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Hello,
I'm currently a proud owner of HTC Tattoo (running android 2.3.7) and I'm looking to buy a new phone. There are few phones that I had in mind, but mini pro is currently my favorite. I love the fact that it has a real qwerty keyboard, 1Ghz processor, and the small screen (I like a phone that fits in my pocket).
But, I have few questions:
Do the newer versions have the noise issue ?
Is the touch screen responsive ?
Is battery life good, and is battery overheating ?
Is reception good ?
Is the phone generally fast ? (I'm tired of Tattoo's occasional lags)
So what do you think, should I buy it ?
Kind regards,
Andrew
Some have reported that they still have the electrostatic noise even after updating to 2.3.4 although Sony Ericsson have stated that it's fixed. Of course, as an owner of a Sony Ericsson Xperia mini Pro sk17a, after finally updating, I still get the electrostatic noise.
I've seen much improvement with the touchscreen after updating to 2.3.4. As in its pretty responsive.
In terms of battery life, it's decent, I can get several hours of movie watching on it (like 10 hours) and it still hasn't reached 15%. Charging is really fast, you can probably charge the phone dead to full in an hour. The battery won't overheat unless you're playing games on the beach. I haven't seen the phone go above 42C.
Reception depends on location, carrier, etc, factors like that. I'm getting full bars right now so I guess it's good.
The phone is generally fast, but you will see a difference comparing to your old phone or to a high end phone like the SGS2. I haven't seen much occasional lag. And those were very occasional.
Do you like the 3-inch screen? The thick form factor?
Whether you should buy it or not, it's your choice. It's a pretty good mid- ranged phone.
Feel free to ask more questions.
AndrewB. said:
Do the newer versions have the noise issue ?
Is the touch screen responsive ?
Is battery life good, and is battery overheating ?
Is reception good ?
Is the phone generally fast ? (I'm tired of Tattoo's occasional lags)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"Newer" phones have had a hardware fix - according to Sony Ericsson. The jury is out on that one though as there's no confirmation of the build number's that have the fix and there's no real agreement on whether it has "gone" or merely been reduced to a lower level. In fact, there appears to be at least two different noise problems - a rythmic pulsing and a higher-pitched clicking noise - so it's often difficult to know which people are talking about when their posts aren't detailed.
Touch screen - excellent. I've had no problems with it - even with a screen protector attached.
Battery life - difficult question. If used as a phone, it will last for ages. If you use wi-fi and other heavy draws, it will obviously reduce battery life. Even then, it's very difficult to make a fair comparison with any other phone - you'd have to have a genuine like-for-like comparison - even the signal strength and line speed from the network source will impact on how much work the phone has to do. As a purely subjective opinion - it's acceptable. I often leave wi-fi on all day and play games, watch videos and generally "play" with the phone for a full day - I just recharge it at night - and it's never run flat. Regarding heat - I've never noticed it even getting more than vaguely warm.
Reception - an odd one. It does seem well able to pick-up on the weakish signal where I live but it has a strange habit of losing the connection even when there is a string signal. It doesn't do that all the time and it appears to me to be a software rather than a hardware problem as it seems to happen after using certain apps or performing certain functions. Having said that, I've yet to lose a call.
Is it fast - hell yes. A 1GB single-core processor is hardly going to break any records but the phone "feels" great - I've yet to find anything that suffered any obvious issues as a result of the CPU speed. Considering the price - which has recently halved in the UK - it is miles faster and more responsive than anything else I could find. Video playback is smooth and seeking within vids is instantaneous, webpages are rendered very quickly - including graphics and - of course - the phone supports Flash properly so that includes animated graphics. The games I've played have been smooth and I've not noticed any feeling that the phone is holding me or the game back. There is an occasional, very slight, stammer if playing a game which has banner-adverts popping up but I've seen that happen on phones with faster CPUs - and switching off network connections (or rooting and installing an ad blocker) stops that anyway.
Overall - you can't buy £500's worth of performance for £130 - but I reckon this phone delivers twice what it cost. If you need top-of-the-range performance, you have to pay top dollar - but if you are looking at a phone in this price range, I don't think there are currently any serious alternatives.
One thing - the small screen is something you have to take into account - and that is entirely down to what you expect to use the phone for. Bear in mind that although the screen is small in size, the resolution is actually pretty good compared with most phones at this price. It's not ideal if you want to do a lot of reading or browsing - text is lovely and clear but no screen this size can compete with a larger screen where you can see more than a paragraph at a time. For general browsing though - checking the news and reading through forums etc - it's perfectly good.
It's worth mentioning too that the keyboard is great. The keys look tiny but there's plenty of space between them so accurate typing is pretty easy.
There's one big downer for me with this phone and even though it's something you didn't ask about (and may not matter to you), it deserves a mention. The camera - still and video - is awful. The still camera produces lifeless, soft pictures that look like they came from a sub-1M camera from ten years ago. The supposedly "HD" video camera is just about acceptable in the brightest of natural light - otherwise it is soft, grainy and about as "good" as the average 1.3M webcam - only the pixel size of the output film is high - as if it filmed at 1M and then stretched the film in software. This is one of the most common criticisms of this phone and it is hoped that SE can fix these problems as they appear to be down to the software over compressing the photos and vids to reduce file-sizes. A "quality" setting for the camera (often found on higher resolution cameras) would be the obvious solution - and should be easy to add.
And then there's the BIG upper for a lot of people - SE are already working on getting Android 4 - Ice Cream Sandwich - rolled out for this phone. It is hoped that we'll start seeing that within a few weeks. If nothing else, that will protect the resale value of the phone - you should be able to get a good price if you sell the phone in a year's time because it will still be fairly up-to-date - the same doesn't apply to many other phones in this price-range.
Hope that helps
Thank you for helping me decide.
I bought the phone and I love it.
AndrewB. said:
Thank you for helping me decide.
I bought the phone and I love it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
congrats man! =D
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
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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.
I know its late for first impressions, since the phone was released 1 year ago and motorola has released "an upgraded version" (honestly cant see much of an upgrade apart for the 144hz oled, more so mostly downgrades), but i just got it in a, in my opinion rather good, deal from lenovo directly for 499e new.
Ill start with negatives first as there are rather few that i saw until now.
Most of them have to do with the curved display:
1. The edges are extremely curved, have color distorsion and the part of the display is there but unusable for reading, hence the real estate is smaller as advertised. The display is not optimally calibrated, is slightly blue and you can change it manually (like on samsung or lg phones)
2. The aluminum frame at the side is slightly protruding from the the rest of the phone, so when holding it with one hand its somewhat annoying/irritating, almost painful when holding it for prolonged times. Somewhat slippery with dry hands. No protective casing.
3. As far as i can tell the camera isnt able to do more than 120fps in slow motion (i dont think its 240fps), even if i try with gcam only 1/4 works, with 1/8 not working. This is quite the schocker as most other sd865 phones can do 960fps, or at least 240/480fps
4. Gcam (7 and 8) works good with the main and the tele camera, but fails with the ultra wide (white dotted lines/raster on the whole image). The good thing is, the stock camera seems to be a modified gcam version.
5. apparently only 2 OS updates (one being Android 11, so only 12 coming) / but on the bright side, the edge 20 pro will get only 1 ^ ^ Naturally its not as good as Samsung or Google but its for half the price.
6. No custom Roms, apparently bootloader unlock damages the FP function (not sure if in android 11 as well)
7. Only single sim - at least the international variant. No SDcard
Positives
1. The phone feels really solid in the hand. It is a real premium feel. Entirely comparable to the samsung note series
2. The battery life is awesome. Currently at 42% and over 5 Hours SOT
3. The main camera and the ultrawide make great photos, the tele is somewhat underwhelming (zoomed in main photo, has almost same detail as the tele picture native)
4. 12GB ram, 256GB UFS 3.0, USB 3 connection, Displayport/HDMI support all for 499e
5. The motorola desktop experience, works like samsung dex, really useful gimmick
6. doesnt heat up much, consistent performance
7. 90 Hz display, doesnt eat up as much battery and subjectively its not different to 120hz
8. The moto gestures and functions are absolutely awesome. Especially the Peek Display. I really missed this from the moto z i had and sold a few years ago.
9. loud stereo speakers, though they could use a bit more bass and less mids and highs. There is some kind of equalizer which doesnt seem to have too much effect though.
10. For me with smaller hands the width is perfect for single handed use, both left and right sided. Though because of the high display its sometimes hard to press things on the top.
11. Almost no bloatware (except for the google bloatware) so basically as if you would be getting a pixel phone.
12. Bootloader unlockable.
13. 3.5mm Headphone jack.
14. Charger and headphones in the box!
Will be adding things when i use it more. If anyone has questions i can try to answer them. And if anyone doest agree with me, bring it up so i can try it out.
So I am looking for a new phone to replace my 3 yo Xiaomi mi 8, and the Pixel 6 series has captured my attention design wise and software wise.
I was originally going to purchase the pixel 6a, but after trying it in a store, it felt a bit too small for my uses. Also i saw some reviews where its performance was not as good as the Pixel 6 although it has the same SoC, which is quite a big deal for me as I do some gaming like genshin impact
So I may want to settle for the Pixel 6 now (better screen and performance for my usage), but I need some advice from the community here, as I found out there was a lot of bugs at launch
How is the phone right now ? Does it still have issues ? If so, what issues ? Would you recommend it right now ? If not, what are other options in the same price range (649€ in my country)? I'm looking for a phone with good build quality that would last 4-5 years.
Lastly, does it overheat ? How is the battery life ?
I still read a lot of mixed opinions about this phone, but some might be outdated
It doesn't overheat in my experience.
As everything has some pros and cons, I can say that pros of Pixel 6 outweigh the fewer cons it has.
Overheating, well I haven't faced the phone shutting down or apps stops working due to overheat, but the the phone get uncomfortable to hold for long when it heats up, maybe I am not used to of such warm/hot phones in the past.
4-5 years, look, this is glass sandwitch phone with mammoth size, so probabilities of shattering it apart are much heigher than a small and rigid body phone like Pixel 5.
A perfect Pixel would be a Qualcomm powered Tensor chip customized by Google packed in the body of Pixel 5. But since Pixel 7 series is also following the footstep of Pixel 6, I assume Pixel 6 can be a better buy for now if its available at discounts compared to the 7.
You need to look at the positives, like its got wonderful camera. And those AI powered accurate voice assistance features are just nice when you need them.
Been using Pixel 6 for a month now after retiring my Xiamoi mi9 lite. I'm happy with the phone, no glitches or whatsoever. Photography is a serious upgrade here, now I like to take a lot of shots while with my previous phone I rarely did. It really competes iPhone in this domain.
The phone feels good in the hand, I wish I had the audacity to use it caseless, but I don't., and it's very slippery when naked, and it's a bit bulkier with a case. I got the google silicon case, do not do that, it discolors very quickly.
Coming from a Xiaomi phone, you'll see much less bloatware and bells and whistles. Everything is to the point, you may get bored a bit, but for me I don't miss any of Xiaomi's features to be honest, and I got used to the Pixel pretty quickly. It is a good experience for me. I'm happy with it to the point where I feel I'm sure my next phone in 2-3 years will most likely be a Pixel.
The downside is charging, for some reason Google decided to slow charging down as the battery fills up, so the first 50% take like 30 minutes to charge while the last 50% take almost an hour.
About overheating, it only does so when I'm on a video call for a while, otherwise the phone handles anything you throw at it with ease, I'm not a gamer though so don't take my word for gaming. It may perform well in gaming, but you will fell the need for something that charges quicker as you will drain the battery with games.
I saw the 6a in the store today and tried it a little bit, for some reason it actually feels slower, the display is not as snappy as I'd wish, maybe it's 60hz, but it definitely felt like less, I wouldn't recommend it. I got the Pixel 6 at a nice deal (550€ instead of 650€) so if you have this option go for the the 6 and stay away from the 6a as the latter feels like a compromise..
Hard to say with Android 12 still running on it and that still being buggy. When 13 is complete in a few weeks it'll be easier to answer.
Pixel 6 seems solid to me; I've had mine since January (unrooted, fully stock). I play Angry Birds2 which works ok but frankly isn't as smooth as my OnePlus 6T was. I don't currently have major glitches though I'm about to start a thread on a wifi oddity. The phone is a bit heavier than I would like, and a bit thicker than I would like, but it will last me a couple years I think.
If I had to buy a phone today it would be another Pixel 6. Mine shut down from heat once, I was streaming bluetooth music and had left my phone setting in the direct sun. That is what overheated it, not what it was doing. I went with a dBrand leather skin, which I love for texture and grip, but it provides no real protection. I now have 2 small screen scratches as a result. I'm now in a Pelican case with a rim around the screen whenever I am out doing things. Battery life is fine, I usually have 30%+ left when I go to bed (which is when I charge), but once or twice it has tanked the battery to battery saver mode - I think the last one was right after a monthly update, so probably that is what used all the power.
I do have a 6a on order too, as I had a 3a sitting around and the trade-in make it worth while to upgrade the backup phone to current generation.
I have had a Pixel 6 for about 2 weeks now, and my experience has been excellent.
The good:
Great performance and battery life. I haven't tried gaming yet, but multitasking and general horsepower is excellent. The Recently Played app (a background Shazam native to Google Pixel) runs AI calculations in the background all day recognizing the songs, and my microphone data stays on device. I use my phone throughout the day, listening to Spotify and YouTube at work, and I usually still have 40-50% battery at the end of the day. I have most performance features activated, for reference.
The security features are excellent. I love the tensor chip, as my data stays on device while external data gets pulled from Google servers. I also like the transparency and control I get over my data in general, google-utilized or not. My Gboard builds a model on my device, my adaptive battery learns on the device, and the now playing app pulls from the server to figure out the song that's playing.
I find the camera to be excellent, especially in low light. I wish I had more manual control, but again the tensor/exnyos chip does a great job of figuring out how to optimize the photo. It is not as good as an S22, however. The speakers are great, again not as good as the S22.
I like how streamlined the android experience is. While Samsung builds an app for each feature, pixel android is seamless and features are integrated into the device. I like being able to autofill any password field, and being able to access my google-managed passwords directly from Gboard.
The cell reception is phenomenal. This is also a result of TMobile, but I get 3-4 bars of 5G where I would have 1x on my Verizon LG V30.
The bad:
As noted, some specific features are not as high quality as an S22. The camera, 90hz screen, and speakers are the notable ones. Finding a protective case that keeps the device slim with the giant camera bar on the back can be a challenge. I like the look of it, though.
The fingerprint reader is hilariously slow and a bit inconsistent. My 2016 V30 was faster.
Charging is slow, but this probably improves longevity. There might be a way to enable fast charging, but I haven't found it.
I haven't noticed any bugs or glitches, but I am confident that one of the many updates that google pushes on pixel owners may brick an app or feature. It has been rock steady while I have owned it.
I rate the pixel 6 a 9/10, though this is heavily subjective. I like that the pixels never come with carrier bloat, and that they are secure and have a light version of Android. Samsung Android always feels like it has far too many apps even out of the box.
I have 2 Pixel 6 in the houshhold on T-Mobile, both have been solid reliable phones, especially for their mid-level price. No issues with signal lever on either WiFi or 5G. Full day or more battery life. It runs SLIGHTLY warm, doesn't overheat except on a wireless charger in the car while running maps. Only complaint is the Finger Print reader, which still misses about 25% of the time. That said, I'm not a big gamer so I can't say how well suited this phone is for gaming.
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YOU can PLAY GAMES And read RedDip threads AT THE SAME TIME.
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After using the seat Pixel 5, you will hate the 6 for it's giant size. More so since the glass sandwich design of Pixel 6 is prone to break hence hefty cover is mandatory so it feels like like holding a cheap heavy Chinese phone.
Performance wise it is an okay phone, no complaints, but its just okay, nothing special. I wish it atelast had some Qualcomm powerted chipset insteal of Exynos.
Modem on my P6 is horrible. Significantly worse than the Pixel 3 it replaced. If I didn't work from home most of the time, I would have replaced this phone months ago. As it is, I am going to try the P7 when it comes out (testing it heavily during return period) and either keeping that or getting an S22. No more P6 for me after October.