Should you buy a Xperia Z or not?

[Ryland Johnson]

I've got my Z on ebay, sitting in front of me waiting to sell right now. I wanted so much to love the Z and still do love the Water resistance and ruggedness, as well as the size of the screen. Simply put though, the Z falls down on too many points.

Z points;

Camera : Very good, although no better than S3 or iphone 4 or 5 for that matter.

Music: Too quiet, although sound quality is great. The low volume overall, especially through the headphone socket, even with audio mods, is inexcusable from Sony.

Screen: Sony have basically just slapped a small computer monitor screen on it, as the viewing angles remind me of PC lcd screens.
Viewing angle is the big no no here, it is almost useless viewing texts with phone on desk, and watching a movie or looking at content with a friend on the screen is very disapointing.

Performance: The Z is slightly too laggy, although it is very fast.

I love the size of the Z screen and the software is very nice, especially the album app, which is hands down the best album app i've ever used.

Sony fell just short of the mark with this. Given the choice again, I would not of bought it. The HTC One i've replaced it with beats it in every respect barring screen size and water resistance.

I think we all bring something to this forum in the way of specialised knowledge. In my case it is sound. I have been an ardent Hi Fi enthusiast for well over 40 years and to that end feel a tad qualified to write on sound reproduction.

In terms of your comment regarding the volume levels when using the head phone socket I ponder if, in truth, you have in fact actually either owned the XZ or used one? I confront you openly with this as to write that the sound level when using head phones is too low is simply untrue unless you have some hearing problem?

Upon reading your post I performed my own mini test using the following head phones and in ear head buds;
Sennheiser MX90 VC. Sennheiser CX300-11. Sennheiser PX 100-11. Pioneer SE-MJ751
The above range from in ear buds through on the ear mobile head phones to in house full head phones.

I also used the SXZ, LG P880, Samsung Galaxy S3 and the SGNote. (Not today but last week I also used the HTC One though not as a test in itself.)

In relation to sound reproduction. All four produce a decent acceptable sound meaning listening experience was acceptable considering what the device is IE it is not the 10 grand set up I have in my living room.

Sound reproduction is a very subjective experience, what some will enjoy others will not. In terms of the overall experience all four reproduce music well. Please remember that often the closer we hear the true recording it can be the case we dislike said rendition. With zero adjustments to any music parameters and using the same music player installed on all four devices I can report the most faithful to the original recording is the Sony.
Secondly the volume on all four was way above the dB level for safe hearing on all phones used.

To this end it is difficult to accept your comment on the volume levels of the XZ when used through the head phone port. It simply fails the litmus test and is technically inaccurate.
Now speaker...The Sony is simply diabolical. The Sony reproduced distorted sound at any volume past 50% operating level. The Note offering the best experience even though that is also awful. I must add that these are mobile phones and not music centres.
I have a family member with the HTC One and the sound reproduced from the speakers is in a different league to the other mobiles mentioned. I must again add that even the HTC is not something I would consider even close to a decent listening experience using the two front facing speakers though. I will also add that when using the HTC One through the head phone outlet the reproduction is 'different' to the above mentioned mobiles but that is all it is, different. This is where personal taste come in. In terms of faithful reproduction of sound recording again the Sony wins the day.

With regard your attention to viewing angles. I have no idea why any owner would desire to hold the mobile at a 45 degree angle to their line of vision? This again harps back to perhaps you having read reviews where this criteria is used and mentioned as a negative? This IS a mobile phone and not a TV. Personally I like the viewing angles as I don't rely care for the person sitting next to me three seats away reading my mails.

I hope you enjoy the HTC experience. I have owned numerous handsets from that brand. Back to the HTC One. The main reason I HAD to stop purchasing HTC mobiles was the signal strength. I live way out in the countryside and signal strength here is abysmal.
Nokia have produced the strongest signals but I can't get along with their OS. HTC have been the weakest and Samsung have proved not to bad. The Sony, thank heavens, is by far the best of the non Nokia handsets. The HTC One doesn't pick up any signal here at all. That fact alone makes the HTC a non starter for me also the lack of expandable memory. Different mobiles for different tastes.

Regards.

 

[Belfast.]

Some people are like children. Who normal watching movies on your phone? I do not swim with the cell. I dont love my cell. For a year or less we buy another phone.
Xperia Z
1:good design
2:bad internal speaker - in the wrong place
3oor quality camera - noise blur bad postprocessing, bad drivers
For the price, it's not enough. Do not buy.
Sent from my C6603 using xda app-developers app

 

[G1_enthusiast]

Some people are like children. Who normal watching movies on your phone? I do not swim with the cell. I dont love my cell. For a year or less we buy another phone.
Xperia Z
1:good design
2:bad internal speaker - in the wrong place
3oor quality camera - noise blur bad postprocessing, bad drivers
For the price, it's not enough. Do not buy.
Sent from my C6603 using xda app-developers app

number 3 can be fix with an update.... number 2 i agreed but could be worse. the S3 has the speaker in the back which kinda stupid since u gotta turn your phone around to have the speaker face toward you.

 

[that-fat-old-man]

Got mine quite accidently. I was out for a Nexus 4, but instead I got this two year contract where I pay 20 Euro each month.
I have a decent amount of free minutes and messages; 100 each. There is also a data plan with 200 mb of free traffic included
and the XZ was included for free. :laugh:

 

[cnle]

......

Sound reproduction is a very subjective experience, what some will enjoy others will not. In terms of the overall experience all four reproduce music well. Please remember that often the closer we hear the true recording it can be the case we dislike said rendition.
.......

Now speaker...The Sony is simply diabolical. The Sony reproduced distorted sound at any volume past 50% operating level. The Note offering the best experience even though that is also awful. I must add that these are mobile phones and not music centres.
.....
Regards.

I 2nd above 2 points as a professional musician :good:

Back to the topic, I was all about to get myself a Z as a replacement for my XS. I went to a Sony store and spent a good 45 mins for checking the screen as I heard/read various opinions about it. I am a casual photographer, take a lot of photo with various equipment and I really like to carry as much of them as i can on my smart phone in order to watch them anytime i want to. So picture displaying is most important, movies come second.
What I did exactly was sending about 10 pics (which i took myself and know what they really look like) from my XS to the Z, set both screens at 50% and 100% then put them next to each other for comparison.
The result is: the Z's screen is quite darker, especially when it comes to displaying Green and light-pink/red colors while Blue and white are ok (still darker than the XS). It makes some of my pictures look differently on the Z screen (darker, colder tone) and in 1 or 2 cases it makes the photo looks like it was taken with different white-balance. I have an general impression that the Z screen's isn't correctly calibrated with warm colors become cold while cold colors become dark. (i didn't even care about the viewing angel and tested with both phones facing 90degree to my face)

Well, just for me it was enough to stop from buying the Z despite my big sympathy toward its beautiful design/material and the very useful water-resistance function. I just can't get it, why doesn't SONY's best phone have the most stunning screen around the smartphone market?? SONY, above all other brands, for years is famous for their displays, design and high entertainment-experience. Their best phone should make people immediately think of something with sleek design, beautiful stunning quality display and a good user experience. Perhaps they should change their slogan to: SONY-MAKE NO COMPROMISE :laugh:

 

[Ryland Johnson]

I 2nd above 2 points as a professional musician :good:

Back to the topic, I was all about to get myself a Z as a replacement for my XS. I went to a Sony store and spent a good 45 mins for checking the screen as I heard/read various opinions about it. I am a casual photographer, take a lot of photo with various equipment and I really like to carry as much of them as i can on my smart phone in order to watch them anytime i want to. So picture displaying is most important, movies come second.
What I did exactly was sending about 10 pics (which i took myself and know what they really look like) from my XS to the Z, set both screens at 50% and 100% then put them next to each other for comparison.
The result is: the Z's screen is quite darker, especially when it comes to displaying Green and light-pink/red colors while Blue and white are ok (still darker than the XS). It makes some of my pictures look differently on the Z screen (darker, colder tone) and in 1 or 2 cases it makes the photo looks like it was taken with different white-balance. I have an general impression that the Z screen's isn't correctly calibrated with warm colors become cold while cold colors become dark. (i didn't even care about the viewing angel and tested with both phones facing 90degree to my face)

Well, just for me it was enough to stop from buying the Z despite my big sympathy toward its beautiful design/material and the very useful water-resistance function. I just can't get it, why doesn't SONY's best phone have the most stunning screen around the smartphone market?? SONY, above all other brands, for years is famous for their displays, design and high entertainment-experience. Their best phone should make people immediately think of something with sleek design, beautiful stunning quality display and a good user experience. Perhaps they should change their slogan to: SONY-MAKE NO COMPROMISE :laugh:

Reading you are a professional musician you will appreciate what I now write.

In terms of classical opera singers. Who is-was 'the best'? .... In terms of orchestras, who is-was 'the best', in terms of pianists virtuosi who is or was 'the best', Was it Horowitz, Gilels, Richter, Hoffman, Ashkenazy, the list is endless etc? These debates are endless and in truth all rather pointless. Every virtuosi will interpret the music he or she plays, this is what makes them virtuosi. Sure they all play from the same score yet no two renditions from any two pianists will sound the same.
This also applies to electronics. The endless debates about best speaker, best amplifier, best source, best speaker cable and so on... There are some bad separates but when we reach a certain level of refinement the differences are not in the manufacture but the sound and different sounds will please different ears just as different screens will please different eyes.

I own many mobile phones, I am a techno junkie. I have placed in front of me up to six different mobiles to compare screens. Each one of them has differences. These differences are not necessarily about quality but what the viewer will enjoy for him or her. I used to truly enjoy the Samsung rang, especially the world famous SGS3, still own one, I found that screen very pleasing when I purchased it, so bright and the colours hit you like an express train. When I purchased the Sony XZ I was, in all honesty, non to pleased with the screen, I had read some comments about the "Washed out screen" and at first regretted buying the Sony. I stuck with it though and what has happened is very odd. The more I use the Sony the less I enjoy the Samsung?
I have this theory that the colours on the Samsung are so over saturated they become simply false, they are not, in musical terms, true to the score. The Sony is a lot more natural and that is what takes getting used to, well in my case.
I think comparing the various technologies in screen type is somewhat like trying to debate who is the best singer etc, its what the individual will enjoy and thank heavens we are not clones. In terms of Television screen the debate still rages about what type is 'the best' is it plasma, LED or LED-LCD? Its non and all of them as they all have there positive points and negative points. Just like the much smaller screens on our mobiles.

Regards

 

[apkapkapk]

Reading you are a professional musician you will appreciate what I now write.

In terms of classical opera singers. Who is-was 'the best'? .... In terms of orchestras, who is-was 'the best', in terms of pianists virtuosi who is or was 'the best', Was it Horowitz, Gilels, Richter, Hoffman, Ashkenazy, the list is endless etc? These debates are endless and in truth all rather pointless. Every virtuosi will interpret the music he or she plays, this is what makes them virtuosi. Sure they all play from the same score yet no two renditions from any two pianists will sound the same.
This also applies to electronics. The endless debates about best speaker, best amplifier, best source, best speaker cable and so on... There are some bad separates but when we reach a certain level of refinement the differences are not in the manufacture but the sound and different sounds will please different ears just as different screens will please different eyes.

I own many mobile phones, I am a techno junkie. I have placed in front of me up to six different mobiles to compare screens. Each one of them has differences. These differences are not necessarily about quality but what the viewer will enjoy for him or her. I used to truly enjoy the Samsung rang, especially the world famous SGS3, still own one, I found that screen very pleasing when I purchased it, so bright and the colours hit you like an express train. When I purchased the Sony XZ I was, in all honesty, non to pleased with the screen, I had read some comments about the "Washed out screen" and at first regretted buying the Sony. I stuck with it though and what has happened is very odd. The more I use the Sony the less I enjoy the Samsung?
I have this theory that the colours on the Samsung are so over saturated they become simply false, they are not, in musical terms, true to the score. The Sony is a lot more natural and that is what takes getting used to, well in my case.
I think comparing the various technologies in screen type is somewhat like trying to debate who is the best singer etc, its what the individual will enjoy and thank heavens we are not clones. In terms of Television screen the debate still rages about what type is 'the best' is it plasma, LED or LED-LCD? Its non and all of them as they all have there positive points and negative points. Just like the much smaller screens on our mobiles.

Regards

What this guy said. I used to use a S2 and have seen my cousin's S3 a lot. Whenever I compared my S2 to my friend's N4 I'd notice the lackluster colour. However, after a while with my Z, I realize that the Z's colours are a lot more natural. My S2's screen looks like someone pumped too much colour into it and it looks... well not natural and just over the top.

Why I got the Z? Few reasons: Entropy coming over and all the troubles Samsung gave him (6 months old sources? For real? And all the other crap of course), the community support Sony is starting to show, the great build, the awesome music (earphones of course) and most of all, devs moving over from Exynos. Just gotta love all that the devs have done for us man.

 

[diego9016]

Well...
http://www.sammobile.com/2013/04/26/samsung-internal-test-galaxy-s4-good-but-not-the-best/

 

[viper001]

After spending two weeks with the iPhone 5, I am unable to agree that it has a better camera than the Xperia Z. I have got better pictures with the latter when manual settings.

I would also say that the selection between Xperia Z, HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S 4 (after seeing the ad in Times Square, the name is S 4 instead of S IV) is a matter of software preferences to a high degree. In my case, the Xperia Z won because of the following:

1. IP57 and the relaxation that the smartphone can be used even if the weather is less than perfect.

2. No TouchWiz or Sense and a very clean Android experience that is more of a "refined Nexus" than a traditional manufacturer modified one. The problem with Samsung is that they change a lot of things in their devices and that results in very heavy bloated ROMs. I also think that Sony has made a better job with their apps like dialer, contacts, messaging, Album and Walkman.

The new HTC Sense isn't too attractive to me either even if I have the opinion that HTC usually make more elegant apps (Gallery, contacts, dialer etc) than Samsung.

3. Because of 2, running clean ROMs are of interest to me in the case of Samsung and HTC. Unfortunately, neither Galaxy S 4 or HTC One are too developer friendly (locked bootloaders, a lack of sources etc) which is paired with a severe fragmentation (in the case of the S 4) where different markets has different CPUs etc. Sony has made a better job with standardizing Xperia Z C6602 and C6603 since both of them can use the same ROMs and kernels. It is also worth to mention that the CM10.1 development has been very rapid for the Xperia Z and everything like camera etc is working.

4. The performance of the Xperia Z is very high, it is the first time I don't feel that overclocking is necessary. The device is very smooth and fast on the stock frequency. It is better to undervolt in order to get better battery life and less heat (it made a big difference in my case).

The performance differences between the Snapdragon S4 Pro and the 600 can be reduced by overclocking. The light ROMs for the Xperia Z is facilitating smoothness, my experience is that Samsung and HTC needs heavy debloating in order to begin to perform at their best.

The most interesting product besides the Xperia Z when it comes to the CPU is the S 4 i9500 with Exynos 5 Octa. It is a great benefit that it is always quad core in both modes (performance and power saver A15/A7). Unfortunately, the Snapdragon 600-versions are what Samsung pushes hard since the production of the Exynos 5 Octa hasn't been ramped up yet.

The drawback with the Exynos is the unwillingness of Samsung to release proper sources, a problem that has affected CM and PA on their devices. Otherwise, it is a really interesting CPU.

The step between Snapdragon S4 Pro and 600 is too small in my opinion, the step to the 800 is much more interesting.

5. The screen of the Xperia Z is very good in my opinion with good color reproduction after calibration. The viewing angle "problem" doesn't disturb me the slightest since I usually don't use the device in off angles - and the screen is still legible in those cases. The "problem" is overrated IMHO.

I also prefer the colors compared to the extreme "color explosion" Samsung offers on their AMOLED screens (which can be changed by make the proper settings). I think the Galaxy S 4 and HTC One offers decent screens but I don't see that the difference between them and the Xperia Z is much of a concern. All three are good.

6. The audio quality of the Xperia Z when decent headphones are used is very good and that is with the PureXAudio mod flashed. I don't experience any kind of "inferior sound" compared to the Galaxy Note II. For further enhancements of the sound, Power AMP can be used.

HTC focuses too much on Beats Audio instead of good DACs etc which is a drawback. Personally, I would not buy anything with Beats (Crap Audio in my opinion). When it comes to the Galaxy S 4, I think the Snapdragon 600 versions are using the integrated DAC while the Exynos version should use the Wolfson one. I therefore expect the i9500 to offer higher audio quality than i9505 et al.

I would claim the Wolfson Samsung Galaxy S 4 i9500 will be the best sounding with Xperia Z as the second while HTC with their Beats Audio will lag behind. Samsung usually manage to offer very good sound from their Wolfson equipped products.

7. The integrated battery on the Xperia Z is a drawback but can partly be explained by the water tightness. The HTC One has a completely disastrous battery placement, sandwiched between the mainboard and the screen. The 1 out of 10 in repairability that iFixit gave it would put me off completely.

The Galaxy S 4 is the winner since it offers both the user replaceable battery and a memory card slot. The Xperia Z comes in second and the HTC One suffers from a very big question mark about the internal layout.

Conclusion:

In my opinion, the Xperia Z is the most "well rounded" device available today. The Galaxy S 4 i9500 with Exynos 5 Octa offers some benefits but suffers from very restricted availability. Many of the features Samsung puts in are more of "gimmicks" than useful things. HTC focuses also on a bit of bling bling with Beats Audio and Blinkfeed.

The Xperia Z on the other hand offers a clean experience that is easy to customize and gives a more "productive" feeling rather than "bling bling". On the other hand, everything comes down to what type of Android experience that is preferred. For those that are comfortable with TouchWiz and Sense, Samsung and HTC is good choices.

On the other hand, for those that prefer a cleaner experience but think the Nexus 4 is too limited (storage, screen etc) - the Xperia Z is a very good choice - especially now when CM10.1 is out and seem to work well in the latest build. It is possible to step straight onto "pure Android" right now, without the question marks that surrounds the other options.

Personally, I think the Xperia Z is the best option right now and can only see the Galaxy S 4 with Exynos Octa as the closest competitor - then there is interesting products from Huawei that can be worth a look. HTC One is uninteresting to me, especially because of the hopeless internal layout with the sandwiched battery that makes repairs extremely complicated.

What I don't like with the Galaxy S 4 is the insane fragmentation Samsung introduced. They use two different CPUs but it doesn't end there: then we have a couple of carrier versions with alterations that make ROMs incompatible. I can see atleast FIVE different S600 versions: i9505 for Europe and then different models for AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon.

The Xperia Z C6602 and C6603 is the optimum in standardization in comparison.

HTC One seem to be more standardized too even if there are different carrier branded versions. According to available info, the AT&T version can use the EU ROMs without any alterations necessary and that is a big plus.

I think that the "worst" device of the three is the HTC One and that is purely because of the internal layout and the sandwiched battery. It is tough luck to have a problem with it. Even if it is integrated, it should be placed above the mainboard and not between it and the screen.

Galaxy S 4 is certainly a nice device in different aspects but TouchWiz and the severe fragmentation with different versions is something to keep in mind since it affects ROM development.

Xperia Z is a device that offers a very well rounded or balanced experience that is close to stock Android but with Sony refinements (that adds some value rather than just being bloat). I also think it gives an appearance of sophisticated elegance while the HTC One is a bit "bling bling" and the S 4 is a bit too much of an S III in style.

My last word is this: it is also worth to check out competitors like Huawei with their Ascend series. I think the rumored Ascend Mate II with 1080p screen will be an interesting alternative to a Note III for example.

There is also rumors about a Sony Xperia Cybershot later this year. I guess it will be powered by the Snapdragon 800.

I am very happy with the Xperia Z and don't miss Samsung the slightest.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[tomthedancingbug]

you kidding me, im still stuck wavering between picking up the z, knowing full well it can only ever do hspa+ or the zl with full tmobile bands


z for its industrial design, dock, and waterproofing

zl just for its lte

both a little less than 600

 

[decadan1977]

you kidding me, im still stuck wavering between picking up the z, knowing full well it can only ever do hspa+ or the zl with full tmobile bands


z for its industrial design, dock, and waterproofing

zl just for its lte

both a little less than 600

Why only HSPA+ on the Z... Are you aware there are 2 variants? C6602&C6603

Sent from my C6603 using xda premium

 

[tomthedancingbug]

Why only HSPA+ on the Z... Are you aware there are 2 variants? C6602&C6603

Sent from my C6603 using xda premium

aye, but my home base is the USA, the 6603 would be nice when i hit europe/asia, but utterly useless at home as it doesnt have enough of the bands, and the 6602 only has hspa for the gsm carriers here in the states. they need to make a 6606 equivalent of the zl's 5606

 

[decadan1977]

aye, but my home base is the USA, the 6603 would be nice when i hit europe/asia, but utterly useless at home as it doesnt have enough of the bands, and the 6602 only has hspa for the gsm carriers here in the states. they need to make a 6606 equivalent of the zl's 5606

I see. Not good.

Sent from my C6603 using xda premium

 

[tomthedancingbug]

and worse of all it seems like the z is going to get the lions share of cases/accessories and roms

i think ill end up with the z, 600 bucks for a good looking nexus 4

 

[E90 Commie]

aye, but my home base is the USA, the 6603 would be nice when i hit europe/asia, but utterly useless at home as it doesnt have enough of the bands, and the 6602 only has hspa for the gsm carriers here in the states. they need to make a 6606 equivalent of the zl's 5606

To me, the C6602 is the obvious choice. I am not impressed with the way LTE is rolled out in the US and the most important reason is the data caps. What is the point of having high speed data when a basic plan with 2 GB cap is around $100?

The only exception is T-Mobile with their new UnCarrier plans but their LTE is just starting. Craving for LTE on AT&T is very illogical to me: what is the use? Streaming Netflix in HD, using Spotify with Extreme Quality and other bandwidth demanding tasks requires a LOT of data. Radio streaming with good quality takes a lot etc. Then the 2-5 GB is used in a heartbeat... and that is with very limited use.

HSPA+ is perfectly fine when you have those data caps. To me, LTE is only interesting first when you have around 10 GB of data for a monthly price of around $50 (this is reality in other countries, one example is 3 in Sweden with 3SurfMax that gives 10 GB for around $40 per month). With only 2 GB and the requirement to get a post paid plan, which is around $100 just in order to get a theoretical higher speed, it just wastes money with a very limited benefit for the user. It is like a car that can go 120 mph on the highway for 15 miles. Not very useful.

The other problem is that the US carriers don't offer VoLTE yet. When this standard rolls out, all current LTE devices (that lacks VoLTE support) will be antiquated.

So I don't see any reason to get the Xperia ZL just for the LTE support. Not at the moment and certainly not with the plans on offer today. Try to use the LTE for some highspeed and high quality streaming and return with the bill after watching 1-2 full length movies on Netflix, listening to some playlists on Spotify in Extreme Quality etc and ask if it is worth it?

The best option for US customers is to get the Xperia Z C6602 since it works great on both AT&T and T-Mobile. The speeds is very satisfactory. Then it is worth to consider a prepaid solution, either T-Mobile, Solavei, Straight Talk, Net10, H2O etc or perhaps an UnCarrier plan without phone installment from T-Mobile is postpaid is viewed as interesting.

I would rather go with the T-Mobile prepaid plan rather than postpaid in order to avoid the regulatory taxes and fees that is tucked on to the bill otherwise. For those that want conditional call forwarding on T-Mobile, the option is an MVNO or porting the number over to Google Voice.

The T-Mobile $30 prepaid plan is also great together with the C6602 for those that want a low monthly bill and uses a lot of data.

When I tried the Xperia ZL at the Sony Store, I was disappointed. It feels like a plastic product and lacks the premium feel the Xperia Z offers. The lack of IP57 is also a severe drawback. I don't see any reason (certainly not LTE) for getting the ZL when the Z C6602 is available since it is a better device overall.

 

[xukaiteo]

I went to check out the s4 today, I managed to make It lag and cause it to reboot. As for my xperia z, no reboots, lags whatsoever. Best smartphone?? Xperia Z....

Sent from my C6603 using xda premium

 

[LosserKlosser]

Some very good observations and very well explained point of views in this thread.

I am currently a Samsung Galaxy S2 user but I have fallen in love with the Experia Z and the very basic Android experience. I tried out an Experia Z in the store the other day, and I was impressed with the lack of useless bloatware.

But I keep missing some things on all Android devices: An SMS app that is as advanced as Handcent SMS - that is, different notifications per contacts, privacy box and so on.

Also, why is it that you cannot assign a ringtone per contacts, make some contacts silent and have a ringtone specific to a certain contact? You could do this on a Nokia 3310.

The last thing is toggles. What makes custom ROMS brilliant is toggles for data/torch/silent mode/you name it. I love the fast toggle option in CM 10.1. I think a device in the price range of Experia Z at least should have a toggle for torch. Also, it didn't seem like I was able to add shortcuts to the lockscreen - but I might have missed that point. I was in a hurry in the shop.

I have owned some Sony products - discman, walkman (with tape), walkman (mp3), TVs - and I must say: In my oppinion Sony equals very high build quality. As for sound the walkman player wins by a mile over the iPod.

I think I'm ready for getting my Experia Z after reading this thread. Thanks for all the constructive posts.

 

[G1_enthusiast]

To me, the C6602 is the obvious choice. I am not impressed with the way LTE is rolled out in the US and the most important reason is the data caps. What is the point of having high speed data when a basic plan with 2 GB cap is around $100?

The only exception is T-Mobile with their new UnCarrier plans but their LTE is just starting. Craving for LTE on AT&T is very illogical to me: what is the use? Streaming Netflix in HD, using Spotify with Extreme Quality and other bandwidth demanding tasks requires a LOT of data. Radio streaming with good quality takes a lot etc. Then the 2-5 GB is used in a heartbeat... and that is with very limited use.

HSPA+ is perfectly fine when you have those data caps. To me, LTE is only interesting first when you have around 10 GB of data for a monthly price of around $50 (this is reality in other countries, one example is 3 in Sweden with 3SurfMax that gives 10 GB for around $40 per month). With only 2 GB and the requirement to get a post paid plan, which is around $100 just in order to get a theoretical higher speed, it just wastes money with a very limited benefit for the user. It is like a car that can go 120 mph on the highway for 15 miles. Not very useful.

The other problem is that the US carriers don't offer VoLTE yet. When this standard rolls out, all current LTE devices (that lacks VoLTE support) will be antiquated.

So I don't see any reason to get the Xperia ZL just for the LTE support. Not at the moment and certainly not with the plans on offer today. Try to use the LTE for some highspeed and high quality streaming and return with the bill after watching 1-2 full length movies on Netflix, listening to some playlists on Spotify in Extreme Quality etc and ask if it is worth it?

The best option for US customers is to get the Xperia Z C6602 since it works great on both AT&T and T-Mobile. The speeds is very satisfactory. Then it is worth to consider a prepaid solution, either T-Mobile, Solavei, Straight Talk, Net10, H2O etc or perhaps an UnCarrier plan without phone installment from T-Mobile is postpaid is viewed as interesting.

I would rather go with the T-Mobile prepaid plan rather than postpaid in order to avoid the regulatory taxes and fees that is tucked on to the bill otherwise. For those that want conditional call forwarding on T-Mobile, the option is an MVNO or porting the number over to Google Voice.

The T-Mobile $30 prepaid plan is also great together with the C6602 for those that want a low monthly bill and uses a lot of data.

When I tried the Xperia ZL at the Sony Store, I was disappointed. It feels like a plastic product and lacks the premium feel the Xperia Z offers. The lack of IP57 is also a severe drawback. I don't see any reason (certainly not LTE) for getting the ZL when the Z C6602 is available since it is a better device overall.

I agreed HSPA+ on my phone (s3) gets 10+ MBps...since when is that not enough? I remember the days when EDGE was blazing fast compare to now its such a difference, I can still tether and browse youtube and download things using my phone tethering option.

 

[doministry]

Some very good observations and very well explained point of views in this thread.

I am currently a Samsung Galaxy S2 user but I have fallen in love with the Experia Z and the very basic Android experience. I tried out an Experia Z in the store the other day, and I was impressed with the lack of useless bloatware.

But I keep missing some things on all Android devices: An SMS app that is as advanced as Handcent SMS - that is, different notifications per contacts, privacy box and so on.

Also, why is it that you cannot assign a ringtone per contacts, make some contacts silent and have a ringtone specific to a certain contact? You could do this on a Nokia 3310.

The last thing is toggles. What makes custom ROMS brilliant is toggles for data/torch/silent mode/you name it. I love the fast toggle option in CM 10.1. I think a device in the price range of Experia Z at least should have a toggle for torch. Also, it didn't seem like I was able to add shortcuts to the lockscreen - but I might have missed that point. I was in a hurry in the shop.

I have owned some Sony products - discman, walkman (with tape), walkman (mp3), TVs - and I must say: In my oppinion Sony equals very high build quality. As for sound the walkman player wins by a mile over the iPod.

I think I'm ready for getting my Experia Z after reading this thread. Thanks for all the constructive posts.

I have it for a month or so and I will easily stay with it for another year.

 

[wawyed]

Some very good observations and very well explained point of views in this thread.

I am currently a Samsung Galaxy S2 user but I have fallen in love with the Experia Z and the very basic Android experience. I tried out an Experia Z in the store the other day, and I was impressed with the lack of useless bloatware.

But I keep missing some things on all Android devices: An SMS app that is as advanced as Handcent SMS - that is, different notifications per contacts, privacy box and so on.

Also, why is it that you cannot assign a ringtone per contacts, make some contacts silent and have a ringtone specific to a certain contact? You could do this on a Nokia 3310.

The last thing is toggles. What makes custom ROMS brilliant is toggles for data/torch/silent mode/you name it. I love the fast toggle option in CM 10.1. I think a device in the price range of Experia Z at least should have a toggle for torch. Also, it didn't seem like I was able to add shortcuts to the lockscreen - but I might have missed that point. I was in a hurry in the shop.

I have owned some Sony products - discman, walkman (with tape), walkman (mp3), TVs - and I must say: In my oppinion Sony equals very high build quality. As for sound the walkman player wins by a mile over the iPod.

I think I'm ready for getting my Experia Z after reading this thread. Thanks for all the constructive posts.

Heya,

You CAN assign ring tone per contact, see screenshoot.

There is a mod for toggles. Dev section.

The lockscreen is minimalistic so no shortcuts for now only camera and walkman.

About SMS just install an app from plays tore as you said.

Hope it helped.

Sent from my C6603 using xda premium