Hello. I've owned this tablet for nearly 4 months and I think i can now give a brief of my personal experience but i would also like some others opinions.
Firstly, I would like to mention that I've not regretted buying this device from the moment i unpacked it and still going. It's an absolute pleasure.
The design is brilliant, it looks so damn premium and feels it too. The weight doesn't bother me and it feels nice to hold. Even better after i received the 'poetic graph grip' rubber case. This case feels premium as the rubber texture and quality is so great. Anybody who doesnt like a flip case should definitely invest in one of these.
Onto the tablet performance, it is practically flawless. In every aspect. The speed of app switching and the animations is smooth and with hardly any noticable delay. Scrolling is just as smooth. I have noticed no graphical glitchery of the sorts. So it's speed overall is amazing.
The battery life, considering the speed i mentioned above, is some sort of sorcery indeed. I get roughly 1 hour SOT per 10% battery life and it doesn't seem be affected by how I'm using it much. I could be playing games, watching video or browsing facebook. The difference between those uses and the impact is almost negligible. As in there's no real impact. And I'm a heavy user. No I dont use battery saving modes either. When this battery cycle is done I'll add screenshots to this post.
The display quality is stunning and the colour reproduction is near damn perfect. I did slightly adjust the rgb ratio marginally to get a slightly brighter white by increasing the blue and green by 10 each. I like that i have this option. Sony likes this too, they know someone that buys a sony is very likely keen on the display so they make sure not to miss a trick there. Great job.
Next is the sony software. Okay here i have to admit that I'm not a big sony app user. Firstly sonys gallery and movies apps don't seem to like my sdcard and i have no idea why. So I have quickpic, mxplayer and es file explorer. They all work flawlessly. But i am sad that i can't make 100% use of sonys best apps
They are all beautiful though, so it can be said that there's nothing wrong with them at all if you use the devices built in storage.
Bravia and xreality really pack a punch and nobody does it well as sony. These should be taken full advantage of.
I like the rest of the apps such as social life, lounge, remote, sketch, smart connect and even sony select is pretty good. Of course im going to use third party apps, thats why i chose android. But for once, this brand of built in apps really has everything it should have and they're splendid too. I feel guilty that i don't use them frequently enough.
I don't know what else to say really, this device is pretty magical.
Oh and I'm still using stock 4.4.2, with towel root. It failed the update because it can't be verified im guessing because i rooted it. I'm scared to update it anyway, it works too well and i know from my experiences that if something works perfectly just leave it as it is.
What are others opinions? Do you think my review is correct?
I rushed the post and no I'm not going to correct my grammar and punctuation, even though i could. Just read it.
There's no reason you shouldn't buy it if you're looking for a good tablet. Sony really deserves a pat on the back. Looking forward to my next sony device.
Oh and f**k Samsung. Never will i buy a samsung again. Ugly piece of bloated laggy trash.
iKlutz said:
Hello. I've owned this tablet for nearly 4 months and I think i can now give a brief of my personal experience but i would also like some others opinions.
Firstly, I would like to mention that I've not regretted buying this device from the moment i unpacked it and still going. It's an absolute pleasure.
The design is brilliant, it looks so damn premium and feels it too. The weight doesn't bother me and it feels nice to hold. Even better after i received the 'poetic graph grip' rubber case. This case feels premium as the rubber texture and quality is so great. Anybody who doesnt like a flip case should definitely invest in one of these.
Onto the tablet performance, it is practically flawless. In every aspect. The speed of app switching and the animations is smooth and with hardly any noticable delay. Scrolling is just as smooth. I have noticed no graphical glitchery of the sorts. So it's speed overall is amazing.
The battery life, considering the speed i mentioned above, is some sort of sorcery indeed. I get roughly 1 hour SOT per 10% battery life and it doesn't seem be affected by how I'm using it much. I could be playing games, watching video or browsing facebook. The difference between those uses and the impact is almost negligible. As in there's no real impact. And I'm a heavy user. No I dont use battery saving modes either. When this battery cycle is done I'll add screenshots to this post.
The display quality is stunning and the colour reproduction is near damn perfect. I did slightly adjust the rgb ratio marginally to get a slightly brighter white by increasing the blue and green by 10 each. I like that i have this option. Sony likes this too, they know someone that buys a sony is very likely keen on the display so they make sure not to miss a trick there. Great job.
Next is the sony software. Okay here i have to admit that I'm not a big sony app user. Firstly sonys gallery and movies apps don't seem to like my sdcard and i have no idea why. So I have quickpic, mxplayer and es file explorer. They all work flawlessly. But i am sad that i can't make 100% use of sonys best apps
They are all beautiful though, so it can be said that there's nothing wrong with them at all if you use the devices built in storage.
Bravia and xreality really pack a punch and nobody does it well as sony. These should be taken full advantage of.
I like the rest of the apps such as social life, lounge, remote, sketch, smart connect and even sony select is pretty good. Of course im going to use third party apps, thats why i chose android. But for once, this brand of built in apps really has everything it should have and they're splendid too. I feel guilty that i don't use them frequently enough.
I don't know what else to say really, this device is pretty magical.
Oh and I'm still using stock 4.4.2, with towel root. It failed the update because it can't be verified im guessing because i rooted it. I'm scared to update it anyway, it works too well and i know from my experiences that if something works perfectly just leave it as it is.
What are others opinions? Do you think my review is correct?
I rushed the post and no I'm not going to correct my grammar and punctuation, even though i could. Just read it.
There's no reason you shouldn't buy it if you're looking for a good tablet. Sony really deserves a pat on the back. Looking forward to my next sony device.
Oh and f**k Samsung. Never will i buy a samsung again. Ugly piece of bloated laggy trash.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm a Samsung guy through and through...........
............ Or at least I was until a week ago.
I have had Samsung for years now and although I have tried other brands I always seem to go back to Samsung.
Well, last week I swapped our lass my Galaxy S4 for her Xperia Z2. I was going to trade it in by the second day for another Samsung, but she talked me into persevering with it a little longer....... and I'm so glad she did!. It's big, it's very square, but now I'm used to it I actually like it. I prefer it over the Samsung for the fact that Sony don't force loads of bloatware on you. The screen is great, the camera is fantastic! and battery life is amazing compared to any Samsung I have had.
So what has the Z2 phone got to do with a review of the Z2 tablet???........... Nothing........but.....
I always have a tablet to match my phone. So now I am used to the Z2 I plan on trading my Note 10.1 and Nexus 10 to get the Z2 tablet.
It's just bloody typical, when I didn't want the Z2 tablet our local secondhand shop had a couple in. But now I actually want one, they have none!.
I have had it 6 Months. I did buy the official sony case but generally use it without it, except when im out and about. Holding it now without a case it feels great as it always did since the first time I bought it. Slim as hell, but confident I could drop it and still recover. Its an odd design with wide bezzels but keeps me from tapping on the sides. Camera is bad, and that is the only negative I have. But who uses a tablet to take pics. I reackon when it gets lollipop im sorted for a tablet for the next year, im a techo geek and like to keep up to date, but dont see myself upgrading this for a while, and I think that says alot. It has never let me down and has done everything I ask of it in the last 6 months, so im staying with it, and will invest in a nice sony phone aswell.
Im a bit disappointed with mine but the fault of the first 2 fall on to bell
1. My bootloader is locked (made the mistake of buying through a carrier) which leads me to two
2. Unable to customize with roms/kernel
3. The bezels make it hard, even impossible to shop for universal 10" cases
4. The battery for me isn't what i thought it would be, an hour of use it drops 15-20 %
Other then those, everything is great, performence, display, sound(with headphones)
Things would be different if i was able to unlock my BL... Now I am happy to have root and some control of the stock kernel at least.
If your battery is dropping 15-20% a hour, you're doing something wrong. {Except you're gaming, then it's perfectly normal.) This device is really battery efficient, 10% per hour is normal.
Use Stamina Mode, and look whether there are apps in the background which consume battery. Tame them by deactivating (with Titanium Backup) or by using Greenify/Amplify.
For the case, simply get the Sony case. It's perfectly fine.
And you don't need ROMs or kernels on this device. Stock ROM + Root + Xposed is perfectly fine, looks good and has by far the best battery life.
So just enjoy!
Hey guys I've been looking for a tablet for a while now that fits my needs. I'm thinking the Z2 Tab is the way to go, beautiful design, big enough and backed by Sony who are known for timely updates.
Now I've never owned a Sony Device and I've had a look in the forums... What's the deal with rooting and such? Most threads seem to point towards the 'Sony cross-device forum' and I'm a bit confused. I've only owned LG and Samsung devices and they both seemed to have more device specific Development...
I really like of this tablet. All most every single aspect of it is really good.
But my real problem with it is touch screen. It's the worst touch screen have been used. I update to last version and it is really batter but still with minor problems. My LG G2 has a really better touch screen than this tablet. What do you think about it's touch screen? These minor problems are common on other tablets ? I tried a Ipad 2 and the touch is really amazing.
Excellent tablet
I must agree with the original post, this is really an awesome tablet.
My wife has always gone with apple, both for her phone and ipad. The rest of my family and friends are all hard core Samsung or Apple users. At the beginning of the year I got an Xperia V phone, which was taken from me a month later when I was attacked walking my baby. A friend gave me his Samsung Galaxy to use. But I really loved the experience with the Sony, and being able to use it outdoors in sand and water. So when it came time to use my book and equipment allowance at work I put it towards a Sony Z2 tablet. I am really happy with the decision. After updating to 4.4.4 I find the touchscreen no longer gives issues, and while the camera performance is sub-par, it doesn't really bother me as using it for voip and anything esle other than a DSLR works great!
A big thumbs up to sony, and to all the xda developers that help us use this device the way we want to!
I just ordered mine, the 32 gig lte version, I decided to get this over the shield and a 128gig ipad air because I like sony products and hope this is as good as it looks.
You wont be disappointed.
I got this earlier this month. I had immediate buyers regret day one because the screen was being iffy. I also almost never used it that day because I was chatting and its a pain in the butt to type on a tablet.
Then day 2 rolled around. I was amazed by the battery life (10% for every 1 hr SOT) and how amazing the Sony Music, Video and Phones apps were. The only problem was its inability to play audio on mkv files. The audio booster was another thing that made a huge difference. By far the best.
The screen almost never gets glitchy anymore (thank god). If it does it goes away after turning the screen off and on. The color reproduction was fantastic.
They only downside to this was some of the built in sony apps i cant uninstall. I think people can make good use of them. Just not for me. Also wish they would give some freebies from their media store for buying a $450 purchase
GalaxyWhy said:
Hey guys I've been looking for a tablet for a while now that fits my needs. I'm thinking the Z2 Tab is the way to go, beautiful design, big enough and backed by Sony who are known for timely updates.
Now I've never owned a Sony Device and I've had a look in the forums... What's the deal with rooting and such? Most threads seem to point towards the 'Sony cross-device forum' and I'm a bit confused. I've only owned LG and Samsung devices and they both seemed to have more device specific Development...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you dont have high budget , can consider xperia tablet compact or xperia tablet z first generation
Got it today, already rooted without unlocking bootloader and charging now ?
So far I'm very glad I bought It!!! Amazing job Sony ?
Inviato dal mio SGP511 utilizzando Tapatalk
My first tablet purchase ever, so not much to compare with cept for the ipads we get at work (yawn). It works a treat so far, keeping it stock 4.4.4 for the moment, tho I look forward to removing the bloat. I wasn't able to play hearthstone on my phone so it's taken up most of my initial testing hah. I've noticed a rare slight creak from the back panel somewhere to the right and I think I read another review saying the same. And I know it's certified water resistant, but it could finally get to me, having to pick out the tab every time I want to charge or connect to the PC. I've had zero freezing, lag etc runs cool as a cucumber. Not like my galaxy note that can heat up just as good as my microwave.
Sent from my SGP521 using XDA Free mobile app
The only real issue I've experienced with my tablet is the touch issue, no creaking or anything and it froze once, but other than that it's run awesome and it plays hearthstone fantastically
I do have a touch issue with icons on the home screen, especially if they're positioned close together.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA Free mobile app
I just get an issue where touches aren't resisted, for instance in heath stone when I drag a card it drops like I let go but my finger is clearly still there, turning the screen on and of again fixes it
thanitos said:
The only real issue I've experienced with my tablet is the touch issue, no creaking or anything and it froze once, but other than that it's run awesome and it plays hearthstone fantastically
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does the Wifi version play Hearthstone just as well as LTE version, and why would LTE be 'better'? What version Z2 do you have?
Aid777 said:
Does the Wifi version play Hearthstone just as well as LTE version, and why would LTE be 'better'? What version Z2 do you have?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Game would play the same, WIFI AND LTE are just different technologies for connecting to a network. It'd only be if you had a poor connection through either, because you must log online to play.
Sent from my SGP521 using XDA Free mobile app
Yup the device certainly has touch issues as from the general concensus.
Mine has too. The screen will lose feedback while you drag things. It doesnt happen always but its more than enough to break the immersion.
Yeah ive got the z2 tablet and what Sony has achieved is great.
What is dissapointing however is the range of Android apps for the device.
Or should i say android tablets in general. An iPad provides better valute to the consumer, and until the ranger of apps available drastically improves im regretting the choice of eco system rather than sony itself.
Related
Dropping my iPhone 4 for it.
I basically wrote a list of things I do most on my phone.
No order;
Browse and read news sites
Take pictures
View pictures
Listen to music
Email and text
Calls
Things I don't do:
Use barely ANY of the apps I get from app store
Play games
Watch movies
Prob would of gone for galaxy s2 but it's almost as costly as my iPhone.
Had htc desire before And it put me off htc - not keen on build q and as with most Chinese/Korean stuff a lot of software bits were unfinished. And am I the only person who didn't like sense ui?
Had Nokia n8 - phenomenal camera and good display of what can be achieved with smaller CPU but sw was limited no doubt about it. Considered getting one in anticipation of belle release but ultimately I'd be climbing onboard a sinking ship.
Arc is cheap, it looks good, great cam, great pic facilities and Sony UI seems like only a minimal intrusion on the OS.
Ultimately if you peel back the design of the galaxy s2 and the arc the main diff is in ram and CPU but not so much it would make or break the Arc.
Arc seems very underrated in my opinion.
It arrives 2moro maybe I'll change my opinion but I hope not because on paper it seems to tick every box for me.
Thanks for listening.
Great choice. To be honest i upgraded from the arc to arc s within a month. Purely down the fact i liked the white colour. You are right, though the device can be improved abit, it is under rated. On the contrary the iphone overrated. I had a play around with it for a week. I liked it but not as much as the arc/s. I have taken amazing pictures, sound is awesome. Battery life is for me great. 12+ hours with medium to heavy usage and all ive done is root and remove bloatware...implement v6 supercharger for extra smoothness. Ive also got link2sd but you said you dont use a lot of apps but id still recommended as with android apps you might get carried away
Hope this helps for reassurance that youve made the right choice
Sent from my LT18i using Tapatalk
It does help thank you.
iPhone is overrated and now I'm outside of that apple/iOS frame of mind it's quite obvious to me.
The antenna issue is a pain in the balls (I know I should get a bumper) especially since I'm in a fringe signal area.
Ability to share (or rather not so) media is a big kneecapping of design
Lack of 'real' customisation - even just to set a custom ringtone eg.
Looking at it objectively it (iPhone ethos) completely goes against what I look for in a phone yet I was sucked in.
Make no mistake, i can be positive about it - it's a joy to behold (though IS starting to look its age)
It's fast, it DOES work in the way it's intended, iTunes store integration on the phone for me as a music lover is brilliant. It's gallery capabilties are generally pretty good. Email functionality for purely email is great.
But it isn't for me.
Lock screen notifications on iphone are very good.. and it does do what it does very well.. but the Arc does almost all of it just as well.. and many other things much better too!
I couldn't go back to iphone either.
Check out my 50 things the Arc S can do, the iPhone 4s can't thread...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1469028
Arc S is a great phone and very underrated. Root, remove bloatware, install a few cheap or even free apps ..... and voila ...... an absolutely cracking phone at half the price of thu iphone.
Happy days
Got it, love it but sending it back.
Out of the box (literally) it started randomly rebooting. I thought it was first time start up procedure but it contines, in fact typing this whilst it's sat in standby next to me and it's just rebooted on its own.
Formatted SD, reset factory setts 3 times, took SD out and tried diff sim but just reboots randomly, sometimes at 30 secs of use sometimes two minutes - no pattern.
Getting a replacement, not deterred as def seems HW fault.
Minimal time Ive been able to use it and it seems great
Can't get it collected till Monday tho will continue to update once replaced.
Cheers.
The arc is VERY underrated. I had never heard of it until I started looking for a phone with a great camera. I live in the USA though, which is why I had never heard of it before (good to see Sony finally bringing high end xperia phones to the USA now though).
My previous phone was a galaxy nexus. Only thing good about it is ics. The camera, speaker, etc are absolutely terrible and caused me to go look for a new phone, which led me to the arc.
Honestly? The arc s blows away the nexus in every single hardware category. I can't believe how great the camera and speaker are on this phone. And the screen is the best I've ever seen outdoors. It even looks better than the nexus super amoled HD screen.
I'm also surprised at how light the Sony skin is in comparison to other manufacturer skins. It actually improves gingerbread. Can't wait to see it with ics.
All I know is I'm sticking to Sony phones now. And yes, I've also owned iPhones (3 of them) and will never go back after switching to Android.
Sent from my LT18a using XDA App
After reading GLOWING review of Tablet Z all over the net from professional reviewer wer and your shared experience on XDA. I was honestly quite excited that Sony Tablet Z finally arrived in Thailand a few days ago.
Today I decided to go check it out with intent to purchase one back home. But after playing with it I honestly couldn't make my self buy the tablet. T_T I will try not to comment on the tablet's aesthetic (which I find so so..).
1. The tablet is quite thin, so thin in fact that it flex!. I don't like that too much.
2. The build-in speakers are horrid. I played one of the promo's vid on the tablet and the sound comes out as very high pitch whine.. couldn't believe no one pick this up earlier.
3. Home screen is quite laggy . Unbecoming of Quad core with 2MB rams. My current phone is Galaxy Nexus (almost 2 years old now) is much better in term of smoothness.
4. One of my biggest concern is the 6000mah battery. Not very much considering it is a 10inch tablet. My tablet habits is not like my phone. Usually it might be left on the desk days at a time before I pick it up and play with it. The last thing I want is to be having to plugged it in all the time when I need to use it.
Since no one really report on the screen on time yet, this is quite a mystery to me.
These are my honest concerns, I am by no mean trying to bash the Tablet Z after waiting for it to arrive for so long, so I will just share my 0.2c and hopefully my opinion will change as more user start to share their experience.
Regards!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
kcharng said:
After reading GLOWING review of Tablet Z all over the net from professional reviewer wer and your shared experience on XDA. I was honestly quite excited that Sony Tablet Z finally arrived in Thailand a few days ago.
Today I decided to go check it out with intent to purchase one back home. But after playing with it I honestly couldn't make my self buy the tablet. T_T I will try not to comment on the tablet's aesthetic (which I find so so..).
1. The tablet is quite thin, so thin in fact that it flex!. I don't like that too much.
2. The build-in speakers are horrid. I played one of the promo's vid on the tablet and the sound comes out as very high pitch whine.. couldn't believe no one pick this up earlier.
3. Home screen is quite laggy . Unbecoming of Quad core with 2MB rams. My current phone is Galaxy Nexus (almost 2 years old now) is much better in term of smoothness.
4. One of my biggest concern is the 6000mah battery. Not very much considering it is a 10inch tablet. My tablet habits is not like my phone. Usually it might be left on the desk days at a time before I pick it up and play with it. The last thing I want is to be having to plugged it in all the time when I need to use it.
Since no one really report on the screen on time yet, this is quite a mystery to me.
These are my honest concerns, I am by no mean trying to bash the Tablet Z after waiting for it to arrive for so long, so I will just share my 0.2c and hopefully my opinion will change as more user start to share their experience.
Regards!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You complain because it flexes, has a small battery and the speakers suck, but you would be the SAME guy who also complains if they made it twice as thick so it didnt flex and had more room for a bigger battery and speakers. Do you see whats frustrating about reading this post?You cant have it both ways sometimes bud.
forzanerazzurri said:
You complain because it flexes, has a small battery and the speakers suck, but you would be the SAME guy who also complains if they made it twice as thick so it didnt flex and had more room for a bigger battery and speakers. Do you see whats frustrating about reading this post?You cant have it both ways sometimes bud.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup. Just like everyone *****es when a device isn't 1080p, but then *****es about lag and/or power consumption of 1080p devices.
hint: There isn't a mobile GPU on the market that can achieve 1080p or greater without sacrificing UI performance or power consumption. (In the case of Adreno320 - to have good performance on a 1080p screen, you must bump the clock speed at least one step, which bumps up the GPU voltage, which bumps up power consumption.)
Hi,
I got my tablet z from japan 3 weeks ago and used it for 1 week. then I sold it cause I'm waiting for a white one here in US (the Japanese version is black)
From my 1 week of experience, I can respond to your questions:
1. too thin that it flexes: On the contrary, when I had mine, I specifically tested to see if I could bend it. I felt the structure to be steady and firm for its thinness.
2. I find it strange that you complain about it's speakers. Usually tablets come with 2 speaker holes, the tablet Z come with 4. As a result, the speaker quality is much better than usual. I never experienced the "high pitch sound quality"you mentioned, on the contrary, I watched several movies on it and it was excellent.
3.The lagginess is something I can partially agree with you. Out of box, I kind of felt it had a very mild noticeable delay, compared to my old samsung galaxy tab, which was extremely smooth. However, for some reason the "lagness" went away in a few days. I don't know if it's because I turned off all the battery preservation mode, or there was some tweaks in settings. Honestly cant remember. The point is when I sold it I was 100% satisfied with it's smoothness. no delay or stalls in opening any apps, or opening several apps at once. No lagging in shifting between apps.
4. I can vouch that the battery is excellent. I turned off all battery conservation mode (STAMINA mode), and used it moderately: surfing web, reading e-books, mild gaming, a lot of movies. with huge use it could last 2 days before charging and with moderate use it could go up to 3-4. I think the overall efficiency of the snapdragon cpu is the reason.
My conclusion: I think you picked up a faulty demo unit of the tablet z, especially the speaker issue. I am sure mine didnt have that and I'm hoping the white one I'm waiting for is fine too.
kcharng said:
After reading GLOWING review of Tablet Z all over the net from professional reviewer wer and your shared experience on XDA. I was honestly quite excited that Sony Tablet Z finally arrived in Thailand a few days ago.
Today I decided to go check it out with intent to purchase one back home. But after playing with it I honestly couldn't make my self buy the tablet. T_T I will try not to comment on the tablet's aesthetic (which I find so so..).
1. The tablet is quite thin, so thin in fact that it flex!. I don't like that too much.
2. The build-in speakers are horrid. I played one of the promo's vid on the tablet and the sound comes out as very high pitch whine.. couldn't believe no one pick this up earlier.
3. Home screen is quite laggy . Unbecoming of Quad core with 2MB rams. My current phone is Galaxy Nexus (almost 2 years old now) is much better in term of smoothness.
4. One of my biggest concern is the 6000mah battery. Not very much considering it is a 10inch tablet. My tablet habits is not like my phone. Usually it might be left on the desk days at a time before I pick it up and play with it. The last thing I want is to be having to plugged it in all the time when I need to use it.
Since no one really report on the screen on time yet, this is quite a mystery to me.
These are my honest concerns, I am by no mean trying to bash the Tablet Z after waiting for it to arrive for so long, so I will just share my 0.2c and hopefully my opinion will change as more user start to share their experience.
Regards!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, my first impression is kind of different. The first thing that came up in my mind when I lifted it up was, this thing is so thin and it's so easy to carry with just one hand. The weight is just awesome and it had my eyes on first sight lol. For speaker, I can understand that it's waterproof so it wont be that loud (I also using xperia z at the moment so I understand that part perfectly well) but I do hope that it will be a little bit louder though because for me it will be most likely use for multimedia. Next, for smoothness part, if you ever have a chance to play with Asus Transformer Infinity with stock ROM (before they updated to 4.2.1) you will say it in different way lol.
I realised that my negative experience will probably angered many people out there and I apologise. I appreciate all input to my post and thank you for your patient.
Two of my concerns, with flex and loud speakers stemmed from having to share the tablets with children. You guys might understand my fuss better if you have children of your own. As for tablet flexing, putting on protective case will probably help but I couldn't help worrying about it.
As for the speakers, I just wish the speakers on bigger tablet are loud. Often time playing video, cartoon, video call on my phone is really annoying. You almost have to put your head next to your speaker on the phone sometime. Kids will probably complain constantly about not able to hear their favourite cartoon. You guys might be right about broken speakers on the promo unit. Will check it out again later.
Thanks.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
kcharng said:
I realised that my negative experience will probably angered many people out there and I apologise. I appreciate all input to my post and thank you for your patient.
Two of my concerns, with flex and loud speakers stemmed from having to share the tablets with children. You guys might understand my fuss better if you have children of your own. As for tablet flexing, putting on protective case will probably help but I couldn't help worrying about it.
As for the speakers, I just wish the speakers on bigger tablet are loud. Often time playing video, cartoon, video call on my phone is really annoying. You almost have to put your head next to your speaker on the phone sometime. Kids will probably complain constantly about not able to hear their favourite cartoon. You guys might be right about broken speakers on the promo unit. Will check it out again later.
Thanks.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flex? Why would u want to try and bend it, just because its thin. Speakers sound great u can use eq to get what sound u like. 4.2.2 will sort any lag but ive not experienced any
Battery on video loop last 6 hrs mines in stamina mode and ive been on it two days
Well if you keep waiting for that ONE tablet your waiting forever. "Usually tablets come with 2 speaker holes".. lol the ones I see have only ONE speaker and this has 2. Yet even that people cry. If Sony put them higher ..duh there in the wrong place and your hands cover them. Now there at the bottom and I read again your hands cover them.. pffft.
Lag.. granted I see that on the screen yet EVERY tablet has something. Its Android lol. One of the things I like about this tablet is its a hit and Sony will be doing everything to fix anything..well my hope is that.
---------- Post added at 07:09 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:05 PM ----------
kcharng said:
I realised that my negative experience will probably angered many people out there and I apologise. I appreciate all input to my post and thank you for your patient.
Two of my concerns, with flex and loud speakers stemmed from having to share the tablets with children. You guys might understand my fuss better if you have children of your own. As for tablet flexing, putting on protective case will probably help but I couldn't help worrying about it.
As for the speakers, I just wish the speakers on bigger tablet are loud. Often time playing video, cartoon, video call on my phone is really annoying. You almost have to put your head next to your speaker on the phone sometime. Kids will probably complain constantly about not able to hear their favourite cartoon. You guys might be right about broken speakers on the promo unit. Will check it out again later.
Thanks.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
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Click to collapse
Man you dont have to apologize. People come to praise it you can come to dislike it. Never apologize for things like this..
Is it possible that he bought a counterfeit tablet by mistake, that's why it seemed so bad?
Sent from my C6603 using xda premium
Since that it's a demo unit, you might wanna try out the other unit because usually, demo unit lags due to EVERYBODY touching it and abusing it.
I'm waiting patiently here in Malaysia. Btw, how much is it in Thailand?
Oh ya, sawadiccup. Hopefully the pronunciation is correct.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
You dont really have to apologize, people have different test and all.
I also live in Thailand and I thought that it will be on sell on June? Where is the shop that already have an item and for how much? Thank in advance for pointing that out =D.
Im also been lurking about this tablet z,imo when its 4.1.2 out of the box then lets wait for a few weeks to release an update cos its in aosp.. I like its design and very thin.. About ur findings on speaker,i think theres no problem with that.. :thumbup:
sent from my C6502 using xda-developers app
Not disappointed at all, I was going from a Nexus 10 and was already expecting it to be a sidegrade but I do think that the Xperia Z is a better tablet than the N10 all round...
OP mentioned flex, but I don't notice this anymore than the N10 I had which seemed less well built than the Z. Speakers, could be better but I would still say they are better than most tablet speakers due to their placing. Though I do wish every mobile device came with speakers like the HTC ONE
The main reason I changed to the Z from the N10 was that although the N10's screen looked incredible due to the high resolution colours were not saturated enough and contrast was pretty bad, black level was pretty bad too. The Z has awesome colour and contrast for a tablet and whilst the resolution difference is noticiable it's not a big deal, it's still way better than the average 720p.
love the lighness too, battery life seems to be pretty comparable to the N10 as well...
btw about the launcher .. just download nova launcher...
I actually agree. The speakers are a bit to high pitched for my liking. I may have been spoilt by the greatness of the HTC One in order to come to this conclusion.
The stock launcher is definitely on the heavy side. It's not laggy per se but it does ever so briefly stutter every now and then. I am now using Nova Launcher which is soo much lighter that I have yet to feel any stuttering.
In ter,ms of battery life, I find it reasonable. I've had 4 hours and 40mins of screen time watching big bang theory on vlc player and some surfing and app downloading, and I was left with 25% battery life. Total time inc standy was about 12/13 hours.
The tablet isnt perfect, it does have some kinks that a software upgrade can deal with e.g. Stuttering, but not sure if anything can be done for the speakers.
I do the love the design and I wikk give this a chance and hopefully 4.2.2 comes out soon.
Sent from my SGP311 using xda app-developers app
TeH-BagS said:
I do the love the design and I wikk give this a chance and hopefully 4.2.2 comes out soon.
Sent from my SGP311 using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
I hope sony comes with an update soon, for phones 4.2 isn't a big upgrade but multi-user support on a tablet is nice
The tablet Z is a step in the right direction, great design, thin, light, and great viewing angles from what I've read in reviews. But it comes with mediocre battery life apparently, older gen processor and one thing that I wanted a keyboard dock or cover of some sort. I've seen photos of one, possibly from the Japanese introduction but I don't recall this being an official accessory, perhaps it was not the tablet Z just older tab S. Perhaps Sony will release more accessories in the fall?
Anywho, I believe the next tablet from Sony will be the one to go for since it is supposed to be part of the "One Sony" ideology.
Well I read a review about battery where they looped the video and wifi on brightness high blah blah and got 7h and 20 min. Not the greatest but not the worst.
Regarding battery life I really don't notice much difference between this and the nexus 10. It really depends what you're doing.
All things considered this is one of the two best 10 inch Android tablets you can buy, the other being the nexus 10, nothing comes close to them IMO. I think I'll get to a comprehensive review at some point.
With an uptime of 1day 2hrs, and a screen on time of 7hrs 12minutes, my charge has run out.
This is on 1 charge with heavy web browsing, moderate YouTube and light gaming (I.e, Wired PS3 controller on GTA Vice City)
Thought that was pretty impressive given my Xperia Tablet S dies after 2hrs of web browsing.
So many negative threads about how the screen sucks, the camera sucks etc etc. Would be nice to hear from the people who actually like the Z1. Write down your experience with the phone. It doesn't have to be all rosy but hopefully it will give a little bit more nuance.
Sure.
Last Saturday I got my Z1, I've had a Gnex for a long time and my first impressions are very good. The device is amazingly fast, everything works as it should, multitasking is very good, all performance related things are nothing to complain about.
The screen 'dead-on' is also nice the viewing angles people are talking about is something I don't really see as a problem. I just held the phone in an angle and when the colours start to wash out it's an angle I would never use my phone at. Other than that the camera does have noise issues, although it's not too bad IMHO. (do bear in mind I come from the Gnex so pretty much every new device is a big upgrade) I don't think the noise issues aren't too bad though, as Sony can easily fix the noise issues with a software update. Speaking of updates, the Z1 already had 3 updates. Whether this is a good or a bad thing is up to you, but to me it sounds like it's well supported by Sony.
Battery... I feel mixed about it. It's better than my Gnex, but again, pretty much every device is. I did expect a lot more from a 3000 mAh battery though. I had about 23 hours of standby and roughly 4 hours of screen on time. That is with 3G on all the time, wifi on most of the time and applications like Twitter, Whatsapp and Facebook running in the background. It's a weird thing though, the xperia ZR gets 11:30 (11 hours and 30 minutes) of browsing in the GSMarena test. While the Z1 gets about half of that. I have the feeling Sony has to do some software optimization, since they can pull it off. (note: the ZR battery is 2300 mAh) How long this will take, and if Sony will even do it, I have no idea. If the problem is related to Qualcomm it may take a long time though since they're not very keen on doing things in a different way. (look at the Nexus 7 2013 and binaries)
Overall I personally think the Xperia Z1 is an amazing device. It's super fast, the build quality is amazing and it feels really good.(get a case though!) There are things to improve on such as battery life and it depends on whether you trust Sony to fix these issues or not.
Positve
Got mine yesterday.
S/W: problems yet
Performance: Extremely quick 9/10
Screen Quality: 8/10 but too early to say if I'm just being jaded by all the moaning.
Camera seems pretty good to me, what a blessing a proper camera button makes.
Shame I can't upload samples of photos / videos etc. I will find a way if request. Anyone wanna buy a Galaxy 3? ho ho..
Oh one thing I don't like, is having to uncover the charger port to charge it up (i know its re waterproofing).
My options are :-
Cut the cover flap off or buy a magnetic charger unit £30.00 !!!!! (I probably will.)
So far pretty dam good phone.
Paul
I've had my XZ1 since Saturday 21st sept, and so far I love it, the camera is good but has issues like the grain and noise which prevent it from being a great one.
Love the sharpness and colours of the screen and it's resolution makes browsing the Web or forums so easy.
I've gotten used to the waterproof tabs after having my Xtz before I got the z1 but at least if you don't like having to keep opening the flap you can use a magnetic charger cable or dock.
That's all I can think of at lol
Sent from my C6903 using XDA Premium HD app
screen is best... best contrast and color you can get... no yellow tint or extra blue. no issue at all..
screen performance not so good from an angle... but who use it like that... 98% i use head on... 2 % ready to sacrifice. for head on awesomeness..
battery is a ****. (Wifi and bluetooth on, may be due to this)
Auto mode of camera is a ****..
play around with ISO in manual mode to get best shot for each scenario...
sound from speaker is not so good... even headphone sound (wired) is not good...
performance... nothing can beat it... samsung s4 struggles before this beast..
i am still on 518 firmware and no software issue so far.. using wireless headphones...
jos_031 said:
screen is best... best contrast and color you can get... no yellow tint or extra blue. no issue at all..
screen performance not so good from an angle... but who use it like that... 98% i use head on... 2 % ready to sacrifice. for head on awesomeness..
battery is a ****. (Wifi and bluetooth on, may be due to this)
Auto mode of camera is a ****..
play around with ISO in manual mode to get best shot for each scenario...
sound from speaker is not so good... even headphone sound (wired) is not good...
performance... nothing can beat it... samsung s4 struggles before this beast..
i am still on 518 firmware and no software issue so far.. using wireless headphones...
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Click to collapse
For me it's this above plus
Weird touch screen issues where it goes a bit bonkers when doing the pattern unlock.
Wow a positive thread about the Z1, do my eyes deceive me?
Seriously it's nice to see positive in all the threads of doom and gloom.
Nice
Sent from my C6903 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
My showers have become a lot less of a chore and more of a pleasure;
https://vine.co/v/hvY5MVFTLXd?fb_action_ids=10151847100714799
Just add 2 hooks with a little bit of sugru
So I got mine yesterday.
Hardware: I can't tell you how gorgeous this phone is if you haven't seen it yet, the blend of pure vanilla white with the aluminium frame is a spot on direct hit in my eyes. Under the hood HW is even better. The S800 chip seriously flies and it's been a long time but Android is now becoming just as fluid as iOS and WP and it's great to see that.
Software: I am a big fan of the Sony UI simply because it's easy and it looks pretty vanilla, I haven't installed a Homescreen in 2 years now ever since I got a Xperia S and I am not changing that now. There is some minor SW bugs where some dialouges just doesn't show up but I can still press them(if I know their real position)
Camera: The camera is a serious SW mess because I know and I see that Sony has a good camera HW-wise BUT their SW and esspecially Auto mode is seriously one complete mess. Other than the major problems with the noise the camera app is fluid and it's quite promosing to have some nice options like AR and the Livestream mode.
Sound: THe loudspeaker is decent and nothing you would cheer about but it's better than my old XS of course. The headphone jack for me is perfect and I hear absolutely no difference when playing the same song on my XS or my Z1
Screen: THe screen for me is supersharp, I can only see a little difference in sharpness between my XS and Z1 but that is expected but still it's a nice feature. The colours are almost accurate(I had to increase my blue level by +3 to +4), viewing angles aren't the best but they are clearly better than my XS besides head on is the way to go in my world.
Battery: Battery is a mixed bag; Standby is EXCELLENT hours can go and the phone is still on the same percentage. However and this is a big one the battery during Web browsing or other minor things is seriously underperforming. Clearly this is also something wrong with the SW because other Sony phones does not have the same problem.
I hope this gives a good view on the phone, clearly Sony needs to fix the battery and the Camera and for some swap out faulty screens. Other than that my money was well put!
I got my XZ1 on monday and I love it so far! Yeah the viewing angles aren't the best but who is gonna use their phone from those angles? The camera is good, yes it needs some improvements but it isn't unusable.
The waterproof tabs take some getting used to after coming from a Nexus 4 but my battery lasts me about a day and a half almost 2; so I don't have to undo the tab to often.
I like the speaker, it isn't as loud as the one on the Note 2 I had but it is WAY better than the Nexus 4. I really like the notification LED also, its in a really discrete location and its pretty visible; and paired with light manager it is really useful for me.
Wifi has also been good for me, at least compared to my old N4. The overall speed of the phone is awesome! This thing rips!
Coming from the Nexus 4 this was a SOLID upgrade for me. SD card slot, better camera, Snapdragon 800, better speakers (ear piece also), and its waterproof? I can't really complain on my end!
I think people are just being a little too picky. I mean come on the phone has only been out for almost a week now. What else can you expect? Sony has been releasing updates pretty frequently so hopefully everything will get better soon.
So i will do that short: Sony Xperia Z1 is just good. Not perfect. but good and defently better as my old Xperia S. (Whiches i aso not so bad if i compare to to other cellphone from this timewindow)
Mine is good so far, only got it for 2days will test camera etc some more
One thing I can say about the screen:
I went to local store and compared to ZU screen, both on full brightness and my Z1 screen definitely has better colors and details then Z1. I tried the Sony sample pics and compared those.
Better details is due to 5" vs 6.4" I guess. But colors are really better on Z1, also in video I noticed the same result
Sent from my C6903 using xda app-developers app
Love the z1
Got the Z1 on pre-order, arrived the 17th.
- First thing i notice, phone is not bulky (in oposition to what reviewers say). Second thing, sony actually provides screen protect (Awsome)
- Phone turns on great and continues to perform great, Loving 4g and the speed and smoothness of the whole system.
- Screen contrast is not superb, lost in comparison to the s4, but during video streaming/playback, it performed amazingly as being hit directly by sunlight it was still very clear.
- Overall The phone is amazing, everyone says constantly i can't stop playing around with it (so true).
The only negative i have is battery life. Due to my constant use it drains very very quickly. But i think i'll be able to fix that.
B1nny said:
Sure.
Last Saturday I got my Z1, I've had a Gnex for a long time and my first impressions are very good. The device is amazingly fast, everything works as it should, multitasking is very good, all performance related things are nothing to complain about.
....
Overall I personally think the Xperia Z1 is an amazing device. It's super fast, the build quality is amazing and it feels really good.(get a case though!) There are things to improve on such as battery life and it depends on whether you trust Sony to fix these issues or not.
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Click to collapse
I see you're from the Netherlands. Could you confirm we are still on 14.1.G.1.518 firmware? It seems everyone who has been able to upgrade to 534 firmware has far better camera results, yet I cannot update to this new firmware, still stuck on the old one. I'd love to update the firmware to get better camera results but I do not want to root this phone. I'm on Vodafone RED 4G btw, dunno if it mathers.. Thanks.
bramgg said:
I see you're from the Netherlands. Could you confirm we are still on 14.1.G.1.518 firmware? It seems everyone who has been able to upgrade to 534 firmware has far better camera results, yet I cannot update to this new firmware, still stuck on the old one. I'd love to update the firmware to get better camera results but I do not want to root this phone. I'm on Vodafone RED 4G btw, dunno if it mathers.. Thanks.
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Click to collapse
I am. I can confirm I didn't get any updates on my unlocked Z1. I updated to 534 manually via flashtool though. (doesn't void warranty) I have no idea why we don't get the updates pushed to our phones.
thought i'd give my 2 cents here as i have been seeing a lot of negative comments, especially from people who judge way too quickly. Back when the Z came out i followed it madly and already had it on pre-order but i ended up getting a htc one. Ive had this phone for 2 days now and compared to my htc one it is a definite improvement. The only thing im getting used to is the size of the phone, i have small hands so you can imagine its not a 1 handed affair, but you cant fault the build quality, i love the fact that sony puts its own screen and back panel protector on (remember the x10). Call quality is amazing i have to say, loud and clear. performance is amazing, i can see the improvements in the chipset s800 has over s600 (was in my htc one), in real life you wont notice it too much but its defo there, games run amazing no lags and hits a very good fps (wild blood, real racing 3 in particular looks and plays amazingly). I've not really played with the camera much but its better than my htc one, that was the only thing i was disappointed with that phone. Now i have been constantly messing about with the phone so cant really give an accurate example of battery life, but what are you supposed to expect from a phone specc'd like this, yes it has a bigger capacity battery, it also has a big screen and a powerful cpu too, if i get a full days use out of it il be happy.
The Z1 is easily the best phone ever built. Its so nice to hold and use. Definitely my favourite phone to date and I have owned nearly all the previous flagship phones from most companies.
Absolutely blown away by this phone it's just amazing for me.
Sent from my C6903 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Xperia Z1 music video
Hi,
I'm totally new to android and the Z1 is my first personal android phone. My expectations where so high coming from many years of All iPhones.
I don't want to start a flame but yes I think android is a little behind (in some aspects) to ios7 BUT this device is actually freaking awesome and looks to me the only one that can beat the iPhone quality.
- High quality. When you touch it you feel that your money are well spent.
- The camera (if we consider is a phone) Is just super good.
- The Sony rom doesn't make me sad as and in a hurry to grab a random 3th party rom
- Display is super good colors looks real and rich. Yes view angles are not awesome but only crazy people use the phone in that way. One thing that NO ONE MENTION is that any phone is close to the iPhone under the sun. Surprise surprise according to phone arena the Z1 is in 2 place. That's for me means A LOT more than insane view angles. The only difect so far is the black. The display show (only in some circumstances) one of the lightest black on the market. You'll may notice it watching a movie (a dark one) in a dark room.
- screen protector: isn't so fragile as many said but yes isn't olephobic
Am I satisfied? A lot!!!!
Sent from my C6903 using xda app-developers app
Obviously relative to the time I loved my 3210 and 3310 but you cannot say they're better phones than what we have today. I thought I wasn't going to buy this because of the screen protector thing, however I needed a new phone because I sold my Windows Phone as that OS is just plain bad. I ended up going for this phone in the end because I hate big phones and it finally felt like Android got its iPhone... a normal sized flagship. I've avoided the mini versions in the past as they're always the poor peoples phone, for some reason OEMs see smaller phones as this? However this phone really makes no compromises.
I love the size, love the speed, love the fact Sony don't do a Touchwiz, the construction is so solid and nice, the camera is great, the screen is great etc. It is such an amazing phone to fit in this size, which next to my iPhone 5c it is barely any bigger. What has amazed me though is I'm getting 4 days on a single charge, I'm not a heavy user, I used to get 2 days on my HTC One, but my Windows Phone only lasted a day and this one is thrashing them all. I'm currently on 70% at 1 day 19 hours, those battery saver things built in really work.
I have to wonder if wanting higher and higher resolution screens is worthwhile, I don't miss the 1080p screen of my HTC One, I didn't miss it with my Windows Phone which was 720p, I don't miss it with this one either. I use my iPhone (which I own because IOS has the best games) and that is even lower res and I just don't care it looks good enough. I don't miss not having 460ppi or whatever the HTC One was, I cannot see a pixel on the screen of this phone or my iPhone, I don't look at my phone with a magnifying glass.
My only gripe is I wish they used the bottom bit for capacitative touch buttons.
Really great phone I'd recommend it to any one, maybe people can pick faults with it, I dunno I can pick faults with every phone I've ever used, at some point you just have to accept there is no perfect phone. The HTC One went on about the front stereo speakers, only they weren't great quality, weren't loud after the updates that toned them down because they would crackle at high volumes, the camera sucked, it was impossible to repair. The 1020, the camera was over rated, it would take 4 seconds between shots, have lots of noise, the battery would barely last a day, Windows Phone sucked. I could go on and on but I think so far the Z1 Compact is the best all rounder I've owned and definitely the best normal sized phoned that you can actually fit in your pocket comfortably.
I have to agree, love this phone so far. Before buying the phone, I was a little apprehensive due to various complaints on this forum about touchscreen, slow to wake, etc. But after 9 days without a reboot, I have yet to experience any bugs. Performance is lightning fast, Sony 4.3 ROM is very stable, and the size is almost perfect (would prefer even smaller, but I don't expect anything smaller with similar performance anytime soon).
Venekor said:
My only gripe is I wish they used the bottom bit for capacitative touch buttons..
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Click to collapse
^^^^ THIS! There is plenty of room on the bottom bezel for the buttons, and that would get more usable screen area back. But that's a minor complaint for an otherwise superb phone.
I've not got bugs on 4.3, I just don't get why people want to be on the latest version all the time, I've been on Kitkat with my HTC One and never noticed a difference...
I like the apps that keep the on screen buttons but make them opaque and get rid of the black bar, it means you don't really notice them and you feel like you're getting the whole screen. I still don't get why there is a big unused Bezel there, maybe that didn't have the space and it is a tight fit in there?
The other thing I don't get is you can easily remove the back cover and it is a bit like a Galaxy phone in there, the internals are covered by plastic, you can get the battery out quite easily and it is easy to repair. They should have just made it into a battery cover instead of giving them impression the battery cannot be replaced.
Still it is nice that you can open it up so easily.
I agree...best phone I ve ever used
Sure is best!. I have 4.4.2 rom now and it rox
Send from my Z1C using tapatalk
First of all sorry on my english
Bezel on the end of phone is probably place where you holding hands when you play games or watching movies
a title?
sorry for my poor English
I like its size and the appearance and no shrinkage to Z1.
Im worry that few people choose this phone here(they often appreciate big ones)and it appears few roms. My last phone was Moto me525 defy, it could use dozens of roms.
Finally I would complain that the forum here is not so friendly as in my country.
11 numbers! are needed, I was used none or 6 numbers when you submit frequently.
Love the dimensions and specs of this phone as well.
But I am still not a fan of Android coming from Nokia's Meego Harmattan.
If the Sailfish OS port ever comes (bug free), this would be my perfect phone.
I completely agree. I came from a Find 5, which is nice in its own right, and this phone is just ridiculously good. I left it stock for about 5 minutes before rooting and unlocking, and have not looked back. I have had no issues thus far with KK (the slightly modded version from munjeni), and the performance / battery and build quality is superb. I haven't messed with BT or camera much yet, but getting a few little things like the softkeys out of the way is about all I needed to make this my perfect phone.
:good:
Venekor said:
I've not got bugs on 4.3, I just don't get why people want to be on the latest version all the time, I've been on Kitkat with my HTC One and never noticed a difference...
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Click to collapse
Google does not leave an update/work for nothing uh... If you do not see the differences, is that your usage is too basic to see (e.g., UI improvements...).
Btw, I always used Xperia smartphones and this is the best phone I've ever owned too!
couldn't agree anymore with you! this is my favorite phone too, and i just love it! all other "mini" smartphones either need a large batteri or have little internal memory or something else. this phone is a beast and have it all!
I agree 100% that this is the best phone I have to date. For a compact phone, the specs alone was a winner and has proven to be in it's performance. It's by no means a mini when it comes to resources. Superb processing and battery power and proprietary Sony battery usage software which I don't even have to use, lol.
I appreciate that Sony doesn't have to be out there marketing wise like Samsung and elegantly meet and surpass their performance. Water proof, dust proof, no biggie full LTE support no limitations except maybe finger print reader (like they even use it). I have owned Samsung s2 to s4, even their minis. Ironically I loved the s2
I am soo happy I have jumped ship and look forward to continued Sony development.
sllik said:
Love the dimensions and specs of this phone as well.
But I am still not a fan of Android coming from Nokia's Meego Harmattan.
If the Sailfish OS port ever comes (bug free), this would be my perfect phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes sailfish os on the z1c would it make perfect.
I've been reading up about the Z5C because it's the only small yet powerful android phone currently on the market. Of course I always check XDA for root/rom/support experiences, and here I mostly see negative experiences. So many people are saying this is their last Xperia or that if the new Android M doesn't fix it's issues then they're going to switch to different phone, etc. This disheartens me greatly because I see no other viable option for a new sub-5 inch phone. I currently have a 1st gen Moto X - XT1053 Dev Edition. I love the phone and everything about it, but it's getting to be a bit slow with 2013 hardware running 2016 apps, and I think I will need an upgrade by 2017. I would buy another Motorola, but Lenovo has decided that Motorola should only make shovel sized phones (which goes against everything in Motorola's original vision.)
So where does that leave us who don't like gargantuan phones but still want a quality device? Do I wait and see if fixes come for the Z5C memory leak, stuttering, and its other issues? A few people report that their phone doesn't have these issues, do I gamble and hope I get a good one like that? Is there some other small form Andriod smartphone out there that I should consider? Or do I give up and get a 5+ inch device? It seems the Samsung G6 or G7 would be the next smallest option.
I would love to hear everyone's thoughts and comments on this.
DrvLikHell said:
I've been reading up about the Z5C because it's the only small yet powerful android phone currently on the market. Of course I always check XDA for root/rom/support experiences, and here I mostly see negative experiences. So many people are saying this is their last Xperia or that if the new Android M doesn't fix it's issues then they're going to switch to different phone, etc. This disheartens me greatly because I see no other viable option for a new sub-5 inch phone. I currently have a 1st gen Moto X - XT1053 Dev Edition. I love the phone and everything about it, but it's getting to be a bit slow with 2013 hardware running 2016 apps, and I think I will need an upgrade by 2017. I would buy another Motorola, but Lenovo has decided that Motorola should only make shovel sized phones (which goes against everything in Motorola's original vision.)
So where does that leave us who don't like gargantuan phones but still want a quality device? Do I wait and see if fixes come for the Z5C memory leak, stuttering, and its other issues? A few people report that their phone doesn't have these issues, do I gamble and hope I get a good one like that? Is there some other small form Andriod smartphone out there that I should consider? Or do I give up and get a 5+ inch device? It seems the Samsung G6 or G7 would be the next smallest option.
I would love to hear everyone's thoughts and comments on this.
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Click to collapse
You ever consider the Z3 Compact? Or you picky on year and specs?
uchechris said:
You ever consider the Z3 Compact? Or you picky on year and specs?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm picky on specs... Though I did consider it today and I watched several Z3C vs Z5C videos. I like it except that it's only one year newer/faster than my current phone, and it's only available in 16GB. My Moto X, being the Dev Edition, is a 32GB and it's usually full. the Z3C has an SD card slot, but not everything can go on an SD. If I was going to go with a Snapdragon 801 phone from 2014 I'd probably choose the Moto X 2nd gen and give a little on size to retain the seriously awesome Moto Display capability.
DrvLikHell said:
I'm picky on specs... Though I did consider it today and I watched several Z3C vs Z5C videos. I like it except that it's only one year newer/faster than my current phone, and it's only available in 16GB. My Moto X, being the Dev Edition, is a 32GB and it's usually full. the Z3C has an SD card slot, but not everything can go on an SD. If I was going to go with a Snapdragon 801 phone from 2014 I'd probably choose the Moto X 2nd gen and give a little on size to retain the seriously awesome Moto Display capability.
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Well theres really isn't anything bad about the Z5 compact.....tho ppl complain about it being overheat and camera being not good, if those things is not an issue to you, then yea the z5 compact is a great phone, i say go for it, been having updates since it just had a update last two days ago
I know where you're coming from. My LG G2 has been getting really slow so I've been wanting a new phone,, but I really don't want a phablet. So I got the z5 compact (international model). It's ok. It isn't everything I hoped. The idle battery life sucks (it loses 1% per hour where as my g2 would only lose 1% every 8 hours. That makes it pretty much a 1 day phone, not 2 for most people I would imagine. And the fingerprint scanner seems to be a piece of garbage. It doesn't work 70% of the time. Other than that the phone is good. It's fast, the screen can get very bright. Obviously waterproof. So yeah, not the battery life king that the z3 compact used to be, and the fingerprint scanner might as well not exist. I bought a nexus 6p - I know I know, it's a phablet and I said I didn't want one - just to test ( I will most likely return it before the 15 day return policy) but I can't tell you how nice it is to have a fingerprint scanner that works 100% of the time and is accessible with both hands. I'm hoping the update that is just now rolling out fixes the fingerprint scanner if possible. So those are my thoughts.
uchechris said:
Well theres really isn't anything bad about the Z5 compact.....tho ppl complain about it being overheat and camera being not good, if those things is not an issue to you, then yea the z5 compact is a great phone, i say go for it, been having updates since it just had a update last two days ago
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Heat isn't an issue because I don't do anything intensive for long periods of time, like gaming. The camera I don't know about. My Moto X camera is ok, my Galaxy S3 camera was good, but that's all I've got to compare to. So maybe if I never had a better one I won't notice.
ksc6000 said:
I know where you're coming from. My LG G2 has been getting really slow so I've been wanting a new phone,, but I really don't want a phablet. So I got the z5 compact (international model). It's ok. It isn't everything I hoped. The idle battery life sucks (it loses 1% per hour where as my g2 would only lose 1% every 8 hours. That makes it pretty much a 1 day phone, not 2 for most people I would imagine. And the fingerprint scanner seems to be a piece of garbage. It doesn't work 70% of the time. Other than that the phone is good. It's fast, the screen can get very bright. Obviously waterproof. So yeah, not the battery life king that the z3 compact used to be, and the fingerprint scanner might as well not exist. I bought a nexus 6p - I know I know, it's a phablet and I said I didn't want one - just to test ( I will most likely return it before the 15 day return policy) but I can't tell you how nice it is to have a fingerprint scanner that works 100% of the time and is accessible with both hands. I'm hoping the update that is just now rolling out fixes the fingerprint scanner if possible. So those are my thoughts.
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I also tried out a phablet, the Asus Zenfone 2. Really awesome phone, but awesomely huge as well. 64GB, 4GB ram, 4 Intel Atom cores, dual sim, SD slot, fully unlockable. I figured if I was going to go big, why not get crazy with specs too. While it performed great and had every option available, it was just too big. I felt like I was pulling out a ham sandwich to make a phone call. I could barely reach the power button one-handed, never mind navigate it one-handed. But my friend was enamored with it, so I sold it to him, and I'm on the hunt again.
The battery life could be an issue. Usually I end up with around 30% left on my Moto, but sometimes I'll have to use it a lot more than normal and hit single digits by the end of the day. I've never had it die on me though. I've heard mixed reviews about the fingerprint scanner ranging from "ok", to "crap." But I don't have one now, so I won't miss it if I don't use it, right? What I'll miss is the Moto Display where it semi-wakes when you pick it up or take it out of your pocket or get a notification. No other phones wake/unlock feature can hold a candle to that.
The thing that concerns me most is the RAM leak that people talk about and the stuttering. A lot of people complain that they have to restart their phone from once a day to once every 3-4 days to restore it's speed. Otherwise it starts to choke even with just one app open. Something about app caching or precaching or whatever, I can't remember. That would be a HUGE problem for me. I want a phone that's as fast today as it was a week ago when I turned it on. Even Windows doesn't have that problem anymore. And stuttering when swiping and/or moving from app to app. That would feel gheto, like I've got a $29 phone from Walmart. If I'm going to pay several hundred bucks for a phone, it needs to move like a several hundred dollar phone. My Moto is still smooth, even when it's loading or navigating a heavy app. It's just a little pokey about it sometimes.
I really appreciate your input guys. It helps substantially because no one I know AFK knows squat about phones.
DrvLikHell said:
Heat isn't an issue because I don't do anything intensive for long periods of time, like gaming. The camera I don't know about. My Moto X camera is ok, my Galaxy S3 camera was good, but that's all I've got to compare to. So maybe if I never had a better one I won't notice.
I also tried out a phablet, the Asus Zenfone 2. Really awesome phone, but awesomely huge as well. 64GB, 4GB ram, 4 Intel Atom cores, dual sim, SD slot, fully unlockable. I figured if I was going to go big, why not get crazy with specs too. While it performed great and had every option available, it was just too big. I felt like I was pulling out a ham sandwich to make a phone call. I could barely reach the power button one-handed, never mind navigate it one-handed. But my friend was enamored with it, so I sold it to him, and I'm on the hunt again.
The battery life could be an issue. Usually I end up with around 30% left on my Moto, but sometimes I'll have to use it a lot more than normal and hit single digits by the end of the day. I've never had it die on me though. I've heard mixed reviews about the fingerprint scanner ranging from "ok", to "crap." But I don't have one now, so I won't miss it if I don't use it, right? What I'll miss is the Moto Display where it semi-wakes when you pick it up or take it out of your pocket or get a notification. No other phones wake/unlock feature can hold a candle to that.
The thing that concerns me most is the RAM leak that people talk about and the stuttering. A lot of people complain that they have to restart their phone from once a day to once every 3-4 days to restore it's speed. Otherwise it starts to choke even with just one app open. Something about app caching or precaching or whatever, I can't remember. That would be a HUGE problem for me. I want a phone that's as fast today as it was a week ago when I turned it on. Even Windows doesn't have that problem anymore. And stuttering when swiping and/or moving from app to app. That would feel gheto, like I've got a $29 phone from Walmart. If I'm going to pay several hundred bucks for a phone, it needs to move like a several hundred dollar phone. My Moto is still smooth, even when it's loading or navigating a heavy app. It's just a little pokey about it sometimes.
I really appreciate your input guys. It helps substantially because no one I know AFK knows squat about phones.
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You just need to realize that no phone is perfect....all phones has its pros and cons, kinda wish there was more small phones but nowadays its always big phones big phones big phones which is very annoying, but hey welcome to history of technology, it keeps improving every year
Most people come to these forums to fix problems or discuss issues so there won't be a lot of positive threads. But then again there's not much nice to say about the z5c lol if you can live with side charging go with the z3c. The xperia line has a lot of users that are too scared to root so the development is really slim. The z3c is at a more of a mature state than the z5c so it's your best bet.
I guess I just don't understand where did this problem of the phone being slow comes from. Because if there's anything positive that I can say about the Z5 compact that is that it is super fast and I am currently using a Nexus 6p which arguably is the fastest Android experience you can get and the Z5 compact doesn't feel any slower to me. I guess the camera is probably slower because I have noticed it take a half second longer to open than I would expect it and the photos take about a second to 2 seconds to fully load but really other than that the phone is blazing fast in my opinion.
civicsr2cool said:
Most people come to these forums to fix problems or discuss issues so there won't be a lot of positive threads. But then again there's not much nice to say about the z5c lol if you can live with side charging go with the z3c. The xperia line has a lot of users that are too scared to root so the development is really slim. The z3c is at a more of a mature state than the z5c so it's your best bet.
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I don't mind the side charge, but with only 16GB, it's a step down from what I have now in terms of storage. It's also 2 years old and I'm looking for something a little newer. If you go to other forums, there are a larger percentage of people talking about how they love their phone in spite of some issue they created or something they're trying to achieve or fix. I've seen users on the Moto X forum state that they'll give up their phone when someone pries it from their cold dead hands. Others have wept when their phone was irreparably damaged. I've seen the same thing said about the LG G2. You are quite correct about older phones being in a more mature state though. The S6/S7 don't have a Cyanogen build available yet, and neither does the Z5C. But the Z3C does.
ksc6000 said:
I guess I just don't understand where did this problem of the phone being slow comes from. Because if there's anything positive that I can say about the Z5 compact that is that it is super fast and I am currently using a Nexus 6p which arguably is the fastest Android experience you can get and the Z5 compact doesn't feel any slower to me. I guess the camera is probably slower because I have noticed it take a half second longer to open than I would expect it and the photos take about a second to 2 seconds to fully load but really other than that the phone is blazing fast in my opinion.
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It's not that the Z5C is slow all together, the complaints I've been reading are that it slows down after a few days of use due to an issue with the RAM not clearing properly. Everyone says a restart fixes/clears the issue till it builds up again. Sorta like Windows 98. If you don't restart your Z5C for a week, does it still feel just as fast as your Nexus?
DrvLikHell said:
It's not that the Z5C is slow all together, the complaints I've been reading are that it slows down after a few days of use due to an issue with the RAM not clearing properly. Everyone says a restart fixes/clears the issue till it builds up again. Sorta like Windows 98. If you don't restart your Z5C for a week, does it still feel just as fast as your Nexus?
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I can't say that mine doesn't slow down somewhat after a week or so, but I've never had it happen to the point it is unusable. I've gone weeks without a restart with no real problems. I've noticed that it does slow down some, but nothing that I can't live with. And even with a slowdown, are you so in need of being connected 24/7 that you can't take the a minute periodically to reboot?
I've read some varying reports that the 6.0.1 update improves the memory management, and at least helps this issue. However, I haven't had a chance to use flashtool to update yet, so I can't say for sure.
The Z5 Compact (mine at least) does have a bit of the 810 overheating problem. The only time it impacted anything for me, I had been setting in a hot car and then tried to use the camera. I got the 'overheating... camera will close' message. I had that happen to me a few times on the Z3 compact the didn't have the Snapdragon 810 SOC.
Battery life isn't awesome, but then again I'm not really a power user. Little gaming, little social media checking, etc... I work in a location with no signal at all for the phone. It spends almost all of the day trying to connect. I generally go out to the car at lunch for a little while, but that is about all the time it is connected during the day. I don't think it has ever actually died on me doing this. If it has, it was maybe once.
When I'm somewhere that has signal all day, I've never had an issue unless I'm using navigation a lot, or something similar.
I've tried a few other phones over the last few years, and even if they have worked well they are just too freaking big. I've stuck with the Xperia compacts because they are the only <5" phone that offers true flagship specs.
Just my two cents. You're mileage may vary. If you get it and hate it, please don't blame me.
Look if you're happy, you're not gonna bother posting about it. That's human nature. There are a lot of happy users like me who don't have anything to complain about. People will only open a thread or comment if they run into a problem. Anyway, this phone has been fantastic for me since 6.0 update. And now after the 6.0.1 update, the camera starts almost instantly. So I can finally say that this was a worthwhile investment from my part.
Sent from my E5803 using XDA-Developers mobile app
i have z5c 3 months now, using MM and don't have any problems, using my phone for photos, navigation and regular calls and so on, last night i was travel with car, navigation was on 3,5 hours ( connected on charger ), phone was hot but didn't FC navigation and did't have any problems, but when i took it in my hands it was hot, checked temp and it was 42 C, so nothing to wory about, battery life depends how you use it, i can make whole day and before bed time i have over 50% left, but if i use wifi while in bed that 50% will be gone in 2 hours, i never tried on this phone but on my work phone( only calls and sms, data turned off) htc 320 battery last over 15 days in standby without problems, back on topic, camera is great for me, clear nice colors and 4k video recording is great, really can't find anything bed in this phone, if you wanna be sure battery would last whole day charge it over night
The z5c with MM is a very fast and capable multitasker.
The only negative is the camera really isn't a comparison to its competitors.
Sony sent the z5c out with an utterly p!ss poor Lollipop firmware. You can trust those review you've read at that point the z5c "was" an utter disgrace and let a complete let down.
However since MM the device is as you'd have expected it to be. It's a performer and a half.
Again it's only the sub par camera quality that negates away from an almost legendary device.
Sent from my E5823 using XDA-Developers mobile app
DrvLikHell said:
I don't mind the side charge, but with only 16GB, it's a step down from what I have now in terms of storage. It's also 2 years old and I'm looking for something a little newer. If you go to other forums, there are a larger percentage of people talking about how they love their phone in spite of some issue they created or something they're trying to achieve or fix. I've seen users on the Moto X forum state that they'll give up their phone when someone pries it from their cold dead hands. Others have wept when their phone was irreparably damaged. I've seen the same thing said about the LG G2. You are quite correct about older phones being in a more mature state though. The S6/S7 don't have a Cyanogen build available yet, and neither does the Z5C. But the Z3C does.
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Ive never come close to running out of 16gb on internal storage on any phone ive ever had and I've got two grand theft auto installed. I put everything on a 200gb sd, I can't stand a phone without SD slots lol
I agree with other forums showing more love, this is the third Sony phone I've tried over the years and the third one that I have very little nice things to say about it. But the z5c forums have only just started to take off since the US release, it was real real dead before that.
DrvLikHell said:
I don't mind the side charge, but with only 16GB, it's a step down from what I have now in terms of storage. It's also 2 years old and I'm looking for something a little newer. If you go to other forums, there are a larger percentage of people talking about how they love their phone in spite of some issue they created or something they're trying to achieve or fix. I've seen users on the Moto X forum state that they'll give up their phone when someone pries it from their cold dead hands. Others have wept when their phone was irreparably damaged. I've seen the same thing said about the LG G2. You are quite correct about older phones being in a more mature state though. The S6/S7 don't have a Cyanogen build available yet, and neither does the Z5C. But the Z3C does.
It's not that the Z5C is slow all together, the complaints I've been reading are that it slows down after a few days of use due to an issue with the RAM not clearing properly. Everyone says a restart fixes/clears the issue till it builds up again. Sorta like Windows 98. If you don't restart your Z5C for a week, does it still feel just as fast as your Nexus?
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Yeah in my opinion the phone is still as fast and I do not have to reboot every week or whatever. I would still say that it remains as fast and doesn't seem to slow down at all in my opinion. My sister also has the Z5 Compact and she also does not notice any slowdowns of any sort and doesn't have to reboot regularly and the only does it if necessary while changing SIM cards or something.
So again my main gripes with this phone are the idle battery life which I can live with even though it's really annoying, but the fingerprint scanner is just not good in my opinion. Especially after using a nice one that works every time and seamlessly and it's just so effortless, it's really hard to use this when it screws up more than half the time it feels like. However my sister's Z5 compact fingerprint scanner seems to be a little bit better, I don't understand why. The difference only is that she has the black model and I have the white one and I know that there was an issue with the screen not responding to touch properly when the phones first came out just for the white model so maybe there's a difference in the hardware of the fingerprint scanner as well.
DrvLikHell said:
I've been reading up about the Z5C because it's the only small yet powerful android phone currently on the market. Of course I always check XDA for root/rom/support experiences, and here I mostly see negative experiences. So many people are saying this is their last Xperia or that if the new Android M doesn't fix it's issues then they're going to switch to different phone, etc. This disheartens me greatly because I see no other viable option for a new sub-5 inch phone. I currently have a 1st gen Moto X - XT1053 Dev Edition. I love the phone and everything about it, but it's getting to be a bit slow with 2013 hardware running 2016 apps, and I think I will need an upgrade by 2017. I would buy another Motorola, but Lenovo has decided that Motorola should only make shovel sized phones (which goes against everything in Motorola's original vision.)
So where does that leave us who don't like gargantuan phones but still want a quality device? Do I wait and see if fixes come for the Z5C memory leak, stuttering, and its other issues? A few people report that their phone doesn't have these issues, do I gamble and hope I get a good one like that? Is there some other small form Andriod smartphone out there that I should consider? Or do I give up and get a 5+ inch device? It seems the Samsung G6 or G7 would be the next smallest option.
I would love to hear everyone's thoughts and comments on this.
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Bear in mind that people who don't have problems have little reason to post on forums.
I went from a XT1058 to a discounted Nexus 5 to a Z5C and have been mostly happy.
The only issues I've had:
- Phone app crashes after a call ends when using Android Auto
- Camera app is a little slow to launch
- No "active display" (i.e. google's equivalent of moto display)
- Absolutely needs a case as it's too slippery to use bare (unlike the Moto X)
- Phone gets really warm after using it with Android Auto
Really after Mm update z5c is blazing fast, no complains what so ever when it comes to performance. Sometimes it gets a bit hot, but nothing to be concerned about. And I don't know why everyone complaints about fingereader, it works 95 proc of time for me. I register same finger three times. I don't really use camera that much, but it opens super fast for me, but even I can tell quality is not great. At least auto mode.
My experience with this device has been mostly a pleasant one. One of the previous poster mentioned that no device is perfect and this one is no different. You will always find something that you feel the manufacturer didn't get right. The gripes I have with this device:
- Slow camera app. (Also, I can't find a burst mode...is there one?)
- Wi-Fi connection when the phone is sleeping (this is sometime-y)
- Some of the Sony apps are useless
The positives:
- Size size size
- Fingerprint scanner is fast (not iPhone fast, but fast)
- Battery life is nice. I've gotten 2 1/2 days (mostly idle time. On screen was about 3hrs)
- Playing hi-res music (subjective...well, I guess all of this is subjective)
- The 820 is a great piece of silicone (it would be extraordinary if not for the occasional heat)
- SD card slot (and the ability to use it to back up your settings)
- The diagnostic tool in the "About Phone" section
- Front facing speakers. Not going to blow your mind, but they're facing you..not away.
I know there are more that I'm missing but the point is that it's been positive. I'm not a big fan of MM, but that is a different story.
Scribe'd on my everlasting Z5C
I dont recomend the z5c at all, i use it for working, and the phone really struggles with facebook pages, youtube, Chrome, facebook, Messenger and WhatsApp all the time receiving notifications and messeges.
The phone overheats to the point that everything lags like a 2008 Android phone.
When i play real Racing 3, i always have couple of Ice cube close to me, for let my phone cools down to avoid lag while playing.
Dont buy it, go for a nexus or Samsung, and sacrifice the size thing, and remember ALWAYS AN ALUMINUM PHONE WILL HAVE LESS HEAT ISSUES THAN A GLASS P PHONE, BECAUSE OF HEAT DISCIPATION.