Xperia z reviews
- Thread starter stefanve
- Start date
"The bottom line, however, is relatively simple. In the Xperia Z Sony has -- for the first time in a couple of years -- a great flagship smartphone, a device we can sincerely recommend. And it's about time."
Damn right it was about time!
GSMArena compares it to the HTC Butterfly.
http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_z_vs_htc_butterfly-review-906.php
http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_z_vs_htc_butterfly-review-906.php
Here is my review guys. I've tried to cover as many as possible of the open topics and I hope you will like it:
http://www.insidehw.com/reviews/mobility/7638-sony-xperia-z
Bottom line, despite several shortcomings I swapped Galaxy S3 with Xperia Z as a work phone, and like the decision more and more every day.
Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk 2
http://www.insidehw.com/reviews/mobility/7638-sony-xperia-z
Bottom line, despite several shortcomings I swapped Galaxy S3 with Xperia Z as a work phone, and like the decision more and more every day.
Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk 2
Is it just me or does the brightness on Z not set properly in that youtube video from dialaphone? I also doubt the bravia engine 2 is turned on.
u switch
http://www.uswitch.com/mobiles/news/2013/03/sony_xperia_z_review/
The Sony Xperia Z is a brilliant handset. It’s crammed with cutting-edge technologies - not least of which is a gorgeous screen, a brawny processor and a fantastic camera.
Of course, the fact that it’s water and dust resistant too also deserves serious consideration when you’re thinking of spending a substantial amount of money on a new handset.
If you’re in the market for a truly high-end smartphone, you can’t go wrong with the Xperia Z.
Notebook Check
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Sony-Xperia-Z-Smartphone.89509.0.html
Verdict
The Sony Xperia Z does do many things right: we like the good looking design, the IP certifications, and the extremely sharp 5-inch Full HD display. The phone features many different connection options and its hardware offers good performance. The weakest area of this premium smartphone is its high-resolution display panel: the viewing angle stability is not great, the black level too high, and the contrast way too low. As far as the hardware and performance is concerned, we should take into consideration that the Sony Xperia Z is available now; the HTC One (M7) and Asus PadFone Infinity - both of which will be equipped with the new (and more powerful) Snapdragon 600 SoC - are not released yet.
The camera is good enough for simple snapshots - but in this case, less would have been more: megapixels aren't everything. We like the widgets in the multi-tasking menu of the Google Android 4.1.2 operating system - although they are not really important. The usability of the capacitive touchscreen is good and inputting text is easy. The phone gets a bit too warm during idle, the power consumption is comparatively high, and the battery life is only average. The position of the control elements and the speaker is also less than ideal.
We do know that some users will think that we are too critical - but considering the pretty steep price tag of 650 Euros (~$850), we really would expect a better-performing display. As it stands now, we don't think the Xperia Z is going to have an easy time taking on the competition.
Pocket Now
http://pocketnow.com/2013/03/13/sony-xperia-z-review
Pros
+ Top notch build quality
+ Water-resistant and and dust-proof
+ Great camera
+ Near-stock Android experience
+ Stamina mode fights battery drain in exchange for background data
+ Includes premium headphones
Cons
- Some intermittent lag
- Non-removable battery with mediocre stamina
- Poor button placement
- Relatively easy to scratch
photography blog
http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/sony_xperia_z_review/
Conclusion
The Xperia Z brings together a lot of Sony's latest camera technologies in a premium smartphone. The intutuive touchscreen interface ensures that all those features are easy to access and deploy, aided by the device's quick responsiveness. Sure, the image quality still can't quite match even a cheap compact camera, but the gap has definitely narrowed further, especially if you mainly use the Xperia Z in good light.
There's very little to complain about the Xperia Z for general point-and-shoot users. The Intelligent Auto mode does a great job of selecting the right scene mode for you, the interface is generally slick and well-designed, while the HDR function for both stills and video quietly improves your images.
We have few real gripes with the Xperia Z - only its poor low-light performance would prevent us from using it more often for general snapshots. If you only have room in your pocket or bag for a smartphone that takes decent pictures and video, we can certainly recommend the new Sony Xperia Z.
http://www.uswitch.com/mobiles/news/2013/03/sony_xperia_z_review/
The Sony Xperia Z is a brilliant handset. It’s crammed with cutting-edge technologies - not least of which is a gorgeous screen, a brawny processor and a fantastic camera.
Of course, the fact that it’s water and dust resistant too also deserves serious consideration when you’re thinking of spending a substantial amount of money on a new handset.
If you’re in the market for a truly high-end smartphone, you can’t go wrong with the Xperia Z.
Notebook Check
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Sony-Xperia-Z-Smartphone.89509.0.html
Verdict
The Sony Xperia Z does do many things right: we like the good looking design, the IP certifications, and the extremely sharp 5-inch Full HD display. The phone features many different connection options and its hardware offers good performance. The weakest area of this premium smartphone is its high-resolution display panel: the viewing angle stability is not great, the black level too high, and the contrast way too low. As far as the hardware and performance is concerned, we should take into consideration that the Sony Xperia Z is available now; the HTC One (M7) and Asus PadFone Infinity - both of which will be equipped with the new (and more powerful) Snapdragon 600 SoC - are not released yet.
The camera is good enough for simple snapshots - but in this case, less would have been more: megapixels aren't everything. We like the widgets in the multi-tasking menu of the Google Android 4.1.2 operating system - although they are not really important. The usability of the capacitive touchscreen is good and inputting text is easy. The phone gets a bit too warm during idle, the power consumption is comparatively high, and the battery life is only average. The position of the control elements and the speaker is also less than ideal.
We do know that some users will think that we are too critical - but considering the pretty steep price tag of 650 Euros (~$850), we really would expect a better-performing display. As it stands now, we don't think the Xperia Z is going to have an easy time taking on the competition.
Pocket Now
http://pocketnow.com/2013/03/13/sony-xperia-z-review
Pros
+ Top notch build quality
+ Water-resistant and and dust-proof
+ Great camera
+ Near-stock Android experience
+ Stamina mode fights battery drain in exchange for background data
+ Includes premium headphones
Cons
- Some intermittent lag
- Non-removable battery with mediocre stamina
- Poor button placement
- Relatively easy to scratch
photography blog
http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/sony_xperia_z_review/
Conclusion
The Xperia Z brings together a lot of Sony's latest camera technologies in a premium smartphone. The intutuive touchscreen interface ensures that all those features are easy to access and deploy, aided by the device's quick responsiveness. Sure, the image quality still can't quite match even a cheap compact camera, but the gap has definitely narrowed further, especially if you mainly use the Xperia Z in good light.
There's very little to complain about the Xperia Z for general point-and-shoot users. The Intelligent Auto mode does a great job of selecting the right scene mode for you, the interface is generally slick and well-designed, while the HDR function for both stills and video quietly improves your images.
We have few real gripes with the Xperia Z - only its poor low-light performance would prevent us from using it more often for general snapshots. If you only have room in your pocket or bag for a smartphone that takes decent pictures and video, we can certainly recommend the new Sony Xperia Z.
My Honest Take On The Xperia Z
My Honest Sony Xperia Z Review
I had the Xperia Z for a month or so and I'm ready to make my review on it.
The Beauty Meets The Beast
The Xperia Z packs a SnapDragon S4 Pro Quad-core 1.5 GHz Krait processor, Adreno 320 GPU and runs Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean. It sports an all glass design, similar to the iPhone 4 and 4S. The Xperia Z has excellent build quality and looks absolutely fantastic. The ports are covered by flaps, which may prove to be an annoyance for some but with good purpose. The most prominent feature of the Xperia Z is probably the on/off button. Its large, and ridiculously well placed. It stands where the thumb rests on the phone, or the index finger if you're using your left hand and is incredibly convenient to press compared to the stretch you'd have to make on other phones. Below that is the volume rocker, also easy to access when needed. The speakers are indeed placed in a horrible position, as its easy to mute with your palm unintentionally but its not an issue for me as I use my phone with my left hand.
Overall, the design turns heads and the hardware don't fail to deliver. Feels solid in the hand, BUT might be a problem for people with small hands as it may cut into it and make it uncomfortable. Very, very impressive Sony.
User Interface
Sony's UI is probably the closes you can get to stock android, and I love it. It's simple, nothing fancy and neat, although, I'd like a Black theme rather then the Grey. There are some UI lags here and there though. The lack of Android 4.2.2 also disappoints me a little but its coming, and I'll wait for it. After all, Good things come to those who wait.
Performance Powerhouse
Lag is a thing of the past with the SnapDragon S4 Pro as everything is buttery smooth, with minor UI lags here and there. Problem solved with one of the launchers. I've also noticed a little waiting time when launching the camera. Games run smoothly and without issue, not to mention looks AWESOME on the Full HD display. Although, I'd prefer to see the SnapDragon 600 on the Xperia Z as a future proof maneuver as games get increasingly power hungry.
Camera, Video and Screen
Video playback is amazing on the Xperia Z, as a result of the Full HD 1080p screen. Words are crisp and I rarely see any pixels other then low-res images. The Camera doesn't disappoint either with a 13MP back camera and a 2.1MP front facing camera. Both camera film 1080p videos as well so vlogging on the phone will definitely be great. However, I did notice that the colors are not on par with other phones and look rather dark. The Bravia Mobile Engine 2 does help and actually make the colors extremely realistic, but only when viewing images and videos. Low contrast ratio here doesn't help either. The viewing angles are GREAT. Only having some colors being washed out, I don't see any issue with viewing angles. Even if there is an issue with viewing angles, who cares? Nobody, NOBODY uses their phones 90 degrees unless you're a total idiot.
Connectivity
No issues here. LTE, NFC. What else could you ask for? Have to say though, kudos to Sony on having a campaign on promoting NFC usage and even launching new TVs with NFC compatibility. Wi-Fi is great, only had issue when it keeps dropping on free public Wi-Fi access points. But hey, free Wi-Fi, who knows. No issues with the Wi-Fi at home.
Its Music To My Ears
I listen to music. A lot. Everyday to and fro school, when travelling, heck, even when I'm bored. The bundled headset, The MH-EX300AP is AWESOME in providing high quality sounds. Sony also has ClearAudio+, which is like Beats Audio on the HTC, makes the experience all the more awesome. You can say its like having an orgasm in your ears. Eargasm if i may.
Speaker & Microphone Quality
The speaker, is actually quite the disappointment as number one, its placed in a horrible position. Next, its not as loud as I'd like it to be. There's xLoud, but it sacrifices quality for volume. Considering the quality without xLoud, I'd rather have it disabled. Lastly, as said before, the quality isn't all that great. However, I got the NFC Wireless Speaker, The SRS-BTV5 for free, which solves all the above issues, thus no complaints from me. But its kinda inconvenient to carry a speaker around with you all the time, so yeah. It is an issue.
Call quality is great, however. I can hear the other party clearly and they can hear me clearly too. No issues with dropped calls.
The Xperia Z Runs Far, With Great Stamina
I start my day at 4:30AM and end at 6PM. With 80% battery left. Stamina mode is no gimmick, it really does help with the battery life. Awesome battery life. If the screen is mostly off that is, which is usually the case. I find that if LTE is enabled, battery drains extremely fast, which makes me resort to using HSPA+, which isn't that all bad in my country. HSPA+ use nearly 3 times as less battery then LTE on my set. Location Based Wi-Fi is AWESOME. Its really cool to have your Wi-Fi turn off automatically when you leave the house and turns on then you're back. Not to mention the convenience. The phone will probably last me 2 days or so, but I still charge it every night anyway. Don't we all do?
Prepared For Accidents
The Xperia Z is IP57 certified - dust and water resistant with water resistant up to 1 meter and 30 minutes. Let's be honest here. We all had times where we wished we could take our phones into the shower or bathtub. That wish is now fulfilled. I take the Xperia Z into the shower with me everyday and text or watch YouTube videos while showering. When the phone is dirty? No sweat. Rinse it under washing water. Now you also do not have to worry about dropping your phone into the water or bring it camping in the desert(whatever the reason LOL). Plus, you can wow your friends or freak your parents out by pouring water on the phone or dunk it into a glass of water. Heck, even take it swimming. Be careful about salt water though, Sony does not recommend dunking it in salt water. With Wet Finger Tracking technology, you don't have to dry your hands to use your phone, although it does get a little jumpy at times. The phone is also quite durable as I've dropped the phone a few time and there's not a scratch. That a plus as I'm usually very careless.
Take note that the phone disables touch input while underwater so, no texting while swimming.
Conclusion
The Sony Xperia Z is a great phone. Its not for everybody, and it has it's fair shares of ups and downs. I am throughly satisfied with it and do not regret not waiting for the Samsung Galaxy S4 or the HTC One. Its great for the average user and is definitely good enough for me. The water and dust resistance is not necessary but its nice to have. Its smooth, provide great music listening, plays games like a champ. I would recommend it to anybody, but hey, its your call. You have the decision to which phone is right for you and nobody can force you to take the Xperia Z or any phone for the matter. For me, I made my choice, and I have no regrets whatsoever.
Therefore, I dare say: I'M A PROUD SONY XPERIA Z OWNER
P.s Feedback on my review? :3
My Honest Sony Xperia Z Review
I had the Xperia Z for a month or so and I'm ready to make my review on it.
The Beauty Meets The Beast
The Xperia Z packs a SnapDragon S4 Pro Quad-core 1.5 GHz Krait processor, Adreno 320 GPU and runs Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean. It sports an all glass design, similar to the iPhone 4 and 4S. The Xperia Z has excellent build quality and looks absolutely fantastic. The ports are covered by flaps, which may prove to be an annoyance for some but with good purpose. The most prominent feature of the Xperia Z is probably the on/off button. Its large, and ridiculously well placed. It stands where the thumb rests on the phone, or the index finger if you're using your left hand and is incredibly convenient to press compared to the stretch you'd have to make on other phones. Below that is the volume rocker, also easy to access when needed. The speakers are indeed placed in a horrible position, as its easy to mute with your palm unintentionally but its not an issue for me as I use my phone with my left hand.
Overall, the design turns heads and the hardware don't fail to deliver. Feels solid in the hand, BUT might be a problem for people with small hands as it may cut into it and make it uncomfortable. Very, very impressive Sony.
User Interface
Sony's UI is probably the closes you can get to stock android, and I love it. It's simple, nothing fancy and neat, although, I'd like a Black theme rather then the Grey. There are some UI lags here and there though. The lack of Android 4.2.2 also disappoints me a little but its coming, and I'll wait for it. After all, Good things come to those who wait.
Performance Powerhouse
Lag is a thing of the past with the SnapDragon S4 Pro as everything is buttery smooth, with minor UI lags here and there. Problem solved with one of the launchers. I've also noticed a little waiting time when launching the camera. Games run smoothly and without issue, not to mention looks AWESOME on the Full HD display. Although, I'd prefer to see the SnapDragon 600 on the Xperia Z as a future proof maneuver as games get increasingly power hungry.
Camera, Video and Screen
Video playback is amazing on the Xperia Z, as a result of the Full HD 1080p screen. Words are crisp and I rarely see any pixels other then low-res images. The Camera doesn't disappoint either with a 13MP back camera and a 2.1MP front facing camera. Both camera film 1080p videos as well so vlogging on the phone will definitely be great. However, I did notice that the colors are not on par with other phones and look rather dark. The Bravia Mobile Engine 2 does help and actually make the colors extremely realistic, but only when viewing images and videos. Low contrast ratio here doesn't help either. The viewing angles are GREAT. Only having some colors being washed out, I don't see any issue with viewing angles. Even if there is an issue with viewing angles, who cares? Nobody, NOBODY uses their phones 90 degrees unless you're a total idiot.
Connectivity
No issues here. LTE, NFC. What else could you ask for? Have to say though, kudos to Sony on having a campaign on promoting NFC usage and even launching new TVs with NFC compatibility. Wi-Fi is great, only had issue when it keeps dropping on free public Wi-Fi access points. But hey, free Wi-Fi, who knows. No issues with the Wi-Fi at home.
Its Music To My Ears
I listen to music. A lot. Everyday to and fro school, when travelling, heck, even when I'm bored. The bundled headset, The MH-EX300AP is AWESOME in providing high quality sounds. Sony also has ClearAudio+, which is like Beats Audio on the HTC, makes the experience all the more awesome. You can say its like having an orgasm in your ears. Eargasm if i may.
Speaker & Microphone Quality
The speaker, is actually quite the disappointment as number one, its placed in a horrible position. Next, its not as loud as I'd like it to be. There's xLoud, but it sacrifices quality for volume. Considering the quality without xLoud, I'd rather have it disabled. Lastly, as said before, the quality isn't all that great. However, I got the NFC Wireless Speaker, The SRS-BTV5 for free, which solves all the above issues, thus no complaints from me. But its kinda inconvenient to carry a speaker around with you all the time, so yeah. It is an issue.
Call quality is great, however. I can hear the other party clearly and they can hear me clearly too. No issues with dropped calls.
The Xperia Z Runs Far, With Great Stamina
I start my day at 4:30AM and end at 6PM. With 80% battery left. Stamina mode is no gimmick, it really does help with the battery life. Awesome battery life. If the screen is mostly off that is, which is usually the case. I find that if LTE is enabled, battery drains extremely fast, which makes me resort to using HSPA+, which isn't that all bad in my country. HSPA+ use nearly 3 times as less battery then LTE on my set. Location Based Wi-Fi is AWESOME. Its really cool to have your Wi-Fi turn off automatically when you leave the house and turns on then you're back. Not to mention the convenience. The phone will probably last me 2 days or so, but I still charge it every night anyway. Don't we all do?
Prepared For Accidents
The Xperia Z is IP57 certified - dust and water resistant with water resistant up to 1 meter and 30 minutes. Let's be honest here. We all had times where we wished we could take our phones into the shower or bathtub. That wish is now fulfilled. I take the Xperia Z into the shower with me everyday and text or watch YouTube videos while showering. When the phone is dirty? No sweat. Rinse it under washing water. Now you also do not have to worry about dropping your phone into the water or bring it camping in the desert(whatever the reason LOL). Plus, you can wow your friends or freak your parents out by pouring water on the phone or dunk it into a glass of water. Heck, even take it swimming. Be careful about salt water though, Sony does not recommend dunking it in salt water. With Wet Finger Tracking technology, you don't have to dry your hands to use your phone, although it does get a little jumpy at times. The phone is also quite durable as I've dropped the phone a few time and there's not a scratch. That a plus as I'm usually very careless.
Take note that the phone disables touch input while underwater so, no texting while swimming.
Conclusion
The Sony Xperia Z is a great phone. Its not for everybody, and it has it's fair shares of ups and downs. I am throughly satisfied with it and do not regret not waiting for the Samsung Galaxy S4 or the HTC One. Its great for the average user and is definitely good enough for me. The water and dust resistance is not necessary but its nice to have. Its smooth, provide great music listening, plays games like a champ. I would recommend it to anybody, but hey, its your call. You have the decision to which phone is right for you and nobody can force you to take the Xperia Z or any phone for the matter. For me, I made my choice, and I have no regrets whatsoever.
Therefore, I dare say: I'M A PROUD SONY XPERIA Z OWNER
P.s Feedback on my review? :3
Last edited:
Before I get started on the review, there's a couple of things I'll mention first.
I don't own the Xperia Z. I actually have a HTC One which I've had for a couple of weeks but I've been borrowing my mates XZ for a few days so I'd be able to test it out and see what I think of it.
Also, the only reason why I wasn't interested in buying the XZ was because I had a Xperia S when it first came out and I had nothing but problems with it and due to how bad it was, I wasn't prepared to give Sony another chance.
I have had 4 days of using the Xperia Z though so while I haven't had time to cover everything, I did my HTC One review in the same amount of time to make this fair.
Now, onto my review...
UI
Sony's UI has always impressed me and continues to do so with the Xperia Z. I've always been a huge fan of Sony/Sony Ericsson phones, apart from the aforementioned problems, and the UI has played a bit part in that.
It's simple yet effective. I'm glad that Sony have stayed true to themselves in this respect because if they were to try and expand their UI to make it mote gimmicky, like other UI's, then Sony would lose a lot of business.
There's not a lot I can say about this other than it's simple, clean and is exactly as you'd expect it to be.
Design
Again, Sony have stayed true to themselves and made another beautifully designed phone. This is something which Sony has especially done since the 2012 Xperia range.
The Xperia Z looks absolutely great and has a really premium feel to it. It feels really sturdy, which is always a big plus, and looks pleasing to the eyes aswell.
Button/Speaker placement
This section is covering the major downside to the XZ.
Button placement is generally well done and I can see why a lot of people are praising Sony for this layout.
The power button is in a great place and would help a lot of people who have smaller hands BUT even if they had placed the power button on the top of the phone, it really wouldn't have been a problem to me due to the fact I have big hands and could comfortably reach the top of the phone anyway.
The volume rocker was slightly too low down the phone for how I'd prefer it. Ideally, I'd like the volume rocker to be higher up the phone so that when holding it in my right hand, my thumb could easily and comfortably be used to adjust the volume. This isn't a major problem though.
The major letdown regarding the phones layout was the speaker placement. I know this has been spoken about A LOT but it really is terrible. Without trying to turn this into a HTC vs Sony post, HTC hit the nail on the head with the speaker placement on the One. Even if the Z had it's speaker on the lower back part of the phone it would've been much preffered.
Battery
As with my review of the One's battery life, I've tested this for a couple of days whilst being at work and for a couple of days I've had at home, so I've truly been able to test it out properly in a couple of different usage patterns.
Generally, I'm not a really heavy user so I normally get decent battery life with any phone.
Honestly, the battery is on par with the One. For those days I was at work, I was getting around 2 days of usage out of it and for the days I had off, I was getting about a day of usage out of it.
I will note that my general usage consists of mainly browsing the net ans XDA. Normally around an hour of YouTube a day and a few hours of playing Shadowgun Deadzone. I don't really call people because I do it for a job so it gets annoying
I could definitely feel the effects of Stamina mode though and is a great addition.
Sound Quality
Even though I barely make phonecalls, as stated above, I did make a few calls during my time with the XZ and the call quality is amazing. It's really clear, good use of volume and great at cutting out background noise.
When it comes to media playback, however, it could do with some improvements. While playing videos, whether that be recorded videos or streaming from YouTube, the sound quality was great. At that point I couldn't understand what some people had been moaning about.
That soon became clear though when I played some songs saved on the phone. It was ok with standard settings but once xLoud was enabled, the clarity became quite bad. It wasn't terrible to the extent that I would advise people not to get it, but it could surely do with being improved.
Camera
I really can't complain about the camera on this phone either.
As mentioned by PokerFaze, the colours don't quite cut it in comparison to other phones available but it by no means bad.
All images and videos captured look great especially because of the great 1080p screen.
Performance
As far as performance is concerned, there's not a single bad thing I can say. Everything you do on the Xperia Z is as smooth as you'd expect, and then more. Loading multiple big webpages really wasn't a problem. Neither was gameplay. Even though I only tested out Shadowgun Deadzone, the gameplay was great and not a single sign of lag anywhere. It was as smooth as it is on the One and you can definitely feel the power of the Snapdragon S4 Pro in everything that you do.
Size & Weight
There's really not a lot to say about this to be honest.
It's a really comfortable size to easily use, even one-handed and it feels great in your hand.
The weight is also pretty good and again this helps it to feel great and sturdy in your phone. All in all, it's ideal.
Overview
As you can tell, I'm a new fan of this phone even though it does have a couple of faults. As there's no major problems with the phone, it really wouldn't be a deal breaker.
XZ hasn't impressed me enough to make me want to get rid of my HTC One BUT I'm now definitely considering getting this phone to use alongside the One.
I'm really glad that my mate let me borrow his phone for these few days so that I was able to decide that I'll most likely get one.
That's the end of my review and I hope you like it
*NOTE* This review wasn't as detailed as I initially planned but that's just because all the other things I was going to cover, have already been beaten to death in multiple discussions.
I don't own the Xperia Z. I actually have a HTC One which I've had for a couple of weeks but I've been borrowing my mates XZ for a few days so I'd be able to test it out and see what I think of it.
Also, the only reason why I wasn't interested in buying the XZ was because I had a Xperia S when it first came out and I had nothing but problems with it and due to how bad it was, I wasn't prepared to give Sony another chance.
I have had 4 days of using the Xperia Z though so while I haven't had time to cover everything, I did my HTC One review in the same amount of time to make this fair.
Now, onto my review...
UI
Sony's UI has always impressed me and continues to do so with the Xperia Z. I've always been a huge fan of Sony/Sony Ericsson phones, apart from the aforementioned problems, and the UI has played a bit part in that.
It's simple yet effective. I'm glad that Sony have stayed true to themselves in this respect because if they were to try and expand their UI to make it mote gimmicky, like other UI's, then Sony would lose a lot of business.
There's not a lot I can say about this other than it's simple, clean and is exactly as you'd expect it to be.
Design
Again, Sony have stayed true to themselves and made another beautifully designed phone. This is something which Sony has especially done since the 2012 Xperia range.
The Xperia Z looks absolutely great and has a really premium feel to it. It feels really sturdy, which is always a big plus, and looks pleasing to the eyes aswell.
Button/Speaker placement
This section is covering the major downside to the XZ.
Button placement is generally well done and I can see why a lot of people are praising Sony for this layout.
The power button is in a great place and would help a lot of people who have smaller hands BUT even if they had placed the power button on the top of the phone, it really wouldn't have been a problem to me due to the fact I have big hands and could comfortably reach the top of the phone anyway.
The volume rocker was slightly too low down the phone for how I'd prefer it. Ideally, I'd like the volume rocker to be higher up the phone so that when holding it in my right hand, my thumb could easily and comfortably be used to adjust the volume. This isn't a major problem though.
The major letdown regarding the phones layout was the speaker placement. I know this has been spoken about A LOT but it really is terrible. Without trying to turn this into a HTC vs Sony post, HTC hit the nail on the head with the speaker placement on the One. Even if the Z had it's speaker on the lower back part of the phone it would've been much preffered.
Battery
As with my review of the One's battery life, I've tested this for a couple of days whilst being at work and for a couple of days I've had at home, so I've truly been able to test it out properly in a couple of different usage patterns.
Generally, I'm not a really heavy user so I normally get decent battery life with any phone.
Honestly, the battery is on par with the One. For those days I was at work, I was getting around 2 days of usage out of it and for the days I had off, I was getting about a day of usage out of it.
I will note that my general usage consists of mainly browsing the net ans XDA. Normally around an hour of YouTube a day and a few hours of playing Shadowgun Deadzone. I don't really call people because I do it for a job so it gets annoying
I could definitely feel the effects of Stamina mode though and is a great addition.
Sound Quality
Even though I barely make phonecalls, as stated above, I did make a few calls during my time with the XZ and the call quality is amazing. It's really clear, good use of volume and great at cutting out background noise.
When it comes to media playback, however, it could do with some improvements. While playing videos, whether that be recorded videos or streaming from YouTube, the sound quality was great. At that point I couldn't understand what some people had been moaning about.
That soon became clear though when I played some songs saved on the phone. It was ok with standard settings but once xLoud was enabled, the clarity became quite bad. It wasn't terrible to the extent that I would advise people not to get it, but it could surely do with being improved.
Camera
I really can't complain about the camera on this phone either.
As mentioned by PokerFaze, the colours don't quite cut it in comparison to other phones available but it by no means bad.
All images and videos captured look great especially because of the great 1080p screen.
Performance
As far as performance is concerned, there's not a single bad thing I can say. Everything you do on the Xperia Z is as smooth as you'd expect, and then more. Loading multiple big webpages really wasn't a problem. Neither was gameplay. Even though I only tested out Shadowgun Deadzone, the gameplay was great and not a single sign of lag anywhere. It was as smooth as it is on the One and you can definitely feel the power of the Snapdragon S4 Pro in everything that you do.
Size & Weight
There's really not a lot to say about this to be honest.
It's a really comfortable size to easily use, even one-handed and it feels great in your hand.
The weight is also pretty good and again this helps it to feel great and sturdy in your phone. All in all, it's ideal.
Overview
As you can tell, I'm a new fan of this phone even though it does have a couple of faults. As there's no major problems with the phone, it really wouldn't be a deal breaker.
XZ hasn't impressed me enough to make me want to get rid of my HTC One BUT I'm now definitely considering getting this phone to use alongside the One.
I'm really glad that my mate let me borrow his phone for these few days so that I was able to decide that I'll most likely get one.
That's the end of my review and I hope you like it
*NOTE* This review wasn't as detailed as I initially planned but that's just because all the other things I was going to cover, have already been beaten to death in multiple discussions.
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I just wanted to say thank you for sharing a great information and useful. it really necessary and timely for me at this time. I've read a lot of blogs and visit but they made me feel boring. Your article made me feel strange and fascinating it attracted me. I wanted to share this information with my friends on the social network facebook.!
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Your information is good and friendly. I hope to read your next article.
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