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Heya, I'm considering a Sony Z when my existing contract expires in Apr, currently a long standing Moto user, just have a few questions to see how Sony compare in certain areas:
Moto Wi-fi & 2g/3g radios are pretty good, what are Sony like in this regard?
The media options are not bad on Moto, though the phone speaker itself is pretty quiet, are Sony better/louder ? (I'm guessing audio chip is going to be at least as good, possibly better)
If it's as reliable as my moto has been, it'll be pretty good.
Are Sony easy to root? and restore to factory settings if needed.
techguyone said:
Heya, I'm considering a Sony Z when my existing contract expires in Apr, currently a long standing Moto user, just have a few questions to see how Sony compare in certain areas:
Moto Wi-fi & 2g/3g radios are pretty good, what are Sony like in this regard?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sony is pretty good in this regard too. Nowadays everything comes from Qualcomm or something similar anyway, so you won't notice any difference with your Motorola smartphones.
techguyone said:
The media options are not bad on Moto, though the phone speaker itself is pretty quiet, are Sony better/louder ? (I'm guessing audio chip is going to be at least as good, possibly better)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It depends. The speaker isn't always incredibly loud but it's not worse either. The general audio quality will probably be a little better on Sony's given their amount of experience.
techguyone said:
If it's as reliable as my moto has been, it'll be pretty good.
Are Sony easy to root? and restore to factory settings if needed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes and yes. As long as you get an unlocked one with an unlockable bootloader Sony's are probably the easiest phones to root and put custom ROMs on. Restoring to factory settings is equally simple. Sony's are almost unbrickable too.
That's great, thanks for that. On another note are Sony's fussy about SD card the way that Moto phones are, or can you stick in any speed/make with no issues?
techguyone said:
That's great, thanks for that. On another note are Sony's fussy about SD card the way that Moto phones are, or can you stick in any speed/make with no issues?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They'll always work, but probably only in FAT32. This is not really a problem, but you cannot put files over 4GB on your SD.
Have any of you come from the Samsung galaxy S3 what are your thoughts and opinions on the Sony TL phone? I am looking to get something different.
Well, the TL is only an American release for ATT, and it's the only one (of the Xperia T series) that hasn't had its bootloader unlocked. Root is possible though. There's tons of development for the T, but very little for the TL. I came to the Xperia TL from an Xperia X10, and once I had my hands on that first Xperia, I haven't felt the need to switch brands.I feel like from now on, I'm only going to buy Sony android devices.
Custom roms for the TL can be a little tricky. Roms for locked bootloaders work fine but you have to be careful with the baseband. A lot of these custom roms are built from European builds, so they say to flash the original stock rom (ATT) with only allowing the baseband to flash onto the device to try to keep LTE connectivity. ATT's 4G LTE network is very specific for the US and I've had signal issues with custom roms where I lose connectivity (data and voice) briefly at random times.
On a final note, very nice phone in my opinion. The stock JB firmware on the TL is plenty fast for me. I've basically just put the stock JB back on my phone, then rooted it to get rid of ATT bloatware and to allow tethering (without having to pay extra). Badass phone for only having to pay 50 bucks to ATT to get it. If you happen to get it and it has ICS on it (which had a lot of bugs on the TL), get the JB update on it ASAP.
Sorry to be so wordy, but I've spent hours on this forum figuring all this out. Just trying to save you some time...
jonchance_84 said:
Well, the TL is only an American release for ATT, and it's the only one (of the Xperia T series) that hasn't had its bootloader unlocked. Root is possible though. There's tons of development for the T, but very little for the TL. I came to the Xperia TL from an Xperia X10, and once I had my hands on that first Xperia, I haven't felt the need to switch brands.I feel like from now on, I'm only going to buy Sony android devices.
Custom roms for the TL can be a little tricky. Roms for locked bootloaders work fine but you have to be careful with the baseband. A lot of these custom roms are built from European builds, so they say to flash the original stock rom (ATT) with only allowing the baseband to flash onto the device to try to keep LTE connectivity. ATT's 4G LTE network is very specific for the US and I've had signal issues with custom roms where I lose connectivity (data and voice) briefly at random times.
On a final note, very nice phone in my opinion. The stock JB firmware on the TL is plenty fast for me. I've basically just put the stock JB back on my phone, then rooted it to get rid of ATT bloatware and to allow tethering (without having to pay extra). Badass phone for only having to pay 50 bucks to ATT to get it. If you happen to get it and it has ICS on it (which had a lot of bugs on the TL), get the JB update on it ASAP.
Sorry to be so wordy, but I've spent hours on this forum figuring all this out. Just trying to save you some time...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a great device and acts like the very popular Xperia T, (If you flash the European .140 firmware with flashtool excluding the baseband to keep 4GLTE
I can't say I came from the 3, but I came from an HTC Amaze and the T just blows it away.
Also, I sent you a PM
I purchased the sg s3 to replace my water-damaged Ion and I hated it. I have to take 3 or 4 pictures everytime to make sure I got a good one. I also didn't like the way notifications still come through the phone speaker instead of the earphones when you are using them and I didn't use any of the gimmicky features of the s3. So I bought a TL on Ebay and sold the S3. The camera on the Xperia TL is much better. I plan to stay with Sony next time I upgrade.
I ilke my Xperia T more than my previous phone (S3). Sony's launcher kills Sammy's TouchWiz... and the S3 had some pretty silly rules, like when using the volume button to turn down the ringtone, the notification volume didn't follow automatically. Also it had this annoying volume escalation in the ringtone when getting a phone call. Had to use a 3rd party app to silence it (but some custom roms had this 'feature' fixed so that was good.). I enjoy the size of the Xperia T more than the S3 also.
Things I don't like about the Xperia T that the S3 handled fine were 1) Removing the battery... I like to know I can replace the battery at any time. 2) When I plug my Sony PS3 controller into the S3, it can instantly use it as an input device... when I plug the controller into my Xperia T, it whines about how it can't power it.
I came from the Samsung Captivate, this phone is way better than that device.
The only thing I miss is dsp manager from cm10. The bass and volume were absolutely killer.
Sent from my LT30p using xda app-developers app
Much happier with this than my old s3 had it for 3 days and found it to plastic. No doubting that it's a half tidy phone, just feel that the t is way better made and considering that the s3 is meant to have a better processor. This performs awesome.
Sent from my LT30p using xda premium
Sony's phones are design for speed despite their low CPUs unlike other brands which hogs their phones with useless tweaks, thus reducing speed.
Sent from my LT25i using Tapatalk 2
low CPUs?are you kidding me?american SG3 has the same dual core and remember 28nm dual core krait is on almost on par with exonos and better than tegra3 45nm
josephnero said:
low CPUs?are you kidding me?american SG3 has the same dual core and remember 28nm dual core krait is on almost on par with exonos and better than tegra3 45nm
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I said low CPUs I meant for their older device. Also I meant it as lower CPUs. Sony having a lower CPUs than others.
Sent from my LT25i using Tapatalk 2
The PS3 power consumption problem doesn't exist if you use Sony Ericsson Livedock DK25 (even though it was for SE2011 devices) as I use an Xbox wired controller on my 3 out of my 4 android devices without a problem
Sent from my LT30p using xda premium
I came from a very similar model, the HTC One XL (only difference between the SGS3 is the extra 1GB of RAM). I was a little skeptical at first but I picked up the TL at walmart for 10 cents. Having not seen them anywhere else I thought it was quite the find. The camera is what sold me on it for sure.
As I got to using it, I realized what a smart move it was. All of my favorite mods for the One XL were native to this device. Bravia engine, clear audio+, xloud, etc. I had pretty much all of the Sony stuff installed on my HTC so it made the stock ROM very much usable; A slightly embellished AOSP. This is the first Android device I have EVER owned that I had no desire to flash a new ROM to get away from the stock software, which is typically clunky and slow, managing memory very poorly. Not with the TL. It takes full advantage of the identical hardware that my old phone had, proving to me that there really isn't any need for quad/octa core power-hungy beasts yet.
At first I didn't like the screen, but after playing with the settings a bit, I love it. The limited viewing angle ensures privacy, though some people do not like it. Colors are very true to life, as opposed to the One XL which is vivid and bright, but colors would look washed out. My wife had the S III and I absolutely hated the power-hungy super AMOLED. screen, everything looked so artificial. What amazes me most about the TL display is how functional it is with the backlight turned way down. Reproduces colors very well and is very readable in indoor and outdoor situations. Makes for a very battery-efficient device.
Yes the bootloader can't be unlocked, and flashing ROMS is limited compared to Samdung or HTC, but when you can theme and mod the device with a locked bootloader why bother? I have CM10 themes and cybershot camera, themed SMS and dialer, with the docomo status bar and task switcher. Debloated and greenified this has been the best stock experience I have had with any device. I'm sold on Sony I think I will stick with them.
I'd say I'd love a unlocked bootloader for the sake of a ported Ubuntu
Anyways, I came from a Motorola Defy+. Whilst the phone was "dumber", there was one single thing it made better than my current Xperia T: Audio playback. Never complained about that. On my Sony, however, it's quite problematic. As I really like to skip audio, it's a issue for me. I also dislike the audio bloatware Sony gives me. I flashed a different .FTF, no difference at all. Waiting for 4.2./4.3 (although I could flash a ROM).
However, this is not the entire story.
The Walkman music player rocks with one single dumb thing: search. I can search an album/artist/song/genre/whatever, and access everything really fast (I've got 20 GBs of music on my phone). And that's nice.
I also like the hardware and the lack of bloatware. The camera, which is good. The screen size is perfect IMO.
I like the fact that it feels mine, and only mine. That I can mod it, if I want to, and that I can.
I really am waiting for Ubuntu for this, and maybe I'll even flash MIUI some day.
I'm thinking of getting an xperia t mainly because of the camera. Should be in my hands by the end of the week. I know that it seems like a downgrade from my nexus 4 but it's not gonna stop me from trying it.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Camera especially fv from market is really good
Inviato dal mio LT30p con Tapatalk 2
i came to Xperia V from SGS3. i must say i hated the S3 because of it's size and i got frustrated when i tried to operate the phone with one hand and couldn't reach the screen and the phone often fell from my hand trying.
however, i miss the screen, the samsung roms, the plethora of choices and mods to use (not forgetting a super cool CM 10.1 build which i loved)
and one thing i just constantly mind about Xperia V is that doesn't give separate volumes for the ring and notification. as you know we use our smartphones a lot for chatting and i want to be able to have a low volume for the notifications, while not risking to miss a phone call.
apart from this, i love the V. it's water resistant and the camera is cool.
oh yes, and the last thing is the battery. i think that the V should also have stamina mode and try to make the device last throughout the day while using it extensively. when i say this, i always compare the usage time and the battery juice we get from both phones, i have a feeling that the S3 lasted me a good 2 hours longer than the V with about similar amount of usage
I came from a Galaxy Note.
The main thing for me is the camera. The Samsung cameras are rubbish - my note and my friends' S3s and even the recent S4 can't touch the Xperia for camera quality. I don't even take my point and shoot instant camera out anymore!
I guess the thing you will probably notice more than anything initially though it's the screen. LCD isn't so bright and vibrant as Samsung's LED ones, but I find them more natural and the Bravia engine is good.
My only other comment is that I was never really happy with my Samsung phone. I was constantly wanting to flash new custom or leaked firmware for a better experience. Don't really feel like that with the Sony device - it just works and doesn't have the garish TouchWiz interface either!
Im coming from a S3, and my first impression was the build of the entire phone, the quality is amazing and than S3, I'm really happy with my new phone
Enviado desde mi LT30p usando Tapatalk 4
I had a s3 before. Then changed to the Xperia Ion then just bought the Xperia T tonight.
So far love it. And yes alot more than the S3.
Other than obvious physical damage, is there anything else I should check besides the bootloader status?
Is there any way to tell if the DRM keys are installed/working if the phone has been rooted and restored?
donalgodon said:
Other than obvious physical damage, is there anything else I should check besides the bootloader status?
Is there any way to tell if the DRM keys are installed/working if the phone has been rooted and restored?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thibk there is no way to tell it has or has not the DRM keys working.
But be sure to check the moisture detectors under each flap. If they are even jist a little bit pink, refuse the phone, as it has been exposed to liquids.
DrKrFfXx said:
I thibk there is no way to tell it has or has not the DRM keys working.
But be sure to check the moisture detectors under each flap. If they are even jist a little bit pink, refuse the phone, as it has been exposed to liquids.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, I need to pull out the plugs and look inside each (USB, headphones, SD, etc.) and check them for pinkness? I assume they are white normally.
I assume most International LTE models are booloader unlockable if they are not carrier devices. Is that true? (I'm buying for CM compatibility)
donalgodon said:
So, I need to pull out the plugs and look inside each (USB, headphones, SD, etc.) and check them for pinkness? I assume they are white normally.
I assume most International LTE models are booloader unlockable if they are not carrier devices. Is that true? (I'm buying for CM compatibility)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, they are white. They are little rectangles, paper like.
Here in Spain they only sell the LTE C6603 version. Most of them are carrier locked, and carrier locked devices, all of them, are locked.
Mine's also a LTE C6603, but I boight it from a Sony Store. My device is unlockable. I mean, it can be either unlockable or locked, no matter what version.
Plus, there is a known bug with rooted devices. A rooted device will show Bootloader unlockable: Yes. Even if the device is not unlockable.
So, first check if the device is rooted, if it is not, you will have a trustable read of the device's unlockability.
DrKrFfXx said:
Yes, they are white. They are little rectangles, paper like.
Here in Spain they only sell the LTE C6603 version. Most of them are carrier locked, and carrier locked devices, all of them, are locked.
Mine's also a LTE C6603, but I boight it from a Sony Store. My device is unlockable. I mean, it can be either unlockable or locked, no matter what version.
Plus, there is a known bug with rooted devices. A rooted device will show Bootloader unlockable: Yes. Even if the device is not unlockable.
So, first check if the device is rooted, if it is not, you will have a trustable read of the device's unlockability.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Other than looking for super su, is there a way to tell if the device is rooted?
There is an app, root checker or root check I think.
DrKrFfXx said:
There is an app, root checker or root check I think.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But I need that app installed to check it, right? There's no dialer method for root check, is there?
I also heard some rumors about wifi issues with the Z. Are they accurate?
I believe I have a chance to swap my S3 for an Xperia C6603. AS I understand the C6602 is not LTE, but the 03 is, correct?
The box on the photo the guy sent me says LTE, so this is why I asked. I'm meeting the guy later tonight to possibly swap, so I'm just trying to get my facts straight before I do so. I am more familiar with Samdung than Sony devices, but they aren't CM friendly.
donalgodon said:
But I need that app installed to check it, right? There's no dialer method for root check, is there?
I also heard some rumors about wifi issues with the Z. Are they accurate?
I believe I have a chance to swap my S3 for an Xperia C6603. AS I understand the C6602 is not LTE, but the 03 is, correct?
The box on the photo the guy sent me says LTE, so this is why I asked. I'm meeting the guy later tonight to possibly swap, so I'm just trying to get my facts straight before I do so. I am more familiar with Samdung than Sony devices, but they aren't CM friendly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no other way to check for root if it's not with that app, maybe su command on a terminal, but for that you'll need a terminal emulator installed.
They say WIFI reception is lower compared to other devices. I only have other Sony devices to compare to, and notice no discernible difference in reception quality between Sony Walkman Z1060, Xperia S, Xperia T and the Z itself. I get higher download bandwith on the Z. 40Mbps on my 50Mbps line, compared to the 20ish the other devices have.
02 is non LTE, 03 is LTE, correct.
IMHO, CM is overrated. Too many bugs, subpar audio quality from the headphone out, subpar camera software (I think Sony is providing some sources of their camera drivers so it's a matter of time before they catch up), low battery life compared to stock.
Performance is probably beyond stock, but why would I wan't just performance, if the device don't live enough to take advantage of it. But every one has their own needs.
DrKrFfXx said:
There is no other way to check for root if it's not with that app, maybe su command on a terminal, but for that you'll need a terminal emulator installed.
They say WIFI reception is lower compared to other devices. I only have other Sony devices to compare to, and notice no discernible difference in reception quality between Sony Walkman Z1060, Xperia S, Xperia T and the Z itself. I get higher download bandwith on the Z. 40Mbps on my 50Mbps line, compared to the 20ish the other devices have.
02 is non LTE, 03 is LTE, correct.
IMHO, CM is overrated. Too many bugs, subpar audio quality from the headphone out, subpar camera software (I think Sony is providing some sources of their camera drivers so it's a matter of time before they catch up), low battery life compared to stock.
Performance is probably beyond stock, but why would I wan't just performance, if the device don't live enough to take advantage of it. But every one has their own needs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can install any generic 03 Sony ROM on the device, right? I'll test it out with stock ROM for a while, but I'd like to have the latest version available.
On Samdung devices, the region didn't matter, so I ask before I screw myself up.
donalgodon said:
I can install any generic 03 Sony ROM on the device, right? I'll test it out with stock ROM for a while, but I'd like to have the latest version available.
On Samdung devices, the region didn't matter, so I ask before I screw myself up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Region doesn't matter. Any 03 will do fine.
I'd suggest stock based plus doom kernel.
DrKrFfXx said:
I thibk there is no way to tell it has or has not the DRM keys working.
But be sure to check the moisture detectors under each flap. If they are even jist a little bit pink, refuse the phone, as it has been exposed to liquids.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is open the service menu (dial *#*'#7378423#*#*), go to service tests, security. Look at the keys, MARLIN and WMLA, if it says Unknown Error, DRM keys are gone but if it says Key OK then DRM keys are intact
I think you should check flaps condition also. They are easily damaged.
Hi guys,
I was wondering if you can help me with a decision. I was planning to buy One plus One but realised that they don't have band 20 which means very limited/no LTE coverage in UK and I don't want to own a phone in 2014 which won't support 4G.
I am not keen on spending a lot of money on Z2 and I can get used Xperia Z1 in the range of 200-230 and was wondering if it would be a good choice?
Do you think for that price Xperia Z1 is a good phone and can be bought amongst other big guys? I mean it still has SD800 and 2GB RAM!!
Appreciate your help!
Thanks
Z2 is only a viable upgrade from Z1 if you want the better screen and speakers. The SD800 still kicks ass
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
invinciblervd said:
Hi guys,
I was wondering if you can help me with a decision. I was planning to buy One plus One but realised that they don't have band 20 which means very limited/no LTE coverage in UK and I don't want to own a phone in 2014 which won't support 4G.
I am not keen on spending a lot of money on Z2 and I can get used Xperia Z1 in the range of 200-230 and was wondering if it would be a good choice?
Do you think for that price Xperia Z1 is a good phone and can be bought amongst other big guys? I mean it still has SD800 and 2GB RAM!!
Appreciate your help!
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Z1 is a great phone. One of the best phones currently on the market, even with its successor already on the stores. It's not a match for the Z2/S5/G3/M8, of course; but it's not outdated like the Galaxy S3 was in June/2013. I plan on keeping my Z1 for the rest of the year, and maybe upgrade when the Z4 shows up.
Qualcomm and the other mobile CPU manufacturers were on a very quick escalation of CPU power on the last few years. You had a huge jump every year, so last year's phones were severely outclassed when the new models came up. This has slowed down quite a bit since last year. The Snapdragon 801 on this year's phones is just a bit faster than the 800 on the Z1, which is not that much faster than the Snapdragon 600, which is just a bit faster than the Snapdragon S4 Pro from October 2012. In other words, except for the screen and speakers, the Z2 is just a small overclock ahead of the Z1. For a low price, it's a bargain (here in Brazil it still costs the equivalent to about US$450,00).
Steve_max said:
The Z1 is a great phone. One of the best phones currently on the market, even with its successor already on the stores. It's not a match for the Z2/S5/G3/M8, of course; but it's not outdated like the Galaxy S3 was in June/2013. I plan on keeping my Z1 for the rest of the year, and maybe upgrade when the Z4 shows up.
Qualcomm and the other mobile CPU manufacturers were on a very quick escalation of CPU power on the last few years. You had a huge jump every year, so last year's phones were severely outclassed when the new models came up. This has slowed down quite a bit since last year. The Snapdragon 801 on this year's phones is just a bit faster than the 800 on the Z1, which is not that much faster than the Snapdragon 600, which is just a bit faster than the Snapdragon S4 Pro from October 2012. In other words, except for the screen and speakers, the Z2 is just a small overclock ahead of the Z1. For a low price, it's a bargain (here in Brazil it still costs the equivalent to about US$450,00).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The gpu went from 450 to 578 mhz. This is the biggest difference. Also because android is getting graphically more intense, slowly but surely.
I got my Z1 last saturday, so...HELL YEAH!
I'd still get the one plus one. Had the z1 for a while. If I was to choose what's currently available it'd be the HTC m8 then the z2. But the one plus one is worth the wait.
FYI, EE uses bands 3 and 7 which I'm assuming that the one plus works on, if not then I'll be skipping it myself. Still need to research this so thanks for the heads up, I'd missed that. Cheers m8
Sent from my C6903 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
No point in even talking about the Oneplus One, it is currently "vapourware". They haven't made more than a small batch and those are not going to be sold internationally. Hopefully, over time the Oneplus phones manufacturing will catch up with its overhyped marketing.
After much deliberation and hands-on investigating of all the competition, I got a Z1 recently (picked it up for 250, brand new in unopened box). The Z2 has better battery and the GPU is better but disappointingly the screen isn't that much better. The HTC M8 is amazing unless you intend to use the rear camera which is pants. The Galaxy S5, while packed with features, feels like most high end Samsungs cheap and plasticy. The HTC E8 looks to be worth waiting for as does the LG G3.
Apart from battery life, I am happy I got the Z1. The build quality, the camera, the fantastic work XDA devs have done and the UI experience go a long way.
dladz said:
I'd still get the one plus one. Had the z1 for a while. If I was to choose what's currently available it'd be the HTC m8 then the z2. But the one plus one is worth the wait.
FYI, EE uses bands 3 and 7 which I'm assuming that the one plus works on, if not then I'll be skipping it myself. Still need to research this so thanks for the heads up, I'd missed that. Cheers m8
Sent from my C6903 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I was following 1+1 since the beginning and was all set to buy it and was thinking to use it on 3G. But after recent upgrade to 4G and using it for couple of months, I know it's going to be difficult to switch back to 3G just because you are getting a good phone.
EE are good but on the expensive side even for a sim only deal and the LTE-A they are working on will soon be on 800 MHz and band 20. I just don't want to buy a phone which in theory will be unlocked but would still in a way be locked to EE.
gandalf_grey91 said:
No point in even talking about the Oneplus One, it is currently "vapourware". They haven't made more than a small batch and those are not going to be sold internationally. Hopefully, over time the Oneplus phones manufacturing will catch up with its overhyped marketing.
After much deliberation and hands-on investigating of all the competition, I got a Z1 recently (picked it up for 250, brand new in unopened box). The Z2 has better battery and the GPU is better but disappointingly the screen isn't that much better. The HTC M8 is amazing unless you intend to use the rear camera which is pants. The Galaxy S5, while packed with features, feels like most high end Samsungs cheap and plasticy. The HTC E8 looks to be worth waiting for as does the LG G3.
Apart from battery life, I am happy I got the Z1. The build quality, the camera, the fantastic work XDA devs have done and the UI experience go a long way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
250 is a a really good price for a brand new phone. May I ask where did you get this deal? (ebay?) Thought the battery is really massive for Z1? 2800ma?
I agree about the xda devs, but its hard to get a fully unlocked phone. If someone has bought it via carrier and got it unlocked, it will still have bootloader unlock allowed = No.
invinciblervd said:
250 is a a really good price for a brand new phone. May I ask where did you get this deal? (ebay?) Thought the battery is really massive for Z1? 2800ma?
I agree about the xda devs, but its hard to get a fully unlocked phone. If someone has bought it via carrier and got it unlocked, it will still have bootloader unlock allowed = No.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In all honesty, including postage, it came in a little over 260, and yes, it was aquired from a popular auction site. Battery is good and I get about 3 days of moderate use but it has a strange quirk in that it loses 10 - 12% of battery in first 5 minutes of being turned on. Never had a phone that does that before. After that initial battery drain it settles down and lasts, as I said, quite well.
My Z1 is fully unlocked. I bought a couple of Xperia SPs for the parents soon after they were released and it was difficult to get fully (SIM and bootloader) unlocked models. But, especially, with carrier supplied models, as time goes on they simply replenish stock from what sony have available (in channel) rather than insisting on the locked bootloader models that are part of the initial deal the companies sign before the device is released. Same goes for phones supplied via insurance companies, usually the more time that passes after release the more likely you are to be supplied a sim-free fully unlocked model (although some insurance companies have deals to buy/supply refurbished models which means read the policy carefully).
For the same money, I considered a Galaxy S4 but having held it and tried it, I could not part with the money for such a cheap and plasticy POS. Seriously, even cheap end ZTE and Huawei phones feel better made than "flagship" samsungs. If HTC had included removable battery, SD card slots and a better camera on both M7 and M8 for the last 2 years, samsung would have sold half as many Galaxy S models.
saintgein said:
The gpu went from 450 to 578 mhz. This is the biggest difference. Also because android is getting graphically more intense, slowly but surely.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Remember that you can overclock the Z1 GPU to 533 MHz, so that is a <10% difference. Overclocking both CPU and GPU, the Z1's 800 (2.4GHz/533MHz) is very comparable with the Z2's 801AB (2.3GHz/578MHz) and within striking distance from the S5's 801AC (2.5GHz/578MHz). No idea on how those overclock, though.
Steve_max said:
Remember that you can overclock the Z1 GPU to 533 MHz, so that is a <10% difference. Overclocking both CPU and GPU, the Z1's 800 (2.4GHz/533MHz) is very comparable with the Z2's 801AB (2.3GHz/578MHz) and within striking distance from the S5's 801AC (2.5GHz/578MHz). No idea on how those overclock, though.
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Click to collapse
When you say "you can overclock the Z1", you mean if you unlock bootloader, lose bravia engine / drm keys and install a custom kernel.
gandalf_grey91 said:
When you say "you can overclock the Z1", you mean if you unlock bootloader, lose bravia engine / drm keys and install a custom kernel.
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Click to collapse
Yes, but why would you not unlock the bootloader? You can backup the TA partition and just restore it if needed, and everything just works without the DRM keys (if you believe you lost something, restore TA, install stock kernel, and you're back to stock). This is a development forum; I assume people here are willing to modify their devices to extract the maximum from them (in speed, battery life, whatever).
Steve_max said:
Yes, but why would you not unlock the bootloader?
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Click to collapse
I would have thought that was obvious. Unlocking the bootloader on my old Motorolas or HTCs provided more function and in the case of the HTCs made things better with custom Hboots. But the current crop of Sony's use the bravia engine to enhance the screen which is an integral part of the user experience and unlocking the bootloader disables it. Yes, by backing up the TA partition it is possible to revert back if the bootloader has been unlocked. But, unlike some other phones, with Sony phones the users can only choose to either unlock the bootloader to flash non-stock ROMs and custom kernels and lose the Bravia engine or leave the bootloader locked with working bravia engine but never gain the ability to flash AOSP ROMs. You can't have both because of that pesky TA partition. Because the Sony stock ROM experience is so good and thanks to the fantastic work some devs have done on modules for the Xposed framework, some designed especially for Xperia phones, Sony users have 2 strong choices.
I unlocked my bootloader and x-reality (bravia engine) and BIONZ are still working flawlessly.
gandalf_grey91 said:
I would have thought that was obvious. Unlocking the bootloader on my old Motorolas or HTCs provided more function and in the case of the HTCs made things better with custom Hboots. But the current crop of Sony's use the bravia engine to enhance the screen which is an integral part of the user experience and unlocking the bootloader disables it. Yes, by backing up the TA partition it is possible to revert back if the bootloader has been unlocked. But, unlike some other phones, with Sony phones the users can only choose to either unlock the bootloader to flash non-stock ROMs and custom kernels and lose the Bravia engine or leave the bootloader locked with working bravia engine but never gain the ability to flash AOSP ROMs. You can't have both because of that pesky TA partition. Because the Sony stock ROM experience is so good and thanks to the fantastic work some devs have done on modules for the Xposed framework, some designed especially for Xperia phones, Sony users have 2 strong choices.
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Click to collapse
I dislike the idea of special postprocessing on images on the screen. The X-Realty engine is that: some processing on your pictures/movies when the phone shows them on its own screen. They won't appear like that on your computer, or when you share the picture with anyone, out when you print them. It is a fake improvement, and I prefer to keep it disabled.
Anyway, AFAIK there are ways to make that work on UB. Never tried, but this is said to work well: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2635986
You are right, I don't like it either, any thing that only affects the devices own screen is a fake improvement. But thank you for including the link, I didn't know I had the option to unlock the bootloader and keep the bravia engine/x-reality.
Hi
I wanted to buy this phone. do you recommend it or not? why?
It was a great phone ... a year ago, but still good for its price
mahdi87_gh said:
Hi
I wanted to buy this phone. do you recommend it or not? why?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you just want an android phone, look at samsung or lg.
If you want Xperia now, go get t2 ultra, its screen is better, front cam is better, and runs 4.4.2 (same as ZR), and can app2sd.
The only situation when I will recommend this phone (again, in 09/2014) is the fact that it can switch batteries.
paulson881 said:
If you just want an android phone, look at samsung or lg.
If you want Xperia now, go get t2 ultra, its screen is better, front cam is better, and runs 4.4.2 (same as ZR), and can app2sd.
The only situation when I will recommend this phone (again, in 09/2014) is the fact that it can switch batteries.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all, thanks
I want a phone not more expensive than this phone. I checked for T2 ultra. It's cpu, gpu, memory is lower than ZR
I just wanted to know if ZR devices have any particular problem? does it get new updates?
Thanks
Reply
mahdi87_gh said:
First of all, thanks
I want a phone not more expensive than this phone. I checked for T2 ultra. It's cpu, gpu, memory is lower than ZR
I just wanted to know if ZR devices have any particular problem? does it get new updates?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, the specs are slightly lower classed, but the ability to app2sd sort of nailed it.
As for update, for ZR, after the planned 4.4.4, I highly doubt 5.0 will ever come.
A very good phone
mahdi87_gh said:
Hi
I wanted to buy this phone. do you recommend it or not? why?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i think it is the best phone that you can get with the same price
very good phone and i have no issues with it and i can play any game without lag and it performs really good
about apps2sd i use foldermount and this is not a problem for me
the only thing is, that sony released a lot of updates to it and we might not see android L but android 4.4.4 is just days away
Recommended
Price/Performance: I get around 33U$ I still find it worth the price, now some shop in my country was down price to 26U$.
Water-Resistance: I found it easier to clean, Use when you go to bathroom etc.
Prime camera: The main reason I'm still use Sony... Even an after-sales service suck so bad in my country.
Not Recommended
Price/Performance: Some phone have cheaper price with nearly performance: like Moto G, Xiaomi etc.
Water-Resistance port-cap: I found sometime it made me annoy to open, which quite difficult on this model(I'm use Xp Acro S before, it whole lot easier)
Front Camera: yeah let have VGA front cam... which can only find in a phone below 20 U$ (except from sony lol)
Speaker sound: Since it on the back of the phone you barely hear it clear or loud... except you turn it around, turn a volume up or used you hand to redirect a sound.
Internal Storage: 8GB.... while system eat up nearly 3GB. and no way to move app to SD card without a root.
And some rumor I heard was All Z series will have Android L for sure.
ps. I'm not good with english
ZervZ said:
And some rumor I heard was All Z series will have Android L for sure.
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Click to collapse
Source?
paulson881 said:
Source?
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Click to collapse
As I said, a rumor.
Source from a shop in my country, Its in Thai language. that why I won't quote at first place.
If you want to read, here
https://www.facebook.com/sonyxpth/p...1312/796772170365461/?type=1&relevant_count=1
They said
"Every Xperia phone in Z series going to have an update to Android L.
Congrats all of Z series owner.
The other series are not going to have it.
Got it?"
Still no more trust worthly source talk about this yet.
Cons: You pay extra for the xperia brand, get a Xiaomi or Oppo etc. if you dont care about waterproofing etc.
Pros: ITS WATERPROOF. Also its exactly the right size for a phone IMO.
Totally worth it.
stormsaber said:
Cons: You pay extra for the xperia brand, get a Xiaomi or Oppo etc. if you dont care about waterproofing etc.
Pros: ITS WATERPROOF. Also its exactly the right size for a phone IMO.
Totally worth it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Note : you pay extra(EXTRA)++++++++ for a SAMMY.:laugh:
No. Wifi and Bluetooth issues. Otherwise, fantastic phone
Sent from my C5502 using XDA Free mobile app
Yes You Can Buy
Xperia Zr is best phone.its same as xperia z.hardware are same in both phone.
I recomamded this zr because price is cheap then Z:good:
do not buy
mahdi87_gh said:
Hi
I wanted to buy this phone. do you recommend it or not? why?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
please never buy this phone. I am using this phone and having bluetooth and wifi problem. I can't use bluetooth and wifi. I insist you to buy Z instead of ZR. You can search on google that 50% users having problem with wifi and bluetooth. This phone is not water resistance well.