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Hi everyone,
For months I am eagerly waiting for the Xperia V to be released in France (it will be this week, with JB on board). But this morning I found a review from a quite serious blog (in French) and it sort of discouraged me :
- They had major 3G connectivity issues, which is a huge turn-off for me
- They say the screen is not that great after all (too yellow-ish, despite BRAVIAEngine 2)
- They found lots of non-uninstallable bloatware (Adobe Reader, McAfee, some games, etc.)
- They found lots of bugs (camera focus, SOD when using GPS and music player), despite the JB ROM !
Now I'm wavering :
- Is this Xperia V a good choice ? From what I can read on XDA forums, owners of this V seem happy with their choice, but for example, has someone experienced any 3G connectivity issues since the JB upgrade ? Are the other bugs really annoying ?
- I was planning to wait a few months before getting rid of Sony software and get CyanogenMod on this Xperia V ; now that I see the bugs I want to get CM as soon as possible, but is it safe to avoid the warranty of a smartphone right after spending €500 for it ?
- In a nutshell : is the Xperia V a good choice ? (I want a phone that runs JB smoothly on a minimum-300dpi screen, with a micro-SD slot, a removable battery, LTE-compliant, and that I can handle with one of my small hands )
Thanks to anyone who can help me decide whether to buy it or not...
David Guillot said:
Hi everyone,
For months I am eagerly waiting for the Xperia V to be released in France (it will be this week, with JB on board). But this morning I found a review from a quite serious blog (in French) and it sort of discouraged me :
- They had major 3G connectivity issues, which is a huge turn-off for me
- They say the screen is not that great after all (too yellow-ish, despite BRAVIAEngine 2)
- They found lots of non-uninstallable bloatware (Adobe Reader, McAfee, some games, etc.)
- They found lots of bugs (camera focus, SOD when using GPS and music player), despite the JB ROM !
Now I'm wavering :
- Is this Xperia V a good choice ? From what I can read on XDA forums, owners of this V seem happy with their choice, but for example, has someone experienced any 3G connectivity issues since the JB upgrade ? Are the other bugs really annoying ?
- I was planning to wait a few months before getting rid of Sony software and get CyanogenMod on this Xperia V ; now that I see the bugs I want to get CM as soon as possible, but is it safe to avoid the warranty of a smartphone right after spending €500 for it ?
- In a nutshell : is the Xperia V a good choice ? (I want a phone that runs JB smoothly on a minimum-300dpi screen, with a micro-SD slot, a removable battery, LTE-compliant, and that I can handle with one of my small hands )
Thanks to anyone who can help me decide whether to buy it or not...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The points you list at the end overlap quite a bit with my criteria for picking the V, and I don't regret it at all. I was hoping Sony would push this model more than they have and that it would get strong sales so that "smaller" phones might not end up in a low-spec ghetto. Anyway, to address your points:
- The 3G connectivity issues may very well have to do with the network settings being set by default to connect to LTE. I had major issues until I changed the settings (my contract doesn't include LTE). Since then, no problems. If the review unit had this setting on, that's probably what happened.
- The display quality seems ok to me. This isn't honestly that huge a thing for me, so maybe somebody else has a stronger opinion on it than I do.
- There's no such thing as "uninstallable" . There is a (somewhat complicated) method for rooting the V without unlocking the bootloader, so as not to void your warranty. I didn't have any of the bloatware that you listed on mine, so it must be carrier-added bloat. I'm new to Xperia and I unlocked mine after about a week, so I may be wrong about this, but I think you can flash .ftf's with a locked bootloader, and just use a generic version of the firmware and voilà - no more bloat!
- I've never had a SOD. The only bug I've dealt with since upgrading to JB is long pauses between tracks when using the Walkman app. Admittedly a pretty big deal for me, I can only hope that since "Walkman" is pretty much synonymous with "Sony", they'll get this one sorted sooner rather than later.
Satisfied with everything except for the battery consumption while on data. Came from Galaxy Nexus. I leave data on for the whole day with my Nexus and it lasts. With this Xperia V, i turn off the data and switch to GSM when not in use.
Sent from my LT25i using Tapatalk 2
Carriers are well-known to add in lots of bloatwares. Nothing to do with the phone. But currently there's no working version of CM10.1 (JB 4.2.x), though.
The FreeXperiaProject are on it, albeit not high in their priority list.
Those who tested the current testing version of CM10.1 reported that the ROM is too damn smooth. xD
So for us to have a working version of CM10.1, it will take some time...
Disclaimer: I don't personally own a V, but a T instead.
- Among all the phones I have used, I personally haven't ran into any phone with connectivity issue. Most of the times, it's due to either telco bad signals or half-baked ported roms (i.e. CM10.1), which is probably the less of your concern. However, I heard that V was equipped with 4G (whereas T was not), so you might want to explore this more.
- V screen is far superior compared to T (and maybe Z as well), according to comparison videos and videos I have seen so far. I'd love to have the V display screen.
- From what I saw, V and T shared the same bloatwares. Most of the bloatwares on T are Sony media connection utilities, which are not that annoying. EA Games, OfficeSuite and other stuff I don't really use can be deleted. Coming from a Nexus, I'm surprised that bloatwares did not annoy me at all.
- T suffers from a Walkman bug, that's all. I'm not sure about V.
Yes, you should buy it. It's the only phone with 720p resolution and ergonomic screen size, yet maintain a decent performance, and better yet, an SDCard slot.
David Guillot said:
Hi everyone,
For months I am eagerly waiting for the Xperia V to be released in France (it will be this week, with JB on board). But this morning I found a review from a quite serious blog (in French) and it sort of discouraged me :
- They had major 3G connectivity issues, which is a huge turn-off for me
- They say the screen is not that great after all (too yellow-ish, despite BRAVIAEngine 2)
- They found lots of non-uninstallable bloatware (Adobe Reader, McAfee, some games, etc.)
- They found lots of bugs (camera focus, SOD when using GPS and music player), despite the JB ROM !
Now I'm wavering :
- Is this Xperia V a good choice ? From what I can read on XDA forums, owners of this V seem happy with their choice, but for example, has someone experienced any 3G connectivity issues since the JB upgrade ? Are the other bugs really annoying ?
- I was planning to wait a few months before getting rid of Sony software and get CyanogenMod on this Xperia V ; now that I see the bugs I want to get CM as soon as possible, but is it safe to avoid the warranty of a smartphone right after spending €500 for it ?
- In a nutshell : is the Xperia V a good choice ? (I want a phone that runs JB smoothly on a minimum-300dpi screen, with a micro-SD slot, a removable battery, LTE-compliant, and that I can handle with one of my small hands )
Thanks to anyone who can help me decide whether to buy it or not...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Personally I love my Xperia V, there is no phone I would have rather bought. Well maybe Z. It just feels awesome in my hands, looks awesome, is really snappy, the camera is a beast in my opinion and the waterproofig is a plus too.
There are some disadvantages of course, the main one being the lack of developers. I know, I shouldn't "whine" about it, they do it for free and because they want to and I should start deving my self if I'm not satisfied. But I won't. Coming from HTC Desire I was a bit disappointed (shouldn't use that word) to see the lack of roms and mods etc. The battery is a bit too small too, I thought that smartphones would last longer nowadays, but nah, it's a minor upgrade to HTC Desire for example.
Another problem is that my phone seemed a bit bugged right out of the box, orientation sensor would sometimes get stuck and not rotate the screen. I took it to Sony care, let's see what they can do about it. Probably nothing, since the it happens very randomly.
vokkE said:
...Coming from HTC Desire I was a bit disappointed (shouldn't use that word) to see the lack of roms and mods etc. The battery is a bit too small too, I thought that smartphones would last longer nowadays, but nah, it's a minor upgrade to HTC Desire...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I loved my old HTC Desire. What a great phone it was.
I'm hoping to buy an Xperia V this weekend, too. I'm worried about battery life; has anyone bought an extended one?
I'm using an Xperia V, and I have rooted, added cwm, debloat the wares, still locked bootloader.
I heard that V have two kinds of screen too. And my screen's black color is truly black, not gray like T .
I've tested a film on my phone and my laptop, I just have to say that BE2 is great, it enhances the colors on the film, which is very nice, I've made a comparison with my friend's Xperia T, the BE2 sometimes enhances the colors too much which makes it a little bit unreal, but to tell the truth, most of the time, it makes u feel that the image is greater than the original xD
I'm from Vietnam, we only have 3G. But the connection speed is great, it doesn't take me long to download apps from Play Store . I think it may depends on your signal and the network provider speed . Cuz it depends in my country, if you have full signal, you will got speed around 6-7.2 mbps, but I usually got around 3-5mbps .
About Sony apps, Walkman has some bugs with playing, soon it will be fixed. SoD appears suddenly, I don't know if it just with GPS ). But this is a serious problem, it will be fixed soon either. And about the camera, I myself love the main camera with it's great speed of shoot, but the front camera sucks :|, I love the front camera of Xperia S more
One little thing I want to say that I love the water proof of this phone ). My friends' iPhone can't do that, and that's the way I troll them with my Xperia :laugh:
Thank you all for your feedbacks, just bought my Xperia V this morning for €429 (great deal on Sony France e-shop, due to the loooong wait) !
I'll receive it next week, will root it as soon as possible to get rid of bloatware, change the networking settings since my contract isn't 4G, and wait for CM 10.1
I'm eagerly waiting for Xperia SP, or should I buy this Xperia V?
Plus of Xperia V : water/dust resistant, 13 MP camera
Plus of Xperia SP : bigger screen and battery capacity, higher CPU and GPU
Any suggestions?
mewtwo68d said:
I'm eagerly waiting for Xperia SP, or should I buy this Xperia V?
Plus of Xperia V : water/dust resistant, 13 MP camera
Plus of Xperia SP : bigger screen and battery capacity, higher CPU and GPU
Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Buy the SP. The V's flaps will soon fall out. Mine is already sticking out. If you want a waterproof one get the Z as they use a different and stronger material for their flaps. However if you're on a budget get the SP. It's high CPU ans GPU makes up for not having waterproof.
Sent from your backyard...
Slender watches what you do...
There are two things I hate about the Xperia V: 1) Disappointing battery performance on data connection (WiFi is significantly better), 2) Lack of development.
Came from a Galaxy Nexus.
Sent from my LT25i using Tapatalk 2
help
blackcat510 said:
And about the camera, I myself love the main camera with it's great speed of shoot, but the front camera sucks :|, I love the front camera of Xperia S more
One little thing I want to say that I love the water proof of this phone ). My friends' iPhone can't do that, and that's the way I troll them with my Xperia :laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
how is the front camera compare to the iphone 4s front camera ? is it worst or kind of the same? and i guess the main camera it's much better than the main camera of the iphone 4S... right?
and i bit off topic does it have usb otg ? and what about the hdmi have you tried it?
PS: im going crazy trying to decide which phone to buy :silly: (i own a 4S right now )
sdam87 said:
how is the front camera compare to the iphone 4s front camera ? is it worst or kind of the same? and i guess the main camera it's much better than the main camera of the iphone 4S... right?
and i bit off topic does it have usb otg ? and what about the hdmi have you tried it?
PS: im going crazy trying to decide which phone to buy :silly: (i own a 4S right now )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Buy the Xperia SL
Sent from your backyard...
Slender watches what you do...
xperia v
-SlenderMan- said:
Buy the Xperia SL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i thought about it but missing sd card, no water resistant and the old s3 snap dragon processor, made me look for another device :\
sdam87 said:
i thought about it but missing sd card, no water resistant and the old s3 snap dragon processor, made me look for another device :\
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The LED strip and GPU is good. I mean it has an old processor but it's 1.7Ghz Dual Core. It's fine for me. It's also faster than the V. I have the V and overtime you'll lose water resistance as the flaps will fall off. Mine is already sticking out.
Sent from your backyard...
Slender watches what you do...
-SlenderMan- said:
The V's flaps will soon fall out. Mine is already sticking out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How long did it take for the flaps to fall out ? I have mine for 3 weeks now and despite the fact that they feel a bit fragile, I think if I take care of them they will hold on...
I am really fond of my V, it feels great in the hand, it is quite smooth, the battery life is acceptable, the camera is pretty good, and I dropped a pint of beer on it without any damage !
-SlenderMan- said:
The LED strip and GPU is good. I mean it has an old processor but it's 1.7Ghz Dual Core. It's fine for me. It's also faster than the V. I have the V and overtime you'll lose water resistance as the flaps will fall off. Mine is already sticking out.
Sent from your backyard...
Slender watches what you do...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ummm no. The SL is NOT faster than the V either CPU or GPU wise.
Sent from my Xperia T using Tapatalk 2
Short version:
Before you bought the Xperia SP, which other mobiles were you taking into consideration and what made you choose (or not) the SP?
Long version:
Here's the thing: today I was ready - I finally went to a shop and proudly said "I want to buy the Xperia SP". Unfortunately they only had the white version so I'll have to wait one more week. This was quite disappointing because I really, really wanted it so badly and since I now have another week to decide maybe there are other/better alternatives among midrange smartphones?
Thanks!
Tons of others phones.
Optimus G, but no card slot. Nexus 4, same problem.
Galaxy S4, unfortunately far too expensive.
MI2-A, no SD slot, again.
Motorola Razr HD, CPU sucks. Same with the HTC One X+.
HTC One? No way to get a 64gb here in ****ty Europe.
So, well, the SP is the only 720p phone with a microSD slot, and a good built quality that I can afford.
Only big problem: devs support. We have DoomLord, but no one else. I'm afraid we will never get CyanogenMod.
Some time ago I've spoken with fxp. They said they need to buy phone to start development.
This device is fresh so don't expect development will start from day of release.
BTW. XSP is middle range device... This is next reason to start development later then e.g. XZ relatively.
I was considering buy N4 or XSP or wait for some time and collect more money and buy SGN2 or XZ.
C5303 is great device, powerfull, supported LTE, nice looking, with 'big' screen, made from good quality materials, with usefull transparent iluminated bar, with good quality camera and other hardware and released with 4.1.2 (Google said that phones need to be upgraded for 18 mounths from release so we can expect something above then 4.2.2 with this specs).
Sent from my C5303 using xda premium
Fealakwen said:
Tons of others phones.
Optimus G, but no card slot. Nexus 4, same problem.
Galaxy S4, unfortunately far too expensive.
MI2-A, no SD slot, again.
Motorola Razr HD, CPU sucks. Same with the HTC One X+.
HTC One? No way to get a 64gb here in ****ty Europe.
So, well, the SP is the only 720p phone with a microSD slot, and a good built quality that I can afford.
Only big problem: devs support. We have DoomLord, but no one else. I'm afraid we will never get CyanogenMod.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
reaper61616 said:
Some time ago I've spoken with fxp. They said they need to buy phone to start development.
This device is fresh so don't expect development will start from day of release.
BTW. XSP is middle range device... This is next reason to start development later then e.g. XZ relatively.
I was considering buy N4 or XSP or wait for some time and collect more money and buy SGN2 or XZ.
C5303 is great device, powerfull, supported LTE, nice looking, with 'big' screen, made from good quality materials, with usefull transparent iluminated bar, with good quality camera and other hardware and released with 4.1.2 (Google said that phones need to be upgraded for 18 mounths from release so we can expect something above then 4.2.2 with this specs).
Sent from my C5303 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I am thinking of getting this one. And I see no existing PA or CM support. But I used to compile my own ROMs for my Nexus (which is dead and the reason why I am getting this one) so I think I can compile for this ROM too, the only difficulty being the illumination bar API, on which I have never wrked till date.
Plus its a relatively new phone, so we will see more action once other devs buy the device too!
Cheers mates!
charliebigpot said:
Short version:
Before you bought the Xperia SP, which other mobiles were you taking into consideration and what made you choose (or not) the SP?
Long version:
Here's the thing: today I was ready - I finally went to a shop and proudly said "I want to buy the Xperia SP". Unfortunately they only had the white version so I'll have to wait one more week. This was quite disappointing because I really, really wanted it so badly and since I now have another week to decide maybe there are other/better alternatives among midrange smartphones?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you really going to recant about buying an XPERIA™ SP just for waiting a week to get the color you want? Really? I must wait another half year to get mine and it isn't available here in Mexico still. I don't want to be mean but don't be like that. I'd wish to have your luck, about being in your situation.
There aren't better options for a midrange smartphone with the potential of this XSP, really, it'll be very worthy to wait for it.
Sent from my GT-I9070 using xda app-developers app
sarkar1990 said:
Well I am thinking of getting this one. And I see no existing PA or CM support. But I used to compile my own ROMs for my Nexus (which is dead and the reason why I am getting this one) so I think I can compile for this ROM too, the only difficulty being the illumination bar API, on which I have never wrked till date.
Plus its a relatively new phone, so we will see more action once other devs buy the device too!
Cheers mates!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
... But there is no need to implement illumination api in apps/system in begin stage. First we need fully working cm then we can think about transparent bar and it's lights Think this is not so hard to implement it. Sony release api and documentation also great will be see floating touch working like in stock rom (gloves mode).
Sent from my C5303 using xda premium
As of now, Best mid range phone is still SP. S3 is a bit more expensive, but SP is better than it (except for camera and if you like amoled). If you want you can wait for HTC one mini, although its only 4.3 inches and price is not yet revealed.
Not this thread. Sorry. Please Delete.
cidane said:
As of now, Best mid range phone is still SP. S3 is a bit more expensive, but SP is better than it (except for camera and if you like amoled). If you want you can wait for HTC one mini, although its only 4.3 inches and price is not yet revealed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe the HTC to be far more expensive, without any expansion port, and with a huge bezel.
S3 is a good choice, yea. But the S4 mini is a complete joke. No HD, and the worst pricing ever.
Maybe, for someone that is not in a hurry, waiting for the X Phone could be a good idea. But for now, SP (and S3) rules.
Hmmm, I 1st look at N4, but it cost as much as a XZL, not worth it I guess, but getting either one will blow my budget. so I then get an XV, after three weeks a member of my local Facebook group is interested to swap his SP with My V.. He is a mobile seller who get the SP for free, but he need a waterproof phone as he ride a bike. So that how I get the SP.
Sent from my C5302 using xda app-developers app
well, today I bought the SP - I like it a lot, the only downsides are:
- WIFI signal
- Camera is quite weak
- can't connect it to my Mac?! the option to access the storage in order to transfer files isn't there.. (tg there's airdroid)
I'll try it over the weekend but if the wifi is still an issue (intermittent signal 5m from the router with no walls in between!) I'll give it back and will look for an alternative.. we'll see
charliebigpot said:
well, today I bought the SP - I like it a lot, the only downsides are:
- WIFI signal
- Camera is quite weak
- can't connect it to my Mac?! the option to access the storage in order to transfer files isn't there.. (tg there's airdroid)
I'll try it over the weekend but if the wifi is still an issue (intermittent signal 5m from the router with no walls in between!) I'll give it back and will look for an alternative.. we'll see
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
... Wait for update.
Battery: ok, I installed plenty of apps and had exactly 70% left. Oddly enough this morning I had 71% left so there's a calibration issue. Now after 5 hours of occasional 3g, 20 min of offline music and some messaging it's at 29%.
Photos : not impressed
Wifi and 3g: connectivity is very poor.. my old Desire was a lot better and reliable
Screen: it's on auto brightness and honestly note while typing this message the luminosity changed about 10 times, pretty annoying.
Audio: excellent!
Overheating: no
(While writing this message the battery dropped to 26%)
I am seriously considering to give it back, I like the phone but the connectivity issue seems to be h hardware related.. I'm a moment of madness I even thought about buying an iPhone5 instead..
charliebigpot said:
Battery: ok, I installed plenty of apps and had exactly 70% left. Oddly enough this morning I had 71% left so there's a calibration issue. Now after 5 hours of occasional 3g, 20 min of offline music and some messaging it's at 29%.
Photos : not impressed
Wifi and 3g: connectivity is very poor.. my old Desire was a lot better and reliable
Screen: it's on auto brightness and honestly note while typing this message the luminosity changed about 10 times, pretty annoying.
Audio: excellent!
Overheating: no
(While writing this message the battery dropped to 26%)
I am seriously considering to give it back, I like the phone but the connectivity issue seems to be h hardware related.. I'm a moment of madness I even thought about buying an iPhone5 instead..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
About battery... Battery live is good - 2+ days standard usage: sms, calling, 3g always on, about 50 minutes wifi activity, stamina on, some photos and movies.
And when I got my phone first 2 days was waring... Battery was very week. I have charged my phone about 3-4 times. And on third day battery is ok strange but I'm happy it now working correctly.
Mobile signal is ok. Like in my previous Xperia S.
Wifi is week - waiting for SW update.
Autobrightness must be improved, this is not working properly.
Camera is not so good, waiting for SW update.
Usefull transparent illumination bar. VERY VERY GOOD IDEA TO PLACE IT IN THIS PHONE!!!!
Umm. XPERIA ZR would be a perfect alternative
Phillip Wu said:
Umm. XPERIA ZR would be a perfect alternative
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, indeed. Only that it's slightly bigger, heavier and more expensive. But apart from that it looks like the waterproof twin of the SP Actually, if the wifi problems still hold on I might go back to the store and try to get the ZR instead.
Well, today I gave my SP back and fetched a S4 Mini instead.
I'm not saying all SPs have the same issues as mine had, but the ones that I had (below) were pretty severe and after talking twice to the Xperia customer service and 2 factory resets they were like "just return it". I guess I was unlucky but here's what went wrong and what I really liked:
What I liked:
- Battery: after 2 full days I still had 12% left
- Screen: it's simply wonderful
- Call quality: The sound was really really good
What went wrong:
- WiFI was just horrible as I often lost signal even with the router being 3 meters away. I tried changing the router's channel/frequency but that didn't help, even my old HTC Desire has much better WiFI signal.
- Multitasking: Couldn't use 3g with Chrome (2-3 tabs open) and listen to Google Music (playing music from the SD card) at the same time as it always closed Google Music. I guess I should have seen that one coming with 1gb RAM only.
- Call issues: today all of a sudden I could only hear the other person speaking when using headphones or by activating the speaker
Hello guys.
I'm a long time reader but a new member.
Almost two months ago, my HTC One V was stolen by pickpockets in a crowded Mumbai train.
Since then, I was looking to buy a new phone. Soon, phones like Xperia M and L caught my eye. While I was browsing to phones, I saw Xperia SP, and the bang for the buck it gave, made me decide that this might be the phone I might buy.
Now, as I was looking and going through stuff, I came to know a lot of the cons of the phone, while pros outnumber the cons, the cons were quite important in this case. I've gone through a lots of threads and have known a lot, but some questions remain. Hence, I'm asking some questions in order to solve my queries and give a better view about it. Wish to get proper replies.
1. What version is the Indian variant. C5302, C5303 or C5306.
2. Lots of people say it's heavy. How do you feel about it.
3. GSM Arena wasn't happy with the loudspeaker, does it ring loudly? I see all the phones having a speaker in the back, causing it to ring very quietly.
4. Now an important one. On my HTC One V, I had an option to move apps to SD card. As I was browsing, through the forums, I came to know that it's not possible anymore without rooting. And rooting is something I do not prefer as of now (I had huge plans for One V, but unfortunetely, it was stolen before I decided to root it after the warranty was over).
On One V, I was having loop boot problem after moving the files to the SD card, however, that's not an issue here. Thing is, on One V, I had used AppMgr III (App 2 SD) to move my apps to SD card.
So now is my question. Will App 2 SD work without rooting? Has anyone tried using it without rooting? The Apps 2 SD page mentions this:
Move apps function may not work on your device as manufacture removes the function of moving apps to SD from Android system (not support: S4, S DUOS, Note2, Tab 2, L5-L9, OneX, 7-10" tablet)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does this apply to Xperia devices too?
This is very much a concerning thing to me, as 5.8 GB isn't a lot if one likes gaming.
5. Has the lack of sufficient space, just 5.8 GB, ever caused concerns for you?
6. Again, important one. How bad is the WiFi? I live in a 1BHK house in a suburb. While I mostly use WiFi (and internet for that matter) near my router and PC situated in the hall, my One V never did well for reaching the bedroom, something I was expecting SP to do well until I came to know about the problem.
Same situation here, I do not prefer to root my phone. Can the WiFi be fixed in any other way? Different channel / mode?
7. Does the WiFi fixes available here actually fix your WiFi? After using the fixes available, is it comparable to other phones' / laptops' reception? What do you think, it's software problem or hardware problem?
8. Do you expect Sony to fix the WiFI problem in in future?
9. People who have rooted then flashed their phones to latest Android should not having any WiFi problems right?
10. I remember some version of iPhone having grip of death for WiFi. Do you guys think SP's bad WiFi reception is due to this?
11. Now the camera. I've seen enough photos / graphs to say that Xperia SP probably has the worst smartphone camera I've seen. Comparing it to my HTC One V, One V was like godsent camera phone. So what to you guys think, is the camera something that is acceptable or just total deal breaker?
I personally do not have any use for the camera. However, my sister is a big camera selfie lover. While I see that the camera takes some beautiful vivid pictures outside, my use the camera would be mostly indoors.
From what I can understand is that the camera is over-compressing the images? I've seen photos very in-depth and have concluded that, one, SP pictures lack details, two, have lots of noise.
Those who wanna compare it on GSM Arena, don't use to ISO chart, see the camera on the color poster: gsmarena.com/piccmp.php3?idType=3&idPhone1=5364&idPhone2=5363&idPhone3=5375.
Compare it something like HTC One V and see the difference of quality of images.
While I've photoshopped and removed noise from the pictures I've found from the internet, from Xperia SP, I don't know if it's worth it, so I'm confused.
12. I've read some users saying that they tried 3rd party camera apps like ProCapture and they immediately saw that Xperia SP started taking great pictures. Can you say the same for yourself? Has anyone tried doing such?
13. Have people who have rooted / flashed SP to latest Android see any improvements in the camera?
14. What do you think. Is Xperia SP's crappy camera about hardware quality of the camera or the software?
15. Do you, being realist here, expect Sony to fix the camera with an update?
16. Now about rooting. Will rooting void the warranty? I read somewhere that if you do not unlock the bootloader, you do not void the warranty. Is it possible to just root the phone without unlocking the bootloader without flash it?
17. Noob question. Do you receive updates if you have rooted the phone? If yes, lets say, I made changes to the WiFi file, and then I updated the phone, will the root stay? If not, will the changes made to the file stay?
18. Now about the CPU. I know the phones are moving very faster these days. However, I'm making a big investment if I buy Xperia SP. So SP being so powerful of a phone it is, do you expect it to stay good to play generally powerful games for lets say, next 4 years? I'm not a person who likes changing his phone every year or two, nor do I have money to do that.
19. Some people are reporting screen touch issues when charging or when putting on desk. It is said to be fixed, is it true?
20. I compared the phone to Galaxy S3 and found that S3 had more contrast ratio when playing videos, however, Xperia SP seemed more bright, what to you guys think?
21. How is the front camera? I don't care about the resolution, but clear enough for video calling?
22. Any other problems / things anyone feels worth mentioning?
That's pretty much it for the phone, however, I have more questions.
23. I'm willing to squeeze out more money for a better phone like Xperia ZR, Galaxy S3 and such. However, they have their own problems. Like, S3 is nowhere to be compared with Xperia SP as SP's graphics is top-end.
As for ZR. I have two problems with it, one small, one big. The small one being people calling it's loudspeaker muffed and the big one being it not being Gorilla Glass. To understand what I'm concerned about it, see this: youtube.com/watch?v=4GzYnDnZDRg and this: youtube.com/watch?v=Q2qdwsFd-Qw. It shows that ZR screen is neither tough / shatter-proof nor, thanks to the sheet, scratch proof. And removing the sheet means warranty void. I've seen that even Xperia Z has the same thing, which makes me think how people manage with this?
24. What alternative phones to SP price range (Rs. 20500 to 22500 here - $330 to $360) or Galaxy S3 / ZR price range (Rs. 26500 here - $425) do you guys recommend?
25. Is the phone worth it? Will you recommend it to me?
Anyway, sorry for huge post. As so many days of sadness for the loss of my HTC One V, I'm asking this, so please bear with me. All these questions have been churning in my mind from almost month and a half now.
Any help with the questions will be greatly appreciated.
1- I don't know, It could be the 5303 or 5302
2-Yes, its heavier than the Z and ZL at 155 grams
3-Ring volume its OK, better than my previous phone (Xperia pro)
4-No. You cant move apps to the external microSD without root.
5-The internal storage its just for apps, the external for media. Its enough but could be better
6-I've never had problems with the Wi-Fi the last 5-6 months with my SP
7-They are just placeboes
8-I dont think so
9-????????????
10-Could be the metal used on the frame, If thats the reason the Z1 may have similar problems
11-Mediocre photo camera, my old pro (neo,ray and arc similar) took better pictures. Video recording is OK. You may want to use another camera app
12-Even Instagram's camera takes better pictures
13-I haven't seen any improvements
14-Could be both
15-May or may not be fixed when 4.3 arrives
16-In many countries, rooting voids the warranty...but just keep a copy of the STOCK, ORIGINAL firmware and flash it before taking it to a service shop. Bootloader unlock may void the warranty, Its better to ask before doing it because it cannot be undone. Dont worry about flashing, on a Sony phone its very easy
17-Yes, you may receive updates but you will lose the root access. Sometimes Update Service refuses to update if the phone is rooted, sometimes not. After unlockin the bootloader you cant use official sony tools, just flashtool.
18.I'm sorry to hear that...I made a huge investment on my SP too, but electronics, specifically smartphones are not designed or built to last. They are disposable. Right now its a good phone...but next year will be obsolete.
19-I had that issue. I dont know if there is a fix for that, but I tried disabling the glove mode and it seems to stop the touch issues
20-Screen isn't that great, cant compare to LED screens
21-Z and ZL have better front cameras. The one in the SP is still as bad as the one you will find on a 2011 phone
22-Phone overheats, that makes some people feel uncomfortable, up to 47 degrres celcius when playin real racing 3. No big deal for me
23-??????
24-I live in Mexico.
25-Yes, it will be a good phone for the next 12-18 months. After that time you will have to buy a new one.
As cachanilla86 answer almost everything.
for Q9. No - most of the sp suffers from wifi problems. whether rooted or not...
for Q23 Check S4 or xperia Z ultra...
1. Don’t know either
2. Yes its heavy, a manly phone
3. The loudspeaker is fine, may not be the loudest on earth but it’s fine.
4. Apps to SD is a contentious issue – the official line is that Google don’t like external SD cards and from Jelly Bean onwards it was no longer part of any Android builds. It’s the same with hardware navigation buttons, Google would prefer them to be on the screen soft keys. However manufacturers can do what they want – Samsung does what it likes and still uses hardware buttons and has tweaked their builds to allow app to sd. Sony haven’t had hardware nav buttons for some time now and perhaps their love for DRM makes them sympathetic to the idea of stopping users from moving apps around.
Anyway, it doesn’t work without rooting, hell it doesn’t work in the normal sense when you ARE rooted – hopefully a nice CM build will come along and resolve the situation for us.
5. Yes and no – it would be nice to install loads of games without a care, but I only really play one ‘big’ game at a time. Rooting can help too because you can move the data portions of big games to an external sd card with folder mount.
6. Range is excellent for me, the authentication process can take ages though, I had the same problem with my 2011 xperia – when the phone is trying to connect to the router signal strength seems to drop and I think you get into a loop of the phone thinking the wifi is too weak to connect to and it swaps to data, the signal goes up again and you try to connect but the same thing happens again. With my 2011 device most custom kernels, especially ones that were cm10 based, connection was instant – this is almost certainly a software issue.
There is talk that the most modern routers don’t have as many issues.
7. The fix that works best for me is the one that changes the level at which the phone decides the wifi reception is so bad it has to swap to data – the range is and has always been great for me, better than other devices in my house.
8. There have been 3 build versions of the phone so far – I’ve always had to apply the tweak. Don’t think Sony regard it as a problem.
9. There are no custom roms out there that provide the latest version of android, they are all based on 4.1.2. There should be a 4.2 build from FreeXperia at some point and a 4.3 build from some independent developers, but there is no ETA for either of these builds. This is not to say that the developers of existing custom roms haven’t tweaked wifi so it works better.
10. As I said, I’m certain it’s a software issue.
11. The camera’s auto mode is pretty poor in conditions which are less than optimum – you can take a nice photo if you mess with settings BUT in my opinion this is missing the point. If I want to mess with settings I’ll use a proper camera, I just want to take quick snaps with my phone in situations where I didn’t necessarily think I’d need to bring a camera. For the SP (and other Sony phones) the camera doesn’t support this type of spontaneous photography very well.
12. Haven’t heard of procapture, thanks for the tip
13. See my previous comments – the only builds available for the SP are 4.1.2 based.
14. Hope it’s the software – I’m no expert, but people talk about too much processing/compression.
15. I had a 2011 xperia with 8MP and the camera on the SP is not significantly better – I don’t think Sony believe that it’s a problem.
16. Unless the apps/mods/roms you install after root cause hardware damage, you can always just flash a stock rom – so warranty should be unaffected. Of course if you are unable to flash a stock rom because of hardware damage…
17. You do receive updates if you’re rooted. Historically if you updated OTA you kept root, via the PC meant you lost it.
18. The smart phone market is moving so fast that I doubt any phone out today will be able to play the most demanding games from 4 years time without any trouble. The latest iphone has 64 bit architecture and this will soon follow for android. Similarly, I imagine that graphics chips are upgraded once or twice a year – so you might be as many as 8 cycles behind what is considered top of the range. The SP is a midrange phone, with some flag ship properties.
19. There are still some touch issues in my opinion, though this is improving build to build.
20. Don’t know about the S3 – the XP screen is fine though, not mind blowing, but in no sense bad or embarrassing.
21. Fine for video calling, perfect in fact. OK for selfies if close up. Do not use for anything else – as mentioned it would only be an average FC for a 2011 device.
22. Not really you’ve been very thorough
That's pretty much it for the phone, however, I have more questions.
23. Don’t think the S3 is better, the S4 mini is better in my opinion ONLY if you can live with a smaller screen. If you can stretch to the ZR do it.
My last xperia didn’t have gorilla glass – I used screen protectors and after 18 months of use I sold it to a recycling company for the maximum stated value (so they regarded it's condition as perfect). Any phone with a large screen is more vulnerable to being broken than one with a small screen. Most days on the underground and on buses I see people with busted screens - usually S3s, S4s and iphones - but I guess this is because they are the most common phones.
24. The choice for me was this or the S4 mini – I prefer Sony phones though and the bigger screen was the deal breaker. You could wait for the new Nexus, maybe a month to go? This was my plan, but my network provider offered me an early upgrade to move to 4G and I couldn’t say no.
25. The phone is definitely worth it – I’m not mad on photography and am rooted, so can get around the storage issue. After that it has most of the really important flag ship stuff, the things that you need, rather than eye scrolling or the ability to take it swimming, and the user experience is great.
Thanks for the answers guys.
After this, I'm more unsure about SP.
Now, I'm considering ZR or ZL, as both are priced similar here.
DKT27 said:
Thanks for the answers guys.
After this, I'm more unsure about SP.
Now, I'm considering ZR or ZL, as both are priced similar here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unsure too as well now lol.
Might have to look for alternatives to SP with better camera for same price.
King p1n said:
Unsure too as well now lol.
Might have to look for alternatives to SP with better camera for same price.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If camera is a priority, then Xperia M has a good camera. However, you may not find any phone with such a powerful processor and graphics card, 720p screen and other features at this price.
I read all the questions wont be answering all, but I'll suggest you to go with XPERIA ZR (Don't go for ZR if you gona be using some mods or different ROM's as ZR is a low legacy device and many don't own it so there are no good devs for ZR) or ZL or either Nexus 4 also about rooting you can root any phone it doesn't voids warranty and also removing the scratch-proof sheet on ZR can be removed it doesn't voids warranty.
RuchRha said:
I read all the questions wont be answering all, but I'll suggest you to go with XPERIA ZR (Don't go for ZR if you gona be using some mods or different ROM's as ZR is a low legacy device and many don't own it so there are no good devs for ZR) or ZL or either Nexus 4 also about rooting you can root any phone it doesn't voids warranty and also removing the scratch-proof sheet on ZR can be removed it doesn't voids warranty.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the answer.
I might not use any mods or ROMs as of now.
ZR and ZL seem to be priced same here. So I'm leaning towards ZL.
As for Nexus 4, it's good but no microSD card support and ZL seems better.
Thanks again for the rooting issue. However, I read that rooting requires one to change ROMs or something? I'm very much a noob in this so no idea.
About the glass and the scatter proof sheet. One, I want to know whether the glass is actually tough enough to challenge Gorilla Glass or is even near it. I'm scared for the phone hitting the ground and the expensive screen breaking. As for the warranty, see this. The only reason to remove the sheet is, that it's cloth and scratch magnet, which can be fixed by by scratch guard I think.
DKT27 said:
Thanks for the answer.
I might not use any mods or ROMs as of now.
ZR and ZL seem to be priced same here. So I'm leaning towards ZL.
As for Nexus 4, it's good but no microSD card support and ZL seems better.
Thanks again for the rooting issue. However, I read that rooting requires one to change ROMs or something? I'm very much a noob in this so no idea.
About the glass and the scatter proof sheet. One, I want to know whether the glass is actually tough enough to challenge Gorilla Glass or is even near it. I'm scared for the phone hitting the ground and the expensive screen breaking. As for the warranty, see this. The only reason to remove the sheet is, that it's cloth and scratch magnet, which can be fixed by by scratch guard I think.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't need any ROM's for rooting, there are many rooting toolkits by DooMLoRD which easily roots a device, and the shatter proof glass is pretty strong (I feel far better than gorilla), my phone has felt many time (XPERIA Z) and nothing happened except a few scratches on the body but nothing on screen or back and I also have removed the scratch proof sheet and I mostly do so with all my XPERIA's it does not voids warranty.
DKT27 said:
If camera is a priority, then Xperia M has a good camera. However, you may not find any phone with such a powerful processor and graphics card, 720p screen and other features at this price.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
on a 5mp now on Galaxy Nexus and its not too great either and i see the Xperia M has a 5 MP also.
Hate the way Sony skimped on the front cam to only VGA, especially If I finally getting involved in snapchatting and what not it wont be great
I've heard people throw the 8mp camera and software in the same sentence, Im guessing its not the software that causing bad quality images?
Hello Everybody,
I currently have a Z Ultra and an Arc S (need to carry two phones). I have been in a dilemma for a while trying to decide between Z1 and QX100. I know it might sound ridiculous, but it is what it is. Basically, I want to replace my Arc S (which has a wonderful camera) with a Z1. I have seen some excellent shots taken by Z1. If I get the z1, the camera has to be the significantly better than any other ANDROID phone. (and I'd be sacrificing LTE, since only unlocked HSPA version is available in the US, imported unbranded LTE versions won't fully work with my carrier, AT&T). If the camera is just a bit better than the competition, I'll just get the QX100 and call it a day.
What do you guys suggest?
Besides, if anyone happened to own US versions of both XZU (c6806 or c6802) and Z1 (c6902), could you please comment on the displays? I have an XZU (c6806) and its display is easily the best one I have ever seen. Hopefully, US version of Z1 comes with similar panel - just wanted to double check.
Thanks much in advance
schecter7 said:
Hello Everybody,
I currently have a Z Ultra and an Arc S (need to carry two phones). I have been in a dilemma for a while trying to decide between Z1 and QX100. I know it might sound ridiculous, but it is what it is. Basically, I want to replace my Arc S (which has a wonderful camera) with a Z1. I have seen some excellent shots taken by Z1. If I get the z1, the camera has to be the significantly better than any other ANDROID phone. (and I'd be sacrificing LTE, since only unlocked HSPA version is available in the US, imported unbranded LTE versions won't fully work with my carrier, AT&T). If the camera is just a bit better than the competition, I'll just get the QX100 and call it a day.
What do you guys suggest?
Besides, if anyone happened to own US versions of both XZU (c6806 or c6802) and Z1 (c6902), could you please comment on the displays? I have an XZU (c6806) and its display is easily the best one I have ever seen. Hopefully, US version of Z1 comes with similar panel - just wanted to double check.
Thanks much in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ironically I currently have all 3: Z1, Ultra and the QX100. The Z1's camera is a substantial upgrade over the ultra but not close to the QX100. The QX100 takes much better photos but there is a substantial trade-off in size and dealing with lag to connect. Really depends on your needs. I'd say the Z1 is among the best android cameras but I'm not sure it's significantly better than very best competitors.
The display on the Ultra is much better than the Z1. I'd say the Ultra is the best display I've seen in a mobile device, the Z1 is probably closer to an average quality in a modern mobile. It's not a great comparison for the Z1 if you have them side by side.
If you can find a C6906 from Canada you can get LTE on AT&T.
Thanks a lot, man! I had a slight hope that US version of Z1 might have won the 'display lottery' , since US was probably the last region to get Z1 :crying: I'm probably going to get one though - not sure yet. Viewing angle aside, does your z1 display look as good as XZU if you're looking at it directly?
Thanks!
schecter7 said:
Thanks a lot, man! I had a slight hope that US version of Z1 might have won the 'display lottery' , since US was probably the last region to get Z1 :crying: I'm probably going to get one though - not sure yet. Viewing angle aside, does your z1 display look as good as XZU if you're looking at it directly?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No even directly it doesn't have the contrast range of the Ultra. It's very good but the Ultra really spoils you compared to almost anything else.
Got it - thanks! Sony's evil plan of forcing two devices down my throat seems to be working perfectly this time. Anyways, thanks much for your help.
I tried today in Las Vegas at the Sony store both QX. I was interested too. Conclusion? It is a lag fest. If you are lucky you can see smoothly on your screen the image otherwise you should wait many seconds to get your image back in sync with your screen. I don't know if there are firmware updates for the QX but currently IMHO is not gonna work. I can confirm that Z1 in high lights is a beast. Even compared to the camera phone Nokia 1020. If you care about low lights, this is not your phone.
The display isn't so worse than the ultra at least mine (UK LTE). The ultra is sightly better.
Sent from my C6903 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
The display of Ultra is very nice, imagine HTC One in a 6" LCD and you're there, Z1 display is very nice too but not quite as good. Also there is no real comparison between QX100 and Z1. I mean you cant compare a dedicated shooter against a smartphone,
In saying that you cant use the QX100 without a smartphone and thats where things go pear shaped.
QX100 really takes magic shots that easily compare to any PAS or any other digital camera, however the interface between phone and lense sucks balls!
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Source?
paulson881 said:
Source?
Click to expand...
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.