The Samsung Galaxy A7, as a daily driver. - Samsung Galaxy A3, A5, A7 (2017) Guides, News, & D

This is my review of the new A7 from Samsung.
I've had this phone for about a month and I have no real complaints about it.
While the specs may be underwhelming compared to its competitors, it would be wise to take note that aside from the hardware, software optimization also plays a big role in how a phone performs.
DESIGN
It looks like an S7 Plus. Same design language, same materials. The only difference is how the glass back refracts light. The A7 is less shiny than last year's flagship. I'd slap on a case right away if I were you though. Though not easily noticeable, mine got micro scratches on its back after a week despite my utmost care in handling the phone. Also, take note that this device is pretty heavy and slippery. If Dbrand made skins for this phone, I'd buy a set without hesitation. [Please, Dbrand?]
PERFORMANCE
The A7 handles daily tasks without a sweat. That's a given. Everything is just smooth. Though if you notice, there are minute, initial lags in every app startup after which, the experience becomes undeniably smooth.
I've also put it through its paces with graphically-demanding games such as Anomaly 2 [Renders a crapload of visual goodies on-screen all the time] and Dynasty Warriors: Unleashed. [Physics engine-intensive] I've had very minimal framerate drops. I couldn't really notice the phone heating up substantially.
RAM management was pretty good.
I've never had an app crash on me just yet.
AUDIO
The loudspeaker is mediocre. While it definitely sounds better than my old phone's, it still leaves a lot to be desired. The difference is far better once you plug in a pair of earphones. I've never had a device that drives my JBLs so perfectly. The audio software's top-notch. I could listen to music for hours on end.
BATTERY LIFE
The 3600mah battery is extremely good. I've never had the phone run out of power on me. The adaptive fast charging, while not the fastest, is very dependable. I recall once that I forgot to charge my phone the night before, work up with 5% left, plugged it in whilst I got ready for work. 30 minutes later, it had almost 50% of power. Definitely, I'd recommend this phone if you're always on the go.
WATER AND DUST RESISTANCE
I really enjoy this feature. Since it's water resistant, I can actually switch between tempered glasses because I can wash it with running water. (Don't judge, I use a privacy tempered glass for work and school and an ordinary one at home and during jogs.)
Underwater shots and videos are pretty cool. (You cannot dispute this, Sensei)
Though use this feature responsibly. Don't expose it to anything else but water. Salt water? Bad. Pool water? Kinda bad. Sauna water? Dude WTH.
Molecules expand with heat, we all know that. So, exposing the phone to high temperatures may cause the rubber fittings inside to... well, swell and (wilt?) thus rendering your phone unprotected against water intake.
Salt water can corrode the metal in your charging port and headphone jack. The chlorine in pool water does the same (if exposed for extended periods) but to a lesser degree.
So, if you're planning on taking this phone with you to the pool, always, always rinse it with clean water after.
Port plugs wouldn't hurt, would they?
The phone also has a humidity sensor in the charging port. So, at least your phone's protected from short circuits in the unfortunate event that you fail to dry your phone thoroughly.
CONCLUSION
Yes, it's a great phone. Great screen, reliable performance, excellent battery life and IP68 protection. Even if there are better alternatives at this price point, I'd still get this phone.
One might say "Hey, why not just get an S7 Edge instead?"
That's a valid point. But depending on your region, it would make more or less sense.
If an S7 Edge retails in your region for a significantly higher price, getting the A7 makes a lot of sense since you'd only be missing out on a bit. [The s7Edge costs $250 more in my country]
However, if say, the prices between the A7 and S7 are closer, then by all means, get the flagship.
Note: No camera section because I don't really have any pictures to post for you ladies and gents. I'd be like describing colors to a blind man [or woman].

Related

How Waterproof is the Aperia Active?

I'm looking a waterproof, and hardwearing phone for my mum.
She wants an android phone that she can take kayaking with her. She is planning on using an app like 'endomondo' to track her activities on the river but when paddling you do occasionally fall in!
So... a question for all Active owners... how waterproof is it really?
It's not going to go very far underwater, a meter or so at most. The advertising blurb says it should be fine but was after some assurance from users that know!
many thanks in advance...
waterproof
Yes it is waterproof!
video
thanks for the link.I guess that proves it!
Are there any phones that can go deeper underwater atm?
andymet87 said:
thanks for the link.I guess that proves it!
Are there any phones that can go deeper underwater atm?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Google something like "rugged phone 2011" - there are several phones that claim to be especially made for outdoor persuit activities and you'll be able to check the specs (and see what they actually guarantee). I'd also look at (less geeky) sites specialising in such activities - perhaps a canoe club or society. Good money says that they'll have greater expertise on this subject than the average software writer.
One other point - there are protectors available for many phones. The cheapest are basically plastic bags - the dearest are custom fitted, sealed hard-cases (pretty much the same sort of thing you get for cameras). You can find those in online stores but you may get more detailed infromation by looking at specialist outdoor shopping sites (you can always get the info then see if it's cheaper elsewhere).
hi thanks for the reply.
ive tried numerous searches however there are many phones that are 'coming out soon', or are simply in japan and not over here yet!
I was seeking some inside knowledge lol
I've seen waterproof cases for nearly every phone around however would rather it did not have to use a case as it it very important for it to be hassle free and easy to use. She will be upgrading from an old nokia in a plastic bag!
Although not entirely submerged, mine was tested in a glass of water at work during a lunch break.
Evidence: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7a0HH6brAQ
(but for super-rugged, I'd look at Sonim. Some models they'll apparently replace no-questions-asked if water damaged. Not android, however)
yes
Yes, but my experience says, the network coverage goes quickly down - the deeper You submerege the phone underwater. So speaking underwater or texting is not possible, but....
Camera still works fine even deep.
ha... i dont think she will use it underwater! Its just in case the boat capsises...
so ideally the phone would be ok down to about 2m... just in case!
Is there really not an android phone in the UK that will go down to 2m and survive?
i dropped my active in a bucket of water and left it there for 5 minutes
i discovered water between the main and the second cover and my voice sound robotic after taking a call , there was water in the mic hole ..
i will never drop it again for sure !!
switcher said:
i dropped my active in a bucket of water and left it there for 5 minutes
i discovered water between the main and the second cover and my voice sound robotic after taking a call , there was water in the mic hole ..
i will never drop it again for sure !!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is this true? I had motorola defy and submerge it on a pitcher for 2hours but still good after that.. No I have an active but never tried to submerge or even splash it with h2o...
Sent from my ST17i using Tapatalk
waterpoof
Yes, the water is supposed to go between first and second cover. If You open it up, You'll see, the second cover has a seal to make it waterproof. So that's normal.
If mic is wet, the sound distortion is also normal, since water distorts it quite badly. The first cover holds the second tightly to keep it waterproof.
Would something like a Sonim XP3300 Force be suitable - around £250.
That phone is sold as water-proof to 2m for an hour and can even be dropped 2m into concrete without harm (it also claims to have the longest battery life of any phone in the world). Has A-GPS and the usual "extras" to go online etc. Buttons designed to be used whilst wearing gloves. It's basically designed for heavy industry.
Double check but I understand it comes complete with a load of "extras" included in the price - case, car and wall charger, dashboard mount etc - that may make the price more attractive.
It just made it into the Guinness Book of Records - it's officially the world's toughest phone
From personal experience I can assure you its
As waterproof as it should be. The obly review that managed to make me buy this phone was this: dcrainmaker.com/2011/09/hands-on-review-of-sony-ericsson-xperia.html
This guy actually makes a real life test of the phone. I myself work at construction so I have cement splashing on it, and all I have to do it take a shower with it to make it aaaaalright
Regarding the defy... Well its got a larger screen, but it looks more flimsy than the Active. What sorta put me off on the defy is the quality of the power and minijack rubber plugs. They would only last not so long on my hands... All you have to do on the active is change the back cover. The only drawback for me being accustomed to a physical keyboard amd a 3,7" screen of my Desire Z is the size of the onscreen keyboard of the 3 inch screen.
Also expect somewhat better battery life on the Active than the defy. Almost 50% of the battery drain is from the screen, and having 60% less pixels on a screen you easily go through 2 days of moderate-heavy use.
Sent from my ST17i using XDA App

Concerns buying Xperia Z

Dear XDA community,
This is my first post here, so I would like to start off by thanking all of the hard working, and amazingly talented, developers whom have improved many of my android devices; adding something new and fresh, and making it feel like a new device time after time.
After having an unfortunate accident with my Galaxy Note 2 – two unfortunate accidents actually, first I smashed the screen, and then I dropped it on the back cover, warping the whole device, forcing up the whole plastic frame, and making it unable to charge – quite a critical function, isn’t it – I am looking for a new phone to buy. Now rather than later.
When I saw the Xperia Z Ultra though, I fell in love. I love the design, I love the physical size, I love the slimness and I love the performance.
There are some things I am concerned about though. I would love any of you guys advice on this.
Build quality
I am seeing mixed opinions about the build quality of the Xperia Z Ultra, and the recent Xperia phones in general. On the one hand Sony itself is touting that the screen is extremely strong, which seems to be the case judging by the drop tests on YouTube. Then again there seem to be many threads on the lack of durability, and how the screen can suddenly crack.
I am also wondering how you guys solve the problem with the shatterproof film. On the one hand, it is a great idea, but on the other hand I would not want my phone to be full of scratches. Can one simply apply one of those tempered glass screen protectors over the screen for ultimate protection? Considering I am quite a clunse – this Note 2 is the first phone I have ever owned that surpassed 6 months of survival – I am quite possibly going to need all the protection I can get.
Water resistance
How does the touchscreen react to water? I have always used my smartphones under the shower. Ever since the capacitive touchscreens, they freak out when a certain amount of water hits the screen. The screen will zoom in and out, the keyboard will give all sorters of weird suggestions, or it will just stop working entirely. According to most sources the phone uses a regular capacitive display.
But does it fare any better when wet? Furthermore are there any screen protectors that you can use while regularly getting the phone wet?
Loudspeaker
Well, how loud can it go? I am currently using the note 2 which has pretty reasonable speaker. I use it while watching movies and listening to music in the shower, but I also enjoy the benefits of a properly loud ringtone.
Size
I am afraid to go this route again, but can this guy comfortably fit in one’s pocket? As far as the internet goes, once again, opinions are divided. Most of my jeans can comfortably fit, length wise, 1,5 passports. Does this mean, as I am theorizing, that the Ultra Z will fit too?
Availability
I am from the Netherlands, a small country in Europe you probably won’t know – or would for its legal drugs and prostitution + drinking age and epic parties, and I would love to buy this phone as soon as possible, since I currently do not have a functional phone. Sadly it will only become available on the 13th of September, and I am not even sure this is going to be the 4G LTE version.
Does anybody have any tips where I can buy this phone on a contract? Sadly paying full price on it isn’t an option at the moment. All my savings have, disappeared on many – and quite diverse – spending’s.
I appreciate your help and tips! I secretly hope I am going to be convinced to buy this amazing phone. Also sorry for my bad English – it is not my native language, and also my apologies for this rather long post.
Road Trip said:
Dear XDA community,
This is my first post here, so I would like to start off by thanking all of the hard working, and amazingly talented, developers whom have improved many of my android devices; adding something new and fresh, and making it feel like a new device time after time.
After having an unfortunate accident with my Galaxy Note 2 – two unfortunate accidents actually, first I smashed the screen, and then I dropped it on the back cover, warping the whole device, forcing up the whole plastic frame, and making it unable to charge – quite a critical function, isn’t it – I am looking for a new phone to buy. Now rather than later.
When I saw the Xperia Z Ultra though, I fell in love. I love the design, I love the physical size, I love the slimness and I love the performance.
There are some things I am concerned about though. I would love any of you guys advice on this.
Build quality
I am seeing mixed opinions about the build quality of the Xperia Z Ultra, and the recent Xperia phones in general. On the one hand Sony itself is touting that the screen is extremely strong, which seems to be the case judging by the drop tests on YouTube. Then again there seem to be many threads on the lack of durability, and how the screen can suddenly crack.
I am also wondering how you guys solve the problem with the shatterproof film. On the one hand, it is a great idea, but on the other hand I would not want my phone to be full of scratches. Can one simply apply one of those tempered glass screen protectors over the screen for ultimate protection? Considering I am quite a clunse – this Note 2 is the first phone I have ever owned that surpassed 6 months of survival – I am quite possibly going to need all the protection I can get.
Water resistance
How does the touchscreen react to water? I have always used my smartphones under the shower. Ever since the capacitive touchscreens, they freak out when a certain amount of water hits the screen. The screen will zoom in and out, the keyboard will give all sorters of weird suggestions, or it will just stop working entirely. According to most sources the phone uses a regular capacitive display.
But does it fare any better when wet? Furthermore are there any screen protectors that you can use while regularly getting the phone wet?
Loudspeaker
Well, how loud can it go? I am currently using the note 2 which has pretty reasonable speaker. I use it while watching movies and listening to music in the shower, but I also enjoy the benefits of a properly loud ringtone.
Size
I am afraid to go this route again, but can this guy comfortably fit in one’s pocket? As far as the internet goes, once again, opinions are divided. Most of my jeans can comfortably fit, length wise, 1,5 passports. Does this mean, as I am theorizing, that the Ultra Z will fit too?
Availability
I am from the Netherlands, a small country in Europe you probably won’t know – or would for its legal drugs and prostitution + drinking age and epic parties, and I would love to buy this phone as soon as possible, since I currently do not have a functional phone. Sadly it will only become available on the 13th of September, and I am not even sure this is going to be the 4G LTE version.
Does anybody have any tips where I can buy this phone on a contract? Sadly paying full price on it isn’t an option at the moment. All my savings have, disappeared on many – and quite diverse – spending’s.
I appreciate your help and tips! I secretly hope I am going to be convinced to buy this amazing phone. Also sorry for my bad English – it is not my native language, and also my apologies for this rather long post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very nice, polite post.
I would like to help you BUTTTTTT. I also live in Europe, Southern Europe and I have yet to even set eyes on the Sony xperia Z Ultra. I do own the xperia z mobile also the xperia Z tablet.
I have also owned the note and just found it too big for my daily usage. The Ultra is going to be massive. I mean massive. Like you I want one BUT am thinking very hard before I purchase. You see next month there are going to be numerous new devices introduced including some from Samsung, the note 111.
I am unsure about only one area of the Ultra and that is the size. Just how pocket friendly is this going to be? I used to get annoyed with my note as every time I sat in the car the phone would dig into by groin. I ended up only carrying it. Sold it within less than a year of ownership.
I have zero reservations regarding the quality of the Ultra. Sony are a top brand with many years of consumer product research and after sales etc.
I am not going to take the jump to the Ultra until I see what's coming next month. New mobiles from Sony, HTC, Samsung and LG to name a few are going to be released. I don't think any of them will have the same massive screen but that is fine for me. 5.5 or 6" would be the max for me, I think?
Its a dilemma. The Ultra introduced into the EC will be LTE 4G so no worries there. More than that I cannot say?
Kindest regards.
Road Trip said:
Dear XDA community,
This is my first post here, so I would like to start off by thanking all of the hard working, and amazingly talented, developers whom have improved many of my android devices; adding something new and fresh, and making it feel like a new device time after time.
After having an unfortunate accident with my Galaxy Note 2 – two unfortunate accidents actually, first I smashed the screen, and then I dropped it on the back cover, warping the whole device, forcing up the whole plastic frame, and making it unable to charge – quite a critical function, isn’t it – I am looking for a new phone to buy. Now rather than later.
When I saw the Xperia Z Ultra though, I fell in love. I love the design, I love the physical size, I love the slimness and I love the performance.
There are some things I am concerned about though. I would love any of you guys advice on this.
Build quality
I am seeing mixed opinions about the build quality of the Xperia Z Ultra, and the recent Xperia phones in general. On the one hand Sony itself is touting that the screen is extremely strong, which seems to be the case judging by the drop tests on YouTube. Then again there seem to be many threads on the lack of durability, and how the screen can suddenly crack.
I am also wondering how you guys solve the problem with the shatterproof film. On the one hand, it is a great idea, but on the other hand I would not want my phone to be full of scratches. Can one simply apply one of those tempered glass screen protectors over the screen for ultimate protection? Considering I am quite a clunse – this Note 2 is the first phone I have ever owned that surpassed 6 months of survival – I am quite possibly going to need all the protection I can get.
Water resistance
How does the touchscreen react to water? I have always used my smartphones under the shower. Ever since the capacitive touchscreens, they freak out when a certain amount of water hits the screen. The screen will zoom in and out, the keyboard will give all sorters of weird suggestions, or it will just stop working entirely. According to most sources the phone uses a regular capacitive display.
But does it fare any better when wet? Furthermore are there any screen protectors that you can use while regularly getting the phone wet?
Loudspeaker
Well, how loud can it go? I am currently using the note 2 which has pretty reasonable speaker. I use it while watching movies and listening to music in the shower, but I also enjoy the benefits of a properly loud ringtone.
Size
I am afraid to go this route again, but can this guy comfortably fit in one’s pocket? As far as the internet goes, once again, opinions are divided. Most of my jeans can comfortably fit, length wise, 1,5 passports. Does this mean, as I am theorizing, that the Ultra Z will fit too?
Availability
I am from the Netherlands, a small country in Europe you probably won’t know – or would for its legal drugs and prostitution + drinking age and epic parties, and I would love to buy this phone as soon as possible, since I currently do not have a functional phone. Sadly it will only become available on the 13th of September, and I am not even sure this is going to be the 4G LTE version.
Does anybody have any tips where I can buy this phone on a contract? Sadly paying full price on it isn’t an option at the moment. All my savings have, disappeared on many – and quite diverse – spending’s.
I appreciate your help and tips! I secretly hope I am going to be convinced to buy this amazing phone. Also sorry for my bad English – it is not my native language, and also my apologies for this rather long post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's my impression based on my 8-hours experience with the ZU:
Build quality
Just put a screen protector on top of the shatterproof film. Many reports it won't interfere with the screen sensitivity. I myself haven't got my hand on a screen protector, so I just use the plastic cover with various logo that is on the lcd when you first open the box.. no touch issue :laugh:
Water resistance
The screen reacts like cr*p. Few drops, running water, partially submerged, then the phone will feel all touchy. Random touches. Submerged entirely, there's seem to be no random input anymore but it won't respond any touch. This is a limitation of current capacitive touchscreen technology, I think. Take it out and wipe it dry, good as new.
Loudspeaker
Not too loud, but enough for me. As a ringtone, it maybe not loud enough in a noisy environment. Not sure since haven't tried many scenario
Size
BIG. Width-wise, yes it sits nicely in my (not baggy, but not skinny)jeans pocket. But tall-wise.. well this is where ZU comes sho... no, long. It's almost too long for my taste. When I use jeans with deeper pockets, I can sit down without having my hip speared by the ZU, but smaller pockets, yes, I can feel it, and a bit annoyed. Walking is no problem. Lucky me most of my jeans fall into the deeper-pocket-category
Availability
Can't help you there :silly:
Build quality
I am seeing mixed opinions about the build quality of the Xperia Z Ultra, and the recent Xperia phones in general. On the one hand Sony itself is touting that the screen is extremely strong, which seems to be the case judging by the drop tests on YouTube. Then again there seem to be many threads on the lack of durability, and how the screen can suddenly crack.
I am also wondering how you guys solve the problem with the shatterproof film. On the one hand, it is a great idea, but on the other hand I would not want my phone to be full of scratches. Can one simply apply one of those tempered glass screen protectors over the screen for ultimate protection? Considering I am quite a clunse – this Note 2 is the first phone I have ever owned that surpassed 6 months of survival – I am quite possibly going to need all the protection I can get.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, both sides are glass (DragonTrail i believe), which is "scratch proof" like Gorilla Glass, but that doesn't mean it's shatterproof. Glass is glass after all, and if you drop it on the ground, it'll most certainly shatter. The only thing the shatter protectors do is to keep the screen in one piece once it shatters.
Water resistance
How does the touchscreen react to water? I have always used my smartphones under the shower. Ever since the capacitive touchscreens, they freak out when a certain amount of water hits the screen. The screen will zoom in and out, the keyboard will give all sorters of weird suggestions, or it will just stop working entirely. According to most sources the phone uses a regular capacitive display.
But does it fare any better when wet? Furthermore are there any screen protectors that you can use while regularly getting the phone wet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It'll react like any other capacitive screen; not that gracefully. It'll do its thing and you won't have any control, but it'll survive and that's the most important thing.
Loudspeaker
Well, how loud can it go? I am currently using the note 2 which has pretty reasonable speaker. I use it while watching movies and listening to music in the shower, but I also enjoy the benefits of a properly loud ringtone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It looks like the Ultra shares the same problem like its little brother - the Xperia Z. Audio levels are pretty low compared to other devices, but there's a reason for that. They are both waterproof and there's a membrane on the speaker so water doesn't penetrate the speaker and destroys the device.
Size
I am afraid to go this route again, but can this guy comfortably fit in one’s pocket? As far as the internet goes, once again, opinions are divided. Most of my jeans can comfortably fit, length wise, 1,5 passports. Does this mean, as I am theorizing, that the Ultra Z will fit too?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Luckily (i can't believe i'm saying this) winter is coming, and i'll wear a jacket most of the time when i'm outside, so i hope it won't be a huge problem (which i doubt).
Availability
I am from the Netherlands, a small country in Europe you probably won’t know – or would for its legal drugs and prostitution + drinking age and epic parties, and I would love to buy this phone as soon as possible, since I currently do not have a functional phone. Sadly it will only become available on the 13th of September, and I am not even sure this is going to be the 4G LTE version.
Does anybody have any tips where I can buy this phone on a contract? Sadly paying full price on it isn’t an option at the moment. All my savings have, disappeared on many – and quite diverse – spending’s.
I appreciate your help and tips! I secretly hope I am going to be convinced to buy this amazing phone. Also sorry for my bad English – it is not my native language, and also my apologies for this rather long post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm in the same boat as you. I'm from Norway and i haven't even touched the Ultra yet, so it'll be interesting once i get the chance to play with it. I have no idea about who, what or where you can get the Ultra in the Netherlands (once it's released), but my bet is to check your typical big carriers since they are the first ones to receive new devices.
Also, your English is very good, so no excuses are necessary, and your post is excellent. It's quite refreshing to read a good post and not the typical "when can buy ultra store cheap help help" (yes, that's a totaly normal post around here)
Road Trip said:
Dear XDA community,
This is my first post here, so I would like to start off by thanking all of the hard working, and amazingly talented, developers whom have improved many of my android devices; adding something new and fresh, and making it feel like a new device time after time.
After having an unfortunate accident with my Galaxy Note 2 – two unfortunate accidents actually, first I smashed the screen, and then I dropped it on the back cover, warping the whole device, forcing up the whole plastic frame, and making it unable to charge – quite a critical function, isn’t it – I am looking for a new phone to buy. Now rather than later.
When I saw the Xperia Z Ultra though, I fell in love. I love the design, I love the physical size, I love the slimness and I love the performance.
There are some things I am concerned about though. I would love any of you guys advice on this.
Build quality
I am seeing mixed opinions about the build quality of the Xperia Z Ultra, and the recent Xperia phones in general. On the one hand Sony itself is touting that the screen is extremely strong, which seems to be the case judging by the drop tests on YouTube. Then again there seem to be many threads on the lack of durability, and how the screen can suddenly crack.
I am also wondering how you guys solve the problem with the shatterproof film. On the one hand, it is a great idea, but on the other hand I would not want my phone to be full of scratches. Can one simply apply one of those tempered glass screen protectors over the screen for ultimate protection? Considering I am quite a clunse – this Note 2 is the first phone I have ever owned that surpassed 6 months of survival – I am quite possibly going to need all the protection I can get.
Water resistance
How does the touchscreen react to water? I have always used my smartphones under the shower. Ever since the capacitive touchscreens, they freak out when a certain amount of water hits the screen. The screen will zoom in and out, the keyboard will give all sorters of weird suggestions, or it will just stop working entirely. According to most sources the phone uses a regular capacitive display.
But does it fare any better when wet? Furthermore are there any screen protectors that you can use while regularly getting the phone wet?
Loudspeaker
Well, how loud can it go? I am currently using the note 2 which has pretty reasonable speaker. I use it while watching movies and listening to music in the shower, but I also enjoy the benefits of a properly loud ringtone.
Size
I am afraid to go this route again, but can this guy comfortably fit in one’s pocket? As far as the internet goes, once again, opinions are divided. Most of my jeans can comfortably fit, length wise, 1,5 passports. Does this mean, as I am theorizing, that the Ultra Z will fit too?
Availability
I am from the Netherlands, a small country in Europe you probably won’t know – or would for its legal drugs and prostitution + drinking age and epic parties, and I would love to buy this phone as soon as possible, since I currently do not have a functional phone. Sadly it will only become available on the 13th of September, and I am not even sure this is going to be the 4G LTE version.
Does anybody have any tips where I can buy this phone on a contract? Sadly paying full price on it isn’t an option at the moment. All my savings have, disappeared on many – and quite diverse – spending’s.
I appreciate your help and tips! I secretly hope I am going to be convinced to buy this amazing phone. Also sorry for my bad English – it is not my native language, and also my apologies for this rather long post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with the above.
Build Quality I find to be very good.
Water resistance as mentioned above. Drops of water set off the screen so it will go mad. When fully submerged the screen will not accept touch input. Need to set volume buttons to take pic. Otherwise good clear pics/video.
Loudspeaker - not the greatest, its works. I use bluetooth external speakers.
Size - yes a bit of an issue. It'll fit in your jean pocket but you'll be climbing stairs like you have a wooden leg. I found a money belt that it fits into for carrying on my person. Otherwise it sits on a desk.
You missed battery! - the battery life so far is very good considering the size of the screen.
If I were you I'd wait for the Honami release which is due soon. It has 20MP camera with flash for starters.
All Dutchmen speak/write GOOD english.
Hello,
Also concerning about buying it, might jump on it next week. I had a 3G version in my hands and in term of build it is really good, it is big but like I bring a N7 everywhere I feel it even more comfortable to use than a 7" tab.
The only thing that worry me is all the different models, as I actually live in Vietnam and soon go back to French I go for the C6833 that is the LTE version that will be available in Europe and normally is sold as international version. That's worry me for the upcoming customs ROMs, this is often a mess with the baseband. Because the launcher is interesting, but it is hard to believe that now a day we still have launcher with limited scroll.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Road Trip said:
Dear XDA community,
Build quality
I am seeing mixed opinions about the build quality of the Xperia Z Ultra, and the recent Xperia phones in general. On the one hand Sony itself is touting that the screen is extremely strong, which seems to be the case judging by the drop tests on YouTube. Then again there seem to be many threads on the lack of durability, and how the screen can suddenly crack.
I am also wondering how you guys solve the problem with the shatterproof film. On the one hand, it is a great idea, but on the other hand I would not want my phone to be full of scratches. Can one simply apply one of those tempered glass screen protectors over the screen for ultimate protection? Considering I am quite a clunse – this Note 2 is the first phone I have ever owned that surpassed 6 months of survival – I am quite possibly going to need all the protection I can get.
Water resistance
How does the touchscreen react to water? I have always used my smartphones under the shower. Ever since the capacitive touchscreens, they freak out when a certain amount of water hits the screen. The screen will zoom in and out, the keyboard will give all sorters of weird suggestions, or it will just stop working entirely. According to most sources the phone uses a regular capacitive display.
But does it fare any better when wet? Furthermore are there any screen protectors that you can use while regularly getting the phone wet?
Loudspeaker
Well, how loud can it go? I am currently using the note 2 which has pretty reasonable speaker. I use it while watching movies and listening to music in the shower, but I also enjoy the benefits of a properly loud ringtone.
Size
I am afraid to go this route again, but can this guy comfortably fit in one’s pocket? As far as the internet goes, once again, opinions are divided. Most of my jeans can comfortably fit, length wise, 1,5 passports. Does this mean, as I am theorizing, that the Ultra Z will fit too?
Availability
I am from the Netherlands, a small country in Europe you probably won’t know – or would for its legal drugs and prostitution + drinking age and epic parties, and I would love to buy this phone as soon as possible, since I currently do not have a functional phone. Sadly it will only become available on the 13th of September, and I am not even sure this is going to be the 4G LTE version.
Does anybody have any tips where I can buy this phone on a contract? Sadly paying full price on it isn’t an option at the moment. All my savings have, disappeared on many – and quite diverse – spending’s.
I appreciate your help and tips! I secretly hope I am going to be convinced to buy this amazing phone. Also sorry for my bad English – it is not my native language, and also my apologies for this rather long post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since your post is so well written (and you have nothing to apologise about! Better written than most native English speakers, I kid you not.) I felt inclined to respond with my 2 cents.
I have had it for over 3 weeks now
Build quality
Nothing to complain about. In fact better than most manufacturers out there. Nice choice of materials, designed and put together well.
With regard to the screen and the shatterproof film which comes on top of it from the factory, leave it on. Removing it will mean removing the Sony Logo, and also your warranty.
Honestly, it is barely noticeable. In fact, I think most average users are not aware that there is a sheet there. As the name suggests, it is a sheet that prevents glass from flying everywhere WHEN and IF it shatters. It is for safety reason above everything else. It is not there to protect your screen.
So leave it on, and put a 3rd party protector immediately after purchase, and it will be as good as new every time you replace it.
It is up to you if you want to spend a fortune on these protectors. My experience tells me whatever the brand, they do scratch, and need replacing once in a while. Mine is a dollar, and it will last me for up to half a year. Then I will buy another and replace it. Good as new again.
If you are thinking that having a sheet on top of a sheet will hinder performance, rest assured. NO, it won't.
Water resistance and Speakers
Nothing to add, comments above reflect my opinions too
Size
To answer your question specifically, yes, it really is passport x 1.5.
Unless you wear those super-skinny-jeans, it should fit regular jeans no problem.
I am 5'7, wear loose fitting jeans. Levi's. I have about 5 different models, but they all fit without poking their heads out.
It fits. But is it comfortable? As someone said in previous comment, going up and down stairs feels funny a bit. Walking is no problem.
Since it feels well built, it gives no impression of fragility. But sometimes I remind myself not to put it in my back pocket for 2 reason.
Firstly, if I forget about it and sit down, I'd hate to think what would happen.
Secondly, for back pockets, it will poke out. It must be inviting for pick-pocketers.
Ryland Johnson said:
Very nice, polite post.
I would like to help you BUTTTTTT. I also live in Europe, Southern Europe and I have yet to even set eyes on the Sony xperia Z Ultra. I do own the xperia z mobile also the xperia Z tablet.
I have also owned the note and just found it too big for my daily usage. The Ultra is going to be massive. I mean massive. Like you I want one BUT am thinking very hard before I purchase. You see next month there are going to be numerous new devices introduced including some from Samsung, the note 111.
I am unsure about only one area of the Ultra and that is the size. Just how pocket friendly is this going to be? I used to get annoyed with my note as every time I sat in the car the phone would dig into by groin. I ended up only carrying it. Sold it within less than a year of ownership.
I have zero reservations regarding the quality of the Ultra. Sony are a top brand with many years of consumer product research and after sales etc.
I am not going to take the jump to the Ultra until I see what's coming next month. New mobiles from Sony, HTC, Samsung and LG to name a few are going to be released. I don't think any of them will have the same massive screen but that is fine for me. 5.5 or 6" would be the max for me, I think?
Its a dilemma. The Ultra introduced into the EC will be LTE 4G so no worries there. More than that I cannot say?
Kindest regards.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love South Europe. It's my holiday destination of choice. I love how spontaneous and happy in general the people are there. The big cities are so alive, a day and at night, and at the country side the people are just so nice. Maybe it has something to do with not raining every other day .
But I guess we’re in the same boat about how this phone compares to the competition. I guess that means that it’s a great time to buy a new phone though.
unk_damnation said:
Here's my impression based on my 8-hours experience with the ZU:
Build quality
Just put a screen protector on top of the shatterproof film. Many reports it won't interfere with the screen sensitivity. I myself haven't got my hand on a screen protector, so I just use the plastic cover with various logo that is on the lcd when you first open the box.. no touch issue :laugh:
Water resistance
The screen reacts like cr*p. Few drops, running water, partially submerged, then the phone will feel all touchy. Random touches. Submerged entirely, there's seem to be no random input anymore but it won't respond any touch. This is a limitation of current capacitive touchscreen technology, I think. Take it out and wipe it dry, good as new.
Loudspeaker
Not too loud, but enough for me. As a ringtone, it maybe not loud enough in a noisy environment. Not sure since haven't tried many scenario
Size
BIG. Width-wise, yes it sits nicely in my (not baggy, but not skinny)jeans pocket. But tall-wise.. well this is where ZU comes sho... no, long. It's almost too long for my taste. When I use jeans with deeper pockets, I can sit down without having my hip speared by the ZU, but smaller pockets, yes, I can feel it, and a bit annoyed. Walking is no problem. Lucky me most of my jeans fall into the deeper-pocket-category
Availability
Can't help you there :silly:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess a stick-on screen protector will indeed the best solution. If it does not interfere with the touch response, we will have the best of both worlds: a “shatterproof” film, and no permanent scratches.
Wiping the screen, but without damage is still a pro. It’s a shame I can’t carelessly use it in the shower or at the pool, but at least there won’t be any damage. I have had phones getting damaged by normal rain. It would be a great feeling, to know that it will still function afterwards.
LordManhattan said:
Well, both sides are glass (DragonTrail i believe), which is "scratch proof" like Gorilla Glass, but that doesn't mean it's shatterproof. Glass is glass after all, and if you drop it on the ground, it'll most certainly shatter. The only thing the shatter protectors do is to keep the screen in one piece once it shatters.
It'll react like any other capacitive screen; not that gracefully. It'll do its thing and you won't have any control, but it'll survive and that's the most important thing.
It looks like the Ultra shares the same problem like its little brother - the Xperia Z. Audio levels are pretty low compared to other devices, but there's a reason for that. They are both waterproof and there's a membrane on the speaker so water doesn't penetrate the speaker and destroys the device.
Luckily (i can't believe i'm saying this) winter is coming, and i'll wear a jacket most of the time when i'm outside, so i hope it won't be a huge problem (which i doubt).
I'm in the same boat as you. I'm from Norway and i haven't even touched the Ultra yet, so it'll be interesting once i get the chance to play with it. I have no idea about who, what or where you can get the Ultra in the Netherlands (once it's released), but my bet is to check your typical big carriers since they are the first ones to receive new devices.
Also, your English is very good, so no excuses are necessary, and your post is excellent. It's quite refreshing to read a good post and not the typical "when can buy ultra store cheap help help" (yes, that's a totaly normal post around here)
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Click to collapse
Funny how there are so many Europeans on here, I didn’t see that one coming…
You’re so right about it surviving being the most important thing. It’s just so incredibly nice that Sony actually realizes that these phones are used in the real world. With accidents, and indeed rain. I certainly hope that Samsung and HTC can also start caring about real world durability.
Funny though, how us XDA people change our clothing for our devices. Most people do it the other way around .
But sticking to the big carriers is a great idea. I have to get a new 4G new plan anyways, and at least I am sure that I dealing with a reputable party.
stevefwt said:
I agree with the above.
Build Quality I find to be very good.
Water resistance as mentioned above. Drops of water set off the screen so it will go mad. When fully submerged the screen will not accept touch input. Need to set volume buttons to take pic. Otherwise good clear pics/video.
Loudspeaker - not the greatest, its works. I use bluetooth external speakers.
Size - yes a bit of an issue. It'll fit in your jean pocket but you'll be climbing stairs like you have a wooden leg. I found a money belt that it fits into for carrying on my person. Otherwise it sits on a desk.
You missed battery! - the battery life so far is very good considering the size of the screen.
If I were you I'd wait for the Honami release which is due soon. It has 20MP camera with flash for starters.
All Dutchmen speak/write GOOD english.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The battery life is a good point. I am -- as I think we all are in here -- a smartphone junkie. The battery on my Note 2 -- a phone famed for its large battery -- doesn’t last till bedtime. So, while I am pretty sure the Ultra Z won’t last me a full day, at least it is not a phone with subpar battery life.
The honami does sound like a great device, but it’s not for me. I feel as if the screen on my Note 2 is too small, so that would be a major downside to the Honami. It is an enormous shame though that the Honami camera isn’t available on the Ultra Z.
bASKOU said:
Hello,
Also concerning about buying it, might jump on it next week. I had a 3G version in my hands and in term of build it is really good, it is big but like I bring a N7 everywhere I feel it even more comfortable to use than a 7" tab.
The only thing that worry me is all the different models, as I actually live in Vietnam and soon go back to French I go for the C6833 that is the LTE version that will be available in Europe and normally is sold as international version. That's worry me for the upcoming customs ROMs, this is often a mess with the baseband. Because the launcher is interesting, but it is hard to believe that now a day we still have launcher with limited scroll.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Carrying around a Nexus 7 2013 was indeed my plan before the Xperia Z Ultra got released. If the Honami or Note 2 turn out to be killer devices, I will buy them and a small tablet.
About the basebands, it is indeed a very serious problem. I am already concerned about how big the development community for this phone will be, but this makes it even worse. I thought Samsung was a mess. It would be a major plus for a device to carry all LTE frequencies including LTE-A in addition to HSPDA+. When travelling that’d be great, and custom roms wouldn’t have to be baseband specific.
jewelkobayashi said:
Since your post is so well written (and you have nothing to apologise about! Better written than most native English speakers, I kid you not.) I felt inclined to respond with my 2 cents.
I have had it for over 3 weeks now
Build quality
Nothing to complain about. In fact better than most manufacturers out there. Nice choice of materials, designed and put together well.
With regard to the screen and the shatterproof film which comes on top of it from the factory, leave it on. Removing it will mean removing the Sony Logo, and also your warranty.
Honestly, it is barely noticeable. In fact, I think most average users are not aware that there is a sheet there. As the name suggests, it is a sheet that prevents glass from flying everywhere WHEN and IF it shatters. It is for safety reason above everything else. It is not there to protect your screen.
So leave it on, and put a 3rd party protector immediately after purchase, and it will be as good as new every time you replace it.
It is up to you if you want to spend a fortune on these protectors. My experience tells me whatever the brand, they do scratch, and need replacing once in a while. Mine is a dollar, and it will last me for up to half a year. Then I will buy another and replace it. Good as new again.
If you are thinking that having a sheet on top of a sheet will hinder performance, rest assured. NO, it won't.
Water resistance and Speakers
Nothing to add, comments above reflect my opinions too
Size
To answer your question specifically, yes, it really is passport x 1.5.
Unless you wear those super-skinny-jeans, it should fit regular jeans no problem.
I am 5'7, wear loose fitting jeans. Levi's. I have about 5 different models, but they all fit without poking their heads out.
It fits. But is it comfortable? As someone said in previous comment, going up and down stairs feels funny a bit. Walking is no problem.
Since it feels well built, it gives no impression of fragility. But sometimes I remind myself not to put it in my back pocket for 2 reason.
Firstly, if I forget about it and sit down, I'd hate to think what would happen.
Secondly, for back pockets, it will poke out. It must be inviting for pick-pocketers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have a good point about the warranty being voided by removing the shatterproof film. I will try a cheap screen protector first. I was under the impression that they were quite bad, but if they are just as good it’s a nice way to save money.
A passport x1.5 would be a great size though. A definite upgrade from the Note 2, but still manageable. I am the same height, and also wear Levi’s so I guess I will be all right.
which model for at&t lte
Road Trip said:
Dear XDA community,
This is my first post here, so I would like to start off by thanking all of the hard working, and amazingly talented, developers whom have improved many of my android devices; adding something new and fresh, and making it feel like a new device time after time.
After having an unfortunate accident with my Galaxy Note 2 – two unfortunate accidents actually, first I smashed the screen, and then I dropped it on the back cover, warping the whole device, forcing up the whole plastic frame, and making it unable to charge – quite a critical function, isn’t it – I am looking for a new phone to buy. Now rather than later.
When I saw the Xperia Z Ultra though, I fell in love. I love the design, I love the physical size, I love the slimness and I love the performance.
There are some things I am concerned about though. I would love any of you guys advice on this.
Build quality
I am seeing mixed opinions about the build quality of the Xperia Z Ultra, and the recent Xperia phones in general. On the one hand Sony itself is touting that the screen is extremely strong, which seems to be the case judging by the drop tests on YouTube. Then again there seem to be many threads on the lack of durability, and how the screen can suddenly crack.
I am also wondering how you guys solve the problem with the shatterproof film. On the one hand, it is a great idea, but on the other hand I would not want my phone to be full of scratches. Can one simply apply one of those tempered glass screen protectors over the screen for ultimate protection? Considering I am quite a clunse – this Note 2 is the first phone I have ever owned that surpassed 6 months of survival – I am quite possibly going to need all the protection I can get.
Water resistance
How does the touchscreen react to water? I have always used my smartphones under the shower. Ever since the capacitive touchscreens, they freak out when a certain amount of water hits the screen. The screen will zoom in and out, the keyboard will give all sorters of weird suggestions, or it will just stop working entirely. According to most sources the phone uses a regular capacitive display.
But does it fare any better when wet? Furthermore are there any screen protectors that you can use while regularly getting the phone wet?
Loudspeaker
Well, how loud can it go? I am currently using the note 2 which has pretty reasonable speaker. I use it while watching movies and listening to music in the shower, but I also enjoy the benefits of a properly loud ringtone.
Size
I am afraid to go this route again, but can this guy comfortably fit in one’s pocket? As far as the internet goes, once again, opinions are divided. Most of my jeans can comfortably fit, length wise, 1,5 passports. Does this mean, as I am theorizing, that the Ultra Z will fit too?
Availability
I am from the Netherlands, a small country in Europe you probably won’t know – or would for its legal drugs and prostitution + drinking age and epic parties, and I would love to buy this phone as soon as possible, since I currently do not have a functional phone. Sadly it will only become available on the 13th of September, and I am not even sure this is going to be the 4G LTE version.
Does anybody have any tips where I can buy this phone on a contract? Sadly paying full price on it isn’t an option at the moment. All my savings have, disappeared on many – and quite diverse – spending’s.
I appreciate your help and tips! I secretly hope I am going to be convinced to buy this amazing phone. Also sorry for my bad English – it is not my native language, and also my apologies for this rather long post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can someone confirm that the international C6806 can b used for North American AT&T LTE bands. dont want to pre-order wrong model
ddiddy22 said:
Can someone confirm that the international C6806 can b used for North American AT&T LTE bands. dont want to pre-order wrong model
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of everything I read, the C6806 is good for North America and work on AT&T but don't have wifi call. After the international version is the c6833 that go europe LTE bands too.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
---------- Post added at 08:20 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:07 AM ----------
Road Trip said:
Carrying around a Nexus 7 2013 was indeed my plan before the Xperia Z Ultra got released. If the Honami or Note 2 turn out to be killer devices, I will buy them and a small tablet.
About the basebands, it is indeed a very serious problem. I am already concerned about how big the development community for this phone will be, but this makes it even worse. I thought Samsung was a mess. It would be a major plus for a device to carry all LTE frequencies including LTE-A in addition to HSPDA+. When travelling that’d be great, and custom roms wouldn’t have to be baseband specific.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure, I to wonder how large the community will be. Baseband troubles was a mess on the HTC sensation between 4G 3G and AT&T models. Now it is fine, thanks to the work of the devs.
Right, but they always feel the need to limit bands on the phone. Way to win more money. Why make simple (for the customers) with low margin when we can make complex (for the customers) with high margin?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

My Nexus 6P Review - Honest & Real World Use

New updates on review are in the 2nd post. Thanks for reading!​
Hey everyone! Many of you know me from other threads or some Q&A, but I wanted to share my experience with the Nexus 6P. I do have a thread where you can ask me anything to try or test out on the device, to help answer some questions. I am a front end developer, UX/UI designer, and business owner. This review is based on how I use the phone and where the phone either shines or fails to perform to my needs. The #hype is real on this device and I am hoping to provide you some feedback that removes the bias of #hype and focuses on the device. Hope you find this helpful and thanks for reading!
Introduction
The Nexus 6P is probably the one device I was so excited to get since the iPhone 4. From reading every possible hands on review, watching every YouTube video, and being on the forums trying to calculate shipping dates. This phone has generated so much buzz that I finally felt so excited to get a device. Compared to last year, nothing was "omfg must have". The Nexus 6P filled that hope.
Ergonomics & Hardware
There is no need for me to get into the specs, we all know them or they are easily available elsewhere. This review is about how the specs of the phone play to the hardware and software to make OUR experience the best. The Nexus 6P has some amazing hardware. I got the 32gb Aluminum (long live #aluminati!) version. It is such a delight to hold. The device feels fantastic in my hands, and I have average size hands for a 5'10" individual. I am coming from a Moto X Pure, Note 5, iPhone 6 Plus, and iPhone 6, and Nexus 6 over the past year. Yes, I change phones frequently...mostly for entertainment or variety. Unlike the iPhones, Note 5, and Nexus 6 - The 6P feels stable in my hands, easy to hold, my thumb can reach across the screen without slipping and the weight of the device does help me balance it for one handed use. Where iPhones were so light and thin, the ergonomics sucked to hold; the 6P thickness actually helps in one handed use. The width of the device is not so wide, like the 2014 N6, that one handed use is easy and 2 handed use works just fine as well.
Slippery - Or should I say, lack thereof? The metal on the phone has a slight grip to it. Similar to that of the Moto X Pure (minus the rubber), but it stays in my hand. Those of you worried about the metal frame and possibly being slippery like the iPhones or even Nexus 6; have no fear.
Metal & Screen - Every version (color) will probably differ. I can only speak for the aluminum version. I have barely put the device down and I have zero fingerprints on the back. Oils do not absorb into the metal to look dirty. The only area where fingerprints are obvious is where they should be...on the screen. Which brings me to the glass of the screen. The glass, in the first hours, felt good but over the ongoing use it has been a little tough for me to slide my fingers over. Could be me or maybe I just need to put the damn phone down. The glass is beautiful and seems strong, but I ordered a glass screen protector to help with fingerprints and always feeling smooth to the touch.
There is a lip around the edge. The metal lip seems to be that of 0.2mm, give or take. It's extremely subtle, but obvious it is there to the touch. If that is something that would bother you, the glass screen protectors seem to hit the correct dimensions in thickness to flatten the surface out entirely. I can imagine the lip probably makes applying a glass screen protector even easier due to form fitting vs aligning.
Buttons and Fingerprint Sensors
The buttons are metal and solid. They don't wiggle around, which drove me insane on my iPhone and Moto X Pure. You can tell they were built well. The home button has a texture to identify easily and works quite well. The click in on volume and home buttons have a easily identifying feedback so you know you are pushing them. As silly as it may sound, the Moto X Pure failed in that area. Where the buttons were so easy to push and lack of feedback on press, there were nights where I would watch a YouTube clip and accidentally click the volume in and piss off the lady.
The fingerprint sensor is like every other reviewer has put it. Extremely fast and reliable. I programmed my index and middle fingers on both hands to the fingerprint sensor. I love that I can pull my phone out of my pocket and its ready to go without awkward thumb bending on the front to reach. Only gripe here on the UX is the inability to unlock the device with my fingerprint when it's laying on my desk. It's not a huge deal to some, but I am at a desk non stop. There is a solution, in Android Marshmallow for this though. I setup certain areas as my "trusted" areas. My car, for example, is a trusted connection and the phone does not require to unlock. I did the same for the bluetooth on my work desk. Solves the issue, but leaves the phone open to access if that worries you.
Notification Light
I love notification lights. This one is simple and great. Not buried into the speaker. Obvious pulsing and colors. Just make sure you turn it on! My phone had it disabled. To enable, go to settings > Notifications > Pulse Notification Light. This is one of my favorite features, for as simple and dumb as it may sound.
Speed and Battery
This phone is lightning fast for me. It was built to work fluidly with Android M and it does exactly that. I haven't ran into any hiccups, crashing, issues and everything just...works! Not sure when I was last able to say that about an Android device. This is the first Android I don't have the "want or need" to begin installing greenify, sleep, and other apps that help chill the phone out and not drain the battery. App switching is smooth, RAM usage has stayed consistently at 1.5gb and the camera opens without stutter or lag for me. I frequently find something I wish to take a picture of and it just opens without delay. More on the camera further down.
The battery is great. The synergy with Android M, Doze, and the Nexus 6p - the battery life for me has been phenomenal. It's too early to reveal screenshots, but just in my general use today I have only used 9% of my battery. I have sent numerous emails, taken some pictures, showed off the device, used Google Maps for navigation, and listened to a Play Music Radio Station on the drive to work. I am happy to say that I am sure battery life won't be a big complaint amongst users. If you use your device so intensively, the rapid charging is rapid. Not as fast as my Moto X Pure, but pretty darn fast. It won't let you down.
Battery life screenshots attached in this post. I am impressed by the battery on this device.
Camera
I ****ing love this camera. The pictures are beautiful, detailed, and vibrant with colors. I take a lot of pictures with my devices and generally, my family will ask me to use my phone (whatever it may be at the time) to take those perfect shots. The focus, ISO, exposure and color has not let me down at all. I was able to get some amazing night shots, with the improved camera here. Lack of OIS isn't missed much on pictures, but at 4k video recording it would have been very helpful. In general, the camera is reliable and great quality. The pictures you may want to take at a bar or night environment will probably come out better than that of any other phone...with or without a flash. Samples attached of a couple night shots I posted elsewhere.
I did install a camera app called FV-5. It gives you far more control over the camera and has made some pictures really incredible. I have to tinker with it more and learn about some settings, but the face detection, focus and more on the app really allows the hardware to shine. Hopefully they update it quickly with more support for the 6P camera hardware features.
Connectivity
The most important part of the phone. I have Verizon and some areas in my house or office will be weaker than others. Where my Moto X Pure wasn't getting the best signal, I do see a slight stronger signal on the 6P. Nothing much though and wouldn't bank on it improving your past experiences substantially. WiFi speeds are great. I attached a screenshot of my speeds at home, on WiFi, with the 6P.
Bluetooth and Car
I use my phone in the car all the time. If this one aspect of a phone is flawed, then it goes back. I was concerned at first, because the phone and car would not connect. I was worried it was related to Android M. After I turned off bluetooth and turned it back on - it connected and paired, finally. I was most worried at this point.
Since then, I have gotten in and out of my car and the transition and connection to bluetooth has been seamless and quick. Where my Moto X Pure and iPhones took about 30 seconds to finally connect to the car and have a 3s gap where I miss conversation; The 6P seems to connect and transition the audio instantly. I hope it stays that way!
In the End?
I love this phone. It does live up to the #hype. Without any bias to my excitement to have it, this phone has pretty much hit every aspect of feature I would want out of a mobile device. The best part is IT JUST WORKS. That used to be my argument for Apple devices, but I can now say the same for Android. Sorry if that disappoints some of you... This is also the first android device where I don't feel the need to unlock or root. I will unlock and root because it's a Nexus and I like to develop/test ROMS out. However, those of you who felt you had to rely on unlocking and rooting to tinker settings, you may find that you won't have that urge to do so anymore. If anything, I'll do it for TWRP.
Where I would normally plan on switching devices every few months or 6 months, I can see myself keeping this device for a year to 2 years. Just won't tell the lady that or else I'll hear it when I want to upgrade to next years Nexus line...
Lastly, in the day using it, I have had many people ask me, "Hey, what phone is that?". While I don't care for being known to have the latest and greatest, it's fun showing it off. I can't wait to see some Frosties or Graphites in the wild, but for you folks with #aluminati...stand proud and shine. I hope this helped provide some honest insight and answer some questions.
Thanks folks!
Note: The only changes I made to the pictures was reduce the size of them. They were too large to upload, but no post edits were done for enhancements.
***UPDATES***
Blue Tint / Hue: I got our second device today and first thing I looked for was the blue tint/hue. I am surprised to say that there really isn't much of one on the second device. It's the exact same 32gb aluminum. That being said, I still never notice it on the first device and personally don't find it worth the effort to replace.
Bluetooth Issues: Some bluetooth connectivity issues have began to show their faces. I think it has to do with Android 6.0 and NOT the 6P, but we'll see.
Car: Mazda3 2014 Grand Touring, updated to most recent software
Symptoms: "Google Now" isn't working when connected. It seems that the device is depending on the vehicles microphone for any input and the vehicle microphone only triggers on button press. My other devices in the past year did not have this problem, including iPhone's "Hey Siri".
Resolution: Pending
Speakers: This is purely based on opinion, but I love the speakers on the 6P. I find them to sound rich and some great tones for a phone. I DO prefer them to my Moto X Pure, don't shoot me. Really though, speakers are great. I watched a movie last night from the device, for about 30 minutes, and no pops, crackles, stutters at all. Was pleased.
I did notice on speakers, that the volume range is a bit wonky. The low to mid setting for speakers in media playback was quite hard to hear. At 75% it was what I expect at medium. At 100% it was too loud. Food for thought, but hopefully this is addressed in software updates or use Viper.
What accessories are you using?
I love to accessorize my devices. I usually run my phone naked, to display all of it's beauty and engineering. Project Fi did send me a 50% off the ADOPTED case, which I ordered. Can't beat $10.81 with free shipping on a Google official case.
Screen Protectors:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016XZLFD6?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014UNPYEE?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01
These haven't arrived yet. One gets in Tuesday. I will test it out to make sure it does not block any sensors along with making the lip feel flush. Will report back on these.
Car Charger:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0146FK3G0?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01
There is a great thread, somewhere in accessories about Car Chargers. If you have lots of questions about it or need specifics, most have been answered there. I will say that RAPID CHARGING from this charger DOES WORK. Confirmed. I was able to charge up from 60% to 100% on a short drive home. It works great and the spare USB slot is appreciated.
Extra USB-C Cable:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010VFFSL4?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00
Braided, heavy duty and feels very solid/premium. Length is great and I am using it with a Moto X Pure charging block. Rapid charging works and it's a great cable.
Car Mount:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VEAF6SG?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00
This is the first car mount I have tried. I am picky about how things are in my car and I like it clean. Since my CD slot is at the bottom of the front dash, this fits quite well. It doesn't shake much and gets the job done.
Con: The piece that holds the phone expands and snaps back to default when you remove the device. It's not the easiest to use. You also can't center your device because the "arms" that hold the phone will press the volume/power key. This thing looks like it was built for an iPhone or LG G3+ type phone. Food for thought.
SPEAKERS VOLUME VIDEO:
***UPDATE TO OP 11/03***
Hey everyone! So after a week of use, I have some updates to the review. I have pasted the updates below, so you don't have to jump back to OP.
Battery
This seems to be one of the most discussed topics and quite a sensitive one! Some users are experiencing incredible SoT while others are not. Ultimately, it will boil down to what apps you have installed along with your connectivity. If your LTE connection is weak, your phone's battery will reflect that. There are many factors to take into consideration with battery, so please understand it is literally per individual basis!
Disclaimer: I haven't received any OTA updates yet. There have been 3 thus far and probably address some of the issues I have.
Over the weekend, I noticed my battery life not lasting as long as I would like. Almost seemed that every 5 minutes I was on the phone, I would lose roughly 3%-5%. This raised some questions so I started diving into the possible issues.
Symptoms:
Phone near fingerprint sensor would get warm during phone calls
Bluetooth constantly scanning
WiFi active during Doze/Sleep
WiFi scanning
GPS on
Solution:
Disabled Bluetooth and WiFi scanning passively
WiFi Advanced settings, disabled WiFi on during sleep
GPS was set to battery saving, but wasn't working. Simply turn off GPS, turn it back on, and check battery saving (this was an odd one)
With those adjustments, I have now noticed my battery in DOZE would lose roughly 2% over 4 hours. I'll get some screenshots and update the OP when they are available. Still testing. Battery life after the fixes are substantially better, however, my device is still getting warm while on calls where our second 6P does NOT. Due to this, a replacement has been overnighted to me. When that arrives, I will be unlocking/rooting to have some more fun with reporting to everyone.
VEHICLE BLUETOOTH
So, either this is new in Android M or my car is losing it's AI mind (or lack thereof), but I have figured out what it's doing. When placing a call through the device or the car, the phone will go into a "dialing" status. While it's in "dialing" status, the car will continue to play my music. When someone on the other end of the call picks up, the audio will switch to the phone. It hasn't been easy adjusting to this and I do wish I would just hear the dial tone, but everything else works great in car.
SCREEN PROTECTOR
I just received one of my screen protectors. I will apply it this evening, record it and share the link here for everyone to see. First impressions are that it misses the "edge to edge" by a slight amount. There is a lip on the edge of the device. My hope was the glass would extend from lip to lip. Not the case here, but still worth a shot. The glass DOES protrude above the lip. Glass thickness is slightly thicker than the other posted above, according to specs. That one arrives today, hopefully!
If something like that will bother you, I don't recommend the Yoozon glass. Video will come soon and you can see for yourself and decide which may be best for you, if any.
FINGERPRINT SENSOR
Still works like a charm. I hope they have an update that allows you to use a little more of the edge of your fingers, similar to Sammies or Apple. Other than that, it's reliable and fast even if your finger has moisture. Good stuff Huawei.
More to come soon, but hope this provides you more info and helps!
Thank you for the excellent review.
Excellent review and agree with everything you have said this is one of the best phones I have owned and I have owned a lot of them.
Thanks for the review! I'm currently test-driving a Moto X Pure, and have a week or so left to return it, which means if I want to get the Nexus 6P I'll have to go back to my old LG G2 for several weeks until Huawei gets its butt in gear and starts pumping out more 64gb models. What's your take on the 6P vs. the X Pure?
Chief85 said:
Thanks for the review! I'm currently test-driving a Moto X Pure, and have a week or so left to return it, which means if I want to get the Nexus 6P I'll have to go back to my old LG G2 for several weeks until Huawei gets its butt in gear and starts pumping out more 64gb models. What's your take on the 6P vs. the X Pure?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you! Seeing that I literally just came from the Moto X Pure to the 6P, I can say that I have not looked back or regret doing so. I gave my X Pure to my business partner (he was on a 2014 model still). There is a noticeable height difference, but I like it. It actually places the volume rocker and power button in the right spot for my thumb. Unless you did Moto Maker and like that super unique look, I'd pick the 6P hands down.
Great review! Thanks for sharing.
tehpud said:
Hey everyone! Many of you know me from other threads or some Q&A, but I wanted to share my experience with the Nexus 6P. I do have a thread where you can ask me anything to try or test out on the device, to help answer some questions. I am a front end developer, UX/UI designer, and business owner. This review is based on how I use the phone and where the phone either shines or fails to perform to my needs. The #hype is real on this device and I am hoping to provide you some feedback that removes the bias of #hype and focuses on the device. Hope you find this helpful and thanks for reading!
Introduction
The Nexus 6P is probably the one device I was so excited to get since the iPhone 4. From reading every possible hands on review, watching every YouTube video, and being on the forums trying to calculate shipping dates. This phone has generated so much buzz that I finally felt so excited to get a device. Compared to last year, nothing was "omfg must have". The Nexus 6P filled that hope.
Ergonomics & Hardware
There is no need for me to get into the specs, we all know them or they are easily available elsewhere. This review is about how the specs of the phone play to the hardware and software to make OUR experience the best. The Nexus 6P has some amazing hardware. I got the 32gb Aluminum (long live #aluminati!) version. It is such a delight to hold. The device feels fantastic in my hands, and I have average size hands for a 5'10" individual. I am coming from a Moto X Pure, Note 5, iPhone 6 Plus, and iPhone 6, and Nexus 6 over the past year. Yes, I change phones frequently...mostly for entertainment or variety. Unlike the iPhones, Note 5, and Nexus 6 - The 6P feels stable in my hands, easy to hold, my thumb can reach across the screen without slipping and the weight of the device does help me balance it for one handed use. Where iPhones were so light and thin, the ergonomics sucked to hold; the 6P thickness actually helps in one handed use. The width of the device is not so wide, like the 2014 N6, that one handed use is easy and 2 handed use works just fine as well.
Slippery - Or should I say, lack thereof? The metal on the phone has a slight grip to it. Similar to that of the Moto X Pure (minus the rubber), but it stays in my hand. Those of you worried about the metal frame and possibly being slippery like the iPhones or even Nexus 6; have no fear.
Metal & Screen - Every version (color) will probably differ. I can only speak for the aluminum version. I have barely put the device down and I have zero fingerprints on the back. Oils do not absorb into the metal to look dirty. The only area where fingerprints are obvious is where they should be...on the screen. Which brings me to the glass of the screen. The glass, in the first hours, felt good but over the ongoing use it has been a little tough for me to slide my fingers over. Could be me or maybe I just need to put the damn phone down. The glass is beautiful and seems strong, but I ordered a glass screen protector to help with fingerprints and always feeling smooth to the touch.
There is a lip around the edge. The metal lip seems to be that of 0.2mm, give or take. It's extremely subtle, but obvious it is there to the touch. If that is something that would bother you, the glass screen protectors seem to hit the correct dimensions in thickness to flatten the surface out entirely. I can imagine the lip probably makes applying a glass screen protector even easier due to form fitting vs aligning.
Buttons and Fingerprint Sensors
The buttons are metal and solid. They don't wiggle around, which drove me insane on my iPhone and Moto X Pure. You can tell they were built well. The home button has a texture to identify easily and works quite well. The click in on volume and home buttons have a easily identifying feedback so you know you are pushing them. As silly as it may sound, the Moto X Pure failed in that area. Where the buttons were so easy to push and lack of feedback on press, there were nights where I would watch a YouTube clip and accidentally click the volume in and piss off the lady.
The fingerprint sensor is like every other reviewer has put it. Extremely fast and reliable. I programmed my index and middle fingers on both hands to the fingerprint sensor. I love that I can pull my phone out of my pocket and its ready to go without awkward thumb bending on the front to reach. Only gripe here on the UX is the inability to unlock the device with my fingerprint when it's laying on my desk. It's not a huge deal to some, but I am at a desk non stop. There is a solution, in Android Marshmallow for this though. I setup certain areas as my "trusted" areas. My car, for example, is a trusted connection and the phone does not require to unlock. I did the same for the bluetooth on my work desk. Solves the issue, but leaves the phone open to access if that worries you.
Notification Light
I love notification lights. This one is simple and great. Not buried into the speaker. Obvious pulsing and colors. Just make sure you turn it on! My phone had it disabled. To enable, go to settings > Notifications > Pulse Notification Light. This is one of my favorite features, for as simple and dumb as it may sound.
Speed and Battery
This phone is lightning fast for me. It was built to work fluidly with Android M and it does exactly that. I haven't ran into any hiccups, crashing, issues and everything just...works! Not sure when I was last able to say that about an Android device. This is the first Android I don't have the "want or need" to begin installing greenify, sleep, and other apps that help chill the phone out and not drain the battery. App switching is smooth, RAM usage has stayed consistently at 1.5gb and the camera opens without stutter or lag for me. I frequently find something I wish to take a picture of and it just opens without delay. More on the camera further down.
The battery is great. The synergy with Android M, Doze, and the Nexus 6p - the battery life for me has been phenomenal. It's too early to reveal screenshots, but just in my general use today I have only used 9% of my battery. I have sent numerous emails, taken some pictures, showed off the device, used Google Maps for navigation, and listened to a Play Music Radio Station on the drive to work. I am happy to say that I am sure battery life won't be a big complaint amongst users. If you use your device so intensively, the rapid charging is rapid. Not as fast as my Moto X Pure, but pretty darn fast. It won't let you down.
Camera
I ****ing love this camera. The pictures are beautiful, detailed, and vibrant with colors. I take a lot of pictures with my devices and generally, my family will ask me to use my phone (whatever it may be at the time) to take those perfect shots. The focus, ISO, exposure and color has not let me down at all. I was able to get some amazing night shots, with the improved camera here. Lack of OIS isn't missed much on pictures, but at 4k video recording it would have been very helpful. In general, the camera is reliable and great quality. The pictures you may want to take at a bar or night environment will probably come out better than that of any other phone...with or without a flash. Samples attached of a couple night shots I posted elsewhere.
I did install a camera app called FV-5. It gives you far more control over the camera and has made some pictures really incredible. I have to tinker with it more and learn about some settings, but the face detection, focus and more on the app really allows the hardware to shine. Hopefully they update it quickly with more support for the 6P camera hardware features.
Connectivity
The most important part of the phone. I have Verizon and some areas in my house or office will be weaker than others. Where my Moto X Pure wasn't getting the best signal, I do see a slight stronger signal on the 6P. Nothing much though and wouldn't bank on it improving your past experiences substantially. WiFi speeds are great. I attached a screenshot of my speeds at home, on WiFi, with the 6P.
Bluetooth and Car
I use my phone in the car all the time. If this one aspect of a phone is flawed, then it goes back. I was concerned at first, because the phone and car would not connect. I was worried it was related to Android M. After I turned off bluetooth and turned it back on - it connected and paired, finally. I was most worried at this point.
Since then, I have gotten in and out of my car and the transition and connection to bluetooth has been seamless and quick. Where my Moto X Pure and iPhones took about 30 seconds to finally connect to the car and have a 3s gap where I miss conversation; The 6P seems to connect and transition the audio instantly. I hope it stays that way!
In the End?
I love this phone. It does live up to the #hype. Without any bias to my excitement to have it, this phone has pretty much hit every aspect of feature I would want out of a mobile device. The best part is IT JUST WORKS. That used to be my argument for Apple devices, but I can now say the same for Android. Sorry if that disappoints some of you... This is also the first android device where I don't feel the need to unlock or root. I will unlock and root because it's a Nexus and I like to develop/test ROMS out. However, those of you who felt you had to rely on unlocking and rooting to tinker settings, you may find that you won't have that urge to do so anymore. If anything, I'll do it for TWRP.
Where I would normally plan on switching devices every few months or 6 months, I can see myself keeping this device for a year to 2 years. Just won't tell the lady that or else I'll hear it when I want to upgrade to next years Nexus line...
Lastly, in the day using it, I have had many people ask me, "Hey, what phone is that?". While I don't care for being known to have the latest and greatest, it's fun showing it off. I can't wait to see some Frosties or Graphites in the wild, but for you folks with #aluminati...stand proud and shine. I hope this helped provide some honest insight and answer some questions.
Thanks folks!
Note: The only changes I made to the pictures was reduce the size of them. They were too large to upload, but no post edits were done for enhancements.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have a fantastic cat sir
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
I think it is a very good review. Granted, I have only had my phone for just now 24 hours and only completed full set up early this AM.
Can't speak about the battery yet as it is too early to tell and it has been on and off charger. I anticipate tonight forward I can get a better read.
Camera is one of the best and I REALLY like the Moto X 2015 Pure. I think N6P may trump it as a few low light pics came out great. At very least is on par with Apple 6S Plus which I also own.
Fingerprint scanner is phenomenal and IS faster than Apple 6S Plus, which I thought was fast. N6P trumps it.
Now, I don't necessarily agree with connectivity on LTE: I STILL think MOTO has better radios and at work I have very sketchy connectivity. I do notice my Nexus 6 and even when I owned the Moto X 2015 Pure, it would grab a weaker signal and have faster data connections moreso than the Nexus 6P. I had to keep toggling airplane mode on the Nexus 6P to get signals. So, I think it is OK but MOTO still has better radios IMHO.
Furthermore, I also think the processor is a "tad" slower than Nexus 6. The Nexus 6 seems to fly and is speedier (both Nexus 6 and N6P are decrypted as well). Granted, I perceive no lag on the N6P, but I definitely feel a controlled movement.
Good review, but my thoughts differ from yours a bit.
My Nexus 6P just arrived. Initial impression? The screen on my Moto X Pure is better (brighter, better whites, less graininess up close). Also, the speakers on the Moto X Pure are better. The Moto X Pure is also a little smaller and easier to grip with the rubber back. My Moto X Pure has very clicky and solid buttons, so maybe that's just a flaw in your particular Moto X.
I'm actually shocked because I fully expected to fall in love with the 6P immediately and ditch the Moto X Pure based on the stellar reviews I have been seeing, but now I'm thinking this is going to be a tougher decision than I thought, and I might actually end up returning the 6P!
Chief85 said:
Thanks for the review! I'm currently test-driving a Moto X Pure, and have a week or so left to return it, which means if I want to get the Nexus 6P I'll have to go back to my old LG G2 for several weeks until Huawei gets its butt in gear and starts pumping out more 64gb models. What's your take on the 6P vs. the X Pure?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am in exactly same boat. Have till Nov. 13. Great review OP. You make me really want one and if they were readily available I probably would have it.
tehpud said:
Hey everyone! Many of you know me from other threads or some Q&A, but I wanted to share my experience with the Nexus 6P. I do have a thread where you can ask me anything to try or test out on the device, to help answer some questions. I am a front end developer, UX/UI designer, and business owner. This review is based on how I use the phone and where the phone either shines or fails to perform to my needs. The #hype is real on this device and I am hoping to provide you some feedback that removes the bias of #hype and focuses on the device. Hope you find this helpful and thanks for reading!
Introduction
The Nexus 6P is probably the one device I was so excited to get since the iPhone 4. From reading every possible hands on review, watching every YouTube video, and being on the forums trying to calculate shipping dates. This phone has generated so much buzz that I finally felt so excited to get a device. Compared to last year, nothing was "omfg must have". The Nexus 6P filled that hope.
Ergonomics & Hardware
There is no need for me to get into the specs, we all know them or they are easily available elsewhere. This review is about how the specs of the phone play to the hardware and software to make OUR experience the best. The Nexus 6P has some amazing hardware. I got the 32gb Aluminum (long live #aluminati!) version. It is such a delight to hold. The device feels fantastic in my hands, and I have average size hands for a 5'10" individual. I am coming from a Moto X Pure, Note 5, iPhone 6 Plus, and iPhone 6, and Nexus 6 over the past year. Yes, I change phones frequently...mostly for entertainment or variety. Unlike the iPhones, Note 5, and Nexus 6 - The 6P feels stable in my hands, easy to hold, my thumb can reach across the screen without slipping and the weight of the device does help me balance it for one handed use. Where iPhones were so light and thin, the ergonomics sucked to hold; the 6P thickness actually helps in one handed use. The width of the device is not so wide, like the 2014 N6, that one handed use is easy and 2 handed use works just fine as well.
Slippery - Or should I say, lack thereof? The metal on the phone has a slight grip to it. Similar to that of the Moto X Pure (minus the rubber), but it stays in my hand. Those of you worried about the metal frame and possibly being slippery like the iPhones or even Nexus 6; have no fear.
Metal & Screen - Every version (color) will probably differ. I can only speak for the aluminum version. I have barely put the device down and I have zero fingerprints on the back. Oils do not absorb into the metal to look dirty. The only area where fingerprints are obvious is where they should be...on the screen. Which brings me to the glass of the screen. The glass, in the first hours, felt good but over the ongoing use it has been a little tough for me to slide my fingers over. Could be me or maybe I just need to put the damn phone down. The glass is beautiful and seems strong, but I ordered a glass screen protector to help with fingerprints and always feeling smooth to the touch.
There is a lip around the edge. The metal lip seems to be that of 0.2mm, give or take. It's extremely subtle, but obvious it is there to the touch. If that is something that would bother you, the glass screen protectors seem to hit the correct dimensions in thickness to flatten the surface out entirely. I can imagine the lip probably makes applying a glass screen protector even easier due to form fitting vs aligning.
Buttons and Fingerprint Sensors
The buttons are metal and solid. They don't wiggle around, which drove me insane on my iPhone and Moto X Pure. You can tell they were built well. The home button has a texture to identify easily and works quite well. The click in on volume and home buttons have a easily identifying feedback so you know you are pushing them. As silly as it may sound, the Moto X Pure failed in that area. Where the buttons were so easy to push and lack of feedback on press, there were nights where I would watch a YouTube clip and accidentally click the volume in and piss off the lady.
The fingerprint sensor is like every other reviewer has put it. Extremely fast and reliable. I programmed my index and middle fingers on both hands to the fingerprint sensor. I love that I can pull my phone out of my pocket and its ready to go without awkward thumb bending on the front to reach. Only gripe here on the UX is the inability to unlock the device with my fingerprint when it's laying on my desk. It's not a huge deal to some, but I am at a desk non stop. There is a solution, in Android Marshmallow for this though. I setup certain areas as my "trusted" areas. My car, for example, is a trusted connection and the phone does not require to unlock. I did the same for the bluetooth on my work desk. Solves the issue, but leaves the phone open to access if that worries you.
Notification Light
I love notification lights. This one is simple and great. Not buried into the speaker. Obvious pulsing and colors. Just make sure you turn it on! My phone had it disabled. To enable, go to settings > Notifications > Pulse Notification Light. This is one of my favorite features, for as simple and dumb as it may sound.
Speed and Battery
This phone is lightning fast for me. It was built to work fluidly with Android M and it does exactly that. I haven't ran into any hiccups, crashing, issues and everything just...works! Not sure when I was last able to say that about an Android device. This is the first Android I don't have the "want or need" to begin installing greenify, sleep, and other apps that help chill the phone out and not drain the battery. App switching is smooth, RAM usage has stayed consistently at 1.5gb and the camera opens without stutter or lag for me. I frequently find something I wish to take a picture of and it just opens without delay. More on the camera further down.
The battery is great. The synergy with Android M, Doze, and the Nexus 6p - the battery life for me has been phenomenal. It's too early to reveal screenshots, but just in my general use today I have only used 9% of my battery. I have sent numerous emails, taken some pictures, showed off the device, used Google Maps for navigation, and listened to a Play Music Radio Station on the drive to work. I am happy to say that I am sure battery life won't be a big complaint amongst users. If you use your device so intensively, the rapid charging is rapid. Not as fast as my Moto X Pure, but pretty darn fast. It won't let you down.
Camera
I ****ing love this camera. The pictures are beautiful, detailed, and vibrant with colors. I take a lot of pictures with my devices and generally, my family will ask me to use my phone (whatever it may be at the time) to take those perfect shots. The focus, ISO, exposure and color has not let me down at all. I was able to get some amazing night shots, with the improved camera here. Lack of OIS isn't missed much on pictures, but at 4k video recording it would have been very helpful. In general, the camera is reliable and great quality. The pictures you may want to take at a bar or night environment will probably come out better than that of any other phone...with or without a flash. Samples attached of a couple night shots I posted elsewhere.
I did install a camera app called FV-5. It gives you far more control over the camera and has made some pictures really incredible. I have to tinker with it more and learn about some settings, but the face detection, focus and more on the app really allows the hardware to shine. Hopefully they update it quickly with more support for the 6P camera hardware features.
Connectivity
The most important part of the phone. I have Verizon and some areas in my house or office will be weaker than others. Where my Moto X Pure wasn't getting the best signal, I do see a slight stronger signal on the 6P. Nothing much though and wouldn't bank on it improving your past experiences substantially. WiFi speeds are great. I attached a screenshot of my speeds at home, on WiFi, with the 6P.
Bluetooth and Car
I use my phone in the car all the time. If this one aspect of a phone is flawed, then it goes back. I was concerned at first, because the phone and car would not connect. I was worried it was related to Android M. After I turned off bluetooth and turned it back on - it connected and paired, finally. I was most worried at this point.
Since then, I have gotten in and out of my car and the transition and connection to bluetooth has been seamless and quick. Where my Moto X Pure and iPhones took about 30 seconds to finally connect to the car and have a 3s gap where I miss conversation; The 6P seems to connect and transition the audio instantly. I hope it stays that way!
In the End?
I love this phone. It does live up to the #hype. Without any bias to my excitement to have it, this phone has pretty much hit every aspect of feature I would want out of a mobile device. The best part is IT JUST WORKS. That used to be my argument for Apple devices, but I can now say the same for Android. Sorry if that disappoints some of you... This is also the first android device where I don't feel the need to unlock or root. I will unlock and root because it's a Nexus and I like to develop/test ROMS out. However, those of you who felt you had to rely on unlocking and rooting to tinker settings, you may find that you won't have that urge to do so anymore. If anything, I'll do it for TWRP.
Where I would normally plan on switching devices every few months or 6 months, I can see myself keeping this device for a year to 2 years. Just won't tell the lady that or else I'll hear it when I want to upgrade to next years Nexus line...
Lastly, in the day using it, I have had many people ask me, "Hey, what phone is that?". While I don't care for being known to have the latest and greatest, it's fun showing it off. I can't wait to see some Frosties or Graphites in the wild, but for you folks with #aluminati...stand proud and shine. I hope this helped provide some honest insight and answer some questions.
Thanks folks!
Note: The only changes I made to the pictures was reduce the size of them. They were too large to upload, but no post edits were done for enhancements.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is that a Huawei watch?
bullshark888 said:
Is that a Huawei watch?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup!
tehpud said:
Yup!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am still debating this or the 360, maybe wait for the black Friday.
bullshark888 said:
I am still debating this or the 360, maybe wait for the black Friday.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would wait for Black Friday tbh. I am probably going to return it and wait for the Moto 360 Sport. I already have a nice watch, but need something that I can use while I work out.
Was there really a need to start a new thread about reviews?
Now that is what I call a fantastic review
Very nice review. Thank you for taking the time and sharing. I think I know my next device after mapping this against the Moto X Pure.
Does VoLTE work on Verizon with the 6p? If not, does it have dual radios to let you call on CDMA and still use LTE data?
jmileti said:
I am in exactly same boat. Have till Nov. 13. Great review OP. You make me really want one and if they were readily available I probably would have it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very frustrating! If only I could hold both at the same time...

should i replace my z3c with z5c?

Hi, I have a Z3C and the problem is that my touchscreen now is busted, though I can still use it by rotating the screen.
It started on the upper extremities of the LCD, I became annoyed and tried the "lighter fix" for LG G2, which didn't work great for me. Touchscreen got way worse, wtf am i expecting applying 3k volts of static electricity.
I'm torn between replacing the screen or getting a z5c instead. Though my z3c somewhat slows down now, it is still usable and OK for me.
I know that if i replace my LCD, it will not be as good as before, so I'm thinking about that.
And if I get a z5c, i don't know the little issues, or if they were resolved with .11 update. Even small physical build issues concern me and I can't find a comprehensive list of issues. Also, screen replacement will cost me just around 20% of a new z5c unit, or maybe i could get a 2nd hand one.
Please share your thoughts, should I go for z5c? Or other brands (around 4.7 inches also)? Or screen replacement?
Thanks!
wakoko79 said:
Hi, I have a Z3C and the problem is that my touchscreen now is busted, though I can still use it by rotating the screen.
It started on the upper extremities of the LCD, I became annoyed and tried the "lighter fix" for LG G2, which didn't work great for me. Touchscreen got way worse, wtf am i expecting applying 3k volts of static electricity.
I'm torn between replacing the screen or getting a z5c instead. Though my z3c somewhat slows down now, it is still usable and OK for me.
I know that if i replace my LCD, it will not be as good as before, so I'm thinking about that.
And if I get a z5c, i don't know the little issues, or if they were resolved with .11 update. Even small physical build issues concern me and I can't find a comprehensive list of issues. Also, screen replacement will cost me just around 20% of a new z5c unit, or maybe i could get a 2nd hand one.
Please share your thoughts, should I go for z5c? Or other brands (around 4.7 inches also)? Or screen replacement?
Thanks!
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I dont really know how did you get to a conclution on little bugs of z5c? has no bugs whatso ever , in fact go watch youtube videos about it , most of the known youtubers like linus concider the Z5C the best compact phone out there ...
also replacing a screen in its own manufacture is not wrong or bad and they wouldnt put a bad screen or "not as good" I could be wrong , but I already replaced my older phone Z2 screen twice and I didnt see any difference...
madshark2009 said:
I dont really know how did you get to a conclution on little bugs of z5c? has no bugs whatso ever , in fact go watch youtube videos about it , most of the known youtubers like linus concider the Z5C the best compact phone out there ...
also replacing a screen in its own manufacture is not wrong or bad and they wouldnt put a bad screen or "not as good" I could be wrong , but I already replaced my older phone Z2 screen twice and I didnt see any difference...
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Click to collapse
Well every phone out there has issues, some of them can be found only with everyday use. I've heard overheating, screen self crack and bad battery performance for z5c. But overheating and bad battery performance can be fixed with software, but not the screen cracking.. I think you get the point. Those little quirks.
About the LCD replacement, most of those comes from china. And I've seen so many issues with friends with replacement screens (non-OEM). This ranges from low brightness, touch responsiveness, bad color reproduction to flat-out touch failure in 3 weeks after installment. Yeah, so I'm quite worried about that since technicians will have different prices for "replacement", "class A" and "original" (original but not OEM, wtf).
wakoko79 said:
Well every phone out there has issues, some of them can be found only with everyday use. I've hear overheating, screen self crack.
About the LCD replacement, most of those comes from china. And I've seen so many issues with friends with replacement screens (non-OEM). This ranges from low brightness, touch responsiveness, bad color reproduction to flat-out touch failure in 3 weeks after installment. Yeah, so I'm quite worried about that since technicians will have different prices for "replacement", "class A" and "original" (original but not OEM, wtf).
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Click to collapse
I dont know how it works in your country ( I dont know where youre from either lol) if you send your phone to its original manufacture in your own country and pay them lots of money to fix it they should install original and if its not like that then buy the z5c if you want , seriously check youtube videos about it from well known youtubers its the best besides some times over heating in high level of usage (like gaming etc...)
I believe there to be a serious component issue with the touchscreen panel of the Z3C, "gate" level serious. There's way too high a percentage of people reporting touchscreens that die right after the 1 year mark, just out of warranty. Getting a replacement just means that it will most likely die again after a year or so, because it's the same faulty component, and (at least here in my country) they don't guarantee waterproofing after repairs which is really unacceptable after asking for around $130 in repair fees. Not to mention that it's obviously a flaw with Sony hardware, but they deny it and refuses to take responsibility, so the cost of repair is passed on to the victims, us.
Coming from Z3C, you will find the battery life of the Z5C disappointing, even with moderate to light use. Then there's the problem of the POS S810, so the phone is constantly throttling and overheating. It's really a shame, because I otherwise think the gorgeous design of the Z5C is the pinnacle of the Omnibalance language. There are real noticeable improvements to many of the small quirks I had with my Z3C, like the overly rounded edges that eats into my fingers with prolonged handling, non-exposed USB port, dual speaker cutouts that are really dust holders (Z5C elegantly placed them at the edges)... etc. Whether the trade-offs are worth it are based on your personal usage habits and wish list.
mhaha said:
I believe there to be a serious component issue with the touchscreen panel of the Z3C, "gate" level serious. There's way too high a percentage of people reporting touchscreens that die right after the 1 year mark, just out of warranty. Getting a replacement just means that it will most likely die again after a year or so, because it's the same faulty component, and (at least here in my country) they don't guarantee waterproofing after repairs which is really unacceptable after asking for around $130 in repair fees. Not to mention that it's obviously a flaw with Sony hardware, but they deny it and refuses to take responsibility, so the cost of repair is passed on to the victims, us.
Coming from Z3C, you will find the battery life of the Z5C disappointing, even with moderate to light use. Then there's the problem of the POS S810, so the phone is constantly throttling and overheating. It's really a shame, because I otherwise think the gorgeous design of the Z5C is the pinnacle of the Omnibalance language. There are real noticeable improvements to many of the small quirks I had with my Z3C, like the overly rounded edges that eats into my fingers with prolonged handling, non-exposed USB port, dual speaker cutouts that are really 2 dust holders (Z5C elegantly placed them at the edges)... etc. Whether the trade-offs are worth it are based on your personal usage habits and wish list.
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Click to collapse
Though i'm turned off by the larger besel of z5c
Also, there is no magnetic charging which should be a main selling point IMHO.
But is the throttling and overheating solved by the update or custom rom? Pls link me to the POS S810 issue, i dont know what that is.
wakoko79 said:
Though i'm turned off by the larger besel of z5c
Also, there is no magnetic charging which should be a main selling point IMHO.
But is the throttling and overheating solved by the update or custom rom? Pls link me to the POS S810 issue, i dont know what that is.
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Click to collapse
Larger bezel? Do you mean the slightly more disproportionate top and bottom bezels due to the lower screen placement compared to the Z3C? Because both are literally the same in screen size with nearly identical length and width dimensions.
http://www.phonearena.com/phones/size/Sony-Xperia-Z3-Compact,Sony-Xperia-Z5-Compact/phones/8744,9611
I've been using the Z5C for 8 months, and I've never been bothered by or noticed the display being lower. And that's coming from more than a year of use of Z3C, and the Z1C before that, which were both more symmetrical.
Initially I was also disappointed with the exclusion of the magnetic port, but only a few weeks in and I haven't missed it since. Having the exposed USB port at the center bottom really helps, and I favor having a seamless edge that again doesn't eat into my skin over the convenience of a charging port that only sees use when I'm not using the phone, which as I mentioned is rendered moot by the ease of access of the USB port. I bought a DK-52 dock for charging and never had problems docking it with ease, although I had imagined it would be problematic.
As for "POS S810", I mean "piece of **** Snapdragon 810" SoC. See here: http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/04/in-depth-with-the-snapdragon-810s-heat-problems/
Or you can Google around "snapdragon 810 overheat", in short this silicon is ****. Sony's done their best (arguably the best out of all manufacturers) to mitigate the impact, but in the end there's only so much you can do to workaround an inherently poor hardware design.
*EDIT BELOW*
As for the question of throttling and overheating solved by updates, there doesn't seem to be a decisive or conclusive evidence of that. With each new update, it seems there's always people reporting better battery/improved thermal alongside people saying it's worse or no change. Yes, there are mods/ROMs claiming to fix the battery and heat issues, whether or not they actually make a difference is more of a personal usage thing, you have to try them out for yourself and see if they work for you.
It may sound like I'm hating on the Z5C, but on the contrary I actually love my Z5C. It's just that after using the Z3C, high expectations have been set but the Z5C failed to deliver on some accounts, mainly the battery and thermal issues. Otherwise, I genuinely felt it was a worthy upgrade over the Z3C. I've come to accept that I won't be getting the same outstanding battery performance of the Z3C, but that's not to say that it isn't great on its own merits. Also consider that the Z3 series are pretty much dead since they're not getting official Android 7.0 support, while the Z5 series are still on the upgrade list, albeit now at the lowest priority compared to the more recent models.
So to sum it up, I don't think it's worth investing in a screen replacement that may still break after a year, not to mention potentially losing the waterproofing. The Z5C may be the next logical step after the Z3C, but has problems of its own. You need to decide if the drawbacks are worth it. At least it's been a little over a year since the phone's release, and there seems to be no (mass) reports of dying touchscreens. Yet. So it's got that going for it, which is something I suppose.
This phone is still very good despite its few hiccups. It over heats when shooting long videos or playing graphic-heavy games (many phones will over heat too), i dont know z3c battery life but with my z5 i get minimum 5rs sot wen browsing the web, minimum 4hrs when playing plants vs zombies heroes, minimum 4hrs streaming videos, on light useage i get minimum 2days... Remember i say minimum.
The camera is not great on low light conditions but it is superb in daylight. Its performance is snappy, water resistance is not a gimmick, speaker volume is loud enough although i was not impressed with headphone volume n sound until i installed another app.
The phone is worth it, not perfect though.
mhaha said:
Larger bezel? Do you mean the slightly more disproportionate top and bottom bezels due to the lower screen placement compared to the Z3C? Because both are literally the same in screen size with nearly identical length and width dimensions.
http://www.phonearena.com/phones/size/Sony-Xperia-Z3-Compact,Sony-Xperia-Z5-Compact/phones/8744,9611
I've been using the Z5C for 8 months, and I've never been bothered by or noticed the display being lower. And that's coming from more than a year of use of Z3C, and the Z1C before that, which were both more symmetrical.
Initially I was also disappointed with the exclusion of the magnetic port, but only a few weeks in and I haven't missed it since. Having the exposed USB port at the center bottom really helps, and I favor having a seamless edge that again doesn't eat into my skin over the convenience of a charging port that only sees use when I'm not using the phone, which as I mentioned is rendered moot by the ease of access of the USB port. I bought a DK-52 dock for charging and never had problems docking it with ease, although I had imagined it would be problematic.
As for "POS S810", I mean "piece of **** Snapdragon 810" SoC. See here: http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/04/in-depth-with-the-snapdragon-810s-heat-problems/
Or you can Google around "snapdragon 810 overheat", in short this silicon is ****. Sony's done their best (arguably the best out of all manufacturers) to mitigate the impact, but in the end there's only so much you can do to workaround an inherently poor hardware design.
*EDIT BELOW*
As for the question of throttling and overheating solved by updates, there doesn't seem to be a decisive or conclusive evidence of that. With each new update, it seems there's always people reporting better battery/improved thermal alongside people saying it's worse or no change. Yes, there are mods/ROMs claiming to fix the battery and heat issues, whether or not they actually make a difference is more of a personal usage thing, you have to try them out for yourself and see if they work for you.
It may sound like I'm hating on the Z5C, but on the contrary I actually love my Z5C. It's just that after using the Z3C, high expectations have been set but the Z5C failed to deliver on some accounts, mainly the battery and thermal issues. Otherwise, I genuinely felt it was a worthy upgrade over the Z3C. I've come to accept that I won't be getting the same outstanding battery performance of the Z3C, but that's not to say that it isn't great on its own merits. Also consider that the Z3 series are pretty much dead since they're not getting official Android 7.0 support, while the Z5 series are still on the upgrade list, albeit now at the lowest priority compared to the more recent models.
So to sum it up, I don't think it's worth investing in a screen replacement that may still break after a year, not to mention potentially losing the waterproofing. The Z5C may be the next logical step after the Z3C, but has problems of its own. You need to decide if the drawbacks are worth it. At least it's been a little over a year since the phone's release, and there seems to be no (mass) reports of dying touchscreens. Yet. So it's got that going for it, which is something I suppose.
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Click to collapse
OK, I'm getting a Z5C tomorrow LOL. What I'm saying about the bezels is that the large bezel at the top is turning me off somewhat (I think z3c has the perfect size), but that is just me nit-picking on stuff, it doesn't really matter on daily use.
About the USB port, I'm just scared of it physically breaking, or just being lose or having bad metal contact. I had this problem before so I'm kinda always worried about ports which are like usb. On the other hand, the magnetic charging just holds the cable and the phone with a magnet, so I don't need to worry that I may damage it when someone accidentally applies force the wrong way to the cable/phone. BTW I did not use the dock on Z3C, just some cheap magnetic cable. Anyway that is fine I can live without it.
Another thing, I read in gsmarena that the usb port has a waterproof coating so that it can be submerged in water? Got any more info on that? Just curious here.
BTW my Z3C now is not water-proof anymore since I went full retard (I squeezed the phone while under water, destroyed the mic, so I got it fixed).
paq1170 said:
This phone is still very good despite its few hiccups. It over heats when shooting long videos or playing graphic-heavy games (many phones will over heat too), i dont know z3c battery life but with my z5 i get minimum 5rs sot wen browsing the web, minimum 4hrs when playing plants vs zombies heroes, minimum 4hrs streaming videos, on light useage i get minimum 2days... Remember i say minimum.
The camera is not great on low light conditions but it is superb in daylight. Its performance is snappy, water resistance is not a gimmick, speaker volume is loud enough although i was not impressed with headphone volume n sound until i installed another app.
The phone is worth it, not perfect though.
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Click to collapse
I think heating when using phone (games, browser, video) is normal. Is that is what supposed to be the overheating issue? My z3c heats up when using chrome too, and that is fine with me. What is not fine is like when I'm just reading an ebook or just calling then it heats like crazy. I just use my phone for texts, calls, ebook, RSS feeds, some browsing.
Camera is also fine with me, I'm not really a picture-everywhere guy, I rarely use it so its just a plus =).
The exposed USB port is waterproof, that's the great thing about it. Just don't use it while under water or after it's been submerged in water, you still need to let it dry out. So with the Z5C, unless you're frequently changing SIM or microSD cards, the only flap will stay closed for like 99% of its lifetime and the chance of it being water damaged due to the flap becoming worn and torn or improperly closed is minimal.
All phones get warm when you're executing high load tasks, but it can get borderline melting with S810 phones. Seriously, in certain situations it can get really uncomfortable to hold, no to mention there's the throttling to prevent it from self destructing, so you'd also be experiencing degraded performance while handling a hot brick. It won't happen with casual phone calls, browsing, texting, snapping a photo or two... but if you're doing intensive stuff like playing heavily encoded videos or resource hungry games, you'll feel the heat and see some stuttering thanks to the throttling. A personal experience, I once tried viewing an anime in 1080p that's probably encoded with advanced codecs on my Z5C, after a few minutes it starting burning my hands and became unwatchable, lagging like crazy. No doubt it's because the decoder and real time down-scaling of the resolution to 720p needed full processing power.
With your usage though, you will probably rarely experience it. Might get lucky if you loaded up a poorly optimized rich media website or something, but not likely.
A new z3c is.the best option. Z5c lags a lot because of 810.
I got my z5c.
Z3C looks a lot more better aesthetically. But, oh well, thanks for the replies!
wakoko79 said:
I got my z5c.
Z3C looks a lot more better aesthetically. But, oh well, thanks for the replies!
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Click to collapse
I'll agree with that. The Z5C's slightly bigger top bezel does bug me, or at least did when I still had my Z3C and could see them side-by-side. It's also slightly more boring looking than the Z3C. Other than that, though, I think the Z5C is far more comfortable to hold than the Z3C, and I haven't noticed mine lagging any more than the Z3C did. After flashing the X Compact's camera APK, the camera is also far more responsive, which is great when you have two little kids around like I do.
Same thing happened to my z3 compact and I replaced the digitizer/lcd myself with a kit. No problems except that months later, the screen started peeling up because of the stickers not holding fast. Finally decided to order an X Compact and returned it immediately. Just didn't like the look/feel.
I didn't want to buy another z3c so I purchased a z5c off of swappa. So far, I'm very happy with it. Still waiting to see how it does on battery life but the phone is beautiful. IMO, the best reason to upgrade from the z3c is the fingerprint scanner.
Damn!!!! I have the same problem with the z3c screen, and the same concerns: should i fix it or should i upgrade (of course to z5c, the only one who seems comparable)?
I have not decided yet... I really love my z3c
@ wakoko79 : what are your impressions of your new device? Especially battery and heat/lag.
Thanks
XDAmagic said:
Damn!!!! I have the same problem with the z3c screen, and the same concerns: should i fix it or should i upgrade (of course to z5c, the only one who seems comparable)?
I have not decided yet... I really love my z3c
@ wakoko79 : what are your impressions of your new device? Especially battery and heat/lag.
Thanks
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Click to collapse
Lag lag lag and battery epic. As i said in the previous post, 810 epic fail.
smardu said:
Lag lag lag and battery epic. As i said in the previous post, 810 epic fail.
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Click to collapse
Agreed. I previously owned a Z5C. I hated how much it heated doing simple tasks (browsing internet, updating apps, ...) they didn't need to be CPU intensive to get hot. I always felt a little uneasy that the heat would cause a battery failure if I let it get hot enough since the heat would run down the back side of the battery. It wouldn't be terribly hot but it was hotter than a phone should get. I then purchased an XC which has a "comparatively" powerful CPU and that thing barely ever gets warm and it has yet to get as hot as my Z5C did just updating 3 apps in a row.
I would have suggested an XC but the Z5C did well when using it. Congrats, I hope the Z5C roms can get that non-stock Camera figured out.
z3 was a great phone. i owned one but was broken so i upgraded. z5 c is similar but is a little faster to me. the camera options are improved and the z5c camera is better both front and back. Plus the z5c is 32g internal vs the z3c which is 16. z5c also has a finger print scanner that works great. z5c updates are going to be better than the z3c in my opinion. z5c gets warm but it's never really bothered me especially with a case.
z5c is hands down better.

Quality feel (use of materials)

Rate this thread to express how you think the Xiaomi Mi A2 feels in terms of quality. A higher rating indicates that it feels premium and high-quality (attention to detail is high, manufacturing defects don't exist, etc).
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!
I'm going to give the material/build quality a 7 out of 10. It's definitely nothing I can complain about at this price point. The body itself looks and feels great. The buttons are a little too clicky and protruding for my liking. Camera also sticking out too far, but that's fair considering how slim the phone is. My biggest turn off, might be just pertaining to my device. But I get a slight rattle when setting the phone down. Maybe just the vibrating motor, maybe it's because there was no protection in the packaging mine shipped in. To me 7 out of 10 in a $250 phone with these specs is incredible overall.
When you set the phone down, it wobbles because of the camera bump which should not have happened as other device don't have this issue.
Xiaomi really missed an opportunity here
Nickdroid86 said:
I'm going to give the material/build quality a 7 out of 10. It's definitely nothing I can complain about at this price point. The body itself looks and feels great. The buttons are a little too clicky and protruding for my liking. Camera also sticking out too far, but that's fair considering how slim the phone is. My biggest turn off, might be just pertaining to my device. But I get a slight rattle when setting the phone down. Maybe just the vibrating motor, maybe it's because there was no protection in the packaging mine shipped in. To me 7 out of 10 in a $250 phone with these specs is incredible overall.
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Click to collapse
Happy to hear that I`m not the only one with these kind of "problems". My device also rattles a lot when laying it down on whatever kind of solid surface or sometimes even when gently tapping it with your fingers. It sounds like there´s something about to break apart on the inside, which drives me crazy .
I´ve already contacted my seller, assuming that something inside my device is loose or that the vibration-motor is damaged. They replied that it would be normal and that the noise would be caused by the auto-focus. I´d love to hear if there are even more A2 users facing this issue or if I unluckily received a faulty device.
Using the volume- or unlock-buttons also takes way to much force and is way too noisy in my opinion.
In addition to that, the oleophobic coating of the device is very weak if not even non-existent. Fingerprints are visible after very short usage can hardly be removed.
I won`t even complain about design mistakes like the camera bump or the fake stereo-speakers on the bottom of the device, as these are things you should consider before buying.
To me that makes up for no more than 5/10, irrespective of the phone`s great performance.
Maybe I expected to much from a 240€ phone, but comparing it to a Moto G6 there is plenty of room for improvement on the quality side.
Evaluating just the use of materials I would rate the phone at a solid 9.0/10.
Sole gripe is the aluminum back, which didn't get any treatment to be less slippery (it's really an hazard if you use it "naked" -- like I do).
There are plenty of other issues which are not about use of materials, but do show lower quality standards in some regards. For instance, the speakers punch insane volumes, but the quality is very far from top tier flagships (which should be a surprise to none, as this is a much cheaper phone). Call quality does suffer due to this, at least just from our side (listening). The luminosity sensor could also be better, not sure if it's just software or poor hardware. Button feel is stiff and solid like other top premium devices, don't know what people are complaining there. Fingerprint sensor does tend to be slower than the top tier (emphasis on the relative comparison -er, as it's not slow by any absolute means, just slower)
If you want to evaluate design, the larger bezels are also a pretty clear give-away this isn't flagship material. The huge camera bump is also a design choice that annoys a lot of people (motivated by the fact that module wouldn't fit otherwise, but a design choice to make the phone stupidly slim nonetheless).
My assessment of the phone is very good, chiefly because it costs less than €250 for the 4GB/64GB model (which I have).
You can't really expect miracles, there is a reason why the other phones are more expensive.
The compromises made in the A2 make it retain most of the apparent feel of a much premium device -- so much so that, when a call arrives, I am disappointed to be reminded by the speakers that this is a very good €250 phone; not a €1000+ flaghip.
alexris99 said:
Happy to hear that I`m not the only one with these kind of "problems". My device also rattles a lot when laying it down on whatever kind of solid surface or sometimes even when gently tapping it with your fingers. It sounds like there´s something about to break apart on the inside, which drives me crazy .
I´ve already contacted my seller, assuming that something inside my device is loose or that the vibration-motor is damaged. They replied that it would be normal and that the noise would be caused by the auto-focus. I´d love to hear if there are even more A2 users facing this issue or if I unluckily received a faulty device.
Using the volume- or unlock-buttons also takes way to much force and is way too noisy in my opinion.
In addition to that, the oleophobic coating of the device is very weak if not even non-existent. Fingerprints are visible after very short usage can hardly be removed.
I won`t even complain about design mistakes like the camera bump or the fake stereo-speakers on the bottom of the device, as these are things you should consider before buying.
To me that makes up for no more than 5/10, irrespective of the phone`s great performance.
Maybe I expected to much from a 240€ phone, but comparing it to a Moto G6 there is plenty of room for improvement on the quality side.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, even my MI A2 when placed down on a flat surface makes a metallic noise/vibration, as if there was something not fixed properly near camera.
With my previous Moto G4 I did not have this problem, at the moment I'm not sure whether to keep the MI A2 or send it back despite being very satisfied with all the other aspects.
Has anyone noticed differences with cover?
Is this defect also present on other phones?
Everyone has that rattle when shaking the phone or laying it down, apparently it has something to dok with the camera, there is a thread about it. The phone has a very good build quality, at this price point incredible. The bump bothers me a bit but since they copied the iPhone it doesn't feel cheap.
Just received a MI a2 and it seems to have very good build quality for a $250 phone and works fine so far. Of course I am not a fan of the cam bump but still a good phone 8.5 of 10.
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app

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