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First off, I wouldn't have gotten the Z1 if I didn't permanently brick my Xperia TX, which was doing an adequate job. I never planned to replace it until I renew my contract in 6 months, by then I would decide what would be available that's worth purchasing...my service provider has a ok to mediocre line up (Galaxy S4, HTC Desire, Motorola X, Nexus 5, Xperia SP), but none of them were interesting to keep.
Long story short, I tried to install a 3rd party ROM for the TX, only to have the screen flip upside down, later screwed up to the point where even the Sony logo does not even appear. It would constantly be stuck in Flash mode and it wouldn't even let you flash the stock firmware. Since the TX is not a Canadian phone, heck, it wouldn't even matter.
So I walked into the Sony Store and got myself a white Xperia Z1 C6906. Sales rep tried to sell me the magnetic charging dock, but I'm not too sure whether it's worth it. I looked at ebay and there seems to be a magnetic charging cable.
Build quality:
Since I had a chance to use a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 for a moment, I can say that the Z1 has a more "solid" feeling to it. I wouldn't say that it's impressive that the Note 3 manages to weigh around the same as the smaller Z1, despite having the bigger screen and slightly bigger battery. The plastic/leather?/aluminium? was the key to save weight. I'm sure if they used the same materials as the Z1, it would be around 185-200g.
Since the Z1 is built like an iPhone, using "premium" materials, there's a certain catch to it. Fragile.
When I got my iPhone 4, the first thing I got was a case to prevent permanent damage to its fragile product. This is the problem with the Z1 as well. Using glass as the front and back could end up from being one of the most beautiful phones into shattered glass. There is a shatter-proof sheet, but that doesn't mean anything. At the end of the day, you would still go out and buy a case, cover it up, end of discussion. You can't really see what the phone looks like anymore.
Now compared to last year's flagship, the T/TX, this is a huge jump. The plastic isn't bad, but plastic is plastic.
Button layout has been revamped, it certainly fits better with your fingers, where it should be naturally. However, I prefer the camera button to be bigger.
Hardware
Apples and oranges.
The T/TX had 1GB of RAM powered by an outdated Snapdragon S4. It performed about the same, if not, better than the Galaxy S3, but those were just benchmarks and they were already a good 6 months too late because the S4 was just announced...adding salt to the wound, the Z was also announced later on.
Compared to my TX, the Z1 just snaps through everything. Pictures load quick, Facebook doesn't lag to refresh news feed, none or barely any stutter in the animations, camera operates smooth, Walkman doesn't stutter it's audio, it just FLOWS.
LED notification is more noticeable than that puny dot on the corner on the T/TX.
The screen I got turns out to be the VA panel, ...why am I not surprised? But I don't have anything to complain as it still looks great, and the bad viewing angles will prevent other people from taking a peek at what I'm doing. Jumping from a 4.6 inch to a 5 inch with more pixels, everything looks sharper. I can't say much about the colour since I think it looks about the same in comparison.
Everyone says built-in battery is a problem, I personally find it to be the only Samsung fanboy argument as the importance of a removable battery is really insignificant. My TX has removable battery, but I never really had to take it out.
The only problem that I have is sound.
No rumoured S-Master MX DAC. I have a Walkman Z, and it sounds tremendous when paired with the Sony XBA-3 along with DSEE, Clear Stereo, and Clear Phase turned on, no equalizer adjustments needed.
For the Z1, volume is weak, bass too dull, vocals too tinny. Turning on ClearAudio+ and Dynamic Normalizer makes it worse. Clear Stereo is ok to use. Other than that, equalizer adjustment is highly recommended to fix this.
As for the speakers, I'm leaning more on the "I don't like it" side. Like the iPhone, the speaker grille for this is an absolute aesthetic b.s.
It isn't loud, nor is it very clear. It sounds slightly muffled, and feels like it came out of 320p YouTube when that's clearly not the case when it's played on headphones. At least they got the speaker placement correct...
Software:
Everything pretty much looks the same minus the camera interface. I've always like the Timescape UI better than any other ones out there so no complaints there. Camera quick-launch makes that funny music when turned on, I personally don't like it. They didn't do it with the T/TX, so why would they add it on now? Please don't say it's to warn the user that your camera function is turned on...at least make it like iPhone's auto turn off if no action has been done. I don't know if Android or Sony has such a function, but I know there is a fix here on xda to get rid of that.
Of course, that's up to whether the user wants to root or not.
As for the X-Reality engine, I would personally leave it off for the following reasons:
Over sharpened video - this seems to occur on some videos, it might be due to the codec or it might be due to its resolution. Leaving it off results in a natural video. Turning the engine on results in some funny white outlines popping everywhere including subtitle text that's just way too harsh to watch. However, playing the factory demo clips like The Smurfs 2 trailer shows no harsh sharpening.
Deceiving images - Everything might look great through that saturated and sharpen filter, but once you put it on the PC, it looks nothing like it anyways. Just like the TX's Bravia Engine, it doesn't improve on anything. If you like this sort of stuff, by all means, leave it on.
Camera
I haven't tested the camera too thoroughly to see how much of an improvement over an Exmor R sensor. The interface and functionality is much better than the TX thanks to better hardware. Picture file size says a lot, and 20 megapixels with only an average 5mb file size tells me there's not much detail being captured. Just like the TX's 13 megapixels, an average file size of 2mb is really disappointing when a 5 megapixel iPhone 4 can churn out pretty much the same thing, if not, better.
Low light has improved drastically thanks to the bigger sensor, but noise reduction seems too harsh or non-existent at times.
The hardware is there, but the software is certainly not making up for it.
Overall
From a hardware standpoint, most of the stuff is great. CPU/GPU is up-to-date, battery size is comparable to the giant Note 3 (not sure about usage though), you get the idea. The stuff about the screen not being PLS or IPS, well, if you're lucky, then consider it a bonus. The VA panel does more than enough if you stare right at it, colour reproduction might not be as good as IPS/PLS, but VA is considered a close contender.
From a software standpoint, if you have been using the previous generation T/TX, nothing should be unexpected as there are no drastic changes that require you to read the manual or anything. Since this phone is still relatively new, its also unsurprising that 3rd party development lacks compared to the insta-popular S4 and Note 3 where there are just pages of stuff to go through. If you don't mod, it's already pretty decent at its stock form.
Price is probably the only killer. $699 Canadian is steep. Yes, Rogers sells it for $599, but I want white and I don't use Bell or Telus, so suck it.
Contract price goes for much less...but it's contract price, ain't nobody got time for that.
With that money, you're open to a lot of top-end options like the Note 3, G2, even the Nexus 5 which is half the price of this. With CES just around the corner, prices will start dropping soon.
Nonetheless, it's still an excellent phone. Now I'm off to buy the Spigen GLAS.tR SLIM from Japan
It feels fragile, but I assure its not... I have seen a review where it was dropped from 5ft 3 times in succession and the glass didn't even chip... well yes it did chip a little, 1 mm on the corner, hardly noticeable... never see any other phone with stand this... all Note 3, G2 Iphone 5s all broken screen on the first drop...
But z1 was the only phone not working after the drop.... Sooo it's a pretty brick now.
Sent from my C5503 using Tapatalk
Morlock O said:
It feels fragile, but I assure its not... I have seen a review where it was dropped from 5ft 3 times in succession and the glass didn't even chip... well yes it did chip a little, 1 mm on the corner, hardly noticeable... never see any other phone with stand this... all Note 3, G2 Iphone 5s all broken screen on the first drop...
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Click to collapse
shteren said:
But z1 was the only phone not working after the drop.... Sooo it's a pretty brick now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol, the androidauthority test is why I'm more worried about this phone. I know why Samsung uses plastic, it absorbs impact better :laugh:
shteren said:
But z1 was the only phone not working after the drop.... Sooo it's a pretty brick now.
Sent from my C5503 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
actually those guys are idiots, they didn't test the device before and after every drop (like they always do on samsungs and iphones). so we all don't know when did it actually stop working...
I personally saw one drop from 5 ft and its still working, just a little scratches here and there...
Dropped mine / fell out of my pocket > 10 times now. Some scratches in the alumunium frame, some in the protective stock anti shatter layer. Overall I'm VERY impressed how resilient it is for its looks. On the other hand, it has to win the award for the most slippery phone to date yet. Carrying it in cloth trouser pockets equals phone on the ground when you stand up fast.
1337rice said:
Lol, the androidauthority test is why I'm more worried about this phone. I know why Samsung uses plastic, it absorbs impact better :laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol all samsung has cracked screen after one drop... they dont claim warranty on cracked screen... they do claim warranty on devices that does not turn on... pick your poison...
Lol, use some thin rubber case to make it less slippery
Sent from my C5503 using Tapatalk
shteren said:
Lol, use some thin rubber case to make it less slippery
Sent from my C5503 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haven't bought a sleek looking phone to strap an ugly wrapper around it. So... Livin' on the edge
1337rice said:
As for the X-Reality engine, I would personally leave it off for the following reasons:
Over sharpened video - this seems to occur on some videos, it might be due to the codec or it might be due to its resolution. Leaving it off results in a natural video. Turning the engine on results in some funny white outlines popping everywhere including subtitle text that's just way too harsh to watch. However, playing the factory demo clips like The Smurfs 2 trailer shows no harsh sharpening.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me tell you that I had the same problem as well. Videos were extra sharp with jagged edges when XR was turned on and it wasn't visible on the pre-loaded videos. Like you said, turning it off would make it better but the colors won't be vivid as when XR is on. So I became frustrated and checked with a demo piece available at the store. The demo had the same issue too. I thought it was a problem with all the devices. Then I replaced mine due to pinch to zoom issues with my Z1. When I received the new one, it DIDN'T have the sharpness problem as before. So I was thinking that it could have been a panel or hardware problem. My second device went under a replacement as well. The third device I received didn't have the problem too. So I guess it affects some of the devices and your's has been affected. The Z1 I have now is very good when watching videos with XR turned on and colors pop out actually I request you to check your's with other devices at the store or with your friends if they have one.
DeKubus said:
Carrying it in cloth trouser pockets equals phone on the ground when you stand up fast.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
huh ?
I tend to drop things out of my pocket sitting down not standing up ?
if your knee is higher than your pocket, things will fall out.
gire.prasad said:
Let me tell you that I had the same problem as well. Videos were extra sharp with jagged edges when XR was turned on and it wasn't visible on the pre-loaded videos. Like you said, turning it off would make it better but the colors won't be vivid as when XR is on. So I became frustrated and checked with a demo piece available at the store. The demo had the same issue too. I thought it was a problem with all the devices. Then I replaced mine due to pinch to zoom issues with my Z1. When I received the new one, it DIDN'T have the sharpness problem as before. So I was thinking that it could have been a panel or hardware problem. My second device went under a replacement as well. The third device I received didn't have the problem too. So I guess it affects some of the devices and your's has been affected. The Z1 I have now is very good when watching videos with XR turned on and colors pop out actually I request you to check your's with other devices at the store or with your friends if they have one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually tried it again and it seems that the X-Reality over-sharpens 720p video while 1080p seems perfectly fine. I played a 1080p .mkv with XR turned on and it was completely fine.
One Twelve said:
huh ?
I tend to drop things out of my pocket sitting down not standing up ?
if your knee is higher than your pocket, things will fall out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, but if I move around while sitting the phone "slides" to the edge of my pocket. Then the little tilt backwards to gain momentum before standing up sends it flying. Damned shallow pockets!
gire.prasad said:
Let me tell you that I had the same problem as well. Videos were extra sharp with jagged edges when XR was turned on and it wasn't visible on the pre-loaded videos. Like you said, turning it off would make it better but the colors won't be vivid as when XR is on. So I became frustrated and checked with a demo piece available at the store. The demo had the same issue too. I thought it was a problem with all the devices. Then I replaced mine due to pinch to zoom issues with my Z1. When I received the new one, it DIDN'T have the sharpness problem as before. So I was thinking that it could have been a panel or hardware problem. My second device went under a replacement as well. The third device I received didn't have the problem too. So I guess it affects some of the devices and your's has been affected. The Z1 I have now is very good when watching videos with XR turned on and colors pop out actually I request you to check your's with other devices at the store or with your friends if they have one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine had that problem too, but after installing the first update Sony released, X-reality has been a pleasure to to use, it makes 480p videos look very close to HD and the colors really pop out.
Sent from my Xperia Z1 using Tapatalk
Jiyeon90 said:
Mine had that problem too, but after installing the first update Sony released, X-reality has been a pleasure to to use, it makes 480p videos look very close to HD and the colors really pop out.
Sent from my Xperia Z1 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does X reality work with other video players? Or only the sony app?
Sent from my C6906 using Tapatalk
negrobembon said:
Does X reality work with other video players? Or only the sony app?
Sent from my C6906 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as I know, it works with MX Player
1337rice said:
As far as I know, it works with MX Player
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks
Sent from my C6906 using Tapatalk
I can confirm it working with the excellent "bs player" Btw what update are you talking abour? Xr also oversharpens 720p in my phone and its anoying, I have. 257 fw
Sent from my C6903 using Tapatalk
negrobembon said:
Does X reality work with other video players? Or only the sony app?
Sent from my C6906 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It works on YouTube and with MX player too but first you have to go to decoder and tick all the H/W+ options and untick all the S/F boxes, in some video sites similar to youtube you can choose MX to be the video player as well.
Sent from my Xperia Z1 using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 01:08 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:51 PM ----------
shteren said:
I can confirm it working with the excellent "bs player" Btw what update are you talking abour? Xr also oversharpens 720p in my phone and its anoying, I have. 257 fw
Sent from my C6903 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For me x-reality only do things better, here's an example of a 720p video showing the difference
You can clearly see that the second pic is a lot sharper especially if you look at the text and colors are more vivid too. I don't know if you see that as something negative but for me it definitely is an improvement over the original video.
Well at some scenes perticular details get oversharpened and look awfull...
Sent from my C6903 using Tapatalk
I don't bother doing reviews normally, but have now just posted this over on the Carphone Warehouse product page since they hassled me via email to do one (may not show up for a couple of days though).
Anyway, thought I'd cross-post it here in case anyone finds it interesting. Cheers.
For a couple of years now, since the big Android manufacturers decided we all wanted big 4.7+ inch slabs as premium phones, the "minority" of us who were calling out for a high-end device that can be operated one-handed were ignored. Until now...
Sony say with the Z1 Compact they have "invented our own market segment", but really it is re-inventing the market segment that existed 24 months ago. Either way, somebody finally listened and we now have a device that is a good size to hold in addition to being around the fastest and most capable on the market.
In short, Sony took the larger Z1 and shrunk it down to a 4.3" screen, reducing only the screen resolution (to 720p, which is higher PPI than the human eye can discern) and the battery capacity (but not the battery life, as the smaller screen draws less power). You can easily get a day and a half out of this device even with 4 or so hours screen on time. As a bonus, they also upgraded the screen to a lovely IPS display with better viewing angles than the Z1.
This phone feels very premium in the hand and in operation, and being my first Sony device I am stunned by its elegance every time I pick the thing up. Having used it in the rain a few times this week already I'm also wondering what I ever did without a waterproof phone before! Why do all manufacturers not do this? It would save a lot of phones that seem to get dropped in toilets (seriously, how do people manage this?!), and also the futile wastage of rice afterwards.
Software-wise, it comes with Android 4.3 but 4.4 should be out for it in a month or so. I would say Sony are probably among the best for not annoying you with over-the-top customisation of Android or bloatware so I don't immediately feel the need to root it and start tinkering. This is a very good thing. They do use their own apps for phone, SMS, etc etc of course but they all tend to do their job nicely without getting in your way.
--------
Now that I've done the glowing sale pitch - and I do mean every word of it as it is a fantastic phone - I do need to point out some flaws that are quite frankly unforgivable in my opinion:
(*) Poor software backing up the magnificent camera. The "Superior Auto" mode is very ironically named as it completely ruins especially low-light photos by cranking the ISO up far too high and then trying to correct the noise in a very ham-fisted way. The solution until Sony (hopefully) fix it in an update is to use Manual mode instead.
(*) Flash bleeding into the camera. While this doesn't happen for me so much, others have noticed the flash reflecting in the back cover it is supposed to shine through and hitting the edge of the camera lens, making some dark pictures have a coloured fog effect. It is less marked in Manual mode again.
(*) Why, oh why Sony, do you still insist on putting a scratch-prone "anti-shatter film" over the top of perfectly good scratch resistant glass?!? Customers have been complaining about this since at least the Xperia Z but they are being very pig-headed about it. I have no idea why they decide they need to be the only manufacturer to put it on top of the glass instead of the underside of it like everybody else does. It can be removed but then you risk the screen warranty if you do so. Still, I will probably remove the ASF from mine at some point as glass feels more premium to me and I HATE scratches.
--------
But don't let the negative points I have made dissuade you from this phone as they absolutely do not outweigh the positives by a long shot. I would give 5-stars to all categories except reliability due to the camera and scratch-prone ASF.
This is a magnificent technological achievement Sony have pulled off meaning I have a device that I am very proud to own and show off to big slab owners and iPhone users alike!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice review
Sent from a mobile Gadget...
Great review mate
Plus 1 from me on all that was said.
ASF?
Great review man!
But since you hate scratches, much like I do, could you take a closer look at the back panel? There's no ASF, at least on my Z1c. And there's a potentially huge scandal evolving in forums about back panel being actually made of polycarbonate, not glass. Sony claims glass on both panels, but people say back panel gets scratched just by looking at it hard enough
I have my phone for 2 days and already got 2 deep scratches on the back. I haven't been able to scratch my iPhone 4s so badly in 2 years of use...
Well, if true then that would be another negative point definitely. Especially since they seem to have gone out of their way to hide it and appear happy for everyone to assume glass on the back.
Sent from my Xperia Z1 PerfectSize, I mean "Compact"
withoutwings said:
Well, if true then that would be another negative point definitely. Especially since they seem to have gone out of their way to hide it and appear happy for everyone to assume glass on the back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no "if" any more, the original whitepaper has been amended in the meantime - albeit without changing the version number.
original Sony whitepaper said:
Both the front and back are made of durable tempered glass
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
revised Sony whitepaper said:
The front side of the phone is made of durable tempered glass
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know how long the original version will remain on Sony's servers so I downloaded a copy just in case - looks as if someone tries to erase all traces of what I would call a false adverstising campaign....
yea i really hope they fix the camera software up a bit. for some reason some of my photos are coming out yellow-ish. this only happens inside when the lights are on. it can be fixed by editing the photo in pixlr express by dragging the hue bar to the left a bit, but its a bit of effort to be doing that for multiple photos. the photos seem very noisy/grainy as well.
i really wasnt expecting any of this since all the reviews about the camera were saying its the best on android atm. although plenty of sites mentioned it didnt do that well in low light, but some photos are coming out noisy even in shots that i would consider low light. seems to me that almost anything inside is out of the question.
anyway, its a really great phone apart from that. i probably shouldnt have checked the camera first because it put me off a bit!
EDIT: another thing that is frustrating me but probably isnt a problem for everybody is sony's naming convention for photos. instead of having a counter (or just adding the date and time like every other phone) it looks up the number of the last photo taken, dsc_005 for example, and then calls the next photo dsc_006. i would be ok with that but i have foldersync set up to move any photo that is taken or edited to the DCIM folder (so photos from snapseed, pixlr, different camera apps etc all end up in one single folder) but this set up doesnt work with sony's photos since the folder it saves to will empty each time. it keeps naming the photo dsc_001 and then foldersync keeps overwriting the same photo.
people have been asking them to change this for years now but it seems they want to be different. its just strange coming from a camera company like sony?
aaanyway, apart from those 3 things. great phone lol
I've searched around and there's a short mention here or there, and I'm not sure if I should exchange my new S7 because it's actually quite an annoying problem that I've not noticed on my S6 or Nexus phones before this S7.
When I take a photo with the camera facing a bright light source, eg the sun or a bright light at night, there is a blue spot that appears in the picture. I know it's a limitation of modern smartphone cameras, and it's likely a lens refraction or reflection, but it really does take away from the photo if I'm taking one of a beautiful sunset or even a cityscape at night. LIke I said, it's the first time I've noticed this in any of my cellphone cameras. I've tested similar exposure in my friends' S5 and they have the spot too. Even my backup windows phone has this.
Do ALL cameras have this? Are there any S7 owners here who don't have this problem? If there are S7s without this problem, then I'm ok with exchanging the phone for a new one hoping for one without this. I'ts kinda a buzz kill for me on such a fantastic phone otherwise.
Moomoosaurus said:
I've searched around and there's a short mention here or there, and I'm not sure if I should exchange my new S7 because it's actually quite an annoying problem that I've not noticed on my S6 or Nexus phones before this S7.
When I take a photo with the camera facing a bright light source, eg the sun or a bright light at night, there is a blue spot that appears in the picture. I know it's a limitation of modern smartphone cameras, and it's likely a lens refraction or reflection, but it really does take away from the photo if I'm taking one of a beautiful sunset or even a cityscape at night. LIke I said, it's the first time I've noticed this in any of my cellphone cameras. I've tested similar exposure in my friends' S5 and they have the spot too. Even my backup windows phone has this.
Do ALL cameras have this? Are there any S7 owners here who don't have this problem? If there are S7s without this problem, then I'm ok with exchanging the phone for a new one hoping for one without this. I'ts kinda a buzz kill for me on such a fantastic phone otherwise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same problem with my phone. When I take a pic of candles, there is also some kind of purple halo around the flame. I read somewhere that it is because of the lack of IR filter on the lens.
I agree with the fact that this is really annoying for a phone of that price
first problem is lense flare, it depends on optics design and is normal!
second issue (purple halo) is ir radiation not properly filtered, due to probably lacking IR filter.
this is an issue long present in mobile cam history, although there are and were mobiles with proper filtering cam modules existing...
Sent from my SM-G935F using XDA-Developers Legacy app
Thanks guys, as expected, i figured it is a 'normal' thing, but it still drives me nuts. I'm still hoping to hear from more people, since misery loves company in the event that some actually say they don't have this, i might exchange my phone for another to try my luck.
I thought I was the only one me too
Not a thorough review here... just thought I'd put up some initial impressions;
1. Battery seems great so far, but I usually let these devices settle a week or so before judging. My general experience with other Sony's is that the battery performance is awesome.
2. Camera and video really look great.
3. I do have the issue with picture distortion, but it's insanely difficult to spot unless I take a picture of a box or my keyboard.
4. Videos I've taken thus far look awesome - most of my captures are on mountain bike trails, so good lighting.
5. The device size seems better for me to handle than smaller phones (came from an HTC 10), and I have small-ish hands. It seems counter intuitive, but that's my feeling thus far.
6. The one screen protector I've tried (tempered) doesn't cover the entire glass surface, so this is like every other phone out there... don't expect good looks with tempered sp's.
7. Audio sounds great so far - still playing. Speaker volume is lower than my HTC 10, which is a bit disappointing.
8. FP reader is super fast, and I love it on the side of the phone as opposed to the front. Much more natural spot IMHO.
I think you forgot the link or text...
Shnig said:
I think you forgot the link or text...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL, sorry. I hit "enter" and it posted :silly:
charlatan01 said:
Not a thorough review here... just thought I'd put up some initial impressions;
1. Battery seems great so far, but I usually let these devices settle a week or so before judging. My general experience with other Sony's is that the battery performance is awesome.
2. Camera and video really look great.
3. I do have the issue with picture distortion, but it's insanely difficult to spot unless I take a picture of a box or my keyboard.
4. Videos I've taken thus far look awesome - most of my captures are on mountain bike trails, so good lighting.
5. The device size seems better for me to handle than smaller phones (came from an HTC 10), and I have small-ish hands. It seems counter intuitive, but that's my feeling thus far.
6. The one screen protector I've tried (tempered) doesn't cover the entire glass surface, so this is like every other phone out there... don't expect good looks with tempered sp's.
7. Audio sounds great so far - still playing. Speaker volume is lower than my HTC 10, which is a bit disappointing.
8. FP reader is super fast, and I love it on the side of the phone as opposed to the front. Much more natural spot IMHO.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the review. Aside from the volume and the distortion, do you have any other negative comments about the phone? Generally been a positive experience so far has it?
Even if you are generally happy with the phone I think it would still be wise to report the distortion. It's important that Sony know how widespread this issue is.
charlatan01 said:
Not a thorough review here... just thought I'd put up some initial impressions;
1. Battery seems great so far, but I usually let these devices settle a week or so before judging. My general experience with other Sony's is that the battery performance is awesome.
2. Camera and video really look great.
3. I do have the issue with picture distortion, but it's insanely difficult to spot unless I take a picture of a box or my keyboard.
4. Videos I've taken thus far look awesome - most of my captures are on mountain bike trails, so good lighting.
5. The device size seems better for me to handle than smaller phones (came from an HTC 10), and I have small-ish hands. It seems counter intuitive, but that's my feeling thus far.
6. The one screen protector I've tried (tempered) doesn't cover the entire glass surface, so this is like every other phone out there... don't expect good looks with tempered sp's.
7. Audio sounds great so far - still playing. Speaker volume is lower than my HTC 10, which is a bit disappointing.
8. FP reader is super fast, and I love it on the side of the phone as opposed to the front. Much more natural spot IMHO.
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I agree with everything you stated in your brief review. Especially about the camera. I am no camera expert (seems like everyone today is a professional photographer wannabe...) I guess if you need to take photos of keyboards or grids you may see some distortion, but for regular photos mine looks great!
I too wish the speakers were capable of being just a little louder, but I guess this has to do with being waterproof. I can live with them as they are. Then again Sony may provide a patch that helps with the volume??? I too think the battery is great, but then again I am not watching movies or playing games on my phone. If I want to watch a movie I have an 80" Vizio in a theater room for that!
I do wish that Sony would unlink the ringtone from the notification volume. I know it's an Android thing but there are other phones running Nougat 7.1.1 that do have them unlinked. Other than that this phone is great!
Shnig said:
Thank you for the review. Aside from the volume and the distortion, do you have any other negative comments about the phone? Generally been a positive experience so far has it?
Even if you are generally happy with the phone I think it would still be wise to report the distortion. It's important that Sony know how widespread this issue is.
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Generally, I think the device is awesome, so it's been a positive experience for me. I have reported the distortion to Sony, and am going to go through their steps to resolve, which first means a factory reset through the Sony app (ugh!!
For the record, I've gone through a bunch of devices, and I do have 2 Sony's in my history. I am buy no means a fan boy. My son now has my HTC 10, and as much as I liked that phone, it doesn't hold a candle to the XZP.
charlatan01 said:
Generally, I think the device is awesome, so it's been a positive experience for me. I have reported the distortion to Sony, and am going to go through their steps to resolve, which first means a factory reset through the Sony app (ugh!!
For the record, I've gone through a bunch of devices, and I do have 2 Sony's in my history. I am buy no means a fan boy. My son now has my HTC 10, and as much as I liked that phone, it doesn't hold a candle to the XZP.
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Can I ask in what ways you like it over the 10?
I've got the HTC 10 at the moment and have been holding out to see what the OnePlus 5 is like, but I'm really tempted by this.
What happened to double tap to wake/sleep?
Sent from my G8141 using XDA-Developers Legacy app
alexp999 said:
Can I ask in what ways you like it over the 10?
I've got the HTC 10 at the moment and have been holding out to see what the OnePlus 5 is like, but I'm really tempted by this.
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Hmm, let's see. These are just my feelings, no scientific method behind it.
Build quality - the Sony always has a strong feel in the hand.
Handling - the 10 feels harder to handle in one hand than the xzp
Screen - xzp looks ridiculous. 10 is no slouch.
Dual speakers on the xzp.
Wfi connections on 5ghz is waaayyy better
Water resistance - I mountain bike a lot, so my devices get wet.
Flat back, and the camera doesn't protrude.
does anyone else have a problem with slow mo camera being too dark and grainy or is that just me cannot do anything in good lighting condition at all
darkcroc said:
does anyone else have a problem with slow mo camera being too dark and grainy or is that just me cannot do anything in good lighting condition at all
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I don't have this phone, but from my understanding on how camera works i think that you need a lot of light to not be dark and grainy. The faster is your shutter speed the more light you need. That is why who operates professional slo-mo cameras uses big lights to really brighten the scene. Try to make a slo-mo outside in a bright sunny day (with direct sun light on your subject) and you should see the difference.
charlatan01 said:
Hmm, let's see. These are just my feelings, no scientific method behind it.
Build quality - the Sony always has a strong feel in the hand.
Handling - the 10 feels harder to handle in one hand than the xzp
Screen - xzp looks ridiculous. 10 is no slouch.
Dual speakers on the xzp.
Wfi connections on 5ghz is waaayyy better
Water resistance - I mountain bike a lot, so my devices get wet.
Flat back, and the camera doesn't protrude.
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I'm surprised you find it easier to handle, that's the one thing making me reluctant is how much bigger than the HTC 10 it is. One handed must be impossible...
Nice to see a positive review. Upload some camera shots
figo_rulz11 said:
Nice to see a positive review. Upload some camera shots
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Thats what I thought too, but it's not as imposing as it looks. Additionally, it REALLY helps to have the FP reader on the side of the phone, It makes one handed operation easier IMHO.
Say "cheese", then rate this thread to express how photos taken with the Google Pixel 4a come out. A higher rating indicates that photos offer rich color (without over-saturating), sharp detail (with all subjects in-focus), and appropriate exposure (with even lighting).
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!
Tom's Guide camera review(vs iPhone SE)
https://www.tomsguide.com/news/google-pixel-4a-vs-iphone-se-camera-face-off
Very impressed
I owned an iPhone 11 pro max before giving it away to a family member, and recently just returned a brand new Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. This pixel 4a slam dunks on the iPhone 11 pro and Note 20, all day. Aside from the dismal Selfie cam, the main camera produces incredible photos. IMO, much better than the iphone. And the samsung, may as well toss that junk in the trash. Well done Google!
You will never ever touch the pics this phone can produce for the price. There is nothing out there that comes even close.
Katsusreturns said:
I owned an iPhone 11 pro max before giving it away to a family member, and recently just returned a brand new Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. This pixel 4a slam dunks on the iPhone 11 pro and Note 20, all day. Aside from the dismal Selfie cam, the main camera produces incredible photos. IMO, much better than the iphone. And the samsung, may as well toss that junk in the trash. Well done Google!
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Fully agree with you ,the front cam is a disaster on this phone but back cam is probably what I have seen on reviews even is better than ip12pro for the main lens pics
Mehtasameer2087 said:
Fully agree with you, the front cam is a disaster on this phone but the back cam is probably what I have seen on reviews even is better than ip12pro for the main lens pics
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Agreed, the front camera is not good. What I have noticed though is if you switch quickly from rear to front, for a split second the front camera actually looks good, then completely gets demolished from processing. Not sure what Google has going on with that, it's not any settings I can find that are doing it, no face smoothing or anything turned on.
Katsusreturns said:
Agreed, the front camera is not good. What I have noticed though is if you switch quickly from rear to front, for a split second the front camera actually looks good, then completely gets demolished from processing. Not sure what Google has going on with that, it's not any settings I can find that are doing it, no face smoothing or anything turned on.
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Have you already applied the november patch? Do you notice that since you have the phone? Because I have the feeling that since this update, front camera quality got a bit worse. Did anybody else observe this?
alguien24 said:
Have you already applied the november patch? Do you notice that since you have the phone? Because I have the feeling that since this update, front camera quality got a bit worse. Did anybody else observe this?
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Absolutely agree on that. I was searching for other users that noticed this and I ran on your comment. Photos got bit noisier, and with less detail, not like we know with google camera's quality. Also video quality has gotten worse.. Now the result looks like came out of a cheap phone. Im a bit calm though, because it looks like a software issue, and I hope it will get noticed by Google.
Katsusreturns said:
Agreed, the front camera is not good. What I have noticed though is if you switch quickly from rear to front, for a split second the front camera actually looks good, then completely gets demolished from processing. Not sure what Google has going on with that, it's not any settings I can find that are doing it, no face smoothing or anything turned on.
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Haven't noticed that split second thing but yes I also don't have any options enabled
Katsusreturns said:
Agreed, the front camera is not good. What I have noticed though is if you switch quickly from rear to front, for a split second the front camera actually looks good, then completely gets demolished from processing. Not sure what Google has going on with that, it's not any settings I can find that are doing it, no face smoothing or anything turned on.
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Not noticing a difference on front/rear toggle with Nov update. Agree front is over processed and mushy; seems to be a software issue as I find it hard to believe Google would toss a dime store sensor into this pup.
DB126 said:
Not noticing a difference on front/rear toggle with Nov update. Agree front is over-processed and mushy; seems to be a software issue as I find it hard to believe Google would toss a dime-store sensor into this pup.
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Weird, mine still shows a difference when swapping. I am wondering if the split second I see that appears halfway decent is what you see normally, and is yet still no good lol. Somewhere on the forums here I saw a guy with a US version of the phone and another outside the country and there was a very substantial difference in the selfie cam quality. US version being the lesser of the two.
Katsusreturns said:
Weird, mine still shows a difference when swapping. I am wondering if the split second I see that appears halfway decent is what you see normally, and is yet still no good lol. Somewhere on the forums here I saw a guy with a US version of the phone and another outside the country and there was a very substantial difference in the selfie cam quality. US version being the lesser of the two.
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Front is not great but no hesitation using for video chats and static captures. Those who relish ITM snaps are not going to be happy - especially if coming off a Galaxy, iPhone or similar. Even my modest Moto g7 leaves a better first impression.
Back camera is really fun to use for stills, like the reviews claim, very decent point-and-shoot camera for us casuals. I'm using cstark's PXMod and I'm really liking it so far.
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I find the images are all too warm in colour temp, especially compared to the P3 & P3a, in fact every other phone & camera I've tried. Anyon emanaged to get a good neutral white balance? I've tried camera mods but none are quite there
None of smartphones today make good natural picture. They are mostly oversharpen to look good on the small screen. And the other thing is they have wide angle camera which are not good for photographing people. The people faces have distortion. Most of people don't care but I do. They should make the software for camera that would correct this distortion automatically. Some of Olympus SLR camera had these feature.