen may I present, Shan89 from HTC Section VS kantk20111 from Sony section, Round 2.
FIGHT!
:laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No more fighting lol, just 2 guys who really love their phones alot . For me the HTC One and Z1 will always be the top of Android, with Samsung, LG and the rest way below. Sony and HTC have style along with awesome hardware.
edit: @Shan89 beat me to it

Came from the GSIII and this phone blows it out of the water, so I'm happy.
Sent from my C6916 using xda app-developers app

I came from htc one to z1 for reasons like low battery camera quality purple tint issue and worst of all its easily breakable body which produced dents on a simple fall
Sent from my C6902 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Shan89 said:
HTC has the best software updates "ATM" and fastest after Google.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Coming from a T-Mobile HTC One S and being left hangin' with no further updates from 4.1 Jellbean...I jumped off their bandwagon and upgraded to the Sony Xperia Z1S.
I'm glad that HTC is finally wiling to support their top tier products, but a bit too late for me...HTC lost in my book.
The clear winner (for me) is Sony! :good:

GSMArena Review in - and it's a cracker

See it here.
http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_z3_compact-review-1135.php

So according to this review, the screen, the speakers/audio quality and the camera aren't that great. ... What gives?

according to the review the screen, audio quality from the speaker and camera are better than the Z1C. I own a Z1C and a bunch of Samsung galaxys, that's how I see it:
I found the Z1C screen to be great except in sunlight. (better colors than my AMOLEDs, but the AMOLEDS worked a tad better in sunlight)
GSMA says the Z3C is similar but is better in sunlight.
Audio on my Z1C from the speaker was good enough that i never had an issue with it. Mainly, I listen to audio through the headphones most of the time (which has good audio quality) - but the few times I didn't it was decent. The iphone 5s of a friend did a bit of a better job tho. So anyway, thats supposed to be better in the Z3C according to GSMA.
The camera.. the camera has pros and cons on all the xperias IMO (Z1, Z2 and now Z3). It does look better in 20MP mode and I don't know if they changed the processing, lens, tweaked the sensor, or a bit of everything.
On the Z1C it made great pictures, worked well with low light, but in some conditions the sides of the pictures wouldn't be as great. You can look at the user samples on XDA, which are IMO a much better benchmark than the crops of GSMA. Almost every phone has a thread about photography.
In my eyes the competitors here are:
- iphone5s/6
- galaxy alpha
- z3c
and while they all have some advantages here and there, the z3c seems to have the most advantages where it matters to me: much greater battery life, very good camera, good audio via the audio jack, waterproofing, fast CPU/GPU, sdcard expansion slot, supports a bunch of frequencies.

Sony also support USB audio out of the box if you want to pipe out to a quality USB DAC
Sent from my C6903 using Tapatalk

I wasn't that pleased with the review part of the camera especially =/ I was expecting much improvments with software/lens/everything this time around. I had a s5 for a while and i really liked the camera on it and i was hoping to see similar results from this camera - but i still need to check some more samples to see analyse photo quality better. I might check the z1c and z2 camera threads as suggested, but i thought they improved some things on this camera so i guess the results can be a bit different

The second I saw that battery rating, it was a done deal for me. I had heard the Z1C was already pretty amazing, but to find out the Z3C had double the rating was shocking. Now I don't expect the Z3C to last twice as long as its predecessor, that would be absurd (and a pleasant surprise), but if can last as long or longer, that would be fantastic!
With my current phone, I'm getting on average 6hrs on screen time (no power saving or dimming of the display), lasting me the whole day, that is for 24 hours, not just the work day, so if the Z3C can match or exceed that slightly, which I'm expecting it to, I'd be VERY happy!

techguyone said:
GSMArena Review in - and it's a cracker
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cracker? (I assume that means "and it's a good review")
For those who don't want to read through the full thing, here's a highlight of points by GSMArena's review:
Built quality is top notch, and stands apart from the rest of the Z3 series
The display is adequately bright and has good sunlight legibility
Battery life is phenomenal
It has an all-round connectivity package including LTE, USB Host and FM radio
Speaker loudness scored an Average rating, likely due to the IP rating
Benchmark performance is flagship grade, although helped by only having to push out 720p pixels
Audio quality is very good, with minor exceptions in some areas
Video player handles all the major formats except for AC3 audio and AAC audio with AVC video
Camera is OK, but not as good as competing offerings from Samsung. 2160p videos come out smooth
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Yes good review, good phone hopefully, might be my next as motos latest are woefully short in battery and almost phablet size elsewhere. z3 c might just fit the bill.

Yep, this will be my next phone - sorry to let my S4 Mini down after only one year but this one just looks great (and the battery!)

Btekt just posted a sample 4K recording and the audio is pretty bad:
Sony Xperia Z3 Compact 4K video sample http://youtu.be/ak9Q4c6m534
Especially when compared to the Galaxy Alpha sample:
Samsung Galaxy Alpha 4K video sample http://youtu.be/kRK48rDnjwk

boojay said:
Btekt just posted a sample 4K recording and the audio is pretty bad
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I personally don't give even the slightest consideration to 4K recording when I buy a smartphone.
The main things I care about is the size, battery life, screen quality, and camera.

That did sound terrible. Oh well. Can't win them all can we.
I currently run the z1c
Camera on z1c is terrible in my opinion... I have little faith that the z3c camera will be a vast improvement upon the z1c camera
This typical scenario on the z1c detailed in this thread is very annoying indeed http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2780290
I hope Sony has rectified this bug within the z3c - otherwise poor show.

never had the slow loading issue except on cyanogen roms on the z1c
it always loads at worse in like 1 second at best instant

dillalade said:
That did sound terrible. Oh well. Can't win them all can we.
I currently run the z1c
Camera on z1c is terrible in my opinion... I have little faith that the z3c camera will be a vast improvement upon the z1c camera
This typical scenario on the z1c detailed in this thread is very annoying indeed http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2780290
I hope Sony has rectified this bug within the z3c - otherwise poor show.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's an interesting result though; I tried viewing the same two sample clips I shared in my previous comment at home on my theater system, with the volume turned up relatively high (I watched them on my work PC and mobile earlier), and I got the exact opposite result. That is, the Z3C footage sounded better and the Alpha fared worse. The latter was too bassy and the former's quality improved a great deal. Weird.
Also, in terms of picture video quality, the Z3C was the clear winner on my HD LED TV.

charliebigpot said:
Yep, this will be my next phone - sorry to let my S4 Mini down after only one year but this one just looks great (and the battery!)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's exactly what I'm doing too.

Apparently this guys at DxOMark do not know what they are talking about?

I have the same result with this video comparison:
iPhone 5s vs Sony Xperia Z3 Compact http://youtu.be/M3SZQCm2DDM
That is, the iPhone sounded better on my phone, but the Z3C was much clearer sounding on my home theater system. The iPhone was muted in comparison.
While the Z3C was overexposed, its colors were more accurate, autofocus and image stabilisation were better, and it let in more light in the shaded areas.
Can't wait for the low light video comparison. The Z3C should be crushing the competition!

Wow... Battery life is out of this world. I have never seen any results like this before, not even on the LG GFlex. Wow.
Sent From my Nokia Lumia 635

Even though GSMarena does their own audio tests, can someone with a Z1C please confirm the audio quality is very good?
(I know, everyone has their own opinion about sound quality)

I remember that in a video someone said that the software they were reviewing were not final. So could it be that these more disapointing results of the camera were due to that and that it can be fixed?

24 Hrs with the Z5 Prem.. Initial Impressions..

Hey all
Just got my Z5 Prem Chrome yesterday (unlocked and Unbranded, but on O2 UK) and I wanted to give my first impressions...
On set up I logged onto Wifi and downloaded MM 6.0 (build 163) so I cant comment on 511.
The screen is Gorgeous, I have it set round about 50 - 60% and in daylight.. I can see it fine, Sunlight.. well every phone struggles in bright Sunlight.
Music Player has an awesome and quite cool UI, sounds Great through the Speakers but can distort if set too loud.. but I used to own an M8 then an M9.. so Im a little bit spoiled by them... The speaker audio lacks the bass and fullness of the M9, but to me the Z5s sound sweeter and more musical than the M9s, but I reckon the Z5 issue maybe the weterproofing membrane they put on the Z5 speakers.. but theyre still good and a joy to listen too.
But where true quality lies is in the Headphones.. and man.. Is the sound amazing in headphones... and this is where you know you have a Walkman.. Wow.. blew my mind and blows away any phone or Ive ever used including the 24-bit G4 and M9. Ive tried both a set of LG Quadbeat 3s and Sennheiser 400s.
And now for the major question.. and thankfully.. Yes the Camera is good, in fact it can be truely awesome... coming from a G4,. I can see how the G4 over-sharpened and over-processed its images, but the Z5 has a fantastic colour reproduction and accurate white balance. Lack of OIS isnt a big issue Ive found.. the images arent over sharpened and do have a "realness" to them.. they arent as "sharp and crispy"" as the G4 or S6 but this is a good thing and the camera can turn out some beautiful shots.
One thing I will say about "Auto Mode", part of the reason for the softness, especially when zooming in is that the camera tends to set the ISO very low... even as low as 40, probably in order to combat noise... but this has an opposite effect as well.. in that it softens the image right down, this is something to be aware of as some people like crispy images and can give the impression of the camera under performing. In order to combat this.. Use Manual mode and set your ISO manually.
For everyday use 8Mpx is great and strangely enough... theres not that big a jump between 8 and 20mpx,, but the difference is there. One thing i did find with the camera is it can over-expose alot of the time.. but using Manual Mode and dropping the EV down half a stop (0 - 0.5) or even a full stop (0 - -1) fixes this.
Also, unlike the standard Z5, the Prem model, at least mine anyway, doesnt suffer from the poor camera quality alot of forum threads have mentioned.
Im still on my first battery charge after 24 hrs (Im a light to mod user), but as with all new phones.. the battery needs 1-2 full cycles to fully "wake up", but so far Im quite pleased with it.
So im very happy with my new Z5 premium, and its hard to pick out an exact fault, other than the extremely low ISO settings, but Its fast, its fluid.. no lag, but coming from a G4 or S6, the camera imaging is "different".. but in a good way, but not worse.. it doesnt have the harsh over-processing, Great Music player.. and contrary to some forum posts.. Ringtones and Notifications are plenty loud enough, even with Volume set at 80 - 90% and with "Increased Ringtone" toggle "OFF"
Wouldve also been nice to see SONY include a set of Noise Cancelling headphones in the Box as a Premium.. or Wireless QI charging as standard on the Premium model, but in truth I guess Ide rather have the bigger screen and unlike trhe vanilla Z5, the camera that works.
Hope this helps you make a desicion....
Have Fun

The camera is great... not as good as lumia 1020 but I am accepting the fact that lumia is dead... I am using snapspeed and it make the pic taken by z5 way better...
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

I bought me a pair of MDR-NC750 in-ear NC headphones.
WOW what a good combination that is, it is realy good in the airplane.
Much more comfortable than my MDR-1RNC over the ear NC headphone, which is also awesome.
I tested them both on two intercontinental flights. I cannot say which one is better.
The amount of cancelling from the MDR-1RNC is a bit better, but the MDR-NC750 is more comfortable when you want to sleep.
I can recommend anybody to go for MDR-NC750.

Just received my chrome beauty today!
I'm in love like the good ol' days of Sony Ericsson!
I'm really excited about the phone and, oh god, this thing is insanely smooth in every aspect!
The screen is gorgeous, the sound through headphones is superb, the construction is rock solid, the camera is very good, the signal is nice and there's a lot of things better than all the phones i've tested!
Finally back to Sony Xperia Family that i missed since Z3!
Oh! And the "heat" is on par with every flagship that i've tested! (S6, Note 5, G4, Meizu Pro 5)

Luhccas-X10 said:
Just received my chrome beauty today!
I'm in love like the good ol' days of Sony Ericsson!
I'm really excited about the phone and, oh god, this thing is insanely smooth in every aspect!
The screen is gorgeous, the sound through headphones is superb, the construction is rock solid, the camera is very good, the signal is nice and there's a lot of things better than all the phones i've tested!
Finally back to Sony Xperia Family that i missed since Z3!
Oh! And the "heat" is on par with every flagship that i've tested! (S6, Note 5, G4, Meizu Pro 5)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Reading this made me a bit happy!
I also tried lots of phones in the past and I currently have a Note 4 and looking for a worthy upgrade.
I know the note 4 can beat the Z5 premium in many ways/areas especially productivity/spen!
But I'm seeking a different experience! I tried LG, tried oneplus (cm and near stock), I want to try now Sony and HTC.
Do you think the z5p is a wise upgrade for me?

Life Engineer said:
Reading this made me a bit happy!
I also tried lots of phones in the past and I currently have a Note 4 and looking for a worthy upgrade.
I know the note 4 can beat the Z5 premium in many ways/areas especially productivity/spen!
But I'm seeking a different experience! I tried LG, tried oneplus (cm and near stock), I want to try now Sony and HTC.
Do you think the z5p is a wise upgrade for me?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure! You'll not regret!
The only thing, in my opinion, that Note 4 overcome Z5P is the removable battery.
Even being a IPS display against the best calibrated AMOLED, you will enjoy every movie/video/picture on it. The image is crisp as crystal and contrast is on the right point as the color saturation.
So... The performance, the smoothness of interface, the multimedia experience, the feel in your hands and specially the look of this thing, will put you in some funny situations! You'll catch yourself looking for the device like a kid with a new toy! Like me! LOL
It's a nice way to refresh your taste for tec! Sony Xperia Z5 Premium is a "for sure" to buy it.
The dual speaker is a nice thing that i've missed from HTC M9 and Xperia Z3. It could be a lil bit louder but it's ok due to its position.

Database Users

welcome