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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)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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?
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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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 ?
Hi everyone,
I'm using the xiaomi mi2 today and all in all happy. It got wet and screen is broken so I have to think of an alternative soon before it dies completely.
I came across the Z3c and was charmed by the similar size and great battery life.
I kind of disappointed it only have 2gb ram, okay camera, no ir.. But it's very good looking water resistant phone.
My limit is 5".
I thought maybe to wait for the z4c because of the 1080p screen, 3gb ram probably but kind of stressed by the fact it will host the problematic 810 snapdragon,which warms up AZ everyone in the Internet reports.
Should I buy it now or wait? Would you buy it today even that its almost one year out, and maybe there's better options today?
I'm also a bit amazed I can't root the phone without losing the already not so great camera quality.
How is the development community here? Is it planned to have 5.1? would you recommend CM and other roms as a good option or is it buggy and bad battery life?
I bought one today.
1080p is nice (I had Nexus 4 which is 720p and went to HTC M7 which is 1080p, it is no thaaaaaaaat difference)
2Gb of ram is enough
I don't think there are better options, and with SD810 things are getting "hotter".
You can root without loosing camera quality
5.1 is planned to arrive on July by sony.
Im buying mine next month. Same Price of G3 but that 2k display made me run away lol
And love sony too
eranyanay said:
would you recommend CM and other roms as a good option or is it buggy and bad battery life?
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Click to collapse
I tried CM nightlies, performance and battery life is good. But battery life is better at stock rom because of power saving algorithms of sony.
Biggest down side is the camera in custom roms like CM. You should unlock bootloader to flash custom roms and this action removes DRM keys, resulting in bad camera quality. There is also the wide lens issue, images get distorted in camera apps other than stock sony camera app. I would like to use CM but as far as I know there is no fix for bad camera in Cm (or in other custom roms).
But the good thing is that you can restore drm keys if you have backed up drm keys with a tool in the forums, and return to rooted stock roms and regain the not-so-great-but-absolutely-better-than-cm image quality for camera.
Ok, zihinsiz say all good things, but if i can tell you something... Take care of you mi4, because with our z3c you will have no real benefits (ok, battery A LITTLE better, screen and resolution A LITTLE better) but nothing really really better that you can see as really different as your actually situation
zihinsiz, Thanks for the input. Is it possible to root without removing DRM keys (which actually means, without unlocking the bootlaoder?) , and then to have CM with the sony camera, which does all the PP and thus not losing image quality? beacuse if not, it actually means I should never exchange roms...not being able to remove embedded bloatware (which is done easily with root)
PeppeBove, I have the mi2 (bought it when it first got out, almost 3 years ago!), did you mistype and think I have the mi2, and claim there's no big difference comparing both, or did you misread and think I have the mi4?
I also have another question, Where can I find the differences between both Z3C models D5803, D5833? Which one is the "international" one?
And how is the speaker phone & speakers volume? Is it good enough?
eranyanay said:
zihinsiz, Thanks for the input. Is it possible to root without removing DRM keys (which actually means, without unlocking the bootlaoder?) , and then to have CM with the sony camera, which does all the PP and thus not losing image quality? beacuse if not, it actually means I should never exchange roms...not being able to remove embedded bloatware (which is done easily with root)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you can have root without unlocking the bootloader and without losing drm related functions. So, you can debloat the stock rom, flash mods and use xposed framework without losing any function.
And trying cm or other roms is also possible after unlocking bootloader and returning to fully functional stock rom is possible with drm restore and bootloader relocking. Unfortunately Sony camera app only works in stock roms, that is the disadvantage I talked about. You should forget camera if you have a custom rom installed, that bad is the quality I think.
Camera quality is the only thing gets bad while bootloader is unlocked? and in any case, using any other camera app will get bad results?
gps and all other sensors behave OK no matter what?
Is it possible to get google dialer or some of the stock feeling of aosp/cm roms?
As a Z3C owners can you see any other competitor with better specs at this dimensions (< 13CM height) ?
Im already looking at the devilcase metal bumper...
eranyanay said:
Camera quality is the only thing gets bad while bootloader is unlocked? and in any case, using any other camera app will get bad results?
gps and all other sensors behave OK no matter what?
Is it possible to get google dialer or some of the stock feeling of aosp/cm roms?
As a Z3C owners can you see any other competitor with better specs at this dimensions (< 13CM height) ?
Im already looking at the devilcase metal bumper...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can look at the topic in my signature for example pictures. I think my pictures are at the last or 1 before last page.
I took the pictures with Camera FV-5 and an unlocked bootloader.
They really aren't bad in my opinion, you will probably only notice a difference with low light.
Sent from my D5803 using XDA Free mobile app
http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=4928&idPhone2=6538. Thats a spec to spec comparison. I just got the z3 compact too and have had to switch over since my m7 decided to conveniently die on me without any warning sign. Overall I cant really tell the difference in the resolution partly because in day today applications it doesn't really matter. I suggest investing in a magnetic charger as well in order to maintain the water- resistance of the phone. The battery life is yet to be put through the paces but it's already shaping up to be much better than my heavily customized m7 was. Both my phones had 2 gigs of ram and I never saw myself using more than 1.5 gigs at the most. Overall I'd say it was worth the upgrade especially since I got my z3c for 300 AUD . Also the bluetooth low energy is handy if you use bluetooth headphones or if your car supports it. After the oneplus one, this is the second best phone in terms of price to specs to the fact that it is actually small enough to call a phone. My 2 cents would be not to wait since sony supports their devices for 18 months so you do get Android M and possibly the next iteration as well so really you've got all bases covered here
i wouldn't buy one today. it feels more sluggish than my wife's galaxy alpha, so i would go with an S6, even having the battery+screen size+water proofness penalty.
reg-sux said:
i wouldn't buy one today. it feels more sluggish than my wife's galaxy alpha, so i would go with an S6, even having the battery+screen size+water proofness penalty.
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Click to collapse
Unless you are running the exact same apps on each phone it's very hard to justify a sluggish statement. You can certainly have a rogue app bogging down your phone.
I'd buy the Z3c again as there really isn't anything else to compare it to in the sub 5" category. While I'd like the camera on the S6 I'm not sure I could deal with the decrease in battery life and the overall size..as well as TouchWiz.
I saw this on ebay which is really cheap, i don't know if its some deal or sale, do y'all think its worth it? Here is the link:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sony-XZ3D58...858?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f4e0b155a
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sony-XZ3D58...929?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item487f6513b9
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sony-XZ3D58...931?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item487f6513bb
The Z3c is a decent enough phone that feels snappy, is the perfect size and has amazing battery life, but it has its quirks . If I were in the market today I'd wait to see what the Galaxy S6 Mini brings to the table. I might even sell my Z3c if the S6 Mini packs as much performance as the regular S6.
uchechris said:
I saw this on ebay which is really cheap, i don't know if its some deal or sale, do y'all think its worth it? Here is the link:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sony-XZ3D58...858?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f4e0b155a
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sony-XZ3D58...929?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item487f6513b9
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sony-XZ3D58...931?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item487f6513bb
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These are Seller refurbished, not factory refurbs either. I personally wouldn't chance it, but thats up to you. Also it states that there could be signs of use. I'd either buy new or keep an eye out on swappa.
I've been debating on getting a z3c myself but i might wait for z3+c possibly even s6 mini. Its a tough call.
The problem with Samsung is that their devices is always very "tall", because of the hardware buttons, plus no sdcard, no water proof...
maybe the camera will be a plus.
Im going to buy the Z3C. I made up my mind
Now I struggle where to buy it from.
eranyanay said:
The problem with Samsung is that their devices is always very "tall", because of the hardware buttons, plus no sdcard, no water proof...
maybe the camera will be a plus.
Im going to buy the Z3C. I made up my mind
Now I struggle where to buy it from.
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Click to collapse
Not sure where you are located but amazon and fleabay seem to have some of the best prices on new device.
I'm itching to buy one myself and kills me that there is no word on when to expect the z3+c. I think id rather have the new version but it will also come with a higher premium as well. My guess would be Sept release
Things that bother me most about the z3c are poor indoor shots, cap over charging port, and the docking pins on the side.
Don't hold your breath for a Z3c+ to be released. Mini/Compact phones are going the way of the Dodo Bird (sadly). Get the Z3C now or possibly even the Samsung Alpha. The Galaxy S6 mini could be awesome (minus touchwiz) or it could be crippled like the previous mini versions have been. If you can wait, do so, so you won't have any regrets. The price will only get lower.
I bought my 1st in November white color, Sold it to some1 last month and bought green one. Giving it to my wife next month and again buying new white one next month. Its the perfect phone.
INFRNL said:
Not sure where you are located but amazon and fleabay seem to have some of the best prices on new device.
I'm itching to buy one myself and kills me that there is no word on when to expect the z3+c. I think id rather have the new version but it will also come with a higher premium as well. My guess would be Sept release
Things that bother me most about the z3c are poor indoor shots, cap over charging port, and the docking pins on the side.
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Click to collapse
Here in Portugal most of stores aren't getting more Z3C.
I asked about 3 or 4 stores and they either say they don't have stock for some months or that the device was discontinued, that's why I bought it now.
Best prices here are around 256-370eur on unknow stores, but on orange (it's a store from expansys group) at 389eur (discount code deal10). On physical stores the best price I saw was 411 or 550eur with the sony smartwatch.
On international stores like dvdandorra you can get it at 339eur .
Hey, I'm thinking about getting this phone, but could use some clarification. Could I in some way achieve unlocked bootloaders starting with the latest version? As in, if I were to buy the phone now, would I have any chance of being locked out of installing a custom recovery and rom? I'm coming from a galaxy s4 and am kind of paranoid because of how the bootloaders are impossible to unlock past a certain firmware.
Thanks in advance, sorry if it's a dumb question
Unlocking the bootloader is not very difficult, but for this device it comes with a high price: you will lose important camera functions, such as noise reduction. Rooting and installing custom recoveries is relatively easy. Hence several Sony roms have been customized since they can be run without unlocking the bootloader. An example is SLiMM. I don't think there is much development going on for non-stock based roms like cm for the Z3C.
M1chiel said:
Unlocking the bootloader is not very difficult, but for this device it comes with a high price: you will lose important camera functions, such as noise reduction. Rooting and installing custom recoveries is relatively easy. Hence several Sony roms have been customized since they can be run without unlocking the bootloader. An example is SLiMM. I don't think there is much development going on for non-stock based roms like cm for the Z3C.
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Click to collapse
Seems like a pretty solid phone then, I'll probably pick it up. Thanks for the clarification!
Well 'solid' is not the first description that comes to my mind, because actually the device is somewhat fragile. The back is made of glass, so it can easily crack (sometimes spontaneously). Also the front and back can come loose. Fortunately Sony service is generally good. So check your warranty.
M1chiel said:
Well 'solid' is not the first description that comes to my mind, because actually the device is somewhat fragile. The back is made of glass, so it can easily crack (sometimes spontaneously). Also the front and back can come loose. Fortunately Sony service is generally good. So check your warranty.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the warning, I did a little research and saw that spontaneous cracking was a big issue, sometimes rendering the phone inoperable. Would you say that a decent case and screen protector would fix the fragility issue? If so which? And would you still recommend the phone?
Thanks in advance
I love the Z3C because it is the only small high end phone with lots of development. I protect it with a glass protector on the front and the back and a Compact Puro case.
M1chiel said:
I love the Z3C because it is the only small high end phone with lots of development. I protect it with a glass protector on the front and the back and a Compact Puro case.
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Click to collapse
That was my train of thought but all this news about breaking kind of freaked me out. Thanks a lot for the input, I miss the size of older sliders and windows phones so I'm definitely going for this one.
My wife is gonna beat me down but I'm sick of this Droid turbo. I'm aware the 5 will be out within the next few months or so and will wait to get a 5t when that comes avail.
For this new phone anything I should do to prep?
How is the durability?
Picked up a default case from one plus. Should that be fine? Or should I consider an otterbox.
Looking forward to loading a rom on it.
Spadizzle said:
For this new phone anything I should do to prep?
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Click to collapse
You better buy a helmet, and strap yourself in, because this phone is gonna blow you away!
No, seriously, I wouldn't say there is anything special you need to do, to prepare. Since you stated you are going to put a custom ROM on the phone, do the usual due diligence and read the general process on unlocking the bootloader, flash TWRP, etc. (plus you probably want to read up on dm-verity and understand what it is). But most of that is not too different from modding other Android devices - and you may in fact find it's even easier with the 3T (as Oneplus seems to be very friendly to the mod community).
Know how to flash the stock update files (return to stock), etc. I always read for at least an hour or 2 when getting a new phone. To me, that is the basic required research. And heck, it's fun to read about your new toy.
Other than that, you already bought a case, and the phone usually comes with a screen protector (although reports vary on whether it comes with a plastic or tempered glass protector). But you may want to research if you want a particular screen protector.
Other than that, the phone will arrive, just throw in your SIM, and you should be good to go. Well, on that note if you are using a smaller carrier (or buying version not specific to your region, etc) read up on whether you will need to manually input the APN.
You may even be pleasantly surprised at the stock ROM. It's amazing clean, to the point that some folks are calling the phone the spiritual successor to the Nexus line (since the Pixel basically priced itself out of any such comparison).
Spadizzle said:
How is the durability?
Picked up a default case from one plus. Should that be fine? Or should I consider an otterbox.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I suppose that depends on how rough you are with your phone, and what level of protection you prefer. I'm take reasonably good care of my phones. I don't baby them, but I don't abuse them either. Keep it in my pocket, with the official bamboo case, and it gives me sufficient protection. But the default cases are thin, and really more for just preventing scratches; and don't give any protection from impacts, drops, etc.. If you want impact protection, go for something else.
I can only speak to the durability after about 3 months, as that is how long I've had mine. With the official bamboo base, and the plastic screen protector it came with, the phone itself still looks virtually as good as new.
redpoint73 said:
You better buy a helmet, and strap yourself in, because this phone is gonna blow you away!
No, seriously, I wouldn't say there is anything special you need to do, to prepare. Since you stated you are going to put a custom ROM on the phone, do the usual due diligence and read the general process on unlocking the bootloader, flash TWRP, etc. (plus you probably want to read up on dm-verity and understand what it is). But most of that is not too different from modding other Android devices - and you may in fact find it's even easier with the 3T (as Oneplus seems to be very friendly to the mod community).
Know how to flash the stock update files (return to stock), etc. I always read for at least an hour or 2 when getting a new phone. To me, that is the basic required research. And heck, it's fun to read about your new toy.
Other than that, you already bought a case, and the phone usually comes with a screen protector (although reports vary on whether it comes with a plastic or tempered glass protector). But you may want to research if you want a particular screen protector.
Other than that, the phone will arrive, just throw in your SIM, and you should be good to go. Well, on that note if you are using a smaller carrier (or buying version not specific to your region, etc) read up on whether you will need to manually input the APN.
You may even be pleasantly surprised at the stock ROM. It's amazing clean, to the point that some folks are calling the phone the spiritual successor to the Nexus line (since the Pixel basically priced itself out of any such comparison).
Well, I suppose that depends on how rough you are with your phone, and what level of protection you prefer. I'm take reasonably good care of my phones. I don't baby them, but I don't abuse them either. Keep it in my pocket, with the official bamboo case, and it gives me sufficient protection. But the default cases are thin, and really more for just preventing scratches; and don't give any protection from impacts, drops, etc.. If you want impact protection, go for something else.
I can only speak to the durability after about 3 months, as that is how long I've had mine. With the official bamboo base, and the plastic screen protector it came with, the phone itself still looks virtually as good as new.
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Click to collapse
Thank you for the reply
Have been reading up about it. Pretty much researched between the pixel and s8 and the oneplus. Couldn't pass up the price over the hardware. Figured I would hand it off to the wife when the 5t comes on as long as my experience is good with the 3.
I did read their was support issues with the 2 series after the 3 came out. Hopefully oneplus continues support somewhat when the 5 comes out. I do understand that they want to keep costs down and would want people to move to the newer hardware though.
I am pretty good at Maintaining phones but in the second year of owning my turbo, I literally dropped it about one and half feet and the unbreakable screen broke. ? first ever time dropping it too!
You did give me some great ideas for reading. I read up on the unbrick post and have downloaded the latest stock firm from oneplus. I've never dealt with dmverity before, so definitely checking that out. Ive noticed Magick has that option but never checked that box though.
For unlocking I would think going into bootloader (fastboot), could simply just run the unlock command right?
Anyways, thanks again!
Sent from my shieldtablet using XDA Labs
Spadizzle said:
I did read their was support issues with the 2 series after the 3 came out. Hopefully oneplus continues support somewhat when the 5 comes out.
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That is what we all hope. History hasn't been kind to Oneplus on this point. But it's practically a startup company. So who knows how this may change going forward.
Worst case, the dev community will keep this device alive for years to come, through custom ROMs. It's currently the most active device on XDA, so I feel good on this point.
Spadizzle said:
For unlocking I would think going into bootloader (fastboot), could simply just run the unlock command right?
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Click to collapse
That is correct. The phone will be wiped when you unlock, but that is pretty typical, so probably not news to you.
There is also a slightly annoying warning screen that will come up every time you boot the phone, saying the bootloader is unlocked. It comes up for 5 seconds, or you can press the power button to bypass it. No way to be completely rid of this warning screen, without relocking the bootloader (which you should not do with TWRP, root, etc. or you will soft brick).
Short story, the bootloader warning screen is something you live with, if you want to run with a modded phone (TWRP, root, custom ROM, etc.).
Everything on the 3T in my eyes is 10/10
OOS is my favourite Stock Os I have came across, yes pixel owners have pure stock and on the dot security updates but OOS offers the same experience with some extra customisation and flair.
Screen is great for the size, welcome to AMOLED. Yes it is a pentile display but it has no impact on daily use or image quality unless you come from a qHD. If you find the colour to punchy turn on sRGB.
Audio is pretty dam good through headphones even from the bottom speaker I was surprised that it had some depth. Pocketnow on YouTube has a great review on audio performance.
Performance well it is now the second fastest Chip but it will fly with everything but I will say try Blu-spark kernel and be blown away, 6GB of ram gives peace of mind if you have every app open and chrome tab insane that nothing with redraw upon opening.
Camera performance is where I would say it loses a point but not the actual sensor but more of the post processing as any still shot will look gorgeous, but it struggles with movement so if you like to take photos of kids or animals it will be luck of the draw. My tip is hold the shutter and take a chain of pictures with auto HDR disabled.
Charging is blazing fast I no longer charge overnight by the time I get up and ready I have plenty to go a day and more.
I was first very dubious of this phone when I ordered it as I came from Galaxy S3, Xperia Z2, Z3 and then Z3+ which destroyed my Sony loyalty. When I opened the great looking box and picked up my 3T I was like WOW and will stay with this brand till the day comes they piss me off. Some excellent craftsmanship that makes you want to keep it naked I know some OP2 owners got upset at the short support but I have always been into flashing and tweaking and they are not short of some great official ROMs. So that is my take a bit much but worth giving it a good shout and please stay away from oneplus's official forum as it is full of s***. :good:
the phone is great, well built, good battery, fantastic signal strength, I have not had any camera issues it does what I expect of it. the menu is a little different to stock so finding some settings is a learning process.
What I don't like is the alert slider with no way to turn it off or disable it also the customer support is unfortunately still terrible but community support is great.