Why I Chose The Xperia Z and not HTC One

[zodiac100]

As I stated, both were smooth and fast, but the HTC One opens the same app faster and has less micro lags throughout the UI. As gaming performance is pretty much identical, this can't be attributed to the processors - the only logical conclusion is that Sony just needs to tweak the software a smidgen.

I really tried to get a decent pic from the Z but couldn't! Indoors, it was wither blurred or riddled with noise or NR artifacts. I do agree that it's resolution advantage will make it a superior camera to the One for outdoor photos - but indoors the One really trounces it (and everything else i've used) in low light. Also, the f2.0 lens makes it a very creative and interesting camera for macro photography - great bokehs and selective focusing due the unique DoF.

Should mention that the video quality is better on the One as well - it has an aggressive exposure system and a tendency to blow highlights but once that's under control it captures richly detailed video. Not as uniformly good as the Note 2/S3, but still good. The Xperia Z captures noticebly less detail, though it exposes the scenes well.

Extreme low light video is an area where the HTC One should excel but it's tendency to use slow shutters causes the video to jitter, sometimes. This definitely needs a software update. As far as audio capture goes, the XZ wins here for me - the HTC One picks up too much background noise (it may be software/hardware problem but a lot of other users as reporting the same 'hissing' in videos). I haven't used it at a concert so I don't know about the dual membrane mic thing.

---------- Post added at 07:35 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:27 AM ----------



I definitely see the same exact thing on the One and went into depression for around 3 days, haha. The 1080p resolution means that it isn't as bad as it was on the Lumia 920, but it's definitely there when you look for it. I mean, I've only seen the One that I have but it's there and it's annoying. The problem is that no-one knows what I'm talking about so it's hard to verify. The One has three different screens, 2 from JDI and 1 from Sharp - Mine is a JDI variant.

I haven't seen this phenomena on any AMOLED screen, nor on the One X, Padfone 2, iPhone 5 and other recent IPS-LCD screens. The Xperia Z has completely smooth whites and grays and at 1080p the text looks crystal compared to the One. Admittedly, I've sort of gotten over it, but it is there.

EDIT: Another problem is that it's impossible to take a pic of, for some reason.

I disagree on the video quality. From what I've seen, the Z produces better quality and smoother frame rates. Maybe we judge them differently. Gaming graphics is where things are more absolute. If anyone has seriously compared the graphics on both and says the one's better, I'd have to call them blind. Sorry!
The Zs camera takes decent enough pictures in low light. Increasing the exposure a bit helps but hey it's a 13mp smartphone camera. Low light pictures are never going to shine. To be honest, unless you live you life at night, I really can't see the pressing need for low light performance, never mind at the expense of good light shots.
If your indoors at night, turn on the lights when you want to take pictures. The only real use of that low light business is in the night club. Most other venues have some form of lighting.

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[doministry]

Well I think in gereral all those top phones produce night shots which are good enough to be enjoyed and be used.
No shame really.

 

[Teknohtc]

I finally got to play with the One for a few hours and i gotta say, this is one impressive device!

-Very thin
-wicked speakers(destroys XZ even with Pure X Mod)
-nice U.I
-amazing build (aluminum frame)
-light
-very comfortable to hold (more than the XZ)
-Great Camera (Zoey is amazing and does take better video than the XZ)
-Virtually no lag very smooth and fast (XZ had lag on their U.I)
-the display is the best i have seen yet! (Destroys the XZ display)
-No MSDS (which the XZ has and is a HUGE must for me)
-Locked Bootloader (Xperia Z is open)

The first impressions of this device is that this is one serious smartphone and, sorry to say this but, the HTC One blows the Sony Xperia Z out of the water! The only thing the XZ got going for it is water/dust resistance, higher MP camera,MSDS(Big +),and a lanyard hole.

-Headset sound can't say anything about it since i didn't listen.
-Battery (when i have it for a month i will know)

I am getting a HTC One next week and have a full test with it for a month then i will choose.....

and for those fanboys out there, I love my XZ! but, the HTC One is a device i simply can't ignore till i tried it out for a bit it is a great looking device that performs! also, don't knock the HTC One device till you tried it.All the One vs XZ reviews that say the One is better than the Z is true!

 

[akuma2012]

Sorry once again I have to disagree. Games look great on the One, although I have to say I am not a big smartphone gamer, can't see the point in them, so wouldn't really care either way.

All I can comment on are simple truths.

1. Load up a HD video on youtube, or indeed any HD video, and watch it on both phones. The Z is washed out, there is not as much detail or sharpness to the picture. Video's literally look lifelike on the One.

2. Show someone pictures or video's you've taken, or look a website with someone you know on both screens and the Z washes out to both parties when you are both trying to look at the same time, even at very shallow angles.

3. Just get them side by side and swype through menus, across the homescreen, take pictures, do whatever you like, the Z skips and lags here and there and the One does not.

The One is hardly the only phone that will trounce the Z this year. The GS4 will do everything the Z and the one can, barring being waterproof or having an LCD screen, and it'll be a lot more popular.

I think Sony missed out big time on the Z. I have had to root and install mods to bring the sound and music volume up to acceptable levels, and by acceptable I mean barely acceptable, again the HTC One trounces the Z with 30% more volume and better quality, the performance falls short of the Nexus 4 which uses the same chipset, and the Z camera is excellent but is wrapped up in an under performing phone.

Hate to say it but the Z is just another phone in a long list that falls short for me personally.

I agree 100 % .

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[Cookie Ninja]

I finally got to play with the One for a few hours and i gotta say, this is one impressive device!............. !

You forgot another significant BIG Plus that the Xperia Z scores over the HTC..
Easily unlockable bootloader and fully rootable system, not the silly HTCdev unlock procedure that HTC has for their bootloaders, at the end of it you remain on "S-On, HTCdev unlocked" and not fully S-Off. You can't flash ROM + kernel, the kernel has to be adb flashed separately, and you can NEVER flash a new radio with a S-On boot. HTC has been consistent in locking down their bootloaders with a signed method that has been difficult to crack at best. The HTCdev unlock is a wuss method for unlocking the capabilities of the phone. HTC discourages devs from freely creating mods and improvements to their implementation of Android by deliberately delaying in the release of source codes and firmware for their 'propreitary' hardware, so once the phone reaches EOL, no dev can keep it running, and HTC can sell newer phones and the cycle progresses.... Not like Sony, the X1 and X10 is still strong in OS development. HTC realised this in the HD2 which has branched from WM6.5 to android, meego, and WP7. If they sell such good hardware, and fully unlockable, then their subsequent models will never sell.....
I prefer S-Off and fully unlockable phones, with source codes and firmwares, which Sony supports....

Dead cookies leave no trails...

 

[Teknohtc]

You forgot another significant BIG Plus that the Xperia Z scores over the HTC..
Easily unlockable bootloader and fully rootable system, not the silly HTCdev unlock procedure that HTC has for their bootloaders, at the end of it you remain on "S-On, HTCdev unlocked" and not fully S-Off. You can't flash ROM + kernel, the kernel has to be adb flashed separately, and you can NEVER flash a new radio with a S-On boot. HTC has been consistent in locking down their bootloaders with a signed method that has been difficult to crack at best. The HTCdev unlock is a wuss method for unlocking the capabilities of the phone. HTC discourages devs from freely creating mods and improvements to their implementation of Android by deliberately delaying in the release of source codes and firmware for their 'propreitary' hardware, so once the phone reaches EOL, no dev can keep it running, and HTC can sell newer phones and the cycle progresses.... Not like Sony, the X1 and X10 is still strong in OS development. HTC realised this in the HD2 which has branched from WM6.5 to android, meego, and WP7. If they sell such good hardware, and fully unlockable, then their subsequent models will never sell.....
I prefer S-Off and fully unlockable phones, with source codes and firmwares, which Sony supports....

Dead cookies leave no trails...

Solid point! I like flashing ROM's and Kernels this is one of the main reasons i like Android over the other OS's out there.

 

[G1_enthusiast]

You forgot another significant BIG Plus that the Xperia Z scores over the HTC..
Easily unlockable bootloader and fully rootable system, not the silly HTCdev unlock procedure that HTC has for their bootloaders, at the end of it you remain on "S-On, HTCdev unlocked" and not fully S-Off. You can't flash ROM + kernel, the kernel has to be adb flashed separately, and you can NEVER flash a new radio with a S-On boot. HTC has been consistent in locking down their bootloaders with a signed method that has been difficult to crack at best. The HTCdev unlock is a wuss method for unlocking the capabilities of the phone. HTC discourages devs from freely creating mods and improvements to their implementation of Android by deliberately delaying in the release of source codes and firmware for their 'propreitary' hardware, so once the phone reaches EOL, no dev can keep it running, and HTC can sell newer phones and the cycle progresses.... Not like Sony, the X1 and X10 is still strong in OS development. HTC realised this in the HD2 which has branched from WM6.5 to android, meego, and WP7. If they sell such good hardware, and fully unlockable, then their subsequent models will never sell.....
I prefer S-Off and fully unlockable phones, with source codes and firmwares, which Sony supports....

Dead cookies leave no trails...

why in the world would you ever want to flash radio? all it does is manage your BAND...

anyway, I am currently using S3 with a zerolemon battery, and i really want to switch to this phone due to the durability factor, but man! I think I will missed going on 2-3 days without having to charge. Real dilemma for me right now! the HTC ONE while it is nice, but honestly durability factor is questionable and we all know for sure it cant survive a water test, and i'm about to move to hawaii too so using a phone near the water is a probability. Plus while some claimed that the HTC one score a higher benchmark but honestly I think Sony need to work out the bugs in their android and since when does 2 core not enough? my S3 s4 dual core get everything done on AOKP rom without a freaking hiccup.

 

[Teknohtc]

why in the world would you ever want to flash radio? all it does is manage your BAND...

anyway, I am currently using S3 with a zerolemon battery, and i really want to switch to this phone due to the durability factor, but man! I think I will missed going on 2-3 days without having to charge. Real dilemma for me right now! the HTC ONE while it is nice, but honestly durability factor is questionable and we all know for sure it cant survive a water test, and i'm about to move to hawaii too so using a phone near the water is a probability. Plus while some claimed that the HTC one score a higher benchmark but honestly I think Sony need to work out the bugs in their android and since when does 2 core not enough? my S3 s4 dual core get everything done on AOKP rom without a freaking hiccup.

Brah, more cores,more powerful,more multitasking, more better!

 

[G1_enthusiast]

Brah, more cores,more powerful,more multitasking, more better!

I honestly think its more of a marketing gimmick (just like Mega pixel, a true photographer know its not the megapixel that made the image good looking, its the quality of the lens)

if there is an apps to show u how much core you use through out the day while loading apps and playing games, im willing to bet you only use 2 core most of the time. there is absolutely no game on Android market that i cannot run with my S3. If loading time of 4-5 second is a factor then you need to get yourself a life because you playing way too much games and ur addicted.

 

[Teknohtc]

I honestly think its more of a marketing gimmick (just like Mega pixel, a true photographer know its not the megapixel that made the image good looking, its the quality of the lens)

if there is an apps to show u how much core you use through out the day while loading apps and playing games, im willing to bet you only use 2 core most of the time. there is absolutely no game on Android market that i cannot run with my S3. If loading time of 4-5 second is a factor then you need to get yourself a life because you playing way too much games and ur addicted.

It's just the pace of technology, it's moving fast and the cellphone business is extremely competitive so, companies push out the best that they have even though it's not need. 8 Cores (S4) on a mobile device is just amazing on the technical side of things! Is it needed? Nope but, since Android is open, they can push out these technical based monsters and they do and i am glad that they do!

As a amateur photographer it's true that the lens is a big part of the picture and lower MP's will affect the look of the picture especially, when cropped!

 

[electric0ant]

I just wanted to say that I got the HTC One but then traded it for an XZ.

Yes the HTC does have a very nice aluminium body, but in my opinion the XZ has just as good premium build with the glass on all sides. To be honest i was a bit disappointed with HTC's "gapless" body. there have been a lot of posts about the build quality, mine had some minor gaps as well and teardown showed its not a true unibody as htc advertised, the speaker grills on the front are just two aluminium pieces glued on.

Also after using the HTC one, i got fed up with the sense UI again (got fed up with htc one x last time) .
stupid power saver notification is always at the top and HTC disabled the option to disable this notification. this stops my other notifications auto expanding which is what i want.
I guess I just like stock android, and sony's UI is closest to that, thats probably why I like it.

Also I have a pebble watch which I cannot use with the HTC one. the pebble needs accessibility settings turned on for notifications. but there is a bug when this is turned on. the lock screen does not work properly. touching anywhere on the screen will cause the default action. in the lock screen it will unlock, when there is an incoming call it will answer the call, when the alarm is ringing it will dismiss the alarm. these things happened a numerous times when getting the phone out of my pocket.

don't get me wrong the HTC One is still a good phone, but it just wasn't the ONE for me.

 

[brockyneo]

Don't know if im speaking for myself here but I've had both htc one and xperia z and I find the xperia z screen better in almost every way to the htc one and the gf has the one still so I've compared side by side

For me the only thing the one is better for is the speakers and at the moment more development (roms etc)

 

[electric0ant]

Don't know if im speaking for myself here but I've had both htc one and xperia z and I find the xperia z screen better in almost every way to the htc one and the gf has the one still so I've compared side by side

For me the only thing the one is better for is the speakers and at the moment more development (roms etc)

have you tried viewing the screens at an angle? The XZ screen washes out when not viewed directly but the HTC One's screen doesn't.

the HTC One's screen is a better screen by this regard (much better viewing angles), but this really isn't going to be an issue for most people as most people will only really look at their screens directly anyway.(me included), I found the bugs and my general dislike for sense bothered me much more than the viewing angles of the screen on the XZ.

 

[brockyneo]

have you tried viewing the screens at an angle? The XZ screen washes out when not viewed directly but the HTC One's screen doesn't.

the HTC One's screen is a better screen by this regard (much better viewing angles), but this really isn't going to be an issue for most people as most people will only really look at their screens directly anyway.(me included), I found the bugs and my general dislike for sense bothered me much more than the viewing angles of the screen on the XZ.

Let's be honest viewing angles are pointless as 99% of the time the phone is in front of ya face and when both phones are viewed as they should I feel the xperia is a better screen lol

 

[RoChinu]

have you tried viewing the screens at an angle? The XZ screen washes out when not viewed directly but the HTC One's screen doesn't.

the HTC One's screen is a better screen by this regard (much better viewing angles), but this really isn't going to be an issue for most people as most people will only really look at their screens directly anyway.(me included), I found the bugs and my general dislike for sense bothered me much more than the viewing angles of the screen on the XZ.

Very true.. The only cases people actually use viewing angles is when they play games like temple run where you have to tilt your phone and when they watch videos with friends.

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[roxas89]

Just wanted to say I got my XZ today and I love it it was a tough choice really between the Z and the One but I had several horrible experiences with HTC before specially the One X so no regrets till now.

 

[mathen]

I dont know,but I hate my XZ. Its screen is not upto mark,also I get bugs in camera app too,like small black dots here and there,which get resolved only by a reset. looking forward to Samsung S4 or HTC One now:cyclops:

 

[wawyed]

I dont know,but I hate my XZ. Its screen is not upto mark,also I get bugs in camera app too,like small black dots here and there,which get resolved only by a reset. looking forward to Samsung S4 or HTC One now:cyclops:

What about sending it on warranty?

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[fitcherama]

Perfect!

I couldn't agree more with what you say.

I had the HTC One for a week before swapping it for the XZ. It just didn't feel 'right' in spite of being a beautiful phone. The XZ just floats my boat.

Your viewing angle comment made me laugh - exactly! How often (never) do you look at a phone sideways?!

Thanks for a great and accurate review.

 

[abd_alazeez2002]

I couldn't agree more with what you say.

I had the HTC One for a week before swapping it for the XZ. It just didn't feel 'right' in spite of being a beautiful phone. The XZ just floats my boat.

Your viewing angle comment made me laugh - exactly! How often (never) do you look at a phone sideways?!

Thanks for a great and accurate review.

For Me the only time I look at my XZ at an angle when I use it on bed and it is not big problem for me

Beside colours became washed out a bit, not degradate to black or gray like old lcd screens.

So still, colours can be identified

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