[Q] has anybody got Xperia Ray? - Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

hi,
I quite like the new xperia ray and I was wondering some hands-on feedback (ie its responsiveness, speed etc).
in addition, a picture of Xperia Ray next to iPhone4 would be a treat. its not too big or too small as far as i gather.

@LP said:
hi,
I quite like the new xperia ray and I was wondering some hands-on feedback (ie its responsiveness, speed etc).
in addition, a picture of Xperia Ray next to iPhone4 would be a treat. its not too big or too small as far as i gather.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's simply lovely
Design is great, its light and nimble.
Screen is gorgeous, with 300dpi vs iphone's 330dpi, you can't see any difference.
3d games like guerilla bob run smoother on Ray.
compared to iphone it's lighter, less tall and much narrower.
Frankly iphone4 compared to ray shows it's age and bulkness, while Ray is shiny and modern piece of hardware.
I'm moving from Xperia X8, and comparison is pointless.
While I always wanted to "improve" X8 to make it usable, Ray is fine as it is, usable and fast. Battery life is phenomenal for Android devices, camera is great, sound is loud.
I'm sure if you get one, you will not regret.
Good luck!

I'm glad that you are raving about the xRay...
I'm getting mine tomorrow already paid my deposit for a white one...
You mentioned the camera is working great, just wonder if you've encountered any negative point coz I have read a few reviews which all have some negative things to say about the camera...thanks

got a full specs sheet?

My Xperience with Xperia
I second only some parts of the previous review.
1) The phone is beautiful, iPhone next to it looks old. Performance are very good, phone is fast. Software is ok, the Sony customization is not invasive at all.
2) Battery life is not really good in my experience. Up to now I did not manage even to do one full day. Screen is nice, but pretty scratch prone. I ordered a cover but after a week I have already some scratches (this drives me mad)
Hope it help.
Francesco

O...I thought the screen was scratch resistance...as it was mentioned in the specification section of a pretty well known phone web site...
I would have thought in these day and age...no one want a phone with screen that is prone to scratching...
I guess I should get a screen protector before start using mine...

I actually discovered that the screen comes already with a screen protector preinstalled
Sent from my ST18i using Tapatalk

racht said:
It's simply lovely
Design is great, its light and nimble.
Screen is gorgeous, with 300dpi vs iphone's 330dpi, you can't see any difference.
3d games like guerilla bob run smoother on Ray.
compared to iphone it's lighter, less tall and much narrower.
Frankly iphone4 compared to ray shows it's age and bulkness, while Ray is shiny and modern piece of hardware.
I'm moving from Xperia X8, and comparison is pointless.
While I always wanted to "improve" X8 to make it usable, Ray is fine as it is, usable and fast. Battery life is phenomenal for Android devices, camera is great, sound is loud.
I'm sure if you get one, you will not regret.
Good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd like t know your experience with the camera, specifically:
1.- is there a dedicated camera button ??
2.- is the flash a REAL flash ?? (I mean the flash light up when you press the shutter or automatic flash mode vs "turn the light on or off" only)
Thank you

1. No
2. No. fixed light.
Sent from my ST18i using Tapatalk

midoriconcept said:
1. No
2. No. fixed light.
Sent from my ST18i using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the auto-flash could be enbled by third party apps like vignette, has anybody tested ??

gtrab said:
I think the auto-flash could be enbled by third party apps like vignette, has anybody tested ??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Vignette enables the flash 2 seconds before taking a picture, so no real auto flash.
I agree on the great battery life, the power save modus is incredible. 24 hours ago on 7% and now for 3 hours on 1%.
Got my Ray bricked already yesterday after an OTA update with unlocked bootloader, didn't know about that. Luckily I found this and this thread and now he's up and running again on 2.3.4 rooted.
I have 2 negative remarks though:
-I have the feeling that the 2.3.4 update made it a little bit less snappy.
- WIFI keeps flippin out on me. I think it's better/solved with 2.3.4, but with 2.3.3, it kept losing its connection without showing it in the notification bar. I had to disable and enable wifi again every time or even reboot. I even had to reboot my router because my PC's couldn't connect anymore. I googled and there are more people with this problem.

I find that the camera to have purple fringing problem, especially shooting indoors or night scene...white appeared to turn purplish...
The photo light is a tat annoying, I wonder if it can be changed to a flash...using software mod...

it will be great if someone can comment on the in call volume!

Also known as Sony Ericsson Urushi
GENERAL 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G Network HSDPA 2100 - ST18i
HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100 - ST18a
Announced 2011, June
Status Available. Released 2011, August
SIZE Dimensions 111 x 53 x 9.4 mm
Weight 100 g
DISPLAY Type LED-backlit LCD, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size 480 x 854 pixels, 3.3 inches (~297 ppi pixel density)
- Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate
- Bravia Mobile engine
- Multi-touch input method
- Proximity sensor for auto turn-off
- Touch sensitive controls
- Scratch-resistant display
- Timescape UI
SOUND Alert types Vibration, MP3 ringtones
Loudspeaker Yes
3.5mm jack Yes
MEMORY Phonebook Practically unlimited entries and fields, Photocall
Call records Practically unlimited
Internal 1 GB (300 MB user available), 512 MB RAM
Card slot microSD, up to 32GB, 4GB included, buy memory
DATA GPRS Up to 86 kbps
EDGE Up to 237 kbps
3G HSDPA, 7.2 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.8 Mbps
WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot
Bluetooth Yes, v2.1 with A2DP, EDR
Infrared port No
USB Yes, v2.0 microUSB
CAMERA Primary 8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash, check quality
Features Geo-tagging, face and smile detection, touch focus, image stabilization
Video Yes, 720p, video light, check quality
Secondary Yes
FEATURES OS Android OS, v2.3 (Gingerbread)
CPU 1GHz Scorpion processor, Adreno 205 GPU, MSM8255 Snapdragon chipset
Messaging SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Push email, IM
Browser HTML
Radio Stereo FM radio with RDS
Games Yes
Colors Black, Gold, White, Pink
GPS Yes, with A-GPS support
Java Yes, via Java MIDP emulator
- Digital compass
- SNS integration
- MP4/H.263/H.264 player
- MP3/eAAC+/WAV player
- TrackID music recognition
- SensMe
- Google Search, Maps, Gmail,
YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk
- Document viewer
- Adobe flash 10.1 support
- Voice memo
- Predictive text input
BATTERY Standard battery, Li-Ion 1500 mAh
Stand-by Up to 430 h (2G) / Up to 440 h (3G)
Talk time Up to 6 h 50 min (2G) / Up to 7 h (3G)
Music play Up to 36 h
BY gsmarena

hey guys,
i´m also interested in the xperia ray.....sure the no camera flash is a little letdown but i´m worried more about the 300 mb storage. how do you handle that?? is it enough or way too small or maybe with app2sd?
would appreciate some user feedback
problem is i´m very picky when it comes to smartphone and i don´t wanna spend 400-500 euro for a so called high-end device that i don´t like 100%. the xperia ray seems like a good price/value phone

monkeytown said:
hey guys,
i´m also interested in the xperia ray.....sure the no camera flash is a little letdown but i´m worried more about the 300 mb storage. how do you handle that?? is it enough or way too small or maybe with app2sd?
would appreciate some user feedback
problem is i´m very picky when it comes to smartphone and i don´t wanna spend 400-500 euro for a so called high-end device that i don´t like 100%. the xperia ray seems like a good price/value phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I Installed few games, few keyboards ime, overall just downloaded ~16 apps. Right now i have 227mb used and 193mb free.
Most apps can be moved to SD, but I think this phone is best for those who just use it to talk and the occasional smartphone activity. It's only 3.3 inch screen isn't suitable for a power-user.
BTW in-call volume is superb, answering myself from above; I used the service menu and tested the earphone side by side with my x10 and what can I say? 2011 SE have much higher quality parts compared to 2009/10.

Related

some questions before I buy it

I considering to buy either an Xperia Mini Pro or the new Live Walkman (basicly the same phone but without QWERTY keyboard but with a 3.2" screen) for my girlfriend who has an iPhone4 right now. The reason is that she dislikes the weak signal reception of the iphone4 and some other minor things.
My questions for the Mini Pro and Live Walkman users are:
1. how is the signal reception?
2. is the screen too small if you go from an 3.5" iphone4?
3. how is the battery life compared to iphone4?
4. is the Mini Pro too thick?
Thanks
A comparison between xperia mini pro and iphone4 ?! :/
led zeppelin vs ricky martin ?
Signal is "normal", screen is smaller than iphone 4...seriously just send your gf to the nearest shop so that she can test it in her hands coz it's a real big change from iphone 4
Thank you but I will consider another phone. I just read a poll were 22 out of 31 people were not happy with the signal reception of the Mini Pro.
swedish source here
alexuz said:
Thank you but I will consider another phone. I just read a poll were 22 out of 31 people were not happy with the signal reception of the Mini Pro.
swedish source here
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I don't find it great either. But as a phone it's great (bang for buck wise).
My previous phone was LGP500 Optimus One, another example of a great bang-for-buck phone; I feel reception was better there. Plus, it's dirt cheap (but it's ARMv6 so no flash for you)
Anyone come from a Blackberry or were previously a blackberry user, comment on the keyboard of the Mini Pro?
I have test the xperia mini pro sk17 keyboard and a BOLD 3 keyboard, both are so ****in great, but the xperia mini pro keyboard is better, bigger, and is in a smaller phone
sorry for my english!
By Bold 3 do you mean the 9780 or the 9900?
are the mini pro keys clicky or more mushy?
how is the build quality, does it feel like a 'cheap phone'?
They give great tactile feedback. Clicky.
And I think build quality is really good, except that in closed form, the first 2 mm of opening could feel a little less soft.
Sent from my SK17i using XDA App
Here's my score after 1 Week of using a Xperia mini pro (sk17i).
I was using a LG o2x (optimus speed) before.
Hardware 8/10.
Pretty good for such a small phone, everyhing opens in a fraction of a second
It's strong enough to play psx emulators and N64 games, which is awesome.
Call Quality 7/10.
Pretty good here in germany. I've seen loads of people complaining about it, but it's fine here.
Physical Keyboard 9/10.
Best keyboard ive ever had on a mobile phone. Great pressure point, nicely illuminated. AND YOU CAN ****ING USE IT TO PLAY GAMES
The only downside: the first row of buttons is too close to the display-slider.
People with stubby fingers shouldnt get this phone, lol.
Screen 7/10.
Could use a few more options like turning off the ambient lightning, but it's great for such a small phone.
Battery 6/10
Lasts roughly 2 days with light usage. 1 day of heavy usage is enough to drain the battery completely. I believe i need to root it and uninstall all the crapware draining my battery life. It's okay though, i'm used to heavy battery drain, my optimus did the same.
Price 10/10.
Only 200€ for 1,2 ghz, 512mb ram and a 8Gb micro SD what more could i ask for?
The hardware is well implemented and the screen never lags for me.
Sadly it isnt made of gorilla glas, but i use screen protectors anway.
Overall 7,5/10
This phone is of course not made for multimedia lovers. It's a great device for people who text alot, play some games, do some calls and carry it around in their pants pockets. For my needs only, i'd give it a 9/10. 10/10 if SE
actually fixes some stuff like the ambient light sensor ****.
Plus, it's an eye catcher Everytime i slide out the keyboard people are like "ooooh show me your phone :O"
Hey,i have Live with Walkman and i think you should get it...
it's a good phone and has a reallyyyy great sound!
if she likes mousic she'll love it...all round it can do pretty much anything,play games with good quality/performance,it's very fast,5mp shooter with 720p video and led flash it's a great all-round phone,very complete...especially for the price!
Also it has good reception(not a problem to me with this phone)
the screen is just fine(i had a Galaxy S with a 4"inch screen before and i think it's display is quite good actually)
i use it all the time and the night only needs recharge(If you root it and use setcpu it can last even longer!!)
and finally it's quite slim and very very stylish...
Hope i've helped!!

My first experience with Neo V

Hi all. This is like a mini review about Neo V MT11i. Before I bought it I could not find much info. I know, it is almost the same as Neo, but still there are some issues, so maybe this review will help someone to decide, especially if you are planning an upgrade after a Nokia N7x/N8x series phone.
I wanted to buy Neo MT15i when it came out because it seemed to have a good price/functionality ratio but I hesitated a bit, the price still seemed a bit too high for me.
So when Neo V came to our country (Latvia), I waited till Christmas and then bought it with a 2 year contract. Before buying I explored other options but Neo V seemed to be the best value for the money and also I really wanted to get Android 4 soon, and I found out that SonyEricsson is really good at this lately (after their failure with X10)
I also knew that Neo V may have an unexpected restart problems but my operator has been pretty good with warranties, so I trust that all will be OK, unless I do something crazy with my phone.
At first some background about me and my habits. Previously I have had SE k750i, I guess, it is a legendary phone in some way. After that I got Nokia N79, also was (and still is) pretty good.
I have a vision defect since birth, so I really appreciate when phone software manufacturers put some means to increase font size. But I also am a programmer, so I can do some tweaking if needed. On my N79 I used a software called FontRouter, it helped a bit.
I know that currently Android has no ways to increase font size globally, but ICS promise to provide that, so one more reason for me to eagerly wait for ICS.
My phone usage scenarios (most used go first):
- listen to FM radio/music player a lot while walking or going home by bus;
- reading e-books (used mobipocket on N79);
- phone calls and SMS (yeah, only 3rd position);
- shooting photos, if there is something interesting happening around;
- watching movies (I had to recompress them to watch with DivX player on N79);
- taking pictures of text (when too lazy to write something down);
- using phone camera as a "zoom device": if I am at some timetable and cannot read it, I just take a picture of it and then zoom in my phone so I can read it;
- shooting videos when in a party with friends or family; we enjoy to watch those movies later; really convenient if there is no real video camera at hand;
- occasionally surfing Internet (only Wi-Fi; mobile Internet is pretty expensive in Latvia).
So, those are main points which I'll use to evaluate if Neo V was a good choice comparing to my N79.
I live 30km from a city, so the FM coverage is not great here. It was nice to see that Neo V was receiving the signal much better than N79, less noise and more signal stability while I was jogging.
But the handsfree system of Neo is not as good as N79. N79 has play/stop buttons and a volume rocker built in the headphone wire, Neo has just one button to control radio and player.
Reading and watching movies is much better on a bigger screen. The only thing that was irritating - auto brightness. It may be unnoticeable when watching movies or picture, but is annoying when reading a text on a white background. Oh, SE, fix it soon, please.
The screen size is good for me, the phone is not much bigger than N79, so I had no problems to get used to it.
I had no chance to test it in a direct sunlight yet. N79 was pretty good at this, it has some mirroring layer, so the image just loses colors but remains readable.
Phone calls - no problems yet. Seems not as loud as N79 though. But N79 has two stereo speakers, so it would not be honest to compare it to any phone out there.
SMS - not as good as I expected. Pretty small white text on a bubble with a pretty bright background, while there is lots of free space above. Hard to read. Hope ICS or SE will fix it.
Wi-Fi works fine (with ASUS WL500GP router in g mode). I had no opportunity to compare if the reception range is the same as with N79 but I will test it soon.
Build quality - N79 feels better, it has some metal parts. I wish Neo V at least had some spare back covers, preferably, rubberized. But I am a gentle phone user, N79 looks just like new after 2 years active use. So I hope my new Neo V will be with me at least for the next 2 years.
Battery life - ok for Android, almost 2 days with little use.
Now the most questionable part. I have read many complaints about not-so-good-as-expected quality of Xperia cameras, so I was prepared, especially because I chose the 5Mp version. Also my N79 has 5Mp, so I could compare.
Here are my subjective impressions about Neo V compared to N79.
I did not tweak any settings much, just left pretty much as is to see how both devices compare when used "out of the box".
I tested indoors, because this is usually where more camera problems can be discovered.
Video recording - no doubts, Neo V is a winner.
Photos:
- more noise
- less details, a bit too much blurring
- sometimes there are weird artifacts like shifted pixels and some patches of blurring (see attached pictures)
There are still some positive moments about Neo V camera compared to N79:
- more consistent colors between shots (N79 had more problems to keep the same white balance or something like that)
- more contrast
- less artifacts around sharp edges (maybe because it has blurred the edges too much? )
Now some questions.
My operator does not use any branding on the phones, just locks the phone to his GSM network. After the contract ends, I can request an unlock procedure. At least so it has been till now.
I hope, the fact that I have a network-locked phone does not mean that I will need to wait for ICS much longer? And also is this phone in any major way different from an unlocked one? After my contract ends and I unlock it, will it be like the same as a normal Neo V phone, which was never locked to any network at all?
And look at two pictures from Neo V. The first one:
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk308/progmars/DSC_0009.jpg
Zoom closely to N79 box at the right bottom where it says 4GB. Notice there is a block right in the middle of the 4GB text with some pixel shifting to the left.
Now look at the other picture with some text:
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk308/progmars/DSC_0012.jpg
It is a pretty weak shot, I made a much better with the next attempt using a "Text document" mode. But this shot demonstrates some weird blocky blurring. It seems like the jpeg compressor is processing not the entire picture but only parts of it, so there are some detailed areas with visible letters and some blurred areas.
Are these both problems just a result of a bad compression or there is something more serious going on?
Anyway, for now the phone seems good. I hope ICS update will bring something new to it and fix some issues (especially camera issues and font size adjustments).
midix said:
Now some questions.
My operator does not use any branding on the phones, just locks the phone to his GSM network. After the contract ends, I can request an unlock procedure. At least so it has been till now.
I hope, the fact that I have a network-locked phone does not mean that I will need to wait for ICS much longer? And also is this phone in any major way different from an unlocked one? After my contract ends and I unlock it, will it be like the same as a normal Neo V phone, which was never locked to any network at all?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you will most-likely have to wait a bit longer to get the upgrade.
As for the unlocking it has to be done via a special method which costs 15 bucks (SETool2) but after that (and flashing stock ROM if your operator provides special ROM) your phone will be like an unbranded one.
midix said:
And look at two pictures from Neo V. The first one:
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk308/progmars/DSC_0009.jpg
Zoom closely to N79 box at the right bottom where it says 4GB. Notice there is a block right in the middle of the 4GB text with some pixel shifting to the left.
Now look at the other picture with some text:
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk308/progmars/DSC_0012.jpg
It is a pretty weak shot, I made a much better with the next attempt using a "Text document" mode. But this shot demonstrates some weird blocky blurring. It seems like the jpeg compressor is processing not the entire picture but only parts of it, so there are some detailed areas with visible letters and some blurred areas.
Are these both problems just a result of a bad compression or there is something more serious going on?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See this.
I know that currently Android has no ways to increase font size globally, but ICS promise to provide that, so one more reason for me to eagerly wait for ICS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can edit the dpi setting in the build.prop file which is located at ROOT/system/build.prop.txt or download an app for it like this. Lower values make the font larger. But changing the settings will likely misalign some texts. Here's a demonstration of the effect:
The only thing that was irritating - auto brightness. It may be unnoticeable when watching movies or picture, but is annoying when reading a text on a white background.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try this app. Another advantage is that your screen can be set much brighter than on stock settings.
Both apps I mentioned are ROOT only.
Thanks for those links.
I found in some other threads that now it is possible to root Neo V without unlocking the bootloader, so I guess, I can root and try those two apps without a risk of losing warranty.

Sony Xperia S: best Android phone for spring 2012?

Now that MWC showed HTC,LG...next phones for spring/summer 2012, we can say that the Xperia S is the best phone out there...why?
-Screen is not monstruous like the 4.7'' of the One X,and it has 720p resolution while One S is still qHD
-12mp! all other android phones are limited to 8mp.
-Dual core cpu 1.5, yes it's not the quad of One X but again who need 4.7''?
So in clear xperia S beats the One S in screen resolution and camera hands down.
It beats the One X in screen ppi and of course dimensions!
SGS3? well like the One X it will be huge with 4.7 or 4.8'' screen and anyway it won't be out before June!
Though WE NEED DEVS so CM9 and MIUI can make the Xperia S perfect
vegetaleb said:
Now that MWC showed HTC,LG...next phones for spring/summer 2012, we can say that the Xperia S is the best phone out there...why?
-Screen is not monstruous like the 4.7'' of the One X,and it has 720p resolution while One S is still qHD
-12mp! all other android phones are limited to 8mp.
-Dual core cpu 1.5, yes it's not the quad of One X but again who need 4.7''?
-One X has a fixed battery, any freezing and you will feel very bad!
-One X has microSIM slot like iphone 4, so you have to cut it or change it
So in clear xperia S beats the One S in screen resolution and camera hands down.
It beats the One X in screen ppi,microsim,fixed battery and of course dimensions!
SGS3? well like the One X it will be huge with 4.7 or 4.8'' screen and anyway it won't be out before June!
Though WE NEED DEVS so CM9 and MIUI can make the Xperia S perfect
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are lots of things to love about the Xperia S (I've got one on pre-order) but you should know that the Xperia S also has a fixed battery and a micro SIM.
vegetaleb said:
Now that MWC showed HTC,LG...next phones for spring/summer 2012, we can say that the Xperia S is the best phone out there...why?
-Screen is not monstruous like the 4.7'' of the One X,and it has 720p resolution while One S is still qHD
-12mp! all other android phones are limited to 8mp.
-Dual core cpu 1.5, yes it's not the quad of One X but again who need 4.7''?
-One X has a fixed battery, any freezing and you will feel very bad!
-One X has microSIM slot like iphone 4, so you have to cut it or change it
So in clear xperia S beats the One S in screen resolution and camera hands down.
It beats the One X in screen ppi,microsim,fixed battery and of course dimensions!
SGS3? well like the One X it will be huge with 4.7 or 4.8'' screen and anyway it won't be out before June!
Though WE NEED DEVS so CM9 and MIUI can make the Xperia S perfect
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As yardglass pointed out the Xperia S has a non-removable battery and micro sim. Also the Xperia S does not beat the HTC in screen resolution as they are both 720p also it is lighter and thinner though a bit longer and wider. And no before you say im a HTC fanboy i've got the Xperia on pre-order already, just wanted to clarify some things with you
Sorry for battery and microsim.
I was talking about pixels density, between 720p 4.3'' and 720p 4.7''
The Xperia S beats the iphone4 but the One X is beaten by the iphone4,so in terms of optimal graphics:
Xperia S > Iphone4/s > One X/Galaxy Nexus > Sensation/ One S > SGS2
vegetaleb said:
Sorry for battery and microsim.
I was talking about pixels density, between 720p 4.3'' and 720p 4.7''
The Xperia S beats the iphone4 but the One X is beaten by the iphone4,so in terms of optimal graphics:
Xperia S > Iphone4/s > One X/Galaxy Nexus > Sensation/ One S > SGS2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe it has the highest pixel density, yes. I really have no need for more than a dual core phone either. I don't even believe that the OS handles more than that at the moment, and I can't think of any app that would need that processor?
Xperia P :?
I'm bout to test it I have a confusion with both of them :O
I changed my order over from a Galaxy Nexus to the Xperia S. Nexus is sitting staring at me on my worktop, but it's going back tomorrow in a pre-paid bag.
The camera, faster processor and looks were enough to snap me up. However I do see that Xperia/Sony android development looks nowhere near as active as HTC/Samsung/ect.
Audioboxer said:
I changed my order over from a Galaxy Nexus to the Xperia S. Nexus is sitting staring at me on my worktop, but it's going back tomorrow in a pre-paid bag.
The camera, faster processor and looks were enough to snap me up. However I do see that Xperia/Sony android development looks nowhere near as active as HTC/Samsung/ect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it makes you feel any better, there's been a couple devs come out and say they're getting this phone (I believe DoomLord is one of them).
Audioboxer said:
I changed my order over from a Galaxy Nexus to the Xperia S. Nexus is sitting staring at me on my worktop, but it's going back tomorrow in a pre-paid bag.
The camera, faster processor and looks were enough to snap me up. However I do see that Xperia/Sony android development looks nowhere near as active as HTC/Samsung/ect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, you're on XDA too
Good choice. I think that with the Xperia S we'll be seeing a very high amount of developers. It's a very powerful device at a relatively low price, it has excellent cameras and an awesome display.
The biggest problem with the Xperia Arc and the rest of the 2011 family is that it wasn't a very powerful handset at release, it lacked RAM, internal memory and a faster processor. And the unlock tool from the Arc came a few months after the release.
The Xperia S however will be unlockable right away, we'll have a great set of resources to base ourselves on, and it has really good specs. And it's generating tons and tons of buzz around the internet.
I really did like the 2011 line of SE Xperias.
But I'm a bit apprehensive about the 2012 series because of the few qualms, as I see:
Non-removable battery
Non-expandable storage
Micro-SIM
Last-generation hardware specifications
The support for the phones being from Sony henceforth (whose track record for having a strict lock down policy on their devices is quite well known).
I'll wait and see what Samsung has up their sleeve with the S2 successor and if that's disaapointing, I'll go for the Xperia S (or Ion, if they do plan for an international release).
Sony Mobile, is not Sony. Sony Mobile still is the same set of people it always was, nothing will change. They're very committed to delivering all updates quite fast, you really shouldn't worry about that.
Micro-SIM: It'll be the standard for 2012.
Non-expandable storage: Isn't 32GB already a huge amount? I've always been fine with 8GB on my phone and 16GB on my standalone Walkman.
Non-removable battery can't be a problem either if there is a hard reset key combo. It's not been a problem for the iPhone or Nokia Lumia 800/N9 either.
I like this phone, but no LTE for AT&T bands and the CPU are a bit of a let down.
The 720P IPS 4.3in screen seems very nice and I would likey trade my oled+ 480p screen for the screen it has.
P.S I hope all buying like there new phone.
Ambroos said:
Sony Mobile, is not Sony. Sony Mobile still is the same set of people it always was, nothing will change. They're very committed to delivering all updates quite fast, you really shouldn't worry about that.
Micro-SIM: It'll be the standard for 2012.
Non-expandable storage: Isn't 32GB already a huge amount? I've always been fine with 8GB on my phone and 16GB on my standalone Walkman.
Non-removable battery can't be a problem either if there is a hard reset key combo. It's not been a problem for the iPhone or Nokia Lumia 800/N9 either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a relief to hear that Sony isn't helming the mobile development division. I was afraid that there might be lock-downs and restrictions enforced (akin to locked bootloaders, hence, inability to flash custom ROMs) seeing as what they do to their PSP and PS3 product ranges. But I suspect Sony might somehow wiggle in their proprietary standards like they always love to (ATRAC3Plus, MemoryStick, PSVita Memory Card, etcetera).
Furthermore, I sure do hope Micro-SIMs become the standard as I do a travel a lot and I'd hate to cut my SIM cards to size.
And about the non-expandable storage, it isn't about the storage space per se, but it is more related to how I can swap an SD card with the data I need rather than copying it to the phone via a PC (thus making PC a requirement). However, if the storage space happens to be full I'd have to delete some data, and picking what to delete might be a tough choice, especially with no PC nearby to make a backup. I think this might become more evident when everyone tries recording videos for extended time in 1080p on their Xperia S which takes up more space.
I believe non-removable batteries are alright in the short run, but in the long run, there might be the necessity for the use of higher capacity batteries or backup travel batteries. Plus, if the battery decided to fizzle out, I couldn't possibly swap out the battery to fit in a new one without handing it in for service, which I believe is the iPhone user's bane.
Cheers, mate.
Only thing that irks me is non-removable battery, but hey, it's a worry not something I actually need. Never had an issue with my iPhone 3 battery, never replaced my HTC Desire battery (only ever pulled it for rebooting).
The ability to fast charge the battery to 80% in 30 mins may or may not have something to do with this, unlikely, but even if not it's a nice feature.
only thing that irks me is the usb/hdmi on opposite sides with those crappy plastic covers. if only the S was a bit more like the P we would have powered docks and car mounts... that was my biggest let down... seeing the P design makes me wish they thought the S through a bit more.
I am quietly waiting for reviews!!
Screen quality (viewing angles,colors,sunlight...), speaker volume, quality feeling...
Large battery - check
720p screen - check
Stylish and elegant design - check
made by Sony - check
Yep this is the best Android phone for Spring 2012 imo.
The best review / comparisons I've found are on PhoneArena. I'm being offered the Experia S as an upgrade for my existing contract, but unsure whether to wait for the One X or the Galaxy S3.
But again, as they're all essentially governed by the chipset/software, so does it boil down to which one you like the look of and what goodies they have on board?
Never easy, is it?
Non-removable battery
Non-removable battery is very bad. If the phone stucks, how to shut down?
Should we wait a long time till to battery reach 0%?
StellMonkey said:
Non-removable battery is very bad. If the phone stucks, how to shut down?
Should we wait a long time till to battery reach 0%?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
10-second press (or a combo, not sure anymore) will force-reboot the phone, it's hardcoded.

Nexus 10 vs Xperia Tablet Z

Hey guys this is a detailed list, the Xperia Z was just announced so going of GSMarena specs, if there are any errors plz correct the list, thanks!
Nexus 10
Higher resolution
Higher PPI
Wi-Fi Direct?
Direct updates
Stock Android
More Ergonomic? (rubber rounded back)
Xperia z tab
LTE/4G
Lighter
Thinner
Premium Design
Dust proof
Water proof
S-Force surround sound
microSD
Wi-Fi hotpot
Infrared port
Blutooth 4.0
8mp camera
LED flash
2.2 front camera
cyprusx said:
Hey guys this is a detailed list, the Xperia Z was just announced so going of GSMarena specs, if there are any errors plz correct the list, thanks!
Nexus 10
Higher resolution
Higher PPI
Wi-Fi Direct?
Direct updates
Stock Android
More Ergonomic? (rubber rounded back)
Xperia z tab
LTE/4G
Lighter
Thinner
Premium Design
Dust proof
Water proof
S-Force surround sound
microSD
Wi-Fi hotpot
Infrared port
Blutooth 4.0
8mp camera
LED flash
2.2 front camera
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Xperia Z for me please!
Sent from my LG-P990 using xda app-developers app
Will have better colors on the Z tablet
I don't think the price will be the same :fingers-crossed: and it's not gonna get updated that fast
cyprusx said:
Hey guys this is a detailed list, the Xperia Z was just announced so going of GSMarena specs, if there are any errors plz correct the list, thanks!
Nexus 10
Higher resolution
Higher PPI
Wi-Fi Direct?
Direct updates
Stock Android
More Ergonomic? (rubber rounded back)
Xperia z tab
LTE/4G
Lighter
Thinner
Premium Design
Dust proof
Water proof
S-Force surround sound
microSD
Wi-Fi hotpot
Infrared port
Blutooth 4.0
8mp camera
LED flash
2.2 front camera
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
N10 has LED flash as well, and 4.0 bluetooth.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using xda app-developers app
The resolution on the XZ is better than the N10 because it's more practical. At 10+ inches away you won't see the difference in PPI between the two displays. And the lower resolution (but still FHD) display will use less CPU/GPU power and battery. Speaking of battery, 6,000 mAh is pretty small for a 10.1" tablet with a S4 Pro CPU and FHD display. That could be the XZ's Achilles Heal. The rest of the specs are indeed impressive.
Stock Android and stock Nexus are so good and at such a low price that they will keep me happy whilst I receive the timely Android updates
Naturally, a newer tablet will be better than an older tablet at least hardware wise or else it wouldn't sell.
That said, the Xperia Tablet Z will probably do better than the Nexus 10 in probably almost all aspects except development, text clarity, and possibly line-out (headphone) sound quality. Image clarity and such is much better suited for a 1080p screen unless there is a sudden surge and revolution of 1440p+ displays in this coming year.
ady_seray said:
N10 has LED flash as well, and 4.0 bluetooth.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
According to numerous sources and GSMarena the nexus 10 has 3.0
If I need 4G/LTE, I'll just tether it to my Verizon phone I already have.
Otherwise, I see nothing in that list which would cause me to jump ship or even give a second thought about.
More than happy with the design and engineering on the N10.
404 ERROR said:
Naturally, a newer tablet will be better than an older tablet at least hardware wise or else it wouldn't sell.
That said, the Xperia Tablet Z will probably do better than the Nexus 10 in probably almost all aspects except development, text clarity, and possibly line-out (headphone) sound quality. Image clarity and such is much better suited for a 1080p screen unless there is a sudden surge and revolution of 1440p+ displays in this coming year.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a similar debate about the value of PPI going on in the DNA forums. It matters less than you think. This is from that discussion...
BarryH_GEG said:
The biggest discussion point for newer devices like the N10 and now the DNA/Butterfly are their awesome displays. The thing people lose sight of (no pun intended) is that the human eye is only capable of processing and resolving images at a certain level. Any detail beyond that level is literally wasted. The 20/20 human eye has a maximum visual acuity of 1 arcminute. That is, two points must subtend an angle greater than 1 arcminute in order for a 20/20 eye to resolve the two points. What this means for displays is that pixels must have an angular subtense of 1 arcminute or greater in order for your eye to resolve the detail in the content. Detail below 1 arcminute isn't perceived by the human eye any differently whether a display has 267 PPI or 441 PPI. This is the reason Apple landed on the resolution they did hence the name "retina display." For example, the N2 has an arcminute subtense of 1.073 arcminutes which is nearly perfect and it has a PPI of 267. The DNA has an acrminute subtense of .66 and PPI of 441 which is a waste because anything below "1" can't be resolved by the human eye.
So super high definition displays are more a marketing gimmick, draw more CPU power, and drain the battery faster with the end result being your eyes won't notice any difference. I don't know what the exact numbers are for the Note and N10 but at 147 PPI the Note's above 1 arcminute and at 299 PPI the N10's below it. So you'll notice a difference on text and CGI (but not images and video) but it's not as pronounced as some people here have said unless they have super-human vision. And with the new fixation on resolution things like brightness, contrast, and color accuracy get swept under the rug because all people are focusing on is a PPI count rather than the actual quality of the display. In those areas the Note’s display outperforms the N10’s. And the 1080P display on the DNA isn’t as good in those areas as the 720P display on the One X it's supposedly better than. Remember that when you're salivating over a 441 PPI 1080P smartphone that’s going to be hyped to death this year.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
orangechoochoo said:
I bet if the Note2 had a 1080 screen owners would brag about it instead of saying that you can't tell the difference. If we cannot discern the difference between 720 and 1080 way is the S4 and other phones coming out with 1080 since it makes no difference?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
BarryH_GEG said:
You realize that with the human eye being the lowest common denominator the selection of PPI is being done ass backwards? Deciding on the optimum PPI for any given device should be an arithmatec equation; not manufacturers arbitrarily pulling numbers our of thier butts to out-feature each other. The above posts that talk about what the human eye can process are irrefutable fact. With an arcminute of "1" ideal for the human eye to process detail, the manufacturers should pick the lowest PPI that acheives "1" arcminute at 10-12" away which is the typical distance a smartphone is viewed. Why the lowest? Because the higher the PPI the bigger the drain on the battery, GPU, and CPU. And why reduce the performance of a device when the end result is the human eye can't process the additional detail being provided anyway? In addition, to achieve higher PPI, displays are suffering in brightness, contrast, and color reproduction. But nobody cares because they get to tell their friends "look, I've got a 1080P display!" Based on the numbers, outside of PPI, the One X has a better display than the DNA. It wouldn't surprise me if the same thing happened between the SGS3's 720P display and the SGS4's 1080P display (unless SAMOLED scales differently). In the end none of this matters because whether it makes sense or not we're all going to end up with 1080P displays one way or the other because that's where manufacturer's marketing is taking us.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And this is a good article explaining why pics and videos won't seem any sharper on a 720P, 1080P, or the N10's unique resolution display. And everything gets upscaled on the N10 which doesn't help with detail and image quality.
For most people, though, it won't matter. Photos are inherently fuzzy, so it won’t matter whether they’re viewed on a 1920×1080 or 1280×720 smartphone display; you’ll still see their imperfections. "Even the tiniest image detail in a photograph is always spread over more than one pixel," Dr. Soneira explained in a follow-up e-mail. "The image detail is never perfectly aligned with the pixel structure of the display." Videos are even worse: not only are they fuzzy like photographs, but the pictures are constantly moving. Even if the images were sharp, the human brain couldn’t zero in on content that’s appearing for only a fraction of a second on such a small display. "For ordinary viewing of videos, 1920×1080 is really not going to make a visual difference," adds Dr. Soneira.​
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/10/1080p-on-a-smartphone-screencan-it-possibly-matter/
I skimmed through your post and I apologize beforehand if I'm missing some nuances in your post, but I think you misread my post completely. The only thing that can really make use of a 1440p screen at this moment is text which is why I mentioned "text clarity." It is also why I said, if there is a sudden surge of 1440p displays, the N10's high resolution will be better than 1080p. This is simply because 1080p displays will be considered old tech and designers and such will move on to support 1440p displays. The chances of 1440p being adopted to be the standard this year is probably 0%.
I never said it mattered. In fact I always thought PPI is a gimmick and will always be a gimmick beyond 220ish.
Also, just to put it out there, I maintain a theme to up-res the icons on the N10 so those icons don't get upscaled; I'm pretty sure I know what drawbacks there are with having such a high resolution screen.
Another thing - you talk about image quality, but you quote someone talking about photos. Things that are drawn on a computer will be clearer than a photo by a long shot. Those types of images can take advantage of such a high resolution screen. Photography on the other hand really doesn't matter what resolution you view it on for the reason you quoted.
404 ERROR said:
The only thing that can really make use of a 1440p screen at this moment is text.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just threw that info out there because I thought people would find it interesting; it wasn't directed at you per se. And at 10" away text won't look any better on the N10 than it would on the XZ. And that has nothing to do with the display's themselves, it's all about why the human eye can discern. As an example, at that distance, text looks no worse on the N2's 720P display than it does on the DNA's 1080P display based solely on the N2's ability to achieve a subtense of 1 arcmiture at 267PPI. Only if the N10's display is closer to 1 arcminute (below it doesn't matter) than the NZ's would you notice a difference. Now if you hold it 5" away or look at it under a microscope you'll see a difference.
BarryH_GEG said:
I just threw that info out there because I thought people would find it interesting; it wasn't directed at you per se. And at 10" away text won't look any better on the N10 than it would on the XZ. And that has nothing to do with the display's themselves, it's all about why the human eye can discern. As an example, at that distance, text looks no worse on the N2's 720P display than it does on the DNA's 1080P display based solely on the N2's ability to achieve a subtense of 1 arcmiture at 267PPI. Only if the N10's display is closer to 1 arcminute (below it doesn't matter) than the NZ's would you notice a difference. Now if you hold it 5" away or look at it under a microscope you'll see a difference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're right in that if you hold it 10" away you won't see a difference. Unfortunately not all people do and there will always be people who can discern that difference.
I am also considering the Xperia Z tablet against the Nexus 10, here's a better comparison (taken from GSMArena).
Nexus 10
General 2G Network N/A
SIM No
Body Dimensions 263.9 x 177.6 x 8.9 mm (10.39 x 6.99 x 0.35 in)
Weight 603 g (1.33 lb)
Display Type Super PLS TFT capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size 2560 x 1600 pixels, 10.1 inches (~299 ppi pixel density)
Multitouch Yes
Protection Corning Gorilla Glass 2
Sound Alert types N/A
Loudspeaker Yes, with stereo speakers
3.5mm jack Yes
Memory Card slot No
Internal 16/32 GB, 2 GB RAM
Data GPRS No
EDGE No
WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA
Bluetooth Yes, v3.0 with A2DP
NFC Yes, dual side
USB Yes, microUSB v2.0
Camera Primary 5 MP, 2592х1936 pixels, autofocus, LED flash, check quality
Features Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection
Video Yes, [email protected], check quality
Secondary Yes, 1.9 MP
Features OS Android OS, v4.2 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to v4.2.1 (Jelly Bean)
Chipset Exynos 5250
CPU Dual-core 1.7 GHz Cortex-A15
GPU Mali-T604
Sensors Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer
Messaging Email, Push Email, IM, RSS
Browser HTML5
Radio No
GPS Yes, with GLONASS
Java No
Colors Black
- SNS integration
- HDMI port
- MP4/H.264/DivX/WMV player
- MP3/WAV/eAAC+/WMA/Flac player
- Organizer
- Image/video editor
- Document viewer
- Google Search, Maps, Gmail,
YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk, Picasa
- Voice memo
- Predictive text input (Swype)
Battery Non-removable Li-Po 9000 mAh battery
Stand-by Up to 500 h
Talk time Up to 9 h (multimedia)
Misc SAR US 1.38 W/kg (body)
SAR EU 0.21 W/kg (body)
Price group [About 310 EUR]
Tests Display Contrast ratio: 878 (nominal)
Loudspeaker Voice 68dB / Noise 66dB / Ring 67dB
Audio quality Noise -82.3dB / Crosstalk -81.4dB
Camera Photo / Video
Xperia Z Tablet
General 2G Network
3G Network HSDPA 850 / 2100 / 800
4G Network LTE 1800 / 1500 / 2100
SIM Micro-SIM
Announced 2013, January
Status Coming soon. Exp. release 2013, Q1
Body Dimensions 266 x 172 x 6.9 mm (10.47 x 6.77 x 0.27 in)
Weight 495 g (1.09 lb)
- IP57 certified - dust and water proof
Display Type LED-backlit LCD, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size 1200 x 1920 pixels, 10.1 inches (~224 ppi pixel density)
Multitouch Yes
- Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2
Sound Alert types N\A
Loudspeaker Yes, with stereo speakers
3.5mm jack Yes
- 3D surround sound enhancement
Memory Card slot microSD, up to 64 GB
Internal 32 GB storage, 2 GB RAM
Data GPRS No
EDGE No
Speed HSDPA, 14.4 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps; LTE, Cat3, 37.5 Mbps UL, 100 Mbps DL
WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot
Bluetooth Yes, v4.0 with A2DP
NFC Yes
USB Yes, v2.0
Camera Primary 8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus
Features Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection
Video Yes, [email protected]
Secondary Yes, 2.2 MP, [email protected]
Features OS Android OS, v4.1.2 (Jelly Bean), planned upgrade to v4.2 (Jelly Bean)
Chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon APQ8064
CPU Quad-core 1.5 GHz Krait
GPU Adreno 320
Sensors Accelerometer, gyro, compass
Messaging Email, Push Mail, IM, RSS
Browser HTML
Radio No
GPS Yes
Java Yes, via Java MIDP emulator
Colors Black, White
- SNS integration
- MP4/H.264/H.263 player
- MP3/WAV/eAAC+ player
- Organizer
- Document viewer
- Photo viewer/editor
- Voice memo
- Predictive text input
Battery Non-removable Li-Po 6000 mAh battery
If it was $399.99 and battery didn't suck I would probably get it. It also depends on whether or not I sell my Nexus 4 for a Xperia Z. My tablet will match my phone. Lol
Also depends on which is available in Canada first. More nexus 10 shipments or the the Xperia Z tablet in Canada
I also wish that they stuck with the 9.4 inch screen of their older models.
Tablet Z will be at least 100$ more so yeah.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
299ppi>224ppi. I can see a big difference between 299 and 224 ppi. I prefer the nexus 10. I want 4k on 10".
lKBZl said:
and it's not gonna get updated that fast
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sony is one of the most AOSP friendly manufactures out there so I doubt it. I am a Nexus guy for life but Sony builds some quality stuff and are good with updates. As fast as Nexus no, but they won't Samsung it and sit on an update for a year and update it at the same time Google releases that versions replacement.
rookiegenius said:
Tablet Z will be at least 100$ more so yeah.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The upper-bound threshold's been set by the Note 10.1 (32GB $549), N10 (32GB $499), and TF700 (32GB $499). So with 32GB of storage the Xperia Z won't be more than $499 (the Note gets away with more because of S Pen). If Sony's smart they'll price it at $449 to gain some traction in the market. Asus only sold 250K 10.1" tablets a month in Q3 and the TF300 had a MSRP of $349. High-end Android tablets just don't sell well. The Note 10.1 was selling a million a month in Q3 so that makes it an exception. We'll see if that run rate continued in to Q4 when analysts disect Samsung's earnings. Also keep in mind that the specs shown are for the Japanese market Xperia Z. The global and U.S versions could be different. And until something's confirmed at MWC next month we don't even know for sure if there will be global and U.S. versions.

Sony C5 Ultra - Two weeks review

Hello there,
Let's talk about the C5 Ultra with Innolux display, model E5506, Software version 29.0.A.1.55.
It sucks to know it's stuck to Android L 5.0 but it's good to know it will go directly to Android M 6.0, I can see how Sony care about the image of the C5 as it uses it in many advertisements, and also if you go in the official page about software upgrades you'll see that the White C5 is the one that show a marshmallow on screen.
One note about size, it's big. If your hand is not big enough, don't even think about it. It has a one hand mode but I don't use it, my hand is big enough - however, I bought a Nillkin case and I feel it's grip improved, the plastic/glass back make it slippy... really slippery.
After two weeks I learnt how to hate and love this device that promise to be a super mid-range one but that many times act like a flagship. I used as comparison my Xperia Z3C as comparison to draft a list of pro and cons and if I have to say the first thing that come up in my mind about the two is that the display show more saturated colors on the Z3C but of course it has a triluminos display. Other than that I am surprised how the C5 "at times" perform ways much better than the Z3C.
Google now, for example: the voice recognition is faster and smoother in the C5 rather than in the Z3C - Damn you Sony for leaving us with 5.0, Google now conflicts with Camera so I have to disable the voice recognition in all screens otherwise I won't record videos with audio.
Smooth menu navigation, apps open fast and in some cases faster than the Z3C. The C5 has a full HD display and the Z3C no, so you expect that the performance on the C5 should be a bit more laggy, well it's not. It's really smooth but seems that the Memory Leak occur in 5.0 and after few hours of normal usage the device lags, slow down and eventually I'll have to reboot the device to regain full performance.
The MTK True Octa-core inside the C5 doesn't warm like the Z3C Qualcomm QuadCore - The Z3C heat and when it does it, it does it really badly compared to the C5 that it heat too but not like the Z3C and camera won't crash although the camera welcome you at times with the message warning that if the device heat too much it may close the camera app... never happened to the C5, happened a lot to the Z3C.
Photos - Weird how the Z3C take great photos but the C5 take greater ones! It's not a matter of MPX, but a matter of sharpness: C5 take great sharp photos, Z3C take great smooth photos - Confused here but both wins.
Battery life - Tie: They do last an entire day in mixed usage scenarios - no games, I don't play games on phones but due my job there are moments when I really need to use the phone a lot especially if not at the office or in front of a computer. Both devices are connected to my Pebble Time and SWR10 SmartBand and there is little to no battery drain but if both connected to my car stereo I can see a significative battery drain, especially if listening music with Spotify thru the car stereo.
Battery Charger: They both sucks, but the stock one of the C5 sucks even more (0.8A ewww). Anyway in both cases I don't use the stock charger but an Anker Turbo Power adapter, 8A - Both charge in less of two hours... so, just beware: do not use the stock charger: I call them a black cheapy-little jokes.
Interface: Tie: Sony idea of interface it's not that bad, it's not 100% vanilla but almost, there are color icons, different colors here and there some specific functionalities added and it's 100% bearable/lovable.
NFC: Works better in the C5, in the Z3C (probably for the glass-back) is slower.. however I installed a Nillkin frosted back cover and now they are at the same level. Anyway they both works but without cover the C5 win.
Connectivity - WIFI: Eh... the Z3C claims to be dual-band - True, the C5 claims to be single band - True and the winner is C5. The wifi is faster on the C5, I don't know where is the issue with the Z3C but Miracast stutter a lot, it's slow to download, slow to connect, slow slow slow. The C5 is great to cast, fast to connect, fast to download, faster faster faster.
Connectivity - H+/LTE - Tie: Found same download speed in both device, fast and reliable - it may be related to my Carrier, not sure.
Connectivity - Signal Reception: Almost a Tie, one only issue is that the C5 tend to connect more to LTE and when it does the signal strength is slightly lower compared to when connected to H+ anyway I haven't lost signal at all and signal quality is good in both devices.
Connectivity - Bluetooth: Almost a Tie, but Z3C has stronger Bluetooth signal than the C5. Random disconnection of my smartwear if I am one room away, not happening with the Z3C. - Anyway, both are reliable.. just the C5's is less powerful.
Call Quality: Ladies and gentleman, the winner is the C5. While the Z3C has a great call quality, I can say that the C5 with with same call settings (Equalizer: normal, Speaker Voice Enh, and Noise suppression) sounds ways much better - I suspect that the size of the speaker is different hence the quality gain.
Speaker Quality: Tie and not - Damn Sony! Z3C: Stereo - C5: Stereo but Mono - Meaning that the front firing speakers are good in both devices but probably with this software version in the C5 we get just Mono Music reproduction with using just the bottom speaker!! Why???
So basically, after two weeks I think that the C5 is a super-mid range device that thinks to be a flagship device, and probably it is one. Sony never said it's a mid-range, they said the M5 was and left the C5 as an incognita. 2GB of ram are enough but not with android 5.0 in fact I think that the only issue of this phone is the installed Android Version, in fact if you excuse me I'll close this review with a "I need to reboot the device as it started to lag again" - I hope that Sony will rush the Marshmallow release and probably the C5 will become a great device and probably I'll say it's a real flagship device.
YoGem said:
Hello there,
Let's talk about the C5 Ultra with Innolux display, model E5506, Software version 29.0.A.1.55.
It sucks to know it's stuck to Android L 5.0 but it's good to know it will go directly to Android M 6.0, I can see how Sony care about the image of the C5 as it uses it in many advertisements, and also if you go in the official page about software upgrades you'll see that the White C5 is the one that show a marshmallow on screen.
One note about size, it's big. If your hand is not big enough, don't even think about it. It has a one hand mode but I don't use it, my hand is big enough - however, I bought a Nillkin case and I feel it's grip improved, the plastic/glass back make it slippy... really slippery.
After two weeks I learnt how to hate and love this device that promise to be a super mid-range one but that many times act like a flagship. I used as comparison my Xperia Z3C as comparison to draft a list of pro and cons and if I have to say the first thing that come up in my mind about the two is that the display show more saturated colors on the Z3C but of course it has a triluminos display. Other than that I am surprised how the C5 "at times" perform ways much better than the Z3C.
Google now, for example: the voice recognition is faster and smoother in the C5 rather than in the Z3C - Damn you Sony for leaving us with 5.0, Google now conflicts with Camera so I have to disable the voice recognition in all screens otherwise I won't record videos with audio.
Smooth menu navigation, apps open fast and in some cases faster than the Z3C. The C5 has a full HD display and the Z3C no, so you expect that the performance on the C5 should be a bit more laggy, well it's not. It's really smooth but seems that the Memory Leak occur in 5.0 and after few hours of normal usage the device lags, slow down and eventually I'll have to reboot the device to regain full performance.
The MTK True Octa-core inside the C5 doesn't warm like the Z3C Qualcomm QuadCore - The Z3C heat and when it does it, it does it really badly compared to the C5 that it heat too but not like the Z3C and camera won't crash although the camera welcome you at times with the message warning that if the device heat too much it may close the camera app... never happened to the C5, happened a lot to the Z3C.
Photos - Weird how the Z3C take great photos but the C5 take greater ones! It's not a matter of MPX, but a matter of sharpness: C5 take great sharp photos, Z3C take great smooth photos - Confused here but both wins.
Battery life - Tie: They do last an entire day in mixed usage scenarios - no games, I don't play games on phones but due my job there are moments when I really need to use the phone a lot especially if not at the office or in front of a computer. Both devices are connected to my Pebble Time and SWR10 SmartBand and there is little to no battery drain but if both connected to my car stereo I can see a significative battery drain, especially if listening music with Spotify thru the car stereo.
Battery Charger: They both sucks, but the stock one of the C5 sucks even more (0.8A ewww). Anyway in both cases I don't use the stock charger but an Anker Turbo Power adapter, 8A - Both charge in less of two hours... so, just beware: do not use the stock charger: I call them a black cheapy-little jokes.
Interface: Tie: Sony idea of interface it's not that bad, it's not 100% vanilla but almost, there are color icons, different colors here and there some specific functionalities added and it's 100% bearable/lovable.
NFC: Works better in the C5, in the Z3C (probably for the glass-back) is slower.. however I installed a Nillkin frosted back cover and now they are at the same level. Anyway they both works but without cover the C5 win.
Connectivity - WIFI: Eh... the Z3C claims to be dual-band - True, the C5 claims to be single band - True and the winner is C5. The wifi is faster on the C5, I don't know where is the issue with the Z3C but Miracast stutter a lot, it's slow to download, slow to connect, slow slow slow. The C5 is great to cast, fast to connect, fast to download, faster faster faster.
Connectivity - H+/LTE - Tie: Found same download speed in both device, fast and reliable - it may be related to my Carrier, not sure.
Connectivity - Signal Reception: Almost a Tie, one only issue is that the C5 tend to connect more to LTE and when it does the signal strength is slightly lower compared to when connected to H+ anyway I haven't lost signal at all and signal quality is good in both devices.
Connectivity - Bluetooth: Almost a Tie, but Z3C has stronger Bluetooth signal than the C5. Random disconnection of my smartwear if I am one room away, not happening with the Z3C. - Anyway, both are reliable.. just the C5's is less powerful.
Call Quality: Ladies and gentleman, the winner is the C5. While the Z3C has a great call quality, I can say that the C5 with with same call settings (Equalizer: normal, Speaker Voice Enh, and Noise suppression) sounds ways much better - I suspect that the size of the speaker is different hence the quality gain.
Speaker Quality: Tie and not - Damn Sony! Z3C: Stereo - C5: Stereo but Mono - Meaning that the front firing speakers are good in both devices but probably with this software version in the C5 we get just Mono Music reproduction with using just the bottom speaker!! Why???
So basically, after two weeks I think that the C5 is a super-mid range device that thinks to be a flagship device, and probably it is one. Sony never said it's a mid-range, they said the M5 was and left the C5 as an incognita. 2GB of ram are enough but not with android 5.0 in fact I think that the only issue of this phone is the installed Android Version, in fact if you excuse me I'll close this review with a "I need to reboot the device as it started to lag again" - I hope that Sony will rush the Marshmallow release and probably the C5 will become a great device and probably I'll say it's a real flagship device.
Click to expand...
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Nice review, thanks
Nice review, I have the same feeling about the C5 Ultra, it's big, and ever since the 1.55 update, it's stable, I hope Sony keeps that level of stability with Android M, I probably wouldn't rush to update.
I like the camera, it is often slow to launch, but produces good results in most cases with Superior Auto, when I want slightly faster shutter speed and lower ISO I use Manual Mode + Sports/Party Scene (create Manual Mode shortcut on launcher). For videos I like the result when using Horizon app.
Of course if someone is being negative they can always mention the many Cons of this device, but as an owner I find the Pros outweigh the Cons.
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Since Sunday 3 January 2016 I am in US and connected to t-Mobile, thanks to agreements between Movistar MX and t-Mobile I get fast LTE speed and I left WIFI mainly off. With my surprise the device is slightly faster and battery life improved.
As I said at the beginning of the review I think many of the issues are Lollipop 5.0 related, we should get M in the next weeks and hopefully many issues will be fixed. However this time I tried to hate the device and simply, I cannot... it's a really great device.
I personally Highly Recommend it.
Best mid class phone ever made
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The C5 Ultra is awesome, and I have good hopes that the 5.1 update just released will help fix some of the niggling bugs from 5.0 (especially the known memory leak).
Unfortunately, just last week mine decided to randomly turn itself off, and never turn on again. Tried all the key press combos, won't turn on. Eventually got it to take a firmware repair via Companion, which completed successfully, but the thing still won't turn in. Threw in the towel, sent it in for repair under warranty. Hopefully I'll get it back... soon...
i just got my C5 Ultra today and i am also highly impressed - it runs android 5.1 - but one thing i noticed is that my ethernet adapter won't work with the C5 - so now i am thinking of rolling back to stock rom - if possible - did anyone try an ethernet adapter with the C5 on Android 5 succesfully? it used to work on z, z2, z3 (until some later lollipop version) , z ultra ... so newwer versions of android seem to have make sony xperia devices loose the ethernet-work-out-of-box capability

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