Database Develop

Xperia SP alternatives?

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

[Q] Tell me your experience with your Xperia ZR

Tell me about bugs, pros, cons, size, all about your user experience with ZR, i am considering buy this device, is it really good?
Tnx in advance

Don Luciano said:
Tell me about bugs, pros, cons, size, all about your user experience with ZR, i am considering buy this device, is it really good?
Tnx in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
my only, and i mean only slight disapointment at this device is the screen, it washes out when viewing from large angles, which is negligble most of the times, unless you're for somereason trying to watch what someone else is doing on your phone while he's far from you.
other than that it's absolutly perfect, water resistent, very fast and snappy, battery lasts a day and sometimes two, volume is descent and camera is great once you figure out how to take goodnight shots.
i don't find the 8GB internal to be too small, i have a lot of apps installed including a few big games, for multimedia i just have my 16GB sd card.

Never get lags
Sent from my C5502 using xda premium

Low headphone volume is very annoying.
Sent from my C5502 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Don Luciano said:
Tell me about bugs, pros, cons, size, all about your user experience with ZR, i am considering buy this device, is it really good?
Tnx in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For me the main problem is not to be able to use the Sd card for application storage.
Otherwise I m very happy with it.
Big screen but not too big.
Fast fast fast...
The front camera is not so good but do you use it often? Me once in 2 months...
The usb cover can get tricky sometimes but after a few week it become easier.
But why don't you wait a little more and buy a Z1s....

Not good at all
Because of:
1.Very little to No developer support for our device
2.Volume is very low
3.Probably no KitKat for our wonderful device
4.Camera is not nice,in any condition its just too grainy and zooming on a picture is pointless as it gets very bad
5.Shortage of accessories
6.Sony's service is very poor
7.No warranty on water proof.....
Etc.
Other than this the experience is great
Not on device but on android and a nicely designed phone.

kraken000 said:
Not good at all
Because of:
1.Very little to No developer support for our device
2.Volume is very low
3.Probably no KitKat for our wonderful device
4.Camera is not nice,in any condition its just too grainy and zooming on a picture is pointless as it gets very bad
5.Shortage of accessories
6.Sony's service is very poor
7.No warranty on water proof.....
Etc.
Other than this the experience is great
Not on device but on android and a nicely designed phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol kraken, go for a reading trip around the forum, most of what you wrote here is already discussed a solved...
1. almost every xz rom works on ZR with a little tweaking, you have miui and CM also, kikat will have to get to ZR if it gets to Z it's practicly the same, mybe a month later.
the camera is defenetly one of the better ones, night shots require to use manual mode to get better resaults, someone did comparison with galaxy s4 in the pictures thread and when done right quiality is the same.
shortage of accessories is also wrong, you have original sony dock and cheaper excellet docks on ebay, plenty of covers and screen procetors...
and about water warrenty?? no waterproff phone has a waterproofing warrenty, non from sony or the samsung galaxy active devices...

shteren said:
lol kraken, go for a reading trip around the forum, most of what you wrote here is already discussed a solved...
1. almost every xz rom works on ZR with a little tweaking, you have miui and CM also, kikat will have to get to ZR if it gets to Z it's practicly the same, mybe a month later.
the camera is defenetly one of the better ones, night shots require to use manual mode to get better resaults, someone did comparison with galaxy s4 in the pictures thread and when done right quiality is the same.
shortage of accessories is also wrong, you have original sony dock and cheaper excellet docks on ebay, plenty of covers and screen procetors...
and about water warrenty?? no waterproff phone has a waterproofing warrenty, non from sony or the samsung galaxy active devices...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't totally agree with you shteren
But if you know how to modify ROMs from Z or ZL to ZR
Please mod this one and upload it here cuz it's amazing
http:// http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2495576
And also tell me an ultra noob friendly way to mod Z roms for Zr
For future use....

+ Great size
+ Good battery life
+ Software (lightly skinned, no TouchWiz crap here)
+ Build quality
+ Fast and snappy with no lag
+ Sony media apps are nice
+ STAMINA mode
+ Can use with a dock
+ IP58 certified waterproof and dust proof
+ Excellent camera with proper camera button
- Notification light is too dim and colour can't be changed
- Lack of accessories (can't even get a proper leather case)
- Port covers likely to get damaged with constant open and close action
- Soft keys (prefer Samsung home button)
- Screen is washed out and looks rubbish compared to AMOLED but it's not as bad as the reviews

[Q] Xperia ZR still worth buying?

Hi All,
I currently own a Acer Cloudmobile, it has horrific battery life even with a huge mugen power battery.
It's fine in standby, but eats battery when I travel by train.
So I've been looking at Xperias. My work has gone crazy for Zs and Z1s.
I was hoping the Z1s would be out by now, but it isn't.
So would you still buy a ZR today? what else would you consider.
I prefer having microSD (I have a 64GB card right now) and a removable battery just in case. I use my phone for the following things in order of priority. I'd also like an official 4.4 update. I have small hands for a guy, I tried an LG G2 and couldn't use the buttons on the back with one hand!
1. Listening to music
2. Surfing the web, emails social networking on a moving train or bus
3. Texting
4. Watching videos
5. Taking photos
6. Making calls
7. Gaming

Chrispynutt said:
Hi All,
I currently own a Acer Cloudmobile, it has horrific battery life even with a huge mugen power battery.
It's fine in standby, but eats battery when I travel by train.
So I've been looking at Xperias. My work has gone crazy for Zs and Z1s.
I was hoping the Z1s would be out by now, but it isn't.
So would you still buy a ZR today? what else would you consider.
I prefer having microSD (I have a 64GB card right now) and a removable battery just in case. I use my phone for the following things in order of priority. I'd also like an official 4.4 update. I have small hands for a guy, I tried an LG G2 and couldn't use the buttons on the back with one hand!
1. Listening to music
2. Surfing the web, emails social networking on a moving train or bus
3. Texting
4. Watching videos
5. Taking photos
6. Making calls
7. Gaming
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well!
you have two options, either wait for xperia z1 mini (which i guess you don't want since you can't wait for z1)
or buy the zr, either way if the lg g2 was too big for you z1 is even bigger.
imho the zr is a superb device, good camera (for phones) great battery life, reletavly compact for it's hardware, and i really don't feel like the 1.5 quad core snapdragon is outdated, it works flawleslly switching between open apps, heavy 3d games pdf files etc...
i whould reccomend it.
about android 4.4... sony never said it will come to zr yet... but we already have stable 4.4 rom and CM 11 also going steady soon for zr, besides that xperia z and zr have the same hardware, so most z roms work on zr, so i guess once z gets the android 4.4 someone will make a port for zr.
but you can't count on it if it's super importent for you.

The first android device that i can recommend without hesitation. First phone that i don't even need to flash.the stock rom is very good. Just root and you're good to go.

you know.. your question is quite blasphemous in this forum...
Xperia ZR has the perfect size, weight, ruggedness, performance, battery life (although I would want a battery that never needs charging - one could hope), front facing camera (i need low bandwidth data video calling and i dont do selfies)...
but I would wait for the Z1 mini if I can since you already lost about 4-6 months of us enjoying the ZR...
:highfive:

Had my ZR for about a week now, upgraded from an Xperia Go.
A breath of fresh air after the sluggishness of the Go trying to run Cyanogen ICS, didn't even attempt installing JB.
Biggest improvement is with the camera, it actually takes a photo when I want rather than 10 seconds later.
Well pleased with it, am running the stock 4.2.2 ROM rooted and only had one problem so far - bluetooth handsfree doesn't work with the latest 2.67 update (Several threads in Sony forums about it, so it's not just me).

Not so sure
For me the ZR is definitively a very good device: good size, good power...
May be the batterie could have been better and the internal memory is a bit too small (8g so around 4.5 for user but you can root and transfer app to Sd with FolderMount).
I think you won't be disappointed but my feeling is that the Zr is a already a bit forgotten by Sony.
See the update schedule for KitKat, I m not even sure we ll get it on Zr and when? 2014? It s a joke...
So may be wait for the Z1s if you want to have update in the coming month.
Furthermore, it looks a lot better than the ZR.
This time it is really 'like the big one but smaller'.
You cannot say that when you compare Z and ZR....

z1s no removable battery, right?

Z1s is worth waiting，and ZR is the best choice at this stage.

I'd say, grab it while it's still on market

I just bought a new one. I used to own a HTC EVO 3D
and i would defenitly say it is an extremely good phone
My brother has the s4 mini and defenitly it is inferior to my xperia zr

Hi, I am also planning to buy my first android phone. My usage will me the same as of Chrispynutt except that I am not much into gaming (except for basic games like fruit cutter, temple run etc). Priority for me would be loud clear voice quality and good HD photos and videos
I am confused between Xperia ZR and Xperia ZL. Which of these will be the better performing phones and does Sony plan to countinue it's support/upgrade in 2014 and may be later on?
Also does these phones support 'AutoVoice Integratio​n with Google Now' ( youtube[dot]com/watch?v=wI4bSMiO_xY )

gizmofreakxp said:
Hi, I am also planning to buy my first android phone. My usage will me the same as of Chrispynutt except that I am not much into gaming (except for basic games like fruit cutter, temple run etc). Priority for me would be loud clear voice quality and good HD photos and videos
I am confused between Xperia ZR and Xperia ZL. Which of these will be the better performing phones and does Sony plan to countinue it's support/upgrade in 2014 and may be later on?
Also does these phones support 'AutoVoice Integratio​n with Google Now' ( youtube[dot]com/watch?v=wI4bSMiO_xY )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wait for Z1 mini... Sony will launch it in CES
Feel Xperia Z1 F: Strong, brilliant, both hands Google Translate

gizmofreakxp said:
Hi, I am also planning to buy my first android phone. My usage will me the same as of Chrispynutt except that I am not much into gaming (except for basic games like fruit cutter, temple run etc). Priority for me would be loud clear voice quality and good HD photos and videos
I am confused between Xperia ZR and Xperia ZL. Which of these will be the better performing phones and does Sony plan to countinue it's support/upgrade in 2014 and may be later on?
Also does these phones support 'AutoVoice Integratio​n with Google Now' ( youtube[dot]com/watch?v=wI4bSMiO_xY )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I suggest you wait too as voice quality is correct on Zr but not awesome, even quite bad sometimes.
Also the camera is decent but nothing more. 13MP but the iphone is better with is 8MP...
The vga front camera is awful...
I think sony had a great concept with the ZR (quite as good as the big one but smaller size, closer to the iphone) but the ZR was just a first attempt.
The internal memory is too small, the battery average as the camera...
Im happy with it but the Z1s seems to be a lot better deal.
And for support and update, I m still waiting for 4.3 in my country so don't expect much from Sony...
They said ZR will get 4.4 but when? When Android 5 will be released?

Which one to replace Nexus 5? (Z1 vs G2)

I love the pure Google experience but internal memory and battery capacity of Nexus 5 is just killing me. I would go for G2, but I heard it struggles with poor internal memory performance. Can anyone confirm it with KK onboard? My N5 is .84 rw. Which one has better community support? I would probably flash cm/omni. And Im considering 16GB Z1 vs 32GB G2. I like the feeling of N5, and that's why Im a bit scared of Z1 huge frame, but stable and fully functional pure Google is the most important for me.

mnickkk said:
I love the pure Google experience but internal memory and battery capacity of Nexus 5 is just killing me. I would go for G2, but I heard it struggles with poor internal memory performance. Can anyone confirm it with KK onboard? My N5 is .84 rw. Which one has better community support? I would probably flash cm/omni. And Im considering 16GB Z1 vs 32GB G2. I like the feeling of N5, and that's why Im a bit scared of Z1 huge frame, but stable and fully functional pure Google is the most important for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you care about horrible viewing angles? I mean horrible.

As long as they are not worse than in my TFT desktop monitor, I'm fine with that. Are they worse than in Xperia S? Cause those are almost unacceptable.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

I came from Experia Z and truly don't go for a Z model, screen is horrible, camera is horrible "noise!", battery more horrible than N5. Don't do it!. Today I bought a additional battery for my N5 which easy to replace..
Verstuurd vanaf mijn Nexus 5 met Tapatalk

Wait for the Z2
Sent from my C6906 using Tapatalk

mnickkk said:
As long as they are not worse than in my TFT desktop monitor, I'm fine with that. Are they worse than in Xperia S? Cause those are almost unacceptable.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They're worse. The Z2 fixed that though. It also has a much better camera algorithm. The z1 is full of noise.
Sent from my C6916 using Tapatalk

Wait for the Z2
Sent from my Xperia Z1

I think Z1 is great
Sent from my N986 using xda premium

The only horrible thing is the community, that writes crap about this nice device every time ...
I can tell you (with many hours of testing Z1, G2, S4, etc. that the Z1 is by far the best device out of the top devices at the moment... for sure you will have to know, what you are doing (and seemingly no one here does) ... i'm a photograph and have to say that the camera is brilliant (for a mobile camera) ... you just have to choose manual iso and such things, cause the automatic is (as always at EVERY camera) not the best for all situations ... e.g. if you shoot pics at night, the automatic mode gains the iso to maximum ... this will for sure make you able to shoot pictures that look like at evenig, not at night, but will gain the noise to a max ... if you choose wisely (e.g ISO 400) at night shots and hold the camera still you will get good pictures ...
i may upload a few examples today or tomorrow ..
the display: Yes, it is not such a good viewing angle as on new IPS-Panels or something ... BUT ... do you want everyone in a train e.g. be able to look and read everything on your display? Me not ... It's important to have enough angle to watch videos or look at photos (espacially for me) without getting wrong colors or something ... and THAT is what the Z1 does ...not more, but not less ...
so why is the z1 better than evey other mobile available?!
- it's water resistant (and yes, i testet it half an hour fully under water) ...
- its aluminium frame with saphire glass on both sides (yes it is) gives it a nice finish (im sure you can even let it fall on a stone without braking it, but not tested - it just falls periodically from my table on the carpet - ca 1m - and is still alive )
- the dev community is good
- the battery life is the longest for those cpus and displays
- the camera is awsome
- the display (triluminos) is brilliant with true colors, good contrast, etc ...
- sony delivers good support
- the sound that comes out of this mobile (even with just the headset in the package) is amazingly brilliant - with good earphones it's for sure the best i ever heard (sony has much experience cause of the walkman devices and such things ...)
- it comes out of the box with very cool features such as the stamina mode (wich works brilliant - no need for any other battery apps or task killers) or the ability to bind an DualShock-Controller to the mobile for gaming e.g. ... and much more ...
so enough said .. haters will allways hate ... but i will never give my z1 away ... it's the best phone i ever head in my hands (and i've had more then enough) ...mybe the z2 will be the replacement for the z1 in a while ... but at the moment there is nothing better available ...
EHHHM .. just to be clear ... im reporting about the standard german nonbranded C6903 .. i heard that some other countrys and models may have other display panels and may be worse than the "normal" device ... don't know, what is exactly true about this .. i can only tell you something about German unbranded C6903 which is mine and the mobile of 2 friends of me .. all working without problems ...

I sign this

mnickkk said:
I love the pure Google experience but internal memory and battery capacity of Nexus 5 is just killing me. I would go for G2, but I heard it struggles with poor internal memory performance. Can anyone confirm it with KK onboard? My N5 is .84 rw. Which one has better community support? I would probably flash cm/omni. And Im considering 16GB Z1 vs 32GB G2. I like the feeling of N5, and that's why Im a bit scared of Z1 huge frame, but stable and fully functional pure Google is the most important for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the Z1, but the only reason I went for it instead of the G2 is because I need more than 32GB storage and I care about the materials / build quality of a product a lot. I guess if those things are important to you, go for the Z1, otherwise the G2 is probably better than the Z1 in every way really (especially the display and the size of phone to size of screen ratio. Z1 has HUGE bezels)

DJ_Synergy said:
The only horrible thing is the community, that writes crap about this nice device every time ...
I can tell you (with many hours of testing Z1, G2, S4, etc. that the Z1 is by far the best device out of the top devices at the moment... for sure you will have to know, what you are doing (and seemingly no one here does) ... i'm a photograph and have to say that the camera is brilliant (for a mobile camera) ... you just have to choose manual iso and such things, cause the automatic is (as always at EVERY camera) not the best for all situations ... e.g. if you shoot pics at night, the automatic mode gains the iso to maximum ... this will for sure make you able to shoot pictures that look like at evenig, not at night, but will gain the noise to a max ... if you choose wisely (e.g ISO 400) at night shots and hold the camera still you will get good pictures ...
i may upload a few examples today or tomorrow ..
the display: Yes, it is not such a good viewing angle as on new IPS-Panels or something ... BUT ... do you want everyone in a train e.g. be able to look and read everything on your display? Me not ... It's important to have enough angle to watch videos or look at photos (espacially for me) without getting wrong colors or something ... and THAT is what the Z1 does ...not more, but not less ...
so why is the z1 better than evey other mobile available?!
- it's water resistant (and yes, i testet it half an hour fully under water) ...
- its aluminium frame with saphire glass on both sides (yes it is) gives it a nice finish (im sure you can even let it fall on a stone without braking it, but not tested - it just falls periodically from my table on the carpet - ca 1m - and is still alive )
- the dev community is good
- the battery life is the longest for those cpus and displays
- the camera is awsome
- the display (triluminos) is brilliant with true colors, good contrast, etc ...
- sony delivers good support
- the sound that comes out of this mobile (even with just the headset in the package) is amazingly brilliant - with good earphones it's for sure the best i ever heard (sony has much experience cause of the walkman devices and such things ...)
- it comes out of the box with very cool features such as the stamina mode (wich works brilliant - no need for any other battery apps or task killers) or the ability to bind an DualShock-Controller to the mobile for gaming e.g. ... and much more ...
so enough said .. haters will allways hate ... but i will never give my z1 away ... it's the best phone i ever head in my hands (and i've had more then enough) ...mybe the z2 will be the replacement for the z1 in a while ... but at the moment there is nothing better available ...
EHHHM .. just to be clear ... im reporting about the standard german nonbranded C6903 .. i heard that some other countrys and models may have other display panels and may be worse than the "normal" device ... don't know, what is exactly true about this .. i can only tell you something about German unbranded C6903 which is mine and the mobile of 2 friends of me .. all working without problems ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I do not think there is anything more to say :good:

Why everyone is complaining about Z1?
I have a Z1 and i LOVE IT!
Ok, my first impression wasnt the best (touch issues), but i replace it and now its perfect!
My battery can hold for 2 days with wifi and 4g the entire time, twitter, facebook, email, linkedin, everything connected and i play on my free times. TWO DAYS!
I dont have any problem with the angle because i dont use my phone looking from the sides (who do this?) when i use it the screen is in front of me, so not a problem.
Its water resistent, do you need more? (oh, but i dont live inside a pool bla bla bla, neither me, but is something to consider on a top end phone).
Performance is unbelievable! Im using stock ROM from Sony and is fast, stable, beautiful.
The camera is noisy? Yes, but ONLY on AUTO mode, change to MANUAL and do some basic camera ajustments, you will see a new camera, very clear photos even at night.
Internal storage 16gb, yes, this is crap, but i have 12 games installed and more 2gb of music without a SD Card, so all depends on your use.
So if you want a perfect phone, buy the Z1 or the brand new Z2, both of the phones are incredible!

I also agree.
I sold a Galaxy S4 and caught a Z1 and do not regret it.
I Make excellent pictures in Manual mode (the best camera on a smartphone).
Viewing angles never bothered me, so I usually look at the screen from the front.
Quality construction and water resistance = Perfect!
Excellent battery life.
G2 / N5 = plastic phones, no sdcard slot, no real good cameras, no water resistant, no great battery life.
Conclusion: Today, Z1 is the best option. If you can wait, buy a Z2 or HTC One 2 (M8). These will be better than Z1. :laugh:

I would say the technical best devices are the HTC One or the Xperia Z series. If you compare the Z, Z1 and Z2 the differences are minimal. Because of that you can decide by the amount of money you want to spend for a mobile phone. I am sure after the Z2 reaches the market, the prices for Z and Z1 will be lowered.

marciozh said:
I also agree.
I sold a Galaxy S4 and caught a Z1 and do not regret it.
I Make excellent pictures in Manual mode (the best camera on a smartphone).
Viewing angles never bothered me, so I usually look at the screen from the front.
Quality construction and water resistance = Perfect!
Excellent battery life.
G2 / N5 = plastic phones, no sdcard slot, no real good cameras, no water resistant, no great battery life.
Conclusion: Today, Z1 is the best option. If you can wait, buy a Z2 or HTC One 2 (M8). These will be better than Z1. :laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
G2 has great battery life. probably on par or even better than Z1.

DJ_Synergy said:
so why is the z1 better than evey other mobile available?!
- it's water resistant (and yes, i testet it half an hour fully under water) ...
- its aluminium frame with saphire glass on both sides (yes it is) gives it a nice finish (im sure you can even let it fall on a stone without braking it, but not tested - it just falls periodically from my table on the carpet - ca 1m - and is still alive )
- the dev community is good
- the battery life is the longest for those cpus and displays
- the camera is awsome
- the display (triluminos) is brilliant with true colors, good contrast, etc ...
- sony delivers good support
- the sound that comes out of this mobile (even with just the headset in the package) is amazingly brilliant - with good earphones it's for sure the best i ever heard (sony has much experience cause of the walkman devices and such things ...)
- it comes out of the box with very cool features such as the stamina mode (wich works brilliant - no need for any other battery apps or task killers) or the ability to bind an DualShock-Controller to the mobile for gaming e.g. ... and much more ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
few things i'd like to reply on:
first a few things that are not quite right:
display:
the triluminos display may seem brilliant, but is has it downsides. for those who are in this stuff, this video is pretty nice. well aside from that, it just has to look good right? wich it, in my opinion, does.
sound:
well yeah, with headphones it's definitly something, but without? ouch...
screen:
it's dragontail glass not saphire glass (source)
positive:
camera:
the camera is excellent IF you know how to use it. The G2 does decent pictures without questions, but they are heavily post processed. It may not be visible for the normal user, but if you're in that photo stuff the z1 should do better.
take a look at this page for further information.
but this should all be in vain, because those are stock roms, who really knows how the perform on custom roms?
battery:
it's huge. i came from Xperia S what lasted about 10 Hours with my usage. The Z1 easily gets over 2 Days with wifi, gps, mobile allways on. Additionally i receive quite a few push messages.
edit:
i love my Z1

owned both (Z1 & G2) and I would definitely recommend the G2

Both are good phones...and I was in the exact same position choosing between the G2 and Z1. Yes the Z1 can have images with noise but I've managed to get a good technique with all the tips from XDA members...people are always complementing my Z1 camera
Ultimately it's down to what you want;
mnickkk said:
I love the pure Google experience but internal memory and battery capacity of Nexus 5 is just killing me. I would go for G2, but I heard it struggles with poor internal memory performance. Can anyone confirm it with KK onboard? My N5 is .84 rw. Which one has better community support? I would probably flash cm/omni. And Im considering 16GB Z1 vs 32GB G2. I like the feeling of N5, and that's why Im a bit scared of Z1 huge frame, but stable and fully functional pure Google is the most important for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So if you want custom roms the G2 is hands down the winner compared to the Z1 with a permanently locked bootloader (i.e. not unlockable). However if you can get a unlockable Z1 it's about even. If not the stock Z1 is still really good and very close to pure google experience once you root and clean things up with titanium backup.
If I could choose again I would probably go for the G2 since I prefer messing around with custom roms (although I would miss the solid premium feel the Z1 has...so maybe I'd try harder to source an unlockable Z1 :silly: ).

I was hesitating about the same thing, G2 vs Z1. I was almost sold for the G2, it was pretty nice at test (swipe gestures and tap screen are very user-friendly).
But finally I got my Z1 form my carrier, thinking that if it was not good for me I could sell it at a big price and buy a G2 instead. I never went this way. Testing a Z1 and owning a Z1 are 2 different worlds, this phone has just blown my mind.
Also had an accident with Coca and my phone held out for 30 minutes without any problem, I just washed it under a shower, cleaned it with my shirt. Way to go!
And I'm a music addict. Just check the two topics I've opened lately. All about sound. The Z1 is by far the best out there with Qualcomm DAC, implementation is perfect. Zero noise, zero distortion, power, lively music, responsive EQ, it is worth the experience.
I will definitely not trade my Z1 for a LG G2. Though the last one is an amazing phone and I recommend it, if you have money to chose either the Z1 or the G2, Z1 is the way to go. I don't know the Z2. If it does eveythign the same way or better than the Z1, it's a WIN-WIN situation.
Ah, I run stock ROM, haven't looked after root yet, nor bootloader stuff etc.

Xperia ZR ! Should I go for it ?

Hi !
I'm looking to replace my dead Xperia S with a more "tough" phone. I almost bought an Xperia SP, successor of the S, changed the decision at the last minute as the SP users told me about how bad its camera is.
So, is there any deal breakers like a bad camera or something like that for ZR ?
I heard a lot of complaints about a loose micro usb port, is that a majour concern ?
Thanks !
Happy Easter BTW

No replies !
That means I should get it ?
I'm getting a phone today and the choices for me are Xperia ZR, SGS 4, SGS 4 mini, Lg L90, Moto X, BB Z10.
I'm looking for a tough phone with a good camera and a decent battery backup.

x.marX said:
No replies !
That means I should get it ?
I'm getting a phone today and the choices for me are Xperia ZR, SGS 4, SGS 4 mini, Lg L90, Moto X, BB Z10.
I'm looking for a tough phone with a good camera and a decent battery backup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am user of Xperia ZR C5502.far better than Xperia SP.ZR has better camera,sound and battery other than that it is dust and water resistance.

Well I can say that i am very happy with my xperia zr. I would recommend it anyone who asks. Its very good for tough use, i actually dropped mine a couple of times but no major damage or scratches. Tried taking pictures while in the pool and it was really clear and nothing happened to the phone. Although the screen is unresponsive when wet, Hence the need to put a shutter button on the side. Try watching video reviews on the phones you are interested in then make a decision from which function and features you really need. In the end it all depends on what you want. Goodluck! Hope you become a xperia zr user soon!
Ps. Xperia zr is getting an update at the month of may. So its also something to look forward to.
Sent from my C5503 using xda app-developers app

I am a ZR user from almost an year now (i bought mine when it was fresh out on the stores) I could say if you clean the flaps you wont have any problems at all.Some people where complaining from a BT problems but maybe they cant handle the options (no problems for me).Since the price is low now you can go for it its a deal

bad front camera.

I m using xperia zr from 6months and its working great 100% water resistance washing my phone in every 3-4 day picture quality is gud , fast .camera is not that gud compare to samsung note2 otherwise its a vert gud phone in 27k

i have it since middle 2013 and it works like a charm
very fast,very good battery,strong,water prof,acceptable price
recommend it

Nothing extraordinary!
well, the camera is nice in well-lit conditions. But the performance is poor in low light.
Secondly, the internal memory is too low, but that shouldn't make a difference if you are thinking to root the device.

Thanks guys for the replies but I got a ZR in the mean time.
Its fast but after using good quality ips monitor, the screen of zr is underwhelming. The LG L90 demo unit had a better looking screen in terms of colour and contrast.
But yeah, the ZR is a good alrounder !
btw, I have an OTA update notification, 10.3.1.A.2.67. Should I go ahead and update it ?
Or is there any download link for an Indian version of that firmware ?6

if your phone is working good, then don't update. stock 4.3 has been terrible for me. pretty much every voice recording app broke (facebook, viber, audio messaging).
i'm hoping kitkat update in may will fix it.

Even i am looking forward to buy Xperia ZR but it seems in INdia there are no stocks in the shops and they say the production has stopped...and i read that there were heating issues.....this is bothering me..... so if the users of Xperia ZR confirm that the phones is worth buying and there are no such issues then i will go for it...and i intend to keep this phone for another 4 years...so any views?

dont worry about heating
I got a ZR over a month ago. I am very happy with it. There is no need to worry about heating issues.
I live in hyderabad where the temperature is very high (i wont say it's the highest in the world). When I play games for more than 30 minutes i had felt the device getting heated up - I just wipe it with cold water or pour a bit of cold water and it cools down - it is a waterproof phone after all.
The only drawback of the phone is the front camera (0.3 mega pixel) . But i never use video calling so that's fine with me.

JimSocks said:
if your phone is working good, then don't update. stock 4.3 has been terrible for me. pretty much every voice recording app broke (facebook, viber, audio messaging).
i'm hoping kitkat update in may will fix it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply.
:good:
UPDATE: I put my phone in the water :silly: and now its sitting in the service center at the moment. Its been two weeks and they are saying they need to get a confirmation from their HQ to replace it under the Accident Cover Insurance (promo offer from Sony).

x.marX said:
Thanks for the reply.
:good:
UPDATE: I put my phone in the water :silly: and now its sitting in the service center at the moment. Its been two weeks and they are saying they need to get a confirmation from their HQ to replace it under the Accident Cover Insurance (promo offer from Sony).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
were the flaps closed properly ? (those that cover micro usb port and headset jack)

ajeesh.m said:
were the flaps closed properly ? (those that cover micro usb port and headset jack)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, It was but the back got torn off and water entered the insides quite easily.
Sorry for not updating the thread !
I got the mobile replaced under the Sony Accidental Care insurance program :good:
Aaand they updated the new phone with the latest software from Sony