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[Q] Would you still buy the Z3c today?

Hello from North Carolina, US.
After carrying the Note 2 for two years, I am over the large phone form factor and was considering the Z3c back when it was released. But, I'm on Verizon (CDMA) and it just wasn't a good time to shift to TMobile. My Note 2 died, and I started carrying my wife's old Galaxy S3, which confirmed my preference for a smaller handset. Since my contract with Verizon is over in June, I figured I would carry the S3 until then, see what phones were announced at MWC and make my next phone decision based on that.
Frankly, for my use cases... MWC was MEH.
The S6/edge and HTC One M9 are both lovely phones, but I don't feel like they meet my needs as well as the Z3c. With the Z3c, I love the small form factor, the waterproofiness, the battery and the dedicated shutter button. Also, an S6 with as much storage as the SD card I already own will be hundreds of dollars more expensive than the Z3c.
That said, is it crazy to buy a 6 month old phone? Considering my use cases (primarily utilitarian - music, email, rss, news/weather, social, navigation, camera - no processor intensive games) and considering how surprisingly well the S3 is still running with these use cases at nearly three years old, I am thinking the Z3c may still be a good fit for me. And, I don't want to wait as long as the rumors are saying I would need to wait for the Z4 series (autumn 2015).
What about you, would you still buy the Z3c today? Do you think, based on how I've described my uses, that it would be a good fit for me? Is there another small form factor device I should be considering? Should I suck it up and wait for autumn and the Z4's?
Thanks in advance for your thoughts on this.
Cheers
Jack

JackinNC said:
Hello from North Carolina, US.
After carrying the Note 2 for two years, I am over the large phone form factor and was considering the Z3c back when it was released. But, I'm on Verizon (CDMA) and it just wasn't a good time to shift to TMobile. My Note 2 died, and I started carrying my wife's old Galaxy S3, which confirmed my preference for a smaller handset. Since my contract with Verizon is over in June, I figured I would carry the S3 until then, see what phones were announced at MWC and make my next phone decision based on that.
Frankly, for my use cases... MWC was MEH.
The S6/edge and HTC One M9 are both lovely phones, but I don't feel like they meet my needs as well as the Z3c. With the Z3c, I love the small form factor, the waterproofiness, the battery and the dedicated shutter button. Also, an S6 with as much storage as the SD card I already own will be hundreds of dollars more expensive than the Z3c.
That said, is it crazy to buy a 6 month old phone? Considering my use cases (primarily utilitarian - music, email, rss, news/weather, social, navigation, camera - no processor intensive games) and considering how surprisingly well the S3 is still running with these use cases at nearly three years old, I am thinking the Z3c may still be a good fit for me. And, I don't want to wait as long as the rumors are saying I would need to wait for the Z4 series (autumn 2015).
What about you, would you still buy the Z3c today? Do you think, based on how I've described my uses, that it would be a good fit for me? Is there another small form factor device I should be considering? Should I suck it up and wait for autumn and the Z4's?
Thanks in advance for your thoughts on this.
Cheers
Jack
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For sure I'd still buy the Z3C today.
You're using your wife's S3 which is over 3 years old, so calling a 6 month old phone 'old' is kind of bs (No offense @ all)
As for the Z4, well.... there is no word about a Z4C and based on what Sony previously did, there shouldn't be a Z4C, but a Z5C (if ever).
The Z3C is a great phone, besides the occasional build flaws and bad camera under low light conditions.

That's great feedback, thank you.
Dsteppa said:
You're using your wife's S3 which is over 3 years old, so calling a 6 month old phone 'old' is kind of bs (No offense @ all)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
None taken. The last 5 phones I've bought for myself or my wife have been purchased within 2 weeks of release, sometimes by me standing in line on release day. I buy them early, use them for 2 years when I can contractually upgrade and get a new one and start the cycle over. I typically use a phone for two years and it starts to feel "old" to me at ~18-20 months when a couple new cycles of phones and android versions have been released. My concern is not that the phone is "old" now, rather that, being 6 months old now, it may start to feel old at 12-14 months rather than 18-20.
Btw, I followed your photo link from another post of yours. Like you comments here, your sample photos are really helpful.
Thanks again
Jack

JackinNC said:
That's great feedback, thank you.
None taken. The last 5 phones I've bought for myself or my wife have been purchased within 2 weeks of release, sometimes by me standing in line on release day. I buy them early, use them for 2 years when I can contractually upgrade and get a new one and start the cycle over. I typically use a phone for two years and it starts to feel "old" to me at ~18-20 months when a couple new cycles of phones and android versions have been released. My concern is not that the phone is "old" now, rather that, being 6 months old now, it may start to feel old at 12-14 months rather than 18-20.
Btw, I followed your photo link from another post of yours. Like you comments here, your sample photos are really helpful.
Thanks again
Jack
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you.
Well I don't know, in terms of specs I don't see much changing any time soon, unless all manufacturers decide to make 64bit phones or use a new type of battery that either lasts long and/or charges super fast.
In the end as long as you're doing 'normal' things the phone should be your companion for at least 2 years without you really noticing a difference between your phone and other people's.

Z3 and Z3 compact are best options on android right now.
implying you don't want a phablet.
new phones like GS6 and ONE M9 are cool but you can find a Z3 for 500€/$ and a Z3C for 400, (gs6 and one ~750$)
you'll have same software 5.0.2 with better UI, and better battery, only the camera will be a bit behind but still excellent.
so unless you have money to waste just go for it it's a good deal

I love my z3 compact but if I were to buy a new phone now, I would get the galaxy s6 edge.
The biggest issue I have with the z3c is the speaker. Currently if I am in a semi loud surrounding, I can hardly hear the other person on the line.
Sent from my D5803 using XDA Free mobile app

As usual it depends on what you need. Me personally there is no other phone than the Z3c atm. Size/hardware/design... its perfect for me.
So if you're looking for a smaller phone (one hand use) with excellent battery life and fast hardware just go for it there is nothing that comes even close in that department.

I'm very torn right now, I'm frustrated that I would have to use the bloated stock software to get decent camera quality (no barrel distortion and better low light) and that CM12, while it runs decently doesn't support the features locked away by DRM. I'm contemplating reverting back to a Nexus 5...I think my biggest issue would be the camera, I thought it would be superb but in reality it only matches my nexus considering the distortion. And Sony's DRM and bootloader locking nonsense seems ridiculous to me.

zander21510 said:
I'm very torn right now, I'm frustrated that I would have to use the bloated stock software to get decent camera quality (no barrel distortion and better low light) and that CM12, while it runs decently doesn't support the features locked away by DRM. I'm contemplating reverting back to a Nexus 5...I think my biggest issue would be the camera, I thought it would be superb but in reality it only matches my nexus considering the distortion. And Sony's DRM and bootloader locking nonsense seems ridiculous to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can just root and then debloat.

2mal16 said:
you can just root and then debloat.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's easy...the hard part is losing all the customizations. I went to stock 5.0.2 rooted, system R/W support isn't there, I lose all sorts of little features like expanded desktop, quick unlock, navigation customization...

zander21510 said:
That's easy...the hard part is losing all the customizations. I went to stock 5.0.2 rooted, system R/W support isn't there, I lose all sorts of little features like expanded desktop, quick unlock, navigation customization...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rw is already fixed though you wont like the process if you want to Stay on locked bl. Those features will be implemented either by Sony or more likely xposed working. Just give it some time

2mal16 said:
Rw is already fixed though you wont like the process if you want to Stay on locked bl. Those features will be implemented either by Sony or more likely xposed working. Just give it some time
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pretty sure Sony is done with us after this update, minus maybe a couple security patches there won't be any new features. I already tried CM12 for a good month, just couldn't stand the camera and the bugs were a bit too much for a DD. Hoping for xposed and working recoveries on lollipop...that's about all I can do right now.

zander21510 said:
Pretty sure Sony is done with us after this update, minus maybe a couple security patches there won't be any new features. I already tried CM12 for a good month, just couldn't stand the camera and the bugs were a bit too much for a DD. Hoping for xposed and working recoveries on lollipop...that's about all I can do right now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Jeah it will Come soon enough, I mean lolli was just released and recoveries,custom Kernels and a working xposed will all make their way on this device sooner or later. Just play the waiting game... again

zander21510 said:
Pretty sure Sony is done with us after this update, minus maybe a couple security patches there won't be any new features. I already tried CM12 for a good month, just couldn't stand the camera and the bugs were a bit too much for a DD. Hoping for xposed and working recoveries on lollipop...that's about all I can do right now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let's see... The Xperia Z that has been released for about 2 years also received the Lollipop update, why would you think that Sony would stop update a phone that's just been out 6 month's. Can you please tell me your logic?
Sent from my D5803

Nice Features
There are some things which are so nice. Most of the new phones arent waterproof. Phones are getting bigger and bigger. But the z3c is smaller but quite good.

I certainly would buy the Z3C again, the biggest gripe I have is the lack of Quality Case choices. Great phone IMO, size, battery, speed and takes above average pictures(Auto mode) and if you take the time to use the manual settings it can take excellent pictures.

So far, Sony Z3C has no real competition. In android world. I just bought one.

Dsteppa said:
Let's see... The Xperia Z that has been released for about 2 years also received the Lollipop update, why would you think that Sony would stop update a phone that's just been out 6 month's. Can you please tell me your logic?
Sent from my D5803
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well with the persisting rumors that Sony is either scaling back or dropping their mobile division...I just have a gut feeling.
And I guess I changed my mind. Just ordered a replacement Nexus 5 like my old one. I will miss the size and it is a sharp looking phone, but the broken features that can never be fixed (mostly camera stuff) and the DRM nonsense really turned me off of this phone. I may be an oddball but I just don't like that I'm missing all the little customizations and things on CM12 when I'm on stock, and Xposed will probably only fix about half of those features. Miss Privacy Guard, Quick unlock, all that good stuff. And I just don't like the UI design choices. Plus all the no-name "device reporting" and "anonymous reporting" services running in the background that can't be disabled.
I'm sure in a few months CM12 will have the microphone & other issues ironed out, but what's the point of having a 20MP camera that has distortion and poor image quality that (from what I've read) can never be fixed in an AOSP rom?
I would recommend it to my fiancee that doesn't use her phone for much more than texting and Youtube, but not for a tinkerer like myself.

FOR SURE! Unless you want to wait for a Z4 Compact to even be announced, and then eventually come out, I'd say the Z3 Compact remains the best phone at it's size from anyone, still to this day. The Galaxy S5 Mini just came out recently, and it's a Snapdragon 400! The Z3 Compact has a great, waterproof build, MicroSD, Camera Button, and 801 processor. Nothing else comes close unless you're okay with a leviathan of a phone I love my Z3 Compact and really do not desire a new phone or ever again something larger...

Would definitely still buy again. Just ticks so many boxes that other devices don't (size, speed, battery, microSD, camera). It really has no competition. I'm not sure we'll see a Z4 compact at all - doubt z3 compact is a big seller and with Sony in such a mess, they may just focus on the Z4. If that happens, we're in bad shape for fully spec'd < 5" Android devices. The good news is that the hardware is advancing so slowly now, the z3c will probably be a viable platform for quite awhile.
My Galaxy S4 (two generations old!) still runs CM12 perfectly fine. It's an SD600!

Buying xperia z?

Hey guys I'm about to buy a refurbished Xperia Z from Amazon, but I'd like you guys to give me some advice. Do you recommend me? My main concerns are battery, display(they say blacks are grayish), camera and sound. I come from a galaxy s3 and lumia 640 XL(maybe someone has/had one of these smartphones and could give me some thoughts). I suppose the performance is great. I also noticed the device has some pretty good community and development(which the s3 lacks a bit)-which is also very important to me... am I right? Also, how does AOSP-based lollipop(may I dare and also say marshmallow ) run on it? Sorry guys for too many questions and also sorry for my english.
Best regards!!

What can I say...
FIRST- if you're buying it for $100 or less maybe it is till a good deal, otherwise maybe it is better to see at other low-to-mid-range
SECOND- yes, the performance is good, even better with lollipop, screen looks better now (maybe sonybravia got better, maybe because lollipop has more white in it and the white is being displayed better), but anyway you have to UNDERCLOCK it in order to get a decent battery life
THIRD- battery life is very disappointing, you HAVE to underclock it and root it and greenify it to get any good battery life, unless you can charge it every 12 hours
FOURTH - the device is getting older and so the interest in this device (im talking about support from devs)
FIFTH - the phone gets hot, like really really hot when you're using it playing games (unless you underclock it), and since the back cover is only a adhesive line, when it gets hotter with the help off the Nfc antenna (which is set to push against the backcover) the backcover gets up and looses its waterproofness
SIX- the flaps - the damn flaps- they're everywhere - and you need to open them every-time you charge the phone, put on the headphones, remove the sim, remove the microSD, and they tend to get loose with time especially the one of the charger since you need to charge it frequently
NOW... that I told you about it downsides, its not a bad phone nowdays, it has a big and very beautiful display, connectivity is like the best i've ever tried, performance is pretty good (cpu + gpu ), camera performs really well - especially in macro, dev support for now is good.
Overall for someone who has it I think it can take another one or two years, but I personally would not buy it unless I find it for cheap or cannot buy a used phone. Personally I would look into a HTC M8 or a LG G3, maybe even used.
You decide

aaronkatrini said:
What can I say...
FIRST- if you're buying it for $100 or less maybe it is till a good deal, otherwise maybe it is better to see at other low-to-mid-range
SECOND- yes, the performance is good, even better with lollipop, screen looks better now (maybe sonybravia got better, maybe because lollipop has more white in it and the white is being displayed better), but anyway you have to UNDERCLOCK it in order to get a decent battery life
THIRD- battery life is very disappointing, you HAVE to underclock it and root it and greenify it to get any good battery life, unless you can charge it every 12 hours
FOURTH - the device is getting older and so the interest in this device (im talking about support from devs)
FIFTH - the phone gets hot, like really really hot when you're using it playing games (unless you underclock it), and since the back cover is only a adhesive line, when it gets hotter with the help off the Nfc antenna (which is set to push against the backcover) the backcover gets up and looses its waterproofness
SIX- the flaps - the damn flaps- they're everywhere - and you need to open them every-time you charge the phone, put on the headphones, remove the sim, remove the microSD, and they tend to get loose with time especially the one of the charger since you need to charge it frequently
NOW... that I told you about it downsides, its not a bad phone nowdays, it has a big and very beautiful display, connectivity is like the best i've ever tried, performance is pretty good (cpu + gpu ), camera performs really well - especially in macro, dev support for now is good.
Overall for someone who has it I think it can take another one or two years, but I personally would not buy it unless I find it for cheap or cannot buy a used phone. Personally I would look into a HTC M8 or a LG G3, maybe even used.
You decide
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you so much for your elaborated answer You really made me think about it.
FIRST- it costs me about $160(in a very good condition) and I really can't pay any more than this for a smartphone. It's actually a pretty good deal for what it normally costs in my country. If you/somebody could recommend me a better phone for this price point(taking into consideration the development community)...
SECOND- good to know.
THIRD- well I have to say it sounds dissapointing. Underclocking...doesn't sound that good to me... although I'd have no problem using greenify. 12 hours with 4g on? What's the usage?(heavy...moderate...)
FOURTH- this is the first thing I look when looking for an android device. If it doesn't allow custom ROMs and doesn't have a decent community behind then I don't buy it.
FIFTH- the "gettin really hot" thing sounds also really dissapointin. I'm not a heavy gamer but I do like to play graphic-intensive games from time to time. So is it really that annoing? About the waterproofness... really not important to me.
SIX- pretty annoing huh? Especially the headphones thing. What if you cut them out? You think there'd be any inconvenience on doing this aside from loosing the waterproof thing(and design of course)?
Well... so yeah some bad news for me here. But I can't find a decent phone wich also has community behind for this price. And another which makes me go for it are the 2GB of RAM.
So I wait for some other answers too guys
Also read my first post's EDIT.

Buying today XZ is stupid... seriously.
When I bought my XZ price of Z1compact was almost the same and it still is, its 20$-30$ difference for most of time(New XZ cost about 180$ z1c 200$)
And for that price you can buy WAY better phones, starting from Galaxy S4 to LG G series. And you want to stick to Sony you can get even z1 or used z2
As far as I love this phone I would not recommend it to anyone, battery is below average, camera is worst than my old Arc S, and those cover flaps are pain in the A##
This is best example of phone that look good, but those small bugs in everyday usage make it annoying to use...
And yes I still use it :] Because after using new phones... I found out that most of them are the same: average battery, and looots of small bugs that make them annoying after some time. So I decide to change phones once per 3-4 years...

Info
For that price NO! Performance with LP is good, camera not so good even with LP. Didnt have issues with overheating, connectivity is good. Screen and colors looks pretty nice for me.

MultiPDev said:
Thank you so much for your elaborated answer You really made me think about it.
FIRST- it costs me about $160(in a very good condition) and I really can't pay any more than this for a smartphone. It's actually a pretty good deal for what it normally costs in my country. If you/somebody could recommend me a better phone for this price point(taking into consideration the development community)...
SECOND- good to know.
THIRD- well I have to say it sounds dissapointing. Underclocking...doesn't sound that good to me... although I'd have no problem using greenify. 12 hours with 4g on? What's the usage?(heavy...moderate...)
FOURTH- this is the first thing I look when looking for an android device. If it doesn't allow custom ROMs and doesn't have a decent community behind then I don't buy it.
FIFTH- the "gettin really hot" thing sounds also really dissapointin. I'm not a heavy gamer but I do like to play graphic-intensive games from time to time. So is it really that annoing? About the waterproofness... really not important to me.
SIX- pretty annoing huh? Especially the headphones thing. What if you cut them out? You think there'd be any inconvenience on doing this aside from loosing the waterproof thing(and design of course)?
Well... so yeah some bad news for me here. But I can't find a decent phone wich also has community behind for this price. And another which makes me go for it are the 2GB of RAM.
So I wait for some other answers too guys
Also read my first post's EDIT.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well,
ONE - if you want a phone with good Dev community support and with that budget you'll have to take a look at ex-flagship devices, like HTC One M7 (this one remains IMHO one of the best devices ever), LG G2(very good camera from what I've been told, and powerful cpu), Samsung Galaxy S4(well because it is a Samsung and everybody has one so many developers...)
THREE - Underclock means you lower the frequency of the Cpu (example. it goes from 1.5 Ghz quad-core to 1.1 Ghz quad-core), I like more uncerclock than greenify, and underclocking at 1.1 Ghz in my opinion gives the best performance/battery life/heat ratio. Usage is normal, 1 hour browsing; 1 hour listening to songs (in 3g, even when 4g is available I disable it); 1 hour 9gag and gets at evening with 30-35%...
FOUR - many custom roms for now, and quality is really good, im using currently the 5.1.1 modified and runs pretty good.
FIVE- when you underclock (which I recommend!) you give your device better battery life but also it heats less. If you don't mind the waterproofness then it's better because I wouldn't call Waterproof a really thin bezel of adhesive (They're crazy !!!)
SIX- yeah, they're annoying but anyway you can live with that, and design is really good and would be a shame if you removed them.
So my list woud be;
1.Htc One m7
2.Lg g2
3.Samsung S4 or Xperia Z
(and btw where do you live? maybe i can see smth for you)

icrunchbanger said:
For that price NO! Performance with LP is good, camera not so good even with LP. Didnt have issues with overheating, connectivity is good. Screen and colors looks pretty nice for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well it seems the camera is not that good as I thought. Do you think moto g 2/3 has better camera? Although they only have 1GB or RAM.

MultiPDev said:
Well it seems the camera is not that good as I thought. Do you think moto g 2/3 has better camera? Although they only have 1GB or RAM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As an XZ owner i would definitely recommend you to go with Moto G2/3. Beside better camera there will be MM support for both the 2gen and 3gen Moto, while not for XZ.

aaronkatrini said:
Well,
ONE - if you want a phone with good Dev community support and with that budget you'll have to take a look at ex-flagship devices, like HTC One M7 (this one remains IMHO one of the best devices ever), LG G2(very good camera from what I've been told, and powerful cpu), Samsung Galaxy S4(well because it is a Samsung and everybody has one so many developers...)
THREE - Underclock means you lower the frequency of the Cpu (example. it goes from 1.5 Ghz quad-core to 1.1 Ghz quad-core), I like more uncerclock than greenify, and underclocking at 1.1 Ghz in my opinion gives the best performance/battery life/heat ratio. Usage is normal, 1 hour browsing; 1 hour listening to songs (in 3g, even when 4g is available I disable it); 1 hour 9gag and gets at evening with 30-35%...
FOUR - many custom roms for now, and quality is really good, im using currently the 5.1.1 modified and runs pretty good.
FIVE- when you underclock (which I recommend!) you give your device better battery life but also it heats less. If you don't mind the waterproofness then it's better because I wouldn't call Waterproof a really thin bezel of adhesive (They're crazy !!!)
SIX- yeah, they're annoying but anyway you can live with that, and design is really good and would be a shame if you removed them.
So my list woud be;
1.Htc One m7
2.Lg g2
3.Samsung S4 or Xperia Z
(and btw where do you live? maybe i can see smth for you)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seems the decision is getting harder and harder, although I already bought it because I don't wanna loose the deal. It's not available anymore at this price after buying it. I'm waiting for it to arrive in about two days I'll test it and if it doesn't satisfy me I'll return it.
ONE - Those devices are about $50 more expensive.
THREE - Maybe underclock could do the job, but will it still run smooth at lets say 1.2ghz? Anyway I think for the usage you described the battery doesn't sound that bad.
FOUR - Yeah, I'm looking at the hacking section and I'm stunned
FIVE - well, I'll happily underclock it if it doesn't affect performance too much. Maybe setting to the normal clock when gaming. And for the waterproofness thing... I'm shocked Anyway... I don't mind.
SIX - I guess...
From those devices you mentioned the only one I can afford is the Xperia Z. I really can't pay more than that for a device.
So, do you think I should buy a low end device from this or last year like the moto g 2014? I'm scared of the 1GB of RAM.
I live in Spain and price is a bit high here in Europe. I can buy from Amazon.es/fr/de/it... but I think I only have two options: buy a low-end device with no support from community or an exflagship device with support like the Xperia Z. I also think having 2GB of RAM is important right? I can't spend more than 150€/$160... ad I guess I'm asking too much from a device for this price. I really appreciate your help.

icrunchbanger said:
As an XZ owner i would definitely recommend you to go with Moto G2/3. Beside better camera there will be MM support for both the 2gen and 3gen Moto, while not for XZ.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Isn't 1GB of RAM too low nowadays?

Akinaro said:
Buying today XZ is stupid... seriously.
When I bought my XZ price of Z1compact was almost the same and it still is, its 20$-30$ difference for most of time(New XZ cost about 180$ z1c 200$)
And for that price you can buy WAY better phones, starting from Galaxy S4 to LG G series. And you want to stick to Sony you can get even z1 or used z2
As far as I love this phone I would not recommend it to anyone, battery is below average, camera is worst than my old Arc S, and those cover flaps are pain in the A##
This is best example of phone that look good, but those small bugs in everyday usage make it annoying to use...
And yes I still use it :] Because after using new phones... I found out that most of them are the same: average battery, and looots of small bugs that make them annoying after some time. So I decide to change phones once per 3-4 years...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately I can't afford those devices. I barely can afford the Xperia Z because I found a good deal.

MultiPDev said:
Isn't 1GB of RAM too low nowadays?
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Click to collapse
It all depends of usage but i wouldn't worry about it so much. Motorola comes with almost pure Android.

icrunchbanger said:
It all depends of usage but i wouldn't worry about it so much. Motorola comes with almost pure Android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I'm considering the moto g 2.

MultiPDev said:
Thanks, I'm considering the moto g 2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Moto G (2nd generation) doesn't stand a chance to Xperia Z!
XZ has better specs, better screen, better CPU, more Ram, more internal memory ecc.
Yes, the Moto G (2nd generation) is being updated to Marshmallow but really with all the support from the Dev's we can still get unofficial AOSP Marshmallow Roms.
PS.: one more thing, I currently live in Italy and in big cities it is really easy to find used phones from people that sell them at a local website. I've been checking the prices for some time because I wanted to get a better phone and phones like the LG G3 go as low as 200 euro. Htc One M7 can be found for 150 euro in really good condition, one thing is that you don't have warranty, only if they give you the bill of the phone, then it is as you had bought it(be careful though not giving you a printed bill from the internet.) if you can live with that, that would get you a really good phone with low money.

aaronkatrini said:
Moto G (2nd generation) doesn't stand a chance to Xperia Z!
XZ has better specs, better screen, better CPU, more Ram, more internal memory ecc.
Yes, the Moto G (2nd generation) is being updated to Marshmallow but really with all the support from the Dev's we can still get unofficial AOSP Marshmallow Roms.
PS.: one more thing, I currently live in Italy and in big cities it is really easy to find used phones from people that sell them at a local website. I've been checking the prices for some time because I wanted to get a better phone and phones like the LG G3 go as low as 200 euro. Htc One M7 can be found for 150 euro in really good condition, one thing is that you don't have warranty, only if they give you the bill of the phone, then it is as you had bought it(be careful though not giving you a printed bill from the internet.) if you can live with that, that would get you a really good phone with low money.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, XZ specs are really impressive for me, but the problems mentioned worry me. The screen seems a bit poor to me from what I read. Maybe the Moto G has a better screen and battery(camera also? I doubt it). Anyway... the XZ is on its way and I can't wait to test it!!!
The biggest problem I have with buying a used phone from people is, aside from the warranty- which is also important, the fact that I can't return it if it doesn't satisfy me. Thank God for Amazon!! lol :victory:
Hey what about speakers sound?

Yeah amazon has its benefits.
Sound speakers? Hah! That tiny little thing that barely makes a sound? ?

aaronkatrini said:
Yeah amazon has its benefits.
Sound speakers? Hah! That tiny little thing that barely makes a sound? ��
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Disappointing. It seems the device has lots of flaws.

MultiPDev said:
Unfortunately I can't afford those devices. I barely can afford the Xperia Z because I found a good deal.
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Click to collapse
In that case welcome to the club

icrunchbanger said:
In that case welcome to the club
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Thanks buddy I hope I stay here for long

aaronkatrini said:
What can I say...
FIRST- if you're buying it for $100 or less maybe it is till a good deal, otherwise maybe it is better to see at other low-to-mid-range
SECOND- yes, the performance is good, even better with lollipop, screen looks better now (maybe sonybravia got better, maybe because lollipop has more white in it and the white is being displayed better), but anyway you have to UNDERCLOCK it in order to get a decent battery life
THIRD- battery life is very disappointing, you HAVE to underclock it and root it and greenify it to get any good battery life, unless you can charge it every 12 hours
FOURTH - the device is getting older and so the interest in this device (im talking about support from devs)
FIFTH - the phone gets hot, like really really hot when you're using it playing games (unless you underclock it), and since the back cover is only a adhesive line, when it gets hotter with the help off the Nfc antenna (which is set to push against the backcover) the backcover gets up and looses its waterproofness
SIX- the flaps - the damn flaps- they're everywhere - and you need to open them every-time you charge the phone, put on the headphones, remove the sim, remove the microSD, and they tend to get loose with time especially the one of the charger since you need to charge it frequently
NOW... that I told you about it downsides, its not a bad phone nowdays, it has a big and very beautiful display, connectivity is like the best i've ever tried, performance is pretty good (cpu + gpu ), camera performs really well - especially in macro, dev support for now is good.
Overall for someone who has it I think it can take another one or two years, but I personally would not buy it unless I find it for cheap or cannot buy a used phone. Personally I would look into a HTC M8 or a LG G3, maybe even used.
You decide
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in my country a NEW xperia z costs around 280-300 euro, i think people still prefer it

Thinking of getting this phone, have a few questions before I do..

1. How often do OP update their phones, do the older model get ignored compared to the new ones ?
2. How easy is it to unlock/flash new roms on this phone, since this will be my primary focus ?
3. How bad is touchscreen latency and camera performance with latest update ?
4. Should I be worried about bad after-sales here in UK ?
Please feel free to mention any other points about this phone that might help me in making my decision.
Cheers

_ray_ said:
1. How often do OP update their phones, do the older model get ignored compared to the new ones ?
2. How easy is it to unlock/flash new roms on this phone, since this will be my primary focus ?
3. How bad is touchscreen latency and camera performance with latest update ?
4. Should I be worried about bad after-sales here in UK ?
Please feel free to mention any other points about this phone that might help me in making my decision.
Cheers
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Click to collapse
1. i had an OPO and i guess it not supported anymore, but i installed a custom ROM the first day i got it and custom ROM support is amazing, there is still a big community. Guess there wont be many other devices being better off.
2. couldnt be easier. All u need to do is just follow the instruction given for the ROM. Support in this forum is also given.
3. For me the latency is the same as it feels with my gf's pixel phone. Camera i cant say much cuz the only fotos i do is about documents and writings. But these are super easy to read. I have no idea thogh how beautiful pictures will get.
4. what do u mean? there wont be any sales on the phone

I came from the D855 (G3) was a huge step i was going to wait for SD835 smartphone but my phone died, so i wanted something super fast, and unlocked, when i mean unlocked is a company that gives you acess to the hardware this is bootloader unlock, as many companys do NOT, the phone is tremendous fast, fingerprinting in 0.2sec it opens before you blink, the screen looks way better than my G3 which was the first 2k screen, its vivid and bright, dash charging is awesome it charge your phone way to fast xD, its the first phone that i dont need to let it in charger over night, 3.4A battery is more than enought, 8h+ of SOT? i had at must 1.5 to 2h of sot on my D855, huge huge difference, for the moment this is by a large margin the best device you can buy, as for the cameras or any other features i dont care, they do the work just fine, i have a mirrorless camera for photography so i dont care about the camera, its still packs a 16MP on front camera which get you a very sharp face if you are a selfie person, anyother i just got this phone by its hardware, super fast and cheap for a flagship? i spent 439 + karbon case this phone worth every penny, so go for it it feels very nice in the hand, and the metal its of nice quality! it even comes with a screen protector by default thats a nice touch from them! oneplus is a great company you wont Regret it!

1. How often do OP update their phones, do the older model get ignored compared to the new ones ?
OnePlus does a decent job but don't expect Nexus-grade updates. You'll mostly be relying on the XDA community.
2. How easy is it to unlock/flash new roms on this phone, since this will be my primary focus ?
Very Easy. Unlock bootloader from bootloader menu, flash twrp via fastboot, flash a custom rom and that's it.
3. How bad is touchscreen latency and camera performance with latest update ?
Touchscreen latency was never THAT bad unless you're a pretentious user. You shouldn't worry this because most custom kernels improve it, and at some point it will be fixed completely by OnePlus. Camera is decent, the sensor is the same as the one in V20. It's the processing that sucks compared to other phones, so don't expect much.
4. Should I be worried about bad after-sales here in UK ?
Not sure what you mean. But i'm certain you will be satisfied of the phone for the price paid.

xhitm3n said:
I came from the D855 (G3) was a huge step i was going to wait for SD835 smartphone but my phone died, so i wanted something super fast, and unlocked, when i mean unlocked is a company that gives you acess to the hardware this is bootloader unlock, as many companys do NOT, the phone is tremendous fast, fingerprinting in 0.2sec it opens before you blink, the screen looks way better than my G3 which was the first 2k screen, its vivid and bright, dash charging is awesome it charge your phone way to fast xD, its the first phone that i dont need to let it in charger over night, 3.4A battery is more than enought, 8h+ of SOT? i had at must 1.5 to 2h of sot on my D855, huge huge difference, for the moment this is by a large margin the best device you can buy, as for the cameras or any other features i dont care, they do the work just fine, i have a mirrorless camera for photography so i dont care about the camera, its still packs a 16MP on front camera which get you a very sharp face if you are a selfie person, anyother i just got this phone by its hardware, super fast and cheap for a flagship? i spent 439 + karbon case this phone worth every penny, so go for it it feels very nice in the hand, and the metal its of nice quality! it even comes with a screen protector by default thats a nice touch from them! oneplus is a great company you wont Regret it!
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Click to collapse
I was on exactly same situation last week. [emoji2]

_ray_ said:
1. How often do OP update their phones, do the older model get ignored compared to the new ones ?
2. How easy is it to unlock/flash new roms on this phone, since this will be my primary focus ?
3. How bad is touchscreen latency and camera performance with latest update ?
4. Should I be worried about bad after-sales here in UK ?
Please feel free to mention any other points about this phone that might help me in making my decision.
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HI,
Note: I had the op3 and now i am using the op3t from dec.
1. Updates on the op are fairly quick, as of now we have an open beta for 7.1.1 with march security patch. We will be getting the full update sometime in this month.
2.This is where the op devices shine the most.The op community is great,you will get the community app installed on the device. you can find all required the guides for unlocking,roms and troubleshooting there.The op3t has support for all the popular custom roms so you can get the updates asap.
3.The touch latency issue is still there but it is not that bad.The camera is not bad at all.Its a great camera for the price and takes great pics in good light conditions but the low light photos are not that great.If you are a serious camera buff you might be disappointed.
4.After sales is bad here in India. Its handled by a company called servify. Had the op3 and i broke it in 3 weeks of purchase. I had got their one year "accidental damage protection" thingy so i went to the service center fairly optimistic . After looking at the phone they said "the back of your is damaged and we do not cover cosmetic parts under our insurance, we will fix the screen for free". I was angry but agreed to get it fixed any way. After that they say if you want to go through our insurance you have to open a claim via the op app,we cannot do it here. I returned home did what they said and after two days i got a call from some shady insurance company refusing my claim saying there is something wrong with my paperwork.Even after doing all the things they said they still refused it. But I loved my phone so tried to get it repaired any way. Here op3 costs 28k. After making a claim they told me i have to pay 12k for the screen,10k for the back and 1k for repair . Thats 23k,roughly 83% of what i paid for the phone in the first place.

Alek123 said:
1. How often do OP update their phones, do the older model get ignored compared to the new ones ?
OnePlus does a decent job but don't expect Nexus-grade updates. You'll mostly be relying on the XDA community.
2. How easy is it to unlock/flash new roms on this phone, since this will be my primary focus ?
Very Easy. Unlock bootloader from bootloader menu, flash twrp via fastboot, flash a custom rom and that's it.
3. How bad is touchscreen latency and camera performance with latest update ?
Touchscreen latency was never THAT bad unless you're a pretentious user. You shouldn't worry this because most custom kernels improve it, and at some point it will be fixed completely by OnePlus. Camera is decent, the sensor is the same as the one in V20. It's the processing that sucks compared to other phones, so don't expect much.
4. Should I be worried about bad after-sales here in UK ?
Not sure what you mean. But i'm certain you will be satisfied of the phone for the price paid.
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Click to collapse
I was having same issue last week but now OK.

Thanks for the replies everyone.
One thing i am quite worried about is that like most companies the older models of OP have been not getting any updates from OP at all, e.g Android 7.0. Also custom ROM development on older models seems to be very slow and most major Dev have moved on to newer models unlike older Nexus which is still supported after all those years. I know I can get Nougat support via custom ROMs but support for old devices is one of the main things I am looking for, since I am planning to keep my phone for at least 2 years.
I think i am going to hold on to my G3 for a bit longer and see what other options are available later on during this year.

_ray_ said:
Thanks for the replies everyone.
One thing i am quite worried about is that like most companies the older models of OP have been not getting any updates from OP at all, e.g Android 7.0. Also custom ROM development on older models seems to be very slow and most major Dev have moved on to newer models unlike older Nexus which is still supported after all those years. I know I can get Nougat support via custom ROMs but support for old devices is one of the main things I am looking for, since I am planning to keep my phone for at least 2 years.
I think i am going to hold on to my G3 for a bit longer and see what other options are available later on during this year.
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Click to collapse
Edit: just look at the first OnePlus model and the 7.1.1 roms and kernels that are available and beeing actively supported, this is a 3 year old phone.
If you`re always looking for the next big thing or latest technology you can never ever buy a phone again. There will always be new devices that will be released throughout the year I ordered mine (coming from a iPhone 7 Plus) because i think and according to the reviews its a solid phone for a descent price.

Z3c in 2017

Hey,
Im looking in to getting a Z3c used for my mom bcs she wants a small phone.
Would you recommend this phone whem compared to a samsung a5 etc...
Thanks,

yoelsd said:
Hey,
Im looking in to getting a Z3c used for my mom bcs she wants a small phone.
Would you recommend this phone whem compared to a samsung a5 etc...
Thanks,
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Click to collapse
I purchased this phone roughly 10 months ago and have never once during this time regretted my purchase. The phone is very small and comfortable to hold. I cannot compare to specific models, but as far as hardware goes, the phone is by no means outdated and has done everything I've needed it to quick and easily. Battery life has gotten me up to 2 days with light use and the waterproofing is impeccable. The only real downside I can see to this phone is its fragility and the lack of many phone cases on the market to compensate. However, I've found that Incipio made (no longer in stock, might still be able to find though) a great case and I've experienced no damage from countless drops. The phone also unfortunately does not, nor will it likely ever, support nougat.

inexplicit said:
. The phone also unfortunately does not, nor will it likely ever, support nougat.
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Thanks for the comment, don't think my mom knows what nougat is LOL...

Not sure if you have searched but you can find them on Ebay for about $160 new. Pretty great deal on the best phone I ever owned. In fact I ordered the parts to fix my screen and then will be selling my Galaxy S7. Only thing I'll miss is the camera on the S7 but the Z3 Compact took some good pictures as well imo.

Z3c is small phone, battery friendly...
Camera isn't best, but not the bad - it's something in the middle
Optinalization is good too, but i reccommend flash xperience rom (best rom ever)

I've had my Z3C for over 2 years now, and apart from a small issue I have now with third party software I've never one regretted buying this phone. Battery life is superb and I can go well over a day and still have something like 20% left and that's with WhatsApp, twitter, phone calls and emails. I have a Case Mate case on mine and its survived all manner of drops.

Have you tried the Cyberian camera app? Looks very promising, only thing I will miss on my Galaxy S7 is the camera but hoping this app gets close to the S7 camera.
pajos.gabros said:
Z3c is small phone, battery friendly...
Camera isn't best, but not the bad - it's something in the middle
Optinalization is good too, but i reccommend flash xperience rom (best rom ever)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

What went wrong with Nokia 8?

It's a great phone and most impressive is SD 835 in it but today I found a deal on my local used market for 250$. He'll, I want to buy it but I don't know why it's so cheap. I am getting he'll of a deal here but is it any good?
I read comments on Amazon and many said it's having a heating problem. I want to buy a good phone for gaming as my Moto Z Play couldn't able to handle pubg very well.
One more thing is that the xda community had igoned Nokia 8, it doesn't have a single official custom ROM or recovery. Phone is good but all this things keeping me from not buying it. I want to know is it any good to buy a used one for 250$?

XDA community hasn't ignored it so much as Nokia/HMD haven't allowed the bootloader to be unlocked
The phone's principal other flaw is that the camera isn't great. Both the stock camera software (post processing, features) and the sensor aren't up to the quality you would expect of a 2017 flagship or even (for the most part) the Galaxy S6 I upgraded from. Until now running modded Google cam has allievated the software side, and there's an update rolling out from Friday that will add camera functionality and hopefully improve the processing and the use of the monochrome sensor. I wouldn't expect miracles though.
Other than those points this is a solid phone. The screen is a nice IPS that does good blacks, accurate colours and is capable of very high brightness. There is no heating problem and in fact this is the coolest phone I've ever used, it's a challenge to make this thing heat up. Software is as close to stock you'll get on a non-Google device. SnapDragon 835 blasts through anything you might want to do. Headphone jack seems to supply a lot of power and music sounds clean and clear. Nokia has been good with updates thus far, releasing OS and security updates better than any non-Google phone afaik.

I also found a great deal for a Nokia 8 6gb ram 128gb internal for 250$. Still thinking if i should give up my Moto Z Play for this Nokia

if quality(which can be improved with a new app) of photos is not your top priority, then you should definitely buy this one.

Manish355 said:
It's a great phone and most impressive is SD 835 in it but today I found a deal on my local used market for 250$. He'll, I want to buy it but I don't know why it's so cheap. I am getting he'll of a deal here but is it any good?
I read comments on Amazon and many said it's having a heating problem. I want to buy a good phone for gaming as my Moto Z Play couldn't able to handle pubg very well.
One more thing is that the xda community had igoned Nokia 8, it doesn't have a single official custom ROM or recovery. Phone is good but all this things keeping me from not buying it. I want to know is it any good to buy a used one for 250$?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nothing went wrong, it was a loss leader to get the Nokia brand up and running and noticed again.
Best phone i have owned apart from the camera in low light but the new camera app may help with that.

It's a great phone for gaming...I play pubg mobile on the maximum settings with extreme FPS settings and it's silky smooth... It does warm up a little but less then any other phone I've had while gaming, the one and only issue I have with this phone is that the power button has a little bit of rattle/play and that drives my OCD crazy.

razorsbk said:
I also found a great deal for a Nokia 8 6gb ram 128gb internal for 250$. Still thinking if i should give up my Moto Z Play for this Nokia
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Click to collapse
I couldn't decide too, but i think i need to give up my Moto Z Play for PUBG. And SD835 is future proof too. I don't use camera that much so it's not an issue for me, i think it should be a good deal.

ngagephone said:
It's a great phone for gaming...I play pubg mobile on the maximum settings with extreme FPS settings and it's silky smooth... It does warm up a little but less then any other phone I've had while gaming, the one and only issue I have with this phone is that the power button has a little bit of rattle/play and that drives my OCD crazy.
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Click to collapse
Thanks bro, i wanted to know how PUBG runs on Nokia 8, i am gonna buy it. Only thing thats i'm scared of is Custom ROMs. I like to flash different ROMs. Man, i need to choose between Customization and Gaming.

Almajo88 said:
XDA community hasn't ignored it so much as Nokia/HMD haven't allowed the bootloader to be unlocked
The phone's principal other flaw is that the camera isn't great. Both the stock camera software (post processing, features) and the sensor aren't up to the quality you would expect of a 2017 flagship or even (for the most part) the Galaxy S6 I upgraded from. Until now running modded Google cam has allievated the software side, and there's an update rolling out from Friday that will add camera functionality and hopefully improve the processing and the use of the monochrome sensor. I wouldn't expect miracles though.
Other than those points this is a solid phone. The screen is a nice IPS that does good blacks, accurate colours and is capable of very high brightness. There is no heating problem and in fact this is the coolest phone I've ever used, it's a challenge to make this thing heat up. Software is as close to stock you'll get on a non-Google device. SnapDragon 835 blasts through anything you might want to do. Headphone jack seems to supply a lot of power and music sounds clean and clear. Nokia has been good with updates thus far, releasing OS and security updates better than any non-Google phone afaik.
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Click to collapse
Wow, even bootloader is not possible to unlock on the phone. I am scared that I'd be bored after some time of using it. But, i think the most important thing for me would be gaming than flashing custom ROMs. I'd be buying it soon.