Database Users

Maybe it's time to move on...

(Not sure whether this should be posted in Q&A as this topic is not quite related to questions about the arc.)
I've had my arc for, what... 13 months now. The warranty expired about a moth ago. I'm not really the type to change my phones often as I'm not your typical rich arse. My arc, as my tapatalk signature may propose, is quite cracked (I posted pics in another thread) and I doubt I could get a good price for it. But that aside. I'm here to ask you about which phone I should buy next.
My needs have become quite... needy (lol). I have quite a few apps running constantly in the background plus add the widgets on homescreen to that and sometimes a needy foreground app (which basically kills all my other apps). I can't even run the Walkman app for longer time because it just gets killed in the memory for some reason (if I turn off my screen). And sometimes all my apps start closing/restarting, including my launcher, for I don't know what reason. Sometimes my phone is so unresponsive that it's ridiculous. I couldn't answer a call today because the phone app was killed in memory (lol). You might say there's something wrong with the ROM I'm running or something else. Maybe ICS is not the best choice and more of a downgrade on arc if there's some heavier multitasking. But for me, downgrading to GB is just a no-go. Maybe I should give the JB a shot. But doubt that do much of a difference to me.
Don't get me wrong. I like my arc. It's got a very good design (awesomely crappy housing quality aside) It's probably pretty good with a moderate multitasking on GB. But I just feel like I need some more power. And I'm not talking about quads here. A phone with 1GB of RAM and a dual core would probably be more than enough for me. (though today such phones are quite outdated, haha)
So what would you recommend? I'll just help you out a bit and say that there's no way I'd go with a Samsung phone. Also, it has to be Android (no WP, iOS, Bada, and whatever else there is). And expandable memory is a must, as well. Might add something more if I remember.
Sent from my cracksperia Arc

Do you want to stick with Sony or will you consider other brands as well? There's a lot of good high end phones from LG, HTC and whatnot (I'll exclude Samsung in this case). Sony did announce three new phones today at IFA (Xperia T, V and J) which retain the arc-like design if you're willing to wait. And there's the Xperia S, P & U, but I'd personally pass on those with what's coming out and what is out right now.
It's really hard to recommend one phone tbh; play around with whatever you can and buy the one that you like best.
Sent from my LT15a using xda app-developers app

I'm considering other brands as well. Though I have to admit that Sony retains the look and uniqueness, while for instance HTC phones all look quite the same. But I'm willing to bare with the not so unique HTC style if the housing quality is good. But there is one thing with Sony phones that kind of makes me step away and ask myself if I really want to get one again. And that's the screen glass. The arc's screen glass is literally scratch un-resistant. Sometimes the fact just annoys the heck out of me. In comparison to HTC Desire HD, the screen glass of my arc is really horrible. I'm starting to like HTC, whether I liked that fact or not.
Sent from my cracksperia Arc

sunbriel said:
I'm considering other brands as well. Though I have to admit that Sony retains the look and uniqueness, while for instance HTC phones all look quite the same. But I'm willing to bare with the not so unique HTC style if the housing quality is good. But there is one thing with Sony phones that kind of makes me step away and ask myself if I really want to get one again. And that's the screen glass. The arc's screen glass is literally scratch un-resistant. Sometimes the fact just annoys the heck out of me. In comparison to HTC Desire HD, the screen glass of my arc is really horrible. I'm starting to like HTC, whether I liked that fact or not.
Sent from my cracksperia Arc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then get Xperia go
Its supposed to be ultra resistant, and its dual core 1GHz.
I can't really advise you which phone to get, because I don't know you screen size preference and budget.

If its in your budget i would recommend a Galaxy Nexus.
1 - Latest android updates
2 - Good Design
3 - High Durability
Just a recommendation

Wait a little........maybe for the google sony nexus.
If it's not coming i'm jumping ship to nexus anyway.

issak42 said:
Then get Xperia go
Its supposed to be ultra resistant, and its dual core 1GHz.
I can't really advise you which phone to get, because I don't know you screen size preference and budget.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, should've added some more info to the OP. But really it was 3 am or something like that and I was already half asleep (lol). I don't need it to be ultra resistant. I won't be throwing it around. I just need it to be of "normal" resistance. Dropped my boyfriend's phone (Desire HD) a couple of times, it also went flying and fell on the floor and all the things that might happen when your hands are not really that steady. It got no scratches and it took no damage to the housing. While if I did the same to my arc... well, uhm... it would probably shatter all around the place, lol.
About the screen size and resolution. Well, anything between 4.2 and 4.5 inches with resolution of the arc or higher. The budget is not very limited as I've saved some money (just don't suggest a golden phone with a couple of diamonds ). I can also get a tax-free product (which would then be the normal price back there in the States... yeah, my country loves to add to the normal price, lol). For an example, the Galaxy S III in free sale (without a contract, not locked to any carrier) is around $840.

sunbriel said:
Ah, should've added some more info to the OP. But really it was 3 am or something like that and I was already half asleep (lol). I don't need it to be ultra resistant. I won't be throwing it around. I just need it to be of "normal" resistance. Dropped my boyfriend's phone (Desire HD) a couple of times, it also went flying and fell on the floor and all the things that might happen when your hands are not really that steady. It got no scratches and it took no damage to the housing. While if I did the same to my arc... well, uhm... it would probably shatter all around the place, lol.
About the screen size and resolution. Well, anything between 4.2 and 4.5 inches with resolution of the arc or higher. The budget is not very limited as I've saved some money (just don't suggest a golden phone with a couple of diamonds ). I can also get a tax-free product (which would then be the normal price back there in the States... yeah, my country loves to add to the normal price, lol). For an example, the Galaxy S III in free sale (without a contract, not locked to any carrier) is around $840.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Get Note 2.. Best I can see out now.. Or wait to jump on the next Nexus cruise..
Sent from my Nexus S

sunbriel said:
I'm considering other brands as well. Though I have to admit that Sony retains the look and uniqueness, while for instance HTC phones all look quite the same. But I'm willing to bare with the not so unique HTC style if the housing quality is good. But there is one thing with Sony phones that kind of makes me step away and ask myself if I really want to get one again. And that's the screen glass. The arc's screen glass is literally scratch un-resistant. Sometimes the fact just annoys the heck out of me. In comparison to HTC Desire HD, the screen glass of my arc is really horrible. I'm starting to like HTC, whether I liked that fact or not.
Sent from my cracksperia Arc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you removed the fabric pre-applied anti shatter screen protecter? This scrathes easily and I removed mine after 1 year and now I have a perfect glass screen which is super responsive, allmost like a new phone. Never used any screen protecter as I dislike the poor touch sensitivity.
Please try to install the latest SE stock ICS ROM 4.0.4, this has improved significantly. I cannot say anything about the multitasking, never really been an issue, but for stability stock SE ROMS are perfect. Allways used stock ROMS and never missed a call, this is priority number one with high reliability as it is also my work phone. I am confident that Sony engineers very well know how to optimize the software but some here from xda would probably disagree

go for xperia v , keeps the iconic arc design , has .1 inch bump from 4.2 to 4.3 inch screen... hd display dual core 1gb ram 13mpx stacked cmos sensor , hdr , WATER RESISTANT!
Good LUCK

heinrichkaiser said:
Get Note 2.. Best I can see out now.. Or wait to jump on the next Nexus cruise..
Sent from my Nexus S
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like I said, Samsung is out of question.
hygge said:
Have you removed the fabric pre-applied anti shatter screen protecter? This scrathes easily and I removed mine after 1 year and now I have a perfect glass screen which is super responsive, allmost like a new phone. Never used any screen protecter as I dislike the poor touch sensitivity.
Please try to install the latest SE stock ICS ROM 4.0.4, this has improved significantly. I cannot say anything about the multitasking, never really been an issue, but for stability stock SE ROMS are perfect. Allways used stock ROMS and never missed a call, this is priority number one with high reliability as it is also my work phone. I am confident that Sony engineers very well know how to optimize the software but some here from xda would probably disagree
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I removed it as I was annoyed by it. But still, the screen just shouldn't get scratches out of the blue (I never put it anywhere where it could get them, and the scratches were already there even before I first dropped my phone). And the housing quality is so poor that I'm literally shocked how they could even sell it for such a price (was around $650 a year ago). And I'm not talking about that tiny little crack everyone complained/complains about (see http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=28003272&postcount=606 - I didn't throw it around for fun to get this "sexy" look, dropped it a couple of times from a very low height).
Well, I don't know about how heavy your multitasking is. I'll tell you what runs on my phone all the time (when the phone is idle, otherwise some or all of these will get killed to make space for a memory hungry app):
AquaMail, IMO messenger beta, Clipper, Color Note, Avast, Nova launcher, BetterBatteryStats, Battery Drain, Volume Control+, Smart Keyboard; widgets: ADW Widget, Aix Weather, UCCW, Elixir 2, Meta widget, stock Browser bookmarks, TuneIn, Minimalistic Text.
Some of them will get killed in memory to make space for something else so not all of them run at the same time (they're mostly in "restarting" state). And now imagine opening an internet browser or a game. What will you get? Instant background app genocide. Even the keyboard dies or freezes.
I think I really need something more.
lokenok said:
go for xperia v , keeps the iconic arc design , has .1 inch bump from 4.2 to 4.3 inch screen... hd display dual core 1gb ram 13mpx stacked cmos sensor , hdr , WATER RESISTANT!
Good LUCK
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Might look around some carrier stores to try it out. But I'm not sure whether it has on-screen buttons or capacitive touch buttons. The first one is a minus for me.
EDIT: checked it out. On-screen buttons.

Hmmm, currently. Have the S, and has dropped it so many time,and it still ok. My old arc housing cracks the first time it falls
But my recommendations is get the V or the Arco S.
Sent from my LT26i using xda app-developers app

Stay with SONY, as you won't find better design anywhere. Yes, there are some let-downs from time to time, and yes, the hardware specs are not top-notch, but overall, Xperias are the sexiest smartphones out there, so it's not that painful to sacrifice some performance for the sake of good design and appealing UI...
Also, even we (Xperia phones users) complain a lot about some software and hardware unperfections, the other manufacturers are struggling with these or other things too. There is no perfect phone, believe me. I know that because when I collect all my friends in one place, there is wide range of smartphones on the table, from Iphones, to HTCs, to Samsungs, to SONYs (this would be me), and all of them are having some issues.
From terrible lags, to battery drains, to housing mailfunctions, to this, to that...
And let me be more concrete here... My friends Iphone 3GS is lagging so much that it's ridiculous, and my friend is not advanced or heavy user at all. Few applications here and there. My Arc S feels like warp 9 speed when I use it after his phone. And other friends HTC Evo 3D on ICS is also lagging so much (an dual-core phone, remember), that I don't feel my Arc S on ICS is overperfomed at all by that phone... And battery drain is ridiculous on Evo 3D for example, and picture quality is uncomparable with Arc S, cause we have tested it so many times. And so on, and so on...
The point is, you won't find perfect phone out there, and you won't find so dominant phone, that you'll say, ok SONY is ****, I won't be using it anymore.
I'm tech freak, and I play with alot of smartphones on daily basis, and I would hardly change SONY as my favourite smartphone manufacturer.
And yes, like in your case, Samsung is totally out of question. I would never use such crappy and uninspiring design and UI. Market share means nothing to me, and current two market share dominant smartphone manufacturers are both astronomically overrated, and I would never use them before my Xperias.
If you decide to stay with SONY, there is really wide range of new NXT line Xperias to choose from. From S to P to new Arc successors presented few days ago, T, J and V. I don't know, I just can't resist sexiness of Xperia phones.
Sorry for huge post. Pozdrav iz Sarajeva.

Reading your posts, I'd recommend the LG Optimus 4x HD. It's very fast and reasonable priced compared to the One X and SGS3. The design also shouldn't be too bad. Please look for some reviews and keeps us updated!
Via Mobile

what about a full housing replacement??? $24 only

mr_torture said:
Stay with SONY, as you won't find better design anywhere. Yes, there are some let-downs from time to time, and yes, the hardware specs are not top-notch, but overall, Xperias are the sexiest smartphones out there, so it's not that painful to sacrifice some performance for the sake of good design and appealing UI...
Also, even we (Xperia phones users) complain a lot about some software and hardware unperfections, the other manufacturers are struggling with these or other things too. There is no perfect phone, believe me. I know that because when I collect all my friends in one place, there is wide range of smartphones on the table, from Iphones, to HTCs, to Samsungs, to SONYs (this would be me), and all of them are having some issues.
From terrible lags, to battery drains, to housing mailfunctions, to this, to that...
And let me be more concrete here... My friends Iphone 3GS is lagging so much that it's ridiculous, and my friend is not advanced or heavy user at all. Few applications here and there. My Arc S feels like warp 9 speed when I use it after his phone. And other friends HTC Evo 3D on ICS is also lagging so much (an dual-core phone, remember), that I don't feel my Arc S on ICS is overperfomed at all by that phone... And battery drain is ridiculous on Evo 3D for example, and picture quality is uncomparable with Arc S, cause we have tested it so many times. And so on, and so on...
The point is, you won't find perfect phone out there, and you won't find so dominant phone, that you'll say, ok SONY is ****, I won't be using it anymore.
I'm tech freak, and I play with alot of smartphones on daily basis, and I would hardly change SONY as my favourite smartphone manufacturer.
And yes, like in your case, Samsung is totally out of question. I would never use such crappy and uninspiring design and UI. Market share means nothing to me, and current two market share dominant smartphone manufacturers are both astronomically overrated, and I would never use them before my Xperias.
If you decide to stay with SONY, there is really wide range of new NXT line Xperias to choose from. From S to P to new Arc successors presented few days ago, T, J and V. I don't know, I just can't resist sexiness of Xperia phones.
Sorry for huge post. Pozdrav iz Sarajeva.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I do know that there is no perfect phone out there and, probably, nor will there ever be one. I have to admit I even thought about buying the One X, but I've read a lot of posts about its horrible battery life. So I moved on and put this one aside on the "maybe" shelf.
I checked out some of the new Sony phones, and was sad to notice the on-screen buttons on most of them (I really dislike such buttons). There are maybe two with the capacitive touch buttons, but one has only 512MB of RAM. The other one, however, is Xperia SL - what's the Arc S to Arc, that's the SL to S - a bit of an upgrade. I pretty much like all the specs, so this one might be one of the candidates.
I don't mind long-ish posts as long as they have something good written in there. Pozdrav i tebi iz Zagreba.
sdk16420 said:
Reading your posts, I'd recommend the LG Optimus 4x HD. It's very fast and reasonable priced compared to the One X and SGS3. The design also shouldn't be too bad. Please look for some reviews and keeps us updated!
Via Mobile
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I looked it up on GSM Arena and quite liked what was put on the paper. However, when I wanted to check out the price in my country, I couldn't find any store that sells it. I don't know whether it will be available here or not. Maybe I overlooked something, might try searching it again.
Overdose1986 said:
what about a full housing replacement??? $24 only
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Am I supposed to give $24 every time my phone drops on the floor? That's not such a low price. And I doubt I could get it for such a price here where I live, if I could even get it for any price.
Sent from my cracksperia Arc

sunbriel said:
Am I supposed to give $24 every time my phone drops on the floor? That's not such a low price. And I doubt I could get it for such a price here where I live, if I could even get it for any price.
Sent from my cracksperia Arc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ebay ships free to worldwide
(full white housing with keypad)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Full-Ho...s=63&clkid=1704432372545259337#ht_2949wt_1049
black and silver covers are cheapers (15-24$)

i myself am considering on buying a new phone only because of the arc's cracking flaw. my arc has been with me for a year now and i have utilized it so much to my complete satisfaction. and with a variety of options out there, in my humble opinion, nothing matches sony's design / form factor on their phones specially on the arc. such a thing of beauty. so with that said, i am very much considering on waiting for the international version of the xperia gx which still boasts the arc shape but with beefed up specs. if you're willing to wait for it as well, then consider adding it to your top choices for arc upgrade

Overdose1986 said:
Ebay ships free to worldwide
(full white housing with keypad)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Full-Ho...s=63&clkid=1704432372545259337#ht_2949wt_1049
black and silver covers are cheapers (15-24$)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But not everyone is good with hardware and part replacing...
However my white Arc S has broken plastic upper-right and lower-right, if I break it somewhere else again and become annoyed I'll probably buy the cover, 24$ is ok price. Lol I wish there is a metal housing for Arc .
My ex-phone was Motorola Milestone (metal+rubber+hard plastic), on its subforum known as "Chuck Norris's phone", it is literally a tank and now I have to watch out on Arc S cause its plastic is so vulnerable... I have it 1 month and soon it'll look older than 3yo MM :/..
Sunbriel, why not on-screen buttons? Never had problems with them on MM, but they were not literally "on screen" (Galaxy Nexus style), just touch buttons under the screen. I hate physical buttons on Arc S...
@Sunbriel i Mr_Torture, pozdrav iz Splita .

If you have some patience left, wait for new "curvy" Arc-like Xperias to come to our market, as they will probably lower down current NXT Xperias prices. Xperia S or SL or P for example... I know you said you don't like on-screen buttons, but we will all have to deal with it in one moment, when we decide to change our Arcs.
If your bugget allows you, wait for this sexy beast to appear on our market, and go for it:
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Or the one you already mentioned, (but the first one is killer design-wise to me):
@ n3n00
Jazz ba, jazz ba...

you don't like your Z1, here is the solution

I have had my Xperia Z1 for a week now and I love everything about it, the camera quality is the only thing that annoys me, but hopefully its a software issue and will be fixed soon, apart from that, the phone is stunning and if the time went back I will go with it again.
This is purely my personal opinion and I can see that there are people in this form hating the phone and wish to swap it with another one if they could. Thats why I made this post because the form is full of topics about how someone hate something about this phone and there are not many "useful" informations for the current or future buyers. anyway, what this article is about is that there is no phone is the best ever, Phone A might have better screen, phone B have better camera, Phone C has better battery ... etc. Every phone has its advantages and disadvantages, you would understand if you go and visit forms of other phones, I just went to the note3 form and guess what??? people there complaining about poor performance
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2461881
poor camera
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2462053
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2459647
poor speaker
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2461599
and the phone has just been launched. iPhone 5s users also complaining about different issues so there is no perfect phone that does everything well
I am not bashing no-one and I am not happy because note3 or iPhone 5s users are having problems with their new phones. But if you go to any form you will see unhappy users. It is YOUR responsibility to choose a phone depending on your needs, play with it and read reviews before spending your hard earned money. Sony, Samsung and apple try to show you that their phone is the best and after you buy it, they don't care anymore.

Fair enough , but I have the Note 3 ( octa version ) and have NONE of those problems.. the device almost feels perfect...right off the bat ..
I absolutely love my Z1 but it feels like Sony should have waited a little longer before releasing it.
IMHO these are the device's only issues.
1. The yellow tint from the screen. ( which strangely,the more I use the easier I find it on the eyes )
2.The Sudden black screen hang ( had it only once so far, but makes me worry about how reliable the device is, will my alarm ring ? )
3. Terrible cam performance On auto mode. (The cam only sucks on auto mode,especially in low light......but if you use manual mode it's quite lovely )
Hopefully these things can be fixed via an update .Or people will start returning their phones thinking they've bought defective pieces.Heck, I'm kind of wondering too.
If Sony can fix these things and fix it quick it could be the closest to a perfect phone. ( at least for me )

No yellow tint on my screen. Have not had the black screen hang but agree with the quality of photos. O2 has been rolling out the updates from Sony quickly enough, so the first two issues may have been resolved already?

hoezay said:
Fair enough , but I have the Note 3 ( octa version ) and have NONE of those problems.. the device almost feels perfect...right off the bat ..
I absolutely love my Z1 but it feels like Sony should have waited a little longer before releasing it.
IMHO these are the device's only issues.
1. The yellow tint from the screen. ( which strangely,the more I use the easier I find it on the eyes )
2.The Sudden black screen hang ( had it only once so far, but makes me worry about how reliable the device is, will my alarm ring ? )
3. Terrible cam performance On auto mode. (The cam only sucks on auto mode,especially in low light......but if you use manual mode it's quite lovely )
Hopefully these things can be fixed via an update .Or people will start returning their phones thinking they've bought defective pieces.Heck, I'm kind of wondering too.
If Sony can fix these things and fix it quick it could be the closest to a perfect phone. ( at least for me )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have a exynos version, same as me in gs4, major problem is touchwiz and cm until now for my device dont work fully.
Sent from my GT-I9500 using xda app-developers app

hoezay said:
Fair enough , but I have the Note 3 ( octa version ) and have NONE of those problems.. the device almost feels perfect...right off the bat ..
I absolutely love my Z1 but it feels like Sony should have waited a little longer before releasing it.
IMHO these are the device's only issues.
1. The yellow tint from the screen. ( which strangely,the more I use the easier I find it on the eyes )
2.The Sudden black screen hang ( had it only once so far, but makes me worry about how reliable the device is, will my alarm ring ? )
3. Terrible cam performance On auto mode. (The cam only sucks on auto mode,especially in low light......but if you use manual mode it's quite lovely )
Hopefully these things can be fixed via an update .Or people will start returning their phones thinking they've bought defective pieces.Heck, I'm kind of wondering too.
If Sony can fix these things and fix it quick it could be the closest to a perfect phone. ( at least for me )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have the first two issues just the camera. But again the camera isn't the worse, when I compare mine to my wife's SGS4, mine open alot faster, here's take 5-10 seconds to open. The colors are equally good. The only thing is the noise in my pictures.
ptoner said:
No yellow tint on my screen. Have not had the black screen hang but agree with the quality of photos. O2 has been rolling out the updates from Sony quickly enough, so the first two issues may have been resolved already?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
same as her
matheus_sc said:
You have a exynos version, same as me in gs4, major problem is touchwiz and cm until now for my device dont work fully.
Sent from my GT-I9500 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
same as my wife's. I expected alot more from the SGS4 when I got it, but now I find my Z1 way better. Z1 performance alot better because of more powerful chip and lighter skin, Z1 screen Alot better, battery slightly better ... etc. Actually this is why I didn't get the note 3, I was considering both but after my issues with SGS4, I went with the Z1

No yellow tint on mine either, had a note 2 n was desperately waiting for note 3 thought give it a try on Z1 and I love it plus I am impressed with the performance its amazingly quick and so is the screen resolution and is water proof and a much better design, well done sony, not getting the note 3 now, cheers to everyone, enjoy ur Z1 guys
Sent from my C6903 using Tapatalk 4

Of course there is no yellow tint, or multiple different display manufacturers, or any other crap or conspiracy mentioned, people are full of crap. I have Z1 and the phone is absolutely spectacular. Huge inprovement over Z.

naga.nino said:
Of course there is no yellow tint, or multiple different display manufacturers, or any other crap or conspiracy mentioned, people are full of crap. I have Z1 and the phone is absolutely spectacular. Huge inprovement over Z.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please don't generalize. I love this phone too but mine does have the yellow tint. Fanboy behavior helps no one.

Those Note3 threads are hilarious. Either they're trolls or received defective devices or something, because I know what the Note3 is as I've had it for 5 days now and counting. They are complaining about performance in a device that currently tops the charts. Speakers? Well it's a bloody phone speaker, not a home surround system, it does as much or as little as other phone speakers (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP5Ov4zcJE0). There are even threads complaining it's plastic. Really? Did you buy the phone, open the box and only then discovered it was made in plastic? There are a lot of jokers in these forums.
The Z1 seems to be a great device from what I've read and seen. Three of my friends will buy it as soon as it hits the shelves here, so I can't wait to get a hands on it and see what they think.

true true , I have a Note 3 and it is quite awesome , very little to crib about.

MohJee said:
Those Note3 threads are hilarious. Either they're trolls or received defective devices or something, because I know what the Note3 is as I've had it for 5 days now and counting. They are complaining about performance in a device that currently tops the charts. Speakers? Well it's a bloody phone speaker, not a home surround system, it does as much or as little as other phone speakers (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP5Ov4zcJE0). There are even threads complaining it's plastic. Really? Did you buy the phone, open the box and only then discovered it was made in plastic? There are a lot of jokers in these forums.
The Z1 seems to be a great device from what I've read and seen. Three of my friends will buy it as soon as it hits the shelves here, so I can't wait to get a hands on it and see what they think.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My point exactly, no phone is perfect (not even the Z1, note 3 or even iPhone 5s), every phone has its advantages and disadvantages. Different phones suits different people. Everyone should look carefully for what he/she like/prefer/want before spending their hard earned money.

ahomad said:
My point exactly, no phone is perfect (not even the Z1, note 3 or even iPhone 5s), every phone has its advantages and disadvantages. Different phones suits different people. Everyone should look carefully for what he/she like/prefer/want before spending their hard earned money.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 for this one. I chose my Z1 because I would love to take underwater pictures. And I love the manly feel of it, unlike the curvy s4 or note 3, no offense. And the bezels actually help me because I have big hands, it's easier to type and easier to scroll and hold. Unlik the s4 again which I accidentally touch the back key from time to time..

For the ones complaining about the speaker: go to settings, sound, sound effects, settings and tick xLOUD. Makes my speaker more than loud enough
Sent from my C6903 using Tapatalk 4

If you don't like your Z1, Sell it to me, I will buy it at half the price

How companies cheat their performance....
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ahomad said:
I have had my Xperia Z1 for a week now and I love everything about it, the camera quality is the only thing that annoys me, but hopefully its a software issue and will be fixed soon, apart from that, the phone is stunning and if the time went back I will go with it again.
This is purely my personal opinion and I can see that there are people in this form hating the phone and wish to swap it with another one if they could. Thats why I made this post because the form is full of topics about how someone hate something about this phone and there are not many "useful" informations for the current or future buyers. anyway, what this article is about is that there is no phone is the best ever, Phone A might have better screen, phone B have better camera, Phone C has better battery ... etc. Every phone has its advantages and disadvantages, you would understand if you go and visit forms of other phones, I just went to the note3 form and guess what??? people there complaining about poor performance
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2461881
poor camera
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2462053
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2459647
poor speaker
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2461599
and the phone has just been launched. iPhone 5s users also complaining about different issues so there is no perfect phone that does everything well
I am not bashing no-one and I am not happy because note3 or iPhone 5s users are having problems with their new phones. But if you go to any form you will see unhappy users. It is YOUR responsibility to choose a phone depending on your needs, play with it and read reviews before spending your hard earned money. Sony, Samsung and apple try to show you that their phone is the best and after you buy it, they don't care anymore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok now put a and b and c together and u got lg g2 muahahaha, i sold my z1 after almost three months and got this baby from lg and i never looked back... Much better in every aspect and let me tell all those saying that in manual modes z1 camera is better: I honestly don't care. I am an average user and i wouldn't know how to use the manual modes, and if i did i would probably own a big dslr camera for pictures. Lg ui may appear childish and overcolourful but hey it can be themed cause their launcher supporst themes and worst case u get another launcher from playstore. Knock-on to unlock rocks and u dont abuse ur power button and yes the buttons in the back are really convenient after a couple of hours of playing with the thing. Phone is smooth and overall user experience is way better than what i had with z1. Which leaves the z1 with only one thing and that is build quality (Which is not bad at all on the g2, it just doesnt have all those fancy materials), which again i'd trade for the pocketability of the g2 any day of the week. Did i mention the awesome battery life i get out of it?

I don't liked the z1 at all. When I was thinking about buy it, I stayed for days between z1 and note 3. Now I almost can't sleep thinking that I must had bought the note 3. What do you think about I switch z1 to note 3?
Enviado de meu C6943 usando Tapatalk

jimakos29 said:
Ok now put a and b and c together and u got lg g2 muahahaha, i sold my z1 after almost three months and got this baby from lg and i never looked back... Much better in every aspect and let me tell all those saying that in manual modes z1 camera is better: I honestly don't care. I am an average user and i wouldn't know how to use the manual modes, and if i did i would probably own a big dslr camera for pictures. Lg ui may appear childish and overcolourful but hey it can be themed cause their launcher supporst themes and worst case u get another launcher from playstore. Knock-on to unlock rocks and u dont abuse ur power button and yes the buttons in the back are really convenient after a couple of hours of playing with the thing. Phone is smooth and overall user experience is way better than what i had with z1. Which leaves the z1 with only one thing and that is build quality (Which is not bad at all on the g2, it just doesnt have all those fancy materials), which again i'd trade for the pocketability of the g2 any day of the week. Did i mention the awesome battery life i get out of it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Funny, with me is the other way around, after using the lg g2 for a week(loaned) all i can say is that im happy to have the Z1
The lg is pretty awesome and the Screen is definetly better than the Z1(not rolfstomp better)
But the Z1 is just better in every other way for me, best droid I've ever used and I've tried a lot of them
Sent from my C6906 using Tapatalk

lecomiquelin said:
I don't liked the z1 at all. When I was thinking about buy it, I stayed for days between z1 and note 3. Now I almost can't sleep thinking that I must had bought the note 3. What do you think about I switch z1 to note 3?
Enviado de meu C6943 usando Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure I go through phones like crazy I've had the s3, g2, note 2, s4 and I will say this that if you want good battery life on a Samsung you have to turn off their 40 features that drain the battery and you never use those stupid features.
As for the g2 I had issues with the phone stuttering but the battery life was killer but I think I finally found my phone and that is the z1
Sent from my C6906 using xda app-developers app

jimakos29 said:
Ok now put a and b and c together and u got lg g2 muahahaha, i sold my z1 after almost three months and got this baby from lg and i never looked back... Much better in every aspect and let me tell all those saying that in manual modes z1 camera is better: I honestly don't care. I am an average user and i wouldn't know how to use the manual modes, and if i did i would probably own a big dslr camera for pictures. Lg ui may appear childish and overcolourful but hey it can be themed cause their launcher supporst themes and worst case u get another launcher from playstore. Knock-on to unlock rocks and u dont abuse ur power button and yes the buttons in the back are really convenient after a couple of hours of playing with the thing. Phone is smooth and overall user experience is way better than what i had with z1. Which leaves the z1 with only one thing and that is build quality (Which is not bad at all on the g2, it just doesnt have all those fancy materials), which again i'd trade for the pocketability of the g2 any day of the week. Did i mention the awesome battery life i get out of it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't had G2 so I can't compare it with the Z1. But I have SGS4 for over 6 months, I had nexus 5 for 2 days, I had the HTC ONE for over a month and I had iPhone 5s for over a month (these are just last year flagships). What I learnt is that you can't say phone A is better than phone B especially when comparing flagships, because it really depends on what are you looking for in the phone. if you want to get best performance, you will get N5 iphone 5s or Z1, if you want camera, you will get Z1 or iphone 5s, if you want feature, you will get SGS4, if you want quality you will get Z1 or HTC ONE (and probably iphone 5s) and so on.
from all of these phone, I will get the Z1 any day (if i had to choose one). But that does not mean the Z1 is the best phone in every aspect, it just provide what I want from my phone. However, I think the Z1 is either 1st or 2nd in almost all aspects. 1st in quality, useful features(not useless like samsung and doesn't lake feature like the iphone), battery, camera, performance (same level as nexus 5 and iphone 5s) and 2nd in screen(only HTC is better), speaker (only HTC is better)

Phone Comparison. Need advice

I am planning to buy a new unlocked phone within 10 days. I have the following options:
Xperia Z2($500)
Xperia Z3 Compact ($600)
Galaxy Alpha ($500)
iPhone 5S ($550)
I had made up my mind for the Xperia Z2. It is the most balanced phone providing adequate power, battery life, decent camera, storage, etc. but recently I came to know about the over heating & self cracking screen issues with the Z2( or the entire Z series including the Z3 & Z3 compact). There are quite a lot of reports of the glass on the phone cracking. Also that the phone overheats a lot. I am worried as whatever I buy, I'll have to stick with it for 2 years. Sony has refused warranty in most cases related to this issue. Same issue plagues the Z3 Compact
I recently had a look at the Samsung Galaxy Alpha. It's a good looking and decent device and offers all that I want. The primary drawback is the battery life of the phone and to some extent the pentile matrix display.
The iPhone 5S is also a good phone though it does have a smaller display. It has the best camera among all the devices I have mentioned.
So I ask you people for your opinion. Which device should I buy?
I am not a heavy user. My daily usage includes a couple of hours of offline music, roughly 1-1.5 hours of web browsing, average messaging, a couple of photos and some pandora in the evening while connected to my bluetooth speaker. I don't play games much on my phone. Maybe an hour of cumulative gaming in 3-4 days.
I am still willing to buy the Z2 if the overheating and cracking issues aren't that widespread. I have nothing against iOS or Android. I use an android phone along with an iPad Air. So no issues there. So please be neutral in your opinions( don't start bashing the iPhone). And please feel free to suggest any other phone that you think is good ( please avoid the HTC One M8 and LG G3)

I personally have the z2 and love it. The main thing boils down to design and ui you will have no issues with battery life based on your usage. Apple and ios is its own thing all together if you prefer ios as a daily driver go for the iPhone as for the Android devices Samsung is plagued by there touchwiz ui where as Sony is pretty much stock android with a few added things for the camera and Walkman app etc. The z2 is a large device there is no denying that however the larger screen if you don't mind the phone being bigger is a big advantage for just about everything. It's easier to type on and makes Web browsing easier. I haven't had any issues with mine in terms of defects. One big advantage with the Android devices is the sd card. Although you may not need it at the moment if you have got the phone for 2 years it's great to be able to expand the storage if needed. I would recommend popping into a phone shop and playing with the phones and see what you like best as everybody is different. Hope this helps you.
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Free mobile app

nobby00900 said:
I personally have the z2 and love it. The main thing boils down to design and ui you will have no issues with battery life based on your usage. Apple and ios is its own thing all together if you prefer ios as a daily driver go for the iPhone as for the Android devices Samsung is plagued by there touchwiz ui where as Sony is pretty much stock android with a few added things for the camera and Walkman app etc. The z2 is a large device there is no denying that however the larger screen if you don't mind the phone being bigger is a big advantage for just about everything. It's easier to type on and makes Web browsing easier. I haven't had any issues with mine in terms of defects. One big advantage with the Android devices is the sd card. Although you may not need it at the moment if you have got the phone for 2 years it's great to be able to expand the storage if needed. I would recommend popping into a phone shop and playing with the phones and see what you like best as everybody is different. Hope this helps you.
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your opinion. I have been to various stores and tried the devices. My major concern is the cracking, which cannot be tried in the store. Since you have a Z2, maybe you can elaborate your usage a bit. How long have you had the device? Also does the device overheat?
Also, what would be your next preference, after the Z2 (out of the 4)?

Hey, welcome to the Z2 forums.
First and foremost let me say that my phone is from the 14W28 batch, meaning it was produced between 7th July 2014 and the 13th July 2014 (both dates are inclusive). Also I am running a ExistenZ made by @niaboc79 which may have sorted some problems I may have faced if I hadn't have installed it.
The first worry you have with the phone is overheating, with my phone in particular I have not encountered any overheating problems with normal usage. The hottest it usually gets to is 50C or so. When the phone is on charge it does get slightly hotter if and when I use it, although it has never gotten past 60C. I don't think it is fair to compare the heat from usage of this phone to the Xperia M but I would like to point out when I was using the Xperia M normally the phone would hit 60C-65C and when I tried to use the phone on charge it was hitting 70C-75C. And thus I don't think there is much of a 'problem', although the constant heating and cooling down of the rear panel could contribute to it cracking. (Side note; I also did a 4K video record test to see how hot the phone could go/how long I could record for, I managed 10 minutes before I accidentally closed off the recording and the hottest the phone got was 60C and it cooled off quite quickly.)
The second worry you have with the phone is the self-cracking issues. Again, I haven't encountered any problems with the phone cracking. I do keep it in a case to be safe. However, I have knocked it off of my bedside table during the night quite a few times but still no scratches nor cracks on the front (due to my screen protector) and no scratches nor cracks on the rear of the phone either. It is possible that the self cracking phones were put under 'stressful' situations like tight pockets, rapid cooling and heating, often drops/falls or maybe it could just have been a problem with the earlier batches (mine may still be subject to these issues as it is from about 2 months after the release of the phone).
I have now had my phone for 2 weeks and I am happy as Larry with it. I manage to easily get 1 day battery out of the phone (this is only cause I use it a lot at night before I charge it). If you want my opinion on what other phone I would go for after the Z2 it would be the iPhone 5S.

Having just gone though a similar decision process, I feel I am qualified to answer.
Obviously, since I am reading this forum, I went with the Z2
I also do not like the idea of a glass back. It almost made me avoid this phone. I just don't see the advantage - Thicker, heavier, slippery, and it doubles the chance of cracking.
Note that in my research, I did not see that there is any greater chance of the screen cracking on the Z2 than other similar phones, just that there is the addition of the back cracking, which doubles the statistics.
On the plus side, the Z2 was basically the only phone out there (at all) that "Checked all the boxes"
Must - haves:
4.4.x
All bands 3G and 4G
stereo speakers
NFC - Can use Google Wallet
Other "Icing on the cake"
Looks good.
1080p screen
Good Cameras
Waterproof
Other phones I was considering:
Oppo Find 7
One Plus
Xaiomi Mi3
Huawei P7
HTC One M8
I should mention that the Vertu Signature Touch (Pure Jet Calf, preferably) was the only other phone that really met all my specifications (3G/4G bands, 1080P, NFC, 4.4. stereo speakers), but even after doing a really good job of looking under the cushions of the sofa, I wasn't quite in a position to buy a $10,000 phone.

First of all, congrats for buying a new phone, having a new phone is always exciting to me.
I own a Xperia Z2, and previously owned an iPhone 5s and a galaxy S5. So as you, I don't have any concern about iOS and android.
So, let me begin with Xperia Z2. The Z2 is one of the best phones I'd ever owned, as the battery life is great, I think photos are better with this than with the iPhone 5s, it looks great, the stock UI is easy and stylish, Sony developed great tweaks such as ClearAudio or Stamina Mode and there are lots of development for this. Personally, I had problems with proximity sensor, but it was solved after I flashed a custom rom, and I'm happy after that. No overheating problems or cracking.
I consider Z3 Mini, the expensive version of Z2, as the specs are almost the same but in a smaller case, so If you want to stay with Sony, I would go for the Z2.
The iPhone 5s is such a great device, I consider this also one of the best phones I'd ever owned (Under the Z2). Camera is great, battery life is average, iOS is well balanced and stylish, tons of accessories specially designed for iPhone, and well... is an iPhone.
The Galaxy Alpha looks gorgeous and high-end, almost as an iPhone, the specs are average for the price. I think you are paying more for design than for specs. It's pretty though. In my own opinion, I don't like TouchWiz, so I will put this in the last option.
I would buy it in this way:
- Xperia Z2
- iPhone 5s
- Xperia Z3 Mini
- Galaxy Alpha
If you accept recommendations and if you want a high-end device at low prices, look for the OnePlus One. The negative aspect of this, is that you need an invitation to buy one (I have one, if you want).
Let us know which was your decision.

What about LG G3?
Sent from my D6502 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

The overheating problem with 4k video has greatly improved with software updates. Not so much an issue now. The build quality issues are never general. Luck of the draw I suppose!
The z2's got the best overall specifications on your list of devices. It's a great phone with no weaknesses side from the auto mode of the camera. Learn to use manual controls and you'll soon lose the impression that the 5S has a better camera.
Considering that is the cheapest on your list, I'd say it's a no brainier. Best phone, cheapest price! What more could you ask for. You have Sony's insane 6 month cycle policy to thank for being able to buy the z2 at such a price.
Trust me, in no way are any of the other devices on your list worth more than the z2.
That's One thing to bear in mind though when purchasing Sony devices. They don't hold their value for very long because of the rate at which Sony releases flagship phones so don't expect good resale prices should you decide to sell it on one day.
So if the rapid devaluation in value isn't an issue for you, the z2 is the one and only real choice you have. Unless, that is, you want to settle for less and pay more for the privilege lol
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Free mobile app

As far as i can tell, ive owned two z2s... The self cracking is an earlier build issue.
My 2nd one has had no issues.
Also after some fighting with sony and getting the better business bureau involved sony fixed the first one at no cost.

Self cracking is an issue for a small, but vocal, minority so can be ignored. overheating similarly isn't an issue for most users in normal usage, sure Z2 gets warm but what superphone doesn't only real issue is if you want to record long videos in 4k,which if you bear in mind most phones are limited to 4 minutes is a problem whatever device you get. Z3 compact will likely be more prone to overheating, much the same hardware in a smaller package.
As for iPhone 6,if it fits your criteria and you can live with its closed environment go with it, an android device probably isn't for you anyway.

ghostofcain said:
Self cracking is an issue for a small, but vocal, minority so can be ignored. overheating similarly isn't an issue for most users in normal usage, sure Z2 gets warm but what superphone doesn't only real issue is if you want to record long videos in 4k,which if you bear in mind most phones are limited to 4 minutes is a problem whatever device you get. Z3 compact will likely be more prone to overheating, much the same hardware in a smaller package.
As for iPhone 6,if it fits your criteria and you can live with its closed environment go with it, an android device probably isn't for you anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What makes you think android devices are not for me?

I just found out about this phone and I am in a similar situation as the OP.
I am looking for a used/new phone for less than $500 dollars, has an above average camera, good battery life, and no lag issues.
Currently, I am using HTC one m7. A few problems with it is that a camera is super slow and crappy at low light situations. The camera takes like 1-2 seconds to focus on the subjects in dark environments. Next, the phone lags and hiccups quite a bit. I've tried a few custom roms but the performance is still not flawless.
In the past, I have owned an iPhone 5 and it was great except I got tired of the OS, that's why I went back to android. iPhone took best pictures in my opinion. The camera was fast. The phone did not have any hiccups. One big thing I noticed going from iPhone to HTC was that songs don't skip as fast as on the iPhone. It takes a split second more for songs to skip in an HTC music player. It kinda took time to get used to it again. I would consider getting the iPhone 6, but it is too expensive.
I am also considering oneplus one, m8, and maybe moto x or nexus 5. But overall, I think z2 is the best all-round performer.

Ananay Singh said:
What makes you think android devices are not for me?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With iPhone everything is designed to just work, if it doesn't tough ****. Android, still IMHO, lacks the polish but there are almost always work around to any major issues.
In my experience the people willing to work around androids foibles find the locked down world of iOS too constrained, and those who put up with those constraints find the fiddling with android to get it set up to their liking too much. But that's just my take on it.

I was kinda skeptical too after reading about all those Issues but still bought the Z2 1 month ago and I couldn't be happier.
No heating issues, no call issues, no cracking glass (so far)
Everything works flawlessly ?
Sent from my Xperia Z2

Ananay Singh said:
I had made up my mind for the Xperia Z2. It is the most balanced phone providing adequate power, battery life, decent camera, storage, etc. but recently I came to know about the over heating & self cracking screen issues with the Z2( or the entire Z series including the Z3 & Z3 compact). There are quite a lot of reports of the glass on the phone cracking. Also that the phone overheats a lot. I am worried as whatever I buy, I'll have to stick with it for 2 years. Sony has refused warranty in most cases related to this issue. Same issue plagues the Z3 Compact
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Self-cracking is not a thing. If it was, you'd be seeing the forum flooded with complaints, not just a handful of people moaning.
Those claiming self-cracking most likely damaged it themselves through abuse, possibly knowingly, or possibly not.

Should I wait to buy?

Hi
I'm pretty much committed to buying a Z3 Compact or the Z1 Compact as they seem to be the only smaller Androids out there.
I've noticed the price has dropped a little (£292 on Amazon) which I presume is something to do with the imminent arrival of the Z5 compact - do you think if I wait a little longer the price may fall some more?
And is the Z3C that much better than the Z1C?
Thanks

phoneowner71 said:
Hi
I'm pretty much committed to buying a Z3 Compact or the Z1 Compact as they seem to be the only smaller Androids out there.
I've noticed the price has dropped a little (£292 on Amazon) which I presume is something to do with the imminent arrival of the Z5 compact - do you think if I wait a little longer the price may fall some more?
And is the Z3C that much better than the Z1C?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seems as if there will also be a z4c.
You might want to wait for that, but if you fancy a good camera Sony phones wouldn't be something for you.
Sent from my D5803 using XDA Free mobile app

Dsteppa said:
It seems as if there will also be a z4c.
You might want to wait for that, but if you fancy a good camera Sony phones wouldn't be something for you.
Sent from my D5803 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Generally speaking I'm not quite sure how much the price of the z3c will fall with the introduction of the z4c.
However I'm curious about the overall performance of the phone: Do you think it is worth the buy?
And what is more, I've seen there is quite a struggle with the bootloader and with developers, but with official CM nightlies this should be fine, right?

Jkay7 said:
Generally speaking I'm not quite sure how much the price of the z3c will fall with the introduction of the z4c.
However I'm curious about the overall performance of the phone: Do you think it is worth the buy?
And what is more, I've seen there is quite a struggle with the bootloader and with developers, but with official CM nightlies this should be fine, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The price won't fall THAT much, but the recent price drop could be because of that.
The phone is still worth to buy for sure as for bootloader problems, they should be history now.

There is no real evidence of a z4 compact being released anytime soon. For now, pretend like it doesn't exist and get whatever phone you want. Besides, the rumors indicate the phone will only be a marginal upgrade: newer processor and increased screen resolution.
Sent from my Xperia Z3 Compact

phoneowner71 said:
Hi
I'm pretty much committed to buying a Z3 Compact or the Z1 Compact as they seem to be the only smaller Androids out there.
I've noticed the price has dropped a little (£292 on Amazon) which I presume is something to do with the imminent arrival of the Z5 compact - do you think if I wait a little longer the price may fall some more?
And is the Z3C that much better than the Z1C?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is just my opinion and I don't intend to talk trash about Sony phones but I'm gonna just tell you like it is.
Just so you know, I'm in IT field (Windows) and I have a comprehensive knowledge about PC hardware tech. Since I switched to android from iPhone about 2.5 years ago, I had bought quite a few phones that included 3 Sony phones.
- ZR with overheat problem even only on browsing the internet with Chrome and very poor quality display (made with TFT) => RETURNED with 15% restocking fee.
- ZL Same poor quality TFT display => I ended up gave it to my sis.
- Z3C made with IPS but with poor touch panel. Annoying touch pattern grids are visible. IPS display quality of the Z3C is well below average even compared to the iPhone 4's. Camera is mediocre at best but all the hype makes me really look down on Sony - the only company who created TA partition just to put their crappy softwares on it and tied the bootloader with it. Not that I give a rat ass about losing its DRM functions, it's just that errors pop up here and there when I unlock the bootloader.
My other 2 Android phones are the Nexus 5 and LG Optimus E970. These 2 phones' displays are superb. I wish the Z3C has the same display quality as those 2. I love its size and battery performance but Sony mobile display sucks big time. Don't get me started on Sony bloatwares (2 ecosystems on 1 device is a joke).
I have many Sony devices in my home (laptop, bluray player, tv...) but when it comes to Sony phones, I'm sure next time I'll pass.
I bought my Z3C for $520 USD. It's still 99.99% new. I would sell it to you for $300 USD if you live in my area (I wouldn't buy it even for $300 though)

Some of the cheaper Z3C listings in the US are for the D5833 overseas model. Be careful with this version, as it will suffer from limited 4G compatibility in the States.

phoneowner71 said:
Hi
I'm pretty much committed to buying a Z3 Compact or the Z1 Compact as they seem to be the only smaller Androids out there.
I've noticed the price has dropped a little (£292 on Amazon) which I presume is something to do with the imminent arrival of the Z5 compact - do you think if I wait a little longer the price may fall some more?
And is the Z3C that much better than the Z1C?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a D5803 running stock 5.0.2 and I'm very happy with the device.
It's compact, fast and battery lasts for 2 days minimum (if you don't play games).
The user interface is simple, fast and close to AOSP look&feel .
I saw no reason to hack the phone with custom ROMs or mods, since I found it to be VERY stable and basically everything works.
If you plan to heavily customize your phone, be ready to face some obstacles mainly due to the fact that Lolipop is quite new on this phone and mods are not yet perfect (although they are improving). I've gone that route before with previous phones, and usually the outcome is that you get some visual adaptations to your taste, but in fact the overall stability/performance will be worst.
Some may argue that the camera software could be better, and I tend to agree. But you will be able to take good pictures, if you use some manual settings.
In my experience, Bluetooth/NFC works very well with different gadgets/systems: hi-fi, Pebble watch, BT headphones (even using aptX), car system, ...
I haven't tested audio high-res external DACs, but some users report some devices are tricky to interface well using Lolipop. Other report their device works. Basic audio play is quite good if you have good headphones and choose the right eq settings.
Some users report the glass may crack due to overheating, and I saw many friends with other phones (like Samsung) suffering from the same issue. Mine is in perfect condition and I hope it stays that way.
In summary: I'm very happy with my gadget and I wouldn't change it for anything out there with similar form factor. And although Lolipop 5.0.2 is not perfect, I got used to it and don't see a reason to go back to KK. And 5.1 will certainly come...
Is there a perfect smartphone (hw+sw+UX+price) ? No, but in my opinion this one is a good step forward.
Oh, and if you don't want to fiddle around with connectivity issues, be sure to buy the phone that maps to your geography and operator (D5803 vs D5833) and use a ROM that was built for it.

z4c would defiantly be a "want to have" but at a premium price point, that's why i picked z3c and i got a great deal. In my eyes it's the best phone on the marked atm. If you exclude all the minitablets which i have 0 interest in.

I am in the same position as the OP.
I had some android devices (nexus s, gnexus, htc incredible s, nexus4, htc one m7), right now I have no smartphone.
Z3C seems the "right choice" except for a couple things:
1) Price: here in Portugal the lowest is 400eur. For that price you can also have: htc desire eye, galaxy s5, and a lot of other non-waterproof phones with better cameras and better screens, but also worse battery.
The Z1C is 100eur cheaper.
2) Camera: it seems that sony camera is not on pair with others, even with everyone saying that is software the truth is that nobody solved it.
3) Sudden death: there are some cases (see sony's forum) of sudden death phones.
4) Cracked glass: this I don't know if is hype or not.I had a nexus 5 and people said that it broken by itself but mine only broke by hitting the floor.
I guess that if the Z4C brings the Snappdragon 810 it won't be very good because of overheating and throttling...
Only option is to wait.

Thanks for the replies.
For me the Z3C choice comes down to physical size.
I want a smaller phone but good specs, and as far as I can see there is no competition in the Android sphere (happy to be proved wrong).
I'll be keeping the phone pretty much stock until I need to start tinkering, so mods are not a problem for me currently.
I suspect the Z3C will have OS support for longer than the Z1C so that may make the £100 difference worth paying.

phoneowner71 said:
Thanks for the replies.
For me the Z3C choice comes down to physical size.
I want a smaller phone but good specs, and as far as I can see there is no competition in the Android sphere (happy to be proved wrong).
I'll be keeping the phone pretty much stock until I need to start tinkering, so mods are not a problem for me currently.
I suspect .com/2015/04/22/sony-xperia-z4-compact-e5803-z4ultra-e6683-e6883-certification-details/"]http://www.whatsontech.com/2015/04/22/sony-xperia-z4the Z3C will have OS support for longer than the Z1C so that may make the £100 difference worth paying.
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http://www.whatsontech-compact-e5803-z4ultra-e6683-e6883-certification-details/
Z4c and Z4U are real coming and they already passed the certification process with the model number being leaked out. I guess they will out on Sep.
But if you are speaking for the battery life, Z3c with s801 and 720p will be much better. All I can think is Z4c will improve the camera software further(and also fixed the Z3/Z3c red/green/purple tint issue) and upgraded to FHD screen. I've got a Z1c, if you want a cheaper phone to wait Z4c then Z1c is still doing good. If you want battery life for all then go for Z3c now.

Future phone options

This phone is starting to show its age. Eventually it will get too slow and/or the battery will degrade too much.
Has started looking at getting a new phone? The only other similar phone I can find at this size is the XZ1.
However I've been getting tired of Sony's poor camera drivers. It would also be nice to be able to record a 4K video longer than 2min in a warm environment. Plus I'd like an OLED screen in my next phone. Unfortunately the smallest phone I can find that meets all my requirements is almost an inch bigger.

I'm only thinking than my next will be a 5 inch screen but without frames because the market tendence.
But nothing more than 5.5" x 3" phone measures.

I agree. I think I'll keep using this phone at least through the end of this year. At that time, I will likely be forced to a larger phone just because there is nothing out there in a small size. Definitely something with a good camera HW AND SW. And something that is actually capable of record 4K video for more than a minute in warm weather without cropping down the video.
Who knows, maybe someone will go out on a limb and put out a phone that will fit in your hand. I think the fact that phone manufacturers have had to add features for "one-handed mode" that resize your phone so the rest of the screen is unusable so that you can reach the buttons or the various products that stick something to the back of your phone so you can securely hold the phone with one hand shows that there exists a market for a phone that you can use with one hand.

Xperia XZ2 compact.
But sadly i need fm radio and dual sim for my next phone. Both are absent in xz2 compact

If anyone finds a good alternative be sure to let us know
Would actually consider the XZ2 Compact if the camera on Z5 Compact wasnt such a big dissapointment, afraid it will be the same on the XZ2. I remember reading the specs and reviews about the Z5 camera being great, 23MP and all, reality was a whole different story...

Hi,
I agree! I want a phone that fits in one hand and in my girl-size pockets! The Sony XZ2 is even bigger. And again (!) no radio! The Z5c seems to be the last decently spec'd small smartphone ... I'm about to buy it for this reason. I mention I tried looking on aliexpress and not sure how great it would work but there's a VKWorld T2 Plus phone that looks like it may be worth checking out. It's thicker but length is decent and think may still fit the pocket! It's dual sim with independent micro SD, and dual screen! It's a flip-phone!! Remember how we used to be able to text without looking at your phone because you could just tap the buttons?!?! So the outside screen is touch, the inside one isn't and is controlled via the buttons... have a look.

What about Nokia 8 Sirocco ?
I also like the Z5c for the same reason, because it fits perfectly in one hand and is very powerful for it`s size. But i also think about upgrading and the best i found so far is this Nokia. The Nokia 8 (the previous version) was compared to Pixel 2 on most forums as for hardware with only drawbacks in the software category. So i think the sirocco version would be much better and although 0,9 Inch bigger it has almost no bezels and screen curved....
What do you think? Also i got my wife a Huawey P10, and it is actually quite good and not that big (5.1 inch) but i do not want same phone as my wife )))
EDIT :
I found out that it has lunched the XZ2 compact.
It is not as good looking as the Nokia 8 Sirocco but ...... i like it

Tarts5 said:
.... I remember reading the specs and reviews about the Z5 camera being great, 23MP and all, reality was a whole different story...
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Click to collapse
Yeah, I remember reading reviews with statements like "since we assume this will be fixed with future software updates". I've learned the hard way to never believe those words.
It's sad that my 10yr old phone I had before the Z5 gets better reception (including GPS) and can sometimes take better photos.

Cameras on xz1 compact and xz2 compact are really one level better than z5 compact.
Shooting 4K video problem - it was because of 810 chip problems, not because of the camera.

So I think I've finally had enough with this phone. On my vacations/trips, when I really need the phone to last, I have to carry a secondary battery with me, keep the phone in airplane mode most of the time, and be very careful to get it to last through the day (and not strand me somewhere with no google maps).
Right now, the smallest phone that I can find (with 3.5mm jack, microsd), is the Samsung Galaexy s10e or A40.
Have any of you found any other phones possibilities?

eng3 said:
So I think I've finally had enough with this phone. On my vacations/trips, when I really need the phone to last, I have to carry a secondary battery with me, keep the phone in airplane mode most of the time, and be very careful to get it to last through the day (and not strand me somewhere with no google maps).
Right now, the smallest phone that I can find (with 3.5mm jack, microsd), is the Samsung Galaexy s10e or A40.
Have any of you found any other phones possibilities?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I looked at both A40 and S10e in the store. Bought S10e after testing the camera on both. Been using it for 1 month, no problems so far. Not any custom roms available yet, but I imagine S10e will have a larger chance of getting custom roms than A40 because of popularity.

Why is no one mentioning xz1 compact?

I bought an XZ1 Compact as a replacement and I'm very happy with it. It's a lot faster than Z5C (and Z5C was already fast enough for me), and it has a lot of custom ROMs. Finally I can use LineageOS 16 on my phone, I was hoping it would be on Z5C too eventually but everybody seems to have abandoned this phone, and so did I. Z5C a great phone, but it's useless if it has no ROMs in development. So no regrets here.

TheVan28 said:
Why is no one mentioning xz1 compact?
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Click to collapse
Uh, maybe because as of July 2019 it's nowhere near being readily available? Even the second-hand market for XZ1c is super-dry.
If you know this to be the case otherwise, then please: point us to your source for excellent-condition XZ1c. No, seriously: I am honestly looking for one (in black) and they are pretty much impossible to find, so any leads would genuinely be appreciated. I keep hoping I'll stumble upon an online retailer that still has a stash of these in new-old-stock condition for a reasonable price...
-- Nathan

nlra said:
Uh, maybe because as of July 2019 it's nowhere near being readily available? Even the second-hand market for XZ1c is super-dry.
If you know this to be the case otherwise, then please: point us to your source for excellent-condition XZ1c. No, seriously: I am honestly looking for one (in black) and they are pretty much impossible to find, so any leads would genuinely be appreciated. I keep hoping I'll stumble upon an online retailer that still has a stash of these in new-old-stock condition for a reasonable price...
-- Nathan
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Where do you live?
I'm in Italy where it's available on amazon and you can easly find it at stores.

TheVan28 said:
Where do you live?
I'm in Italy where it's available on amazon and you can easly find it at stores.
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Click to collapse
Lucky you. I'm in the U.S. I imagine this probably has something to do with it. I'm not sure if this is an *accurate* perception, but my perception nonetheless is that as soon as XZ2c was introduced to the market, XZ1c completely disappeared from all shelves -- both physical and virtual -- over here.
-- Nathan

Still very happy with my Z5C, but looking for replacements is a total guessing game, and there's nothing new that even compares with the small form-factor.
I still use the Z5 for everything (on standard OS) and although it's a little bloated with the larger apps (I had to clear off some unused apps recently), it still works very well.
I can't even find a 'new' XZ1C which appears to be the most comparable 'newer' unit.
Have to say I'm tempted by a CAT of some sort, simply for the ruggedness, but they're all over 5" screens. I'm actually surprised that CAT don't do a smaller form factor.

How about the new unihertz jelly 2

Luumumba said:
How about the new unihertz jelly 2
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Click to collapse
Aaaah, it's so cute! But Jeez! Only 2.45" display? Rather not.
I can strongly support the XZ1c as a replacement for the Z5c. Did this myself in summer 2019 and am very happy with it. Don't know about the XZ2c, though: It's got almost the same measurements but has this bulky back which I don't really like.
Best regards,
the.k

I've had the XZ2 compact. I've lost it into the water so I'm back at my Z5c. Yes I know it's waterproof but it's a bit of a struggle to get it back out of a channel 5 meters deep.
The camera is indeed better, especially at low light situations, and yes, while it still has an IPS panel, colors are quite vibrant.
I noticed I was really happy with the smaller size of the Z5c, and I also like the fingerprint sensor being at the side, combined with the power button. I do miss the 960fps video shooting ability despite the fragments are really short.
I'm surprised I don't really miss the higher resolution of the display, which was the reason not to go for the XZ1c, so now that's out of the way I guess I'll be looking for a used XZ1c. I can't find any other reasonable phone with the same size. Also I'm quite happy with Sony's decision to keep the dedicated shutter button, which no other brand has nowadays.
I would almost go for a Palm Palm, but at about € 200 that's a bit too much to spend for a toy.