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I'm debating to move to the Z2 and I would very much appreciate any feedback from Z2 owners who have experience with the Note 3.
I am looking at the sound quality of the noise reduction in the headphones and the camera, which are two of the primary draws for me.
How does the sound and camera and overall speed compare in real world use?
donalgodon said:
I'm debating to move to the Z2 and I would very much appreciate any feedback from Z2 owners who have experience with the Note 3.
I am looking at the sound quality of the noise reduction in the headphones and the camera, which are two of the primary draws for me.
How does the sound and camera and overall speed compare in real world use?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Former Note 3 user here! In a nutshell, the Z2 is better.
Read my full honest review here - https://www.dropbox.com/s/mpxhmrbqc7dy6nk/Xperia Z2 FULL Review.txt
stanley08 said:
Former Note 3 user here! In a nutshell, the Z2 is better.
Read my full honest review here - https://www.dropbox.com/s/mpxhmrbqc7dy6nk/Xperia Z2 FULL Review.txt
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the response.
Does the 20.7 MP superior auto hack reduce the quality of the shots over the standard 8MP size superior auto mode?
Those gaps you mentioned in the review have me worried. I would have thought Sony would have that worked out by now, after the Z1 had the same problems.
How can anyone trust the water resistance like this?
stanley08 said:
Former Note 3 user here! In a nutshell, the Z2 is better.
Read my full honest review here - https://www.dropbox.com/s/mpxhmrbqc7dy6nk/Xperia Z2 FULL Review.txt
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will be picking this phone up tommorow, have you noticed any serious over-heating or 4K camera recording issues? i.e phone random rebooting while recording video?
I was a former note 3 user and moved on to Z2.
A lot better software stability. More premium design and better handling regarding the smaller size compared to note 3. Unique amongst all samsung users. Waterproof mania and I've been using phones under water since xperia z. People informing they used it even with gaps and it's safe. Any pen stylus can be used and there is one made for sony (sony stylus es22). Camera is outstanding. 4k download is fun. Noise reduction is real. No need for opening flaps as magnetic charging does the job. Sound quality is really good inspite of the waterproof design. Only missing the IR blaster.
Overall u will never regret the switch!
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
sevoflurane said:
I was a former note 3 user and moved on to Z2.
A lot better software stability. More premium design and better handling regarding the smaller size compared to note 3. Unique amongst all samsung users. Waterproof mania and I've been using phones under water since xperia z. People informing they used it even with gaps and it's safe. Any pen stylus can be used and there is one made for sony (sony stylus es22). Camera is outstanding. 4k download is fun. Noise reduction is real. No need for opening flaps as magnetic charging does the job. Sound quality is really good inspite of the waterproof design. Only missing the IR blaster.
Overall u will never regret the switch!
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yea I have both devices at the moment I will play around with both to see what I like most. but I think I will take the sony z2 over the note 3. The screen on the z2 is a lot better then the note 3 the colours are much better. The note 3 is a good phone but the z2 wins on a few more things then the note. As for the gaps tho on the z2 it is true you do get them I had to go through 3 of them before I got one with out gaps. But im very happy with it. And it is still waterproof even with gaps. But when paying 900 for a phone I do not expect there to be gaps between the frame and screen. Some people will be fine with it and some will not. But I can honestly say out of all the other phones I have had they have never had gaps between the frame and screen
donalgodon said:
TThose gaps you mentioned in the review have me worried. I would have thought Sony would have that worked out by now, after the Z1 had the same problems.
How can anyone trust the water resistance like this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A lot of people with gaps of different sizes (including me) have taken the bullet and tested the waterproofing of the phone and we have all concluded that no gap has ever compromised the waterproofing. I've yet to see a report of someone saying the gap compromises the waterproofing of the phone. This is probably due to the construction of the phone as the plastic injection molding goes deeper into the phone and then sandwhiched by the glass.
christoph_2013 said:
I will be picking this phone up tommorow, have you noticed any serious over-heating or 4K camera recording issues? i.e phone random rebooting while recording video?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I personally have experienced over-heating only when recording 4k video for longer than 7 minutes. I think for most, if not all, of the over-heating cases the camera app just shuts off. I don't think anybody's phone ever rebooted due to over-heating from recording 4k.
christoph_2013 said:
I will be picking this phone up tommorow, have you noticed any serious over-heating or 4K camera recording issues? i.e phone random rebooting while recording video?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have not tried 4K recording, because i know i don't need it. But TBH, i never use my Video recorder really. Lol.
sevoflurane said:
I was a former note 3 user and moved on to Z2.
A lot better software stability. More premium design and better handling regarding the smaller size compared to note 3. Unique amongst all samsung users. Waterproof mania and I've been using phones under water since xperia z. People informing they used it even with gaps and it's safe. Any pen stylus can be used and there is one made for sony (sony stylus es22). Camera is outstanding. 4k download is fun. Noise reduction is real. No need for opening flaps as magnetic charging does the job. Sound quality is really good inspite of the waterproof design. Only missing the IR blaster.
Overall u will never regret the switch!
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very well said. IR blaster would have been nice. But oh well!
donalgodon said:
Thanks for the response.
Does the 20.7 MP superior auto hack reduce the quality of the shots over the standard 8MP size superior auto mode?
Those gaps you mentioned in the review have me worried. I would have thought Sony would have that worked out by now, after the Z1 had the same problems.
How can anyone trust the water resistance like this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haven't tested this mod excessively but i believe it would be noisy. Will tell u when i test. And AFAIK, water resistance is ok even with gaps.
donalgodon said:
I'm debating to move to the Z2 and I would very much appreciate any feedback from Z2 owners who have experience with the Note 3.
I am looking at the sound quality of the noise reduction in the headphones and the camera, which are two of the primary draws for me.
How does the sound and camera and overall speed compare in real world use?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am a former Note 3 user - Also reviews would differ depending on the Note 3 variant used.
I have used N9005 LTE and I wont say switch is great. Handset is having lots of issues as discussed by users worldwide. Software crashes which is a common problem and thats the reason Sony till date has real poor reviews for the same. Phone is surely bulky and heavy compared to Note 3. Battery life is pretty much equivalent so no dramas there. Note 3 never heats (N9005 only) even with an hour of game play - Z2 surely does with 5 min camera usage too. Sound Output of Note 3 is way louder compared to Z2. Camera Z2 has a real good one No doubts about that. Build Quality also is pretty superb.
Sent from my D6502 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
donalgodon said:
I'm debating to move to the Z2 and I would very much appreciate any feedback from Z2 owners who have experience with the Note 3.
I am looking at the sound quality of the noise reduction in the headphones and the camera, which are two of the primary draws for me.
How does the sound and camera and overall speed compare in real world use?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I owned the Note 3. Bitterly disappointed with it despite its being a very able mobile. It just didn't work for me. In terms of camera, cant help not my area of expertise. Now sound reproduction is another matter.
In terms of portable sound reproduction Sony started the ball rolling with their Walkmans decades ago. The quality of sound reproduction on most Sony mobile devices is above average to top quality IF one uses dedicated head phones. Here we go..........Headphones or speakers can only reproduce what the amplifier amplifies so the source and amplification are vital. Sony is a leading manufacturer in this area in terms of mobile sourcing and amplification, they have many years of experience and have more or less pioneered portable sound. To this end what we have in the Xperia range is very good amplification and when used with a hi-fidelity headphone those phones are able to take full advantage of the excellent source.
The Xperia Z2 comes with the Sony MDR-NC31EM noise cancelling head phones I am listening to them as I type this and yes they are more accomplished than the stock headphones bundled in most mobiles, better by far BUT..........There are far better still. I am not keen on ear bud type head phones. I prefer an over the ear 'open back' headphone like the Sennheiser PX-100-11. They simply amaze every time I use them and have become a reference point in reviewing other headphones despite their meagre price of around 40.00€ :good:
.
In terms of the ear bud type the Sennheiser CX-300-11 make the Sony ear buds sound amateur. Now if you can afford say 80.00€ the AKG K452 are designed for Android devices and are based on the award winning 450 and 451's They are also portable and come with their own carry case, they are closed back and not ear buds. The AKG can reproduce frequencies between 11-29500Hz, that's from very low base to very high treble! In comparison the Sony MDR's only manage 20-20000Hz meaning they cannot produce the full spectrum of sound frequencies the Z2 is capable off. I am generally not a fan of Sony headphones.
Please do accept that the type of sound you enjoy will not be the same as others. There are numerous brands of head phone and you are bound to find one that you enjoy. Main point is here the Samsung you mention on headphones produced a very decent sound BUT the Sony does produce a greater band width and more open stage to the music. As for the speakers or speaker on the phones themselves, neither are worth even listening to, having written that the Sony again leaves the Sammy dead in the water.
I hope I have been of some small help to you?
Best wishes, Ryland
Well I went the other way, in that I bought a Z2 and gave it up for a Note 3. I will echo what everyone else is saying, the Z2 makes a mockery of the Note's sound, especially with those bundles headphones. Nothing I do to the Note will bring the audio close to the Z2's, I'd be very interested to hear from a Note user that managed to make good on the Note's audio.
The Z2's screen is better but I wouldn't say to a degree that I wouldn't let it impact on the decision to pick it up. We're talking about a significantly smaller screen with that damn navigation bar in place of the buttons. The camera on the Z2 is where it really shines for me. Photos and videos are simply phenomenal. If this matters to you then it's a no-brainer seriously.
It really depends if you're like me and stuck in your ways. I use the Note for work and constantly using the S-Pen for drawing layouts and switching to calculator, I also like my physical buttons. It didn't take me long to switch back for those reasons but I really struggled with the decision to give the Z2 to my girlfriend due to the quality of the audio and video/photo capture. The Z2 is a solid handset it just depends what you want to use it for I guess.
Karnax_ said:
Well I went the other way, in that I bought a Z2 and gave it up for a Note 3. I will echo what everyone else is saying, the Z2 makes a mockery of the Note's sound, especially with those bundles headphones. Nothing I do to the Note will bring the audio close to the Z2's, I'd be very interested to hear from a Note user that managed to make good on the Note's audio.
The Z2's screen is better but I wouldn't say to a degree that I wouldn't let it impact on the decision to pick it up. We're talking about a significantly smaller screen with that damn navigation bar in place of the buttons. The camera on the Z2 is where it really shines for me. Photos and videos are simply phenomenal. If this matters to you then it's a no-brainer seriously.
It really depends if you're like me and stuck in your ways. I use the Note for work and constantly using the S-Pen for drawing layouts and switching to calculator, I also like my physical buttons. It didn't take me long to switch back for those reasons but I really struggled with the decision to give the Z2 to my girlfriend due to the quality of the audio and video/photo capture. The Z2 is a solid handset it just depends what you want to use it for I guess.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed. It depends on ones prioritise and what one does with the mobile.
I was disappointed with the Note 3. My own fault, I made a pre sale purchase and was the first customer in this country to own one. What horrified me about the Note 3 was the plastic leather back with plastic stitching then the plastic chrome sides. No way could I live with the feel of that mobile despite its many other qualities.
Music is important to me and the Samsung on this occasion was awful. The original cost was 1100€ for the Sammy and the Gear watch. With that sort of outlay I expected better materials and construction than the Sammy offered.
If you need the S-pen the Sammy Note is THE phone to own. In that respect its rather unique.
I think when we purchase something we are going to use and hold every day we need to feel pride of ownership and with those plastics made to look like other materials no way could I stomach it. Maybe if the Note 4 is made from decent high end materials I would take another look at the Samsung range BUT as music is important to me it sort of rules out the present Samsung range.
Its great to have all this choice though :highfive: .
Ryland
Ryland Johnson said:
I owned the Note 3. Bitterly disappointed with it despite its being a very able mobile. It just didn't work for me. In terms of camera, cant help not my area of expertise. Now sound reproduction is another matter.
In terms of portable sound reproduction Sony started the ball rolling with their Walkmans decades ago. The quality of sound reproduction on most Sony mobile devices is above average to top quality IF one uses dedicated head phones. Here we go..........Headphones or speakers can only reproduce what the amplifier amplifies so the source and amplification are vital. Sony is a leading manufacturer in this area in terms of mobile sourcing and amplification, they have many years of experience and have more or less pioneered portable sound. To this end what we have in the Xperia range is very good amplification and when used with a hi-fidelity headphone those phones are able to take full advantage of the excellent source.
The Xperia Z2 comes with the Sony MDR-NC31EM noise cancelling head phones I am listening to them as I type this and yes they are more accomplished than the stock headphones bundled in most mobiles, better by far BUT..........There are far better still. I am not keen on ear bud type head phones. I prefer an over the ear 'open back' headphone like the Sennheiser PX-100-11. They simply amaze every time I use them and have become a reference point in reviewing other headphones despite their meagre price of around 40.00€ :good:
.
In terms of the ear bud type the Sennheiser CX-300-11 make the Sony ear buds sound amateur. Now if you can afford say 80.00€ the AKG K452 are designed for Android devices and are based on the award winning 450 and 451's They are also portable and come with their own carry case, they are closed back and not ear buds. The AKG can reproduce frequencies between 11-29500Hz, that's from very low base to very high treble! In comparison the Sony MDR's only manage 20-20000Hz meaning they cannot produce the full spectrum of sound frequencies the Z2 is capable off. I am generally not a fan of Sony headphones.
Please do accept that the type of sound you enjoy will not be the same as others. There are numerous brands of head phone and you are bound to find one that you enjoy. Main point is here the Samsung you mention on headphones produced a very decent sound BUT the Sony does produce a greater band width and more open stage to the music. As for the speakers or speaker on the phones themselves, neither are worth even listening to, having written that the Sony again leaves the Sammy dead in the water.
I hope I have been of some small help to you?
Best wishes, Ryland
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very helpful indeed. My question is this: Sennheiser CX-300-11 does not allow the noise cancelling features built into the device to function, but how do they compare in terms of noise reduction/isolation on their own?
The others are out of my price range at the moment, but the Sennheiser CX-300-11 might get me by.
donalgodon said:
Very helpful indeed. My question is this: Sennheiser CX-300-11 does not allow the noise cancelling features built into the device to function, but how do they compare in terms of noise reduction/isolation on their own?
The others are out of my price range at the moment, but the Sennheiser CX-300-11 might get me by.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me put is this way. When my dear to my heart wife starts to tell me off..............I just pop those in and its bliss.
They come with several sizes of rubber ear bud. When they are in the ear you cannot hear a word outside.
Noise cancelling is not always a good thing. This means the source of the music is not pure. The less distortion your music has the more natural the sound. Processing the sound, as in noise cancelation, is not something I would consider its much like the use of graphic equalisers they just made a mess of the original sound. Sony produce a very good source so I would not want it processed.
The Sennheiser is a very respectable head phone and through me many of my friends and family now own them. I fail to see how one could go wrong with an ear bud that price? I think you will be rather surprised. :highfive:
Let me know what you decide to do.
Ryland
Ryland Johnson said:
Let me put is this way. When my dear to my heart wife starts to tell me off..............I just pop those in and its bliss.
They come with several sizes of rubber ear bud. When they are in the ear you cannot hear a word outside.
Noise cancelling is not always a good thing. This means the source of the music is not pure. The less distortion your music has the more natural the sound. Processing the sound, as in noise cancelation, is not something I would consider its much like the use of graphic equalisers they just made a mess of the original sound. Sony produce a very good source so I would not want it processed.
The Sennheiser is a very respectable head phone and through me many of my friends and family now own them. I fail to see how one could go wrong with an ear bud that price? I think you will be rather surprised. :highfive:
Let me know what you decide to do.
Ryland
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think I'll go for the Sennheiser CX-300-11 because it seems like a great option for me. I would prefer buds for portability. I wasn't aware of the model, but I do know and trust the brand.
How sensitive are they? I mean, can they be driven properly by the Note 3's sound hardware for the meantime while I decide what device (if any) to replace it with?
I'm torn between the LG G3, G Pro 2, or the OnePlus One, but the latter is not available without invite, and the former are rather expensive Korean imports at the moment.
I went from the Note 3 to the HTC One M8 (for a few days) to the Xperia Z2 and couldn't be happier. I feel it's a huge upgrade for me, notably not having to deal with TouchWiz. Sony's Android UI is far nicer in my opinion. Battery life seems to be better than my Note 3 as well.
I came from the Note 2, but have used my friends' Note 3's extensively. Phone is really nice, the build quality, responsiveness, battery life, and stability are all nice. I did have a problem with my GPS in that it couldn't find my location once but restarting the phone fixed it. However, I will point out that the Note 2 and 3 are better for two handed texting, and the Z2 is great for 1 handed swyping. The speaker phone, because of the water proofing, is quieter and not as clear on the note 2, but has comparable quality to the note 3 speaker (although note 3 is louder). Z2 does get points for front facing speakers though, but flipping the note 2 face down while on speaker gave both parties better results.
Using the Neutron music app, (disgusting UI, but the BEST in sound quality) I found that the note 2 has better sound quality. There is a slight background noise, but that is diminished with moderate volume. Through hi-fi headphones, the note 2 has a better lows, the bass hits harder, with no bleed into the mid or high range. The Z2 has a bit of a bright but overall balanced sound. If you are a basshead then the note 2 is more preferable/fun to listen to but the Z2 is cleaner.
As for the UI, Sony has done a great job with keeping everything simple and clean. It's fast, responsive, and I have had no problems with lagging or hang ups. However, Samsung gives you more customization and even though it feels bloated some times, it lets me do what I need quickly and easily. Like changing the vibration intensity, blocking calls with acceptations, changing brightness in the notification area w/o going to the second tab, tapping the brightness icon, and then changing it. Stock Sony is limited, like stock Android.
Notification light under the speaker is sweet, I just wish it could be a little brighter/customizable. Screen is smaller and easier to reach across, but is lightly mitigated by the bezel size and ergonomics. The blacks are REALLY good for an IPS screen, and I don't notice much of a difference from the true blacks on the AMOLED screen, the colors are accurate yet still vibrant, which is great. The one thing lacking on the Sony screen is the viewing angles, which are OK and the screen is kinda reflective, but I can still see if I max the brightness under the brightest day.
I decided to change mi phone (Z1 compact), but I'm very exigent and the rest of the "mini" models are extremely poor in specs, build quality, well in everything. I have to mention that my gadgets lives in an Android/Windows ecosystem.
IMO the models to choose would be the Z5 compact or Z3 compact. But It's because I don't know if there are better models on sale or coming.
I'll list the technologies I'm interested in.
Longest battery life
IPXX Certification
Magnetic/fast charging
Aptx/High-res Audio codecs
5 poles audio jack
Memory card support
ac WiFi/ LTE cat 6
FullHD Camera + the best focus at night
The fastest mobile GPU available
Mini/Compact body desing
What's your suggestion??
Thanks.
Info
[email protected] said:
I decided to change mi phone (Z1 compact), but I'm very exigent and the rest of the "mini" models are extremely poor in specs, build quality, well in everything. I have to mention that my gadgets lives in an Android/Windows ecosystem.
IMO the models to choose would be the Z5 compact or Z3 compact. But It's because I don't know if there are better models on sale or coming.
I'll list the technologies I'm interested in.
Longest battery life YES
IPXX Certification YES
Magnetic/fast charging YES
Aptx/High-res Audio codecs YES
5 poles audio jack YES
Memory card support YES
ac WiFi/ LTE cat 6 YES
FullHD Camera + the best focus at night YES
The fastest mobile GPU available YES
Mini/Compact body desing YES
What's your suggestion??
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SO YES Upgrade to XZ5c
:good:
[email protected] said:
I decided to change mi phone (Z1 compact), but I'm very exigent and the rest of the "mini" models are extremely poor in specs, build quality, well in everything. I have to mention that my gadgets lives in an Android/Windows ecosystem.
IMO the models to choose would be the Z5 compact or Z3 compact. But It's because I don't know if there are better models on sale or coming.
I'll list the technologies I'm interested in.
Longest battery life
IPXX Certification
Magnetic/fast charging
Aptx/High-res Audio codecs
5 poles audio jack
Memory card support
ac WiFi/ LTE cat 6
FullHD Camera + the best focus at night
The fastest mobile GPU available
Mini/Compact body desing
What's your suggestion??
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bro, just get the Z5 compact......unless if you are picky on the design and pricey, then get the Z3 compact
Okay
So guys are you saying that there are not another devices with those features??
In a positive way, I'm right with my idea.
In a negative way, the rest of the manufactures dissapointed me :'(
Thank you so much.
[email protected] said:
So guys are you saying that there are not another devices with those features??
In a positive way, I'm right with my idea.
In a negative way, the rest of the manufactures dissapointed me :'(
Thank you so much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's true at this moment. The manufacturers are all looking for the big screens.[emoji174]
㊙Send from somewhere on the earth™ ?
I went from Google Nexus 5 to z5c because I felt I wanted a smaller phone. Even though the difference is not that big, it feels a lot smaller and looks a lot better.
To answer your question, I found z5c to be one of the only small phones compared to all other phones out there. It feels good in my hand, I can reach the whole screen and it is very good looking. The size is the same as z3c but with better specs and new design on the outside. If the price is a big deal, go with z3c. If not, go with z5c. It is about the same size as iPhone 5s, slightly thicker. Holding it in my hand, I recommend it. Keep in mind that I got it this Monday, I have only had it for two days. Wait a few weeks until all the cons have appeared.
Only drawback so far, the placed the volume button at a very awkward location, below the lock button..
Unfortunately, the Z5 compact is the only hi-end (2015) Android phone with small size. Your other 2015 option is the iPhone 6S but it has a totally different OS as you probably know.
Other old options are:
Z3 compact: still a good phone, still supported, not too old.
Moto X 2013: small with excellent grip and battery life, awesome phone, but I think it's no longed maintained.
itaq said:
I went from Google Nexus 5 to z5c because I felt I wanted a smaller phone. Even though the difference is not that big, it feels a lot smaller and looks a lot better.
To answer your question, I found z5c to be one of the only small phones compared to all other phones out there. It feels good in my hand, I can reach the whole screen and it is very good looking. The size is the same as z3c but with better specs and new design on the outside. If the price is a big deal, go with z3c. If not, go with z5c. It is about the same size as iPhone 5s, slightly thicker. Holding it in my hand, I recommend it. Keep in mind that I got it this Monday, I have only had it for two days. Wait a few weeks until all the cons have appeared.
Only drawback so far, the placed the volume button at a very awkward location, below the lock button..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I read that about the volume button position. But, Ok, it's nothing really severe.
I'm coming from a Nexus 5 too. Do you feel the camera better or worse? (I really like the HDR+ quality of the Nexus 5).
I have moved from Z3c into Z5c and I can't complain. The only issue i have is its little but slippy but my old iPhone was that too.
Build quality is very good as well as screen and speakers (which are btw louder than in Z3c)
New UI looks more vanilla which if you are Nexus fan a good think (I am )
I havent tested camera yet nor battery life but it drops around 4% in 7 hours standby (considering push emails, bt on)
thesebastian said:
...
Moto X 2013: small with excellent grip and battery life, awesome phone, but I think it's no longed maintained.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I recently sold an unlocked Moto X 2013 and it had Lollipop on it. I doubt it will get updated again but it was good to get it to 5.1.
About z5c vs nexus 5 camera: I can't compare because after I dropped my nexus, the camera became useless. It could not focus anymore.
Hello there,
After much inquiry, I've become undecided about this phone. I have been looking for a 4.7-5in phone with a good and snappy camera, battery, USA bands, and micro sd support, and the z5 compact seems to fit the bill. However, I keep reading problems about this device mainly concerning its software and camera. I really like the device given all it has to offer but I'm just not inclined to dish out $500+ on a device that has a problematic camera i.e. blurred edges caused by software or hardware, no warranty (here in the USA), over-heating, sony ui, etc. I currently have an LG G4 which absolutely meets my needs but like I said, I'm looking for a smaller phone for traveling and one hand handling.
So my question for those who own the Z5c, is it really THAT bad and will the firmware update fix the purported problems of this device? I'm concerned about the blurry edges being a hardware issue and perhaps Sony is just covering their tracks by saying that an "update" will fix that problem. If you have updated your device, could you post a sample of the fixed camera or at least let us know here?
Really appreciate your time and input!
Coming from the z1 compact and z3 compact, although I loved those phones I did find the camera sub par, and the external speaker volume too low and muffled, the front and back screens were finger print magnets and easily scratched.
But I love the compact series and put my hope and money back into the z5-compact.
Had mine for 2 weeks now (Arctic white) and I love the new design, the no finger print frosted rear glass and the front screen also just doesn't seem to attract finger prints either!, improved and much louder external speakers, the camera has improved dramatically. I have none of the reported issues of blurred edges, slow camera opening etc it's all good. Oh and the fingerprint scanner is awesome!
I love this phone to death it's perfect in my eyes. It will be hard to part with this when it comes time to upgrade to the z6 compact ☺
Woza72 said:
Coming from the z1 compact and z3 compact, although I loved those phones I did find the camera sub par, and the external speaker volume too low and muffled, the front and back screens were finger print magnets and easily scratched.
But I love the compact series and put my hope and money back into the z5-compact.
Had mine for 2 weeks now (Arctic white) and I love the new design, the no finger print frosted rear glass and the front screen also just doesn't seem to attract finger prints either!, improved and much louder external speakers, the camera has improved dramatically. I have none of the reported issues of blurred edges, slow camera opening etc it's all good. Oh and the fingerprint scanner is awesome!
I love this phone to death it's perfect in my eyes. It will be hard to part with this when it comes time to upgrade to the z6 compact ☺
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does the software seem good and fast? No stutters or lag?
Thanks
Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk
Notchr302 said:
Does the software seem good and fast? No stutters or lag?
Thanks
Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There were stutters and lags, but since the last update they all are gone.
Drakorcarnis0 said:
There were stutters and lags, but since the last update they all are gone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm so confused because some say there is still lag after the update. Ugh lol
Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk
I am one of those who would say that the lags are gone after the update. And whatever that guy said, I agree wholeheartedly. This phone is a beast. I also come from a Z3 Compact and I am loving the Z5c. Especially the camera
It was a little stuttery straight out of the box but I downloaded Sony PC companion (just googled it) and then downloaded the latest firmware 32.0.A.6.152 (it took a couple of hours, which by all reports is normal) then updated my phone.
Happy to report it is buttery smooth with no stutters or lags all super fast.
Interesting to see that the pre installed photo analyzer app (Sony) which was reportedly causing some lag, had disappeared in the latest firmware.
I hope this has helped you with your decision.
Cheers
Do you still have the blurry edges or has it been fixed?
moist_line said:
Do you still have the blurry edges or has it been fixed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
99% sure it's good. You be the judge. Just a quick picture, tried to place items on every edge/corner.
I'm sitting at the park, it's dusk and a little cloudy. No flash, superior auto, 8mp.
I've had the Z5C for a week now and I can't comment too much on certain details because this is my very first Android phone - I am coming straight from a Nokia 808. The phone is compact, slick-looking, seems incredibly fast to me and I am liking the Android experience as a whole, although a few things Symbian had were simpler and more elegant (changing phone profiles, searching for contacts under phone, for instance).
The one issue I have, and that is a big one and it is so big of an issue that I registered today on XDA to ask for help, is the extremely poor photo/camera quality. I cannot understand what is going on here. This is a $600 2015 brand new release phone. Something must be wrong either with the software or hardware on my phone, which sucks since I purchased it for US operation (no warranty). I do not know how to express in words how disappointed I am with the camera. Let's just say that my 2012 Nokia 808 takes photos comparable to my SLR system. I was expecting at least equivalent photo quality from a modern/newer phone.
OldSkewler said:
I've had the Z5C for a week now and I can't comment too much on certain details because this is my very first Android phone - I am coming straight from a Nokia 808. The phone is compact, slick-looking, seems incredibly fast to me and I am liking the Android experience as a whole, although a few things Symbian had were simpler and more elegant (changing phone profiles, searching for contacts under phone, for instance).
The one issue I have, and that is a big one and it is so big of an issue that I registered today on XDA to ask for help, is the extremely poor photo/camera quality. I cannot understand what is going on here. This is a $600 2015 brand new release phone. Something must be wrong either with the software or hardware on my phone, which sucks since I purchased it for US operation (no warranty). I do not know how to express in words how disappointed I am with the camera. Let's just say that my 2012 Nokia 808 takes photos comparable to my SLR system. I was expecting at least equivalent photo quality from a modern/newer phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What are your thoughts on the quick photo I posted? All standard settings in quite average light? Do you see any of the issues you are experiencing on your phone?
Woza72 said:
What are your thoughts on the quick photo I posted? All standard settings in quite average light? Do you see any of the issues you are experiencing on your phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For the resolution posted, I dont see any issues. What I see on my photos is some sort of sharpening which causes details to be lost when zooming in. And believe me, I am not even remotely pixel-peeking, just basic cropping for creative purposes.
I'll try to post some sample photos to illustrate what I am facing here.
Cheers,
BB
OldSkewler said:
The one issue I have, and that is a big one and it is so big of an issue that I registered today on XDA to ask for help, is the extremely poor photo/camera quality. I cannot understand what is going on here. This is a $600 2015 brand new release phone. Something must be wrong either with the software or hardware on my phone, which sucks since I purchased it for US operation (no warranty). I do not know how to express in words how disappointed I am with the camera. Let's just say that my 2012 Nokia 808 takes photos comparable to my SLR system. I was expecting at least equivalent photo quality from a modern/newer phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you haven't already, you might want to check the main Xperia Z5 subforum about this issue, specifically this thread where they talk about the camera, and the best settings for particular lighting. It could be you have a defective camera though, and if so, I feel for ya since I also imported my device.
Adrift98 said:
If you haven't already, you might want to check the main Xperia Z5 subforum about this issue, specifically this thread where they talk about the camera, and the best settings for particular lighting. It could be you have a defective camera though, and if so, I feel for ya since I also imported my device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly how my photos look like! Thanks for linking me to this thread, even though what I learned from it is not exactly great news!
OldSkewler said:
Exactly how my photos look like! Thanks for linking me to this thread, even though what I learned from it is not exactly great news!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same problem for me. It's a very expansive phone and you have to read pages of forums to understand how to make the most of it.
But still, the camera to me is a complete disaster. The app is cheap, very laggy, menus are terrible and the most improtant part, it takes poor photos.
Oversharpened and zooming in a tiny bit on a 23Mp pictures is just horrible.
The photo shared a few post back in the park is just awful too, sorry bro no offense, but it's not a defective camera it's just what is sold.
When you come from other brands, you are automatically disapointed.
P.S. videos are quite amazing though, especially in 60fps and the management of the edit app of videos is very good too.
I just switched to the nexus 5X, and there are no comparaison. Much much simpler, you don't need to test every little setting to take a good pic and zooming in is incredible, the best.
Yet I really loved the compact shape and overall build quality of the z5 device.
Comments non related to the camera is : the system is quite good as it is very similar to stock android but a little disappointed too by the performance.
I don't speak about lags and everything as it is quite fluid, but it just takes time to open or reload apps compared to my other devices.
I am still keeping the device to see if there will be improvement (there should be a major camera app update this month) but i don't believe in miracles, i don't think that will solve the pictures quality.
If you know how to use it (8mp at SA for darker scenarios, 23mp manual for bright daylight) it's been reviewed in a number of places as the best camera currently on the market. It's interesting to me how polarizing the camera is for people though. People either think it's the second coming, or the antichrist. I imagine that the improvements to the software promised with the Marshmallow update will go a long way to getting a lot of naysayers to give it a second look.
Adrift98 said:
If you know how to use it (8mp at SA for darker scenarios, 23mp manual for bright daylight) it's been reviewed in a number of places as the best camera currently on the market.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is a very interesting perspective on the topic; so basically it boils down to misuse by users! And I suspect this is from someone that has never even tried the phone!
Let me propose the exact opposite, and I suspect a portion (if not majority) of people complaining about the imaging performance on these Z5 phones are actually far from amateur photographers and do understand what is achievable and should be expected in terms o quality. There is no way to slice this or put a twist on it, and I don't care about DXO ratings.
OldSkewler said:
That is a very interesting perspective on the topic; so basically it boils down to misuse by users! And I suspect this is from someone that has never even tried the phone!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, it's certainly been by those who've tried the phone. By the looks of it you didn't get too far into that thread I previously recommended, but Timaustin2000 and a few others in that thread really turned the tone around with their investigations on the ability of the camera, and comparison shots. They've even had an influential effect on reviewers. So for instance, it wasn't till TimAustin pointed out to the reviewers at Android Authority that they were crippling the phone by using the 23mp in low light scenarios that they took into consideration the supersampling of the 8mp default settings. From there a number of other reviewers, bloggers, vloggers, and the like took a second look at the camera in the phone and tested appropriately with often very very positive results (many of these reviews and videos are also mentioned in that thread).
Let me propose the exact opposite, and I suspect a portion (if not majority) of people complaining about the imaging performance on these Z5 phones are actually far from amateur photographers and do understand what is achievable and should be expected in terms o quality. There is no way to slice this or put a twist on it, and I don't care about DXO ratings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From the recent reviews that I've been reading and watching, that doesn't appear to be the case, but of course, you're free to come to your own conclusions.
Haven't had much experience with the Z5C camera yet, only had it for a week.
But one thing, it takes so long to open. This is my 1St Android phone, been an ios user for around 4.5 years & the iPhones were just easier to access their camera. Slide up, click camera & it opened. On the Z5C, you press & hold the camera button, feel it vibrate, let it go... & wait.
After a second or so, the screen goes black, then the camera opens, then the screen starts to set itself up.
Just tried then & it was around 4 seconds.
I love the phone so far, but it seems to really struggle with normal usage.
By normal usage, for me, I mean it lags. Playing YouTube videos, it lags, I'm in Oz & we have an online streaming movie/TV service called Stan.... It doesn't work on the Z5.
Switching between tasks can give the phone a heart attack. For example, I was playing Clash Of Clans & some one tried to call me, the box popped down, I clicked answer & nothing happened.
I clicked answer two or three more times, before clicking back to the home screen, the phone call went to message bank while my phone locked up, went black & I had to wait around 30 seconds for it to sort itself out.
Even typing this it lags every now & then.
8 Ball Pool is laggy... If messages pop while playing, it gets even worse.
I do love the phone, I am enjoying Android (I miss a few ios advantages), but I just wish that the phone didn't feel like it was made with enough Ram to run the OS & one app at a time.
Oh... The audio is quiet, it doesn't go as loud as my iPhone 4 did, with my Bose head set & it lacks the same bass, but does sound alright.
The included Sony ear plugs are uncomfortable, have no sound advantages, have annoying different length ear cords & no volume control.
No supplied quick charger.
The back of the phone tends to get quite hot.
Sid3wayz said:
Haven't had much experience with the Z5C camera yet, only had it for a week.
But one thing, it takes so long to open. This is my 1St Android phone, been an ios user for around 4.5 years & the iPhones were just easier to access their camera. Slide up, click camera & it opened. On the Z5C, you press & hold the camera button, feel it vibrate, let it go... & wait.
After a second or so, the screen goes black, then the camera opens, then the screen starts to set itself up.
Just tried then & it was around 4 seconds.
I love the phone so far, but it seems to really struggle with normal usage.
By normal usage, for me, I mean it lags. Playing YouTube videos, it lags, I'm in Oz & we have an online streaming movie/TV service called Stan.... It doesn't work on the Z5.
Switching between tasks can give the phone a heart attack. For example, I was playing Clash Of Clans & some one tried to call me, the box popped down, I clicked answer & nothing happened.
I clicked answer two or three more times, before clicking back to the home screen, the phone call went to message bank while my phone locked up, went black & I had to wait around 30 seconds for it to sort itself out.
Even typing this it lags every now & then.
8 Ball Pool is laggy... If messages pop while playing, it gets even worse.
I do love the phone, I am enjoying Android (I miss a few ios advantages), but I just wish that the phone didn't feel like it was made with enough Ram to run the OS & one app at a time.
Oh... The audio is quiet, it doesn't go as loud as my iPhone 4 did, with my Bose head set & it lacks the same bass, but does sound alright.
The included Sony ear plugs are uncomfortable, have no sound advantages, have annoying different length ear cords & no volume control.
No supplied quick charger.
The back of the phone tends to get quite hot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Previous iPhone only user here too. Have you updated to the latest firmware? My camera takes about 2 seconds to come up pressing the side button since the update. Further improvements are expected with the Marshmallow update.
Also, I have no lag since the latest firmware, but I'm also using the Nova Launcher which you can get for free in the Play Store (not sure if that makes any difference or not).
I also have a problem with the volume, especially from the front speakers. Thought having two speakers instead of one, as I did on my iPhone 2G, 3G, 4S. and 6S would make it louder, but it's not. Still, honestly, I don't find it much quieter than those devices either. the 6S was maybe a tick louder, but not by much. I still want more punch from the front speakers, and I'm hoping that's something I can fix by doing some sort of ROM tweak. If not, I suppose I can live with it, but its the biggest disappointment about the device for me, not because its so much quieter than my iPhone devices, but because it doesn't stand head and shoulders above them.
I don't know about you, but my Sony ear plugs are way way wayyyyy more comfortable than my iPhone headphones. In fact, they're the most comfortable in-ear headphones I've ever worn. The different length on the cords I don't really have much issue with, since I usually drape the longest cord behind my head to my right ear (which is how I'm assuming they're meant to be worn). I will admit that they seem slightly cheap-ish, and I was hoping that where the volume button was (which I DO have on my pair) also had a mic so I could answer in-coming calls, but overall, I think they're pretty okay. Again, they're much more comfortable than the headphones that came with my iPhones. As far as loudness in the headphones is concerned, they're loud enough, but I definitely wouldn't mind if they were louder. I'll probably end up getting some sort of thin amp/dac like the dragonfly or the Aqua to boost the volume. Shame I have to do that, but oh well.
Again, its interesting to me how varied people's reactions are to this device. I'm FAR more happier with this device than I am my previous iPhones. Its not perfect, but it hits so many of the checkboxes for me that its hard to complain.
Edit: Oh, also, I got a quick charger with my device, but I bought the Taiwan version, so maybe that accounts for the difference in headphones and charger.
Lastly, after the initial setup, and especially after the update, my phone doesn't get very hot. Maybe I'm not using the same intensive programs that you are, though. The phone gets a little warm with Candy Crush and Asphalt 8, but my iPhone 6S also got pretty hot just using the camera (which is something my mother noticed when I handed her the phone to see some pictures).
I read a lot of reviews and opinions here about the Z5C that are from people that were or still are using a Sony device. The Z5C is usually compared in terms of the Z3C or even the Z1C. Those comparisons are good if you own those devices, but I have no prior contact with Sony. My current device is a Moto G (1st Gen).
So I'd like to know what people who had no prior contact, or at least not in the past years, with Sony say about the phone. How does it feel and how much "crap" is on a Sony phone compared to a Nexus or Motorola phone? How good/bad are the Sony-Apps ? What "oddities" do Sony phones have?
Thanks for your opinions.
I came from a Moto G (2nd Gen) to the Z5C which is my first Sony phone. So a similar path to what you are considering. It comes with way more "crap" on in than the Motorola did. Where my Moto G (2nd Gen) might have had 5 Motorola utilities, the Z5C has maybe 30. Many of them are app/tools that seemingly connect you into the Sony Sphere. PlayStation stuff, Dinosaur images pop up in the camera you can stamp on your photos and super cheesy Japanese schoolgirl emoticons for your text input.
If you like the clean native Google apps such as Gmail, Calendar, Photos messaging and so on you will find yourself having to disable the Sony versions.
One oddity my Z3C has is that is is fussy about which micro USB cable will charge it. So if like me you have a collection of micro USB cables and chargers from previous phone they may not all work. I guess this may be due to tighter tolerances required water proofing the charge port. Not a biggy but worth knowing.
I find the Xperia Keyboard gesture input (aka Swype input) to be a PITA. Miss rate is too high and deleting errors is tedious. Shame becuase it works very well on other phones.
Small size is great. Can easily slip it in a front trouser pocket.
BUT I have yet to feel "vibrate on for calls" when it is my pocket. When someone does call when Z5C in pocket when I am doing somehting noisey like mowing a lawn, I dont feel the vinration alert, it seemingly wakes the phone and thereafter movement leads to random screen presses. So when I eventually retrieve it form my pocket an hour later the screen is still on and it is in some weird screen such as the camera or emerg dialer. Perhpas I am missing something here though. Oh and definitely don't buy it for the camera if you are expecting a point and shoot with a high % of great shots.
That's my thoughts.
Coming from a nexus 5, I love this phone! Never charge it from the mains only from my car every day(1 hour commute each way) and it keeps going strong! Pretty quick and feels good.
Sent from my E5823 using Tapatalk
Coming from Samsung S3
This Z5 is very bad...unstable sw, no optimization, really slow...bleah! I think i will never buy again a sony device. Oh...customer care is bad too.
Camera is slow and poor quality, GPS is very inaccurate, BT disconnet and reconnect every 15 secs (i think the problem is trhow but i can't disable it...)
So...i'm not a satisfied user..
Thank you all for your replies.
logger said:
I came from a Moto G (2nd Gen) to the Z5C which is my first Sony phone. So a similar path to what you are considering. It comes with way more "crap" on in than the Motorola did. Where my Moto G (2nd Gen) might have had 5 Motorola utilities, the Z5C has maybe 30. Many of them are app/tools that seemingly connect you into the Sony Sphere. PlayStation stuff, Dinosaur images pop up in the camera you can stamp on your photos and super cheesy Japanese schoolgirl emoticons for your text input.
If you like the clean native Google apps such as Gmail, Calendar, Photos messaging and so on you will find yourself having to disable the Sony versions.
One oddity my Z3C has is that is is fussy about which micro USB cable will charge it. So if like me you have a collection of micro USB cables and chargers from previous phone they may not all work. I guess this may be due to tighter tolerances required water proofing the charge port. Not a biggy but worth knowing.
I find the Xperia Keyboard gesture input (aka Swype input) to be a PITA. Miss rate is too high and deleting errors is tedious. Shame becuase it works very well on other phones.
Small size is great. Can easily slip it in a front trouser pocket.
BUT I have yet to feel "vibrate on for calls" when it is my pocket. When someone does call when Z5C in pocket when I am doing somehting noisey like mowing a lawn, I dont feel the vinration alert, it seemingly wakes the phone and thereafter movement leads to random screen presses. So when I eventually retrieve it form my pocket an hour later the screen is still on and it is in some weird screen such as the camera or emerg dialer. Perhpas I am missing something here though. Oh and definitely don't buy it for the camera if you are expecting a point and shoot with a high % of great shots.
That's my thoughts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually never use the original cables since I have set up a "charging station". Which cables does the Z5C not accept? Is there a pattern?
And I'm not buying this for the camera, I have a DSLR for that
Tuonorosso said:
Coming from Samsung S3
This Z5 is very bad...unstable sw, no optimization, really slow...bleah! I think i will never buy again a sony device. Oh...customer care is bad too.
Camera is slow and poor quality, GPS is very inaccurate, BT disconnet and reconnect every 15 secs (i think the problem is trhow but i can't disable it...)
So...i'm not a satisfied user..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have the newest firmware ? AFAIK a few things should have been fixed with the latest update. What experience do you have with the customer care ?
ricostuart said:
Coming from a nexus 5, I love this phone! Never charge it from the mains only from my car every day(1 hour commute each way) and it keeps going strong! Pretty quick and feels good.
Sent from my E5823 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How was the Z5C in terms of "snappiness" compared to the Nexus ?
nazgoul said:
Do you have the newest firmware ? AFAIK a few things should have been fixed with the latest update. What experience do you have with the customer care ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, last fw: 32.0.A.6.152
Customer care have reset the phone 4 times. Each trial did not resolve the problem. In the end they told me to bring it to service but they had no idea of the repair time and they not given me any temporary phone.
My phone has only one month and i need it for work...i can't stay weeks without it. For a 600$ phone i think this is unacceptable.
At this time i have the same initial problems...
I hope in Marshmallow ...
Coming from Moto G first Gen (falcon)
Coming from Moto G 1st Gen. This is my first Sony Phone.
I am loving the Z5C.
Few things to note that that will give you an idea between the two phones
1. The flash on the moto g is noticeably brighter and warmer. Idc about cameras, but I find I use the flashlight a lot
2. The chip on the Z5C does feel much faster. Not sure how to describe it other than the UI on the Z5C being more "fluid"
3. The chip on the Z5C does get noticeably warm (but not hot) on the back under certain loads. E.g. running long sessions of RDP or installing lots of apps in quick succession or recording 4K video. Under normal use like browsing the web or watching youtube it does not get warm.
4. The camera is way better than the Moto G
5. The hardware feels really solid. It feels dense. I like it
6. The battery life is significantly better. At my usage, the Moto G will die at about 8pm or 9pm (taking off the charge at 7am). I have yet to kill the Z5C in a single day in my normal use
(my normal use usually has a few hours of music, and at least 4 hours of screen time)
7. The stereo speakers are much nicer, but the stereo effect is small, and they aren't not as loud as the moto g's single speaker
8. The max brightness of the Z5C's screen is about the same as the one on the Moto G. The min brightness is on the Z5C is lower though.
9 The physical dimensions of the Z5C is smaller in width and height. The Z5C does feel thicker because of its more boxy shape though
In terms of bloatware, there is quite a bit. I have a lot of apps disabled from settings or hidden (I use Apex)
There are some features that sony added that are nice though.
1. Built in screen recording
2. "Small Apps" - a bit like floating widgets
3. Nice audio optimizations that make my music experience nicer
4. Being able to customize the quick settings in the notification center
5. Battery percentage in the status bar (this is important to me )
6. The screen colours can be calibrated to your liking
Other things to consider
- The fingerprint sensor is pretty bad, but that could be just my fingers.
- The phone is really slippery compared to the Moto G. A case is highly recommended.
- Stamina mode - I havent tested if this has a positive effect on battery life, but i'm letting the placebo effect take place
- The microsd slot is nice for future proofing, although given that I had a 8GB moto g, and the Z5C comes with 32GB, Im not going to need a microsd in the near future.
- Water proofing
- Of the 32GB, about 10GB is taken up by the android system, and thus we cannot use for our own stuff
- I found the volume button placement on the Z5C wierd until I got used to it in less than a week. Unless you actively need access to it all the time, its not annoying
- I find that everything on screen is too large for my liking, so I have my DPI set to 280, the same as what I had on my Moto G
In response to some of the things said above:
- Bluetooth works fine for me. It has never lost connection to my Microsoft Band when I needed them to be connected
- I've used my Z5C with 3 different usb cables, none of them have a problem.
- Camera does launch slow if Photo Analyser Service is not disabled. The camera launches quite fast now (but admittedly not as fast as say an iPhone 6s)
- The GPS locks quicker than the Moto G, and has yet to be inaccurate for me.
I am really looking forward to Marshmallow
I hope that answers your questions. Sorry for long response lol
I have both nexus 6p and z5 compact. Previously had nexus 6.
I went for the z5c as it had wifi calling, and is a pretty small but powerful phone.
Notables, z5c is under-clocked, could be because heat dissipation on small device yielded unsatisfactory result, could be another one of those battery optimisation things.
It also seems to be on a conservative or power save profile, making it slow to start, but if you launch a game it gets into gear.
It was stuttering even with the OTAs of which i had received two, just a few days ago, even with factory resets it did not go away.
I used the sony PC companion to do a full firmware flash, not an incremental OTA and it became pretty smooth and slick to use again with all 0.5 speed animations and about 20 apps installed. I also disabled all of the original media apps and extra Sony stuff and use my own, poweramp and mxplayer is all i really need.
Pretty good experience to use now. Too bad about it using some sort of powersave profile even with stamina disabled. Good thing i have an nexus 6p to play with too.
you5urf said:
I used the sony PC companion to do a full firmware flash, not an incremental OTA and it became pretty smooth and slick to use again with all 0.5 speed animations and about 20 apps installed. I also disabled all of the original media apps and extra Sony stuff and use my own, poweramp and mxplayer is all i really need.
Pretty good experience to use now. Too bad about it using some sort of powersave profile even with stamina disabled. Good thing i have an nexus 6p to play with too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you know how to disable throw?
Coming from the N5:
Disadvantages:
- Much less free RAM (N5X also has this issue, I think it's related to Android 64 bits).
- Much lower photo quality
Advantages:
- 200% or much more battery life.
- overall quality
- vídeo quality
Sent from my E5823
I am coming from the HTC One M7 which can be considered an old phone now I guess.
Good:
-Battery life finally gets me over the day and sometimes into the second.
-Better camera, but by far not great.
-Better display brightness
Bad:
-Sonys Android design looks like a toy. It lacks the beautiful HTC Sense look and features.
-Even with the latest firmware and fresh format its doesnt feel any fast than the old HTC One. Sense had a nicer flow overall.
-In general, switching between apps is not faster, once in the app, the processor surely shows its power. Antutu gave me 31k on HTC One and 62k on Z5C, so technically twice as fast.
-Having the phone in the front pockets of your jeans just looks stupid with the hard edges. The HTC one with its beautiful round design was basically invisible in your pocket.
The HTC One was far from perfect and had its issues, but my heart is still with that phone and I dont beleive I am gonna buy another Sony phone. I wanted a small powerful phone, but its not easy to like this phone I am afraid.
eivissa said:
I am coming from the HTC One M7 which can be considered an old phone now I guess.
Good:
-Battery life finally gets me over the day and sometimes into the second.
-Better camera, but by far not great.
-Better display brightness
Bad:
-Sonys Android design looks like a toy. It lacks the beautiful HTC Sense look and features.
-Even with the latest firmware and fresh format its doesnt feel any fast than the old HTC One. Sense had a nicer flow overall.
-In general, switching between apps is not faster, once in the app, the processor surely shows its power. Antutu gave me 31k on HTC One and 62k on Z5C, so technically twice as fast.
-Having the phone in the front pockets of your jeans just looks stupid with the hard edges. The HTC one with its beautiful round design was basically invisible in your pocket.
The HTC One was far from perfect and had its issues, but my heart is still with that phone and I dont beleive I am gonna buy another Sony phone. I wanted a small powerful phone, but its not easy to like this phone I am afraid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm also coming from a HTC ONE M7 and I'm feeling exactly as you. I have had the phone for 5 days now and I'm seriously considering to sell it and keep using my M7 since I'm seeing the same things than you see.
I have great expectations for this phone but now that I have it, I'm a little bit disappointed...I don't know if it's cause I'm so use to my old phone or cause my old phone is sooo good that I don't see anything new or improved on the z5c...maybe expect for the waterproofing things.
I'll give it another week to see If I can fall in love with it...maybe when the custom roms start showing up I'll start to see the advantages of changing.
I've been used some HTC and got a Z1c and S6. Guys plz give sometime to this phone, my S6 also took a couple of months to improve before got satisfy result. I believe Android 6.0 will give a new life to this phone.
I've only experienced Apple's devices so I came over from an iPhone 3G, iPhone 4S and then an iPhone 6S. I absolutely LOVE this sucker. And I must have gotten very lucky because I haven't seen any of the issues that others have.
Pros:
1. Fascinated by the Android OS. There's just so much you can do with it! So much more freeing than Apple's IOS. They both have a few positive and negative quirks, but I'm not really missing IOS that much. I did miss the Safari left/right swipe browser initially, but found out about the Rbrowser app with built in ad-block and the swipe feature, and couldn't be happier.
2. The device is quick. Compared to my iPhone devices haven't experienced nearly as much lag even under load.
3. I love the camera and video. Takes far better pictures and video than any camera I've ever used before, and with the latest update, the menu selection is so easy to use. I think the side button to open the camera app is a genius. I also never experienced the blur issue that a lot of others complained about.
4. The size and look of the device totally compliments me. I find modern phones like the Galaxy S6 and the iPhone 6S way too big and clunky. This device is exactly the right size. Slightly larger than my old 4S, but still comfortable to hold, and type one handed with. I also absolutely love the sharp right angles on the phone. I dig the thickness of the Compact, and I love the bright punky yellow of the case color I selected.
5. The fingerprint scanner is so fun to use. I had one on the 6S that worked maybe slightly better, but that's only because there was more surface area to press, but still having a fingerprint reader makes me feel like a spy a bit.
6. I haven't had any issues with the heat of the phone. It gets warm, but after a month of use, I've never experienced it getting warmer than the 4S or the 6S even while playing graphic intensive games, using the GPS, or recording video. It never gets warm while browsing websites, or doing day to day smartphone things.
7. The device did have a little bit of bloatware, but then, so did Apple's devices. Removing/disabling the bloat was easy to do.
8. So far no unexpected surprises. The alarm works. the phone rings and vibrates as it ought. The apps all open fine. I get all my expected alerts and then some. Messaging works fine. The screen is bright and easy to read and watch. I love the little FM radio app (though I don't use it too much). Haven't had any issues with the GPS. Everything does what it's supposed to do.
Negatives:
1. Coming from devices with only one bottom speaker, I thought that having two front facing stereo speakers would make this device monster loud....it isn't. In fact, it's slightly quieter than the 6S (though louder than the 4S). That said, I do love the stereo effect, and I think having so many audio controls is awesome. I just wish the device was a bit louder. Hopefully when the device becomes rootable I can find a fix for that.
2. The boot up time on this device is pretty slow. From powered off, the 6S starts up in a matter of a couple seconds. It takes like half a minute or longer for the Z5 to start up. Course, this isn't much of an issue most of the time since the device doesn't usually need to be powered off or restarted.
3. The iPhone 6S 3D touch is pretty amazing, and I can see them doing some cool things with it over time. There was nothing about it that was super amazing while I had it. No apps to really take too much of an advantage of it yet, but I can see that it'll be awesome to have some time down the road.
4. The voicemail was a bit odd to set up. I'm used to Apple's easy voicemail integration that just works out of the box. For this device I had to download and setup a "visual voicemail" system that I'm not used to, and that I found a bit annoying.
My first Android phone was a Sony xperia mini. Was worse than Motorola Milestone (gsm droid) that replaced it. I since moved onto Samsung original Galaxy S and then Galaxy Nexus. Then the original Moto X dev edition which is the same size as this Z5C. I love the form factor. Ever since the Nexus 6 which I have one of those, Moto is obsessed with phone size. The Nexus 6 was named Shamu for a reason. I am hoping the just under 5" phones are not s dying breed because this device is the perfect size for me. I also like the subtle tweaks Sony does with their ROM compared to vanilla stock. Its also a fast device and I like the build quality compared to the Samsung devices I have owned. Those are my thoughts anyway.
The z5c came out almost 1 year ago, do you guys think the z5c is still worth buying?
What do you guys think? If no, what would you consider buying, considering the z5c as first option?
***edit: it's my 1000th post on xda yay! ***
i think yes, small phone, great performance, great camera, didn't have any problems in 5 months except camera lens, but devilcase lens protector fixed that, i would buy again
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I bought it 2 months ago. Totally happy with it. No problems up to now.
I wanted a small phone with good performance, and this one was the only one that fitted these criteria.
My 2nd option was iPhone SE... since I came from an iPhone 4S, I was a bit tired of iOS. Personally I think Android Marshmallow is in a really good shape when compared to iOS, in my opinion it is even better.
Buy.
bought one yesterday. Its the best small phone i could find for the $380 i spent. iPhone SE is about the only other 1 i would have considered.
If you dont require a sd slot there are better options.
I picked one up for USD370 (including shipping) for my wife. She had a Z3C before and loved it, but the screen stopped responding. For that price it is an amazing phone.
The latest firmware almost fixed all stuffs, the phone is pretty usable and finally safe to buy and recommended now. The only thing disapointed me is the photo/video quality still not as good as my older Z1c at high ISO(the sensor indeed got 25MP not only 23MP which is over crowed on a small 1/2.3" size) but no doubt Z5c focus speed and camera speed way faster and screen much much clear.
I think yes if you want to buy a small flagship phone. It's just great in everything, almost. I bought it on February and I love this phone.
+
fast
Responsive touchscreen
No lag in almost every game and apps even in high graphics
The camera is awesome (front and rear). but sadly it's can't run the camera over 25 min in 4k. The autofocus actually fast this will be great when you record a video. You can make a bokeh, hdr, or a long exposure pictures. And it's camera is also good in low light.
I like the keyboard, you can swipe like swift keyboard and the auto correct is very usefull
The battery life good also, I got 6-8 hours in normal use (social media, music and browsing) and 4-5 hours when I play fifa 16
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The phone getting hot very fast when you use the camera, and play online game like fifa 16.
For me it recently sure was. As a former iPhone 5 user I wanted to switch to Android on a small (< 5" screen) high-end device. Early 2015 I choose a Z3C based on these criteria. Very nice in almost any way, though camera -especially rooted- was kind of crappy.
I recently upgraded to the Z5C based on the same search criteria. It seems that most manufacturers tend to put more low-end hardware in smaller devices, here Sony has done a nice job. I considered the Samsung Galaxy A3, though the Z5C came out best for me.
I look forward to the day that a more complete and stable version of Cyanogenmod will be released for the Z3C This is likely to make my Z35 experience optimal.
I had a z3c, love the small size and massive capabilities. I replaced it with the z5c about 8 months ago. There is no other device on the market I would rather have. Even tried a galaxy S6 for a bit... Hated every moment of having that one.
My only beef with its I cannot have any special software that comes from having a vendor branded device. (No VOIP on AT&T)
Bought one month before. Best decision according to me. But not the best for those who doesnt want small size or fm radio.
How do you guys have "great performance" from your Z5 Compact? Mine runs worse than my older HTC One M8 in games. The Z5 Compact gets hot after 2 minutes of high graphics gaming, however, if you know how to root, install a new kernel etc. you might get good performance. I'd say underclock the CPU and let it get a bit hotter before automatically downclocking. That's at least what I'm trying now. The camera is good, however not the best. Batterylife is better than most phones, speakers are meh, and overall the phone is stable. Used it for 3 months or so and since I got it 100 dollars cheaper than the iPhone SE I think it's good enough. Just hope I can push the performance to at least as good as my One M8 :/
InterestedHacker said:
How do you guys have "great performance" from your Z5 Compact? Mine runs worse than my older HTC One M8 in games. The Z5 Compact gets hot after 2 minutes of high graphics gaming, however, if you know how to root, install a new kernel etc. you might get good performance. I'd say underclock the CPU and let it get a bit hotter before automatically downclocking. That's at least what I'm trying now. The camera is good, however not the best. Batterylife is better than most phones, speakers are meh, and overall the phone is stable. Used it for 3 months or so and since I got it 100 dollars cheaper than the iPhone SE I think it's good enough. Just hope I can push the performance to at least as good as my One M8 :/
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Click to collapse
Most of the guys that claim good stories are unrooted so you know they don't actually use their phones. I've had great results in power consumption and heat with androplus v34, but it comes at the price of performance.
My 2 are rooted (one with dry restrored) and running xposed,and xpower rom. Both seem to be faster and smoother than my sons' - much bulkier - m8 and iPhone 6. Can't find anything close to the quality of this phone at this convenient size.
I actually wouldn't recommend it at all since Sony stopped updating the software already. I am still on 1 April security patches. I find that unforgivable. And I'm going to switch to S7 once T-Mobile gets its sheet together –*they raised the price by 100 euro a week before I could extend my contract.
+
Small
microSD
water/dustproof
I like the screen very much
-
2 GB RAM which means apps unload faster than you can say "but I just opened two tabs in Chrome"
gets hot even without gaming (I reinstalled the software just in case but it didn't help)
no software updates
camera is not what I expected
I would actually recommend Z3C over Z5C. It's same size, cheaper, works faster (!), doesn't get hot and the Concept software is awesome.
Going to research rooting now, maybe it will manage memory a bit better.
S6 looks like on the same boat stuck with 1 April security patches. 720P required less memory intensive. Z3c is very easy to get touch screen problem after one year and the camera quality even worse than Z1c. I don't satisfied with Z5c but the price is dropping so I think still worth for new owner.
raytheblacksmith said:
I actually wouldn't recommend it at all since Sony stopped updating the software already. I am still on 1 April security patches. I find that unforgivable. And I'm going to switch to S7 once T-Mobile gets its sheet together –*they raised the price by 100 euro a week before I could extend my contract.
+
Small
microSD
water/dustproof
I like the screen very much
-
2 GB RAM which means apps unload faster than you can say "but I just opened two tabs in Chrome"
gets hot even without gaming (I reinstalled the software just in case but it didn't help)
no software updates
camera is not what I expected
I would actually recommend Z3C over Z5C. It's same size, cheaper, works faster (!), doesn't get hot and the Concept software is awesome.
Going to research rooting now, maybe it will manage memory a bit better.
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Click to collapse
Are you on the latest software? Because i owned the z3c and now the z5c and besides the battery life i love this phone way more. Camera is far better and the software runs pretty smooth also even with a sheet load of apps in the ram is still fast.
Actually, the other important thing bugged me is the slow AC wifi speed but since the compact model got only single wifi antenna(Z5 got dual wifi antenna), it is impossible to top out wifi if you got a damn fast Internet connection and router like me.
When you build a NAS or share files via router, the Z5c can't playback ultra quality videos(like the video shoot from a DSLR at 100M+ 4K) though the connection detected at 433Mbps but in reality, I got only 70~120Mbps around. The speed is faster than 802.11b/g/n and good for general Internet purpose but only reached the very entry quality of AC speed.
Plus the rom I'm running Xpower 3.0(.224) bugged to browser vidoes shared out via win10 smb. I can view any photo but can't playback all videos, tested to roll back 5.1.1 and no problem. Not sure if .253 fixed the issue, been waiting for Xpower 4.0(.253) to release.
Yeah I am on the latest software. I had great hopes for it. But for instance today the phone heated up, stayed hot, lost 70% battery in three hours and then finally shut down with the red light blinking. Ummmmmmmm.
raytheblacksmith said:
Yeah I am on the latest software. I had great hopes for it. But for instance today the phone heated up, stayed hot, lost 70% battery in three hours and then finally shut down with the red light blinking. Ummmmmmmm.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Real hard to solve without root. If you root it, you can flash the Increase thermal-performance mod plus lower down the max cpu clock for the price of slower speed. In my experiences, they are quite a helping hand but sure can't fix all, might be 50% better experiences though.
If the X Compact with sd820 is real coming up, probably it can fix the heat issue(even so, sd820 is also hot). But I doubt I will switch to Xc bcoz Z5c already spend me much money, or only until the price dropping a lot next year.