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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...
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
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
Recently received the Sony Xperia Z3+ and I must say – I quite enjoy it. Dare I say it’s even better than the LG G4 (for me). I’ll break down the pros and cons of the Z3+, then compare it to the G4 in whole.
A few pics of the Z3+ and its contents here!
Pros:
Astonishing build quality
Expandable storage
Near stock Android UI (personal preference)
Dust/water resistant
Side buttons have great tactile feel
Dedicated camera button
Battery life and settings for extended use
Very fast and responsive
Cons:
Screen real estate could be better (bezel to screen ratio)
Camera is very, very outdated. Lots of noise from the front facing camera
Speakers do not get loud at all
Overheating issues (on newest firmware, still gets hot)
The phone was ordered off eBay from never-msrp without a hiccup. They shipped it on Monday and I received it Wednesday afternoon. This is the E6553 version, I decided to get this specific one since it has the bands that T-Mobile’s LTE runs on. As you can see from the pictures, the phone came with an added car charger, European power brick, and a converter for use in the U.S.A. It also came with headphones (something my Z1 C6906 didn’t come with) and your standard black micro USB cable. Nothing really special.
Overall, the Z3+ is great. It may not be a direct upgrade for those that have the Z3, but I still have my old Z1 and it’s a definite upgrade from that. I’ve used a Z2 before and it’s an upgrade from that as well. The phone feels great and I have been enjoying it for the past couple of days. It has definitely not hiccupped at all, save for some Bluetooth issues with my car (my Tesla can be cumbersome connecting at times, had issues with my G4 too). The phone is fast as hell, and I LOVE the near stock Android UI. After running CM11 on my Huawei Ascend Mate 7, CM12 on my G3, CM12.1 on my Nexus 6 – I really cannot stand bloated UI’s. Nova Launcher helps a bit with bloaty UI’s but it doesn’t mask it completely. The pull down quick settings, and full settings interface on the Z3+ (and on Sony’s version of Lollipop in general) is great and deeply desirable. As mentioned above, the cons of the phone are apparent – the overheating issues have not dissipated as of the latest firmware update (I’m currently on 28.0.A.7.24), and the camera is really showing its age now, especially in comparison to its rivals. The speakers do not get loud, but at least emit clear sound. And while the phone is 5.2” in screen size, it is overall the same size as the G4, which has the added benefit of .3” in screen size. It may seem miniscule, but after using the two phones back and forth, I definitely notice the difference.
On to the comparison – the G4 vs. Z3+. I used the G4 for a little bit, and while I enjoyed it, I was growing tiresome of the issues it faced. The unresponsive screen (double tap to wake was a travesty), the bloated UI, and the lag I sometimes experienced ruined it a bit for me. The G4 is still an amazing phone, but until LG can work out some software issues, it isn’t so fun to use every day. Where the G4 shines is its camera. I’m sure many of you have heard of its magnificence and I’m here to further perpetuate it – it’s a brilliant camera. The shots you see of the Z3+ were taken with the G4. In comparison, the Z3+ takes good shots, but just overall clarity and low light performance – the G4 wins out easily. I can honestly say that if Sony were to just insert the cameras from the G4 into the Z3+, they’d easily have one of the best phones of 2015.
Ergonomics wise, the Z3+ is just as comfortable as the G4, don’t let the “curved” aspect of the G4 fool you, it doesn’t make much of a difference at all. The Z3+ is better to use while it lays on a flat surface too, as the G4 is curved and does shakes about when tapped on either side. The G4 wins out in terms of screen real estate though. The two phones are nearly identical in terms of height and width, but the G4 has more screen. I also feel as if QHD is worthless on these smaller screens, and you cannot tell the different in terms of sheer pixels between QHD and FHD with your naked eye. I’d much rather have better battery life and performance with an FHD screen.
The Z3+ also obviously wins out in terms of battery life due to the aforementioned FHD, and the stamina modes that Sony provides. The inability to take out and replace the battery means the G4 wins in that aspect, but the build quality and feel of the Z3+ more than makes up for it IMO. At 40% brightness, and texting with Google’s Messenger, WhatsApp, some music from Poweramp, and with some light Chrome browsing, the absolute best I could get was a little over 4 hours of SoT on the G4; this was done with WiFi off, no GPS, no Bluetooth. The Z3+ however, has given me a 4 and a half hours of SoT at higher brightness (well above 60%), location set to battery saving, music being played via Bluetooth, and a Moto 360 connected with the same use – texting, WhatsApp, and some internet browsing using Chrome while on WiFi.
Overall, I’d say the victor is the Z3+ for me. I have a penchant for stock Android, and the G4 is just far too bloated for my taste. Both phones are fast, but the Z3+ is just a bit snappier thanks to the 810 SoC. The Z3+ has its ups, but if you’re the type that enjoys a bigger screen and likes taking photos, the G4 is definitely for you. But being the type of guy that values battery life, stock UI look, and what not – the Z3+ is definitely the phone for me. If Sony’s next phone could include a camera on par with the G4 and perhaps slim down the bezels, they’d have a genuine winner. Apparently Sony is investing a tonne of money into cameras for their mobile phones, so we can expect the successor of the Z3+/Z4 to have a top of the line camera. I greatly look forward to that!
AhsanU said:
Recently received the Sony Xperia Z3+ and I must say – I quite enjoy it. Dare I say it’s even better than the LG G4 (for me). I’ll break down the pros and cons of the Z3+, then compare it to the G4 in whole.
A few pics of the Z3+ and its contents here!
Pros:
Astonishing build quality
Expandable storage
Near stock Android UI (personal preference)
Dust/water resistant
Side buttons have great tactile feel
Dedicated camera button
Battery life and settings for extended use
Very fast and responsive
Cons:
Screen real estate could be better (bezel to screen ratio)
Camera is very, very outdated. Lots of noise from the front facing camera
Speakers do not get loud at all
Overheating issues (on newest firmware, still gets hot)
The phone was ordered off eBay from never-msrp without a hiccup. They shipped it on Monday and I received it Wednesday afternoon. This is the E6553 version, I decided to get this specific one since it has the bands that T-Mobile’s LTE runs on. As you can see from the pictures, the phone came with an added car charger, European power brick, and a converter for use in the U.S.A. It also came with headphones (something my Z1 C6906 didn’t come with) and your standard black micro USB cable. Nothing really special.
Overall, the Z3+ is great. It may not be a direct upgrade for those that have the Z3, but I still have my old Z1 and it’s a definite upgrade from that. I’ve used a Z2 before and it’s an upgrade from that as well. The phone feels great and I have been enjoying it for the past couple of days. It has definitely not hiccupped at all, save for some Bluetooth issues with my car (my Tesla can be cumbersome connecting at times, had issues with my G4 too). The phone is fast as hell, and I LOVE the near stock Android UI. After running CM11 on my Huawei Ascend Mate 7, CM12 on my G3, CM12.1 on my Nexus 6 – I really cannot stand bloated UI’s. Nova Launcher helps a bit with bloaty UI’s but it doesn’t mask it completely. The pull down quick settings, and full settings interface on the Z3+ (and on Sony’s version of Lollipop in general) is great and deeply desirable. As mentioned above, the cons of the phone are apparent – the overheating issues have not dissipated as of the latest firmware update (I’m currently on 28.0.A.7.24), and the camera is really showing its age now, especially in comparison to its rivals. The speakers do not get loud, but at least emit clear sound. And while the phone is 5.2” in screen size, it is overall the same size as the G4, which has the added benefit of .3” in screen size. It may seem miniscule, but after using the two phones back and forth, I definitely notice the difference.
On to the comparison – the G4 vs. Z3+. I used the G4 for a little bit, and while I enjoyed it, I was growing tiresome of the issues it faced. The unresponsive screen (double tap to wake was a travesty), the bloated UI, and the lag I sometimes experienced ruined it a bit for me. The G4 is still an amazing phone, but until LG can work out some software issues, it isn’t so fun to use every day. Where the G4 shines is its camera. I’m sure many of you have heard of its magnificence and I’m here to further perpetuate it – it’s a brilliant camera. The shots you see of the Z3+ were taken with the G4. In comparison, the Z3+ takes good shots, but just overall clarity and low light performance – the G4 wins out easily. I can honestly say that if Sony were to just insert the cameras from the G4 into the Z3+, they’d easily have one of the best phones of 2015.
Ergonomics wise, the Z3+ is just as comfortable as the G4, don’t let the “curved” aspect of the G4 fool you, it doesn’t make much of a difference at all. The Z3+ is better to use while it lays on a flat surface too, as the G4 is curved and does shakes about when tapped on either side. The G4 wins out in terms of screen real estate though. The two phones are nearly identical in terms of height and width, but the G4 has more screen. I also feel as if QHD is worthless on these smaller screens, and you cannot tell the different in terms of sheer pixels between QHD and FHD with your naked eye. I’d much rather have better battery life and performance with an FHD screen.
The Z3+ also obviously wins out in terms of battery life due to the aforementioned FHD, and the stamina modes that Sony provides. The inability to take out and replace the battery means the G4 wins in that aspect, but the build quality and feel of the Z3+ more than makes up for it IMO. At 40% brightness, and texting with Google’s Messenger, WhatsApp, some music from Poweramp, and with some light Chrome browsing, the absolute best I could get was a little over 4 hours of SoT on the G4; this was done with WiFi off, no GPS, no Bluetooth. The Z3+ however, has given me a 4 and a half hours of SoT at higher brightness (well above 60%), location set to battery saving, music being played via Bluetooth, and a Moto 360 connected with the same use – texting, WhatsApp, and some internet browsing using Chrome while on WiFi.
Overall, I’d say the victor is the Z3+ for me. I have a penchant for stock Android, and the G4 is just far too bloated for my taste. Both phones are fast, but the Z3+ is just a bit snappier thanks to the 810 SoC. The Z3+ has its ups, but if you’re the type that enjoys a bigger screen and likes taking photos, the G4 is definitely for you. But being the type of guy that values battery life, stock UI look, and what not – the Z3+ is definitely the phone for me. If Sony’s next phone could include a camera on par with the G4 and perhaps slim down the bezels, they’d have a genuine winner. Apparently Sony is investing a tonne of money into cameras for their mobile phones, so we can expect the successor of the Z3+/Z4 to have a top of the line camera. I greatly look forward to that!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the same problem but I did a repair on PC after the OTA update and the "overheating" is completely gone now (even when I record in 4k). It might fix your problem, just saying.
Awesome review man. Super detailed and informative. Couldn't agree more. Extremely happy with my Z3+ coming from the Sammy S6.
xDope said:
I had the same problem but I did a repair on PC after the OTA update and the "overheating" is completely gone now (even when I record in 4k). It might fix your problem, just saying.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mind explaining in a little more detail. I'm curious as to what the process involves. May try it out.
Sent from my E6553 using Tapatalk
Pure+ said:
Awesome review man. Super detailed and informative. Couldn't agree more. Extremely happy with my Z3+ coming from the Sammy S6.
Mind explaining in a little more detail. I'm curious as to what the process involves. May try it out.
Sent from my E6553 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What he meant is
1. Get the latest fw (.24 version) if you haven't already
2. 'Repair' through PC companion even if it says 'phone is up to date'
Btw, I also have an S6. I was interested in G4 too as I need to carry two phones. Just like OP's case, the bloated UI killed it for me. SD808 coupled with LPDDR3 didn't help either. It's a great phone nonetheless.
Great Review, OP!
Pure+ said:
Awesome review man. Super detailed and informative. Couldn't agree more. Extremely happy with my Z3+ coming from the Sammy S6.
Mind explaining in a little more detail. I'm curious as to what the process involves. May try it out.
Sent from my E6553 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Visit this link:
http://www.sonymobile.com/us/tools/pc-companion/
Click on Download PC companion
2.Run the software
After the installation the first screen will show you the PC Companion Startup Guide which gives you a brief explanation on the main modules of PC companion (Support Zone, Xperia Transfer, Contact setup and Media Go) Keep clicking next.
3.Now you will see the screen with the different modules.
Select Support Zone> Click Start. *The program will download the module.
Then click on start on Phone/Tablet Software update. (Here you can choose to update an accessory, go to step 14 for instructions)
*
Note:*At this point*if*you get an error stating that "unable to install update components" or "server is busy" Please proceed to step 13 . If you not see that error then continue with step 4.
4. The program will show a window saying "could not find phone/Tablet”*Do not Connect*phone*instead select*Repair my phone/tablet.*This will bring you to a window with a warning that says "data will be lost" (do you want to continue) Select to continue (Data in the phone will be deleted, only data in the SD card will remain. Make sure you have done all proper backups if possible)
6. The program will issue a second warning stating that “data saved in the phone /tablet will be overwritten during the update of your phone”. Click on the checkmark box next to the acceptance text and select Next to continue.
7. Next the computer will download the necessary files (Prepare stage, this can take several minutes depending on the speed of your connection) and then its done it will show you a list of recommendations for a successful update operation. When you are done reading this section click on the checkmark box and press Continue
8. Next you will get a Battery level warning that states that your phone should have at least 80% battery. (If the issue in the phone does not permit the unit from turning on, then charge it connected to the wall charger for at least 2 hours and then comeback to this step) Then click on the checkmark and select Next
9. Choose the Phone from the list then click on "next" then you will see a new section telling you how to connect the phone.*(don't connect it yet)*Again, at this point the phone must be*off and disconnected*from the PC.
*
10.. Connect the cable to the PC not to the phone, then while*pressing and*holding*the indicated button*(in the steps on screen an specific button will be shown for you to press on the phone) connect the cable to the phone and keep holding the indicated button until the program says "the update of your phone has started..." (in some cases a message of *"Installing drivers" will appear before the message of "the update of your phone has started..." *is shown.)
11. If you failed to follow the steps correctly the phone will turn on. If this happens disconnect the phone from the cable, turn it off and repeat from step 10).
12. If the phone is connected properly, PC Companion will proceed with the update ( It will tell you to let go of the key) then wait for the update to finish and follow instructions on screen to disconnect the unit.
Screenshot of my battery life for today.
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WiFi on 90% of the time since my home is a T-Mobile dead spot. Brightness at 55% or so. Day consisted of heavy texting via Google Messenger and WhatsApp. Decent amount of Google chrome use, light camera use (myfitnesspal, Snapchat), light music via Bluetooth, light Facebook and Instagram use as well. 5+ hours of SoT, I could've easily squeezed out more if I didn't have background services like MightyText running. With root, and Xposed - we'll get amazing battery life.
Sent from my Xperia Z3+ E6553
AhsanU said:
Screenshot of my battery life for today.
View attachment 3397037
View attachment 3397038
WiFi on 90% of the time since my home is a T-Mobile dead spot. Brightness at 55% or so. Day consisted of heavy texting via Google Messenger and WhatsApp. Decent amount of Google chrome use, light camera use (myfitnesspal, Snapchat), light music via Bluetooth, light Facebook and Instagram use as well. 5+ hours of SoT, I could've easily squeezed out more if I didn't have background services like MightyText running. With root, and Xposed - we'll get amazing battery life.
Sent from my Xperia Z3+ E6553
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not getting this or even close. My battery life, much as it pains me to say, is quite possibly worse than my Galaxy S6.
Sent from my E6553 using Tapatalk
AhsanU said:
If Sony’s next phone could include a camera on par with the G4 and perhaps slim down the bezels, they’d have a genuine winner. Apparently Sony is investing a tonne of money into cameras for their mobile phones, so we can expect the successor of the Z3+/Z4 to have a top of the line camera. I greatly look forward to that!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you really think Sony would include a camera to compete with G4? I don't think so bro.
I mean I have Z2 and Superior Auto mode they need to really fix and give more manual settings. I mean we have the same exact Camera app on KK and LP for Z2 users. Then there comes the Z3+ but it has the same Camera app and UI.
I meant they could just give user to give more controls to play with and get rid of the Bluish Tint effect on Superior Auto mode so the photos won't be crappy or blown or you know etc...
I hope you could shoot up some pics and share with us. G4 and Z3+ and see if the Red is really Red when you shoot photos in SA cause Z2 it's all pink
Pure+ said:
I'm not getting this or even close. My battery life, much as it pains me to say, is quite possibly worse than my Galaxy S6.
Sent from my E6553 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try a 'repair' through PC companion. Actually it's always a good idea to do a 'repair' after OTA updates. My available RAM is now 1.9GB compared to 1.6GB I used to get on the same fw build with the exact same apps running. I can't get more than 1.2GB on my S6 without any app running.
My S6's battery life is also quite worse than my Z3+'s. What's your SoT & display brightness setting?
schecter7 said:
Try a 'repair' through PC companion. Actually it's always a good idea to do a 'repair' after OTA updates. My available RAM is now 1.9GB compared to 1.6GB I used to get on the same fw build with the exact same apps running. I can't get more than 1.2GB on my S6 without any app running.
My S6's battery life is also quite worse than my Z3+'s. What's your SoT & display brightness setting?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use auto brightness. Sot was 2.2 hours at 30% charge left.
Sent from my E6553 using Tapatalk
Pure+ said:
I use auto brightness. Sot was 2.2 hours at 30% charge left.
Sent from my E6553 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The 'auto' brightness doesn't exist anymore. It's semi-auto now on newer android versions. So what's the 'brightness level' even though the 'adaptive brightness' is on?
Could you also post the screenshot of battery usage like OP did?
Pure+ said:
I'm not getting this or even close. My battery life, much as it pains me to say, is quite possibly worse than my Galaxy S6.
Sent from my E6553 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What apps are draining your battery? Do you have location turned on with WiFi being on when the phone is turned off? Since day 1 of owning this phone, I've had pretty great battery life.
Greenify helps loads too. Even though it isn't too effective without root/xposed, I just swipe up from a homescreen app on the dock (using nova launcher) and it hibernates and locks the screen, as opposed to just using the power button.
I've also disabled a few of the Google apps like Newstand, Movies & TV, etc. Those apps are constantly woken up for no reason, so disabling them helps a bit. Also, forcing your phone not to sync with all of Google's services helps a bit too. I use 3 different Gmail accounts, none of them are synced with the services I don't use. Tiny things like that add up eventually, and will give you better battery life.
schecter7 said:
The 'auto' brightness doesn't exist anymore. It's semi-auto now on newer android versions. So what's the 'brightness level' even though the 'adaptive brightness' is on?
Could you also post the screenshot of battery usage like OP did?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Brightness is 50. Cant do a screeny. Apps crashes every time i try.
AhsanU said:
What apps are draining your battery? Do you have location turned on with WiFi being on when the phone is turned off? Since day 1 of owning this phone, I've had pretty great battery life.
Greenify helps loads too. Even though it isn't too effective without root/xposed, I just swipe up from a homescreen app on the dock (using nova launcher) and it hibernates and locks the screen, as opposed to just using the power button.
I've also disabled a few of the Google apps like Newstand, Movies & TV, etc. Those apps are constantly woken up for no reason, so disabling them helps a bit. Also, forcing your phone not to sync with all of Google's services helps a bit too. I use 3 different Gmail accounts, none of them are synced with the services I don't use. Tiny things like that add up eventually, and will give you better battery life.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Instagram and screen are the only 2 culprits.
Sent from my E6553 using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 02:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:03 PM ----------
AhsanU said:
What apps are draining your battery? Do you have location turned on with WiFi being on when the phone is turned off? Since day 1 of owning this phone, I've had pretty great battery life.
Greenify helps loads too. Even though it isn't too effective without root/xposed, I just swipe up from a homescreen app on the dock (using nova launcher) and it hibernates and locks the screen, as opposed to just using the power button.
I've also disabled a few of the Google apps like Newstand, Movies & TV, etc. Those apps are constantly woken up for no reason, so disabling them helps a bit. Also, forcing your phone not to sync with all of Google's services helps a bit too. I use 3 different Gmail accounts, none of them are synced with the services I don't use. Tiny things like that add up eventually, and will give you better battery life.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have every Google apps aside from chrome and Google voice disabled.
Sent from my E6553 using Tapatalk
Pure+ said:
I have every Google apps aside from chrome and Google voice disabled.
Sent from my E6553 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You mean just the apps right? Not things like Google Service Frameowrk, Google Play Services, Google Partner Set Up, etc.
I also have Stamina mode constantly running with my main apps on the list of apps that are exempted (WhatsApp, Greenify, Google Messenger, etc.)
AhsanU said:
You mean just the apps right? Not things like Google Service Frameowrk, Google Play Services, Google Partner Set Up, etc.
I also have Stamina mode constantly running with my main apps on the list of apps that are exempted (WhatsApp, Greenify, Google Messenger, etc.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha yes. The apps only. And yeah I have the same setup.
Sent from my E6553 using Tapatalk
Pure+ said:
Haha yes. The apps only. And yeah I have the same setup.
Sent from my E6553 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Damn! I have no idea what's going on then. If I were you, I'd just run a repair through Sony's PC Companion software (backing up is painless, might as well do that too) and try running the phone again afterwards. If that fails and you're still getting really bad SoT, it might be worth contacting Sony and telling them you've got a faulty product. There's no excuse for the type of SoT you're getting honestly.
Yeah that's the plan. Goota wait til home though. WiFi is so awful at my job.
Sent from my E6553 using Tapatalk
Pure+ said:
Brightness is 50. Cant do a screeny. Apps crashes every time i try.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Set brightness level to 0 with adaptive brightness on. It'll still adapt even under direct sunlight as long as your light sensor is not dead or blocked. You can trust me on that.
How come things crash when you try to do a screenshot? Doesn't make any sense. You just need to go the battery usage under setting and long press the power button!!
schecter7 said:
Set brightness level to 0 with adaptive brightness on. It'll still adapt even under direct sunlight as long as your light sensor is not dead or blocked. You can trust me on that.
How come things crash when you try to do a screenshot? Doesn't make any sense. You just need to go the battery usage under setting and long press the power button!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry no. I meant Tapatalk crashes.
Sent from my E6553 using Tapatalk
We're not the same page. Whatever.... good luck anyway.
so guys i`m an owner of z3c a great phone but lacks the build quality and terrible camera...since i broke the screen i`m planing to jump to
samsung galaxy s6 its a premium tbh but i hate samsung.......or z5c both are same price to me....
so i`ve been following the post of Z5c on sony.talk.....and the amount of defected units is way too high..... them blurry images and rarely dead pixles but its more like 7 out of 10 with defected lens .....is it worth it to take the risk and get the z5c? or is there any more bugs found on this phone hope we can discuss it here even though i dont believe the camera is that great even if the phone is not defected
I'll just post my issues with the Z5 Compact:
- Auto-brightness is broken, unlocking the phone with enabled auto-brightness results in a bright display for a couple of seconds --> Sony said that it'll be fixed in the upcoming Marshmallow update
- Lags and inconsistent performance, disabling X-Reality helped a bit. It just doesn't feel like a fast phone, my old HTC One M8 was flying through the system. My brother has a Nexus 6p with the same processor and it feels much smoother, we compared them side by side (opening apps, loading websites).
- Music and Podcasts from different apps (Spotify, Shuttle+, Pocketcasts) are pausing every now and then (already repaired the phone with PC companion and did a manual factory reset, reformatted my external SD card)
- slow camera launch
- it takes a while to look at a taken picture
- active mobile radio bug --> will be fixed in the upcoming Marshmallow update, other Marshmallow phones confirmed that
- slow connection to wifi networks (exclamation mark in the statusbar)
- many bloatware apps from Sony (luckily they can be disabled)
Overall im quite disappointed by this phone because of its lackluster firmware performance. I'm hoping Marshmallow fixes the most annoxing bugs (broken auto-brightness is a pain), if not I'm selling it. I like the slim UI, the design of this phone and the camera. My photos are thankfully not blurred.
I've got Z1c, Z5c and S6. If you love small size, Z5c is the only option. The current problem is software not mature, not to the level you can't real use it as a daily driver but enough to annoy you. We are waiting for MM to fix. Me and my friend both owned Z5c and our lens no blur.
S6 two big issues, other than that it's good. First is poor memory management during heavy multi-tasking(light use okay) and second thing is bad color reproduction(over saturation and too much contrast, auto exposure isn't as accurate) compared to Z1c/Z5c. But I know Z3c white balance is quite buggy even worse than Z1/Z2 line.
I always take photo so camera is most important to me and I tend to stick with Z1c/Z5c and going to sell out my S6 soon. But S6 camera is extremely quick and OIS is useful, for the point and shoot purpose no doubt better than Sony but I just can't use it to shoot out any decent photo though S6 camera got little more details but color is too wrong. Casual user may more welcome S6 camera bcoz they just want speedy.
The current problem on Z5 camera is high ISO bad and 4K focus/quality at low-light even worse than my Z1c. But the focus is decent, slightly slower than S6 but blows Z1c/Z3c. Color and exposure is improved too, I'll say the best I've ever seen. However, if the upcoming MM not fix all issues, I'm thinking to stick with Z1c for a little bit more time and wait Z6c/Z7c.
To be honest I expected the z5c to suck when I bought it.
Marshmallow wasn't out yet and to me, it looks like the best strategy for sony would be to release ****ty software because MM update would come soon anyway.
Unfortunately, I'm very dissapointed, I agree that the phone is laggy and tend to get way too hot. Batterylife is worse than Z3C. (I could easily last two days, one day is even an issue on this phone) The MM update should have hit the Z5 family end December at latest.
I still have hopes for MM, if you could wait three weeks I would, let's see how it works out. (but somewhere it already feels like I'm going to get dissapointed, I had such high hopes for Sony but I feel betrayed by them)
30min Wifi Skype call, temperature reached: 50°C.
So consider also that in some situations the phone overheats easily
Wait to see if mm fixes the problems. I went from z3c to z5c. Not very happy. So my tip is to wait for some weeks
KingKonga said:
I'll just post my issues with the Z5 Compact:
- Auto-brightness is broken, unlocking the phone with enabled auto-brightness results in a bright display for a couple of seconds --> Sony said that it'll be fixed in the upcoming Marshmallow update
- Lags and inconsistent performance, disabling X-Reality helped a bit. It just doesn't feel like a fast phone, my old HTC One M8 was flying through the system. My brother has a Nexus 6p with the same processor and it feels much smoother, we compared them side by side (opening apps, loading websites).
- Music and Podcasts from different apps (Spotify, Shuttle+, Pocketcasts) are pausing every now and then (already repaired the phone with PC companion and did a manual factory reset, reformatted my external SD card)
- slow camera launch
- it takes a while to look at a taken picture
- active mobile radio bug --> will be fixed in the upcoming Marshmallow update, other Marshmallow phones confirmed that
- slow connection to wifi networks (exclamation mark in the statusbar)
- many bloatware apps from Sony (luckily they can be disabled)
Overall im quite disappointed by this phone because of its lackluster firmware performance. I'm hoping Marshmallow fixes the most annoxing bugs (broken auto-brightness is a pain), if not I'm selling it. I like the slim UI, the design of this phone and the camera. My photos are thankfully not blurred.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From reading the forums it seems to me that the quality of the z5c handsets Sony has put out is pretty uneven, from poor quality control, different build lines, different rev versions or...?
I'm overall happy, no issues of lags, reboots or the like.
Keep mobile data off almost always so not affected by active mobile radio bug, which is really an Android issue more than a Sony issue if I understand it correctly.
No issues with music or podcasts, listen to pods a lot.
No issues with overheating, it does get quite warm occasionally with heavy use but nothing really bothersome. (I don't play games or shoot video.)
Generally happy with camera, no blur issues, no slow launch issues, though watching pictures/launching album from within camera is really slow. I'm not a keen photographer or a very exigent user of the camera, understand from others there are issues of software limiting the hardware. Definitely could do better in low light.
Agree on the bloatware, have disabled most and wish more was possible. Then again, compared to Samsung or most other manufacturers...
So the issues I have are:
- auto brightness bug, common to all z5 and acknowledged by Sony a long time ago. Disappointing it takes months to issue an upgrade or patch.
- wifi management is confusing. Without Stamina mode wifi keeps turning off in standby/sleep, though I have it set to always keep on. With Stamina mode it stays conected?? Seems counterintuitive. Also occasionally it keeps turning off even then, can't understand why?
- I want to keep wifi always on when connected to a known network, off when no network. Previously Sony had a bundled app, Location based wifi, which took care of it and worked really well. Disappointed they no longer include it, after trying several third party apps I believe I have found one that works.
- battery capacity is ok, not great, but only(?) without mobile data on. Regularly get 6+ hours on screen time which isn't bad, more would be better.
- finger print sensor works poorly and irregularly. Apart from not working if fingers are dirty or damp, which is ok and expected, it works poorly in general. I have five fingers saved, it works well with one of them in certain angles, less so with another finger and very poorly on others. Frustratingly, when I press lock key only to look at time without wanting to unlock it often does just that, more frequently than when i do want to unlock.
Size, ergonomics, hardware quality, waterproof certifications - I'm real happy and see few if any competitors on the market. Software could be better and updates much more frequent, but apart from above mentioned issues my phone is quick and snappy, no lags. Pleased with the general UI, but wish more customization was possible and more bloatware was optional or uninstallable.
Regarding poor performance of fingerprint sensor it seems, thanks to michal89chz, that I have found a solution. I had tried to re-register fingerprints before without seeing much of a difference. It seems that registering a fingerprint in all kinds of different angles greatly improves the performance of the sensor, now hit rate has gone up from 4/10 to 9/10. If it keeps up take that off the list of complaints. Though Sony ought to have made it clear in the settings when you first register your prints that this procedure is necessary for a good performance.
Heres my take.
The camera is better than z3c when ready but takes so long to launch that the moment is usually gone long before the phone is ready.
Oh and from time to time the camera won't launch because according to the error message some other app is using it. I've only been able to solve that issue by rebooting adding insult to injury for the already ridiculous camera launch times.
Thats really the only advantage.
It gets way hotter and lags like crazy seemingly at random.
My guess is that Snapdragon 810 is just a piece of **** and I hope Sony makes a z6c with 820 which i will happily buy..
I'm so frustrated that Samsung S7 starts to look good but it's bigger than the HTC One m7 and I found that too big
FlipFlopHHJ said:
Heres my take.
The camera is better than z3c when ready but takes so long to launch that the moment is usually gone long before the phone is ready.
Oh and from time to time the camera won't launch because according to the error message some other app is using it. I've only been able to solve that issue by rebooting adding insult to injury for the already ridiculous camera launch times.
Thats really the only advantage.
It gets way hotter and lags like crazy seemingly at random.
My guess is that Snapdragon 810 is just a piece of **** and I hope Sony makes a z6c with 820 which i will happily buy..
I'm so frustrated that Samsung S7 starts to look good but it's bigger than the HTC One m7 and I found that too big
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try Xperia X Performance
About that auto brightness bug, you guys could try Velis Auto Brightness app from Play Store, works great for me.
- Auto Brightness bug here. (I can't believe I'm using Manual Brightness in a 2015 hi-end phone).
- Poor picture quality with the camera with low or medium light and with close/mid pictures, specially close-ups. (In general, the camera is terrible is the worst thing of this phone, the main reason I can't wait to upgrade the phone. Never used flash in two years with my previous phone with HDR+, now I need flash again to see some details at MEDIUM light!!).
- Performance issues, mainly because of Lollipop. But also they'll need to improve the kernel.
----
I do not have any reboots issues, nor temperature problems.
KingKonga said:
I'll just post my issues with the Z5 Compact:
- Auto-brightness is broken, unlocking the phone with enabled auto-brightness results in a bright display for a couple of seconds --> Sony said that it'll be fixed in the upcoming Marshmallow update
- Lags and inconsistent performance, disabling X-Reality helped a bit. It just doesn't feel like a fast phone, my old HTC One M8 was flying through the system. My brother has a Nexus 6p with the same processor and it feels much smoother, we compared them side by side (opening apps, loading websites).
- Music and Podcasts from different apps (Spotify, Shuttle+, Pocketcasts) are pausing every now and then (already repaired the phone with PC companion and did a manual factory reset, reformatted my external SD card)
- slow camera launch
- it takes a while to look at a taken picture
- active mobile radio bug --> will be fixed in the upcoming Marshmallow update, other Marshmallow phones confirmed that
- slow connection to wifi networks (exclamation mark in the statusbar)
- many bloatware apps from Sony (luckily they can be disabled)
Overall im quite disappointed by this phone because of its lackluster firmware performance. I'm hoping Marshmallow fixes the most annoxing bugs (broken auto-brightness is a pain), if not I'm selling it. I like the slim UI, the design of this phone and the camera. My photos are thankfully not blurred.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 all the above..
Exactly my thoughts. This is the worst phone you can buy.. Mostly due to software issues.. I was trying to record a video. I opened the app and hit record button and i lost initial 10 seconds of the footage. Thats how worst camera launch time is.
It gets way hotter for everyday tasks. I dont game on my phone still super hot. Lags all the time. Multitasking is terrible. Even if i have 3-4 apps running in background i experienced google maps reloading a couple of times which is terrible.
Wifi is slow as well and music pauses randomly as it wishes. Sometimes bluetooth studdering.. I thought battery life was good initially but it became worse.
This is the worst ever phone from sony. I have a z3c before which is way better despite of its short comings
thanks a lot everyone on your replies i`v read it carefully thanks for helping me to decide <3
after today MWC and the the release of X series and the overpriced phones i think its time to step aside from sony but my heart will always be there Thanks for sharing your experience and being 100% honest
i`ll wait till M.M but its also gonna take few weeks according to sony statement today then i`ll come back here and check your feedback it will help everyone
Tinup93 said:
thanks a lot everyone on your replies i`v read it carefully thanks for helping me to decide <3
after today MWC and the the release of X series and the overpriced phones i think its time to step aside from sony but my heart will always be there Thanks for sharing your experience and being 100% honest
i`ll wait till M.M but its also gonna take few weeks according to sony statement today then i`ll come back here and check your feedback it will help everyone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you are going for a Galaxy S6, I'd rather go for a Nexus 5X. You won't have the size and the battery you have with the Z3C....but in everything else is a win. And it's not an expensive phone.
There are no alternatives to the Z5C at the moment in the compact range. It's the only one I'd buy (and I still don't like it).
I don't have lag or overheating. It's quite hot sometimes but still in a manageable level, don't forget every SD810 phone is hot. But I rooted and using Greenify with xposed so I have more free ram than non-root user and I also flashed Tommy-Geenexus's kernel which lower downed the cpu speed to reduce heat. I think MM will improve big.Little cpu for who experienced lag. In my opinions, z1c z5c s6 the battery performance during use is very similar, not as good as z3c but still enough for normal use. My problem on Z5c is battery drain during idle/standby, after flashed the raidoactivefix xposed module been improved but still worse than z1c and s6 at overnight standby.
Some have bluetooth disconnect issues, after used Amplify xposed module to limit a whole beach of wakelock/alarms my Sony MW600 handfree finally suffer from this issue so it may related somethings bad coded to keep DDOS attacking BT devices....lol... On the other hand, my Sony SmartWatch2 seems never get disconnection, maybe smartwatch's cpu is strong enough to defense spam.
What's the most annoyed me is camera. Low light photo is also good but not above 160/200iso range. 200iso already started a bit bad so most people will just said the camera suck. Within 160iso the quality real better than my Z1c, 200 or up my Z1c even performed better in terms of details. My Z1c with 4K mod doing better focus and quality too.
Not real intended to leave Z5c as I like the better screen, white balance and fast focus, I still want to hold Z5c at this time. But since the result is so mixed to me, if MM not fix it, I will stay with Z1c and get some cash back.
I've seen a few issues as well, I've got a white international with no camera blur and no self cracking screen (yet).
I have to have a one thumb phone so my options were limited. I had an s4 mini for going on 3 years, best phone I've ever had. I always wanted to try the z compacts but the z1c didn't have LTE and the z3c had stupid side charging. I gave the z5c a chance with low expectations based on all the negative I heard, and I was still disappointed lol. I will probably be settling with the s5 mini but until I'll be playing with this.
Very short battery life, no replaceable battery, and no wireless charging. Nothing that I didn't know jumping into it but still hard to deal with having to answer calls while on a charger, let alone the heat on my face is almost unbearable at times.
Camera issues are also something I knew before hand, I am coming from an 8mp camera with a broken lens so it's an upgrade to me. But yet the lag has got to be a joke. Right?
Software is kind of cool, reminds me of miui a bit on the notifications, it's miles above touchwiz, and with some xposed tweaks I think I'll really like the home launcher! Root and xposed are a huge deal to me for some of my apps so I'm still carrying my other device for that need while I figure out xposed on the z5 line. I have had a lot of rooted phones and for you guys waiting and relying on a MM update to fix things... I wouldn't and wont be, there will just be new or slightly fixed issues. Happens every time lol
All in all I like the phone, the form is great, button layout I love, and the screen hopefully will not fade out like my other amoleds! Hopefully we can get some cm12 on this platform to play with soon.
E5823 said:
Regarding poor performance of fingerprint sensor it seems, thanks to michal89chz, that I have found a solution. I had tried to re-register fingerprints before without seeing much of a difference. It seems that registering a fingerprint in all kinds of different angles greatly improves the performance of the sensor, now hit rate has gone up from 4/10 to 9/10. If it keeps up take that off the list of complaints. Though Sony ought to have made it clear in the settings when you first register your prints that this procedure is necessary for a good performance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hate quoting myself, but when necessary...
Fingerprint sensor has not kept up performance. Just like when phone was new, it works like a charm for a day or two, then regresses badly. I don't know if problem is hardware or software, and don't much care except I guess the latter would be better - if they ever manage to release an update (that actually improves things without introducing more bugs than were fixed...).
Anyway, the sensor now works slightly better than before I re-registered all prints a couple of days ago. Hit rate is somewhere between 5-6/10 depending on angle and finger, but sometimes much worse. Not great. And no, phone or fingers are not grimy. One advantage of water-almost-proofness is you can wash off phone now and again. I'm guessing intent of including fingerprint sensor was not for user to wash fingers and phone before every interaction?
I sorta like that the fingerprint sensor doesn't catch 100% touches because I read about people who were irritated that they were just trying to check the time and every time ended up unlocking the phone. It doesn't happen with me and I'm very happy with it, I can live with the extra half second it takes to try again.
From my point of view, i'd like to agree that some of issues mentioned above are present. Those are:
-Poor camera quality. For me the camera is not an essential feature, so i don't complain, but it is really nowhere near the flagship-quality, imho
-Fingerprint scanner performance. It seems to be extremely sensitive about its own and finger's cleanness. It can work just fine for a half a day and then it suddenly rejects the fingerprint for several times. This is my first and only android-based device with the scanner, so i can't compare with sony's direct competitors, but i never experienced such issues using any of apple devices with fingerprint sensor.
-Auto-brightness issues are completely described in posts above, i totally agree with all that.
-Software was unstable for a couple of months after sales launched. As i said, i don't often use a camera, but there was just one time in autumn when it was necessary for me to record a video. And z5c captured no sound at all. The mic that time was not functional at any applications, and i noticed this an hour later when a person who called me could hear no sound from my side. That was extremely disappointing. Some random reboots were present in early versions of firmware too. It get much better and more stable these days, but some minor software issues can still be noticed now and then.
And then here comes the major issue of them all: z5c just doesn't like winter. It was about -10 celsius outside, and i was there for a couple of hours with a phone in the pocket of my jacket. When i returned home, i saw that the glass on rear panel had a massive crack:
http://cs630129.vk.me/v630129131/11b31/QE0b_6WL5dU.jpg
And this issue with glasses cracking when temperature is low is present on every sony's device with glass on its back since the original xperia z. Every winter there are dozens of reports about glass-related problems on our local pda forums, sony's local office was awared of the problem, so there were hopes that they will fix it in their latest models. Here comes z5, and nothing changed. Those issues are covered by warranty as long as warranty lasts (1 year usually), so i didn't have to pay for the repair, but it took some time to replace the glass.
I haven't found the z5 thread for those of us that are happy with their device, so I am starting one! Most forums, for any phone, fill with issues/questions. Those are certainly helpful, but most devices, even if they do it right, won't get much in the way of positive reviews.
Well, I've had my Z5 for about two weeks, and like other Sony's I've owned, I've found it to be a very solid device. Previous three devices;
LG V10
Motorola Pure
Sony Z3
I've unlocked / rooted and am running MM with no issues. Compared to the V10 / Pure, the size of the Z5 is just about perfect. About the only thing I NEED to do to all my devices is change the DPI and drop the soft keys... build.prop and Xposed to the rescue!
Anyway, hopefully some third party dev stuff comes rolling in ( I selfishly like Slim), and thanks to all those that are actively working on development efforts!
It's a pleasure to use this device, and it's a pleasure to use Marshmallow, which is what Lollipop should have been.
I'm stuck with a locked bootloader , but phones great lol
Some additional things I've grown to like;
1) The power / fingerprint security button is great. I've setup most of the fingers on my right hand to unlock, which makes one hand use a breeze.
2) IMHO, the camera takes great pictures. Not sure if there's RAW mode support....
3) Battery is getting better as I use the phone more, though it's still not as good as the V10. I am mostly a business user.
4) Voice quality is good on both ends of conference calls.
5) Bluetooth seems very stable for me... connecting to both my Infiniti and my BT headset for work calls.
6) Charging is relatively quick with the charger from my Moto Pure.
7) I find, as usual, that the Sony Android build is minimal compared to some others (though not as good as the AOSP Moto).
well after I got my phone back from RMA it has been working flawlessly so ye I'm more than happy Sony, then again I like the brand, still got a sony tv from 1988 and it is still working, no problems
two weeks ago I was at this wedding, where I was the only one that could take photos with my phone, all others were laggy cause of the very low light conditions including samsung and iPhones, I just pressed the shutter in superior auto and this phone didnt let me down, one after another 6 or 7 continuous shots all of'em perfectly visible and ppl starts asking me "The hell of a phone which one is it?" proudly Z5
Thanks for this thread, it is refreshing to read more positive stuff about this phone as opposed to the hoards of negativity and hate that is present in these forums.
After I initially had issues with my Sony Xperia Z5 (mainly on lollipop), currently with MM my phone is excellent. The only complaint I have is that I still am plagued by the mobile radio active bug, but I don't think it actually consumes more battery and is instead just an error reading bug that gives misleading battery information when on 3G/4G.
For me, my battery life is great and I can easily go 2 days with a full charge. No Bluetooth issues anymore. Standby time is superb. My device does not overheat at all, even with extended usage browsing web or watching YouTube it just gets warm. And finally the camera is just amazing.
Coming from a Z1 this device is the perfect size and the fact that Sony managed to make it smaller, thinner, lighter and include a larger screen size is commendable. Design wise, for me personally, the Z5 is simply beautiful. I love the feel of the matte glass back and how nice it feels in the hand, it truly is one of the best looking devices currently available.
Hey there guys I am going to write a simple but very honest review of the Xperia Z5 after owning the device for a little over 3 months. Everything I talk about will be given a score from 1 to 5, 1 being not great and 5 being amazing.
So to start, I purchased the phone in the UK (Belfast is my hometown) and I went with the gold colour. So far the phone has held up very well in terms of durability. The gold colour was definitely my favourite as I was able to get a look at all colours, my decision was either the Green or Gold and I am glad I went with the gold as believe it or not it does get quite a bit of attention! The only thing i'm not so confident in with this colour is the nylon corners look a different shade of gold to the metal frame which looks more of a copper when certain light is on it. However it doesn't bother me too much so I'm still very happy with my colour choice!
For design I would give this phone a 4 out of 5 with the nylon corners being a different colour just edging it out of the perfect 5.
The display on this phone is absolutely fantastic, has to be up there with some of the best displays i've ever seen on a smartphone. Colours are very vibrant and blacks are very deep, with Sony's X Reality engine the screen just pops.
Display gets a solid 5 out of 5 for me.
Software has been quite hit and miss for me, when it was on 5.1.1 Lollipop it was fine with some issues e.g. Auto brightness bug and random bluetooth disconnects with my Moto 360. When I finally got the Marshmallow update it fixed most of the bugs but however I am seeing a problem when I am using the BSP10 Bluetooth Speaker it seems to be skipping a lot when playing music and I am not sure why. Could be a simple fix but i'm not sure!
Software gets a 3 out of 5 just for random bugs and the bluetooth issue.
Performance again with software has been a hit and miss, with the Snapdragon 810 on board the phone powers through almost anything you throw at it, for about 30 minutes at most then the heat issue happens and the phone has to thermal throttle the processor however if just doing simple tasks i.e. Browsing the internet, using Facebook, Youtube etc the phone handles it like a dream.
Performance gets a solid 4 out of 5 for me just with the heat issue not getting it the 5 out of 5.
Battery life has been great on some days and absolutely horrible on some other days. I'm usually averaging 2.5 hours SOT on this phone even after the marshmallow update, best SOT i've had on this is about 4 hours but that was with very light internet browsing. When gaming and the phone gets warm the battery drains like nothing i've seen before, a game I usually play is Geometry Dash and if the phone is on 100% after about 20 minutes its down to about 90% which seems very high battery drain for 20 minutes of usage.
Battery life is a 3 out of 5 just to inconsistent battery performance.
Camera is very good on this phone....if you set it up right. If using the Superior auto mode its hard to get a good shot in my own opinion. The macro focus is very bad too! You have to be a right big of distance away and there still isn't much detail! However take the phone and get a good landscape shot and the camera performs excellently. For landscape photos it's definitely the best camera i've used on a phone.
Camera is a 4 out of 5 just due to the macro focus function.
Overall I love the Sony Xperia Z5, its well designed, the camera is awesome, the audio quality is pretty good, the fact that it's waterproof just gives you a bit more confidence if it gets wet you don't have to worry about it! Yeah there are some niggles with the phone but really everything nowadays had pros and cons! But I would say if you're looking for a well designed, good phone the Z5 is a solid choice!
Hope this review helps some potential buyers! Thanks.
What about fingerprint sensor, i am not satisfied as i wanted to.
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spaha-bih said:
What about fingerprint sensor, i am not satisfied as i wanted to.
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Mine actually worked better in Lollipop rather than Marshmallow, it worked almost every single time I used it however since Marshmallow it does get a lot of misreads.
Good review. I would give similar scores. However, when I first got this phone with Lollipop i was having major issues, battery was horrible, overheating issues, and some other bugs were ruining my experience. When I got MM it seemed everything just magically fixed up (Although I later found out much of my battery woes were due to my Universities WiFi).
Now I have excellent battery life and I can easily get around 4 hrs SOT and sometimes 5+ hrs SOT with the battery lasting me on average 1.5-2 days. Further, I find no more overheating issues and even with extended usage the phone does gets warm, but never hot. Although I don't play graphic intensive games.
I am so happy with my Z5 atm. One of the best phones I have ever owned.
---------- Post added at 11:46 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:44 AM ----------
spaha-bih said:
What about fingerprint sensor, i am not satisfied as i wanted to.
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I personally see no major difference in fingerprint reading between LL and MM. When I first upgraded to MM i did notice a slight increase in the speed and reliability, but after a few weeks, its pretty much is the same. usually its very quick and reliable, but there is that odd few occasions where it just doesn't recognize my finger.
Yes, the same, after upgrading to MM, fingerprint unlocking was noticable fast, but after some time, like it just get worste.
Also the same for heating, my everything was fine at the begining, but after it just get warmer for some reason, and i am on last update.
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