[Q] Pros and cons? - Xperia Z1 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hello Z1 users...
I've been recently searching about this phone as I am about to buy it...
I still can't gather all the pros and cons of the phone so I can make a conclusion
whether should or should I not buy it...
I've been reading reviews but my experience says that user comments are better than reviews...
I would really love if you could type some pros and cons of this phone.
Thank you very much

Depends on which Z1 you will have as each Xperia Z1 could have individual problems. Some people including me report about heat issues that are still not solved even after the update. Just make sure that you get a problem free unit :laugh:

UltraWelfare said:
Hello Z1 users...
I've been recently searching about this phone as I am about to buy it...
I still can't gather all the pros and cons of the phone so I can make a conclusion
whether should or should I not buy it...
I've been reading reviews but my experience says that user comments are better than reviews...
I would really love if you could type some pros and cons of this phone.
Thank you very much
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as GSM arena is concerned the user reviews are better than the critics, personally i've found the Z1 to be a rock solid phone and a good performer, being water proof and having a beast of a camera aren't bad additions either.
Only thing i would be concerned with buying the phone now is that there are newer phones which if given the choice i would prefer to go for, the Z2 if you wanted to go with Sony, the Z3 isn't far from being released, the LG G3, HTC M8, Galaxy S5, all have superior hardware compared to the Z1, difference isn't as big as lets say coming from an Xperia T to the Z1 but it's a difference i wouldn't ignore if i was going to commit to spending a few hundred pounds on a phone.
That being said I'm sure you'll like the Z1, rooting is easy,reverting to stock is easy, the rom's are good (not as much choice as Samsung and HTC but there are some great dev's here)
If i were you I would go to a store and have a try at it, see some of the offerings in the flesh and make your mind up that way, there are also a lot of similar threads on this forum about whether or not the Z1 is a good phone too so have a search too.

I can't make sure that I will get a free-problem unit but I hope for it .
If you could address some issues of the phone and some features of it I would be glad to hear'em

dladz said:
As far as GSM arena is concerned the user reviews are better than the critics, personally i've found the Z1 to be a rock solid phone and a good performer, being water proof and having a beast of a camera aren't bad additions either.
Only thing i would be concerned with buying the phone now is that there are newer phones which if given the choice i would prefer to go for, the Z2 if you wanted to go with Sony, the Z3 isn't far from being released, the LG G3, HTC M8, Galaxy S5, all have superior hardware compared to the Z1, difference isn't as big as lets say coming from an Xperia T to the Z1 but it's a difference i wouldn't ignore if i was going to commit to spending a few hundred pounds on a phone.
That being said I'm sure you'll like the Z1, rooting is easy,reverting to stock is easy, the rom's are good (not as much choice as Samsung and HTC but there are some great dev's here)
If i were you I would go to a store and have a try at it, see some of the offerings in the flesh and make your mind up that way, there are also a lot of similar threads on this forum about whether or not the Z1 is a good phone too so have a search too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have some restrictions with buying phones and the price in my country is fairly good...
I am 90% more on the Xperia Z1 but first I want some user reviews.
I had Xperia SP and it died before some days and before I bought it I read awesome reviews
But after buying it and seeing user reviews I saw a not-that-good phone :/...
Thank you very much

UltraWelfare said:
I have some restrictions with buying phones and the price in my country is fairly good...
I am 90% more on the Xperia Z1 but first I want some user reviews.
I had Xperia SP and it died before some days and before I bought it I read awesome reviews
But after buying it and seeing user reviews I saw a not-that-good phone :/...
Thank you very much
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry m8, i've not got any time to write a review, if you can be specific then i can try to answer some questions, there are tonnes of reviews for this phone on XDA.

dladz said:
Sorry m8, i've not got any time to write a review, if you can be specific then i can try to answer some questions, there are tonnes of reviews for this phone on XDA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wasn't asking for a big review...I was asking to write something like [Battery life is fairly OK, Performance is the best] or something like that...
Small comments on each part of the phone (Performance, battery, bugs etc.)...

Issues i've had are, the vibration has gone a bit rattley on my handset (disabled vibration on touch to fix) the odd random reboot, nothing to write home about, and the camera can appear a little grainy at times.
Like i said it's a great phone.

dladz said:
Issues i've had are, the vibration has gone a bit rattley on my handset (disabled vibration on touch to fix) the odd random reboot, nothing to write home about, and the camera can appear a little grainy at times.
Like i said it's a great phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you very much ...I don't care a lot about the camera but again thank you sir.

I did have a Z1 but the phone gave the now infamous touch screen issue.
Just type in Google, "Z1 touch screen issue" and read what people have experienced
Even a complete replacement of the display and touch screen didn't fix it.
The phone is great, but the screen is the most important thing on the phone and what use is it if it doesn't work like it should?
You can try and get one, but that issue is a serious one!
Get one at your own risk. I'm getting a One M8.

D395267 said:
I did have a Z1 but the phone gave the now infamous touch screen issue.
Just type in Google, "Z1 touch screen issue" and read what people have experienced
Even a complete replacement of the display and touch screen didn't fix it.
The phone is great, but the screen is the most important thing on the phone and what use is it if it doesn't work like it should?
You can try and get one, but that issue is a serious one!
Get one at your own risk. I'm getting a One M8.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I saw the specific issue but it might be due to a contact with a magnet or something like that.
Also all the videos are outdated and before the kitkat update...I think SONY fixed it on 4.4 update.

The screen and the speakers are the biggest drawbacks.
Speakers are terrible and the screen washes out very badly even if you tilt it just slightly.

UltraWelfare said:
Thank you very much ...I don't care a lot about the camera but again thank you sir.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No probs m8
---------- Post added at 08:59 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:58 AM ----------
D395267 said:
I did have a Z1 but the phone gave the now infamous touch screen issue.
Just type in Google, "Z1 touch screen issue" and read what people have experienced
Even a complete replacement of the display and touch screen didn't fix it.
The phone is great, but the screen is the most important thing on the phone and what use is it if it doesn't work like it should?
You can try and get one, but that issue is a serious one!
Get one at your own risk. I'm getting a One M8.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually completely forgot about the touchscreen issue, I did have that but it appears to have completely gone away now, updates seem to have helped me. I know some people weren't as lucky as me.
M8 is a good phone by the way, think a bit too much time has passed for me to be getting one though, think i might sit this contract out, something i've never done before.

The Z1 is a beautiful phone. Its large, its fast and its durable. I wouldnt trade it for any other phone including a Samsung. The only issue is that it heats up on demanding ups, but thats what you get when you enclosed a modern beast in a tight environment with no modern-day ventilation (not possible on smartphones anyway).
The differences with the Z2 are minimal, certainly not justifying the premium.
Anyway the current hardware is way ahead of the current software's recommended specifications.

dladz said:
No probs m8
---------- Post added at 08:59 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:58 AM ----------
Actually completely forgot about the touchscreen issue, I did have that but it appears to have completely gone away now, updates seem to have helped me. I know some people weren't as lucky as me.
M8 is a good phone by the way, think a bit too much time has passed for me to be getting one though, think i might sit this contract out, something i've never done before.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So there might be a chance of getting a phone with the touchscreen issue?
I might have to rethink this then :/

UltraWelfare said:
So there might be a chance of getting a phone with the touchscreen issue?
I might have to rethink this then :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's chance m8, but then you take that chance with any phone you buy, if it's brand new, just test it in the shop and if it's present it'll show it's ugly head, problem occurs when you make a persistent connection with the screen and that connection is broke and then restarted, imagine a perfect line down the screen, you don't break contact but the line it split in parts due to this issue.
I myself have had two, the first one i killed by flashing a TA partition, literally dead phone but that didn't have the touchscreen issue, the 2nd one has had it but it went away.
All phones have their problems m8.

Even if the product you buy proves to be defective, you take it back and have it replaced. Pardon me but we all are grown ups with at least average IQ, right?

in my opinion, the z1 is a very solid phone. might be outdated with the z2 and the now rumored z3, but still a very good performer.
Battery = excellent. I love the battery on this phone. With regular usage, I get to 2. 5 days to 3.5 days with about 5 - 6 hrs screen on time. Haven't had a problem with the battery.
Processor = not the latest but still very capable of performing tasks that newer processors can.
Screen = honestly, people say its horrible, but it isn't like that. It is actually pretty good. I don't care about viewing angles. Its an advantage for me, it keeps the people with naughty eyes from seeing the things I am doing clearly
Speaker = could have been better. It is decent but can never outperform devices of its price range before.
Camera = awesome. just amazing. sometimes can give you grainy pictures indoors, but it is capable of getting some awesome pictures.
Perks = well, being water proof or water resistant is enjoyable. not a gimick for me. I use it. wash my phone weekly. lol. also the feel in hand is very satisfactory. the cold aluminum plus the weight of the device is good.

My personal feelings on the handset...
The Pros
It is a well rounded and well made handset that sits nicely in the hand
The camera is amazing if you can work out how to use it properly
Magnetic docking that actually works means you don't have to mess around with wires
Sony Support is pretty good
It is very fast (ignore the 'outdated' processor as it works fine)
Sony's little tweaks to Android on the handset mean it doesn't really need rooting at all
SD card support (something not all flagships offer)
Easy to root
Battery is pretty good if Stamina mode is on and the Snapdragon app is installed
The screen is simply stunning (never had a touchscreen issue or noticed it washout)
Charges reasonably quickly
It's resilient, I've dropped my second handset a fair few times and nothing is wrong yet (cracked screen on my first one)
The cons
The handset gets HOT...
The flaps eventually wear out and fall off
It reboots randomly, when it doesn't it tends to warrant a reboot anyway as it becomes laggy
Heavy use such as gaming absolutely rinses the battery
WiFi is sensitive, it doesn't always connect properly

Kirkymole said:
My personal feelings on the handset...
The Pros
It is a well rounded and well made handset that sits nicely in the hand
The camera is amazing if you can work out how to use it properly
Magnetic docking that actually works means you don't have to mess around with wires
Sony Support is pretty good
It is very fast (ignore the 'outdated' processor as it works fine)
Sony's little tweaks to Android on the handset mean it doesn't really need rooting at all
SD card support (something not all flagships offer)
Easy to root
Battery is pretty good if Stamina mode is on and the Snapdragon app is installed
The screen is simply stunning (never had a touchscreen issue or noticed it washout)
Charges reasonably quickly
It's resilient, I've dropped my second handset a fair few times and nothing is wrong yet (cracked screen on my first one)
The cons
The handset gets HOT...
The flaps eventually wear out and fall off
It reboots randomly, when it doesn't it tends to warrant a reboot anyway as it becomes laggy
Heavy use such as gaming absolutely rinses the battery
WiFi is sensitive, it doesn't always connect properly
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you very much..
I won't use it for heavy gaming and my previous phone had problems with CPU overheat so I'm OK with it ...
Random reboots can be fixed by clearing the cache I think ...

Related

[Q] Buying The Xperia T - Any issues to have in mind?

Hello
A friend is looking to get a new phone and he doesn't want a big screen like you see now a days on phones like the galaxy s3/4 or other like that. His previous phone was a s2 and the screen size was ideal for him. So,since i can't find much phones with smaller screens and with at least a dual core processor on my carrier, i suggested the Xperia T because it seems to have a good camera and not a huge screen and he likes the phone.
However, i have been reading some complaints about battery life and i was wondering if it really is that bad and if there is anything else he should have in mind when buying it? Any bugs or negative aspects of the phone (but positive ones are welcomed also!) so just he knows what to expect from the phone or if he should look for other one instead.
Thanks
Sounds a bit like asking a girl a out for friend in the playground.
Why can't your friend ask the question himself?
Sent from my star trek communicator
Sony Flagship device circa 2145
Because he asked me to help me pick out a phone and he isn't familiar with xda and he doesn't use message boards to much, but since i do i thought i would ask here. I picked the xperia T because it seemed like it would fit all the requirements but wanted second opinions and to be sure before really recommend it and before he buys it.
Hope this answers your question and now hopefully someone will answer mine
griffin_1 said:
Hello
A friend is looking to get a new phone and he doesn't want a big screen like you see now a days on phones like the galaxy s3/4 or other like that. His previous phone was a s2 and the screen size was ideal for him. So,since i can't find much phones with smaller screens and with at least a dual core processor on my carrier, i suggested the Xperia T because it seems to have a good camera and not a huge screen and he likes the phone.
However, i have been reading some complaints about battery life and i was wondering if it really is that bad and if there is anything else he should have in mind when buying it? Any bugs or negative aspects of the phone (but positive ones are welcomed also!) so just he knows what to expect from the phone or if he should look for other one instead.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well Xperia T has 4.6 inch screen so if your friend doesn't like the big screens of the S3 (4.8 inch) then he probably won't want the T either!
I only suffer bad battery life when I've been using the Walkman app (and then media server seems to use loads of battery) and I fix that by killing all apps after using it with ES Task Manager.
Camera is epic and has got lots better with the Jelly Bean ROM.
I could go on but there are already plenty of threads about this - use the search facility!
Thanks for the reply.
The 4.55" screen was the smallest i found with still decent specs in my carrier and then the camera does seems great. My main concern was anything else besides the battery that could be an issue that i have missed while searching.
He liked the phone from what he saw from the specs and pictures, but we will go to a store to see the floor models because its always different than just look at the pictures.
griffin_1 said:
Thanks for the reply.
The 4.55" screen was the smallest i found with still decent specs in my carrier and then the camera does seems great. My main concern was anything else besides the battery that could be an issue that i have missed while searching.
He liked the phone from what he saw from the specs and pictures, but we will go to a store to see the floor models because its always different than just look at the pictures.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Size was also a concern for me, coming from the 3'7 screen of an HTC Desire, and it was also one of the main reasons I picked the Xperia T: smaller screen compared to similar phones.
The only issues I've seen reported are a few who suffered the back peeling off, and a few with a dead phone after a few days. Those problems seem to have affected only a certain batch or batches that are no longer on sale, since those reports have faded away.
All in all, it is a nice phone, and I'm very satisfied with it.
EDIT: Oh, make sure your friend doesn't NEED a notification led, because that is a weak point.
griffin_1 said:
Because he asked me to help me pick out a phone and he isn't familiar with xda and he doesn't use message boards to much, but since i do i thought i would ask here. I picked the xperia T because it seemed like it would fit all the requirements but wanted second opinions and to be sure before really recommend it and before he buys it.
Hope this answers your question and now hopefully someone will answer mine
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, well setting as your friend had already said he liked the Xperia t I would also recommend it to him
Sent from my star trek communicator
Sony Flagship device circa 2145

[Q] Moving from HTC One to Z1 (Questions!)

Let me start by saying that I am an avid HTC fan. Been using all HTC flagship devices..but now I feel its time for a change. I love the One, especially the speakers and the feel of the device, but the camera is really bad. So now I was thinking of moving to the Z1...but before I do..I have couple of queries
1. Custom ROM: I ALWAYS use custom ROMS and I am not too impressed with the choices. Either way, since I have no control over which ROM version I am going to get, I was wondering if there are bootloader lock issues, or other things I should be concerned about? Do I really need to unlock boot loader before I install a custom ROM?
2. I read that the camera doesnt work if the bootloader is unlocked..is this still true? If yes, then how do you guys manage?
3. I read the speakers arent that great (and no comparison to the HTC one), but how is the headphone sound? I read that these devices use the same audio chipset and I know PureX audio (or something like that is great) is available. What is the general view?
4. Do I really need to get a case? (I HATE cases...just kills the beauty of the device!)
Appreciate your comments/remarks.
aidicula said:
Let me start by saying that I am an avid HTC fan. Been using all HTC flagship devices..but now I feel its time for a change. I love the One, especially the speakers and the feel of the device, but the camera is really bad. So now I was thinking of moving to the Z1...but before I do..I have couple of queries
1. Custom ROM: I ALWAYS use custom ROMS and I am not too impressed with the choices. Either way, since I have no control over which ROM version I am going to get, I was wondering if there are bootloader lock issues, or other things I should be concerned about? Do I really need to unlock boot loader before I install a custom ROM?
2. I read that the camera doesnt work if the bootloader is unlocked..is this still true? If yes, then how do you guys manage?
3. I read the speakers arent that great (and no comparison to the HTC one), but how is the headphone sound? I read that these devices use the same audio chipset and I know PureX audio (or something like that is great) is available. What is the general view?
4. Do I really need to get a case? (I HATE cases...just kills the beauty of the device!)
Appreciate your comments/remarks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hi i am also htc fan had htc one replaced it for z1 due to purple tint issue
1)at the moment unlocking bootloader causes camera to break and sony might solve this issue in future
2)at this moment happy with the stock and some roms which can be flashed with locked bootloader
3)as compared to htc one not that much great
4)it depends on u r use i found no need of case
I can't comment on any of the ROM questions as I haven't gone in to that yet, but for the others...
Headphone sound is excellent. I bluetooth mine to some Sony MDR1BT's and the quality is very good. Very negligible difference between BT and cable operation. I have a few sets of high end cans and the quality is right up there. Can't say what the cheap earbuds are like that you get with the phone as I haven't taken them out of the packaging!
With the case, I'm 100% with you on that one, I hate cases on phones. However, the anti shatter film that they put on the front and back scratches ridiculously easy. Easier than most screen protectors I've used (also not a big fan of those either). The glass is meant to be very durable, but the film on top is not. I'd recommend a tempered glass set, pretty sure you can get them for the front and back.
Camera will break if you try to unlock, rooting and installing Xperia roms however are fine
Also I am really mad about the camera quality...
You should also know that you won't be having a lot of choices in rom and mode department, if you come from HTC (like me) you will feel a giant hole in Z1 threads...
Speaker is not going to be pleasing in anyway but you should know that this is a waterproof phone, so shouldn't be having high expectations, and finally I don't use cases and this phone really doesn't need one so no worries there
Sent from my C6903 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
---------- Post added at 12:32 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:30 AM ----------
But for some reason I like the Z1 better than the One
Sent from my C6903 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
aidicula said:
Let me start by saying that I am an avid HTC fan. Been using all HTC flagship devices..but now I feel its time for a change. I love the One, especially the speakers and the feel of the device, but the camera is really bad. So now I was thinking of moving to the Z1...but before I do..I have couple of queries
1. Custom ROM: I ALWAYS use custom ROMS and I am not too impressed with the choices. Either way, since I have no control over which ROM version I am going to get, I was wondering if there are bootloader lock issues, or other things I should be concerned about? Do I really need to unlock boot loader before I install a custom ROM?
2. I read that the camera doesnt work if the bootloader is unlocked..is this still true? If yes, then how do you guys manage?
3. I read the speakers arent that great (and no comparison to the HTC one), but how is the headphone sound? I read that these devices use the same audio chipset and I know PureX audio (or something like that is great) is available. What is the general view?
4. Do I really need to get a case? (I HATE cases...just kills the beauty of the device!)
Appreciate your comments/remarks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi mate
1. We have, for now, just a few custom ROMs, based on CM (PAC) or based on stock which is better solution for now - because we still have camera problem when we unlock bootloader.
And, yes, if you want custom ROM based on CM or anything else except stock you have to unlock bootloader because you have to flash custom kernel and it's possible to flash kernels only when you unlock bootloader.
2. Yes, camera will broke if you unlock bootloader, for now.
But, as you could see, few guys claims that have informations that Sony is already working on it.
Also, what's important is to backup TA numbers before you unlock bootloader.
On custom ROM you can't use X-Reality and you'll lost any chance to get it back even when you go nack to stock - if you haven't backup TA.
You have great tutorials for that.
3. Speaker is good enough.
You have MODs and you don't have to unlock bootloader to flash that MOD.
But headphones that you get with your phone are great - sound is deep and the base is strong and clear.
If you are using professional headphones you'll get even better sound.
4 Absolutely agree with that statement.
Z1 is beautiful device and it would be shame to put "condom" over it.
I bought front and back screen protectors (follies) and just ordered rubber frame for it.
You can buy rubber or metal frame that looks awesome and protect device but your device isn't covered with case and it's perfectly visible.
I would definitely recommed Z1.
I had few Xperia devices (I still have them) and I can say Z1 is the best device I ever had.
Elegant, fast and beautiful.
And....as we are on 4.2.2 and are very, very satisfied, you can just imagine how happy we will be when we get Kitkat for it
Sent from my Z1
Also coming from the HTC One to the Z1 and this is my first Sony, it seemed like the logical choice and it's certainly the best phone for me at the moment anyway, it beats the competition in my eyes.
As for my reaction to the Z1 and it's performance, well i couldn't be happier, i'm not knocking the One, i think it's a fantastic phone and I would still recommend it to anyone.
I'm running a custom rom on my Z1 at the moment, Monx rom and it's superb, i've got CRT off animation and various tweaks by using xposed mod, i'm also running the google launcher from the Nexus 5 and all in all it's a great combination.
Audio, screen, camera, build quality, battery life, functionality and performance are all top notch, well worth the upgrade.
The bootloader isn't an issue as you can still flash custom rom's.
dladz said:
Also coming from the HTC One to the Z1 and this is my first Sony, it seemed like the logical choice and it's certainly the best phone for me at the moment anyway, it beats the competition in my eyes.
As for my reaction to the Z1 and it's performance, well i couldn't be happier, i'm not knocking the One, i think it's a fantastic phone and I would still recommend it to anyone.
I'm running a custom rom on my Z1 at the moment, Monx rom and it's superb, i've got CRT off animation and various tweaks by using xposed mod, i'm also running the google launcher from the Nexus 5 and all in all it's a great combination.
Audio, screen, camera, build quality, battery life, functionality and performance are all top notch, well worth the upgrade.
The bootloader isn't an issue as you can still flash custom rom's.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wasn't very happy with my xperia x10 because of the updates, so I decided to give sony one more try, I come from HTC One to Z1 (Bell C6906), all I can say is very disappointed, the phone is heavy and more bulkier for a 5" screen hard to operate with one hand, speaker is lousy even compared to my old S3, camera is okay but not what it seems to be 20mp, the whites on website is yellowish even with brightness to high compare to the htc with auto brightness (but I don't have the yellow tint on the device) viewing angles are bad I just tilt the phone 10 degress and the color is washed out, I have to look at the device straight on, I keep my htc one any day over the z1, waterproof is just another gimmick, the phone software/hardware is buggy, it reboots randomly and I was on my 2 DOA replacement, finally sold the Z1 I hope sony can learn from their mistakes and make a better device on their next flagship but for now im staying away from their device because all those problems
dawen said:
I wasn't very happy with my xperia x10 because of the updates, so I decided to give sony one more try, I come from HTC One to Z1 (Bell C6906), all I can say is very disappointed, the phone is heavy and more bulkier for a 5" screen hard to operate with one hand, speaker is lousy even compared to my old S3, camera is okay but not what it seems to be 20mp, the whites on website is yellowish even with brightness to high compare to the htc with auto brightness (but I don't have the yellow tint on the device) viewing angles are bad I just tilt the phone 10 degress and the color is washed out, I have to look at the device straight on, I keep my htc one any day over the z1, waterproof is just another gimmick, the phone software/hardware is buggy, it reboots randomly and I was on my 2 DOA replacement, finally sold the Z1 I hope sony can learn from their mistakes and make a better device on their next flagship but for now im staying away from their device because all those problems
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Z1 is a stellar phone, the only problem at the moment is development, however once the camera / bootlock issue is fixed i believe that will turn around, don't get me wrong i loved my HTC, but you really can't compare a last gen phone to a next gen phone and that's what these two are, regardless of how old they are, the 800 is the newest hardware available and if you want to compare it to another device then you should only compare it to another 800 (note 3 and G2) pitting it against the HTC One is a little like bringing a knife to a gun fight, it's going to lose.
As for the screen, I have to agree with you in terms of visibility, but then again i don't hold my phone on a slant when i use it so hardly anything to write home about.
As for the Camera, there is a manual mode so I suggest you look into using that properly before you judge it, simply using the automatic option is going to give you an 8MP picture with lots of features turned on to make it look as good as possible, hardly something a person with knowledge of a decent camera would do.
The bugs you mentioned are literally software issues which will be ironed out with further updates and as i said before once the camera / bootlock issue is sorted i have every confidence that they will be rectified.
As for the bulkiness, i actually like the size, i do have quite big hands so i guess it fits me, I did use the phone in the shop before i bought it so i knew it would work ok, i guess you should have done the same before commiting, bit of a rookie mistake in all fairness.
The speaker is a bit of a come down from the HTC One's boom sound speakers but in terms of loudness and with active equalizers on both, i think you'll find that the Z1's speaker isn't half bad and with them both playing infront of me you could hear both, the HTC didn't exactly drown out the sound of the Z1 so again I believe you should spend a little time tweaking your phone to get the most out of it.
The yellowish tint you describe I actually can't say that I have noticed it, but it's possible that your eyes are playing tricks on you as you've come from one screen to another entirely, check out an s3 compared to the HTC One and you'll see that the One appears to be washed out, but this is just a different screen, not worse or better, different people like different things.
Anyway, none of this matters because by all accounts you've sold your phone now, I just find it strange that you would go out and buy one and then find out all the things that you could have summarized in a shop ?
Either way, good luck with whatever phone you pick next, for me and a lot of others, the Z1 is the best of the bunch at the moment, so it's either Samsung's note 3 or the G2, and I do believe that both of those phones aren't without issues and definitely a pair of large phones if using it with one hand was an issue on the Z1.
PS: Lastly, the water proof casing for me is superb, I can use the phone in the rain (i live in the UK) for me it's a great feature and not a gimmick as you say, the last thing you need is something going wrong with your phone, only for the company to tell you it's water damaged even though you have never got the bugger wet before.
Just my two cents.
dladz said:
The Z1 is a stellar phone, the only problem at the moment is development, however once the camera / bootlock issue is fixed i believe that will turn around, don't get me wrong i loved my HTC, but you really can't compare a last gen phone to a next gen phone and that's what these two are, regardless of how old they are, the 800 is the newest hardware available and if you want to compare it to another device then you should only compare it to another 800 (note 3 and G2) pitting it against the HTC One is a little like bringing a knife to a gun fight, it's going to lose.
As for the screen, I have to agree with you in terms of visibility, but then again i don't hold my phone on a slant when i use it so hardly anything to write home about.
As for the Camera, there is a manual mode so I suggest you look into using that properly before you judge it, simply using the automatic option is going to give you an 8MP picture with lots of features turned on to make it look as good as possible, hardly something a person with knowledge of a decent camera would do.
The bugs you mentioned are literally software issues which will be ironed out with further updates and as i said before once the camera / bootlock issue is sorted i have every confidence that they will be rectified.
As for the bulkiness, i actually like the size, i do have quite big hands so i guess it fits me, I did use the phone in the shop before i bought it so i knew it would work ok, i guess you should have done the same before commiting, bit of a rookie mistake in all fairness.
The speaker is a bit of a come down from the HTC One's boom sound speakers but in terms of loudness and with active equalizers on both, i think you'll find that the Z1's speaker isn't half bad and with them both playing infront of me you could hear both, the HTC didn't exactly drown out the sound of the Z1 so again I believe you should spend a little time tweaking your phone to get the most out of it.
The yellowish tint you describe I actually can't say that I have noticed it, but it's possible that your eyes are playing tricks on you as you've come from one screen to another entirely, check out an s3 compared to the HTC One and you'll see that the One appears to be washed out, but this is just a different screen, not worse or better, different people like different things.
Anyway, none of this matters because by all accounts you've sold your phone now, I just find it strange that you would go out and buy one and then find out all the things that you could have summarized in a shop ?
Either way, good luck with whatever phone you pick next, for me and a lot of others, the Z1 is the best of the bunch at the moment, so it's either Samsung's note 3 or the G2, and I do believe that both of those phones aren't without issues and definitely a pair of large phones if using it with one hand was an issue on the Z1.
PS: Lastly, the water proof casing for me is superb, I can use the phone in the rain (i live in the UK) for me it's a great feature and not a gimmick as you say, the last thing you need is something going wrong with your phone, only for the company to tell you it's water damaged even though you have never got the bugger wet before.
Just my two cents.
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Click to collapse
In real life everyday use you don't notice a huge difference between snapdragon 800 to 600 speed unless you are a benchmark freak, The HTC One doesn't washed out compared to the S3, you can notice the display on the HTC one a lot whiter and more sharper than the S3, I still have both devices maybe u are a defective One? I have tried the camera in 20mp manual mode play around w the ISO and EV setting I still think its not a 20mp camera phone more of a 13, i was able to test the g2 is felt nicely in a single hand use but is the power and volume key in the back is just not so good, I wish I could try the Z1 device here in Canada I went to many shops they don't even have a demo display if they did I would've tested it before I commited buy. As you can read in the forum not everyone z1 device is waterproof when its submerged in water and why a company dont cover water damage on their warranty, if a device is certified waterproof why not warranty it, I'm not saying Z1 is a bad device but the viewing angle is just deal breaker for me since my phone mostly on a table at work I don't always hold the device dead on
I'm personally using a One and bought my wife a Z1. The Z1 is pretty snappy but the screen viewing angles (while sharing video with someone) and sound is a disappointment compared to the One. The water proofing is top notch (tested thoroughly because of the 6 month accidental damage warranty). Anyone invested in the HTC Sense experience will face a few issues initially especially with migrating from the excellent contacts/ phone application in Sense phones. My wife is now using a purchased app to manage her contacts, ex-dialer or something. Z1's running stock rooted with Xposed.
And like others have already pointed out, ROM dev is pretty scarce on the Z1.
Try the 4.4 launcher and other apps on the z1, simply brilliant.
The OK Google voice activation is quality, works perfect an i've even got a scouse accent.
Cool Can U Give Me Link To Those Apps From Where You've Downloaded !
Zafar7777 said:
Cool Can U Give Me Link To Those Apps From Where You've Downloaded !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here you go
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2506595
Thanks Btw Another Question That Ok Google Thing (Whatever We Call) Can i Run This In My Another Cell ?

[Q] Would You Recommand the Z1?

Hello guys,what's up?
Im new to the forum,and i would really appreciate it if you help me make up my mind about buying the Z1,I've been reading about it and its features,watching videos and everything but still can't make up my mind as I have never met someone who has been using it and though I don't know how it works in real life.Is it really worth it?What kind of troubles can I face while using it? and the most important question,do you guys think that it's better than the Samsung Galaxy s4? in what way?
You have no idea how much i need your help guys,I ll be so greatful !
Peace
In my opinion it is a very good phone, it has amazing performance, good battery life, beatiful and structured ui, with good light the camera performs well (whit less light only in manuall mode), in my opinion beatiful design and in case of brightness and witheness the Display is fantastic, also the viewing angles are good but not perfect
Another aspect is that Sony has a good relationship with the dev. comunity (I Think) !!!
A littlebit annoying is the sensitive screen in case of scratches, but it is not that bad with some screen protectors xD
All in all it is a good phone with much better software than the sgs 4 ,in my opinion, also the metal frame feels very nice in comparrison to sgs 4´s platic and fake metal Frame More over it is water resistant (Very nice Feature)
All in all I can recommend it to you
Lakerma said:
In my opinion it is a very good phone, it has amazing performance, good battery life, beatiful and structured ui, with good light the camera performs well (whit less light only in manuall mode), in my opinion beatiful design and in case of brightness and witheness the Display is fantastic, also the viewing angles are good but not perfect
Another aspect is that Sony has a good relationship with the dev. comunity (I Think) !!!
A littlebit annoying is the sensitive screen in case of scratches, but it is not that bad with some screen protectors xD
All in all it is a good phone with much better software than the sgs 4 ,in my opinion, also the metal frame feels very nice in comparrison to sgs 4´s platic and fake metal Frame More over it is water resistant (Very nice Feature)
All in all I can recommend it to you
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Click to collapse
Thank you so much for your reply,I agree with what you said,but do you think that what Sony offers can top some of the exclusive features of the sgs4?such as the air gesture,air view,eye control and the built in barometre and thermometre? Honnestly that s what standing in my way to get the z1,thinking that i ll miss all these exclisivities from the s4 not to mention that the s4 is rated to be a lot more reparable than Sony!
I can unserstand what you are saying, but I think these features aren´t necessary !!! I know a lot people using sgs 4 and simply nobody is using most of Samsungs special features !! In addition most of them aren´t working fine so you won´t be able to use the correctly xD oreover all those fetures are using battery so you are loosing a lot of (truly it is changable) !!!
Hopfully I could help you and don´t forget to hit the ´´Thanks´´ button
Lakerma said:
I can unserstand what you are saying, but I think these features aren´t necessary !!! I know a lot people using sgs 4 and simply nobody is using most of Samsungs special features !! In addition most of them aren´t working fine so you won´t be able to use the correctly xD oreover all those fetures are using battery so you are loosing a lot of (truly it is changable) !!!
Hopfully I could help you and don´t forget to hit the ´´Thanks´´ button
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah,you've been so helpful thank's a lot,and because of that i'll annoy you more with my questions XD , tell me plz about the battery,if one day it gets ruined after a long while of excessive use,how can that be fixed?
MakaMika said:
Hello guys,what's up?
Im new to the forum,and i would really appreciate it if you help me make up my mind about buying the Z1,I've been reading about it and its features,watching videos and everything but still can't make up my mind as I have never met someone who has been using it and though I don't know how it works in real life.Is it really worth it?What kind of troubles can I face while using it? and the most important question,do you guys think that it's better than the Samsung Galaxy s4? in what way?
You have no idea how much i need your help guys,I ll be so greatful !
Peace
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The S4 isn't a bad phone but compared to the Z1, the S4 has a slower Snapdragon 600 processor and GPU, smaller battery, poor build quality (plastic back and frame)
All depends on your Budget though,
I've had Samsung phones for over 3 years now, let me tell you that most of the Samsung features are just gimmicks. You wont even use %75 of those things in your cell, unless you want to show off in front of your Iphone friends
MakaMika said:
Yeah,you've been so helpful thank's a lot,and because of that i'll annoy you more with my questions XD , tell me plz about the battery,if one day it gets ruined after a long while of excessive use,how can that be fixed?[/QUO)
I think, but i´am not sure, you will get two years of battery warranty by Sony, but only phones with bulit in battery like the z1 !!! And I heard that modern batteries will loose only 15 % of their capacity after a bit more than 1000 times of complet charging xD
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Click to collapse
raziel123 said:
The S4 isn't a bad phone but compared to the Z1, the S4 has a slower Snapdragon 600 processor and GPU, smaller battery, poor build quality (plastic back and frame)
All depends on your Budget though,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't say that the S4 is "poor build quality" just because it's made out of plastic. It's a less desirable material, but it's still selling well.
If you're getting a phone now, it would be foolish to get an S4 when its replacement is just around the corner. I wouldn't choose this phone unless you don't care about keeping up with the latest and greatest.
I would personally be stuck between the Z1, Nexus 5, and the Note 3.
Everyone knows that the Nexus 5 is the best bang for the buck. It's not a fancy phone, but it has some top-line specs at a low price point which makes this compelling to everyone.
The Note 3 is actually not much bigger physically against the Z1, but the screen size is a good .5 inches larger. You might not use the stylus as much as you think you would, but 3rd party development as well as accessory availability is much higher than any of the 3.
The Z1's selling point is the camera and body. Megapixels mean nothing, but it's got one of the best specs. Aluminum and glass body for the iPhone-like feel.
Sent from my C6906 using xda app-developers app
I prefer the Sony Xperia Z1
MakaMika said:
Hello guys,what's up?
Im new to the forum,and i would really appreciate it if you help me make up my mind about buying the Z1,I've been reading about it and its features,watching videos and everything but still can't make up my mind as I have never met someone who has been using it and though I don't know how it works in real life.Is it really worth it?What kind of troubles can I face while using it? and the most important question,do you guys think that it's better than the Samsung G
alaxy s4? in what way?
You have no idea how much i need your help guys,I ll be so greatful !
Peace
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The battery of Xperia Z1 is so nice. I watched video with maximum voice.And I turned on the flashlight then take photos. The capacity of the z1 battery reduced slowly. The color of the photo taken by S4 is bright. But S4 was burning hot after playing games.
At the moment, the Z1 is right up there, just make sure you get a phone that is bootloader unlockable if you plan to in the future, i didn't like an idiot.
other alternatives are the note 3, LG N5 and the LG G2, all good phones and you most likely won't regret any purchases, I went with the Z1 as it's the right size for me, has a crazy camera and it's water proof, the pace of the phone is superb and it's build quality is top notch.
The choice is always yours tho m8 and it doesn't really matter what other people say, it's down to what you think in the end.
Looking back now, if i could have done it again, i might have given the note 3 another look, maybe even a glare
Forget the S4, it wasn't up to much when it came out, overheating issues, random reboots and a lot of phones simply just dying, at the time the HTC One for me anyway was the logical choice, still my favorite phone, albeit with a slightly slower processor, i'd even got as far to say that the One holds it's own with the newer batch, only problem is that when newer phones come out the One might feel dated in terms of performance.
You see I found them at almost the same price!
ruinkhan said:
I've had Samsung phones for over 3 years now, let me tell you that most of the Samsung features are just gimmicks. You wont even use %75 of those things in your cell, unless you want to show off in front of your Iphone friends
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Click to collapse
I heard that these features won t be fully used and You confirmed that to me!too bad my friends are all android users,nothing to brag about
Sent from my GT-I9003 using xda app-developers app
Lakerma said:
MakaMika said:
Yeah,you've been so helpful thank's a lot,and because of that i'll annoy you more with my questions XD , tell me plz about the battery,if one day it gets ruined after a long while of excessive use,how can that be fixed?[/QUO)
I think, but i´am not sure, you will get two years of battery warranty by Sony, but only phones with bulit in battery like the z1 !!! And I heard that modern batteries will loose only 15 % of their capacity after a bit more than 1000 times of complet charging xD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow that's great!I guess it would be a legit choice after all!!thanks a lot man
Sent from my GT-I9003 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lakerma said:
MakaMika said:
Yeah,you've been so helpful thank's a lot,and because of that i'll annoy you more with my questions XD , tell me plz about the battery,if one day it gets ruined after a long while of excessive use,how can that be fixed?[/QUO)
I think, but i´am not sure, you will get two years of battery warranty by Sony, but only phones with bulit in battery like the z1 !!! And I heard that modern batteries will loose only 15 % of their capacity after a bit more than 1000 times of complet charging xD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah you re right,but the s5 wont be here until March maybe and would be a little expencive at the begining.
I dont quite get what you mean by saying megapixels mean nothing,do you mean that the quality of the photos taken by z1 isn't that big of a deal?
Sent from my GT-I9003 using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
LotoTutu said:
The battery of Xperia Z1 is so nice. I watched video with maximum voice.And I turned on the flashlight then take photos. The capacity of the z1 battery reduced slowly. The color of the photo taken by S4 is bright. But S4 was burning hot after playing games.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This sounds awesome! And yes,I ve had the overheating problem with my samsung phones,it gets annoying sometimes especially when it turns itself off because of it X-(
Sent from my GT-I9003 using xda app-developers app
dladz said:
At the moment, the Z1 is right up there, just make sure you get a phone that is bootloader unlockable if you plan to in the future, i didn't like an idiot.
other alternatives are the note 3, LG N5 and the LG G2, all good phones and you most likely won't regret any purchases, I went with the Z1 as it's the right size for me, has a crazy camera and it's water proof, the pace of the phone is superb and it's build quality is top notch.
The choice is always yours tho m8 and it doesn't really matter what other people say, it's down to what you think in the end.
Looking back now, if i could have done it again, i might have given the note 3 another look, maybe even a glare
Forget the S4, it wasn't up to much when it came out, overheating issues, random reboots and a lot of phones simply just dying, at the time the HTC One for me anyway was the logical choice, still my favorite phone, albeit with a slightly slower processor, i'd even got as far to say that the One holds it's own with the newer batch, only problem is that when newer phones come out the One might feel dated in terms of performance.
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Click to collapse
Umm,Im not so sure what "bootloader unlockable" means,is it about the ability to change roms and roots and stuff? (not much into this ) but it'd be so nice of you if you explain it more.The guy at the phone store did mention something about having to unlock the phone before he could sell it,is that it?
I appreciate your help dude!
Is any off-contract (full price) Z1 bootloader-unlockable? I assume the locked-down ones are carrier-subsidized...
I would have recommended the Z1 untill Sonys half-arsed 4.3 release ballsed-up the bluetooth stack making the phone useless in my car as I cannot use it now on hands-free................................
MakaMika said:
Umm,Im not so sure what "bootloader unlockable" means,is it about the ability to change roms and roots and stuff? (not much into this ) but it'd be so nice of you if you explain it more.The guy at the phone store did mention something about having to unlock the phone before he could sell it,is that it?
I appreciate your help dude!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The guy at the store shouldn't really have to do anything with the phone to sell it, especially unlocking it. ?
Unlocking the bootloader gives you a bit more freedom to do what you want with the phone, so if you were to root it (BL unlock isn't required for root) and then you wanted to install a rom like Paranoid android or Cyanogen mod or any rom that requires a custom kernel then you will need to have the ability to unlock the handset, I personally can't unlock mine cos I stupidly went with a provider directly, also bare in mind that the bootloader unlock or not isn't anything to do with the sim being locked, they're not related.
If you have no plans to unlock the bootloader then i'm sure you'll love the Z1, i've had literally no problems with mine, everything is fast and stable (bar the odd random reboot which happens once a week if that) i'm still running 4.2 and it suits me quite well, I am rooted and I have exactly the right amount of mods installed that I would want from any other phone, also the pace of the phone is blistering so i don't really have a need to install custom kernels anyway and the CM based rom's are good but I never really stick with them for very long anyway, so not a deal breaker for me.
Just so you know, unlocking the bootloader will most likely void your warranty so be aware before you commit, rooting is reversible and won't touch your warranty, unless you send it to them rooted, just flash an FTF to revert back to normal.
---------- Post added at 05:49 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:32 PM ----------
nalab1 said:
I would have recommended the Z1 untill Sonys half-arsed 4.3 release ballsed-up the bluetooth stack making the phone useless in my car as I cannot use it now on hands-free................................
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
4.4 will be in the post m8, and it'll address the BT issues i imagine.
---------- Post added at 05:49 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:49 PM ----------
Ghengis042 said:
Is any off-contract (full price) Z1 bootloader-unlockable? I assume the locked-down ones are carrier-subsidized...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not all carriers disallow the unlock.

[OPINIONS NEEDED] Should I get this device?

Hello all! My name is Terence, and I've been dealing with Android devices and rooting for years now, so the first things I always look at when I'm searching for new devices are the Dev community, and the AOSP scene. Right the the device I have is the LG G2, and while its an amazing device, flashing ROMs (or hell, just owning the device in general) is a lot like playing Russian Roulette with the display. What I mean by that is, there is a known problem with this phone where permanent black lines would appear on the right side of the device, with no real explanation so far. At first, people thought it was because of flashing certain ROMs, or the phone overheating. Then people started vetted screen damage being just on stock. And I am one of those people with screen damage. So I started thinking, I can either get this fixed for $130, or search for a new device. I've found a good condition HTC One M7 for $150. My question(s) to you is, should I do it? Is it worth it just to buy this particular device? Are there any crazy issues such as my screen damage that pops up? I know the One isn't quite as good as the LG G2 on paper, but I'm not really a power user like that. I just love me some AOSP ROMs, and there's work being done on Lollipop, which is also a huge plus. Thanks for your time and answers!
I've never used the G2 so it's hard to compare, but I like my m7. The only crazy issue that pops up is that pictures taken in the dark can get a purple hue to them. The consensus seems to be that it's caused when the phone gets hot. Since I usually don't take pictures at night, it hasn't affected me much. As for the developer scene, we have some great developers here still. I can't think of a single ROM that was not created/ported to this phone. Also, HTC is still actively developing for it, so that's a plus.
iamterence said:
Hello all! My name is Terence, and I've been dealing with Android devices and rooting for years now, so the first things I always look at when I'm searching for new devices are the Dev community, and the AOSP scene. Right the the device I have is the LG G2, and while its an amazing device, flashing ROMs (or hell, just owning the device in general) is a lot like playing Russian Roulette with the display. What I mean by that is, there is a known problem with this phone where permanent black lines would appear on the right side of the device, with no real explanation so far. At first, people thought it was because of flashing certain ROMs, or the phone overheating. Then people started vetted screen damage being just on stock. And I am one of those people with screen damage. So I started thinking, I can either get this fixed for $130, or search for a new device. I've found a good condition HTC One M7 for $150. My question(s) to you is, should I do it? Is it worth it just to buy this particular device? Are there any crazy issues such as my screen damage that pops up? I know the One isn't quite as good as the LG G2 on paper, but I'm not really a power user like that. I just love me some AOSP ROMs, and there's work being done on Lollipop, which is also a huge plus. Thanks for your time and answers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
coal686 said:
I've never used the G2 so it's hard to compare, but I like my m7. The only crazy issue that pops up is that pictures taken in the dark can get a purple hue to them. The consensus seems to be that it's caused when the phone gets hot. Since I usually don't take pictures at night, it hasn't affected me much. As for the developer scene, we have some great developers here still. I can't think of a single ROM that was not created/ported to this phone. Also, HTC is still actively developing for it, so that's a plus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would go for the G2 simply due to the combination of performance, battery life, and awesome bezelness it provides.
The purple hue is actually a VERY widespread manufacturing defect. Sending the phone in for warranty repair fixes it - I have no idea how much it would cost without warranty. And really, the camera isn't all that spectacular even in good conditions. However, HTC seems to be committed to providing a great UX, with their Play Store apps, timely updates, and Dev support.
So it comes down to this: would you rather have a mediocre(honestly, that's being generous) phone with great dev options or a great phone with mediocre dev options?
sauprankul said:
I would go for the G2 simply due to the combination of performance, battery life, and awesome bezelness it provides.
The purple hue is actually a VERY widespread manufacturing defect. Sending the phone in for warranty repair fixes it - I have no idea how much it would cost without warranty. And really, the camera isn't all that spectacular even in good conditions. However, HTC seems to be committed to providing a great UX, with their Play Store apps, timely updates, and Dev support.
So it comes down to this: would you rather have a mediocre(honestly, that's being generous) phone with great dev options or a great phone with mediocre dev options?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that is a rather harsh.
Frankly if you are going for a used m7 which doesnt have a camera issue I think it is a very good choice to have because frankly this was awarded the best phone of 2013 and we will officially get the lollipop. Sense UI is one of the better additions as opposed to the rest
sauprankul said:
I would go for the G2 simply due to the combination of performance, battery life, and awesome bezelness it provides.
The purple hue is actually a VERY widespread manufacturing defect. Sending the phone in for warranty repair fixes it - I have no idea how much it would cost without warranty. And really, the camera isn't all that spectacular even in good conditions. However, HTC seems to be committed to providing a great UX, with their Play Store apps, timely updates, and Dev support.
So it comes down to this: would you rather have a mediocre(honestly, that's being generous) phone with great dev options or a great phone with mediocre dev options?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
muneebrocks said:
I think that is a rather harsh.
Frankly if you are going for a used m7 which doesnt have a camera issue I think it is a very good choice to have because frankly this was awarded the best phone of 2013 and we will officially get the lollipop. Sense UI is one of the better additions as opposed to the rest
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The thing is, the whole reason why I'm even considering doing this is because of the G2's seemingly random problem with permanent screen damage on the device, which I will upload a picture of. People have gotten their displays fixed and either had black lines again straight from boot, or had everything be okay. I simply do not want to waste my money for a fix, so it'd probably just be better to get a new device altogether.
Maybe what I'll end up doing is fix the screen sometime in the future and then end up selling one of the devices, depending on which offers me better real-life performance and has a better development scene.
muneebrocks said:
I think that is a rather harsh.
Frankly if you are going for a used m7 which doesnt have a camera issue I think it is a very good choice to have because frankly this was awarded the best phone of 2013 and we will officially get the lollipop. Sense UI is one of the better additions as opposed to the rest
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did mention that HTC has really developed quite a rep for being Dev friendly and providing a great UX and timely updates.
However, they put WAY too much effort into making this device good looking and feeling (I'll be honest, this is, to me, the single best looking and feeling device ever built. Including the M8 and every other phone I have ever seen) and not enough into making this a good performer. The camera took the worst hit of all, along with battery life.
However, the G2 seems to have its fair share of problems. It seems that the tiny bezel may be the cause of those broken LCDs. The m7, however, is a solid phone, and will physically never fail you. It was tested to be one of the most durable devices out there.
sauprankul said:
The camera took the worst hit of all, along with battery life.
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Click to collapse
These are the two things people ding the phone for and I understand why, but for me, the battery lasts at least a day with bad reception and two days with good. I do admit though that I'm not on the phone a lot, but I can usually get 3-4 hours of screen time. As for the camera, I've taken some really good low light pictures with it (see attached for my favorites, one has my wife and mini-me in it).
I think that HTC one is meant for people who want all rounder phone. Its not the best at any aspect but is very good in most
LG is meant for people who actually do benchmark tests and compare numbers. Count the number of pixels. etc
Its focused on power users.
But Frankly i think smart phones these days are over powered anyways. I mean do you really need a octa core phone to play flappy bird?
I use HTC because its comfortable and friendly and good looking its not the most powerful one or with the most number of megapixel but it works.
Well I ended up getting it, and I'm... Well, I'm slightly disappointed. The phone is definitely smooth and fluid for being an older device, but what I did NOT know was how damn small this thing was. I really can't even type too well with this device because of the screen size. And I have he purple camera bug as well, but luckily for me, I actually don't use the camera too much, and all definitely points to heating issues, because once the phone cools down, the pictures go back to normal. Speaking of heat, this phone gets HOT. Like, hot for no damn reason. I could simply just have the screen on for two minutes and it'd already start cooking eggs. Which leads me to my next point. Battery drain. Holy Christ this thing doesn't know what it wants to do with it's battery. I could be at 15% then plug the phone in, reboot to recovery to flash a different ROM, then suddenly I'm at 52%, then I'll drop down to 36% after just setting up all of my apps.
In conclusion, I've come to terms that this device isn't just for me, and I will be selling it to fix my G2 screen.
You have a defective device lol that's sad because I honestly love my m7 and I don't feel the need to upgrade yet. My old m7 had horrid battery drain and the speakers blew put but my second one has been running smooth on stock for 6 months now (old one was 6 months but I dealt with those issues for about 2 months) . My battery life still amazes me. I love the size the form factor and the hardware keys. Honestly the only deal breaker for me is no SD card slot. I'm no where close to filling up 32 gigs but I like having the option for on the go pr0ns and what not.
Another major problem is the camera. I've come to the conclusion all m7's have the purple hue problem and its very annoying. I can't send nice pics unless I use the flash but sometimes it gets white washed its OK I deal with that fault because everything else is perfect especially the 4.7 inch 1080p. I was lookin to upgrade to the z3 compact but its only 720p
Sent from my HTCONE using XDA Free mobile app
iamterence said:
Well I ended up getting it, and I'm... Well, I'm slightly disappointed. The phone is definitely smooth and fluid for being an older device, but what I did NOT know was how damn small this thing was. I really can't even type too well with this device because of the screen size. And I have he purple camera bug as well, but luckily for me, I actually don't use the camera too much, and all definitely points to heating issues, because once the phone cools down, the pictures go back to normal. Speaking of heat, this phone gets HOT. Like, hot for no damn reason. I could simply just have the screen on for two minutes and it'd already start cooking eggs. Which leads me to my next point. Battery drain. Holy Christ this thing doesn't know what it wants to do with it's battery. I could be at 15% then plug the phone in, reboot to recovery to flash a different ROM, then suddenly I'm at 52%, then I'll drop down to 36% after just setting up all of my apps.
In conclusion, I've come to terms that this device isn't just for me, and I will be selling it to fix my G2 screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nothing about that sounds normal. I have an M7 and I have no intention of upgrading until "the next big thing" arrives. Maybe silicon anode batteries. Or lytro cameras that can do live HDR and supersampling.
This phone is really solid, and I can't imagine anyone actually hating it. Maybe you need to calibrate the battery by running it down completely then fully charging it (without turning it back on)?
And hey, 4.7" is perfect!
I dunno, choice is yours. Fixing the G2 sounds great, whatever.
iamterence said:
Well I ended up getting it, and I'm... Well, I'm slightly disappointed. The phone is definitely smooth and fluid for being an older device, but what I did NOT know was how damn small this thing was. I really can't even type too well with this device because of the screen size. And I have he purple camera bug as well, but luckily for me, I actually don't use the camera too much, and all definitely points to heating issues, because once the phone cools down, the pictures go back to normal. Speaking of heat, this phone gets HOT. Like, hot for no damn reason. I could simply just have the screen on for two minutes and it'd already start cooking eggs. Which leads me to my next point. Battery drain. Holy Christ this thing doesn't know what it wants to do with it's battery. I could be at 15% then plug the phone in, reboot to recovery to flash a different ROM, then suddenly I'm at 52%, then I'll drop down to 36% after just setting up all of my apps.
In conclusion, I've come to terms that this device isn't just for me, and I will be selling it to fix my G2 screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have a defective device. I did advise you to ensure you have no issues with the used phone before getting it
That device isnt meant for anyone I guess.
If the price is too good to be true I guess it really was too good to be true unfortunately for you
Nice to see y'all came to the same conclusions hahah. The g2 is a great phone none the less so you should prilly stick with it.
I also love the "wow what phone is that?" When I lay it on the table
Sent from my HTCONE using XDA Free mobile app
I'm a fan of HTC and I only buy their devices but not some of there craps. I bought a used HTC One m7 4 months back and I love it. Its solid, slim,easy to handle and excellent quality. It has very slight pink tint issue or almost not. I haven't had problems while taking photos day/night so far. It has ST sensor. Only problem is green tint when flash is turned on but I believe its software issue and will be fixed soon. Apart none of the issues I have that you have stated. I play Traffic Racer, Turbo Racing 3D and even Real Racing 3 for hours but the device will be hardly heated, Thanks to aluminum body. It is having CM11 official Nightly and I always update it.
Battery life is at-least 1 day on heavy usage and 2 days on light usage.
LG G2 has 5.2" whereas HTC One M7 has 4.7 so a difference of half inch makes you feel HTC One M7 is small. I did not had problems with typing but I think you have bigger hands so you need more then 5" of display or a note. Still bigger mean difficult to handle daily and its the reason we call smartphones for small devices and note for bigger.
Used devices will never be 100% working conditions unless seller is trusted. Sometimes seller hide the issues and sell it to get best price, so you have to be careful.
I never really post much but I do have to agree that if you do a little work this has been my favorite phone to date. I have viper one for my Rom. Took some time learning getting customized the way I want and have kangaroo kernel for double tap to wake.
I hate the sleep button so the screen wake was my last hurtle. Battery could be better I guess. That may be a sign how much I use it though.
I tried the Moto x for a while and it's a really nice phone however with my setup I'm not looking anymore for a while. Gave the moto to the wife.
Sent from my HTC One using XDA Free mobile app

Buying xperia z?

Hey guys I'm about to buy a refurbished Xperia Z from Amazon, but I'd like you guys to give me some advice. Do you recommend me? My main concerns are battery, display(they say blacks are grayish), camera and sound. I come from a galaxy s3 and lumia 640 XL(maybe someone has/had one of these smartphones and could give me some thoughts). I suppose the performance is great. I also noticed the device has some pretty good community and development(which the s3 lacks a bit)-which is also very important to me... am I right? Also, how does AOSP-based lollipop(may I dare and also say marshmallow ) run on it? Sorry guys for too many questions and also sorry for my english.
Best regards!!
What can I say...
FIRST- if you're buying it for $100 or less maybe it is till a good deal, otherwise maybe it is better to see at other low-to-mid-range
SECOND- yes, the performance is good, even better with lollipop, screen looks better now (maybe sonybravia got better, maybe because lollipop has more white in it and the white is being displayed better), but anyway you have to UNDERCLOCK it in order to get a decent battery life
THIRD- battery life is very disappointing, you HAVE to underclock it and root it and greenify it to get any good battery life, unless you can charge it every 12 hours
FOURTH - the device is getting older and so the interest in this device (im talking about support from devs)
FIFTH - the phone gets hot, like really really hot when you're using it playing games (unless you underclock it), and since the back cover is only a adhesive line, when it gets hotter with the help off the Nfc antenna (which is set to push against the backcover) the backcover gets up and looses its waterproofness
SIX- the flaps - the damn flaps- they're everywhere - and you need to open them every-time you charge the phone, put on the headphones, remove the sim, remove the microSD, and they tend to get loose with time especially the one of the charger since you need to charge it frequently
NOW... that I told you about it downsides, its not a bad phone nowdays, it has a big and very beautiful display, connectivity is like the best i've ever tried, performance is pretty good (cpu + gpu ), camera performs really well - especially in macro, dev support for now is good.
Overall for someone who has it I think it can take another one or two years, but I personally would not buy it unless I find it for cheap or cannot buy a used phone. Personally I would look into a HTC M8 or a LG G3, maybe even used.
You decide
aaronkatrini said:
What can I say...
FIRST- if you're buying it for $100 or less maybe it is till a good deal, otherwise maybe it is better to see at other low-to-mid-range
SECOND- yes, the performance is good, even better with lollipop, screen looks better now (maybe sonybravia got better, maybe because lollipop has more white in it and the white is being displayed better), but anyway you have to UNDERCLOCK it in order to get a decent battery life
THIRD- battery life is very disappointing, you HAVE to underclock it and root it and greenify it to get any good battery life, unless you can charge it every 12 hours
FOURTH - the device is getting older and so the interest in this device (im talking about support from devs)
FIFTH - the phone gets hot, like really really hot when you're using it playing games (unless you underclock it), and since the back cover is only a adhesive line, when it gets hotter with the help off the Nfc antenna (which is set to push against the backcover) the backcover gets up and looses its waterproofness
SIX- the flaps - the damn flaps- they're everywhere - and you need to open them every-time you charge the phone, put on the headphones, remove the sim, remove the microSD, and they tend to get loose with time especially the one of the charger since you need to charge it frequently
NOW... that I told you about it downsides, its not a bad phone nowdays, it has a big and very beautiful display, connectivity is like the best i've ever tried, performance is pretty good (cpu + gpu ), camera performs really well - especially in macro, dev support for now is good.
Overall for someone who has it I think it can take another one or two years, but I personally would not buy it unless I find it for cheap or cannot buy a used phone. Personally I would look into a HTC M8 or a LG G3, maybe even used.
You decide
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you so much for your elaborated answer You really made me think about it.
FIRST- it costs me about $160(in a very good condition) and I really can't pay any more than this for a smartphone. It's actually a pretty good deal for what it normally costs in my country. If you/somebody could recommend me a better phone for this price point(taking into consideration the development community)...
SECOND- good to know.
THIRD- well I have to say it sounds dissapointing. Underclocking...doesn't sound that good to me... although I'd have no problem using greenify. 12 hours with 4g on? What's the usage?(heavy...moderate...)
FOURTH- this is the first thing I look when looking for an android device. If it doesn't allow custom ROMs and doesn't have a decent community behind then I don't buy it.
FIFTH- the "gettin really hot" thing sounds also really dissapointin. I'm not a heavy gamer but I do like to play graphic-intensive games from time to time. So is it really that annoing? About the waterproofness... really not important to me.
SIX- pretty annoing huh? Especially the headphones thing. What if you cut them out? You think there'd be any inconvenience on doing this aside from loosing the waterproof thing(and design of course)?
Well... so yeah some bad news for me here. But I can't find a decent phone wich also has community behind for this price. And another which makes me go for it are the 2GB of RAM.
So I wait for some other answers too guys
Also read my first post's EDIT.
Buying today XZ is stupid... seriously.
When I bought my XZ price of Z1compact was almost the same and it still is, its 20$-30$ difference for most of time(New XZ cost about 180$ z1c 200$)
And for that price you can buy WAY better phones, starting from Galaxy S4 to LG G series. And you want to stick to Sony you can get even z1 or used z2
As far as I love this phone I would not recommend it to anyone, battery is below average, camera is worst than my old Arc S, and those cover flaps are pain in the A##
This is best example of phone that look good, but those small bugs in everyday usage make it annoying to use...
And yes I still use it :] Because after using new phones... I found out that most of them are the same: average battery, and looots of small bugs that make them annoying after some time. So I decide to change phones once per 3-4 years...
Info
For that price NO! Performance with LP is good, camera not so good even with LP. Didnt have issues with overheating, connectivity is good. Screen and colors looks pretty nice for me.
MultiPDev said:
Thank you so much for your elaborated answer You really made me think about it.
FIRST- it costs me about $160(in a very good condition) and I really can't pay any more than this for a smartphone. It's actually a pretty good deal for what it normally costs in my country. If you/somebody could recommend me a better phone for this price point(taking into consideration the development community)...
SECOND- good to know.
THIRD- well I have to say it sounds dissapointing. Underclocking...doesn't sound that good to me... although I'd have no problem using greenify. 12 hours with 4g on? What's the usage?(heavy...moderate...)
FOURTH- this is the first thing I look when looking for an android device. If it doesn't allow custom ROMs and doesn't have a decent community behind then I don't buy it.
FIFTH- the "gettin really hot" thing sounds also really dissapointin. I'm not a heavy gamer but I do like to play graphic-intensive games from time to time. So is it really that annoing? About the waterproofness... really not important to me.
SIX- pretty annoing huh? Especially the headphones thing. What if you cut them out? You think there'd be any inconvenience on doing this aside from loosing the waterproof thing(and design of course)?
Well... so yeah some bad news for me here. But I can't find a decent phone wich also has community behind for this price. And another which makes me go for it are the 2GB of RAM.
So I wait for some other answers too guys
Also read my first post's EDIT.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well,
ONE - if you want a phone with good Dev community support and with that budget you'll have to take a look at ex-flagship devices, like HTC One M7 (this one remains IMHO one of the best devices ever), LG G2(very good camera from what I've been told, and powerful cpu), Samsung Galaxy S4(well because it is a Samsung and everybody has one so many developers...)
THREE - Underclock means you lower the frequency of the Cpu (example. it goes from 1.5 Ghz quad-core to 1.1 Ghz quad-core), I like more uncerclock than greenify, and underclocking at 1.1 Ghz in my opinion gives the best performance/battery life/heat ratio. Usage is normal, 1 hour browsing; 1 hour listening to songs (in 3g, even when 4g is available I disable it); 1 hour 9gag and gets at evening with 30-35%...
FOUR - many custom roms for now, and quality is really good, im using currently the 5.1.1 modified and runs pretty good.
FIVE- when you underclock (which I recommend!) you give your device better battery life but also it heats less. If you don't mind the waterproofness then it's better because I wouldn't call Waterproof a really thin bezel of adhesive (They're crazy !!!)
SIX- yeah, they're annoying but anyway you can live with that, and design is really good and would be a shame if you removed them.
So my list woud be;
1.Htc One m7
2.Lg g2
3.Samsung S4 or Xperia Z
(and btw where do you live? maybe i can see smth for you)
icrunchbanger said:
For that price NO! Performance with LP is good, camera not so good even with LP. Didnt have issues with overheating, connectivity is good. Screen and colors looks pretty nice for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well it seems the camera is not that good as I thought. Do you think moto g 2/3 has better camera? Although they only have 1GB or RAM.
MultiPDev said:
Well it seems the camera is not that good as I thought. Do you think moto g 2/3 has better camera? Although they only have 1GB or RAM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As an XZ owner i would definitely recommend you to go with Moto G2/3. Beside better camera there will be MM support for both the 2gen and 3gen Moto, while not for XZ.
aaronkatrini said:
Well,
ONE - if you want a phone with good Dev community support and with that budget you'll have to take a look at ex-flagship devices, like HTC One M7 (this one remains IMHO one of the best devices ever), LG G2(very good camera from what I've been told, and powerful cpu), Samsung Galaxy S4(well because it is a Samsung and everybody has one so many developers...)
THREE - Underclock means you lower the frequency of the Cpu (example. it goes from 1.5 Ghz quad-core to 1.1 Ghz quad-core), I like more uncerclock than greenify, and underclocking at 1.1 Ghz in my opinion gives the best performance/battery life/heat ratio. Usage is normal, 1 hour browsing; 1 hour listening to songs (in 3g, even when 4g is available I disable it); 1 hour 9gag and gets at evening with 30-35%...
FOUR - many custom roms for now, and quality is really good, im using currently the 5.1.1 modified and runs pretty good.
FIVE- when you underclock (which I recommend!) you give your device better battery life but also it heats less. If you don't mind the waterproofness then it's better because I wouldn't call Waterproof a really thin bezel of adhesive (They're crazy !!!)
SIX- yeah, they're annoying but anyway you can live with that, and design is really good and would be a shame if you removed them.
So my list woud be;
1.Htc One m7
2.Lg g2
3.Samsung S4 or Xperia Z
(and btw where do you live? maybe i can see smth for you)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seems the decision is getting harder and harder, although I already bought it because I don't wanna loose the deal. It's not available anymore at this price after buying it. I'm waiting for it to arrive in about two days I'll test it and if it doesn't satisfy me I'll return it.
ONE - Those devices are about $50 more expensive.
THREE - Maybe underclock could do the job, but will it still run smooth at lets say 1.2ghz? Anyway I think for the usage you described the battery doesn't sound that bad.
FOUR - Yeah, I'm looking at the hacking section and I'm stunned
FIVE - well, I'll happily underclock it if it doesn't affect performance too much. Maybe setting to the normal clock when gaming. And for the waterproofness thing... I'm shocked Anyway... I don't mind.
SIX - I guess...
From those devices you mentioned the only one I can afford is the Xperia Z. I really can't pay more than that for a device.
So, do you think I should buy a low end device from this or last year like the moto g 2014? I'm scared of the 1GB of RAM.
I live in Spain and price is a bit high here in Europe. I can buy from Amazon.es/fr/de/it... but I think I only have two options: buy a low-end device with no support from community or an exflagship device with support like the Xperia Z. I also think having 2GB of RAM is important right? I can't spend more than 150€/$160... ad I guess I'm asking too much from a device for this price. I really appreciate your help.
icrunchbanger said:
As an XZ owner i would definitely recommend you to go with Moto G2/3. Beside better camera there will be MM support for both the 2gen and 3gen Moto, while not for XZ.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Isn't 1GB of RAM too low nowadays?
Akinaro said:
Buying today XZ is stupid... seriously.
When I bought my XZ price of Z1compact was almost the same and it still is, its 20$-30$ difference for most of time(New XZ cost about 180$ z1c 200$)
And for that price you can buy WAY better phones, starting from Galaxy S4 to LG G series. And you want to stick to Sony you can get even z1 or used z2
As far as I love this phone I would not recommend it to anyone, battery is below average, camera is worst than my old Arc S, and those cover flaps are pain in the A##
This is best example of phone that look good, but those small bugs in everyday usage make it annoying to use...
And yes I still use it :] Because after using new phones... I found out that most of them are the same: average battery, and looots of small bugs that make them annoying after some time. So I decide to change phones once per 3-4 years...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately I can't afford those devices. I barely can afford the Xperia Z because I found a good deal.
MultiPDev said:
Isn't 1GB of RAM too low nowadays?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It all depends of usage but i wouldn't worry about it so much. Motorola comes with almost pure Android.
icrunchbanger said:
It all depends of usage but i wouldn't worry about it so much. Motorola comes with almost pure Android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I'm considering the moto g 2.
MultiPDev said:
Thanks, I'm considering the moto g 2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Moto G (2nd generation) doesn't stand a chance to Xperia Z!
XZ has better specs, better screen, better CPU, more Ram, more internal memory ecc.
Yes, the Moto G (2nd generation) is being updated to Marshmallow but really with all the support from the Dev's we can still get unofficial AOSP Marshmallow Roms.
PS.: one more thing, I currently live in Italy and in big cities it is really easy to find used phones from people that sell them at a local website. I've been checking the prices for some time because I wanted to get a better phone and phones like the LG G3 go as low as 200 euro. Htc One M7 can be found for 150 euro in really good condition, one thing is that you don't have warranty, only if they give you the bill of the phone, then it is as you had bought it(be careful though not giving you a printed bill from the internet.) if you can live with that, that would get you a really good phone with low money.
aaronkatrini said:
Moto G (2nd generation) doesn't stand a chance to Xperia Z!
XZ has better specs, better screen, better CPU, more Ram, more internal memory ecc.
Yes, the Moto G (2nd generation) is being updated to Marshmallow but really with all the support from the Dev's we can still get unofficial AOSP Marshmallow Roms.
PS.: one more thing, I currently live in Italy and in big cities it is really easy to find used phones from people that sell them at a local website. I've been checking the prices for some time because I wanted to get a better phone and phones like the LG G3 go as low as 200 euro. Htc One M7 can be found for 150 euro in really good condition, one thing is that you don't have warranty, only if they give you the bill of the phone, then it is as you had bought it(be careful though not giving you a printed bill from the internet.) if you can live with that, that would get you a really good phone with low money.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, XZ specs are really impressive for me, but the problems mentioned worry me. The screen seems a bit poor to me from what I read. Maybe the Moto G has a better screen and battery(camera also? I doubt it). Anyway... the XZ is on its way and I can't wait to test it!!!
The biggest problem I have with buying a used phone from people is, aside from the warranty- which is also important, the fact that I can't return it if it doesn't satisfy me. Thank God for Amazon!! lol :victory:
Hey what about speakers sound?
Yeah amazon has its benefits.
Sound speakers? Hah! That tiny little thing that barely makes a sound? ?
aaronkatrini said:
Yeah amazon has its benefits.
Sound speakers? Hah! That tiny little thing that barely makes a sound? ��
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Disappointing. It seems the device has lots of flaws.
MultiPDev said:
Unfortunately I can't afford those devices. I barely can afford the Xperia Z because I found a good deal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In that case welcome to the club
icrunchbanger said:
In that case welcome to the club
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks buddy I hope I stay here for long
aaronkatrini said:
What can I say...
FIRST- if you're buying it for $100 or less maybe it is till a good deal, otherwise maybe it is better to see at other low-to-mid-range
SECOND- yes, the performance is good, even better with lollipop, screen looks better now (maybe sonybravia got better, maybe because lollipop has more white in it and the white is being displayed better), but anyway you have to UNDERCLOCK it in order to get a decent battery life
THIRD- battery life is very disappointing, you HAVE to underclock it and root it and greenify it to get any good battery life, unless you can charge it every 12 hours
FOURTH - the device is getting older and so the interest in this device (im talking about support from devs)
FIFTH - the phone gets hot, like really really hot when you're using it playing games (unless you underclock it), and since the back cover is only a adhesive line, when it gets hotter with the help off the Nfc antenna (which is set to push against the backcover) the backcover gets up and looses its waterproofness
SIX- the flaps - the damn flaps- they're everywhere - and you need to open them every-time you charge the phone, put on the headphones, remove the sim, remove the microSD, and they tend to get loose with time especially the one of the charger since you need to charge it frequently
NOW... that I told you about it downsides, its not a bad phone nowdays, it has a big and very beautiful display, connectivity is like the best i've ever tried, performance is pretty good (cpu + gpu ), camera performs really well - especially in macro, dev support for now is good.
Overall for someone who has it I think it can take another one or two years, but I personally would not buy it unless I find it for cheap or cannot buy a used phone. Personally I would look into a HTC M8 or a LG G3, maybe even used.
You decide
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
in my country a NEW xperia z costs around 280-300 euro, i think people still prefer it

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