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Impression of Nexus 4 from someone who had a Xperia S

I had a Sony Xperia S (abbr. XS) before I bought a Nexus 4 (abbr. N4). And luckily I wasn't stuck in limbo lvl 3 for too long and got my phone on Monday morning.
Let's talk about the reported N4 issues here:
1. Buzz from earphone speaker
People reported the same for XS. And then we found out it's because of the noise-cancelling microphone. For my N4 I can't hear this mysterious buzz, and I believe my ears are much better than the average.
2. "Unreasonably" hot device
Definitely warmer than XS. But then XS is all plastic and N4 is mostly glass. Glass is a better heat conductor than plastic so this means N4 dissipates heat better than XS.
3. Poor battery performance
MUCH MUCH BETTER battery than XS. Now I can go through the day with 30~40% left. With XS, it would've been 10%.
4. poor touchscreen sensitivity
Touchscreen is definitely more sensitive than XS. And I feel it behaves differently from XS.
5. Feedback when plugged in.
Never know this so cannot comment.
Now my general impressions:
The build quality is definitely up from XS. I'm not saying XS has lousy quality but N4 feels more "substantially" in your hand. Two glass panels are slippery for sure. Took me sometime to adjust how to hold the N4. My device arrived in perfect condition: no scratched LCD, no cracked back, no cracked bezel.
Sound quality is a little bit worse than XS. Sony has an upper hand here because the Sony Walkman player is better than Google Music.
LCD screen is definitely not as good as XS. Colors look pale when compared to XS's LED-backlit LCD (343ppi). But it is still a VERY NICE LCD. I am NOT an AMOLED fan and NEVER WILL BE. So hold your comment.
On-screen buttons: mixed feeling. It is much more sensitive than XS hardware touch buttons but it takes away screen space. I prefer hardware touch buttons so I can have my resolution back.
I am not going to comment on Android 4.2 because it is VASTLY SUPERIOR than ICS.
Feel free to ask questions you need my clarification or if I missed something.
Great phone must buy!

Hi, I sold my Xperia S to get a Nexus 4 (still waiting for my order!). The one thing that bugged me about the XS was the poor viewing angles of the display, so how does the N4 compare? Do colours distort badly like they do on the XS? Thanks!

kebabmaker said:
Hi, I sold my Xperia S to get a Nexus 4 (still waiting for my order!). The one thing that bugged me about the XS was the poor viewing angles of the display, so how does the N4 compare? Do colours distort badly like they do on the XS? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I believe that Nexus 4 better than Xperia S when viewing angles because it uses IPS panel

mpttrung said:
Well, I believe that Nexus 4 better than Xperia S when viewing angles because it uses IPS panel
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Click to collapse
Color distortion is there, but it's subtle at slightly off angles then start to see blue or yellow tints depending on the angle you look from. Doesn't tint any where near as much as my galaxy s 2 did, or xperia play. Text is visible on white backgrounds at ANY angle it's great having the LCD fused with the glass, helps so much.

kebabmaker said:
Hi, I sold my Xperia S to get a Nexus 4 (still waiting for my order!). The one thing that bugged me about the XS was the poor viewing angles of the display, so how does the N4 compare? Do colours distort badly like they do on the XS? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the question!
The viewing angle of Nexus 4 is definitely better than XS. But the readability under the sun is slightly worse than XS. Everything is a trade-off it seems.
Hope that helps!
Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Premium HD app

Could you comment on the camera performance in comparison to xs's?

cikomiko said:
Could you comment on the camera performance in comparison to xs's?
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Click to collapse
Was about to comment on that.
Since both phones uses Sony sensor I don't see there's any major differences. The noise pattern is similar, the high ISO capability is similar, and the camera speed is similar. Xperia S produces some punchier color and contrast, Nexus 4 produces some more flatter image. Both has their pros and cons.
What's better with Nexus 4 is the HDR mode, which is lacking in Xperia S. Also, the focusing seems to be faster than Xperia S. Of course, if the color of Nexus 4 doesn't satisfy you, you can always use the stock image filter to enhance it.
One thing I missed the most about Xperia S is its physical camera button and quick launch mode. Nexus 4's Lockscreen camera widget is still way slower than the quick launch.
If you are into camera quality then Nexus 4 won't disappoint you.

richteralan said:
Was about to comment on that.
Since both phones uses Sony sensor I don't see there's any major differences. The noise pattern is similar, the high ISO capability is similar, and the camera speed is similar. Xperia S produces some punchier color and contrast, Nexus 4 produces some more flatter image. Both has their pros and cons.
What's better with Nexus 4 is the HDR mode, which is lacking in Xperia S. Also, the focusing seems to be faster than Xperia S. Of course, if the color of Nexus 4 doesn't satisfy you, you can always use the stock image filter to enhance it.
One thing I missed the most about Xperia S is its physical camera button and quick launch mode. Nexus 4's Lockscreen camera widget is still way slower than the quick launch.
If you are into camera quality then Nexus 4 won't disappoint you.
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Click to collapse
I use to own an Sony lt28i (ION). Now I own the LG E960 (N4).
I found the IONS build quality to be much better than the N4, Sony Walkman kills Google Music, and Sony Media Apps are also very polished and work well. But the development was lacking for the ION ; mostly due to booloader being locked until recent.
The N4 has so much development already and tons more planned for the future. Most of the Sony apps can be flashed onto the N4.
Obviously Ion's 12 mp camera blows nexus 4's 8 mp camera away in clarity.
But did we forget about Nexus 4's Photosphere it is an amazing apk that really takes Sony amazing panorama sofware and basically turns it into a 360 panorama software.
I lost my Ion and got the nexus 4. There are times i miss my Ion but the nexus 4 has made me happy and is a suitable replacement.

AW: Impression of Nexus 4 from someone who had a Xperia S
For your sound complaint I'd suggest poweramp for playing music. I got pretty good sound with the equaliser

richteralan said:
Was about to comment on that.
Since both phones uses Sony sensor I don't see there's any major differences. The noise pattern is similar, the high ISO capability is similar, and the camera speed is similar. Xperia S produces some punchier color and contrast, Nexus 4 produces some more flatter image. Both has their pros and cons.
What's better with Nexus 4 is the HDR mode, which is lacking in Xperia S. Also, the focusing seems to be faster than Xperia S. Of course, if the color of Nexus 4 doesn't satisfy you, you can always use the stock image filter to enhance it.
One thing I missed the most about Xperia S is its physical camera button and quick launch mode. Nexus 4's Lockscreen camera widget is still way slower than the quick launch.
If you are into camera quality then Nexus 4 won't disappoint you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a Xperia S, Xperia TX and a Nexus 4 and the cameras on the Xperia's have a well known issue of slow focusing in low light. I would say the camera on the Nexus is better.
The screen on the Nexus is also better easily.

fredaroony said:
I have a Xperia S, Xperia TX and a Nexus 4 and the cameras on the Xperia's have a well known issue of slow focusing in low light. I would say the camera on the Nexus is better.
The screen on the Nexus is also better easily.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
N4's camera has focusing issues as well. And you also has to take into account that XS camera is 12mp, when down sized to 8mp the quality is indeed better than N4.
The screen of XS is definitely better, at least color calibration wise. But plagued with yellow spots.
Of course XS and any Sony phones cannot get the same level of Dev activities as Nexus devices, no matter how Sony supports AOSP.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

sirsmokey said:
I use to own an Sony lt28i (ION). Now I own the LG E960 (N4).
I found the IONS build quality to be much better than the N4, Sony Walkman kills Google Music, and Sony Media Apps are also very polished and work well. But the development was lacking for the ION ; mostly due to booloader being locked until recent.
The N4 has so much development already and tons more planned for the future. Most of the Sony apps can be flashed onto the N4.
Obviously Ion's 12 mp camera blows nexus 4's 8 mp camera away in clarity.
But did we forget about Nexus 4's Photosphere it is an amazing apk that really takes Sony amazing panorama sofware and basically turns it into a 360 panorama software.
I lost my Ion and got the nexus 4. There are times i miss my Ion but the nexus 4 has made me happy and is a suitable replacement.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gotta have something better than stock Android, right?
And I wouldn't exactly say Google music is that inferior than Sony Walkman player. The difference is small.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

XS was terrible
I had the worst smartphone experience of my life with Xperia S. The thing that most bothered me was the touch-sensitive (or should I say touch-insensitive) buttons. They were very irresponsive and I had to touch them several times or press hard on them every time. It was like sony has designed them like that to bother the users. And it got hot even when I was browsing the internet. The only good thing about it was the screen but even that matched with a mediocre battery was not a good idea.
My N4 is a bliss to use. I really can't find anything wrong with it.

The screen on my N4 blows both the XS's that live in this house out of the water, it's much better.
My XS screen was just as nice to use however I had removed the shatterproof film of mine and this made it much more sensitive.
I have to agree about the sound though, can't get my N4 to sound as good as my XS did and the equaliser on the N4 just doesn't work right, dare to go a little to high on one of the band's and it just keels over sounding as flat as a fart.

Mine worked great out of the box. Most of the issues stated above weren't present on my nexus 4.

I actually had problems too till my 3rd nexus. The first one had a bad screen and awful sound distortion. Then I got the second. Everything was perfect but when I tried to turn up the volume the rocker was like broken. Most unlikely thing ever. Then 3rd time was the charm.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

richteralan said:
Was about to comment on that.
Since both phones uses Sony sensor I don't see there's any major differences. The noise pattern is similar, the high ISO capability is similar, and the camera speed is similar. Xperia S produces some punchier color and contrast, Nexus 4 produces some more flatter image. Both has their pros and cons.
What's better with Nexus 4 is the HDR mode, which is lacking in Xperia S. Also, the focusing seems to be faster than Xperia S. Of course, if the color of Nexus 4 doesn't satisfy you, you can always use the stock image filter to enhance it.
One thing I missed the most about Xperia S is its physical camera button and quick launch mode. Nexus 4's Lockscreen camera widget is still way slower than the quick launch.
If you are into camera quality then Nexus 4 won't disappoint you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The new Google edition camera app . makes you be able to use the volume rocker as a camera button..
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

myturbo1 said:
The new Google edition camera app . makes you be able to use the volume rocker as a camera button..
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
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Click to collapse
I have the new camera apk installed. Just tried it and yep the volume rocker works for the camera button! Thanks didn't know about it.
Sent from my Nexus 4

Lets have some opinions here

hey all
as the title says lets see which is better Xperia Z or S4 iam not a fanboy but here i will say why iam confused
1-processor: i asked ppl who said that octa=quad in performance only better in battery life as its 2 quad processor (so almost the same)
2-Screen:Super Amoled Vs TFT idk which better actually both appeal to me one is Saturated and the other is natural...we cant forget about bravia engine 2 in Z
3-Camera: Ofcourse all samples say that S4 is better here but when i asked developers they said its only because of OVER COMPRESSION is xperia z which could be fixed on the next update is that true?(as S4 has camera features i see that Xperia Z has HDR Video....so software vs hardware feature.....i think software can be added but hardware cant)
4-sound: No Doubt that S4 is much louder in outer speaker but does it rly matter? for me if i want to listen 2 music i will use headphones which r much better in xperia z in quality
5-Duribility :why shall i talk about this? it already goes for xperia z
6-BATTERY:well....2600 vs 2330.....but 2600 with much sensors and amoled display(which i heard that it uses more energy that TFT but not sure) and 2330 with stamina mode that can be great.........another confusion here
LETS START
GO ON!!!

abokorayem said:
hey all
as the title says lets see which is better Xperia Z or S4 iam not a fanboy but here i will say why iam confused
1-processor: i asked ppl who said that octa=quad in performance only better in battery life as its 2 quad processor (so almost the same)
2-Screen:Super Amoled Vs TFT idk which better actually both appeal to me one is Saturated and the other is natural...we cant forget about bravia engine 2 in Z
3-Camera: Ofcourse all samples say that S4 is better here but when i asked developers they said its only because of OVER COMPRESSION is xperia z which could be fixed on the next update is that true?(as S4 has camera features i see that Xperia Z has HDR Video....so software vs hardware feature.....i think software can be added but hardware cant)
4-sound: No Doubt that S4 is much louder in outer speaker but does it rly matter? for me if i want to listen 2 music i will use headphones which r much better in xperia z in quality
5-Duribility :why shall i talk about this? it already goes for xperia z
6-BATTERY:well....2600 vs 2330.....but 2600 with much sensors and amoled display(which i heard that it uses more energy that TFT but not sure) and 2330 with stamina mode that can be great.........another confusion here
LETS START
GO ON!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Firstly, I think that a discussion such as this belongs in a general forum and not one for any device that we are supposed to be discussing.That being said:
1. It would seem that they probably can't get the more powerful quad to play ball in terms of power saving so they are going to have the phone effectively use a core from yesteryear most of the time (if I read things correctly).
2. TFT in the context of this point is a nothing term, it is simply the switching mechanism for the display elements and is probably used in Super Amoled too, the comparison is Super Amoled vs LCD, and if they have a shiny
top layer and you hold them at an angle so that you get strong reflections then they are equally useless.
3. In this day and age if the camera hardware were at fault for the bad pictures then the manufacturer would have serious egg on their face and Sony would surely have spotted the problem during component selection
and chosen differently, all signs point to software, the problem looks like severe compression artifacting from what I have seen.
4. The speaker on the XZ really should have been placed in the lanyard hole to avoid getting totally obscured so easily,
it seems to be loud enough to me but then I don't have to hear it from across a crowded, noisy room like some seem to. Also anyone expecting miracles out of such a pokey little thing really need a dose of reality.
5. Which feels more durable, a phone I have or one that hasn't even been released? an odd thing to be trying to judge.
6. The battery isn't fantastic on the XZ, and is probably a driving factor behind screen type choice (needing to eke out as much screen time as possible with such a thin phone) rather than as some seem to think Sony being cheap
or not knowing how to build a "top tier" phone. Comparison with the S4? The S4 and the discussions of it pre-release are very much alike, they are both nothing but hot air.

1. Samsung's Octa Core is a marketing trick. It's really just a quad-core CPU with 4 "helper cores" like in Tegra SoC. It's not really that useful and doesn't increase performance THAT much. Entropy explained it very clearly in XZ vs others thread. Look at how Tegra is performing - some devs call helper cores "meh" while many of them call them basically useless performancewise.
2. Amoled has better colours, better angles, better blacks. It has burn-in issues though. Both displays have their good and bas sides, there's no definite winner in my opinion.
3. No idea...
4. Obviously. Waterproofing took away some of the volume, but it's enough for ringtone - and people who use their phone to listen to music in public, via the loudspeaker, should be banished from ever going out from their homes.
5. Sorry but there's just no discussion here.
6. Battery life might be a bit better on S4. Amoled does take more energy if you're viewing light images. If you're viewing dark/black images, like the UI, it takes less power. Compared to S2 and S3, battery life on Z will be basically the same as S4.

ty 4 replies
What About More OpiNioNs?

[Q] Xperia SP vs Galaxy S3 Real Life comparisson

Basically this thread is specifically towards previous owners of Galaxy S3, that are now owners of Xperia SP, or people who have both and can have a "real" comparisson rather than a bunch of review sites that give too much into details, that dont affect you most of the time.
Battery life is completely subject to how you use your device, if it is unlocked with a custom kernel etc etc, so this doesn't really matter since both are around the same battery stats.
Benchmarks etc. This is again useless since one has 4 cores that are older than the 2 cores of the SP. Again these are dependant on how the HW is used and in what way.
Photos. I am not a instagram user, and I dont think i ever had more than 100 pics on any of my phones.
So... The questions that really bug me.
Are the soft keys on the Xperia SP (home, back, menu) an annoyance when playing games, texting, browsing etc.? I found myself pressing all of those on my Xperia Active several times and it pissed me off. I expect this to be less of a hassle on the S3 given the fact that its only got 2 soft keys and they are all beyond the screen.
Is sunlight legibility on both up to par? If not, which one is better? I could go with a matte screen protector but that screws up the colors a bit.
The reason im leaning more to the S3 is the already huge development scene on it, and the immense number of accessories for it, whereas for most Sony devices the Cases etc are very limited. P.S. im very clumsy, even the Active fell lots of times but never actually broke.
So, for the owners or long time users of BOTH devices, which one is better for you? Would you go back to the S3? Or are you more than happy with the SP?

I personally played around with both for quite some time, and they are both good phones.
The s3 has a slightly better sound quality and camera, although the build quality is atrocious. It has a smaller but removable battery, and a larger internal storage.
The xperia sp has a larger battery and much better build quality, although the camera is not great. I really like the light strip.
Both devices have similar performance, although the galaxy s3 has a laggy gallery.
I would say go for whichever is cheaper. The xperia sp is however released later so maybe longer support from Sony?
Sent from my Xperia SP using xda premium
---------- Post added at 12:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:04 PM ----------
Both phones have very reflective screens, which means you can't really see anything on both on a sunny day.
Never had a problem with soft keys, neither typing nor gaming is affected. I play nfs, asphalt and modern combat.
Sent from my Xperia SP using xda premium

I am currently using Xperia SP and my Big Bro is using galaxy s3 and we usually compare both the device in everything.
I can say that Xperia SP is a fairly good device but S3 is also a very good device for the price at which it is offered in the country today. S3 scores above Xperia SP in following things:
>Fairly better screen and viewing angles than X SP (super AmOled)
>Marginally Better battery backup
>16gb internal memory for apps and games (X SP has Half)
>much better camera, both front and back (has video call too)
In real life, i consider SGS3 can be a good option if budget can go for that.
Looks of X SP is also not that good but imo better than sgs3

Thanks for both of your inputs.
I went for the SP in the end. Battery Backup is very very very subjective to if you have it rooted, how you use it etc. I couldn't give a flying about the FFC, since I never do video calls
So, depending on some key factors regarding on what is what when you unlock the bootloader, you might be seeing the (SP)artan Rom soon enough...
Mods, you can close the thread. My questions have been answered.

dumraden said:
Thanks for both of your inputs.
I went for the SP in the end. Battery Backup is very very very subjective to if you have it rooted, how you use it etc. I couldn't give a flying about the FFC, since I never do video calls
So, depending on some key factors regarding on what is what when you unlock the bootloader, you might be seeing the (SP)artan Rom soon enough...
Mods, you can close the thread. My questions have been answered.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SO finally u bought Xperia SP..
For how much did u get?

Got it sorta pricey, but I due to my recent problems with the Xperia Active, I decided to get it from here. It cost 360 Euros. I could find it in the UK for around 300, but then if something went wrong, I would have to pay 30 euros every time it had to go and come back to me from Greece to the UK.
First impressions are nice, I really like the floating touch. But i need to get used to it And yes, the soft keys do not get in the way, because the fingers kind of arch over them when you have it on landscape.

I am going to return back my SP to the dealer ( My Friend ) and going for S3. I dont know y but i love S3. After using SP for three days i decided to buy S3... I am a big gamer.. Can i really go for S3.? And 4.2.2 update for S3 is on d way i think.. Any advice From Any Old S3 user ? Pls ...

I think your question is in the wrong section completely Try looking in the S3 phone section.

rajeevxperia said:
I am going to return back my SP to the dealer ( My Friend ) and going for S3. I dont know y but i love S3. After using SP for three days i decided to buy S3... I am a big gamer.. Can i really go for S3.? And 4.2.2 update for S3 is on d way i think.. Any advice From Any Old S3 user ? Pls ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you care about gaming xperia sp is a better choice becouse the adreno 320 is way better than mali 400. Current gamesrun well on both but think about the future my friend

IE-coRe said:
If you care about gaming xperia sp is a better choice becouse the adreno 320 is way better than mali 400. Current gamesrun well on both but think about the future my friend
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply my friend. I wil go for S3 ( Some budget problem dude ) ..

rajeevxperia said:
Thanks for the reply my friend. I wil go for S3 ( Some budget problem dude ) ..
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Click to collapse
Most games require only 2 cores, and the rumour about Key Lime Pie requiring quad core is just BS, as that will leave out the dual core Galaxy S3, all but 3 Xperias and the Nexus 10.
Nexus 10 owners will then be pissed that the nexus 7 guys who paid less will get KLP. Impossible on Google's part.

jasonwsc said:
Must games require only 2 cores, and the rumour about Key Lime Pie requiring quad core is just BS, as that will leave out the dual core Galaxy S3, all but 3 Xperias and the Nexus 10.
Nexus 10 owners will then be pissed that the nexus 7 guys who paid less will get KLP. Impossible on Google's part.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
U r correct. Me also heared that rumor. But i dont really care about future updates.. I will not keep any mobile more than a Year...

Which I want to choose: GS3 or XSP??
Guys, I love gaming and also watching movies.. I like to run apps.. But I confused in these 2 smartphones..
I have budget for these 2 phones..
But I hear that Xperia SP have a display defect..nd also in battry backup..
So i turnd to GS3. But I also here a news that the glass of GS3 will broken when it falls down..
Guys, here I'm a ltl bit confused..
Can u plz suggst me a gud phone frm these 2 smartfones???

jasonwsc said:
I personally played around with both for quite some time, and they are both good phones.
The s3 has a slightly better sound quality and camera, although the build quality is atrocious. It has a smaller but removable battery, and a larger internal storage.
The xperia sp has a larger battery and much better build quality, although the camera is not great. I really like the light strip.
Both devices have similar performance, although the galaxy s3 has a laggy gallery.
I would say go for whichever is cheaper. The xperia sp is however released later so maybe longer support from Sony?
Sent from my Xperia SP using xda premium
---------- Post added at 12:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:04 PM ----------
Both phones have very reflective screens, which means you can't really see anything on both on a sunny day.
Never had a problem with soft keys, neither typing nor gaming is affected. I play nfs, asphalt and modern combat.
Sent from my Xperia SP using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
According to Quadrant, 3D-mark and Antutu, and general percieved performance, the Adreno 320 is Faster than the Mali400 in the S3 and the Adreno 225 in the US S3,
Linpack shows approximately the Dual core Krait CPU with Double the CPU MFLOPs, compared to the slower Quad core Cortex A9 Exynos CPU in the S3.
but don't get me wrong, the S3 is still fast enpough to run any game out there at the moment.
Gone of Samsung, due to their Super Amoled screens and build quality.
as fo Not being able to see anything on the SP, dunno what your talking about, the screen is clearly much brighter than the Super Amoled screens and easily visible during Sunny days.
regards
---------- Post added at 07:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:18 PM ----------
asman.kr said:
Guys, I love gaming and also watching movies.. I like to run apps.. But I confused in these 2 smartphones..
I have budget for these 2 phones..
But I hear that Xperia SP have a display defect..nd also in battry backup..
So i turnd to GS3. But I also here a news that the glass of GS3 will broken when it falls down..
Guys, here I'm a ltl bit confused..
Can u plz suggst me a gud phone frm these 2 smartfones???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Both are good performing phones,
as for the defects you mention, never experienced any of them.
the SP lasts longer on standby, due to stamina mode and a bigger battery,
can't comment on the S3, but judging by the Superamoled screen it probably has a longer screen on time,
the Glass screen on any phone CAN break if it falls down from a height or onto a sharp or hard surface etc,
Manufacturers are yet to give us a Indestructable screen, :silly:
regards

I could either get the Xperia Sp for 0$ or get the S3 for 140$ through my carrier. I game a lot and the Adreno 320 is better than the Mali but, the support behind the S3 is much larger than the Sp. Which one should I get?

Leafs99 said:
I could either get the Xperia Sp for 0$ or get the S3 for 140$ through my carrier. I game a lot and the Adreno 320 is better than the Mali but, the support behind the S3 is much larger than the Sp. Which one should I get?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends on what you want! i had to choose between these two phones as well i chose the xperia sp because of the build quality: metal vs plastic and performance wich is better then S3 I think the support behind this phone is reasonable with a soon upcoming 4.3 build

S3 without a second thought
S3 is a very high end phone which was released with an introductory price of above $600.
Samsung packed the best of its features into it.
It has won numerous awards and it was once the most bought android phone in the world.
The body of xperia sp is very tempting, but trust me, it is the internals that matter wayy more.
The back camera on the Xperia SP is very bad. The photos have noise, red-blue-greenish dots all around when zoomed. I clicked many photos myself on the mobile store. The 0.3 mp front camera is so horrible, that I'd rather not comment on it.
On the other hand, the back camera on the S3 is spectacular with no weak points to it. Superb clarity and there's no noise. The 1.9 MP front camera clicked some really beautiful shots.
The music quality on Xperia SP is good but not if you use walkman. The walkman's clearbass option increases the bass, however the volume of the sound is weirdly lowered at different points of the songs. This happens on all sony phones only. It's weird sony hasn't fixed it.
Use poweramp however, and you'll love all your songs.
The S3's sound quality is superb and it is an ideal phone for audiophiles. You can check the audio lab test results in this genuine GSMarena review -
http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_i9300_galaxy_s_iii-review-761p8.php
The battery on my S3 is amazing. I dont know about xperia sp, but after hearing from my friends, it is equally good.
Gaming on the S3 is superb as well. I have never seen any of my games lag on the s3. Xperia SP's snapdragon cpu is also very much ideal for gaming.
So the decision is yours

Ram wise the S3 is better but then If Were you guys just sell your SP save up some cash and buy the Nexus 5 because it is clearly the better one here
but nonetheless SP is better than that older S3...don't get so tempted by that bigger SUPER LCD2 screen it runs on older ARM hardware compared to the newer krait architecture our devices have
GPU wise the SP is still better and besides sound could easily be improved by installing Viper4Android so its no big deal

Xperia Z Discontinued?

Just thought I'd start this thread as I think the Xperia Z may be being discontinued, at least for the time being.
I bought a new Xperia Z handset in May. I made a clear choice between this and the Samsung S4, mainly for two reasons. The first being the overall design. It looks a much nicer/sexier phone. The second being the water resistance. I use the phone in the bath and I go fishing a lot. Seemed an obvious choice really.
When I first started using the phone, everything worked perfectly fine and I was very happy with my purchase. Except for one thing. I was experiencing the WiFi drop out problem. If I was in my living room (where my WiFi router is) it connected without issue. If I tried in other rooms, I would get a low connection and it would drop in and out. This bug has been well documented over several forums (without any response from Sony unsurprisingly), so I was a little reassured that it was not my phone specific issue, and a lot of people stating that it will likely be resolved with firmware updated. Two updates later and I was still having the issue.
I decided to take the phone back to Argos (where I purchased it) to see if I could get a replacement and hope that it would not have the issue. They were quite happy to replace it on the grounds that it is a faulty phone, however they didn't have any in at this particular store. The guy done a search and found one (and only one) in a store some 50 miles away. I asked if they could order one in for me, so he had a look and he said they can no longer get any. I thought this was very odd. A store chain the size of Argos and they can no longer get a top of the range phone only released 6 months or so ago? I asked if they knew a reason why, he said he didn't but if the error I'm experiencing is common and they have had a load returned then Argos may have chosen to no longer stock them.
This does not bode well for Sony at all. If Argos are taking this stance then I would not be surprised to see other outlets do the same.
I was left with a choice to either carry on with the phone and hope that at some point in the future the bug will be resolved, downgrade to another model, get my money back or pay the extra and get an S4. I decided to go with the S4, a decision I was not entirely happy with as, other than the WiFi bug, I was very happy with the Xperia Z, but I could not continue getting frustrated with the WiFi dropping out.
For those interested in the differences between the two phones, from an end users perspective and not a techno guru reviewer, there are a lot of similarities between the two. There are obviously pros and cons for each. The S4 is a lot lighter, and the external speaker is fantastic. It's design is a little uglier and the rear case is very slippery. The Xperia Z just looks nicer, looks less like a toy. They're just as responsive as each other, both take great photos/videos. The Xperia Z keyboard is much better than the S4, but that may be me needing to get used to it.
Given the choice, if the WiFi problem wasn't prevalent, I would definitely have the Xperia Z back. Hopefully Sony will pull there socks up.

maybe the rumor about a refresh with S800 processor and triluminos screen is true then.

Congrats on your new S4...
Sent from my C6602 using xda app-developers app

xperia z is not discontinued (confirmed with sony executive), funny you judged that. though x-reality for mobile is coming for xperia z
---------- Post added at 04:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:47 PM ----------
i think this SteveJustice is probably a samsung bot desperately to attract sales as clearly sony is dominating and samsung s4 having a hard time getting sales now.

mysticmetal said:
xperia z is not discontinued (confirmed with sony executive), funny you judged that. though x-reality for mobile is coming for xperia z
---------- Post added at 04:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:47 PM ----------
i think this SteveJustice is probably a samsung bot desperately to attract sales as clearly sony is dominating and samsung s4 having a hard time getting sales now.
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Click to collapse
What? I gave pros and cons for both devices, and clearly stated that had I not had the problems with my Xperia Z then I would still have it. Not to mention I went to the store to get a replacement, not a different phone.
Even if the phone isn't being discontinued, it still begs the question as to why Argos are not getting any more in.
And where did you speak to this Sony executive by the way? Just happened to be passing in the street?

I have both the S4 and Xperia Z and your right they are very similar to each other and both have their pros and cons and let me just give a short of what I think are cons of the xperia Z compared to the S4 and funnily enough they are mostly to do with volume.
The Z speaker is lower in volume than s4, headphone volume is slightly lower and so is earpiece volume, S4 is a bit clearer aswell in earpiece, Z wifi is weaker and obviously due to a smaller battery, battery doesn't last as long. Camera/video I would say the S4 edges it but not by much
The Z is better to look at and and im sorry all those saying the screen on the Z is rubbish need to go to their opticians as the screen on the Z looks much sharper and better looking than the S4, not as good as the one on the HTC One but not far off, also the Z looks better than the S4 not that the S4 is ugly as I love the look of the S4 too, the Zs UI and keyboard etc are all better, the Z is just as smooth as the s4 if not smoother. TBH if the speaker was louder, earpiece was louder and audio volume was louder and wifi signal strength was stronger I would say the Z is the best phone on the market atm. The Z has restored my faith in sony as when I had the xperia S and T last year I wasn't happy atall.

RCJ89 said:
I have both the S4 and Xperia Z and your right they are very similar to each other and both have their pros and cons and let me just give a short of what I think are cons of the xperia Z compared to the S4 and funnily enough they are mostly to do with volume.
The Z speaker is lower in volume than s4, headphone volume is slightly lower and so is earpiece volume, S4 is a bit clearer aswell in earpiece, Z wifi is weaker and obviously due to a smaller battery, battery doesn't last as long. Camera/video I would say the S4 edges it but not by much
The Z is better to look at and and im sorry all those saying the screen on the Z is rubbish need to go to their opticians as the screen on the Z looks much sharper and better looking than the S4, not as good as the one on the HTC One but not far off, also the Z looks better than the S4 not that the S4 is ugly as I love the look of the S4 too, the Zs UI and keyboard etc are all better, the Z is just as smooth as the s4 if not smoother. TBH if the speaker was louder, earpiece was louder and audio volume was louder and wifi signal strength was stronger I would say the Z is the best phone on the market atm. The Z has restored my faith in sony as when I had the xperia S and T last year I wasn't happy atall.
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Click to collapse
I have a XZ and the wife a S4 and tbh there isn't much between the two.
Screen: Alot of song and dance is made about the samoled 1080p panel, and its obvious why the blacks are amazing but that's at the cost of the whites which are quite common on webpages (xz wins in whites). The viewing angles are better on the S4 although not as much as the reviews seemed to make out, one area where the XZ is better is the visibility in sunlight.
Winner: Close call id give it to the S4 sometimes colours seem a bit too saturated with XZ but not much in it overall.
Sound: The loudspeaker on the S4 rapes the XZ due to the XZ's waterproof ability. In call is slightly louder on the S4 but not by much, the S3 was amazing for in call volume.
Winner: S4 by a mile
Camera: Both use the same chip but different software is implemented and some hardware is different I believe (im no expert so could be wrong).
Anyway the XZ originally was a bit slow but with the latest update is on par with the S4 if not better, just took two pictures (night here in England) and the XZ was clearly better (both on auto, flash off). (uploaded both pics to pc for analysis)
Winner: Close call was about to say the XZ due to my rather short samples but im not a expert and reviewers praise the S4 so Id say a draw.
Battery: Both phones used differently so hard to compare. Depends on alot of variables such as area used, syncs, etc. I can't do a proper review of it but my amateur opinion says the S4 is better, more screen time but that could be because the wife is mostly on wifi at home. Anyway there's not a great deal if the S4 is better its not by more then 10%,
Winner: S4
Design: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder so not much too say there, material wise though the XZ is better and it feels more solid. The S4 has the advantage of removable battery and is more comfortable to use in the hand. Then again the XZ is dust and water proof and has soft keys.
Winner: XZ
Software: Id say stock xperia is definitely better then stock touchwiz based on design but then again that's user preference. I love the smart stay feature in touchwiz though and the vibrate when you pick up for messages/put phone to head to call from messages.
Xperia has the Bravia Engine though and as we mostly view photos on our phone these days that's a neat trick. Overall both are running 4.22 and rock solid so not much in it.
Winner: Draw.
Overall score: S4 wins 3. XZ 1. And 2 draws.
Conclusion: Both great phones and not much too seperate them, go check them out in store before you buy either and see which one you prefer. At the same time check out the HTC One...

scorpi786 said:
I have a XZ and the wife a S4 and tbh there isn't much between the two.
Screen: Alot of song and dance is made about the samoled 1080p panel, and its obvious why the blacks are amazing but that's at the cost of the whites which are quite common on webpages (xz wins in whites). The viewing angles are better on the S4 although not as much as the reviews seemed to make out, one area where the XZ is better is the visibility in sunlight.
Winner: Close call id give it to the S4 sometimes colours seem a bit too saturated with XZ but not much in it overall.
Sound: The loudspeaker on the S4 rapes the XZ due to the XZ's waterproof ability. In call is slightly louder on the S4 but not by much, the S3 was amazing for in call volume.
Winner: S4 by a mile
Camera: Both use the same chip but different software is implemented and some hardware is different I believe (im no expert so could be wrong).
Anyway the XZ originally was a bit slow but with the latest update is on par with the S4 if not better, just took two pictures (night here in England) and the XZ was clearly better (both on auto, flash off). (uploaded both pics to pc for analysis)
Winner: Close call was about to say the XZ due to my rather short samples but im not a expert and reviewers praise the S4 so Id say a draw.
Battery: Both phones used differently so hard to compare. Depends on alot of variables such as area used, syncs, etc. I can't do a proper review of it but my amateur opinion says the S4 is better, more screen time but that could be because the wife is mostly on wifi at home. Anyway there's not a great deal if the S4 is better its not by more then 10%,
Winner: S4
Design: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder so not much too say there, material wise though the XZ is better and it feels more solid. The S4 has the advantage of removable battery and is more comfortable to use in the hand. Then again the XZ is dust and water proof and has soft keys.
Winner: XZ
Software: Id say stock xperia is definitely better then stock touchwiz based on design but then again that's user preference. I love the smart stay feature in touchwiz though and the vibrate when you pick up for messages/put phone to head to call from messages.
Xperia has the Bravia Engine though and as we mostly view photos on our phone these days that's a neat trick. Overall both are running 4.22 and rock solid so not much in it.
Winner: Draw.
Overall score: S4 wins 3. XZ 1. And 2 draws.
Conclusion: Both great phones and not much too seperate them, go check them out in store before you buy either and see which one you prefer. At the same time check out the HTC One...
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Click to collapse
Great honest comparison mate :thumbup:
You forgot performance , s4 wins here thx to s600 ( specifically gaming )
Battery is much better since s4 gets average 4:30/5 hrs screen time. While xz barely makes it 3:30.
Anyway these 2 vs one are pretty much weaker in every aspect.
Speakers ate better and louder then on both
Headphones are also better with more quality then on both , also louder.
Screen is better by much then on both. ( tho amoled has better blacks ) also better viewing angle , brighter , and better sunlight visibility.
System speed is much better then on both. ( even faster then n4 on 4.3 )
Design .. I'd say only xz and one are pretty , I'd call this one personal preference.
Build quality .. I guess we agree aluminum is more premium ( + serves as a heat sink so one is much cooler then both )
Camera is actually better then on xz after the recent updates both in day light and dark , also the camera is much snappier then both , as for video neither comes close to one thx to the ois and hdr mics
Speaker for calls is also better , again stereo and it's very loud and clear.
Front camera is also better then on both + wide angle
Battery is on par with s4 if not better , at least in my case I perform much better then the cousins s4. , the other cousin with xz usually gets around 2:50/ 3:20 screen time. outside. While my average is 6 hrs screen time with heavier usage .
I guess this would be my 2 cents.
Btw my cousins have s4 and xz while my friend has n4 , pretty much surrounded with mobile geeks lol. So this comes from the tests I made with them , if you guys need some screen shots , or pic samples lemme know.

Shan89 said:
Great honest comparison mate :thumbup:
You forgot performance , s4 wins here thx to s600 ( specifically gaming )
Battery is much better since s4 gets average 4:30/5 hrs screen time. While xz barely makes it 3:30.
Anyway these 2 vs one are pretty much weaker in every aspect.
Speakers ate better and louder then on both
Headphones are also better with more quality then on both , also louder.
Screen is better by much then on both. ( tho amoled has better blacks ) also better viewing angle , brighter , and better sunlight visibility.
System speed is much better then on both. ( even faster then n4 on 4.3 )
Design .. I'd say only xz and one are pretty , I'd call this one personal preference.
Build quality .. I guess we agree aluminum is more premium ( + serves as a heat sink so one is much cooler then both )
Camera is actually better then on xz after the recent updates both in day light and dark , also the camera is much snappier then both , as for video neither comes close to one thx to the ois and hdr mics
Speaker for calls is also better , again stereo and it's very loud and clear.
Front camera is also better then on both + wide angle
Battery is on par with s4 if not better , at least in my case I perform much better then the cousins s4. , the other cousin with xz usually gets around 2:50/ 3:20 screen time. outside. While my average is 6 hrs screen time with heavier usage .
I guess this would be my 2 cents.
Btw my cousins have s4 and xz while my friend has n4 , pretty much surrounded with mobile geeks lol. So this comes from the tests I made with them , if you guys need some screen shots , or pic samples lemme know.
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Click to collapse
Having had the HTC one earlier in the year, three things i disagree on are
1) audio is actually better on the s4, but the HTC one is louder
2) battery life on HTC is not better than S4 and i certianly wouldnt call it close either especially if we include standby time though it is better than the xperia z.
3) as for looks i really do not like the fact that the One has the htc sign inbetween the buttons i think thats ugly, i think all three phones look good, if i was to choose an order it would be XZ, S4 then One.
The main reasons for getting the s4 and selling the one was better battery and memory card slot as i ran out of memory on the one and i seriously hope htc change this as 25gb isnt enough. Also while the one is loud i feel it lacks the bass of the s4 and XZ, also i find the custom eqaulizers better than simply beats on or off

Nexus 5 or Xperia Z

Hi
I've an opportunity to trade my Xperia Z for a Nexus 5. What do you guys think?
The only reason I'm even considering this is due to the fast updates of android from google. My carrier here in canada is way too slow.. We were on 4.1 all these days ..just released 4.3 today..
What are the pros and cons?
I really like the look of my Xperia Z though..

vhl71 said:
Hi
I've an opportunity to trade my Xperia Z for a Nexus 5. What do you guys think?
The only reason I'm even considering this is due to the fast updates of android from google. My carrier here in canada is way too slow.. We were on 4.1 all these days ..just released 4.3 today..
What are the pros and cons?
I really like the look of my Xperia Z though..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes you should do this !
the n5 is great. However i personally will get the moto x as a seco dary device as i don't need that much power but rather a compact solid phone.
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The Nexus 5 has a faster CPU/GPU indeed, but the Xperia Z has better cameras, an SD card slot, an FM radio and better build quality / premium materials. It also depends on how much you like the Sony experience, with exclusive Sony features (Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2, WALKMAN, PlayStation Mobile, DUALSHOCK 3 support, Clear Phase and xLOUD audio, Smart Social Camera, My Xperia, etc.) and a more polished user interface.

I believe the Nexus has is and has always been a developer oriented device. While the Xperia Z is more consumer-media oriented.
Each has its pros and cons, but generally, they both are great devices and its just a matter of what ecosystem(Google - Sony) you prefer.

Xperia z1 or z2.
Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk

Personally, I'd say go for Nexus 5. As mentioned earlier by other people nexus 5 is faster, the only thing nexus lost is on camera and build quality. X.Z is more towards premium side. Sony UI and so on is really my cup of tea. :good:
However, the reason why I propose you to go for nexus 5 is because of DEVELOPMENT. Not only it is faster there, there are tons of elite developer there. I'm not saying that XZ does not have elite developer, (we have alnikki, doomlord, niaboc and many many more). But, if you have noticed, development in XZ has noticeably gone slower and I believe at some time it will just die. In fact, the number of developer keep reducing over time. Just compare and you'll notice. Unless you are not into development, then go for Xperia Z. Otherwise Nexus 5 would be a better choice.
p/s: I own a nexus 4 (and assumed the development in N5 is the same), so I know the development progress in comparison to xperia Z very well.

Xperia Z without doubt.
Even the Nexus having a little bit better SoC, the building materials and quality of the Xperia Z are more important in my opinion.
Sent from my C6603 using xda app-developers app

You're in luck... I own both a Xperia Z and a Nexus 5.
Performance
Firstly, the N5 is significantly faster. That thing is flipping quick.
The XZ isn't slow, but it isn't near the N5 in speed.
Sound
The sound quality on my XZ is bad. I'm not sure if mine is faulty, or it's just because of the waterproofing on the speaker.
The N5 speaker isn't brilliant, but it is better.
For headphone performance, the XZ is noticeably better, even without ClearAudio+ activated
The music playing application is the main issue with music on the N5. I hate Google music (Sure, I could simply use a different app, but still), it is frustrating to use and just plain annoying. Walkman, to me is the best music player by far, perhaps just my opinion, but you may value it anyway.
Screen
This is where it gets tricky.
I'm sure you've heard complaints about Sony's TFT displays, saying their viewing angles are bad, I however, very much like the XZ display.
To me, the display of the XZ is very realistic. The colours look real, the text looks sharp.
But the display of the N5 is also very nice. Better viewing angles (if you're into looking at your phone at weird angles.)
The colours don't look as real, but nowhere near as fake as that of Samsung. The screen is colourful, and definitely very good.
The ROMs of these two phones suit the screens very well. Sony's rom is largely black & white, with greyish gradients. The wallpapers are landscapes that really go well with the screen.
The N5 has an interface that is made up of 'synthetic' backgrounds - abstract, computer-made images that are colourful. The screen suits it very well.
I've tried swapping the wallpapers, and they don't work as well on each others screens.
Interface
Much like the screen, this is personal preference. I like the small app feature of the XZ, very useful.
I love the XZ interface in general, whenever I try to use AOSP, I just come back to the XZ.
The AOSP interface is good, but to me it just isn't as good.
Camera
I don't use the camera much, so I don't have much of an opinion. I just know that they are both good.
Build Quality
Don't assume that the N5 build quality is bad. I was actually very surprised by its build quality.
It feels solid, of an appropriate weight. Very impressive.
The N5 is shaped in a way that fits your hand better than the XZ - it feels smaller than what it actually is, which I like.
The build quality of the XZ is brilliant. Certainly something to boast about. Hell, the thing is water resistant. How many phones have that?

if I were you i would go for the n5. it has good build quality and better battery life than the z, it has a ridiculously accurate screen and is better in low light photography.
go and read anandtech's review on it and see if it is really for you

well i just went back from nexus 5 to Xperia Z, lack of micro sd slot killed it for me... i need the space...
n5 has its +'s but realised soon without microSD space runs out fast .... well at least for me.

I would choose Z just because I prefer Sony concept.
Stock Android is less interesting and less pretty.
I also prefer Sony's cameras
Plus the design, Nexus always looks like a tasteless brick.

Lol i own both now n5 and XZ
N5 is flying and has good speakers but i miss some features so the Z will be used too
Sent from my Xperia Z