Database Develop

[Q] [Xperia V] To buy or not to buy

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

Should I upgrade?

Hi there guys,
Currently I have a S3, my friend recommended the Sony Xperia Z1 and after some research, it does seem quite a nice phone.
The issue I have with the S3 is that after a month or so of usage, it slows the hell down, im thinking kit kat would be able to resolve this regarding the way the memory store things as such.
Also Samsung has really pissed me off, my charging port on the phone is damaged, therefore I cant charge or connect to my computer. I have called up 3/4 times for a repair envelope to get sent to me, every single time I dont receive crap, all they do is send out another. Only choice I have is to take it to an authorised service centre which isnt too ideal as I work full time and by the time I get back home the centre will be closed.
I am on o2, my upgrade isnt till June, but I can buy out my contact for under £200.
I really do need to play with the phone itself, if its anything as smooth as my friends HTC One mini then I will buy it straight!
I guess I just need a nudge in the right direction?
Thanks.

I just upgraded from a Galaxy S3

pod8 said:
Hi there guys,
Currently I have a S3, my friend recommended the Sony Xperia Z1 and after some research, it does seem quite a nice phone.
The issue I have with the S3 is that after a month or so of usage, it slows the hell down, im thinking kit kat would be able to resolve this regarding the way the memory store things as such.
Also Samsung has really pissed me off, my charging port on the phone is damaged, therefore I cant charge or connect to my computer. I have called up 3/4 times for a repair envelope to get sent to me, every single time I dont receive crap, all they do is send out another. Only choice I have is to take it to an authorised service centre which isnt too ideal as I work full time and by the time I get back home the centre will be closed.
I am on o2, my upgrade isnt till June, but I can buy out my contact for under £200.
I really do need to play with the phone itself, if its anything as smooth as my friends HTC One mini then I will buy it straight!
I guess I just need a nudge in the right direction?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The issue with the S3 is that
1. It doesn't have TRIM which causes it to slow down like in a month's use so 4.3 which does have it should reduce those issues.
2. Battery life is horrible if google now is enabled however doing a few tricks its solved.
I had an S3 and it was a lemming unit so I upgraded to the Z1... If your'e S3 is working fine once it gets the 4.3 update, hold on as the Z2 will probably be out in Jan-Feb... Its not worth getting the Z1 now halfway to December...

pod8 said:
Hi there guys,
Currently I have a S3, my friend recommended the Sony Xperia Z1 and after some research, it does seem quite a nice phone.
The issue I have with the S3 is that after a month or so of usage, it slows the hell down, im thinking kit kat would be able to resolve this regarding the way the memory store things as such.
Also Samsung has really pissed me off, my charging port on the phone is damaged, therefore I cant charge or connect to my computer. I have called up 3/4 times for a repair envelope to get sent to me, every single time I dont receive crap, all they do is send out another. Only choice I have is to take it to an authorised service centre which isnt too ideal as I work full time and by the time I get back home the centre will be closed.
I am on o2, my upgrade isnt till June, but I can buy out my contact for under £200.
I really do need to play with the phone itself, if its anything as smooth as my friends HTC One mini then I will buy it straight!
I guess I just need a nudge in the right direction?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This comes with experience!
1. If you like to play with roms and modes, Sony is just not that great. For that HTC is the king and thats a huge thing for me
2. If you like to have a device with premium material in your hand Sony is the best, HTC is a close second and if I were you I'd blend the hell out of my S3 and then feed it to my worst enemy!
3. If you like lots and lots of software features stick to Samsung (I would advise you not to do it though!)
4. If you like the best UI go for the HTC
--------------
Pros and Cons time!
Pros:
1. Z1 imho is the best looking android phone ever (yes I had a black HTC One for a brief time and its a beautiful phone but I decided Z1 is better)
2. Z1 up until now has the best performance in graphics comparing to other "phone" flagships (not so sure about the G2 though)
3. Its waterproof (I love it, think about the opportunities you'd have by having a waterproof camera and you'll fall in love like I did!)
Cons:
1. Not even a good "8MP" camera, you figure what its fully sized pics would look like... if you can't check this out
2. Okay speaker comparing to other flagships but superb speaker among waterproofs
3. The display is power hungry
4. The display is also not that great specially if you got used to S3
5. Its an expensive phone considering your only option is 16GB (though you can add an sd card)
-------------------
all these things aside. As you can see I decided to buy this phone and I don't really regret buying it (I'm 80% happy) and again as you can see in my signature I wanna buy the Z2 too, so its really up to you to decide...
if you have any more questions I'd be happy to help you with what I know

ara.armagedon said:
This comes with experience!
1. If you like to play with roms and modes, Sony is just not that great. For that HTC is the king and thats a huge thing for me
2. If you like to have a device with premium material in your hand Sony is the best, HTC is a close second and if I were you I'd blend the hell out of my S3 and then feed it to my worst enemy!
3. If you like lots and lots of software features stick to Samsung (I would advise you not to do it though!)
4. If you like the best UI go for the HTC
--------------
Pros and Cons time!
Pros:
1. Z1 imho is the best looking android phone ever (yes I had a black HTC One for a brief time and its a beautiful phone but I decided Z1 is better)
2. Z1 up until now has the best performance in graphics comparing to other "phone" flagships (not so sure about the G2 though)
3. Its waterproof (I love it, think about the opportunities you'd have by having a waterproof camera and you'll fall in love like I did!)
Cons:
1. Not even a good "8MP" camera, you figure what its fully sized pics would look like... if you can't check this out
2. Okay speaker comparing to other flagships but superb speaker among waterproofs
3. The display is power hungry
4. The display is also not that great specially if you got used to S3
5. Its an expensive phone considering your only option is 16GB (though you can add an sd card)
-------------------
all these things aside. As you can see I decided to buy this phone and I don't really regret buying it (I'm 80% happy) and again as you can see in my signature I wanna buy the Z2 too, so its really up to you to decide...
if you have any more questions I'd be happy to help you with what I know
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This was very helpful!
The pros for the Z1 out weights the negs for me, im not a big modder, i just like to install omega rom and run that.
The biggest thing holding me back right now is the news of a Z2, if I get the Z1 now and the Z2 comes out after Christmas then that will not be good news since I will be tied into a 24 month contract!
I think I should fix my S3, install the new version of Android and test it out as im still on 4.2.
Thanks you guys.

its impossible that sony will announce z2 in Q1 . it will the same date as they declared Z1 . so go for it now and dont wait cause if u do so u will not buy any phone

pod8 said:
This was very helpful!
The pros for the Z1 out weights the negs for me, im not a big modder, i just like to install omega rom and run that.
The biggest thing holding me back right now is the news of a Z2, if I get the Z1 now and the Z2 comes out after Christmas then that will not be good news since I will be tied into a 24 month contract!
I think I should fix my S3, install the new version of Android and test it out as im still on 4.2.
Thanks you guys.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sony wont be announcing a new flagship device until Qualcomm announce theirs (Save February for Qualcomm and April/May for the Z2). I've heard that there will be a close to 2k display this time around I don't think it will be a good idea for "everybody" to buy the Z2 because of two reasons, 1. Qualcomm usually introduces two flagships a year, one at the beginning of the year and one at the end. The ones at the beginnings are always CPU jumps not graphical jumps, so considering the increase in resolution at best we will have the same performance as the Z1, 2. Since it is a new display there will be problems (which will be fixed for the Z3!)
On the other hand I'm pretty certain that the Z2 will be a considerable improvement over the Z1 camera wise that's why I say I wanna buy it.
anyways don't worry about the Z2 we wont be seeing it soon(probably!)

I decided I want it!
Now the choice is which network, three: £36 or O2: £41.17
I have used three before in an iPhone 4, it was pretty crappy in my area/house, I am willing to give them another try with the 7/14 day cooling off period, I can technically get out of the contract if I receive crap signal.
Im currently on O2, they are ok I guess, its nice to fall back on 2g if 3g isnt available.

pod8 said:
I decided I want it!
Now the choice is which network, three: £36 or O2: £41.17
I have used three before in an iPhone 4, it was pretty crappy in my area/house, I am willing to give them another try with the 7/14 day cooling off period, I can technically get out of the contract if I receive crap signal.
Im currently on O2, they are ok I guess, its nice to fall back on 2g if 3g isnt available.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
got mine on EE and 4g speeds are nothing short of impressive

y2grae said:
got mine on EE and 4g speeds are nothing short of impressive
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats one network I would not like to go with. Friends who are on EE in my area have crappy connection/signal, granted they are not on 4G, but still it give me the impression of not being good.

pod8 said:
Thats one network I would not like to go with. Friends who are on EE in my area have crappy connection/signal, granted they are not on 4G, but still it give me the impression of not being good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was on T-mobile and upgraded. Signal stable and H+ most of the time when not 4G.
service was good on T-mobile and same levels so far from EE as same people.
not trying to sell on, just giving honest feedback from experience

I'm on 3 and it's a great network and the cheapest. What's not to like about 2000 mins 5000 txts 5000 3 to 3 mins, unlimited Internet and unlimited tethering all for £15 a month! Mind you that's a sim only deal. I buy all my handsets outright I don't do contracts!! And also when 3 roll out 4G you don't have to pay anything extra on top.....happy days
I love my z1 paying 15 a month
Sent from my Z1 using XDA Premium App

Hally79 said:
I'm on 3 and it's a great network and the cheapest. What's not to like about 2000 mins 5000 txts 5000 3 to 3 mins, unlimited Internet and unlimited tethering all for £15 a month! Mind you that's a sim only deal. I buy all my handsets outright I don't do contracts!! And also when 3 roll out 4G you don't have to pay anything extra on top.....happy days
I love my z1 paying 15 a month
Sent from my Z1 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just an update, I got mine on o2.
I would have liked to been on 3 but they are pricks with their credit checks, rejected me for a £36 contract via affordablemobiles.
I applied for my 02 contract from mobiles.co.uk and was accepted say 9 hours later, £42 for 8gig 4g.
I dont understand 3, just take my money and stfu, now they lost the chance to take my money as im back with o2, oh well tough luck.

[Q] Still worth to buy?

I am going to buy a new android cellphone tomorrow and after too much research Xperia Z1 is the phone that fits my budget to its worth with specifications. So my question is after approx 1 year is it Still a value for money? Are there any issues i should be worried about?
My alternate to this is LG G2. Thanks in advance.

Get the G2!
You will get a bigger screen, thinner bezels, Better battery life, double tap to wake and it's smaller than the z1
And the z1 has an annoying problem with the touch screen where it stops registering touches for a little while (unimaginably annoying when it happens during scrolling) and the screen looks yellow,that makes my head hurt

G2 have those touchscreen problems too (as I heard)
Maybe you should check on the LG G2's Q/A section and see the problems there (if they have one).
Sent from my C6903 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

I don't have touch problems. And it will get lollipop update. And don't plan to change it soon
Sent from my C6903 using XDA Free mobile app

I would find it hard to recommend this phone to anyone.
Just to add to the issues seen by some
I have touch screen issues, in fact the whole screen is crap. The colour and brightness aren't anywhere as good as my wife's Galaxy Note 2 (yes, Note 2, not a typo. A phone more than a year older than my Z1 has a better screen). The touch screen doesn't work properly at all, you just get used it it. It's not accurate and slow to track movement of your finders. Add to that the fact that it seems to completely ignore your touches when you've been using the phone for a bit (possibly temp issues?) and it makes playing games impossible... and like @masterofnocrack said, when your dragging or trying to flick through a long list, it randomly selects something from the list and you've no idea what you just tapped on, it gets more than infuriating.
Locking up - my phone will decide at frequent times to lock up. It will not turn on from sleeping (screen off, standby, whatever it's called). I had resorted to holding VolUp+Power to force it to reboot but then found out that if I just wait it will come back on it's own. It's like some app is using 100% of the CPU and lock's the OS up. I seemed to get the problem most of the time when running apps like Endomondo where it keeps tracking GPS etc while in standby but since uninstalling Endo, its still the same. Not really a Z1 issue but more Firmware, but still a nail in the already tightly nailed down coffin. Also screws with Tasker (see below)...
I did have issues with the OS killing background apps like Tasker (which is really annoying because if Tasker gets killed, all my profiles and settings got messed up so I could be out of the house with no mobile data enabled or in the car with no bluetooth), but I rolled back a ROM version to fix that. (I'm on stock ROM/Kernel but rooted.)
I would sell my own children for a new phone, which is probably a good reason I don't have any kids.
Look somewhere else. If the G2 drops out of the running too, keep looking. DO NOT get a Z1.
I know some will disagree and perhaps think I'm being a bit harsh; and if you've got a Z1 and it works perfectly, good for you and congrats. But knowing what I know now, I wouldn't take the chance of getting a Z1 that has issues.

I have no clue what you are talking about. My wife and I both have a Z1. Hers is running on stock and mine on custom. We never had any of the issues mentioned above. So from my point of view it still is worth the money.

Some have problems and others don't, but it's it worth the gamble?
The OP should save up and get something better like the Z2 or Z3

kdarknight said:
I am going to buy a new android cellphone tomorrow and after too much research Xperia Z1 is the phone that fits my budget to its worth with specifications. So my question is after approx 1 year is it Still a value for money? Are there any issues i should be worried about?
My alternate to this is LG G2. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The answer is.. Yes!
The Z1 is still hell of a beast, performance- and battery wise, around 1 year after release. It's bang for the bucks phone nowadays. Get it, and fine tune it to suit your likings. Nuff' said.
I am willing to help you out with the fine tuning, if you get this lovely ****er into your collection..

I didn't mean to piss on any one's camp fire and I'm glad for @memphis77 that his and his wife's phones both work perfectly, but I know from these forums that there have been plenty of users that have had issues, and even those that have pursued the issues with Sony have just been sent a refurbished phone that had the same issues.
It's just my opinion and personal experience that makes me say do not get a Z1.

kdarknight said:
I am going to buy a new android cellphone tomorrow and after too much research Xperia Z1 is the phone that fits my budget to its worth with specifications. So my question is after approx 1 year is it Still a value for money? Are there any issues i should be worried about?
My alternate to this is LG G2. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's so beautifull and powerfull. If you love this phone, so buy it. You won't regret it. And of course, it's still worth to buy

I'd say it depends on what you pay for it. I bought mine about a month or two ago for a little over 250 and I couldn't be more pleased.

One more thing to add, and once more, YMMV; piss-poor data rates. WiFi signal is weak at best. The WiFi signal goes down to 1 or zero bars in some rooms in my house but doesn't actually disconnect from the WiFi so the transfer speed is so slow I turn WiFi off and use either H+ or the odd 4G signal I get. You might be thinking "well you're obviously too far away from the router you pillock." Well, maybe an upstairs room is too far... maybe it's not. My wife's Note 2 can still use the WiFi all over the house, my Tab 4 can use the WiFi, my Raspberry Pi with a cheap ass god damn WiFi dongle off eBay can use the WiFi, but not this piece of crap phone.
In a decent H+ signal area, an iPhone 4 beats this with download speeds using mobile data. I have gotten 20Mb/s on 4G (1 bar in my house which was impressive but a fluke as I've never seen that speed again). Looking at speedtest results isn't exactly the be and end all of deciding which phone to get, but it's just another area this phone fails.

masterofnocrack said:
Get the G2!
You will get a bigger screen, thinner bezels, Better battery life, double tap to wake and it's smaller than the z1
And the z1 has an annoying problem with the touch screen where it stops registering touches for a little while (unimaginably annoying when it happens during scrolling) and the screen looks yellow,that makes my head hurt
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
my screen is yellow too, but there is a white balance option and now my screen is perfect :3

[Q] Whether it is worth to buy xperia z in 2015

Hi to all.
I'm planing to by another phone. Budget is limited so there is not to much to pick.
Xperia seems good option because of big screen, LTE connectivity, premium design, important to me a very good camera and at the end is a flagship, but an old one, and that is my only concern.
So, my question is, should i by some newer(new) budget mid ranger or should give a try to Xperia Z? What is your experience with XZ?
Thanks

Ive had mine for a year now and do not intend to replace it any time soon. It runs all the current apps and games!

If your budget is tight, then get a Moto G, or OnePlus One or Nexus 5. Plenty of well specced devices around.

xperia u20i said:
Hi to all.
I'm planing to by another phone. Budget is limited so there is not to much to pick.
Xperia seems good option because of big screen, LTE connectivity, premium design, important to me a very good camera and at the end is a flagship, but an old one, and that is my only concern.
So, my question is, should i by some newer(new) budget mid ranger or should give a try to Xperia Z? What is your experience with XZ?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought mine 1 year and a half ago, and I can't be happier.
It's an excellent phone, great processor, ram, camera, water proof, design, development ( I had Lollipop from 1st day like a Nexus ), fullhd, 5"...
No need to spend 500€ to get a "rocket" smartphone.
Sent from my Xperia Z using XDA Free mobile app

Thanks guys for the reply, for now is tight.
I would like to hear more opinions of owners.
What about screen on time? Now when is for example more then one year old? I don't play heavy games, mostly surfing, taking pictures, little facebook, and a lot texting and calling. And flashing roms of course
For me everything over 3 hours is good.

U can get maximum of 4.5 hours if u r not a gamer ( my experience with games 4 hour screen on time).. May b u will get around 5 hours screen on time if u play with some tweaks..

I bought my XZ this last year in November and I couldn't be happier. Ok, screen on time is not the best out there but, at least for me, it's enough. SOT performance goes between 3-4,5 h, which IMHO I think isn't bad. You could also underclock/undervolt it in case you want to expand its autonomy a bit else.

It depends on the price you are getting at, I would say go for z1 if the price difference is minimal. I've used both, choose the one in your budget

dont buy a Sony phone, they about to go out of business lol

I suggest no.
Xperia Z has following cons:
- Back glas went off due to bad glue.
- CPU throtthling while gaming due to thermal problems, games start to stutter. Device is getting hot while gaming. On 4.4.4 it a little bit better.
- Wifi and Bluettooth disconnects. Search for forums with this problem. You will hate that problem when you decide to get a Smartband. There i no fix for that.
- Weak Battery. I heavily modified my stock rom with tweaks for longer lasting battery, i reduced wakelocks, etc, but still only 1,5 days only with normal use (i dont use LTE). It loses too much battery on standby.

G1_enthusiast said:
dont buy a Sony phone, they about to go out of business lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you came here from the HTC forum, proud of that you succeeded in unlocking the achievement? I find this behaviour a tiny bit bizarre, wondering what are you trying to prove? I mean, if you worship HTC, please remain in your little temple there. There's plenty of terrorist everywhere and nobody needs another one to come, terrorise Xperia or potential Xperia users.
Back on topic:
If you like Sony, just get another Xperia. They're not going out of business anytime soon as if anyone bothered to read, they're exploring (highly unlikely though) to start a jv or selling the business to another company. Of course if that happens, which have a remote chance, you're probably still be receiving smartphone support in the new business arrangement.
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Free mobile app

jayp57 said:
I suggest no.
Xperia Z has following cons:
- Back glas went off due to bad glue.
- CPU throtthling while gaming due to thermal problems, games start to stutter. Device is getting hot while gaming. On 4.4.4 it a little bit better.
- Wifi and Bluettooth disconnects. Search for forums with this problem. You will hate that problem when you decide to get a Smartband. There i no fix for that.
- Weak Battery. I heavily modified my stock rom with tweaks for longer lasting battery, i reduced wakelocks, etc, but still only 1,5 days only with normal use (i dont use LTE). It loses too much battery on standby.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
- Back glass just fine, over 1.5 years old
- Name one device that doesn't throttle (and doesn't stutter while throttled)
- Wifi and Bluetooth fine as long as you don't use a smartband
- Battery life is average, not really bad but nothing special either, standy is great with the right kernel
Thats my Xperience, no major problems so far.
But really better deals for the money out there.

I guess it depends on the price..
But in today's terms the XZ really isn't great. Like others have said, newer mid-range phones have overtaken the XZ.
Battery life has always been the only major drawback for me using the XZ. In this day and age you should be able to use your phone as much as you like, not holding off reading emails / replying to tweets otherwise it'll die before you get home
You're lucky to get 4 hours screen on time, it's not exactly efficient in standby mode either.

the amount of money you are going to spent just get One Plus One or if you are on budget cost wait till you got abit more money to get a better device

Well, it's a wonderful phone, the main issue with it is the battery
As others said if your gaming is at minimum (1 hour Max a day) you can actually get it to work 8 hours, even more if no gaming and used the stamina mode
Other than that, it's easy to root at all times and relatively easy to flash and customize.
And it will be officially update to lollipop.
I say if z1 is in your range get it only for the battery issue.. If not the XZ is great

Z is a great device.. But u can also buy 1+1 since it has Z2 specs and a better front cam.. It lacks Water resistance like XZ though and the multimedia features won't be like a SONY.. So choose ur needs first and then select the one suitable.. Although i haven't experienced any of the issues which are mentioned in the thread yet.. I hope i won't too.. But still my XZ can beat the s**t outta One M7 & all their desire phones, any iPhone, any S**tsung.. If you are a rough handler of the phone, i suggest u to buy XZ coz its built better and 1+1 seems kinda delicate compared to Sony..

G1_enthusiast said:
dont buy a Sony phone, they about to go out of business lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Weren't you the one telling me I don't know what I'm talking about because of spelling mistakes?
G1_enthusiast has quoted you on xda-developers!
I'll believe you once you learn how to spell and put in some correct punctuation.
lol what company hire this moron? he cant even finished a sentence correctly.

I most probably will take XZ if i get good offer. But also maybe wait for month or two to see what will came out.
I also considering to buy SGS4 but i prefer Sony over Samsung. Only reason to take S4 will be the battery life. But like i said before i can live with 3+ hours of sot. Currently i'm using LG O4X which have vary bad sot. 2:30 is max that i can get. And all kind of problems with RIL, it's really "demanding" device, thanks to developers i still using him, but i think not for long.
Thanks

Azurren said:
I guess it depends on the price..
But in today's terms the XZ really isn't great. Like others have said, newer mid-range phones have overtaken the XZ.
Battery life has always been the only major drawback for me using the XZ. In this day and age you should be able to use your phone as much as you like, not holding off reading emails / replying to tweets otherwise it'll die before you get home
You're lucky to get 4 hours screen on time, it's not exactly efficient in standby mode either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you spell out some of those mid-range phones that are better than the XZ? my GF wants a new phone, and i cant seem to find a device thats as thin as the Z, has a fullHD 5" screen and 2gigs RAM and a 5.0 update for similar money...
this really isnt a sarcastic question. I just want to know what are those mid-range devices with these specs, so i can buy her a better phone and save some cash?
btw with heavy usage my Z never died on me until i came home(which means the whole day). im sorry if you use battery hogging apps that dont let your device sleep when you turn off the screen...

@Tommy-Geenexus
Do you really suggest that old spec phone to buy someone, with known not solved software problems on top of serious casing and thermal design flaws?
There are better options on the market. For that money you can have a LG G2 or a Galaxy S4 or a Honor 6 or One+ One.

[Q] Would you still buy the Z3c today?

Hello from North Carolina, US.
After carrying the Note 2 for two years, I am over the large phone form factor and was considering the Z3c back when it was released. But, I'm on Verizon (CDMA) and it just wasn't a good time to shift to TMobile. My Note 2 died, and I started carrying my wife's old Galaxy S3, which confirmed my preference for a smaller handset. Since my contract with Verizon is over in June, I figured I would carry the S3 until then, see what phones were announced at MWC and make my next phone decision based on that.
Frankly, for my use cases... MWC was MEH.
The S6/edge and HTC One M9 are both lovely phones, but I don't feel like they meet my needs as well as the Z3c. With the Z3c, I love the small form factor, the waterproofiness, the battery and the dedicated shutter button. Also, an S6 with as much storage as the SD card I already own will be hundreds of dollars more expensive than the Z3c.
That said, is it crazy to buy a 6 month old phone? Considering my use cases (primarily utilitarian - music, email, rss, news/weather, social, navigation, camera - no processor intensive games) and considering how surprisingly well the S3 is still running with these use cases at nearly three years old, I am thinking the Z3c may still be a good fit for me. And, I don't want to wait as long as the rumors are saying I would need to wait for the Z4 series (autumn 2015).
What about you, would you still buy the Z3c today? Do you think, based on how I've described my uses, that it would be a good fit for me? Is there another small form factor device I should be considering? Should I suck it up and wait for autumn and the Z4's?
Thanks in advance for your thoughts on this.
Cheers
Jack

JackinNC said:
Hello from North Carolina, US.
After carrying the Note 2 for two years, I am over the large phone form factor and was considering the Z3c back when it was released. But, I'm on Verizon (CDMA) and it just wasn't a good time to shift to TMobile. My Note 2 died, and I started carrying my wife's old Galaxy S3, which confirmed my preference for a smaller handset. Since my contract with Verizon is over in June, I figured I would carry the S3 until then, see what phones were announced at MWC and make my next phone decision based on that.
Frankly, for my use cases... MWC was MEH.
The S6/edge and HTC One M9 are both lovely phones, but I don't feel like they meet my needs as well as the Z3c. With the Z3c, I love the small form factor, the waterproofiness, the battery and the dedicated shutter button. Also, an S6 with as much storage as the SD card I already own will be hundreds of dollars more expensive than the Z3c.
That said, is it crazy to buy a 6 month old phone? Considering my use cases (primarily utilitarian - music, email, rss, news/weather, social, navigation, camera - no processor intensive games) and considering how surprisingly well the S3 is still running with these use cases at nearly three years old, I am thinking the Z3c may still be a good fit for me. And, I don't want to wait as long as the rumors are saying I would need to wait for the Z4 series (autumn 2015).
What about you, would you still buy the Z3c today? Do you think, based on how I've described my uses, that it would be a good fit for me? Is there another small form factor device I should be considering? Should I suck it up and wait for autumn and the Z4's?
Thanks in advance for your thoughts on this.
Cheers
Jack
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For sure I'd still buy the Z3C today.
You're using your wife's S3 which is over 3 years old, so calling a 6 month old phone 'old' is kind of bs (No offense @ all)
As for the Z4, well.... there is no word about a Z4C and based on what Sony previously did, there shouldn't be a Z4C, but a Z5C (if ever).
The Z3C is a great phone, besides the occasional build flaws and bad camera under low light conditions.

That's great feedback, thank you.
Dsteppa said:
You're using your wife's S3 which is over 3 years old, so calling a 6 month old phone 'old' is kind of bs (No offense @ all)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
None taken. The last 5 phones I've bought for myself or my wife have been purchased within 2 weeks of release, sometimes by me standing in line on release day. I buy them early, use them for 2 years when I can contractually upgrade and get a new one and start the cycle over. I typically use a phone for two years and it starts to feel "old" to me at ~18-20 months when a couple new cycles of phones and android versions have been released. My concern is not that the phone is "old" now, rather that, being 6 months old now, it may start to feel old at 12-14 months rather than 18-20.
Btw, I followed your photo link from another post of yours. Like you comments here, your sample photos are really helpful.
Thanks again
Jack

JackinNC said:
That's great feedback, thank you.
None taken. The last 5 phones I've bought for myself or my wife have been purchased within 2 weeks of release, sometimes by me standing in line on release day. I buy them early, use them for 2 years when I can contractually upgrade and get a new one and start the cycle over. I typically use a phone for two years and it starts to feel "old" to me at ~18-20 months when a couple new cycles of phones and android versions have been released. My concern is not that the phone is "old" now, rather that, being 6 months old now, it may start to feel old at 12-14 months rather than 18-20.
Btw, I followed your photo link from another post of yours. Like you comments here, your sample photos are really helpful.
Thanks again
Jack
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you.
Well I don't know, in terms of specs I don't see much changing any time soon, unless all manufacturers decide to make 64bit phones or use a new type of battery that either lasts long and/or charges super fast.
In the end as long as you're doing 'normal' things the phone should be your companion for at least 2 years without you really noticing a difference between your phone and other people's.

Z3 and Z3 compact are best options on android right now.
implying you don't want a phablet.
new phones like GS6 and ONE M9 are cool but you can find a Z3 for 500€/$ and a Z3C for 400, (gs6 and one ~750$)
you'll have same software 5.0.2 with better UI, and better battery, only the camera will be a bit behind but still excellent.
so unless you have money to waste just go for it it's a good deal

I love my z3 compact but if I were to buy a new phone now, I would get the galaxy s6 edge.
The biggest issue I have with the z3c is the speaker. Currently if I am in a semi loud surrounding, I can hardly hear the other person on the line.
Sent from my D5803 using XDA Free mobile app

As usual it depends on what you need. Me personally there is no other phone than the Z3c atm. Size/hardware/design... its perfect for me.
So if you're looking for a smaller phone (one hand use) with excellent battery life and fast hardware just go for it there is nothing that comes even close in that department.

I'm very torn right now, I'm frustrated that I would have to use the bloated stock software to get decent camera quality (no barrel distortion and better low light) and that CM12, while it runs decently doesn't support the features locked away by DRM. I'm contemplating reverting back to a Nexus 5...I think my biggest issue would be the camera, I thought it would be superb but in reality it only matches my nexus considering the distortion. And Sony's DRM and bootloader locking nonsense seems ridiculous to me.

zander21510 said:
I'm very torn right now, I'm frustrated that I would have to use the bloated stock software to get decent camera quality (no barrel distortion and better low light) and that CM12, while it runs decently doesn't support the features locked away by DRM. I'm contemplating reverting back to a Nexus 5...I think my biggest issue would be the camera, I thought it would be superb but in reality it only matches my nexus considering the distortion. And Sony's DRM and bootloader locking nonsense seems ridiculous to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can just root and then debloat.

2mal16 said:
you can just root and then debloat.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's easy...the hard part is losing all the customizations. I went to stock 5.0.2 rooted, system R/W support isn't there, I lose all sorts of little features like expanded desktop, quick unlock, navigation customization...

zander21510 said:
That's easy...the hard part is losing all the customizations. I went to stock 5.0.2 rooted, system R/W support isn't there, I lose all sorts of little features like expanded desktop, quick unlock, navigation customization...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rw is already fixed though you wont like the process if you want to Stay on locked bl. Those features will be implemented either by Sony or more likely xposed working. Just give it some time

2mal16 said:
Rw is already fixed though you wont like the process if you want to Stay on locked bl. Those features will be implemented either by Sony or more likely xposed working. Just give it some time
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pretty sure Sony is done with us after this update, minus maybe a couple security patches there won't be any new features. I already tried CM12 for a good month, just couldn't stand the camera and the bugs were a bit too much for a DD. Hoping for xposed and working recoveries on lollipop...that's about all I can do right now.

zander21510 said:
Pretty sure Sony is done with us after this update, minus maybe a couple security patches there won't be any new features. I already tried CM12 for a good month, just couldn't stand the camera and the bugs were a bit too much for a DD. Hoping for xposed and working recoveries on lollipop...that's about all I can do right now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Jeah it will Come soon enough, I mean lolli was just released and recoveries,custom Kernels and a working xposed will all make their way on this device sooner or later. Just play the waiting game... again

zander21510 said:
Pretty sure Sony is done with us after this update, minus maybe a couple security patches there won't be any new features. I already tried CM12 for a good month, just couldn't stand the camera and the bugs were a bit too much for a DD. Hoping for xposed and working recoveries on lollipop...that's about all I can do right now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let's see... The Xperia Z that has been released for about 2 years also received the Lollipop update, why would you think that Sony would stop update a phone that's just been out 6 month's. Can you please tell me your logic?
Sent from my D5803

Nice Features
There are some things which are so nice. Most of the new phones arent waterproof. Phones are getting bigger and bigger. But the z3c is smaller but quite good.

I certainly would buy the Z3C again, the biggest gripe I have is the lack of Quality Case choices. Great phone IMO, size, battery, speed and takes above average pictures(Auto mode) and if you take the time to use the manual settings it can take excellent pictures.

So far, Sony Z3C has no real competition. In android world. I just bought one.

Dsteppa said:
Let's see... The Xperia Z that has been released for about 2 years also received the Lollipop update, why would you think that Sony would stop update a phone that's just been out 6 month's. Can you please tell me your logic?
Sent from my D5803
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well with the persisting rumors that Sony is either scaling back or dropping their mobile division...I just have a gut feeling.
And I guess I changed my mind. Just ordered a replacement Nexus 5 like my old one. I will miss the size and it is a sharp looking phone, but the broken features that can never be fixed (mostly camera stuff) and the DRM nonsense really turned me off of this phone. I may be an oddball but I just don't like that I'm missing all the little customizations and things on CM12 when I'm on stock, and Xposed will probably only fix about half of those features. Miss Privacy Guard, Quick unlock, all that good stuff. And I just don't like the UI design choices. Plus all the no-name "device reporting" and "anonymous reporting" services running in the background that can't be disabled.
I'm sure in a few months CM12 will have the microphone & other issues ironed out, but what's the point of having a 20MP camera that has distortion and poor image quality that (from what I've read) can never be fixed in an AOSP rom?
I would recommend it to my fiancee that doesn't use her phone for much more than texting and Youtube, but not for a tinkerer like myself.

FOR SURE! Unless you want to wait for a Z4 Compact to even be announced, and then eventually come out, I'd say the Z3 Compact remains the best phone at it's size from anyone, still to this day. The Galaxy S5 Mini just came out recently, and it's a Snapdragon 400! The Z3 Compact has a great, waterproof build, MicroSD, Camera Button, and 801 processor. Nothing else comes close unless you're okay with a leviathan of a phone I love my Z3 Compact and really do not desire a new phone or ever again something larger...

Would definitely still buy again. Just ticks so many boxes that other devices don't (size, speed, battery, microSD, camera). It really has no competition. I'm not sure we'll see a Z4 compact at all - doubt z3 compact is a big seller and with Sony in such a mess, they may just focus on the Z4. If that happens, we're in bad shape for fully spec'd < 5" Android devices. The good news is that the hardware is advancing so slowly now, the z3c will probably be a viable platform for quite awhile.
My Galaxy S4 (two generations old!) still runs CM12 perfectly fine. It's an SD600!