Screen, Nougat, processor, Daydream, etc? I currently have the Z but keep seeing how people are loving the Z play even more.
Battery. I'm unable to even discharge my Moto Z in a full day of use, how could I discharge the Play?
Seriously... speed and height.
Daydream VR
The VZW Z was $120 with no contract and no trade-in. Got four of them to replacing the aging phones of family members.
Locked bootloader is a huge negative for sure, but with the exception of AdAway, I find myself less concerned with root and custom ROMs given how close to vanilla the Moto is.
If someone figures out how to unlock it, I'll do it without a second thought, but at $120 the specs make it a no-brainer over the Z Play and well worth the risk of being stuck with a locked bootloader (for me).
It's thin and light
Hardware, software (nougat), thickness, the dark frame, the aluminium cover.
Hey guys. I've just gone through this so I thought I'd add my $0.02.
I went into a local shop and got some hands on tune with both of these. Honestly, with normal use I was pretty tough to tell the difference. Even the screens were close enough for that to not be an issue.
In the hand, the play felt better to me. The regular Z was almost too thin and the edges felt quite sharp.
Ultimately, I went with the regular Z and here are my reasons in order of importance to me:
1. Camera
Looking at the pictures taken I that shop there was a marked difference between the two. This may have been exacerbated my the play's lower res screen but the photos taken indoors were more passable to me.
2. Specs
Even though the play was just as smooth navigating Android, my assumption is that the SD 820 in the Z will give it more longevity.
3. Thickness
I have the speaker, camera and battery moto mods. The Z feels much better in the hand with mods installed than the play. Those couple of mm do make a difference.
4. Price
Over here in Aus, there's $300 difference between the play and the Z retail. However, I actually bought my Z on Expansys during a sale for $629 with free shipping. The play was $489 and for me the extra $$$ is comfortably justified.
I still dig the play though. I've had back of my GS7 and even though the GS7 camera is KILLER, I'd probably still pick the okay over it.
That is all, hope that helps anyone else tossing up between the two.
Play camera is considered better. Unless you're in love with the form factor of the Z I don't see it.
benjamminh said:
Play camera is considered better. Unless you're in love with the form factor of the Z I don't see it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Considered better by who? I think you'd be pressed to find even one review which would support this claim.
Play has more megapixel, sure. But it also has a narrower aperture lens so it's low light performance is always going to produce shots with now noise and less detai.
There's much more to a camera than a sensor. Case in point: Google pixel and Xiaomi Mi5s. Exact same sensor but have you heard anyone talking about the Xiaomi being the best smartphone camera money can buy? There's a reason for that.
I'm not intending to be rude here but for real... if you're going to tout the Play as having a better camera then you need a pretty solid basis for it considering every single review of the Play I came across described the camera as just passable.
Sent from my SM-G930F using XDA-Developers Legacy app
Both Anandtech' and DXO basically say the Z Play has the better camera. The shots I've seen seem to confirm that. Where are the reviews you refer to that compare them DIRECTLY? A whole lot of vitriole in that post.
Lightweight and thin, I can barely feel it in my pocket. I get 5h+ screentime with the combination of Greenify, Lux AB and another app I forget; that schedules system things around the phones hibernation.
Considering that Nougat recently got pushed for the Z Play, it was noted that Daydream VR is not included in the update because of the Z Play's low resolution and less powerful Snapdragon 635 processor. I guess I'm glad I spent the extra few bucks to get the Z instead.
I was going to get the Play, but my carrier stopped offering it, so around here it was about $400 to buy one from the classifieds. Mostly just wanted the bigger battery.
So I got the Z for zero down as an upgrade with my carrier instead. And really, the battery has surprised me. I'm getting 5 to 6 hours screen on time, and the phone charges so fast anyway. So I'm glad I got the Z now. The camera has been a nice surprise too, compared to phones I've previously had.
This is my 3rd Moto. I've had the original X and the N6 also. Have loved all my moto phones.
Still getting the battery mod soon though.
Darth said:
I was going to get the Play, but my carrier stopped offering it, so around here it was about $400 to buy one from the classifieds. Mostly just wanted the bigger battery.
So I got the Z for zero down as an upgrade with my carrier instead. And really, the battery has surprised me. I'm getting 5 to 6 hours screen on time, and the phone charges so fast anyway. So I'm glad I got the Z now. The camera has been a nice surprise too, compared to phones I've previously had.
This is my 3rd Moto. I've had the original X and the N6 also. Have loved all my moto phones.
Still getting the battery mod soon though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you with Koodo? I'm with Koodo and they did indeed just stop carrying the Z Play, just when I was thinking of upgrading to it from the X Play I was wondering whether the "regular" Z might be my next choice, and it just may be...
cucumbers said:
Are you with Koodo? I'm with Koodo and they did indeed just stop carrying the Z Play, just when I was thinking of upgrading to it from the X Play I was wondering whether the "regular" Z might be my next choice, and it just may be...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, the Z is the better device. No doubt. Minus a headphone jack and the Play has a bigger battery.
The lack of headphone jack is definitely a nuisance. Have to be charged up before watching stuff, or listening to a lot of music. There's Bluetooth headphones out there though too.
The battery life surprised me, not much worse than my oneplus-one, or N6, but not stellar of course. I just got the incipio battery mod, so that solves that. Lol. It's bulkier, but not too crazy.
So it was cash for a play, probably used, or zero for the Z on a two year contract. I'm happy with what I got though.
I'm with bell. Oh, and it's the best camera I've had on a phone so far. I don't expect pics like an actual camera, so this meets my expectations for sure. :good:
Great specs, but mostly due to how thin and sexy it looks. Battery is no big deal to me these days because quick charge is fabulous...
Related
At present I have a HTC one and an Xperia Z Ultra. Wondering whether to get a htc one max and sell my other phones or sell both and get a note 3 or keep the Xperia z ultra and sell the HTC one. I'm unsure does anyone have some advice other suggestions etc please help.
just my opinion
If you prefer performance, then keep ZU or sell for Note 3
If you are not really care about performance, just choose your ideal phone
There are so many factors can change your mind, it could be performance, screen size or phone body, etc.
Read by my HTC One max itself
nathlynn22 said:
At present I have a HTC one and an Xperia Z Ultra. Wondering whether to get a htc one max and sell my other phones or sell both and get a note 3 or keep the Xperia z ultra and sell the HTC one. I'm unsure does anyone have some advice other suggestions etc please help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Keeping in mind that I'm heavily One Max biased, This is an extremely capable device. Gorgeous fullHD screen + front facing stereo speakers (sound is to die for!) = Mini Home Theater. Runs super smooth, never hiccups. My battery lasts a full day. I thought having only SD600 and 2GB RAM was going to be an issue for me but it's totally not. I beat on her and she's snappy enough for me... and nothing's snappy enough for me! Oh and I love my camera, pics are great, a million times better than my last phone.
Note 3 was what I was originally going to buy. I played with it a lot while waiting for One Max to be released. Beautiful device, super fast, Day-Glo screen LOL. It's... well... it's a Samsung Galaxy (It should be noted that we own 5 Samsung Galaxies) Clunky UI, TouchWiz , insane bloatware, SuperAMOLED screen. I am personally not a fan of Samsung screen tech. Colors over-saturated and unnatural. The Note does have some cool and unique capabilities, like It's S-Pen and Multi-app.
To be perfectly honest I have no hands on experience with Z Ultra. It's gorgeous, glass, waterproof, great specs, I'd have one for fun if I was rich.
Also for your consideration is the recently launched LG G Pro 2. 5.9" 1920x1080... Equally comparable in specs to the Note and the Z Ultra, It's also equally as pretty.
Good luck deciding!
AA181891 said:
just my opinion
If you prefer performance, then keep ZU or sell for Note 3
If you are not really care about performance, just choose your ideal phone
There are so many factors can change your mind, it could be performance, screen size or phone body, etc.
Read by my HTC One max itself
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your right so many factors haha. There's a constant battle going on in my head for past couple of weeks. To be honest I just chucked the note 3 in there as another phone. Although I like the idea of some of there stuff the ui is horrible. And still don't like the design that much. The xzu is a powerhouse it is so smooth. The ui is great best I've seen but to me it is other parts letting it down. The screen is stupidly sensitive to the point if the screen is abit dirty from fingerprints (it is a fingerprint magnet) then the screen can go crazy with phantom touches etc it's installed with a factory installed anti shatter film which also scratches quite easily. There's no ir blaster. And the thing I hate is its such a big phone they for some reason couldn't incorporate a god damn flash. Plus the Sony throw (dlna) is pretty ropey to say the least with my HTC one it would play one video then play the next without having to mess around. With the xzu it can be a night mare and that's if you even get it to work. Sometimes I have to turn off wifi on phone then back on or even turn off the phone completely all while turning off TV to get a connection. It can be a frustrating phone to say the least. @neodiver the water proof isn't all that you have to compromise for sound quality. But it is a luxury device. But for luxury the price for accessories is crazy, for the xzu power case it's about £110... But again while I sent the xzu off for repair last week. I hugely missed the phone. I was using my HTC one and was not impressed having to use it. I'm not sure if that was small screen phobia or what haha. But it was lacking. It may have been the rom I was on. It was great to have a good camera phone back but still. If you guys could give me advice. I don't mind how biased you are towards the phone.I had a demo on the phone over weekend. At the moment the power is in your hands haha. What is the camera like? Is it same as htc one? Does the sd600 let it down I'm any way. What is Dev support like. Is it rootable. I may even try a gpe rom is the one available. I guess it has xposed bit can you use the toolbox.apk. Which is on htc one on the max? What do you guys think of the HTC accessories if you have them or even if there are any out... I haven't yet checked. Does it work with the Sony smartwatch 2 I don't have 1 but may give it a go at some stage. Etc. Thanks if you do manage to read my long ramble.
Oh I will have a search for that LG. Might not be available in UK yet as haven't heard much of it.
neodiver said:
Keeping in mind that I'm heavily One Max biased, This is an extremely capable device. Gorgeous fullHD screen + front facing stereo speakers (sound is to die for!) = Mini Home Theater. Runs super smooth, never hiccups. My battery lasts a full day. I thought having only SD600 and 2GB RAM was going to be an issue for me but it's totally not. I beat on her and she's snappy enough for me... and nothing's snappy enough for me! Oh and I love my camera, pics are great, a million times better than my last phone.
Note 3 was what I was originally going to buy. I played with it a lot while waiting for One Max to be released. Beautiful device, super fast, Day-Glo screen LOL. It's... well... it's a Samsung Galaxy (It should be noted that we own 5 Samsung Galaxies) Clunky UI, TouchWiz , insane bloatware, SuperAMOLED screen. I am personally not a fan of Samsung screen tech. Colors over-saturated and unnatural. The Note does have some cool and unique capabilities, like It's S-Pen and Multi-app.
To be perfectly honest I have no hands on experience with Z Ultra. It's gorgeous, glass, waterproof, great specs, I'd have one for fun if I was rich.
Also for your consideration is the recently launched LG G Pro 2. 5.9" 1920x1080... Equally comparable in specs to the Note and the Z Ultra, It's also equally as pretty.
Good luck deciding!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my C6833 using Tapatalk
Thread closed
Comparison threads are not allowed
Ghost
Well i just done it and traded my Note 3 for this beautiful phone and here are my first day impressions
Build Quality : Solid, sleek, beautiful and classy.. Kinda like the White Iphone 4 i got when it was just released and not many people had it yet... i pulled this thing out in the public and people were either in awe or thought i was stupid.. im not sure yet but i notice people tend to look over. I saw alot of reviews saying because it was really thin it's hard to pick up, i tried and really found out they were being nit picky about that kinda stuff (like phones that rock when you touch them).. who cares its easy to pick up its not going to make your life harder.
Cons : As nice as it is, Samsung won me over with the removal back cover and replacement battery. One time i had no idea what was wrong with my phone, i called my friend up and asked him to swap batteries.. turns out my battery died from wiping my phone down with too much water lol. i would of wasted alot of money sending it in if i didn't swap batteries with my friend to see the problem. $15 to replace the battery. On the plus side the Z Ultra is waterproof so i can wipe it down as much as i want now.
Battery Life : Decent, compared to my Note 3 i surfed the net for an hr and a half and ended up with about %70 battery life on max brightness, if i did the same with the Note i would be around %80 and not need to set brightness that high and have even more battery saved.
Screen and Size : When i first saw the screen it didn't blow me away initially because i was used to the over saturated display of the amoled but non the less the more i looked at it the more i realized it was a Beautiful display panel, unsaturated colours bigger and better with better colour accuracy over the Note. It wasn't until i decided to see how good the blacks were was where it was a let down. I loaded up the movie Aliens and tried watching a few dark scenes, the colour skin tones and everything was nice and way better then the Note but the blacks in the dark scenes were not deep enough.. it made the movie feel washed out and faded and was not enjoyable as seeing the dark corners clearly takes away from the movie experience.. This is coming from someone who loves watching movies on projector i can't but notice that flaw..from my eye test it seems to have a 1000:1 contrast ratio which is not good. To the average user i would say the blacks are definitely sufficient for movies but to the trained eye it totally sucks and i was expecting more from sony on the display as i bought this phone only for media purposes. That being said it seems like a big trade off for me since the amoled has the best blacks of any phone and i'm sure their over saturated colours can be corrected with proper tools but can the blacks be fixed on the Sony Xperia Z Ultra? i'll have to see if there are tools for it but the limitations are likely within the panels itself.
Note 3 Display (Amoled) = Deep blacks really good for watching movies,
Cons = Over saturated inaccurate colours
Sony Xperia Z Ulta = Accurate colours,better tones, sharper better to look at
Cons = Blacks are a little washed out and faded (average users may not care or notice)
Games = I have yet to play a game on this but i can tell its going to kick some butt because the screen is so nice and large
Sound = The Speakers on this thing blows.. it sounds like my old Iphone 4 just louder.. and vs modern phones its far too quiet.. don't expect anything more
Pocket test, i'm 5'10 and a half wore skinny jeans with it, to my surprise it didn't stick out of my pocket like everyone. Pocketable for me
Camera = I don't take pictures not a deal for me
Speed = Although the Note 3 has 3 gigs of ram and faster mhz, the Sony felt snappier the moment i used it. Everything felt zippier and just faster overall. Likely due to Samsung touchwiz
Am i going to return/sell this for a Note 3? Probably not, i'll need a week or 2 to decide if i watch that many dark movies for the blacks to bother me enough. Everything about the screen is better except for the blacks as long as you don't mind then go for the SXU. I love big screens and if i could get the Mediapad X1 when it releases i'll buy that but for now the Sony Xperia Z Ultra seems like a fine phone to me.
anonapersons said:
Well i just done it and traded my Note 3 for this beautiful phone and here are my first day impressions
Build Quality : Solid, sleek, beautiful and classy.. Kinda like the White Iphone 4 i got when it was just released and not many people had it yet... i pulled this thing out in the public and people were either in awe or thought i was stupid.. im not sure yet but i notice people tend to look over. I saw alot of reviews saying because it was really thin it's hard to pick up, i tried and really found out they were being nit picky about that kinda stuff (like phones that rock when you touch them).. who cares its easy to pick up its not going to make your life harder.
Cons : As nice as it is, Samsung won me over with the removal back cover and replacement battery. One time i had no idea what was wrong with my phone, i called my friend up and asked him to swap batteries.. turns out my battery died from wiping my phone down with too much water lol. i would of wasted alot of money sending it in if i didn't swap batteries with my friend to see the problem. $15 to replace the battery. On the plus side the Z Ultra is waterproof so i can wipe it down as much as i want now.
Battery Life : Decent, compared to my Note 3 i surfed the net for an hr and a half and ended up with about %70 battery life on max brightness, if i did the same with the Note i would be around %80 and not need to set brightness that high and have even more battery saved.
Screen and Size : When i first saw the screen it didn't blow me away initially because i was used to the over saturated display of the amoled but non the less the more i looked at it the more i realized it was a Beautiful display panel, unsaturated colours bigger and better with better colour accuracy over the Note. It wasn't until i decided to see how good the blacks were was where it was a let down. I loaded up the movie Aliens and tried watching a few dark scenes, the colour skin tones and everything was nice and way better then the Note but the blacks in the dark scenes were not deep enough.. it made the movie feel washed out and faded and was not enjoyable as seeing the dark corners clearly takes away from the movie experience.. This is coming from someone who loves watching movies on projector i can't but notice that flaw..from my eye test it seems to have a 1000:1 contrast ratio which is not good. To the average user i would say the blacks are definitely sufficient for movies but to the trained eye it totally sucks and i was expecting more from sony on the display as i bought this phone only for media purposes. That being said it seems like a big trade off for me since the amoled has the best blacks of any phone and i'm sure their over saturated colours can be corrected with proper tools but can the blacks be fixed on the Sony Xperia Z Ultra? i'll have to see if there are tools for it but the limitations are likely within the panels itself.
Note 3 Display (Amoled) = Deep blacks really good for watching movies,
Cons = Over saturated inaccurate colours
Sony Xperia Z Ulta = Accurate colours,better tones, sharper better to look at
Cons = Blacks are a little washed out and faded (average users may not care or notice)
Games = I have yet to play a game on this but i can tell its going to kick some butt because the screen is so nice and large
Sound = The Speakers on this thing blows.. it sounds like my old Iphone 4 just louder.. and vs modern phones its far too quiet.. don't expect anything more
Pocket test, i'm 5'10 and a half wore skinny jeans with it, to my surprise it didn't stick out of my pocket like everyone. Pocketable for me
Camera = I don't take pictures not a deal for me
Speed = Although the Note 3 has 3 gigs of ram and faster mhz, the Sony felt snappier the moment i used it. Everything felt zippier and just faster overall. Likely due to Samsung touchwiz
Am i going to return/sell this for a Note 3? Probably not, i'll need a week or 2 to decide if i watch that many dark movies for the blacks to bother me enough. Everything about the screen is better except for the blacks as long as you don't mind then go for the SXU. I love big screens and if i could get the Mediapad X1 when it releases i'll buy that but for now the Sony Xperia Z Ultra seems like a fine phone to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your expectations were too high in regard to the black value on the ZXU. The Notes all have amoled, thus the pixels are nearly off when displaying black. Mind you, this is the only screen tech that offers that. Super LCD, IPS, Triluminos don't have that. It's a well known trade off. What you get back in return is better color reproduction, better sharpness, etc. The black value is by no means bad, not different from most televisions actually. A lot of reviewers call the ZXU a mini Sony Bravia TV and that is exactly what it is.
I reckon your eyes really need to get used to the ZXU display, which requires extensive time and movie watching. This makes sense if your eyes have been accustomed to the Note line for a long time now. I have the Note 2 as well and I find the greys/black not that good to be honest, as the contrast doesn't seem to work that well. A lot of times scenes are too dark compared to reference material.
The ZXU remains a marvel, I suggest you spend some more time with it and report back in a while :good:
anonapersons said:
Well i just done it and traded my Note 3 for this beautiful phone and here are my first day impressions
Build Quality : Solid, sleek, beautiful and classy.. Kinda like the White Iphone 4 i got when it was just released and not many people had it yet... i pulled this thing out in the public and people were either in awe or thought i was stupid.. im not sure yet but i notice people tend to look over. I saw alot of reviews saying because it was really thin it's hard to pick up, i tried and really found out they were being nit picky about that kinda stuff (like phones that rock when you touch them).. who cares its easy to pick up its not going to make your life harder.
Cons : As nice as it is, Samsung won me over with the removal back cover and replacement battery. One time i had no idea what was wrong with my phone, i called my friend up and asked him to swap batteries.. turns out my battery died from wiping my phone down with too much water lol. i would of wasted alot of money sending it in if i didn't swap batteries with my friend to see the problem. $15 to replace the battery. On the plus side the Z Ultra is waterproof so i can wipe it down as much as i want now.
Battery Life : Decent, compared to my Note 3 i surfed the net for an hr and a half and ended up with about %70 battery life on max brightness, if i did the same with the Note i would be around %80 and not need to set brightness that high and have even more battery saved.
Screen and Size : When i first saw the screen it didn't blow me away initially because i was used to the over saturated display of the amoled but non the less the more i looked at it the more i realized it was a Beautiful display panel, unsaturated colours bigger and better with better colour accuracy over the Note. It wasn't until i decided to see how good the blacks were was where it was a let down. I loaded up the movie Aliens and tried watching a few dark scenes, the colour skin tones and everything was nice and way better then the Note but the blacks in the dark scenes were not deep enough.. it made the movie feel washed out and faded and was not enjoyable as seeing the dark corners clearly takes away from the movie experience.. This is coming from someone who loves watching movies on projector i can't but notice that flaw..from my eye test it seems to have a 1000:1 contrast ratio which is not good. To the average user i would say the blacks are definitely sufficient for movies but to the trained eye it totally sucks and i was expecting more from sony on the display as i bought this phone only for media purposes. That being said it seems like a big trade off for me since the amoled has the best blacks of any phone and i'm sure their over saturated colours can be corrected with proper tools but can the blacks be fixed on the Sony Xperia Z Ultra? i'll have to see if there are tools for it but the limitations are likely within the panels itself.
Note 3 Display (Amoled) = Deep blacks really good for watching movies,
Cons = Over saturated inaccurate colours
Sony Xperia Z Ulta = Accurate colours,better tones, sharper better to look at
Cons = Blacks are a little washed out and faded (average users may not care or notice)
Games = I have yet to play a game on this but i can tell its going to kick some butt because the screen is so nice and large
Sound = The Speakers on this thing blows.. it sounds like my old Iphone 4 just louder.. and vs modern phones its far too quiet.. don't expect anything more
Pocket test, i'm 5'10 and a half wore skinny jeans with it, to my surprise it didn't stick out of my pocket like everyone. Pocketable for me
Camera = I don't take pictures not a deal for me
Speed = Although the Note 3 has 3 gigs of ram and faster mhz, the Sony felt snappier the moment i used it. Everything felt zippier and just faster overall. Likely due to Samsung touchwiz
Am i going to return/sell this for a Note 3? Probably not, i'll need a week or 2 to decide if i watch that many dark movies for the blacks to bother me enough. Everything about the screen is better except for the blacks as long as you don't mind then go for the SXU. I love big screens and if i could get the Mediapad X1 when it releases i'll buy that but for now the Sony Xperia Z Ultra seems like a fine phone to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, Gideon is pretty much straight on here. I came from a Galaxy Note so I was used to an AMOLED panel, and let me tell you that I was quite shocked. Deep blacks (in the dark)? Nope. Aaand that's pretty much it. The Note display was darker and more saturated, and I was pretty much surprised when I got the Ultra, except I wasn't.
AMOLED displays do not have a backlight, so black will actually be black. Black will be turned off.
LCD panels do have backlights, so black will still have a backlight, only the light will be dimmed. It's the same thing as your TV. The Ultra uses LED. So yeah, the Ultra is pretty much a Bravia TV.
Audio, yeah... It's not very good. Don't forget that the Ultra is waterproof so the speakers have a membrane that makes it waterproof.
Camera: No flash so it won't take great photos in the dark or even inside your home, bit it's not that bad once you're outside in the daylight.
Overall, the Note 3 is a more "all arounder", but you're paying a lot for a luxury item that doesn't feel like it's what it is. It feels like a plasticy...thing. The Sony is a luxury item that does a lot, but it also feels like a luxury item. It's incredible big, but you also feel that you've paid for a quality glass and aluminium product.
- Note 3: Big plastic phablet
- Z Ultra: Huge glass and metal phablet
Sent from my Z Ultra
I just sold my note 3 and ordered zu gpe I loved the phone but locked bootloader killed it for me cant wait to try this phone!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
gtshiftin6 said:
I just sold my note 3 and ordered zu gpe I loved the phone but locked bootloader killed it for me cant wait to try this phone!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just dumped my day one note2 and ordered stock sony version last night Samsung was driving me crazy with the knox crap lol.
bryce850 said:
Just dumped my day one note2 and ordered stock sony version last night Samsung was driving me crazy with the knox crap lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here... Love the big screen on this beast.
Sent from my C6833 using Tapatalk
I, too, traded in a Note 3 for a Z Ultra, but I bought the Google Play Edition (and of course I bought it a little over a month before they dropped the price to $449). I couldn't be happier with this thing. My only real gripes are:
1. The camera sucks in low light.
2. The headphone jack is on the side. That placement makes it awkward sometimes when I put the phone in my pocket while going out for a walk.
3. I absolutely HATE that anti-shatter film that's on the front and back glass. For starters, it scratches if you look at it (just like any screen protector does), and the oleophobic coating that they put on the front rubs off within the first 3 or so weeks. I would remove it, but I don't really care enough to waste the time, plus you need a razorblade to do it and I don't like getting razorblades anywhere near my phone. This also says nothing of the fact that removing the film also voids your warranty.
These are all pretty minor complaints in the grand scheme of things, at least when I consider my own needs in a phone. When it comes to the important stuff, this phone excels. The hardware is top shelf, it's fast, stock Android runs amazingly well on it, the screen is gorgeous, and it's really the perfect size for me. :good:
oldblue910 said:
I, too, traded in a Note 3 for a Z Ultra, but I bought the Google Play Edition (and of course I bought it a little over a month before they dropped the price to $449). I couldn't be happier with this thing. My only real gripes are:
1. The camera sucks in low light.
2. The headphone jack is on the side. That placement makes it awkward sometimes when I put the phone in my pocket while going out for a walk.
3. I absolutely HATE that anti-shatter film that's on the front and back glass. For starters, it scratches if you look at it (just like any screen protector does), and the oleophobic coating that they put on the front rubs off within the first 3 or so weeks. I would remove it, but I don't really care enough to waste the time, plus you need a razorblade to do it and I don't like getting razorblades anywhere near my phone. This also says nothing of the fact that removing the film also voids your warranty.
These are all pretty minor complaints in the grand scheme of things, at least when I consider my own needs in a phone. When it comes to the important stuff, this phone excels. The hardware is top shelf, it's fast, stock Android runs amazingly well on it, the screen is gorgeous, and it's really the perfect size for me. :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If Z2 Ultra is indeed an oversized Z2, all your complaint will be gone (except maybe the camera, but 13mp one would not hurt just like T2U) then that would really ring my bell..
about headset placement, actually i think i like it on the side. Because the device itself is longer than any general pocket available, so when the jack comes in, it might very well be outside the pocket. Plus when you play it landscape, nothing protrude from the side, hence easier handling. Plus some Bluetooth Companion wouldn't hurt (in fact such device is promoted from the start to be used with XZU)
I came from a Note 1 (GT-N7000) and at the time it was basically price between note 3 and z ultra. The ultra was $100 cheaper and I had a buyer for my N7000 so I went ahead and got the Z.
I agree with the following:
1. Amoled is a superior display, no doubt. However, the 6.4" vs 5.7 makes up for it.
2. Unlocked - I have changed carriers twice since owning this phone. If I bought the t-mobile Note 3, i'd be out of luck (the model I was previously leaning toward), or at the least, had to pay a fee to unlock it.
3. Camera is an absolute joke. I don't take many pictures like the OP, but the ones I do take are just horrid in low light.
4. There are issues with sony software. I get crackle in my text messages, and the phantom touch issue is there sometimes. However, i'd rather have these issues than be faced with KNOX. Plus, I know sony will address the issues eventually.
In the end, i'm glad I got the z ultra over note 3.
Z Ultra
Well, I also just bought the Xperia Z Ultra and as soon as I finished updating and arranging most things, I came here for some extra search for extra work that needs to be done with this device! I am also an owner of the Xperia Z (yuga/C6603) for more than a year and since I had enough to complain issues with it, I was a little bit puzzled about how the big brother Ultra was going to perform! As it has been mentioned, and that's the reason I am posting in this thread, I was between 3 devices including Samsung's Note 3 and LG's G Flex! The reason I didn't go with the Note 3, despite the perfect screen and the faster and bigger RAM, and among the 4K camera capabilities, was that as soon as I hold it in my hand I knew it wouldn't even compare to the Z's quality I've been using for quite long! The plastic leather-alike back cover was quite a lot slippery after you have used the device enough to sweat your hand! Also a drawback I could also see was that its 5.7" display looked tiny next to the G Flex and the Ultra for me, so as to be consider a phablet! It actually felt more like a normal phone like anything else with a little bit oversized screen. And then came G Flex which also astonished me with its design and curved build but I could spot a huge difference in the 720p display next to the Note 3 and the Ultra! I adored though the design and the 32gb built in storage but those couldn't be enough for me to purchase it! I also didn't like so much the coating on the back cover, which also feels and is slippy straight out of the box, although I think it is supposed to be some kind of self healing coating to help with shallow and/or light scratches. After some minor tests I was able to make in a store that had them all for customers to see and play with, when I reached the Ultra and hold it in my hand I knew it was the device I would after all buy since its build quality and its exceptional slim design made me looking around like a retard :laugh: !! So, to end up with, after experiencing these three phabs the weight up of pros and cons for each had come and despite all the camera capabilities both G Flex and Note 3 had over the Ultra the price tags pointed which deserved to be bought, considering what it offered and it could't be anything else than the Ultra! For the records, I bought it in purple(cuz i couldn't find yuga back in 2013 in purple and i was craving for it ) in the awesome price of 325 euros with the G Flex costing 425 euros and the Note 3 being at the price of 460 euros! As it is obvious, I could't even a second think for a reason to spend over 100 euros forone of the other two! After 4 days of heavy usage and insanely lots of recharges I am extraordinarily amazed to find out that Sony has done everything that hasn't for the yuga! No more lags, no more UI glitches, no more stuttering animations and no more scrolling problems within every day apps like Chrome! The only cons I was able to notice that do disappoint me are:
1. Sound quality or at least one more speaker like the one it is already on device would be perfect! (I am searching for sound mods now, hope to find sth good)
2. The camera sensor could have been the same with the Xperia Z (13MP) with a LED (though I wont be taking any pictures with any phablet for now)
3. I would expect a bigger battery, although it has convinced me to be fair enough despite its small, for the screen's size, capacity
4. The phantom touch issue is a bit annoying from times to times
5. The screen should be a a little more dimmer for outdoors use
To conclude with, I'll always find it a lovely device, with great network speed, excellent performance, excellent build quality and excessively excellent and gorgeous design! I hope I made a good choice to choose the Ultra over the other two, but even if I didn't I am still more than a hundred euros richer to consume on accessories!
PS: I was amazed to find out the time I was unboxing that the magnetic dock DK30 was included in the box for free! I really didn't expect that and I was really pleased to find out that Sony saved me about 25 euros for spending on sth else!
I came from the Note 3 and the Note 2 I had before that.
I agree with the removable battery thing, but honestly, battery life is able to last me throughout the day unless I'm heavily using it, so I haven't really been in a bind yet in that regard.
I also agree with the speaker. Flash the sound boost mod, it's mandatory IMO. I've attached it for you. It's like night and day, honestly, but I've found it's a louder boost on 4.3 than it is on 4.4, which is one reason I haven't updated to KitKat. But, if you are using the ZU mainly for media consumption, what are you doing not using a bluetooth speaker!?!? I waited a long time to get one and shouldn't have waited. I researched a lot, pick up an Arctic S113BT off Amazon. It's aptx, got NFC, louder than the Jambox, and 3x less expensive ($40). Only thing that's annoying is the BT audio/video syncing that's always a bit off 90% of the time you first turn it on. Needs some closing of programs and going back to the homescreen to get it to sync up sometimes. I just have the speaker next to me when I'm watching my shows now, it's made everything more enjoyable.
Your gripes and analysis pretty much echoed mine, you'll really get to love the device after a little more time (I should be a rapper, mad rhymes).
SonyMan7 said:
Well, I also just bought the Xperia Z Ultra and as soon as I finished updating and arranging most things, I came here for some extra search for extra work that needs to be done with this device! I am also an owner of the Xperia Z (yuga/C6603) for more than a year and since I had enough to complain issues with it, I was a little bit puzzled about how the big brother Ultra was going to perform! As it has been mentioned, and that's the reason I am posting in this thread, I was between 3 devices including Samsung's Note 3 and LG's G Flex! The reason I didn't go with the Note 3, despite the perfect screen and the faster and bigger RAM, and among the 4K camera capabilities, was that as soon as I hold it in my hand I knew it wouldn't even compare to the Z's quality I've been using for quite long! The plastic leather-alike back cover was quite a lot slippery after you have used the device enough to sweat your hand! Also a drawback I could also see was that its 5.7" display looked tiny next to the G Flex and the Ultra for me, so as to be consider a phablet! It actually felt more like a normal phone like anything else with a little bit oversized screen. And then came G Flex which also astonished me with its design and curved build but I could spot a huge difference in the 720p display next to the Note 3 and the Ultra! I adored though the design and the 32gb built in storage but those couldn't be enough for me to purchase it! I also didn't like so much the coating on the back cover, which also feels and is slippy straight out of the box, although I think it is supposed to be some kind of self healing coating to help with shallow and/or light scratches. After some minor tests I was able to make in a store that had them all for customers to see and play with, when I reached the Ultra and hold it in my hand I knew it was the device I would after all buy since its build quality and its exceptional slim design made me looking around like a retard :laugh: !! So, to end up with, after experiencing these three phabs the weight up of pros and cons for each had come and despite all the camera capabilities both G Flex and Note 3 had over the Ultra the price tags pointed which deserved to be bought, considering what it offered and it could't be anything else than the Ultra! For the records, I bought it in purple(cuz i couldn't find yuga back in 2013 in purple and i was craving for it ) in the awesome price of 325 euros with the G Flex costing 425 euros and the Note 3 being at the price of 460 euros! As it is obvious, I could't even a second think for a reason to spend over 100 euros forone of the other two! After 4 days of heavy usage and insanely lots of recharges I am extraordinarily amazed to find out that Sony has done everything that hasn't for the yuga! No more lags, no more UI glitches, no more stuttering animations and no more scrolling problems within every day apps like Chrome! The only cons I was able to notice that do disappoint me are:
1. Sound quality or at least one more speaker like the one it is already on device would be perfect! (I am searching for sound mods now, hope to find sth good)
2. The camera sensor could have been the same with the Xperia Z (13MP) with a LED (though I wont be taking any pictures with any phablet for now)
3. I would expect a bigger battery, although it has convinced me to be fair enough despite its small, for the screen's size, capacity
4. The phantom touch issue is a bit annoying from times to times
5. The screen should be a a little more dimmer for outdoors use
To conclude with, I'll always find it a lovely device, with great network speed, excellent performance, excellent build quality and excessively excellent and gorgeous design! I hope I made a good choice to choose the Ultra over the other two, but even if I didn't I am still more than a hundred euros richer to consume on accessories!
PS: I was amazed to find out the time I was unboxing that the magnetic dock DK30 was included in the box for free! I really didn't expect that and I was really pleased to find out that Sony saved me about 25 euros for spending on sth else!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very nice post, and welcome!
Sent from my C6833 using Tapatalk
Thanks
LordManhattan said:
Very nice post, and welcome!
Sent from my C6833 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you a lot my friend! Nice to be in such a community, although I am not quite new as of time concerned! On the contrary, it is such a complete this community I really hadn't to create an account to participate! Everything I ever searched for from the times of galaxy ace back to the '06s! Awesome work from anyone here! ??
SonyMan7 said:
Thank you a lot my friend! Nice to be in such a community, although I am not quite new as of time concerned! On the contrary, it is such a complete this community I really hadn't to create an account to participate! Everything I ever searched for from the times of galaxy ace back to the '06s! Awesome work from anyone here! ??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you're a lurker becoming a poster. Good stuff!
Sent from my C6833 using Tapatalk
LordManhattan said:
So you're a lurker becoming a poster. Good stuff!
Sent from my C6833 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll try!
I'm well aware of the specs and I have been wanting to get a Z ultra for quite some time but I have waited until now.
Hands down, I like the bigger screen on the Z Ultra and the price of it makes it even more enticing. Where as the Z2 has faster/newer internals(CPU, etc.), better camera, and a flash(I'm so annoyed by the ZU not having a flash! I used the led flash as a flashlight all the time), but at a more expensive price.
What's your guys' take on it? Waiting is kind of out of the question(I heard about the Z3X which sounds like my next phone after this one... I don't like paying premiums for new releases)... I prefer something stable and working decently out of the box(I know, this is xda).
Key points:
Z Ultra:
+Price is lower
+Bigger screen
-slower
-worse camera, no flash
Z2:
+Faster/updated internals
+better camera
-costs more
Also, I heard there was a decent note taking app from Sony for the Z Ultra, where you could use a stylus and take notes(sort of like the Samsung Galaxy Note series), is that app available for the Z2 as well(anyone happen to know?)?
Thanks in advance, I appreciate any input. What's your take on it? I think I could go either way, I hear about lag on both units(I'm sure rooting can help, but I might keep it simple for now and use it out of the box for rooting/modding).
I happens to have a Z2 here (it is not mine but I got the responsibility to configure it) and all I can say is that it is a great device BUT wouldn't dream about replacing my Ultra. My Ultra is very smooth (CandyKat at the moment with GreatDevs V1 and OC to 2.46 GHz) and the only benefit I can see with the Z2 is more or less the camera when I make the comparison.
I am not talking down the Z2 when I say this but the Ultra offer a great package with a screen that make it a tablet replacement. The Z2 on the other hand is a great device for a person that has a Z today (which I also have) and I would recommend it warmly... if there wasn't an Ultra in the house (or rather two).
Since I read a lot and browse the Internet and so forth, the big screen of the Ultra wins me over - hands down.
camera camera camera. if you want to take even one photo then z2. i own a ultra as a backup to my note 4. the camera on the ultra is really just sad. but everything else is great.
pushcush1983 said:
camera camera camera. if you want to take even one photo then z2. i own a ultra as a backup to my note 4. the camera on the ultra is really just sad. but everything else is great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The camera is poor in poor light but otherwise is not that bad other than over sharpining of the jpg
a buddy of mine has the z2...
i bought a z ultra like 2 weeks ago since its even cheaper than the original z
he saw it today and now he wants to replace his z2 with an z ultra
he doesn't use the camera and also he doesnt game much
camera would be my only concern though
also the led flash, if you just wanna have a flashlight, you can the big screen, its decent enough for finding your stuff in the dark
cant talk about hickups since i dont run stock (and never will / or did)
both phones seem blazing fast to me, i really dont think the performance of the z2 is much better
my last phones were a htc magic and galaxy s-plus, just so u know
also i have to say, since i got the ultra, i don't want to use any smaller phone anymore.. they seem so small and bad to use
Thanks to everyone who responded!
Helps a lot. It seems like the more I hear from Z Ultra users, the more I hear about how they love the device despite it's shortcomings(ie: camera and no flash).
I agree, once you behold such a big screen it's hard to go back!
How is battery life? And just to throw it out there, what are some of the custom roms you guys recommend that may improve the battery life/performance?
I was slightly concerned that the slower cpu/gpu might affect performance, and I was going to try to avoid custom roms for the sake of simplicity, but haha, it seems to be unavoidable with most devices I get.
You can slash "Slower" right away. If you care about games, the Z ultra is better desipite having an Older SoC, simply because of its Size.
Besides, even in stock rom, I experience no lags, even with the stock launcher, im in 4.4.4.
Get the Z2 If you want relatively smaller phone, 5 coll isnt really "Small" but compared to the Z ultra, it is.
The camera in the Z2 is also better and has flash LEd.
You should ask yourself, do you want a one handed phone thats fairly recent and a good camera or a 2 handed one, which is amaizing for multi media and reading.
Considering the price of the ZU, you get a premium phone for an amaizing price, just dont treat this phone as a normal phone, it might not fit in the pockets.
I love my ZU.
I snooze I lose, I should've gotten a Z Ultra from the Sony store US site while I still had the chance for it's great price, now it's gone and taken off the site. Now, I'm only looking at the Z2, and behold, my waiting has resulted in the Z2 being back ordered. I could really use a phone by mid January. So I'm still open, but the ZU is probably a closed door for me unless I can find it brand new for a great price and with a warranty. I'm also looking at the LG G pro 2(but it's really pricey for the F530-US At&t compatible LTE) or even a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (the price has really fallen on that phone lately).
A lot of people are having this problem right now as ZU gotten much cheaper. First of all you should decide what's most important for you in your smartphone and how you're going to use it. Both are really great but designed for different kind of people. To help you choose, I'll give you some pros and cons of both devices.
Xperia Z Ultra (I own standard edition but this will mostly apply to GPE as well)
Pros:
- huge screen, which makes browsing the web and watching the movies very comfortable,
- excellent performance in applications and games, backed up by nicely optimized system and solid stock kernel,
- because of it's size ZU doesn't throttle, which is not common in most of the high end 5 inch +/- smartphones packed with Snapdragon 800+, including Xperia Z2, (actually ZU does throttle but just a little, which is not event felt in games)
- operating temperatures are acceptable during stress, which makes sure that battery and hardware will last a little longer (especially non replaceable battery),
- very solid stand by and calling battery life,
- excellent microphone which makes calls really great,
- it's very cheap, considering how premium it's.
Cons:
- lack of flash, this is a problem if you want to make a photos in bad lighting conditions or you need a lighter,
- still photos quality is decent, improved auto mode is kind of useless and makes photos with huge amount of noise. You can
make some of the nice photos during day out of the ZU using manual settings though, photos made in poor lighting conditions are out of question,
- it's too big to use single handed (unless you have huge hands) and you might have some problems putting it in your pocket, might be too heavy for some people,
- front camera is pretty bad,
- battery life is at best only decent, if you're using a lot of screen, you'll need to charge everyday,
- speakers could be louder.
Xperia Z2:
Pros:
- Excellent cameras, still photos and recordings have amazing quality, both selfie and back camera,
- Can record very detailed 4K videos,
- It's much more handy and can be used single handed without problems, it's also much lighter than ZU and easilly pocketable,
- Pretty great battery life, especially with screen on, in some cases almost 2 times better than ZU,
- Speaker is much louder and call quality is also very good,
- It has 3 GB of ram,
- Propably it will be updated to 5.0 faster than ZU.
Cons:
- it has updated specs but in real usage it's weaker than Z Ultra, especially in games because of bigger throttling,
- it's not that smooth, compared to Z Ultra, on 4.4.2 in Z2 i experienced a bit of lagging, opposite to silky smooth ZU on 4.4.4,
- has much smaller screen, which is not as comfortable as ZU screen to use,
- can get very hot during games,
- overheating problems during 4k recording.
Both are finely crafted devices, you can't go wrong with both of them. But keep in mind, that if you need a handy smartphone that can be used single handed then ZU it's not a good choice for you.
Hi,
I'm selling my Z5 Compact under MM. The decision was hard because I kinda love the fingerprint but...
The battery is a complete joke, it doesn't last a day compared to my old Z3C which is far more better in everything,
The device gets warm and hot all the time, in any application I go (I have no games and I mostly use Google apps and Telegram)
The back camera glass protector has some problem, see: http://forum.xda-developers.com/z5-compact/help/dirty-camera-glass-protection-t3336230
I'm going to take back my good old Z3 Compact which is far more better.
And you ? Do you also share the same feelings about it ?
Before the MM update - yes, I felt the same. Since MM and the newest update mine has been great.
If it weren't for z3c side charging I would have never chosen the z5c. I'm holding onto mine for a bit longer until this HTC mini, s7 mini, and xiaomi mini release. Front facing speakers are keeping me from downgrading back to a mini Samsung for the time being.
And as far as battery life and heat issues I'm right on the same page. I've adapted to it for now by quick charging at lunch time to get me through the work day and clipping phone to me so I'm not burning myself in my pocket.
I am thinking about doing that too, but there are 2 things that keeping me from that, fingerprint sensor and camera! I don't know what to do, wait for S7 Mini,go for S7, wait for SONY to maybe fix issues of this phone or what else?
I think if only this phone had 3GBs of RAM we had no problem or even SONY used good old Snapdragon 801!
i had drain and heat problem until i shutoff 4G, now (3G.5HPSA) only dosnt need really need fast internet
now my phone is 40-90 hours average use , instand 12-30
i have 5.1.1 but maybe it will work also with 6, u can try
I am quite happy with the phones performance and battery life since MM, but I have now preordered the HTC10 and my neighbour is already waiting to buy the Z5C from me. If the HTC10 is as good as I beleive it is, I can overlook the fakt that I hate big phones in this case. Ive been a very happy HTC owner since the HD2 and lastly the M7. The Z5C is a great phone to me, but it will never be more than that. HTC usually managed to float my boat just that tiny bit better than the other brands
eivissa said:
I am quite happy with the phones performance and battery life since MM, but I have now preordered the HTC10 and my neighbour is already waiting to buy the Z5C from me. If the HTC10 is as good as I beleive it is, I can overlook the fakt that I hate big phones in this case. Ive been a very happy HTC owner since the HD2 and lastly the M7. The Z5C is a great phone to me, but it will never be more than that. HTC usually managed to float my boat just that tiny bit better than the other brands
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used to be a big HTC fan until they went to the one series. They are supposedly bring an h10 mini out with flagship specs this year. Hopefully they don't disappoint like the last two minis, I want to go HTC again.
eivissa said:
I am quite happy with the phones performance and battery life since MM, but I have now preordered the HTC10 and my neighbour is already waiting to buy the Z5C from me. If the HTC10 is as good as I beleive it is, I can overlook the fakt that I hate big phones in this case. Ive been a very happy HTC owner since the HD2 and lastly the M7. The Z5C is a great phone to me, but it will never be more than that. HTC usually managed to float my boat just that tiny bit better than the other brands
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you know the HTC 10 has not stereo speakers anymore? only dual speakers one (lower) for bass and for top on high pitch
Z5C is kind the same thing BUT! still stereo , Z5C top speaker wave range of 150hz-22050KHz and bottom speaker is 500HZ-22050Khz (less bass)
Superrman said:
you know the HTC 10 has not stereo speakers anymore? only dual speakers one (lower) for bass and for top on high pitch
Z5C is kind the same thing BUT! still stereo , Z5C top speaker wave range of 150hz-22050KHz and bottom speaker is 500HZ-22050Khz (less bass)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude, I dont care about that stuff. If I want to listen to music I get me a proper stereo and speakers or headphones. Any cellphone speaker sounds horrible.
What kind of personality disorders do people have these days to need a stabilized photosensor for selfies? Is a look in the mirror in the morning not good enough anymore? Million megapixels cellphone cameras still make crappy pictures in comparison to any 100€ camera Ive gotten my hands on.
Marketing makes us beleive that we need so many things in our cellphones, but in the end they usualy cant to one thing great.
I bought the Z5C because it was the only product available that offered highclass specs in a small phone. I dont like the design of it, the picture quality, speaker sound quality, sony customizations...you name it. Its a good phone for what it is. A phone. Snappy performance and 2 days on a charge make me a happy user.
The HTC10 is not compact, which I am not happy about, but it has a beautiful design and HTC Sense. Apparently it also has better sound quality if you connect good headphones to it and I like to listen to music with the best possible quality. This is an archievable goal in a phone btw...dslr picture quality isnt!
If someone builds a phone with the size of the Z5C (or even smaller), 1080p resolution, aluminium body/looks like the HTC One series, happily dumps the selfy camera and top-spec hardware, but little to no changes to stock android, then I buy that phone in a heartbeat.
The complete contrast for me is Samsung now. Make it huge, put useless features on it and customize it to the max. Full throttle marketing bull**** in my mind, but people seem to love it.
eivissa said:
Dude, I dont care about that stuff. If I want to listen to music I get me a proper stereo and speakers or headphones. Any cellphone speaker sounds horrible.
What kind of personality disorders do people have these days to need a stabilized photosensor for selfies? Is a look in the mirror in the morning not good enough anymore? Million megapixels cellphone cameras still make crappy pictures in comparison to any 100€ camera Ive gotten my hands on.
Marketing makes us beleive that we need so many things in our cellphones, but in the end they usualy cant to one thing great.
I bought the Z5C because it was the only product available that offered highclass specs in a small phone. I dont like the design of it, the picture quality, speaker sound quality, sony customizations...you name it. Its a good phone for what it is. A phone. Snappy performance and 2 days on a charge make me a happy user.
The HTC10 is not compact, which I am not happy about, but it has a beautiful design and HTC Sense. Apparently it also has better sound quality if you connect good headphones to it and I like to listen to music with the best possible quality. This is an archievable goal in a phone btw...dslr picture quality isnt!
If someone builds a phone with the size of the Z5C (or even smaller), 1080p resolution, aluminium body/looks like the HTC One series, happily dumps the selfy camera and top-spec hardware, but little to no changes to stock android, then I buy that phone in a heartbeat.
The complete contrast for me is Samsung now. Make it huge, put useless features on it and customize it to the max. Full throttle marketing bull**** in my mind, but people seem to love it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yup also one of the reason i bought this phone because its small, my previous phone was 3.5" sony with walkman WT19 , so even this one abit big for me, lol..
im mostly disappointed of
1.camera lens (plastic) can scartch easly and can ruin the shots
2.photos are noisy\blurry even with good light ,
3.phone heating fast, (even low end apps or, even 4G signal; if high end apps like asphalt 8 in 2mins its 50c\120F)
4.when phone get hotter it become slower ,
5.speakers are uneven and weak , loudspeaker awful, my previous phone was 4times louder didnt need it use of bluetooth in car, now i need...
6.didnt came with quickcharge QC adapter
7.didnt came with in-ear headphones
8.update the phone to MM make it worse battery and lags,camera*, didnt upgrade it yet*
still pretty fast phone with nice battery but not worth the price (mine cost about 800 US$ when i bought it)
My only problems with the phone are:
some hick-ups during normal operations
overheating
average camera
poor system customization options
Otherwise the phone is perfect. The battery is great, I've recently lasted two days (~10% when going to sleep on the 2nd day) with automatic brightness and 24h sync with mobile data, some sms and a few calls, I even played some Hearthstone on a bus. The battery seems to have problems on certain units.
Greets
EDIT:
Mine was 390 USD... gotta love Europe
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
-
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.