Database Develop

What can you tell me about the xperia z

Hi guys. Have gone back quite a few threads in here so apologies if this has already been asked.
I am coming up to the magic upgrade date and am very keen on the xperia z. I have been on xda for nearly 2 years now and know that this community is the dog's and you guys can help me out. I know it all comes down to personal preference, but seeing as you have had the phone for a few months now can anyone give me any comments, likes or dislikes or reviews on the phone? I am asking the same question in the HTC one page as torn between the two, but keen to mix it up with Sony for the next few years. Your help is much appreciated.
Peace out.
Sent from my HTC Incredible S using xda app-developers app

VaderXI said:
Hi guys. Have gone back quite a few threads in here so apologies if this has already been asked.
I am coming up to the magic upgrade date and am very keen on the xperia z. I have been on xda for nearly 2 years now and know that this community is the dog's and you guys can help me out. I know it all comes down to personal preference, but seeing as you have had the phone for a few months now can anyone give me any comments, likes or dislikes or reviews on the phone? I am asking the same question in the HTC one page as torn between the two, but keen to mix it up with Sony for the next few years. Your help is much appreciated.
Peace out.
Sent from my HTC Incredible S using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
first tell us what do you want most out of your phone? battery life? esthetic? what do you do with your phone? movies? text? games alot?
I own the Z and I dont feel its a substantial upgrade from the S3, limiting battery life from a 7000mah battery kinda sucks too.

I assume you are using a HTC Incredible S, according to your signature.
If that's the case then my experience may reflect yours.
Previously i've a SE Xperia Arc S. It was incredibly fast coming from my old motorola milestone, the screen was better, had HD recording etc. However after the ICS came it became sooooooo slow and choppy, i couldn't stand even touching it. Luckily i had an unlocked bootloader, so i could install CM/AOKP. The major bottleneck of the phone was the low RAM. 512 MB onboard, 380 MB usable due to the Exmor sensor. The battery life was poor, so was the quality of the arc (plastic cover breaking, cracks, scratches on the display, chrome parts loosing their color etc.)
Finally, after 2 years i replaced it with an unbranded xperia z. Oh god, where should i begin? The look and feel of the phone are outstanding. The build quality is top notch (it fell off a table 3 times, surviving without a single scratch). The display is incredible, very very crisp, natural colors and good brightness. If you are used to oversatured colors then you might dislike this one. Perfect perfomance in my opinion (coming from a single core 1,4ghz cpu ), rarely any hiccups or slowdowns. Sure the HTC One might have a snapdragon 600, but whats the increase on paper? 15%? You wouldn't even notice the difference in everyday use tbh. The development is also really fast. I think the first working CM10.1 was out before the phone was actually released.
Anyway, i'm in love with this phone, and if i had the chance to exchange it with a different one, i probably wouldn't do it.

I personally have a xperia z love it battery life is good screen excellent as I had a Samsung galaxy note 2 and traded up to the xperia z. I send text make calls listen to music I use the sat nav software very quick phone can't fault it even with stock rom.
Sent from my xperia z using xda app-developers app

G1_enthusiast said:
first tell us what do you want most out of your phone? battery life? esthetic? what do you do with your phone? movies? text? games alot?
I own the Z and I dont feel its a substantial upgrade from the S3, limiting battery life from a 7000mah battery kinda sucks too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good point! I don't have the time to play games on it and when I do I'm straight on the xbox. The look and build quality of the phone is important to me that is why I have never gone for an xperia in the past and not considering the GSIIII. Camera and video is important as I have 2 kids... for my sins, as is battery life and speed of the phone. This will be my first quad core. Support is also important. My ICS is rooted and flashed so I may do this with the new phone. For all these reasons I'm looking at the Sony.
Sent from my HTC Incredible S using xda app-developers app

wantondamage2012 said:
I personally have a xperia z love it battery life is good screen excellent as I had a Samsung galaxy note 2 and traded up to the xperia z. I send text make calls listen to music I use the sat nav software very quick phone can't fault it even with stock rom.
Sent from my xperia z using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
Oh yeah listen to loads of music through it so sound is also important.
Sent from my HTC Incredible S using xda app-developers app

Stay away from the xperia z!!!!
this phone is an amazing built piece of ****

ihaxda1 said:
Stay away from the xperia z!!!!
this phone is an amazing built piece of ****
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really!? Why? Have you got the phone....?
Sent from my HTC Incredible S using xda app-developers app

VaderXI said:
Good point! I don't have the time to play games on it and when I do I'm straight on the xbox. The look and build quality of the phone is important to me that is why I have never gone for an xperia in the past and not considering the GSIIII. Camera and video is important as I have 2 kids... for my sins, as is battery life and speed of the phone. This will be my first quad core. Support is also important. My ICS is rooted and flashed so I may do this with the new phone. For all these reasons I'm looking at the Sony.
Sent from my HTC Incredible S using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
If Esthetic is the most important to you then this phone is it. If you are not a photographer or dont have photographer eyes the video and photo are "good" (low light is bad) battery life- will you be around wifi alot? if not then my typical usage is 13 hours standby and 2.5 hours screen on no wifi. speed is good no lag with NOVA launcher slight lag on xperia launcher if you have alot of widget like me. support? like dev? not alot lol...I think you should go with S4. I honestly only kept this phone because its different then what the rest of the U.S market uses. I miss my S3 a lot though.

VaderXI said:
Really!? Why? Have you got the phone....?
Sent from my HTC Incredible S using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
yes i got it its fast and everything but the sony dont know how to make a software
the speaker is a joke
the headphones is not loud
and the camera looks like an 2001 phone
and its 4.1.2 and the bottom bar is too big and u cant change quick widgets
its a boring phone go for the galaxy s4

Well I traded my S4 for the Xperia Z and I am not looking. Back. I mean I do not like that I can't change the battery but that's about it battery life on this device seems far superior to everything I used yet. I also didn't like that the xperia has software buttons and take away a good amount of realestate from the screen but there is hack that makes it possible to get the whole screen back. I am personally using this hack. Now I have really 5 inches of beauty. Anyhow besides that the experia z is a great phone. By the way it wasn't a one on one trade. The S4 I got 550 for and bought the xperia z for 300 so I got a better looking better battery somewhat worse camera and 250 on top for pretty much the same thing plus u still can use the normal mhl plug in and don't have to buy the special Samsung S3 S4 mhl version. I like that. So to sum it up. Besides the non removable battery and the not as good camera I think the xperia z is a even match to the S4 in some stuff even superior to the S4.
Sent from my C6603 using xda app-developers app

G1_enthusiast said:
If Esthetic is the most important to you then this phone is it. If you are not a photographer or dont have photographer eyes the video and photo are "good" (low light is bad) battery life- will you be around wifi alot? if not then my typical usage is 13 hours standby and 2.5 hours screen on no wifi. speed is good no lag with NOVA launcher slight lag on xperia launcher if you have alot of widget like me. support? like dev? not alot lol...I think you should go with S4. I honestly only kept this phone because its different then what the rest of the U.S market uses. I miss my S3 a lot though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2.5 hours of screen on time without wifi? That's really bad. Are you on 3g? My 3g is on all the time and the worst I got is around 3 and a half hours . Nowadays I got close to 5 hours or more..
Sent from my Xperia Z

joejoe23 said:
2.5 hours of screen on time without wifi? That's really bad. Are you on 3g? My 3g is on all the time and the worst I got is around 3 and a half hours . Nowadays I got close to 5 hours or more..
Sent from my Xperia Z
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Tmobile USA 3.5G lol they dont have LTE yet but LTE consume more power from what i heard.. i'm fine with HSPA+

ihaxda1 said:
yes i got it its fast and everything but the sony dont know how to make a software
the speaker is a joke
the headphones is not loud
and the camera looks like an 2001 phone
and its 4.1.2 and the bottom bar is too big and u cant change quick widgets
its a boring phone go for the galaxy s4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry to hear that Bro. I won't be going for an S4 as the wife has an S3 and I flatly don't like it. Horrible plasticy phone. The only other contender, at the moment, is the HTC One.
Sent from my HTC Incredible S using xda app-developers app

The main issue with Samsung phones is that the screen always burns in after a while and that it has when u have a black background those visible black spots on the whole screen they look like black drops and also it has a very bad black pixelation when watching movies with a lot of dark in it. That's just the amolad screen tech. Not that good when it comes to burn in and black.
Sent from my C6603 using xda app-developers app

G1_enthusiast said:
Tmobile USA 3.5G lol they dont have LTE yet but LTE consume more power from what i heard.. i'm fine with HSPA+
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Click to collapse
Same h+ is what I meant haha..
Sent from my Xperia Z

dante501 said:
The main issue with Samsung phones is that the screen always burns in after a while and that it has when u have a black background those visible black spots on the whole screen they look like black drops and also it has a very bad black pixelation when watching movies with a lot of dark in it. That's just the amolad screen tech. Not that good when it comes to burn in and black.
Sent from my C6603 using xda app-developers app
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I own the S3 for a year (since it release), this never happen before, are we talking over a 5 years time span? who own a phone for that long? this isnt a TV. The black is very very nice black Samsung did alot of study with this IMO, they know the consumer love saturated picture and thats what they incorporated, for photographer this is a nightmare because we stick to "true color". In the end, they are doing this to make money, I guarantee you they make more money with their AMOLED screen then Sony with their true color TFT screen. Also people complaining aobut the weight of the S3, isnt weight was a big deal for a phone in recent years? the fact that they make the phone plastic, so its as light as possible just doesnt satisfy some people. if you want a device that is not plasticly then you gotta have an aluminum body which create more weight. I dont think Samsung did it to be cheap, just what the masses want. A phone that is bigger than the iphone and yet weight less (or the same) is a win in my book.

Just have a black picture or a black background and u gonna see some black bleeding issues. I had this with all Samsung phones and there r a lot of postings and also videos about those black clipping issues on amoload screens. It is a known issue.
Sent from my C6603 using xda app-developers app

ihaxda1 said:
Stay away from the xperia z!!!!
this phone is an amazing built piece of ****
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You shouldn't even bother posting. Your as useful as a chocolate teapot.
Sent from my C6603 using xda premium

G1_enthusiast said:
I own the S3 for a year (since it release), this never happen before, are we talking over a 5 years time span? who own a phone for that long? this isnt a TV. The black is very very nice black Samsung did alot of study with this IMO, they know the consumer love saturated picture and thats what they incorporated, for photographer this is a nightmare because we stick to "true color". In the end, they are doing this to make money, I guarantee you they make more money with their AMOLED screen then Sony with their true color TFT screen. Also people complaining aobut the weight of the S3, isnt weight was a big deal for a phone in recent years? the fact that they make the phone plastic, so its as light as possible just doesnt satisfy some people. if you want a device that is not plasticly then you gotta have an aluminum body which create more weight. I dont think Samsung did it to be cheap, just what the masses want. A phone that is bigger than the iphone and yet weight less (or the same) is a win in my book.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At the end of the day it's whatever floats your boat. S3/4 doesn't float mine.
Sent from my HTC Incredible S using xda app-developers app

Xperia Z compared to HTC One

Okay first off, I hate to start one of these threads, since it's basically an opinionated question. The GS4 is a no go for me, really don't like physical buttons. Currently looking for a gsm replacement on tmobile for my Galaxy Nexus. The only thing holding me back from getting the Xperia Z is the lack of a huge development community (and possibly reports of poor screen performance). Just curious if anyone who's used these devices could weigh in with their experience. I'd prefer to hear first hand accounts than continue to read expert reviews.
Thanks everyone!
Also, mods if this kind of post isn't allowed on xda anymore, my apologies, please remove it.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4 Beta

crimson12 said:
Okay first off, I hate to start one of these threads, since it's basically an opinionated question. The GS4 is a no go for me, really don't like physical buttons. Currently looking for a gsm replacement on tmobile for my Galaxy Nexus. The only thing holding me back from getting the Xperia Z is the lack of a huge development community (and possibly reports of poor screen performance). Just curious if anyone who's used these devices could weigh in with their experience. I'd prefer to hear first hand accounts than continue to read expert reviews.
Thanks everyone!
Also, mods if this kind of post isn't allowed on xda anymore, my apologies, please remove it.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I went from a Galaxy Nexus to a Nexus 4, then had the same decision as you.
In terms of screen, the HTC One's has better viewing angles, no doubt about it, so does the Nexus 4 and Galaxy Nexus. In actual usage, on the latest firmware that improves blacks, it doesn't really matter that much. When actually looking at images, I compared the screens side by side and the Xperia Z seems to have a sharpness or vibrancy that the HTC One's doesnt. I really think the reviews overcook the view angle issue, it nearly put me off.
If you're used to the on screen buttons of AOSP, then I think the HTC one would be really irritating. That was a major factor for me, the quick swipe up from the middle launch of google now is also retained on the Xperia Z.
I found the HTC One difficult to hold, the edges seemed really sharp and hard, and the phone was quite slippery. At the same time the Xperia Z is also quite uncomfortable, but it doesn't feel like it is going to slide out of your hand. The power button placement is also much better on the Xperia Z.
The speaker is definitely much better on the HTC One, that said, the Nexus 4 is much better than the Galaxy Nexus, and the Xperia Z's speaker sounds better than the Nexus 4. So the Xperia Z isn't bad. I hold my phone with my left hand so it doesn't block the speaker, but if you hold your phone with your right hand and play music, then you will muffle the speaker.
I'm sure the HTC One is slightly faster due to newer processor but I don't think this matters that much, both will be fast.
I disliked sense 5 coming from AOSP, hated not being able to remove blink feed (find it really frustrating even though you can move it to a different home screen). The Sony customisations are actually an improvement on AOSP, things which frustrate me are fixed and also there are some other nice additions like location based wifi, bravia engine, wifi syncing with media go. The Sony Gallery called Albums is much much better than AOSP, the Walkman app is really good as is the Movies app. I never used built in apps before but I do here, I haven't installed MX Player.
The better camera in good light is undoubtedly the Xperia Z. I'm an amateur photographer (although street photographer so not much of a pixel peeper) and I'm impressed with the Xperia Z. Again the Nexus 4 is a step up from the Galaxy Nexus and the Xperia Z is much better. I haven't taken many pictures low light but I won't argue that the HTC One will provide better photos, the HTC also takes better videos and has Zoe which is cool (was one of the reasons the HTC One was attractive to me). Front camera is better on the Xperia Z than either the Galaxy Nexus or Nexus 4, the HTC One's is wider than the Z's if that matters to you.
The battery life I've been seeing has been pretty good, eg, if you're playing an mp4 film, I was seeing about 25% drop for 2 hours of watching the film. It's much better than the Nexus 4 which is a bit better than the Galaxy Nexus. Apparently the HTC One has a better battery life, I've never tested it though.
The Xperia Z has Micro SD slot which is great for music and films, I missed that owning the recent Nexus phones.
The last major point is the Xperia Z is water resistant, which is priceless, not because I want to take it under water but because it's nice having a life proof phone that you don't have to worry touching when you have wet hands or worried that rain will get into etc. It's a relaxing phone to own.
I only got the phone last weekend, the HTC One was the same price and I'm very happy with the phone and that I made the right choice for me.

Well thanks for that really in depth review. The more I think about it, the more I really want the Xperia. The water resistance factor hit me today while missing several calls walking through a downpour. I'm sure no matter what I end up getting, it will still be a step up from the gnex (which isn't actually in need of replacing, I'd just like something new). Hopefully T-Mobile releases the phone soon as the leaks suggest. I think I'd rather pay monthly for it than fork over the 500+ now. Thanks again
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4 Beta

crimson12 said:
Well thanks for that really in depth review. The more I think about it, the more I really want the Xperia. The water resistance factor hit me today while missing several calls walking through a downpour. I'm sure no matter what I end up getting, it will still be a step up from the gnex (which isn't actually in need of replacing, I'd just like something new). Hopefully T-Mobile releases the phone soon as the leaks suggest. I think I'd rather pay monthly for it than fork over the 500+ now. Thanks again
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4 Beta
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Click to collapse
The best you could do is to actually go to a shop and play with those two phones for some time and then decide.
Sent from my C6603

crimson12 said:
Okay first off, I hate to start one of these threads, since it's basically an opinionated question. The GS4 is a no go for me, really don't like physical buttons. Currently looking for a gsm replacement on tmobile for my Galaxy Nexus. The only thing holding me back from getting the Xperia Z is the lack of a huge development community (and possibly reports of poor screen performance). Just curious if anyone who's used these devices could weigh in with their experience. I'd prefer to hear first hand accounts than continue to read expert reviews.
Thanks everyone!
Also, mods if this kind of post isn't allowed on xda anymore, my apologies, please remove it.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I expect the development community that it will continue to develop and grow larger with more mods.
This is one good things about the Z.
The screen on my Xperia Z is completely fine and I don't notice any problems with it

crimson12 said:
...The only thing holding me back from getting the Xperia Z is the lack of a huge development community...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree completely with uberlaggydarwin.
Fact is, compared to most (non-Nexus perhaps) phones. Much more actual development gets done such as actual "fixes" for problems and not just hacky workarounds. We still have a way to go towards complete AOSP, theres one or two driver blobs still required for example, and a few minor bugs. But with (almost) every day that passes there are new platform-specific patches submitted to the CyanogenMod device repo on github and if I'm reading them correctly we have already, or will very soon, have a blob-less driver powering WiFi.
I must say, coming from a non-Nexus device it is a relief to see this much actual development and not just WinZip-wielding 10yr olds mashing together ROMs with 10,000 unnecessary hacks that make them laggy and/or unstable.
...a little torn on the screen though. As everyone is saying it is beautiful to look at from the front and probably (from this angle) the best mobile screen I have used, but again, as mentioned, the viewing angles are sub-optimal.

Too add my egg to the basket... I too am coming from a Gnex, which i loved. Been owning the XZ for roughly 3 months now. The screen angle thingy is definitely exaggerated. The colours and the viewing angles will take some getting used to, coming from an amoled screen, but the sharpness and clarity definitely make the transition much more pleasant.
The camera is undoubtedly much much better then on the Gnex, which was my only gripe with it. As to the HTC, I would wager the XZ one better for my taste, but thats only based on reviews, no hands on :/
The battery life has been stable enough for me, for my use... they both lasted about 2 days, Gnex maybe a bit better, HTC again cannot comment.
As far as the build quality... there have been some issues if u read the forms and from my case - the flap on the charging port doesn't wanna stay closed anymore In this case I would say HTC is better. It also prefers on your design preferences.
For me, leaving my Gnex behind for the XZ was actually not that hard of a step. U will have to get used to less development as compared to the nexus devices but that doesn't mean there isn't any. Free xperia team are awesome and CM is coming along nicely and with it a whole bunch of other roms, from PAC, PA, AOKP and independent AOSP projects, so no fear there
In any case, ull get a wonderfull new phone, whichever u choose and I hope u enjoy it!

I guess in terms of development, I definitely prefer actual dev work over tons of roms that are almost the same. Out of curiosity, any soft key mods yet? I have mine set to RECENTS HOME BACK and having been like this for almost 2 years I'd rather not have to relearn default (honestly minor issue I'm just being picky).
I would love to go to the store and compare them as someone has said, but I can't find anywhere local that sells the Xperia Z.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4 Beta

Even since the update the screen on the z has been great and really great to see in bright sunlight how I noticed today using it in sunlight yeah Germany didn't had the best weather as of late lol anyway I also don't think the viewing angle are a huge deal. I still see just fine what is on the display and actually Sony here in Berlin told me that the viewing angle is extra made a little darker so not everyone just can look and see stuff that easy on the screen if u don't want them too. Even so I think the viewing angle o's fine. Never had any issues seeing anything. Battery has been great as long as not being used with mobile data. All phones seem to get sucked dry in no time using Mobile data. At home with WiFi I can easily get 2 days.
Sent from my C6603 using xda app-developers app

Any idea what kind of battery life you guys get with mobile data enabled? I currently get about 16 hours with 2.5ish hours of screen on time with my gnex.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4 Beta

With my Gnex I get about the same as you. 2,5-3 hours of screen on time per day on auto-brightness. With my Xperia Z I can get 4-5 hours of screen time per day, depending on brightness (0%) and usage. With auto-brightness I get like 3 hours per day. But with light usage I can easily make it trough 2 days with my Z. My Gnex never lasts that long, even when I almost don't use it.

crimson12 said:
Any idea what kind of battery life you guys get with mobile data enabled? I currently get about 16 hours with 2.5ish hours of screen on time with my gnex.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4 Beta
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http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=42716310&postcount=1196
Sent from my C6603 using xda premium

crimson12 said:
Okay first off, I hate to start one of these threads, since it's basically an opinionated question. The GS4 is a no go for me, really don't like physical buttons. Currently looking for a gsm replacement on tmobile for my Galaxy Nexus. The only thing holding me back from getting the Xperia Z is the lack of a huge development community (and possibly reports of poor screen performance). Just curious if anyone who's used these devices could weigh in with their experience. I'd prefer to hear first hand accounts than continue to read expert reviews.
Thanks everyone!
Also, mods if this kind of post isn't allowed on xda anymore, my apologies, please remove it.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
XZ and HTC one is neck and neck for me, I dont like sense one bit, havent touch the device but i had prior HTC devices and I can tell ya sense really suck other wise i think the HTC one won in every aspect. if you looking to go CM10.1 then i would go HTC one if you looking to stay stock i would choose XZ.
P.S I dont like the physical key either damn samsung for starting that in the S3

I am kind of new to android, and just got my Z. But one thing i can say is: Phoning while showering is so chilled.

Why haven't I thought of this?! You're a genius mate, gonna do that tonight! Lols
Sent from my C6603 using xda app-developers app

Battery life on data is not that good actually. Well I would say when listening music. Somehow the mediaserver always comes with on and even after turning off music it still drains the battery. Just a reboot fixes that. Listen barely to music on the phone anymore.
Sent from my C6603 using xda app-developers app

dante501 said:
Battery life on data is not that good actually. Well I would say when listening music. Somehow the mediaserver always comes with on and even after turning off music it still drains the battery. Just a reboot fixes that. Listen barely to music on the phone anymore.
Sent from my C6603 using xda app-developers app
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That's really unfortunate. I primarily use Spotify on my phone for several hours a day.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4 Beta

I'm having a blast with my Xperia Z.
Lots of fantastic ROMS in development...
Never noticed anything with regards to "viewing angles" i'm one of these freaks that tends to look at my phone head on.
With my own custom setup and settings i'm getting a full days use out of my phone.
I'm getting a whole day's battery life with heavy usage. Internet, Web, Whatsapp, Youtube, Camera etc.
Some people submerse their phones and have no problem, but i'm happy jsut treating my phone as resistant not proof.
I can reply to text messages in the bath with wet hands etc.
Build quality is fantastic. The best out at the minute i feel. Feels like a slab of glass! :fingers-crossed:
If you get one, buy a dock straight away, saves wear and tear on your charging ports.flaps.

I did that right away with my XZ when i bought it dock to charge,back n front glas protection this baby is amazing especially the White one my friend asked me to traid it for his Htc One,guess what,nop i said
Sent from my C6603

Xperia SP alternatives?

Short version:
Before you bought the Xperia SP, which other mobiles were you taking into consideration and what made you choose (or not) the SP?
Long version:
Here's the thing: today I was ready - I finally went to a shop and proudly said "I want to buy the Xperia SP". Unfortunately they only had the white version so I'll have to wait one more week. This was quite disappointing because I really, really wanted it so badly and since I now have another week to decide maybe there are other/better alternatives among midrange smartphones?
Thanks!

Tons of others phones.
Optimus G, but no card slot. Nexus 4, same problem.
Galaxy S4, unfortunately far too expensive.
MI2-A, no SD slot, again.
Motorola Razr HD, CPU sucks. Same with the HTC One X+.
HTC One? No way to get a 64gb here in ****ty Europe.
So, well, the SP is the only 720p phone with a microSD slot, and a good built quality that I can afford.
Only big problem: devs support. We have DoomLord, but no one else. I'm afraid we will never get CyanogenMod.

Some time ago I've spoken with fxp. They said they need to buy phone to start development.
This device is fresh so don't expect development will start from day of release.
BTW. XSP is middle range device... This is next reason to start development later then e.g. XZ relatively.
I was considering buy N4 or XSP or wait for some time and collect more money and buy SGN2 or XZ.
C5303 is great device, powerfull, supported LTE, nice looking, with 'big' screen, made from good quality materials, with usefull transparent iluminated bar, with good quality camera and other hardware and released with 4.1.2 (Google said that phones need to be upgraded for 18 mounths from release so we can expect something above then 4.2.2 with this specs).
Sent from my C5303 using xda premium

Fealakwen said:
Tons of others phones.
Optimus G, but no card slot. Nexus 4, same problem.
Galaxy S4, unfortunately far too expensive.
MI2-A, no SD slot, again.
Motorola Razr HD, CPU sucks. Same with the HTC One X+.
HTC One? No way to get a 64gb here in ****ty Europe.
So, well, the SP is the only 720p phone with a microSD slot, and a good built quality that I can afford.
Only big problem: devs support. We have DoomLord, but no one else. I'm afraid we will never get CyanogenMod.
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Click to collapse
reaper61616 said:
Some time ago I've spoken with fxp. They said they need to buy phone to start development.
This device is fresh so don't expect development will start from day of release.
BTW. XSP is middle range device... This is next reason to start development later then e.g. XZ relatively.
I was considering buy N4 or XSP or wait for some time and collect more money and buy SGN2 or XZ.
C5303 is great device, powerfull, supported LTE, nice looking, with 'big' screen, made from good quality materials, with usefull transparent iluminated bar, with good quality camera and other hardware and released with 4.1.2 (Google said that phones need to be upgraded for 18 mounths from release so we can expect something above then 4.2.2 with this specs).
Sent from my C5303 using xda premium
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Click to collapse
Well I am thinking of getting this one. And I see no existing PA or CM support. But I used to compile my own ROMs for my Nexus (which is dead and the reason why I am getting this one) so I think I can compile for this ROM too, the only difficulty being the illumination bar API, on which I have never wrked till date.
Plus its a relatively new phone, so we will see more action once other devs buy the device too!
Cheers mates!

charliebigpot said:
Short version:
Before you bought the Xperia SP, which other mobiles were you taking into consideration and what made you choose (or not) the SP?
Long version:
Here's the thing: today I was ready - I finally went to a shop and proudly said "I want to buy the Xperia SP". Unfortunately they only had the white version so I'll have to wait one more week. This was quite disappointing because I really, really wanted it so badly and since I now have another week to decide maybe there are other/better alternatives among midrange smartphones?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you really going to recant about buying an XPERIA™ SP just for waiting a week to get the color you want? Really? I must wait another half year to get mine and it isn't available here in Mexico still. I don't want to be mean but don't be like that. I'd wish to have your luck, about being in your situation.
There aren't better options for a midrange smartphone with the potential of this XSP, really, it'll be very worthy to wait for it.
Sent from my GT-I9070 using xda app-developers app

sarkar1990 said:
Well I am thinking of getting this one. And I see no existing PA or CM support. But I used to compile my own ROMs for my Nexus (which is dead and the reason why I am getting this one) so I think I can compile for this ROM too, the only difficulty being the illumination bar API, on which I have never wrked till date.
Plus its a relatively new phone, so we will see more action once other devs buy the device too!
Cheers mates!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
... But there is no need to implement illumination api in apps/system in begin stage. First we need fully working cm then we can think about transparent bar and it's lights Think this is not so hard to implement it. Sony release api and documentation also great will be see floating touch working like in stock rom (gloves mode).
Sent from my C5303 using xda premium

As of now, Best mid range phone is still SP. S3 is a bit more expensive, but SP is better than it (except for camera and if you like amoled). If you want you can wait for HTC one mini, although its only 4.3 inches and price is not yet revealed.

Not this thread. Sorry. Please Delete.

cidane said:
As of now, Best mid range phone is still SP. S3 is a bit more expensive, but SP is better than it (except for camera and if you like amoled). If you want you can wait for HTC one mini, although its only 4.3 inches and price is not yet revealed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe the HTC to be far more expensive, without any expansion port, and with a huge bezel.
S3 is a good choice, yea. But the S4 mini is a complete joke. No HD, and the worst pricing ever.
Maybe, for someone that is not in a hurry, waiting for the X Phone could be a good idea. But for now, SP (and S3) rules.

Hmmm, I 1st look at N4, but it cost as much as a XZL, not worth it I guess, but getting either one will blow my budget. so I then get an XV, after three weeks a member of my local Facebook group is interested to swap his SP with My V.. He is a mobile seller who get the SP for free, but he need a waterproof phone as he ride a bike. So that how I get the SP.
Sent from my C5302 using xda app-developers app

well, today I bought the SP - I like it a lot, the only downsides are:
- WIFI signal
- Camera is quite weak
- can't connect it to my Mac?! the option to access the storage in order to transfer files isn't there.. (tg there's airdroid)
I'll try it over the weekend but if the wifi is still an issue (intermittent signal 5m from the router with no walls in between!) I'll give it back and will look for an alternative.. we'll see

charliebigpot said:
well, today I bought the SP - I like it a lot, the only downsides are:
- WIFI signal
- Camera is quite weak
- can't connect it to my Mac?! the option to access the storage in order to transfer files isn't there.. (tg there's airdroid)
I'll try it over the weekend but if the wifi is still an issue (intermittent signal 5m from the router with no walls in between!) I'll give it back and will look for an alternative.. we'll see
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
... Wait for update.

Battery: ok, I installed plenty of apps and had exactly 70% left. Oddly enough this morning I had 71% left so there's a calibration issue. Now after 5 hours of occasional 3g, 20 min of offline music and some messaging it's at 29%.
Photos : not impressed
Wifi and 3g: connectivity is very poor.. my old Desire was a lot better and reliable
Screen: it's on auto brightness and honestly note while typing this message the luminosity changed about 10 times, pretty annoying.
Audio: excellent!
Overheating: no
(While writing this message the battery dropped to 26%)
I am seriously considering to give it back, I like the phone but the connectivity issue seems to be h hardware related.. I'm a moment of madness I even thought about buying an iPhone5 instead..

charliebigpot said:
Battery: ok, I installed plenty of apps and had exactly 70% left. Oddly enough this morning I had 71% left so there's a calibration issue. Now after 5 hours of occasional 3g, 20 min of offline music and some messaging it's at 29%.
Photos : not impressed
Wifi and 3g: connectivity is very poor.. my old Desire was a lot better and reliable
Screen: it's on auto brightness and honestly note while typing this message the luminosity changed about 10 times, pretty annoying.
Audio: excellent!
Overheating: no
(While writing this message the battery dropped to 26%)
I am seriously considering to give it back, I like the phone but the connectivity issue seems to be h hardware related.. I'm a moment of madness I even thought about buying an iPhone5 instead..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
About battery... Battery live is good - 2+ days standard usage: sms, calling, 3g always on, about 50 minutes wifi activity, stamina on, some photos and movies.
And when I got my phone first 2 days was waring... Battery was very week. I have charged my phone about 3-4 times. And on third day battery is ok strange but I'm happy it now working correctly.
Mobile signal is ok. Like in my previous Xperia S.
Wifi is week - waiting for SW update.
Autobrightness must be improved, this is not working properly.
Camera is not so good, waiting for SW update.
Usefull transparent illumination bar. VERY VERY GOOD IDEA TO PLACE IT IN THIS PHONE!!!!

Umm. XPERIA ZR would be a perfect alternative

Phillip Wu said:
Umm. XPERIA ZR would be a perfect alternative
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Click to collapse
Yep, indeed. Only that it's slightly bigger, heavier and more expensive. But apart from that it looks like the waterproof twin of the SP Actually, if the wifi problems still hold on I might go back to the store and try to get the ZR instead.

Well, today I gave my SP back and fetched a S4 Mini instead.
I'm not saying all SPs have the same issues as mine had, but the ones that I had (below) were pretty severe and after talking twice to the Xperia customer service and 2 factory resets they were like "just return it". I guess I was unlucky but here's what went wrong and what I really liked:
What I liked:
- Battery: after 2 full days I still had 12% left
- Screen: it's simply wonderful
- Call quality: The sound was really really good
What went wrong:
- WiFI was just horrible as I often lost signal even with the router being 3 meters away. I tried changing the router's channel/frequency but that didn't help, even my old HTC Desire has much better WiFI signal.
- Multitasking: Couldn't use 3g with Chrome (2-3 tabs open) and listen to Google Music (playing music from the SD card) at the same time as it always closed Google Music. I guess I should have seen that one coming with 1gb RAM only.
- Call issues: today all of a sudden I could only hear the other person speaking when using headphones or by activating the speaker

So I just ordered my purple c6906

Hey guys just got rid of my g2 to take advantage of my rogers renewal and ordered a z1 in purple. I have had all the recent flagship phones except the z1 I don't really know what to expect but I am missing my g2 right now. Will the xperia make me forget it? The rogers guy says Sony has a loyalty following I'm wondering why? Anyways its on its way and if I don't like it I could always send it back main concern is battery the threads are just making me feel more confused half of the guys on here seem to love this phone and some seem to have a lot of complaints. So keep/sell or return? What will I love about sony and what will I hate?
Thanks
Sent from my SGH-T989D using xda app-developers app

offwiththeface said:
Hey guys just got rid of my g2 to take advantage of my rogers renewal and ordered a z1 in purple. I have had all the recent flagship phones except the z1 I don't really know what to expect but I am missing my g2 right now. Will the xperia make me forget it? The rogers guy says Sony has a loyalty following I'm wondering why? Anyways its on its way and if I don't like it I could always send it back main concern is battery the threads are just making me feel more confused half of the guys on here seem to love this phone and some seem to have a lot of complaints. So keep/sell or return? What will I love about sony and what will I hate?
Thanks
Sent from my SGH-T989D using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i had the G2 and there were many things that i really loved about the phone and there were a few things that i hated. i have switched to the z1 and i love it. the g2 without a doubt had better battery life. i dont turn my screen higher than 40% and i usually lock it to 3g and use wifi at work and at home, so this really helped battery life, but using both phones the same way the g2 was at least 20% better for me. the camera took really good pictures, maybe slightly better than the z1 but it was very slow to lock focus in. the screen was also a bit bigger and better in my opinion.
what i didnt like about the g2 was the lag in the sms app, facebook, or most things that required scrolling. it was very frustrating for me as it killed the everyday experience. even opening the sms app had a long delay. the phone always felt slimy and while the knock on feature works great some of the time, there were many times when it didnt work and this became frustrating. i do think that the g2 will be really good after a firmware update to fix some of these bugs and a slim case would really help with the feel. the last thing that was a deal breaker for me was that every g2 i tried had a creak in the back case, right under the volume down key. just picking up the phone i could feel and hear creaks from the same spot. i actually had two of g2 units. bought a rogers unit without contract at full price and took it back after a few days (had the creak) and then bought a bell unit on kijiji for a good deal and it had the same creak.
the z1 feels much more premium in the hand, which was something i was looking for. the overall operation is much smoother, faster, stable in my experience. i had a rogers z1 for a few days and i found it getting a bit warm quite often, and the battery life stunk (even after doing a software update that was available right after first boot). i took it back and exchanged it for another one and battery life has been much better and the phone does not run as warm. the camera is very fast and after the update takes pretty good shots too.
at the end of the day, it really depends on what you value more. if you strictly need the best battery life, get the g2. if you want a well built and styled device, get the z1.

Thanks for all the info. I was wondering why you have to turn the z1 on 3g and the screen down that much is the battery that bad? I used the g2 for a day and a half with lte on and had no problem. I am definitely looking forward to the feel and build quality of the z1 but if the battery is bad enough that I would have to disable lte them I'm going to have to sell or return it

I use all my phones like that. I would rather extend the Battery life then have screen cranked up and 3g is fast enough for me. I can always switch to lte if I need to download lots of info.
3g on the z1 is actually very fast. I have not done a speed test to measure but I have owned the majority of high end android devices over the years and this feels very fast
Sent from my C6906 using Tapatalk

Thanks again I think I'm gonna have to give it a try
Sent from my C6616 using xda app-developers app

[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