Database Users

Recent Newegg.com Order

I just wanted to share my experience with anyone who's on the fence with a last minute newegg.com order.
I ordered from them on 12/31/2013 and just received my tablet today. After their $50 instant discount and $20-off promo code (that expires tonight btw), I shelled out $279.99. I've been able to spend a few hours with it and my initial thoughts are very positive. I did receive an open box and annoyingly, there were some dust particles on the device, but that's where my annoyance ends. Aside from the unit being very slick and quick, I'm not having the issues that others have mentioned.
The white are fairly white - I even compared against my Macbook Pro w/ Retina Display. Its obviously not as white, but its not bad at all. I can see how some would complain about brightness for outside use, but I find it to be very pleasing. 100% is bright enough to hurt my eyes in a room lit with a 60 watt bulb. I find that 80% is great for me in most places in the house. I usually keep my Macbook Pro w/ Retina Display ~90% for comfortable, indoors use. I do not have any light bleeding or lighting inconsistencies anywhere on the screen that I can notice (I tested this with a variety of backgrounds). Overall, I am very pleased with design, especially after reading about the concerns that others had.

Just got mine tonight also (same deal$) couldn't be happier. The only thing that sucked was the shipping delay from there end of the year inventory. I got white, box wasn't sealed and no screen scratches.
Sent from my LG-V500 using Tapatalk

brewer15650 said:
Just got mine tonight also (same deal$) couldn't be happier. The only thing that sucked was the shipping delay from there end of the year inventory. I got white, box wasn't sealed and no screen scratches.
Sent from my LG-V500 using Tapatalk
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Will let you guys know mine comes in tomorrow.

TC here. Wanted to update 1 thing. Before my purchase, I heard that the camera was not that great. This did not bother me as I have a DSLR for taking HQ pics, but I'd like to note that the camera is... stunningly bad - Very grainy and inconsistent light capture. Like, on par with the quality of my first smart phone's camera 3 generations (5-6 years) ago. I was trying to take pics of some things for my Ebay store and ended up just using my Samsung S3 phone which takes way better pictures, and that's saying a lot. Like I mentioned, it doesn't really bother me at all, but if a camera is a selling point for you, you might want to consider the Galaxy Note 8 or something else.

User experience

Guys I hope all of you had fun with your xperia z1c. I am going to purchase this beauty and want to know about it from your mouths. I know a similar thread is there but all people have done is report bugs. By the way does the plastic back feels cheap. If it feels cheap then may be I am better off with the regular z1. Both z1c and z1 are retailing at around the same price
Sent from my XT1033 using xda app-developers app

subh98 said:
Guys I hope all of you had fun with your xperia z1c. I am going to purchase this beauty and want to know about it from your mouths. I know a similar thread is there but all people have done is report bugs. By the way does the plastic back feels cheap. If it feels cheap then may be I am better off with the regular z1. Both z1c and z1 are retailing at around the same price
Sent from my XT1033 using xda app-developers app
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Hello,
I'm not sure of your standard or definition for 'cheap plastic backs', but to me for my Z1 compact, it doesn't feel cheap. I have handled Z1 and Z1 compact and frankly can't tell the difference between the plastic back of compact vs the glass on the Z1. If you decide to go without any form of protection, then I guess you may want a glass back as the plastic back is reported to be scratched easily, if you can accept the larger size of the Z1.

AnDroiD178 said:
Hello,
I'm not sure of your standard or definition for 'cheap plastic backs', but to me for my Z1 compact, it doesn't feel cheap. I have handled Z1 and Z1 compact and frankly can't tell the difference between the plastic back of compact vs the glass on the Z1. If you decide to go without any form of protection, then I guess you may want a glass back as the plastic back is reported to be scratched easily, if you can accept the larger size of the Z1.
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I am not a fanatic for aluminium back or glass back but I cannot deny I don't like them, at least a unibody construction is something I prefer. But in hand at store I too didn't notice any difference. Just wondered may be long term use showed. But build quality is not much concern. Rather it is the usability I am concerned. I am thinking to buy this or HTC one mini(don't care about processor as long everything is lag free).
P.S Though I can manage Xperia Z1 its screen is definitely inferior to Z1c even if we forgive dreadful viewing angles. But just a bit of news has jolted me that Xperia Z2c is going to be released.
Sent from my XT1033 using xda app-developers app

subh98 said:
I am not a fanatic for aluminium back or glass back but I cannot deny I don't like them, at least a unibody construction is something I prefer. But in hand at store I too didn't notice any difference. Just wondered may be long term use showed. But build quality is not much concern. Rather it is the usability I am concerned. I am thinking to buy this or HTC one mini(don't care about processor as long everything is lag free).
P.S Though I can manage Xperia Z1 its screen is definitely inferior to Z1c even if we forgive dreadful viewing angles. But just a bit of news has jolted me that Xperia Z2c is going to be released.
Sent from my XT1033 using xda app-developers app
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Being developed Yes. I don't think it is going to be released anytime soon. That probably is the japanese model, which I believe usually release around End of the year in sep-november, just like the z1f (japanese z1 compact). It will probably be released worldwide around jan-march, similar to z1f -> z1 compact release date difference.
AFAIK, the tempting difference between z1->z2 is Ram, speaker and display. Display z1c has IPS already. RAM probably would be a bit overkill at the moment but it could be useful in future.

TabPro 8.4 price drop (now US$ 349.99)

The TabPro 8.4 price just dropped to US$ 349.99 both at Amazon and BestBuy:
Amazon (screenshot: http://i.imgur.com/6uyD4aB.jpg)
Best Buy (screenshot: http://i.imgur.com/fcLF7nm.jpg)
I am wondering if this is somehow related to the recent rumors of the new "Galaxy Tab S 8.4" tablet from Samsung with a 2560x1600 OLED screen and 3GB of RAM...
More information about the supposed new tablets at http://www.sammobile.com/2014/05/05...ay-exynos-5-octa-fingerprint-sensor-and-more/

that would suck if they came out soo fast.. this tablet not even 6 months old. looks to be the same thing but was a screen that uses less power and finger print reader...

I agree. I paid $369 a couple of weeks ago for what would be a premium tablet. The only thing that really bothers me is if these new models will in fact have 3GB of RAM, while the Tab Pro 8.4 has only 2GB. Personally I don't care about the fingertip reader, and I am very happy with the Tab Pro 8.4 screen.
Sent from my XT1058 using Tapatalk

I really don't want any tablet with SAMOLED screens. I usually run my tablet full on brightness with still images. Books, flipboards, graphs (Evga precision), RDP and such. Which would cause the screen burn in on SAMOLED. I believe the LCD screens are more durable on that matter. I buy my stuff for what I need, and this 8.4 screen with high density LCD screen is perfect for me
Sent from my SM-T320 using XDA Free mobile app

sharpehenry said:
I really don't want any tablet with SAMOLED screens. I usually run my tablet full on brightness with still images. Books, flipboards, graphs (Evga precision), RDP and such. Which would cause the screen burn in on SAMOLED. I believe the LCD screens are more durable on that matter. I buy my stuff for what I need, and this 8.4 screen with high density LCD screen is perfect for me
Sent from my SM-T320 using XDA Free mobile app
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You are correct in the sense that it depends on the main usage.
I had a Galaxy S3, was my first OLED device (pentile). I considered the screen OK, but not the best. It had the issue of "spots" that could be seen in the dark, but only with a black screen. Nothing that would disturb normal usage. However, I had noticed that I was able to see that the text was not as sharp as other LCD screens at the same resolution/size due to the pentile arrangement.
I replaced the S3 by a Moto X, which also has an OLED screen, at the same size and resolution as the S3. But Moto X OLED display is full RGB (not pentile), and I can easily tell that the Moto X text rendering is much sharper that the S3.
With that said, I am not really a fan of Samsung's OLED because of the pentile subpixel arrangement. I would need to see the 8.4" OLED screen at 2560x1600 resolution to convince myself that an OLED pentile display is better than LCD...

_dsouza_ said:
I agree. I paid $369 a couple of weeks ago for what would be a premium tablet. The only thing that really bothers me is if these new models will in fact have 3GB of RAM, while the Tab Pro 8.4 has only 2GB. Personally I don't care about the fingertip reader, and I am very happy with the Tab Pro 8.4 screen.
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i would only really care about the 1 gb of ram..... but it would be a pretty **** head move to release another tablet so quickly after getting us to buy this pro series

Just hoping that since this is the "pro" tablet we would get in the express lane for the updates and supports
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sharpehenry said:
Just hoping that since this is the "pro" tablet we would get in the express lane for the updates and supports
Sent from my SM-T320 using XDA Free mobile app
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Correct. Samsung will need to show some differentiation for the "Pro" line.
However, it is possible that the new "Tab S" line could be positioned as the higher-end tablets, then the "Pro" line would become the mid-range, and this sudden price drop could be this...

For a different theory, consider that the Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 is still pretty close to the price of the iPad Mini Retina (I own both), and more than a Kindle Fire HDX 8.9" (I own a Fire, but not HDX.) Yes, the Tab Pro has some advantages - expandable memory primarily - but the iPad is considered premium, the Kindle is cheaper and can play Amazon videos, and the Samsung gets lost in a crowd of tablets including over a half-dozen recent Samsung releases.
Heck, we can't even point to flexibility as a reason to get the Samsung - since it's not rooted and rooting it invalidates the warranty. You can get a Kindle with that same kind of restriction. The iPad and Kindle have more accessories available (I love my Zagg keyboard cover for the iPad - nothing like it for the Sammy) and more help available (my phone and my iPad are trivial to hook to a TV. It took several orders of parts to get that working on the Sammy, and even then it's a kludgy solution requiring a power adapter and five pieces.) In other words, it's a great tablet - maybe equally great on points - but in a different league... which is the better vehicle - a Ducatti motorcycle or a BMW 335?
So I wonder if it's just that sales weren't where they wanted it to be. Take advantage of the initial demand, and then, when that peters out, lower the price to a sustainable point.

It is now 329.99

_dsouza_ said:
Correct. Samsung will need to show some differentiation for the "Pro" line.
However, it is possible that the new "Tab S" line could be positioned as the higher-end tablets, then the "Pro" line would become the mid-range, and this sudden price drop could be this...
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The Pro line is meant to be for business users, hence the preloaded productivity software[Hancom Office/WebEx/Remote PC etc].
Traditionally Amoled displays are more expensive than TFT LCD displays. Not all Amoled displays are pentile. The Tab 7.7 is a Super Amoled Plus tablet (the only Amoled Samsung tablet so far/and many consider best tablet Samsung has produced) and uses a standard RGB sub pixel structure. I am using one and thinking of replacing it with the excellent TabPro 8.4, till news broke of the impending announcement of the Tab S line.
The Tab S line will be thinner and lighter and probably more expensive. Can't wait till 12 June for the announcement and details/price.
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

It's now 279.99 at Bestbuy. Got mine on Monday.

Buttercream said:
It's now 279.99 at Bestbuy. Got mine on Monday.
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Their website still shows $329.99.

Buttercream said:
It's now 279.99 at Bestbuy. Got mine on Monday.
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Really? Considering that I paid $369 mine just two months ago, this is a significant price drop. I need to say that I am not happy to have paid a higher price, but on the other hand, US$ 279.99 for the TabPro 8.4 is a bargain for an excellent tablet!

Maybe it's a local sale, but it's $279 at the Best Buy's in the Saint Louis area. I'm kinda ticked, especially since with the change of their price matching policy to 15 days, I'm six days over the limit. I could've saved another $70.

Maybe the website hasn't changed the price yet. It's 279.99 at my local Bestbuy at San Francisco, CA.
I went in originally to get the Tab 4 8.0 for 239.99, but found out that for 40 dollars more, the Tab pro 8.4 is a much better deal.
Receipt:

AWESOME!! I'll be getting mine tomorrow, I'll post up if the price is same at the BB in Milwaukee.

Ordering online from bestbuy is 329.99+ $50 gift card.
In store you can get it for 279.99
Great deal.

No if you order it online then pick it up store, price gets adjusted to 280 + 50gc mail to you.

Alexpride said:
No if you order it online then pick it up store, price gets adjusted to 280 + 50gc mail to you.
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Really? You sure?
When you order online, don't you have to make the $330 payment? Then you go to the store and pick it up.

Z4 specs released

if this is true i am definitely getting one
http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia...x_might_not_exist-news-9969.php:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

muhammadshais said:
if this is true i am definitely getting one
http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia...x_might_not_exist-news-9969.php:D:D:D:D:D:D:D
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Fix ur link :highfive: And im so gald to hear that one : ''Interestingly, Sony is said to give up on its six-month release cycle for flagship handsets starting with the Xperia Z4. So far, it has been the only company to push out two flagships per year - take the Z2 and Z3 from 2014, for example. But that's rumored to change, with the Z4 not being followed by a Z5 in 2015.'' :highfive:

http://m.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_z4_specs_reportedly_leak_z3x_might_not_exist-news-9969.php

Hoping there will be the Compact version too, since 5.5" is just too big for me - no pun intended. I already thought N5 was pushing it, whilst the Z2 is minimally bigger than N5, so yeah, I'd rather not go any bigger. 4.5-5" is the perfect screen size for me, and since Z4 will sport whooping 4GB RAM, the Compact should be able to pull off 3GB with ease - more than enough, really.
Although, if it's out in early '15, I'm likely not gonna bother upgrading - my Z2 is only just over 3 months old, and it's a two years long contract. Early upgrades are a bit pricey. May even hold back until the Z5 is out, unless I decide to go for a different phone entirely - maybe back to Nexus (if they give a smaller screen size versions), or HTC, or try Motorola.

S800, S801, S801 S810 ! Thats gonna be a huge jump.
But i'm more interested in the curved sensor. Wonder how that will work out.

that sure is a worthy upgrade, im really hyped if it's true that they will add a dedicated amplifier inside Z4.. S-Master HX, anyone?
putting 5.5" is kinda pushing it imo, Z2 is already really big -- almost as big as LG G Pro with its 5.5", unless Sony manages to reduce its footprint even more
but i think i'll be saving for Z5 in case Qualcomm outs a new Krait core processor, a 6 core Krait? 8 core Krait? That'd sound more interesting than a bigLITTLE ARM architecture to me

MrCatalyst said:
Hoping there will be the Compact version too, since 5.5" is just too big for me - no pun intended.
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Same. I figured that buy buying the z2, (I had never even heard of sony phones before) I'd lose the mental pressure of always wanting the new iPhone. But now I want z4, except not so large.

Damn, im having hard time getting used to my z2 l, now they are pushing it more. Hope they stop this. And I waa really hoping to have a better pixel camera maybe An 8 to 12 mp front and down sizing to 5 mp for better selfies. Cause it really has a lack in details for a 2 mp front. I hope the battery will not be sacrificed due to this 2k display
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Free mobile app

Haldi4803 said:
S800, S801, S801 S810 ! Thats gonna be a huge jump.
But i'm more interested in the curved sensor. Wonder how that will work out.
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If they switch to a quad hd display the jump won't be noticeable at all...

Buying Z3 or not, Z4 is definitely mine...
Even, I'm quite sure they will build it on 805, not 810....
I pray Gods I'm wrong
Also...it could be cool if they release Z4 next year in March and then do what they said (1 year cycle for flagships)
---------- Post added at 09:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:46 PM ----------
Haldi4803 said:
S800, S801, S801 S810 ! Thats gonna be a huge jump.
But i'm more interested in the curved sensor. Wonder how that will work out.
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Quite interesting info...
First they said (gsmarena) that we'll have Z4 with that new curved lens but they are pointing us to web page that says this:
Sony hasn’t yet been able to produce their curved sensors in any high-megapixel variants, which means that we won’t be seeing the technology in commercial applications anytime soon.
Hmmm....I'm not buying this specif. for Z4.
I'm quite sure they are guessing...
Never mind...We'll see...
It would be great if Sony skip 805, at least for Z4 as a new flagship and go straight to 810 but as I already said - I doubt...
I think we'll see (again) device with 16gb SDcard, same camera lenses and same screen as we saw on Z3...
They are working on software, that's obvious, so there's a chance I'm wrong...
Maybe they built perfect drivers and optimise code on Lolipop and are ready to build Z4 on awesome monster 810...
Can't wait to see all those great devices in next year powered by Lolipop...

Looks like I can happily skip this, unless they make a radical change to get rid of the borders around the screen. As proven by Apple's awful iPhone 6 Plus, 5.5 inches is just too big. I wouldn't consider this spec for a second.

funky0308 said:
Quite interesting info...
First they said (gsmarena) that we'll have Z4 with that new curved lens but they are pointing us to web page that says this:
Sony hasn’t yet been able to produce their curved sensors in any high-megapixel variants, which means that we won’t be seeing the technology in commercial applications anytime soon.
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Click to collapse
Didn't the new strange selfie phone in japan use a curved sensor ?

Slow...
Wow, you guys are so behind the times. Sony has actually confirmed the Z6 series set to be released 2015 July... (kidding obviously)
I'm a little shocked that the Z3 has barely even started being sold around the world, and Z4 talk begins already hah. Since it's on the table, I've decided to pass on the Z3, but perhaps the Z4 I will jump on. I purchased my Z2 about 4 months back and OMG... This is my first Sony phone, 33rd Android phone (no joke) and this has topped the charts in my book. I really hope these specs are true, and not just early expectation drafts for the future.

5" is the perfect size for me. 5.2" is the maximum I would go for. Anything above that is too big for me ?
Sent from my D6503 using Tapatalk

I'm excited for the dedicated amps for the speakers, and the new SOC. That's about it. I had a 5.5" phone once already (the Oppo Find7a) I really wasn't a fan of that size. I say maybe go 5.3" for a slight bump but that's really it. Or they had better makes those bezels really small. I also don't really care about the resolution. I've seen the G3 in person an wasn't really impressed.

Imo, a 5.5" screen is a failure. Whoever released these specs is trying to picture that sony is copying apple products. Which proves its a lie. My z2 is already big as is. Actually i prefer my old z size over the z2. If they can get rid of the home buttons out of the display would be a better choice.
A better front facing camera, as the 2mp is a failure. And for gods sake fix the slow main camera. Such a disappointing performance from it.
I can swear the z audio quality is better than the z2. A dedicated amp would be great.
Although i loved my old z, but unfortunately i suffered from a self cracking screen. I got the z2 before knowing about it, otherwise i would have never got a Sony again. I hope sony understands the reason of this problem, and have addressed it in the z2, until this moment i haven't heard about a self cracking z2. The screen is too expensive to repair, almost 5x a Samsungs or iPhone screen, because the touch and display screen are one piece, unlike Samsung and iPhone.
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Free mobile app

ehussam said:
A better front facing camera, as the 2mp is a failure.
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The much-hyped iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have 1.2-megapixel front cameras, versus 2.1 megapixel from Sony. How is that a failure for Sony?
And for gods sake fix the slow main camera. Such a disappointing performance from it.
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It could be faster, but it matches or beats most standalone consumer cameras, and while Apple is only offloading 80 megapixels per second with its latest-gen phones, Sony is offloading upwards of 124 megapixels per second due to the much, much higher sensor resolution.
(Just tested my phone and got at *least* six frames per second for the first second at 8 megapixel resolution, versus the 10fps claimed by Apple -- and my reflexes probably aren't good enough to have started exactly at the start of the second, so likely the actual frame rate was even higher.)
Although i loved my old z, but unfortunately i suffered from a self cracking screen.
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Ooooohhhh, wait. You're one of the "self-cracking" crowd. There is no such thing as self-cracking, so I don't know why I took this post seriously.
ehussam said:
The screen is too expensive to repair, almost 5x a Samsungs or iPhone screen, because the touch and display screen are one piece, unlike Samsung and iPhone.
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Click to collapse
There's a reason they're one piece, and it's a good one. With separate touch screen and LCD, you get a thicker display assembly and lower contrast due to greater internal reflections.

@knoxploration
No, there's no term self cracking glass but that's only expression guys are using to describe broken glass on back cover.
Device never hit the floor or any or "had" any reason to crack...
But...
That's what we are saying (that part where we are surprised with cracked glass).
Actually, little elfs didn't broke it over night...
Apparently, location of NFC chip is problem.
Engineers made a mistake and it protrude compares to other parts.
This problem plus high working temperature can make weird things like cracking the back glass...
I would like to hear impressions of someone who lives in cold area but really cold area...
When you are recording 4K video or watching HD video while you are outside in coldness did you noticed cracking sounds when device start cooling (by extremely cold air).
That NFC chip location is just one of few theories, for me it gives logical answer.
Can't remember where did I saw that info (if I find or remember web I'll post a link).
So, please, don't take that as 100% answer...
See ya

My touch screen cracked and not the back cover, it cracked on its own in a very controlled environment. I was parked in my car, using the phone and everything was fine, all of a sudden the screen became unresponsive, i thought the software crashed and phone became unresponsive. I restarted the phone and the problem remained, and i was completely surprised to find out the screen cracked out of the blue. Im guessing maybe because the touch and display are in one piece and there is a mismatch on their thermal expansion rates, the phone was a bit hot when the screen cracked.
Im not an iPhone fan, actually im puzzled why do people buy them, but thats my opinion.
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Free mobile app

lol this thread is become complain section

Pre-ordered Premium and tried demo unit at the store

I just preordered gold Z5 Premium in Thailand. They currently have a promotion going on here. If you preorder Premium at Sony Store by Nov 8 (I think), you will get its Sony case and screen protector. I was told I can come and pick up mine on Nov 26.
They had a demo unit with a beta firmware at the store. I played around with it a bit, especially with its camera. Even with buggy beta firmware, camera worked great. I shot a few pictures one hand under less than ideal lighting condition in the store. I zoomed in and looked at each pictures closely. The results were really good. I don't understand how some people managed to get such bad photos in their comparisons. They must have taken pictures in very very unfair ways. ......unless if there are some differences in Z5/Z5c and Z5 Premium camera unit. Possible but I don't really know, I'm just speculating. I still haven't touched Z5/Z5c so I can't say anything about how its camera really is.
Anyway, just don't blindly trust posted not very proper comparisons done by some strangers that we have never heard of. We don't even know how exactly they shot each picture. I'm not pro, just a hobbyist plays around with big boy's toys like D4 & D810. I do know a thing or two about photo. Always try it yourself.
Btw, I'm upgrading from aging Z1 that survived 2 harsh drops and 1 throw. This will be one hell of an upgrade

I also upgraded from the Z1, tbh it's like using the same phone + random heating. I hope your Premium makes a bigger difference.