To get the Z5 or not??

[Ben36]

So what do people think? I can upgrade my phone next week, currently on a nexus 5. Is the Z5 actually worth getting? (seems to be a lot of negative feedback about) or I'm thinking maybe the Nexus 5X (but the Z5 outspecs it in every way.... BUT... It's a nexus, it will be stupidly fast at all times)

Or what else if anything currently?

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[Shagrinar]

Hey,

I currently own an iPhone 5S and I was looking forward to change to Android for a few months now.
Today my contract ended and I finally wanted to get a new phone so in the last two weeks I was searching the right phone for me almost everyday for a few hours. Reading reviews, looking at xda and so on.

Yesterday I ordered the Z5.
At first I was looking at the G4, reviews say it has a really really good camera, it got an SD slot for up to 1 TB and a replaceable battery. Almost anything I wanted, the only thing missing was the fingerprint reader.
Then I checked for the developer community and saw/read that it's not really popular with developers which is a huge negative for me.
Then I read about the touchscreen problems it has and I was looking for something else at first.

I was hoping for the 5X or the 6P to be great phones but without an SD slot and the small storage (16GB at minimum price) as well as the high price (in Germany) I discarded the idea.

I was looking at the S6 then and realized it is a great phone, but again - no SD card (which makes it way pricier than one with an SD card as you want enough storage to not run out) - and the Exynos CPU scares some developers (at least I read that).

After checking the S5 (yes, a bit older) It was my favorite at first but I got the chance to reduce the price of the Z5.
The S5 has expandable storage, replaceable battery, great screen, good camera and a fingerprint reader.
The fingerprint reader is not the best, the design is not as great as on other phones (but that's really not important to me) and it has useless stuff like a heart rate sensor.
But if the Z5 is bad I will get the S5.

Why an older phone? You don't need really need the processing power for most stuff you do, when calling, taking photos, messaging or browsing you dont need an octa-core. Things like storage (for photos and videos you take (especially when you can record 4K)) and battery life are important to me. The fingerprint reader is not necessary but a nice to have when unlocking your phone 100 times a day.

So why the Z5?
Well, it got 32GB, an SD slot, a fingerprint reader, a good CPU, pretty good battery life and a nice camera and It will most likely get a nice developer community.
If I experience problems with it that don't justify the 560€ I paid I will return it and get another phone. But when looking at the whole package I think it's the best for me.

I hope I could help you with describing my way of choosing the phone!
Have fun looking around and I hope it doesn't take you 2 weeks to find the right phone like it took me... :laugh:

Greetings,
Daniel

 

[augie7107]

Had a Z1, Z2, Z3 and now Z5. Also had a Xiaomi Mi4, Redmi Note 4G, HTC M9 and a ZTE Axon. I would recommend this phone, you won't be disappointed especially coming from Nexus 5 (Had one of these also but only briefly before digitizer went). Z5 is tops in everything compared to devices on this list with two exceptions. M9 exterior speakers are better and Axon audio through headphones is better. Guess you could argue build quality as well since M9 and Axon are metal but the Z5 is built well, water/dust resistant but glass everywhere so no drops

 

[Ben36]

Yea i definitely need to find a box type rugged case if I get one!

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[zippy01]

Depends what you want from a phone. The thing is negative reviews always outshine positive and more people write about issues they have had. (most could be user error)

My decision to get this was the fingerprint reader which works very well. Having Sony phones for so long I also couldn't see myself with anything else. The Sony launcher in my opinion is the best but I have used it for so long now it would be hard to switch to anything else.

Usually you get time to return bought items if not satisfied that would give you the chance to see for yourself

I would definitely recommend it anyhow and have not encountered many issues.

Sent from my SGP771 using Tapatalk

 

[entra6]

compare to Z3 Can you update us with
1- Battery life
2- Heat problem
3- sound qulity from the speaker like playing videos from youtube or whatsapp
compare the sound VS Z3 and Let us know please

 

[augie7107]

compare to Z3 Can you update us with
1- Battery life
2- Heat problem
3- sound qulity from the speaker like playing videos from youtube or whatsapp
compare the sound VS Z3 and Let us know please

1. Just streamed a two hour movie and dropped 22%. Only had the phone five days so not sure the battery is fully calibrated yet.
2. No problem with heat while streaming but have not tested extensive gaming or video recording.
3. Speakers are noticeably louder than Z3 but still do not approach HTC M7 or even M9 levels. Headphone audio is also louder than Z3.

 

[abhinav.tella]

1. Just streamed a two hour movie and dropped 22%. Only had the phone five days so not sure the battery is fully calibrated yet.
2. No problem with heat while streaming but have not tested extensive gaming or video recording.
3. Speakers are noticeably louder than Z3 but still do not approach HTC M7 or even M9 levels. Headphone audio is also louder than Z3.

Seems all the S810 based devices have battery issues even on standby. HTC and Sony both have regressed significantly in battery life with the Z3+/M9. Keep us posted, I was wondering if this one improved back to the Z3 levels or not. I saw a speaker comparison test don't remember where but the M9 and Z3 topped the Z5 not by too much though in terms of clarity, the Nexus 6 was last.