[Q] Z2 vs HTC One M8

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vipaman

Senior Member
Hey,

I was consider to get the HTC One M8 but then I came across the Sony Xperia Z2. I was looking at the feature set of both. I went and got a feel of both the devices. My only real concern that came about would be the development aspect of the Z2. I love to tweak around with my phones.

The other issue that hit me is the speakers on the Z2. I havent had a chance to play with the Z2 in the sound department but I did have a chance with the HTC One M8. Does the speakers feel good to listen to?

Any thoughts would be helpful :eek:
 

Envious_Data

Senior Member
Oct 12, 2012
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enviousmedia.design
Well opinion wise on the Z2 , the speakers arent perfect but thats because of the fact the phone is waterproof, everything else is amazing

Development has started slow for Z2 alike most xperias, give it a couple months for it too speed up, we already have official CM11 and TWRP, there should be more to come

And not to mention all mods for 4.4 will most likely work on other xperias
(this does disinclude kernels and roms)
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
 
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Hogyoku

Senior Member
I have both devices i think that the M8 is better in design and the sound quality is better both speakers and earplugs wise.
The camera on the Z2 is waaaaaaayyy better then the M8 and i personally think that the system ui is better as well i am not a fan of sense it just to heavy.
And custom development always takes a tad longer on sony devices. I've had both devices and i'm still not sure which one is better .....:silly:
 
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paras

Senior Member
Apr 15, 2007
1,359
107
i have z2 and love it. Overall i feel m8 is great but z2 has a slight edge in all departments other than sound. Sound is awesome on z2 but m8 is better.

Sent From My Nexus 5 Stock 4.4.3 ART
 
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tuanph.aus

Member
Jun 4, 2014
23
8
Sydney
I haven't got a chance to play with M8 but I have had M7 for 5 days before I decided to sell it and married Sony Z2.

Originally, I came from Apple 5s and to be honest the camera on HTC One M7 was horrible. I went out for a persimmon picking trip and I took my brandnew HTC M7 for photo shooting and I was shocked by the photo quality, blueish, dark, blrury and incorrect colour. Even my gf was shocked with my new toy's camera performance. Overall HTC was a good phone, sleek design, study and iron cold feeling, nice and sharp screen and beautiful UI. But after I sold my HTC M7 and bought the Sony Z2 and I must say it is one of the best phone I have even owned. Fast, beautiful scree large screen, simpe UI and super long lasting battery. I am a heavy user and apple 5s could not keep up with me as long as Sony Z2. Anyway, from Apply 5S -> HTC M7 -> Sony Z2, I am really happy to stay with Sony for a long time. And it is my first Sony device I have ever used since I was born ...lol
 

valdigre

Senior Member
Nov 20, 2010
204
26
Dublin
Hey all, I have the same dillema.

I have just sold my Note 3 and want something smaller and with a capable camera, very good sound quality on speakerphone while on skype and normal calls.

In the last aspect my previous HTC M7 was the best however it's camera was unacceptable, especially in very bright sun light...
To be honest I don't know why I am even considering the M8 because of the camera, but I guess I have the sentiment for the previous one.

Anyway, my biggest concern with Z2 is overheating. I went to Vodafone shop and turned on the Camera app to see how the phone behaves. Within 1-2 minutes it got noticably warm, just because the screen and app was on...

How widespread do you think the overheating problem is? Logically speaking, if something is sealed very well for water not getting in, than it must be not so great with heat dissapation... Unless it is made of aluminum...

I don't want a camera phone having a camera which I cannot use because of overheating...

Also, is it difficult to flash stock firmware over branded one, with sim lock present? Does the phone need to be unlocked?
 
Last edited:

tuanph.aus

Member
Jun 4, 2014
23
8
Sydney
Hey all, I have the same dillema.

I have just sold my Note 3 and want something smaller and with a capable camera, very good sound quality on speakerphone while on skype and normal calls.

In the last aspect my previous HTC M7 was the best however it's camera was unacceptable, especially in very bright sun light...
To be honest I don't know why I am even considering the M8 because of the camera, but I guess I have the sentiment for the previous one.

Anyway, my biggest concern with Z2 is overheating. I went to Vodafone shop and turned on the Camera app to see how the phone behaves. Within 1-2 minutes it got noticably warm, just because the screen and app was on...

How widespread do you think the overheating problem is? Logically speaking, if something is sealed very well for water not getting in, than it must be not so great with heat dissapation... Unless it is made of aluminum...

I don't want a camera phone having a camera which I cannot use because of overheating...

Also, is it difficult to flash stock firmware over branded one, with sim lock present? Does the phone need to be unlocked?

The one you tried in vodafone store was probably on for whole day i.e., screen, speaker, demo... therefore it was already hot prior your camera shooting trial. I have no problem with my device. Trust me HTC M7 heat problem is a lot worse due to its metal case. Sony used combine materials including plastic, glass and aluminum therefore heat is not as bad as metal housing in general.

Worst case scenario, it is waterproof so just give it a shower, will help to reduce heat issue :D:D
 

vipaman

Senior Member
Feels like I might just get the Z2. Ijust have the issue of the dev community for the device. Since its a new device, I have a feeling that the dev community will be strong but that we shall see.

Plus me getting the Z2 depends on my stupid carrier keeping it in stock xD. They released the device here and with 2 days all the carriers ran out of stock. So lets hope I get my hands one xD
 

valdigre

Senior Member
Nov 20, 2010
204
26
Dublin
I think I answered this question to myself...

Until Sony fixes the overheating problem (provided it can be addressed through software and it is not the hardware at fault), I will not get this phone.
I went to Vodafone Ireland store close by and put the phone to test. I started the camera app and launched 4k video and left it going, while I was playing with HTC M8 and Galaxy S5 (ugly phone and the same design all over again...)...

Well, after around 5 minutes I got the overheating message... Keep in mind when I started playing with the phone it was cold (no one playing with it, screen off)... The temperature now is around 20-22 idle.

Ok, I thought, It can be forgiven as I do not give a damn about 4k... So after it crashed and took me to the screen, I opened photo app again and managed to take 4 pictures before I got the message again and when the app force closed... After 10 seconds I did the same and the same story...

All I managed was to laugh out loud, while playing with the HTC camera and having its chasis still cold, and I just left the store...

Those temperatures cannot be good for any internals inside, especially the battery. I can bet Z2 users will have their batteries deteriorated significantly by the end of this year, if they use it as GPS nav, gaming devices or... Just as a camera...

RIDICULOUS... But I guess I will be tracking the forums and see if any of the firmwares fixes the problem, if not, I will wait patiently for Q3 phones this year as there is nothing that ticks my boxes at the moment.

Thanks.
 
Last edited:

feis

Senior Member
Dec 30, 2008
701
287
I think I answered this question to myself...

Until Sony fixes the overheating problem (provided it can be addressed through software and it is not the hardware at fault), I will not get this phone.
I went to Vodafone Ireland store close by and put the phone to test. I started the camera app and launched 4k video and left it going, while I was playing with HTC M8 and Galaxy S5 (ugly phone and the same design all over again...)...

Well, after around 5 minutes I got the overheating message... Keep in mind when I started playing with the phone it was cold (no one playing with it, screen off)... The temperature now is around 20-22 idle.

Ok, I thought, It can be forgiven as I do not give a damn about 4k... So after it crashed and took me to the screen, I opened photo app again and managed to take 4 pictures before I got the message again and when the app force closed... After 10 seconds I did the same and the same story...

All I managed was to laugh out loud, while playing with the HTC camera and having its chasis still cold, and I just left the store...

Those temperatures cannot be good for any internals inside, especially the battery. I can bet Z2 users will have their batteries deteriorated significantly by the end of this year, if they use it as GPS nav, gaming devices or... Just as a camera...

RIDICULOUS... But I guess I will be tracking the forums and see if any of the firmwares fixes the problem, if not, I will wait patiently for Q3 phones this year as there is nothing that ticks my boxes at the moment.

Thanks.

Camera is set to shutdown at 65c cpu temp, which is nothing in todays technology. So no, it wont affect battery or something else. Also what do you expect, you make 4k recording, turn temperatures to hell and then take pictures, outcome clear to me. If you start by taking pictures that wont happen. And m8 is not a factor here, its probably imposible to make any smartphone overheat by taking 4mpixel photos lol.
 

tuanph.aus

Member
Jun 4, 2014
23
8
Sydney
I think I answered this question to myself...

Until Sony fixes the overheating problem (provided it can be addressed through software and it is not the hardware at fault), I will not get this phone.
I went to Vodafone Ireland store close by and put the phone to test. I started the camera app and launched 4k video and left it going, while I was playing with HTC M8 and Galaxy S5 (ugly phone and the same design all over again...)...

Well, after around 5 minutes I got the overheating message... Keep in mind when I started playing with the phone it was cold (no one playing with it, screen off)... The temperature now is around 20-22 idle.

Ok, I thought, It can be forgiven as I do not give a damn about 4k... So after it crashed and took me to the screen, I opened photo app again and managed to take 4 pictures before I got the message again and when the app force closed... After 10 seconds I did the same and the same story...

All I managed was to laugh out loud, while playing with the HTC camera and having its chasis still cold, and I just left the store...

Those temperatures cannot be good for any internals inside, especially the battery. I can bet Z2 users will have their batteries deteriorated significantly by the end of this year, if they use it as GPS nav, gaming devices or... Just as a camera...

RIDICULOUS... But I guess I will be tracking the forums and see if any of the firmwares fixes the problem, if not, I will wait patiently for Q3 phones this year as there is nothing that ticks my boxes at the moment.

Thanks.

No offence here but really you buy a smartphone just to shoot 4K?
 

vipaman

Senior Member
So I just got my z2. YAY!!!!

Sad part is that I didn't get the noise cancelling ear buds. #WelcomeToTheMiddleEast

On the other hand. I just love the feel of the device. It just feels right. The aluminum and glass feel just perfect. It's feels a bit more premium than the M8 imo.

Problems. The device heats up. But tbh I live in a hot country so it really doesn't matter XD. The heat is more towards the top part and the device just heated up when I cranked the brightness high and started recording 4k video(Which I doubt I shall ever use in the near future)

Now all I got to do is get a case and a screen protector so that I don't destroy it in my rough daily use

Hope my short review helped anyone :)

Sent from my D6503 using XDA Free mobile app
 

valdigre

Senior Member
Nov 20, 2010
204
26
Dublin
So I just got my z2. YAY!!!!

Sad part is that I didn't get the noise cancelling ear buds. #WelcomeToTheMiddleEast

On the other hand. I just love the feel of the device. It just feels right. The aluminum and glass feel just perfect. It's feels a bit more premium than the M8 imo.

Problems. The device heats up. But tbh I live in a hot country so it really doesn't matter XD. The heat is more towards the top part and the device just heated up when I cranked the brightness high and started recording 4k video(Which I doubt I shall ever use in the near future)

Now all I got to do is get a case and a screen protector so that I don't destroy it in my rough daily use

Hope my short review helped anyone :)

Sent from my D6503 using XDA Free mobile app

Can you do a test for me, please?

Could you actively use the phone for a while (say 3g browsing or wifi) so that it becomes warm at the back, and once it gets warm, can you open the camera app and try to record 3-5 minute hd video or take at least 10 pictures in the row?

I am wondering if you get the warning message. :)
 

JoSway

Member
Nov 1, 2013
32
45
I just sold my M8 and ordered the Z2, I'm excited, I hope it was worth it!

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
 

vipaman

Senior Member
Can you do a test for me, please?

Could you actively use the phone for a while (say 3g browsing or wifi) so that it becomes warm at the back, and once it gets warm, can you open the camera app and try to record 3-5 minute hd video or take at least 10 pictures in the row?

I am wondering if you get the warning message. :)


Okay so I tried that. And nothing much happened. It just got a bit hot. like it wasnt that hot. Keep in mind I tried this indoors when the air-conditioning was on was thats something.

I live in a hot country where temperatures can reach 40+ Celsius or 100+ Fahrenheit but still I dont find the phone to be that hot. It does become hot ever so slightly but thats expected.

Hope I helped you out.
 

vipaman

Senior Member
I just sold my M8 and ordered the Z2, I'm excited, I hope it was worth it!

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

I was inclined to the M8 in the beginning but now I feel this device is better in terms of hardware as compared to Sony.

Development is real slow but thats expect from Sony devices. As far as stock goes, Its not bad but can definitely be improved. Sony actually did a really amazing job with the software.

Believe me you will love the Z2 :)
 

valdigre

Senior Member
Nov 20, 2010
204
26
Dublin
Okay so I tried that. And nothing much happened. It just got a bit hot. like it wasnt that hot. Keep in mind I tried this indoors when the air-conditioning was on was thats something.

I live in a hot country where temperatures can reach 40+ Celsius or 100+ Fahrenheit but still I dont find the phone to be that hot. It does become hot ever so slightly but thats expected.

Hope I helped you out.

That is the thing, the phone is not expected to get hot when doing not so really intensive tasks like browsing, downloading, or recording hd video/taking pictures... I had Galaxy S 1, 2, HTC One, Note 3, played with M8, Galaxy S5 and those phones only get "warm" when sat nav or comparable heavy task...

If your phone gets very warm at home with AC on, than what do you expect will happen when you try to use it outside at 35 degrees in your country? :)
Nothing like this would happen with any other competition's phone, seriously... It must be a design flaw, those problems were present with previous Z's as well if my memory serves me right.

No, I don't care about 4k video recording, I would survive this overheating problem if the phone overheated only in this case, but overheating when taking pictures after doing some light intensive tasks? Unacceptable...
 

vipaman

Senior Member
I am pretty certain it can survive for a long time. The thing that gets hot is the glass not the metal frame. And when it's hot it's not hot as in u touch and u r gonna burn yourself.

Sent from my D6503 using XDA Free mobile app
 

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  • 2
    If you want a single device for all your needs go for Z2.

    Want only a smartphone and have a separate professional camera? Go for M8.

    Here's a comparison video :
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKCgqeVdZ3w
    1
    Well opinion wise on the Z2 , the speakers arent perfect but thats because of the fact the phone is waterproof, everything else is amazing

    Development has started slow for Z2 alike most xperias, give it a couple months for it too speed up, we already have official CM11 and TWRP, there should be more to come

    And not to mention all mods for 4.4 will most likely work on other xperias
    (this does disinclude kernels and roms)
    Sent from my D6503 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
    1
    I have both devices i think that the M8 is better in design and the sound quality is better both speakers and earplugs wise.
    The camera on the Z2 is waaaaaaayyy better then the M8 and i personally think that the system ui is better as well i am not a fan of sense it just to heavy.
    And custom development always takes a tad longer on sony devices. I've had both devices and i'm still not sure which one is better .....:silly:
    1
    i have z2 and love it. Overall i feel m8 is great but z2 has a slight edge in all departments other than sound. Sound is awesome on z2 but m8 is better.

    Sent From My Nexus 5 Stock 4.4.3 ART