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Other than obvious physical damage, is there anything else I should check besides the bootloader status?
Is there any way to tell if the DRM keys are installed/working if the phone has been rooted and restored?
donalgodon said:
Other than obvious physical damage, is there anything else I should check besides the bootloader status?
Is there any way to tell if the DRM keys are installed/working if the phone has been rooted and restored?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thibk there is no way to tell it has or has not the DRM keys working.
But be sure to check the moisture detectors under each flap. If they are even jist a little bit pink, refuse the phone, as it has been exposed to liquids.
DrKrFfXx said:
I thibk there is no way to tell it has or has not the DRM keys working.
But be sure to check the moisture detectors under each flap. If they are even jist a little bit pink, refuse the phone, as it has been exposed to liquids.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, I need to pull out the plugs and look inside each (USB, headphones, SD, etc.) and check them for pinkness? I assume they are white normally.
I assume most International LTE models are booloader unlockable if they are not carrier devices. Is that true? (I'm buying for CM compatibility)
donalgodon said:
So, I need to pull out the plugs and look inside each (USB, headphones, SD, etc.) and check them for pinkness? I assume they are white normally.
I assume most International LTE models are booloader unlockable if they are not carrier devices. Is that true? (I'm buying for CM compatibility)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, they are white. They are little rectangles, paper like.
Here in Spain they only sell the LTE C6603 version. Most of them are carrier locked, and carrier locked devices, all of them, are locked.
Mine's also a LTE C6603, but I boight it from a Sony Store. My device is unlockable. I mean, it can be either unlockable or locked, no matter what version.
Plus, there is a known bug with rooted devices. A rooted device will show Bootloader unlockable: Yes. Even if the device is not unlockable.
So, first check if the device is rooted, if it is not, you will have a trustable read of the device's unlockability.
DrKrFfXx said:
Yes, they are white. They are little rectangles, paper like.
Here in Spain they only sell the LTE C6603 version. Most of them are carrier locked, and carrier locked devices, all of them, are locked.
Mine's also a LTE C6603, but I boight it from a Sony Store. My device is unlockable. I mean, it can be either unlockable or locked, no matter what version.
Plus, there is a known bug with rooted devices. A rooted device will show Bootloader unlockable: Yes. Even if the device is not unlockable.
So, first check if the device is rooted, if it is not, you will have a trustable read of the device's unlockability.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Other than looking for super su, is there a way to tell if the device is rooted?
There is an app, root checker or root check I think.
DrKrFfXx said:
There is an app, root checker or root check I think.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But I need that app installed to check it, right? There's no dialer method for root check, is there?
I also heard some rumors about wifi issues with the Z. Are they accurate?
I believe I have a chance to swap my S3 for an Xperia C6603. AS I understand the C6602 is not LTE, but the 03 is, correct?
The box on the photo the guy sent me says LTE, so this is why I asked. I'm meeting the guy later tonight to possibly swap, so I'm just trying to get my facts straight before I do so. I am more familiar with Samdung than Sony devices, but they aren't CM friendly.
donalgodon said:
But I need that app installed to check it, right? There's no dialer method for root check, is there?
I also heard some rumors about wifi issues with the Z. Are they accurate?
I believe I have a chance to swap my S3 for an Xperia C6603. AS I understand the C6602 is not LTE, but the 03 is, correct?
The box on the photo the guy sent me says LTE, so this is why I asked. I'm meeting the guy later tonight to possibly swap, so I'm just trying to get my facts straight before I do so. I am more familiar with Samdung than Sony devices, but they aren't CM friendly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no other way to check for root if it's not with that app, maybe su command on a terminal, but for that you'll need a terminal emulator installed.
They say WIFI reception is lower compared to other devices. I only have other Sony devices to compare to, and notice no discernible difference in reception quality between Sony Walkman Z1060, Xperia S, Xperia T and the Z itself. I get higher download bandwith on the Z. 40Mbps on my 50Mbps line, compared to the 20ish the other devices have.
02 is non LTE, 03 is LTE, correct.
IMHO, CM is overrated. Too many bugs, subpar audio quality from the headphone out, subpar camera software (I think Sony is providing some sources of their camera drivers so it's a matter of time before they catch up), low battery life compared to stock.
Performance is probably beyond stock, but why would I wan't just performance, if the device don't live enough to take advantage of it. But every one has their own needs.
DrKrFfXx said:
There is no other way to check for root if it's not with that app, maybe su command on a terminal, but for that you'll need a terminal emulator installed.
They say WIFI reception is lower compared to other devices. I only have other Sony devices to compare to, and notice no discernible difference in reception quality between Sony Walkman Z1060, Xperia S, Xperia T and the Z itself. I get higher download bandwith on the Z. 40Mbps on my 50Mbps line, compared to the 20ish the other devices have.
02 is non LTE, 03 is LTE, correct.
IMHO, CM is overrated. Too many bugs, subpar audio quality from the headphone out, subpar camera software (I think Sony is providing some sources of their camera drivers so it's a matter of time before they catch up), low battery life compared to stock.
Performance is probably beyond stock, but why would I wan't just performance, if the device don't live enough to take advantage of it. But every one has their own needs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can install any generic 03 Sony ROM on the device, right? I'll test it out with stock ROM for a while, but I'd like to have the latest version available.
On Samdung devices, the region didn't matter, so I ask before I screw myself up.
donalgodon said:
I can install any generic 03 Sony ROM on the device, right? I'll test it out with stock ROM for a while, but I'd like to have the latest version available.
On Samdung devices, the region didn't matter, so I ask before I screw myself up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Region doesn't matter. Any 03 will do fine.
I'd suggest stock based plus doom kernel.
DrKrFfXx said:
I thibk there is no way to tell it has or has not the DRM keys working.
But be sure to check the moisture detectors under each flap. If they are even jist a little bit pink, refuse the phone, as it has been exposed to liquids.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is open the service menu (dial *#*'#7378423#*#*), go to service tests, security. Look at the keys, MARLIN and WMLA, if it says Unknown Error, DRM keys are gone but if it says Key OK then DRM keys are intact
I think you should check flaps condition also. They are easily damaged.
Hello guys.
I'm a long time reader but a new member.
Almost two months ago, my HTC One V was stolen by pickpockets in a crowded Mumbai train.
Since then, I was looking to buy a new phone. Soon, phones like Xperia M and L caught my eye. While I was browsing to phones, I saw Xperia SP, and the bang for the buck it gave, made me decide that this might be the phone I might buy.
Now, as I was looking and going through stuff, I came to know a lot of the cons of the phone, while pros outnumber the cons, the cons were quite important in this case. I've gone through a lots of threads and have known a lot, but some questions remain. Hence, I'm asking some questions in order to solve my queries and give a better view about it. Wish to get proper replies.
1. What version is the Indian variant. C5302, C5303 or C5306.
2. Lots of people say it's heavy. How do you feel about it.
3. GSM Arena wasn't happy with the loudspeaker, does it ring loudly? I see all the phones having a speaker in the back, causing it to ring very quietly.
4. Now an important one. On my HTC One V, I had an option to move apps to SD card. As I was browsing, through the forums, I came to know that it's not possible anymore without rooting. And rooting is something I do not prefer as of now (I had huge plans for One V, but unfortunetely, it was stolen before I decided to root it after the warranty was over).
On One V, I was having loop boot problem after moving the files to the SD card, however, that's not an issue here. Thing is, on One V, I had used AppMgr III (App 2 SD) to move my apps to SD card.
So now is my question. Will App 2 SD work without rooting? Has anyone tried using it without rooting? The Apps 2 SD page mentions this:
Move apps function may not work on your device as manufacture removes the function of moving apps to SD from Android system (not support: S4, S DUOS, Note2, Tab 2, L5-L9, OneX, 7-10" tablet)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does this apply to Xperia devices too?
This is very much a concerning thing to me, as 5.8 GB isn't a lot if one likes gaming.
5. Has the lack of sufficient space, just 5.8 GB, ever caused concerns for you?
6. Again, important one. How bad is the WiFi? I live in a 1BHK house in a suburb. While I mostly use WiFi (and internet for that matter) near my router and PC situated in the hall, my One V never did well for reaching the bedroom, something I was expecting SP to do well until I came to know about the problem.
Same situation here, I do not prefer to root my phone. Can the WiFi be fixed in any other way? Different channel / mode?
7. Does the WiFi fixes available here actually fix your WiFi? After using the fixes available, is it comparable to other phones' / laptops' reception? What do you think, it's software problem or hardware problem?
8. Do you expect Sony to fix the WiFI problem in in future?
9. People who have rooted then flashed their phones to latest Android should not having any WiFi problems right?
10. I remember some version of iPhone having grip of death for WiFi. Do you guys think SP's bad WiFi reception is due to this?
11. Now the camera. I've seen enough photos / graphs to say that Xperia SP probably has the worst smartphone camera I've seen. Comparing it to my HTC One V, One V was like godsent camera phone. So what to you guys think, is the camera something that is acceptable or just total deal breaker?
I personally do not have any use for the camera. However, my sister is a big camera selfie lover. While I see that the camera takes some beautiful vivid pictures outside, my use the camera would be mostly indoors.
From what I can understand is that the camera is over-compressing the images? I've seen photos very in-depth and have concluded that, one, SP pictures lack details, two, have lots of noise.
Those who wanna compare it on GSM Arena, don't use to ISO chart, see the camera on the color poster: gsmarena.com/piccmp.php3?idType=3&idPhone1=5364&idPhone2=5363&idPhone3=5375.
Compare it something like HTC One V and see the difference of quality of images.
While I've photoshopped and removed noise from the pictures I've found from the internet, from Xperia SP, I don't know if it's worth it, so I'm confused.
12. I've read some users saying that they tried 3rd party camera apps like ProCapture and they immediately saw that Xperia SP started taking great pictures. Can you say the same for yourself? Has anyone tried doing such?
13. Have people who have rooted / flashed SP to latest Android see any improvements in the camera?
14. What do you think. Is Xperia SP's crappy camera about hardware quality of the camera or the software?
15. Do you, being realist here, expect Sony to fix the camera with an update?
16. Now about rooting. Will rooting void the warranty? I read somewhere that if you do not unlock the bootloader, you do not void the warranty. Is it possible to just root the phone without unlocking the bootloader without flash it?
17. Noob question. Do you receive updates if you have rooted the phone? If yes, lets say, I made changes to the WiFi file, and then I updated the phone, will the root stay? If not, will the changes made to the file stay?
18. Now about the CPU. I know the phones are moving very faster these days. However, I'm making a big investment if I buy Xperia SP. So SP being so powerful of a phone it is, do you expect it to stay good to play generally powerful games for lets say, next 4 years? I'm not a person who likes changing his phone every year or two, nor do I have money to do that.
19. Some people are reporting screen touch issues when charging or when putting on desk. It is said to be fixed, is it true?
20. I compared the phone to Galaxy S3 and found that S3 had more contrast ratio when playing videos, however, Xperia SP seemed more bright, what to you guys think?
21. How is the front camera? I don't care about the resolution, but clear enough for video calling?
22. Any other problems / things anyone feels worth mentioning?
That's pretty much it for the phone, however, I have more questions.
23. I'm willing to squeeze out more money for a better phone like Xperia ZR, Galaxy S3 and such. However, they have their own problems. Like, S3 is nowhere to be compared with Xperia SP as SP's graphics is top-end.
As for ZR. I have two problems with it, one small, one big. The small one being people calling it's loudspeaker muffed and the big one being it not being Gorilla Glass. To understand what I'm concerned about it, see this: youtube.com/watch?v=4GzYnDnZDRg and this: youtube.com/watch?v=Q2qdwsFd-Qw. It shows that ZR screen is neither tough / shatter-proof nor, thanks to the sheet, scratch proof. And removing the sheet means warranty void. I've seen that even Xperia Z has the same thing, which makes me think how people manage with this?
24. What alternative phones to SP price range (Rs. 20500 to 22500 here - $330 to $360) or Galaxy S3 / ZR price range (Rs. 26500 here - $425) do you guys recommend?
25. Is the phone worth it? Will you recommend it to me?
Anyway, sorry for huge post. As so many days of sadness for the loss of my HTC One V, I'm asking this, so please bear with me. All these questions have been churning in my mind from almost month and a half now.
Any help with the questions will be greatly appreciated.
1- I don't know, It could be the 5303 or 5302
2-Yes, its heavier than the Z and ZL at 155 grams
3-Ring volume its OK, better than my previous phone (Xperia pro)
4-No. You cant move apps to the external microSD without root.
5-The internal storage its just for apps, the external for media. Its enough but could be better
6-I've never had problems with the Wi-Fi the last 5-6 months with my SP
7-They are just placeboes
8-I dont think so
9-????????????
10-Could be the metal used on the frame, If thats the reason the Z1 may have similar problems
11-Mediocre photo camera, my old pro (neo,ray and arc similar) took better pictures. Video recording is OK. You may want to use another camera app
12-Even Instagram's camera takes better pictures
13-I haven't seen any improvements
14-Could be both
15-May or may not be fixed when 4.3 arrives
16-In many countries, rooting voids the warranty...but just keep a copy of the STOCK, ORIGINAL firmware and flash it before taking it to a service shop. Bootloader unlock may void the warranty, Its better to ask before doing it because it cannot be undone. Dont worry about flashing, on a Sony phone its very easy
17-Yes, you may receive updates but you will lose the root access. Sometimes Update Service refuses to update if the phone is rooted, sometimes not. After unlockin the bootloader you cant use official sony tools, just flashtool.
18.I'm sorry to hear that...I made a huge investment on my SP too, but electronics, specifically smartphones are not designed or built to last. They are disposable. Right now its a good phone...but next year will be obsolete.
19-I had that issue. I dont know if there is a fix for that, but I tried disabling the glove mode and it seems to stop the touch issues
20-Screen isn't that great, cant compare to LED screens
21-Z and ZL have better front cameras. The one in the SP is still as bad as the one you will find on a 2011 phone
22-Phone overheats, that makes some people feel uncomfortable, up to 47 degrres celcius when playin real racing 3. No big deal for me
23-??????
24-I live in Mexico.
25-Yes, it will be a good phone for the next 12-18 months. After that time you will have to buy a new one.
As cachanilla86 answer almost everything.
for Q9. No - most of the sp suffers from wifi problems. whether rooted or not...
for Q23 Check S4 or xperia Z ultra...
1. Don’t know either
2. Yes its heavy, a manly phone
3. The loudspeaker is fine, may not be the loudest on earth but it’s fine.
4. Apps to SD is a contentious issue – the official line is that Google don’t like external SD cards and from Jelly Bean onwards it was no longer part of any Android builds. It’s the same with hardware navigation buttons, Google would prefer them to be on the screen soft keys. However manufacturers can do what they want – Samsung does what it likes and still uses hardware buttons and has tweaked their builds to allow app to sd. Sony haven’t had hardware nav buttons for some time now and perhaps their love for DRM makes them sympathetic to the idea of stopping users from moving apps around.
Anyway, it doesn’t work without rooting, hell it doesn’t work in the normal sense when you ARE rooted – hopefully a nice CM build will come along and resolve the situation for us.
5. Yes and no – it would be nice to install loads of games without a care, but I only really play one ‘big’ game at a time. Rooting can help too because you can move the data portions of big games to an external sd card with folder mount.
6. Range is excellent for me, the authentication process can take ages though, I had the same problem with my 2011 xperia – when the phone is trying to connect to the router signal strength seems to drop and I think you get into a loop of the phone thinking the wifi is too weak to connect to and it swaps to data, the signal goes up again and you try to connect but the same thing happens again. With my 2011 device most custom kernels, especially ones that were cm10 based, connection was instant – this is almost certainly a software issue.
There is talk that the most modern routers don’t have as many issues.
7. The fix that works best for me is the one that changes the level at which the phone decides the wifi reception is so bad it has to swap to data – the range is and has always been great for me, better than other devices in my house.
8. There have been 3 build versions of the phone so far – I’ve always had to apply the tweak. Don’t think Sony regard it as a problem.
9. There are no custom roms out there that provide the latest version of android, they are all based on 4.1.2. There should be a 4.2 build from FreeXperia at some point and a 4.3 build from some independent developers, but there is no ETA for either of these builds. This is not to say that the developers of existing custom roms haven’t tweaked wifi so it works better.
10. As I said, I’m certain it’s a software issue.
11. The camera’s auto mode is pretty poor in conditions which are less than optimum – you can take a nice photo if you mess with settings BUT in my opinion this is missing the point. If I want to mess with settings I’ll use a proper camera, I just want to take quick snaps with my phone in situations where I didn’t necessarily think I’d need to bring a camera. For the SP (and other Sony phones) the camera doesn’t support this type of spontaneous photography very well.
12. Haven’t heard of procapture, thanks for the tip
13. See my previous comments – the only builds available for the SP are 4.1.2 based.
14. Hope it’s the software – I’m no expert, but people talk about too much processing/compression.
15. I had a 2011 xperia with 8MP and the camera on the SP is not significantly better – I don’t think Sony believe that it’s a problem.
16. Unless the apps/mods/roms you install after root cause hardware damage, you can always just flash a stock rom – so warranty should be unaffected. Of course if you are unable to flash a stock rom because of hardware damage…
17. You do receive updates if you’re rooted. Historically if you updated OTA you kept root, via the PC meant you lost it.
18. The smart phone market is moving so fast that I doubt any phone out today will be able to play the most demanding games from 4 years time without any trouble. The latest iphone has 64 bit architecture and this will soon follow for android. Similarly, I imagine that graphics chips are upgraded once or twice a year – so you might be as many as 8 cycles behind what is considered top of the range. The SP is a midrange phone, with some flag ship properties.
19. There are still some touch issues in my opinion, though this is improving build to build.
20. Don’t know about the S3 – the XP screen is fine though, not mind blowing, but in no sense bad or embarrassing.
21. Fine for video calling, perfect in fact. OK for selfies if close up. Do not use for anything else – as mentioned it would only be an average FC for a 2011 device.
22. Not really you’ve been very thorough
That's pretty much it for the phone, however, I have more questions.
23. Don’t think the S3 is better, the S4 mini is better in my opinion ONLY if you can live with a smaller screen. If you can stretch to the ZR do it.
My last xperia didn’t have gorilla glass – I used screen protectors and after 18 months of use I sold it to a recycling company for the maximum stated value (so they regarded it's condition as perfect). Any phone with a large screen is more vulnerable to being broken than one with a small screen. Most days on the underground and on buses I see people with busted screens - usually S3s, S4s and iphones - but I guess this is because they are the most common phones.
24. The choice for me was this or the S4 mini – I prefer Sony phones though and the bigger screen was the deal breaker. You could wait for the new Nexus, maybe a month to go? This was my plan, but my network provider offered me an early upgrade to move to 4G and I couldn’t say no.
25. The phone is definitely worth it – I’m not mad on photography and am rooted, so can get around the storage issue. After that it has most of the really important flag ship stuff, the things that you need, rather than eye scrolling or the ability to take it swimming, and the user experience is great.
Thanks for the answers guys.
After this, I'm more unsure about SP.
Now, I'm considering ZR or ZL, as both are priced similar here.
DKT27 said:
Thanks for the answers guys.
After this, I'm more unsure about SP.
Now, I'm considering ZR or ZL, as both are priced similar here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unsure too as well now lol.
Might have to look for alternatives to SP with better camera for same price.
King p1n said:
Unsure too as well now lol.
Might have to look for alternatives to SP with better camera for same price.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If camera is a priority, then Xperia M has a good camera. However, you may not find any phone with such a powerful processor and graphics card, 720p screen and other features at this price.
I read all the questions wont be answering all, but I'll suggest you to go with XPERIA ZR (Don't go for ZR if you gona be using some mods or different ROM's as ZR is a low legacy device and many don't own it so there are no good devs for ZR) or ZL or either Nexus 4 also about rooting you can root any phone it doesn't voids warranty and also removing the scratch-proof sheet on ZR can be removed it doesn't voids warranty.
RuchRha said:
I read all the questions wont be answering all, but I'll suggest you to go with XPERIA ZR (Don't go for ZR if you gona be using some mods or different ROM's as ZR is a low legacy device and many don't own it so there are no good devs for ZR) or ZL or either Nexus 4 also about rooting you can root any phone it doesn't voids warranty and also removing the scratch-proof sheet on ZR can be removed it doesn't voids warranty.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the answer.
I might not use any mods or ROMs as of now.
ZR and ZL seem to be priced same here. So I'm leaning towards ZL.
As for Nexus 4, it's good but no microSD card support and ZL seems better.
Thanks again for the rooting issue. However, I read that rooting requires one to change ROMs or something? I'm very much a noob in this so no idea.
About the glass and the scatter proof sheet. One, I want to know whether the glass is actually tough enough to challenge Gorilla Glass or is even near it. I'm scared for the phone hitting the ground and the expensive screen breaking. As for the warranty, see this. The only reason to remove the sheet is, that it's cloth and scratch magnet, which can be fixed by by scratch guard I think.
DKT27 said:
Thanks for the answer.
I might not use any mods or ROMs as of now.
ZR and ZL seem to be priced same here. So I'm leaning towards ZL.
As for Nexus 4, it's good but no microSD card support and ZL seems better.
Thanks again for the rooting issue. However, I read that rooting requires one to change ROMs or something? I'm very much a noob in this so no idea.
About the glass and the scatter proof sheet. One, I want to know whether the glass is actually tough enough to challenge Gorilla Glass or is even near it. I'm scared for the phone hitting the ground and the expensive screen breaking. As for the warranty, see this. The only reason to remove the sheet is, that it's cloth and scratch magnet, which can be fixed by by scratch guard I think.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't need any ROM's for rooting, there are many rooting toolkits by DooMLoRD which easily roots a device, and the shatter proof glass is pretty strong (I feel far better than gorilla), my phone has felt many time (XPERIA Z) and nothing happened except a few scratches on the body but nothing on screen or back and I also have removed the scratch proof sheet and I mostly do so with all my XPERIA's it does not voids warranty.
DKT27 said:
If camera is a priority, then Xperia M has a good camera. However, you may not find any phone with such a powerful processor and graphics card, 720p screen and other features at this price.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
on a 5mp now on Galaxy Nexus and its not too great either and i see the Xperia M has a 5 MP also.
Hate the way Sony skimped on the front cam to only VGA, especially If I finally getting involved in snapchatting and what not it wont be great
I've heard people throw the 8mp camera and software in the same sentence, Im guessing its not the software that causing bad quality images?
Hi guys, I´m making a hard search for two phones: one to use in my house and another one to the street. I like too much the Xperia Z1 :good:, but there are some questions I have:
In the case of the bootloader, at the moment, the camera stop it´s funcionality, to prevent this, I may take a backup from TA partition, but some others say at the moment to restore the TA, the bootloader relocks again. Is that true? How I get the phone unlocked and the camera working? Is it possible?
The second question: I heard about overheating issues in this Android smartphone. How do I fix them? It happens in every phones, or may vary in the use? There are the same problems who were present in the Xperia Z?
And the more important: What are the pros and cons with a integrated battery? Do you got a good use with it? (you can tell me your use with another Sony phones too) No need to replace with frequency? Is it better than the removable battery?
As you know, the high-end smartphones are too expensive to buy without consider some points.
How is your experience with the sound in the speaker? It is loud, low or normal? (I´m an owner of a Live Walkman)
Can you tell me another bugs this phone have? The Sony phones are still good like the Sony Ericsson ones? (remember, the Sony Ericsson phones were symbol of quality)
And the last one: Can you give me the exact screen size? (in mm) I want to know who big it is (I sized the phone previously and I consider it´s big, I use to be with 3 inch phones)
Thanks in advance, and sorry for my poor English. :silly: Have a nice day.
Don Luciano said:
Hi guys, I´m making a hard search for two phones: one to use in my house and another one to the street. I like too much the Xperia Z1 :good:, but there are some questions I have:
In the case of the bootloader, at the moment, the camera stop it´s funcionality, to prevent this, I may take a backup from TA partition, but some others say at the moment to restore the TA, the bootloader relocks again. Is that true? How I get the phone unlocked and the camera working? Is it possible?
The second question: I heard about overheating issues in this Android smartphone. How do I fix them? It happens in every phones, or may vary in the use? There are the same problems who were present in the Xperia Z?
And the more important: What are the pros and cons with a integrated battery? Do you got a good use with it? (you can tell me your use with another Sony phones too) No need to replace with frequency? Is it better than the removable battery?
As you know, the high-end smartphones are too expensive to buy without consider some points.
How is your experience with the sound in the speaker? It is loud, low or normal? (I´m an owner of a Live Walkman)
Can you tell me another bugs this phone have? The Sony phones are still good like the Sony Ericsson ones? (remember, the Sony Ericsson phones were symbol of quality)
And the last one: Can you give me the exact screen size? (in mm) I want to know who big it is (I sized the phone previously and I consider it´s big, I use to be with 3 inch phones)
Thanks in advance, and sorry for my poor English. :silly: Have a nice day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1)At the moment it is NOT possible to get the bootloader unlocked with a working camera. You can however get back on stock firmware and restore TA partition to get your camera back.
2) Every phone heats up. Overheating is a little bit exaggerated....
3) Integrated battery is a must with a waterproof phone. This protects your electronics. Nowadays people exchange their phones every 2-3 years and that time is a lot shorter than your battery life. I would not worry about that at all. If you need an extra battery just buy a portable charger.
4) The speaker is not the greatest as there are waterproofing membranes that cover it. It is not as bad as some make it though. It is just an average speaker.
5)There are numerous people suffering from random reboots and that is a bug that Sony is yet to fix. I get about 1-2 a day unfortunately
6)The phone's screen is 5 inch 12.7cm but the bezel is quite big. It is bigger than Galaxy S4 or any other 5" smartphone. 144 x 74 x 8.5 mm
Hello,
I read through the boards but it's a bit difficult to get a measure. If I want an AOSP/cm like experience, is z3 compact still ok to buy (used)? Or should I be looking to move onto newer pastures like the z5 compact? sorry for the sony noob question.
Z5c = Z3c + better camera + fingerprint scanner.
Z3c is a more than capable device. Practically a flagship with a small screen. I run the latest slimm rom which is 6.0.1 and I experience no slowdowns whatsoever.
Camera is not so good in lowlight and front camera is also bad. At the moment I am also looking to upgrade to a x5 compact. Though, I find it hard to justify all the hassle of selling and buying me phone since the gain is limited.
Durability of the flaps is also an issue. And the back is slippery. For this reason I invested in New flaps, back cover sticker, tempered glass protection and magnetic usb chargers. In all probably an investment of 50 bucks at least. Half of which z5 doesn't need.
Pinktank said:
Hello,
I read through the boards but it's a bit difficult to get a measure. If I want an AOSP/cm like experience, is z3 compact still ok to buy (used)? Or should I be looking to move onto newer pastures like the z5 compact? sorry for the sony noob question.
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Click to collapse
The Z3c and Z5c are very similar, with a fingerprint sensor and camera sensor being the main difference. If you are going to be going to an AOSP or CM build then you won't be using the camera much as it'll be broken by unlocking the bootloader.
There is more development on the Z3c, it's been out longer and therefore has more custom roms and mods that the Z5. If customising is your bag, then I'd say the Z3c is what you want.
But be aware of the things that happen once you unlock you bootloader and make sure you get a backup of your TA partition, there is a great guide here..
Edit: +1 on the magnetic charger, it will save the life of the flaps
Hey y'all thanks for the quick notes. Z5 compact doesn't have a groundbreaking camera either so it's ok on that department. Regarding AOSP/CM, the sony open/AOSP/concept development is basically AOSP + sony DRM camera right? If I use that, does that allow me to use the camera well? I just like it plainjanejoe
Pinktank said:
Hey y'all thanks for the quick notes. Z5 compact doesn't have a groundbreaking camera either so it's ok on that department. Regarding AOSP/CM, the sony open/AOSP/concept development is basically AOSP + sony DRM camera right? If I use that, does that allow me to use the camera well? I just like it plainjanejoe
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I don't know where you got the info on AOSP working with DRM, but the thread I looked at is for unlocked bootloaders only (and seems to have ground to a halt). Same with any CM build. I don't think there's 6 build for AOSP, sorry. The Sony Concept and Beta builds you refer to also require unlocked bootloader if you want to use root. It would be easier to find a pre-rooted 6 rom and use that. The guide mentioned above goes into detail about how to get there.
6 hasn't been out for the z3c very long, so consequently it's still full of bugs and problems. There is a patch arriving soon that hopefully will fix MM stock and Wajk is committed developer who has got a debloated 6 build working and will apply the upcoming patches as soon as they arrive.
I must have confused it with another sony maybe. So when you say the camera is broken, do you mean it doesn't work period
Pinktank said:
I must have confused it with another sony maybe. So when you say the camera is broken, do you mean it doesn't work period
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No it works, but low level noise is increased. I don't think you get 20Mp output either. Basically all the proprietary software that Sony incorporates into cleaning up the picture and some of the image stabilisation is disabled.
Apparently Google camera does a good job with the Sony lens as a replacement to the stock app.
Edit: if CM/AOSP is your requirement, then I don't think you're going to have much joy with Sony. Their system of locking DRM keys on an encrypted partition is going to get in the way of any serious CM development.
Personally I think the camera is one of the phones stronger features (Sony make the sensors for apple/samsung phones), so to break it in order to install a different looking rom on it doesn't make a lot of sense to me.
If you don't like the Sony launcher, install another one.
Z5 Compact runs on better hardware, slightly better camera than Z3C but the Z3C has better xda support than the Z5C has, either way both devices are futureproof in a sense 2-3 Years from now their hardware would still be decent. There is also AOSP/CM for both devices, but take note unlocking the bootloader removes the camera features ( post image processing and x-reality ) Sony has put into the phone
hello, im trying to decide to switch from x compact to xz1 compact, i wonder how much faster is xz1c? faster better lol, looking for upgrade haha gonna give this one to my mom probably, watched some reviews on xz2c but its kinda too big, i dont play games at all and love using phone with one hand, is it worth upgrading? write me your thoughts :>
I think you could get better phones... Maybe the Samsung S10e or if you want to stick with Sony, something newe like the xz2C or XZ3C.
well i could aim for xz2 compact, but its bigger in size, is it comfortable for one hand use? i prefer to stay at sony for next buy. Xz3 compact? cant find any info about it, can you link me comparison? cant find where to buy xz3 compact either
There is no XZ3 Compact.
Samsung S10e is way bigger than XZ1C / XC and I don't think it's comfortable for one hand usage.
thought so, i wonder if someone can help me decide if xz1 worth upgrading or i should wait a bit for some other phones. my xc is still kicking pretty good and rooted as well :fingers-crossed::highfive:
Simplyeh said:
thought so, i wonder if someone can help me decide if xz1 worth upgrading or i should wait a bit for some other phones. my xc is still kicking pretty good and rooted as well :fingers-crossed::highfive:
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I was with the same dilemma... and finally i bought the XZ1C, even if it's "old" for the end of 2019, but works perfect and fits in one hand.
I tried the XZ2C and fits also very well, but is a little bit bigger (impossible to reach the top screen area with my thumb finger). Also i need to said that the weight of XZ2C surprised me (very heavy)
Hard to find a small smartphone nowadays with a nice hardware config!!
i.j said:
I was with the same dilemma... and finally i bought the XZ1C, even if it's "old" for the end of 2019, but works perfect and fits in one hand.
I tried the XZ2C and fits also very well, but is a little bit bigger (impossible to reach the top screen area with my thumb finger). Also i need to said that the weight of XZ2C surprised me (very heavy)
Hard to find a small smartphone nowadays with a nice hardware config!!
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You switched from x compact to xz1 compact? :silly: about xz2c i thought it would be hard to reach thats why prefer not to buy xz2c :crying: its beautiful tho
Bump bump bump need opinions ??
I switched from x to xz1, the xz1 is much faster and more responsive (mainly when opening new apps, or managing multitasking) even though in my case it rarely slows down for a few seconds for no apparent reason, especially when using chrome.
The camera is much better, even though it's still not great in low light situations. Battery wise it's about the same.
Sometimes i'd like to have a no-bezel 5 inch phone but anything else on the market is too large for one handed use.
I'd say the performance jump is not huge, but it's still quite noticeable. To be fair, the X was pretty fast already for most non - gaming tasks...
Great thats what i needed! Thank you!
@Simplyeh, if I should recommend something, go with XZ1 Compact if you still can buy it somewhere.
If you care about sony drm functions, xzp/xz1/xz1c phones are the last sony phones where you can backup and restore drm keys and make them fully functional after bootloader unlock.
Please see the exploiting xperia XZ2 - good and bad news post - getting a temporary root for locked TA backup does not help anymore with phones running TAMA platform (xz2,xz2c,xz3,...).
Most likely any newer xperia would behave the same, i.e. no chance for working drm keys restore after BL unlock, even if temp root could be achieved before unlock for TA backup.
j4nn said:
@Simplyeh, if I should recommend something, go with XZ1 Compact if you still can buy it somewhere.
If you care about sony drm functions, xzp/xz1/xz1c phones are the last sony phones where you can backup and restore drm keys and make them fully functional after bootloader unlock.
Please see the exploiting xperia XZ2 - good and bad news post - getting a temporary root for locked TA backup does not help anymore with phones running TAMA platform (xz2,xz2c,xz3,...).
Most likely any newer xperia would behave the same, i.e. no chance for working drm keys restore after BL unlock, even if temp root could be achieved before unlock for TA backup.
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I just bought xz1 compact white color used, not scratched screen for 180euros it's nice, still tho i could get new one for 275 eur with guarantee but i think it will be ok, bought my x compact used too and it serves me good, i trust my luck on this one too.
can't wait to receive it will take few days >.< still worried about battery life of a used phone a bit, hope it's alright
should i root it asap? i used stock xc for half a year it was smooth
Simplyeh said:
should i root it asap? i used stock xc for half a year it was smooth
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You should have good reasons for unlocking bootloader.
Think twice, there is no way back to re-lock, even if you have the TA-locked.img backup. Similarly there is no way to get rid of the bootloader unlocked cannot check the sw for corruption warning screen on power up.
Yeah i know that, but if the performance no need more tweaks ill stay with it ?? im pretty positive that out of the box version is nice and there will be no need to unlock bl, i unlocked my xc mainly cause of some minor performance tweaks and remove bloatware.
Anyways noticed that my bank app on xc dont let me use nfc to pay cause its unlocked so i will definitely want to stay for that to play around haha :fingers-crossed:
Arrived! got a litlle yellowish dot transparent on the left corner in the bottom ,like the screen was pushed a bit hard and left there some lcd issues, but its very very transparent, owners said he was not aware of that, but the phone looks like out of a box really, screen got no scratches back side good too! that yellowish is seen on white background only, tho its not noticable when you look at it without examining. im happy so far so smooth ^^
Edit after a week of using: love this phone lol, much more responsive than xc and smoothhhhh