Xperia Z - Users Reviews/First Impression

xperiax10.awesome

Senior Member
Nov 20, 2010
3,333
1,452
0
Singapore
Hi guys,
Lets share your personal reviews/first imprrssion about Xperia Z. Below is mine..


Finally I got my Xperia Z - Black Beauty.
Overall its good phone, seriously best from Sony but it could have been more better.
Anyways, I will share more details by tomorrow as I still didnt spent much time with XZ.

UPDATED:
As I am coming from Galaxy Note 2, I want to compare XZ & Note2.

Pros:
-Beautiful Design
-Waterproof
-Good Camera (Rear only)

Cons:
-Speaker position is horrible
-Poor Battery Life
-Front Camera not so good
-Overheating Issues (can tolerate as its waterproof)
-Cannot use Default Launcher with Xperia Widgets: Lags like anything

WHAT I AM MISSING COMING FROM NOTE 2:
-MultiWindow
-Large Screen
-Customizable Notification Bar


sent from Xperia Z
 
Last edited:

RCJ89

Senior Member
Oct 5, 2012
903
245
0
london, UK
I played with a retail model this afternoon got to take it outside to take some outdoor pics and videos.
Pics are good, video I was less than impressed they were not as sharp as pics and colours were off.
For example I took a pic of a bus at the bus stop the camera replicated with good colour accuracy whilst video made the bus a darker reddish/purple and there was loss of detail and man the slow auto focusing at times that has plagued all previous sony devices was raising it's ugly head again.
Loud speaker is hopeless in evena slightly noisy environment, audio is loud outdoors but bass could have been better.
Also the Z seriously feels a bit boxy imo.
 

mwatson

Senior Member
Oct 16, 2007
1,128
229
0
Basingstoke
I tried an xperia z in a "3" shop recently. There was a bit of background noise from shoppers and staff talking while I tested the speaker and ringtone volume. This was enough to drown out the sound from the xperia z. Pre-order cancelled, HTC One on order. Shame as I got quite excited about this phone. Good effort though Sony. Must try harder next time!
 

samxool

Senior Member
Aug 24, 2012
157
27
0
I tried an xperia z in a "3" shop recently. There was a bit of background noise from shoppers and staff talking while I tested the speaker and ringtone volume. This was enough to drown out the sound from the xperia z. Pre-order cancelled, HTC One on order. Shame as I got quite excited about this phone. Good effort though Sony. Must try harder next time!
its a phone, what the hell are you expecting from the speaker?
Its a phone, not a boom box you fool!
 
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marcoplo

Senior Member
Nov 4, 2010
680
66
0
Im in case 5% in 5 minutes(mkv movie 3.5gb 1080p mp4 4mbps birate in bestplayer HD accelation so i was not able to finish film before i run out of juice streaming wifi) , At work i got 150mbps but at home i got 72mbps can not get 150 :silly:

except that every thing is alright I dont have any problem

ahh and manage to warm my hand to the point when they sweaty ! :)) 67-70
 
Last edited:

TheKingOfPain

Senior Member
Feb 15, 2013
211
44
0
I tried an xperia z in a "3" shop recently. There was a bit of background noise from shoppers and staff talking while I tested the speaker and ringtone volume. This was enough to drown out the sound from the xperia z. Pre-order cancelled, HTC One on order. Shame as I got quite excited about this phone. Good effort though Sony. Must try harder next time!
This is what really bothers me: low ringtone volume. I don't want to lose notifications or incoming calls because of it.
How's the vibration? Can you feel it properly if the phone is in your pocket?
 
G

GuestK00431

Guest
This is what really bothers me: low ringtone volume. I don't want to lose notifications or incoming calls because of it.
How's the vibration? Can you feel it properly if the phone is in your pocket?
Vibration is rather strong, im yet to miss a call or text. I always have sound off on my phones.
 

OsiBasi

Senior Member
Nov 26, 2012
290
49
0
I tried an xperia z in a "3" shop recently. There was a bit of background noise from shoppers and staff talking while I tested the speaker and ringtone volume. This was enough to drown out the sound from the xperia z. Pre-order cancelled, HTC One on order. Shame as I got quite excited about this phone. Good effort though Sony. Must try harder next time!
Seems harsh just to cancel a phone just because the ringtone wasn't loud enough. Did you even try it with the xLoud etc on?
And who really uses the sound, you really only have a use for it when the phone is somewhere else but your pocket. (which is where it should be)

Either way. See ya.
 

jayman1986

Senior Member
Sep 3, 2010
725
86
0
London
This is NOT good !!!
Battery draining like anything :(

sent from Xperia Z
Give it a chance too settle, after about 4-5 full charges; battery will reach full working capacity and also Rom will have built up dalvic cache. So you will certainly get better performance after a few days use.

Sent from my LG-P880 using xda premium
 

XDA mark

Senior Member
Dec 30, 2009
1,600
449
0
Rotterdam (NL) & Timisoara (RO)
My first impression were very good: I posted them in many threads here.

Though I have some new info:

- Battery lasted for 11h42m yesterday, standby time. Screen on time: 3h22m (auto brightness). I have screenshots to back it up. I was always connected to wifi or mobile network. I didn't play games, mostly chatting, facebook, some youtube videos, listned to some music and internet browsing. It's not horrible, but not very good either. I got home with 1% left at 23:00 in the evening.

Today, I had worse results. Mostly at home all day, so wifi. Had a total of sub 3hours of screenon time! This is already my third charging cycle so I don't expect things to get any better. At the moment I am not impressed by the battery life of the XZ, but it's not horrible either.

- Phone's size and design: beautiful, though it's already not so "WOW" anymore (got used to it I guess). The phone atracts a lot of duts and fingerprints. But what I am starting to see is that the XZ is not so good looking at ergonomic aspects! It just doesn't feel nice in my hand because it isn't curved at the sides/back. I picked up my S3 again today and wow, it felt like a total different kind of thing. It was so comfortable in my hand compared to the XZ, while the S3 is almost as big as the XZ. And because the S3 has no onscreen buttons, the screen actually showed more info then the XZ.

- Screen: I'm getting more and more used to it, it looks really nice and sharp. Viewing angles are starting to bother me less and less, but sometimes I still see them.

- Speaker quality: seems very loud, but quality wise it seems bad. And I cover it up with my right hand a lot without wanting too.


I'm thinking about returning the XZ.... yeah. Didn't expect it myself. But the main problem is: it doesn't feel like a big leap from my S3. So basicly, I bought a new phone (the XZ) which feels much worse in my hand (ergnomic wise, it's not comfortable) then my S3, the screen is bigger but I actually see less content on it because of the software buttons, and while the screen is sharper a bit the viewing angles and contrast are worse. It also isn't a lot faster then my S3, it doens't do anything my S3 couldn't till now (yes HDR video, I tried it once and that's it).

My biggest problem is the size and design: without the curved sides/back the phone is hard to use for me with one hand. Really didn't expect this. This together with what I said above, make me consider returning the XZ and wait for a few more months. I saw (again) an article on a big Ducht newssite about the XZ's succesor and that it will come in summer 2013. It should have a 1080p 4.8 screen and the S600 chipset. This off course also doens't really help my feeling of returning the XZ...

I still have till next week to think about my XZ, but I might return it. No offence to Sony, the XZ is really a good phone, but the fact that I can't use it comfortable in my hand is something important to me. I do have small hands, but I can use the S3 perfectly and the XZ not so much.

EDIT: The other problem is, there isn't anything at the moment which I would consider buying. I have looked again at the HTC One and still don't want it. Maybe I will return my XZ and wait for Samsung to reveal the S4 and hope that it's build quality/design is a step up from the S3. If not, I can get the XZ (or the succesor of the XZ) beginning of the summer. Really bummed out..
 
Last edited:

arcwindz

Member
Nov 3, 2012
26
3
0
My first impression were very good: I posted them in many threads here.

Though I have some new info:

- Battery lasted for 11h42m yesterday, standby time. Screen on time: 3h22m (auto brightness). I have screenshots to back it up. I was always connected to wifi or mobile network. I didn't play games, mostly chatting, facebook, some youtube videos, listned to some music and internet browsing. It's not horrible, but not very good either. I got home with 1% left at 23:00 in the evening.

Today, I had worse results. Mostly at home all day, so wifi. Had a total of sub 3hours of screenon time! This is already my third charging cycle so I don't expect things to get any better. At the moment I am not impressed by the battery life of the XZ, but it's not horrible either.

- Phone's size and design: beautiful, though it's already not so "WOW" anymore (got used to it I guess). The phone atracts a lot of duts and fingerprints. But what I am starting to see is that the XZ is not so good looking at ergonomic aspects! It just doesn't feel nice in my hand because it isn't curved at the sides/back. I picked up my S3 again today and wow, it felt like a total different kind of thing. It was so comfortable in my hand compared to the XZ, while the S3 is almost as big as the XZ. And because the S3 has no onscreen buttons, the screen actually showed more info then the XZ.

- Screen: I'm getting more and more used to it, it looks really nice and sharp. Viewing angles are starting to bother me less and less, but sometimes I still see them.

- Speaker quality: seems very loud, but quality wise it seems bad. And I cover it up with my right hand a lot without wanting too.


I'm thinking about returning the XZ.... yeah. Didn't expect it myself. But the main problem is: it doesn't feel like a big leap from my S3. So basicly, I bought a new phone (the XZ) which feels much worse in my hand (ergnomic wise, it's not comfortable) then my S3, the screen is bigger but I actually see less content on it because of the software buttons, and while the screen is sharper a bit the viewing angles and contrast are worse. It also isn't a lot faster then my S3, it doens't do anything my S3 couldn't till now (yes HDR video, I tried it once and that's it).

My biggest problem is the size and design: without the curved sides/back the phone is hard to use for me with one hand. Really didn't expect this. This together with what I said above, make me consider returning the XZ and wait for a few more months. I saw (again) an article on a big Ducht newssite about the XZ's succesor and that it will come in summer 2013. It should have a 1080p 4.8 screen and the S600 chipset. This off course also doens't really help my feeling of returning the XZ...

I still have till next week to think about my XZ, but I might return it. No offence to Sony, the XZ is really a good phone, but the fact that I can't use it comfortable in my hand is something important to me. I do have small hands, but I can use the S3 perfectly and the XZ not so much.

EDIT: The other problem is, there isn't anything at the moment which I would consider buying. I have looked again at the HTC One and still don't want it. Maybe I will return my XZ and wait for Samsung to reveal the S4 and hope that it's build quality/design is a step up from the S3. If not, I can get the XZ (or the succesor of the XZ) beginning of the summer. Really bummed out..
Oho, than you should try ZL if it ever released soon in your country, it has smaller form factor with that curved back. Same spec of course, minus the waterproof
 

stiffi2011

Senior Member
Oct 10, 2011
193
14
0
Oho, than you should try ZL if it ever released soon in your country, it has smaller form factor with that curved back. Same spec of course, minus the waterproof
My first impression were very good: I posted them in many threads here.

EDIT: The other problem is, there isn't anything at the moment which I would consider buying. I have looked again at the HTC One and still don't want it. Maybe I will return my XZ and wait for Samsung to reveal the S4 and hope that it's build quality/design is a step up from the S3. If not, I can get the XZ (or the succesor of the XZ) beginning of the summer. Really bummed out..
This is my problem exactly! I ditched my Galaxy Note 1 because I kept hearing of all the earth shattering flagships coming out. The Oppo Find 5, the Xperia Z, the HTC One. I got a Note 2, and I have the same feelings. Sure its a little faster, but I feel like I am wasting my upgrade (I know that's a uniquely USA problem) on this phone. The Note 1 could do everything nearly as well, especially with custom ROMs.

I can still return my Note 2 but I honestly don't even know what I would use instead. There is nothing that really stands out. I was holding out hope for the Nokia EOS/Lumia 1000 but who knows if that will even deliver anything new.
 

stefanve

Senior Member
Oct 12, 2005
1,028
186
0
My first impression were very good: I posted them in many threads here.

Though I have some new info:

- Battery lasted for 11h42m yesterday, standby time. Screen on time: 3h22m (auto brightness). I have screenshots to back it up. I was always connected to wifi or mobile network. I didn't play games, mostly chatting, facebook, some youtube videos, listned to some music and internet browsing. It's not horrible, but not very good either. I got home with 1% left at 23:00 in the evening.

Today, I had worse results. Mostly at home all day, so wifi. Had a total of sub 3hours of screenon time! This is already my third charging cycle so I don't expect things to get any better. At the moment I am not impressed by the battery life of the XZ, but it's not horrible either.

- Phone's size and design: beautiful, though it's already not so "WOW" anymore (got used to it I guess). The phone atracts a lot of duts and fingerprints. But what I am starting to see is that the XZ is not so good looking at ergonomic aspects! It just doesn't feel nice in my hand because it isn't curved at the sides/back. I picked up my S3 again today and wow, it felt like a total different kind of thing. It was so comfortable in my hand compared to the XZ, while the S3 is almost as big as the XZ. And because the S3 has no onscreen buttons, the screen actually showed more info then the XZ.

- Screen: I'm getting more and more used to it, it looks really nice and sharp. Viewing angles are starting to bother me less and less, but sometimes I still see them.

- Speaker quality: seems very loud, but quality wise it seems bad. And I cover it up with my right hand a lot without wanting too.


I'm thinking about returning the XZ.... yeah. Didn't expect it myself. But the main problem is: it doesn't feel like a big leap from my S3. So basicly, I bought a new phone (the XZ) which feels much worse in my hand (ergnomic wise, it's not comfortable) then my S3, the screen is bigger but I actually see less content on it because of the software buttons, and while the screen is sharper a bit the viewing angles and contrast are worse. It also isn't a lot faster then my S3, it doens't do anything my S3 couldn't till now (yes HDR video, I tried it once and that's it).

My biggest problem is the size and design: without the curved sides/back the phone is hard to use for me with one hand. Really didn't expect this. This together with what I said above, make me consider returning the XZ and wait for a few more months. I saw (again) an article on a big Ducht newssite about the XZ's succesor and that it will come in summer 2013. It should have a 1080p 4.8 screen and the S600 chipset. This off course also doens't really help my feeling of returning the XZ...

I still have till next week to think about my XZ, but I might return it. No offence to Sony, the XZ is really a good phone, but the fact that I can't use it comfortable in my hand is something important to me. I do have small hands, but I can use the S3 perfectly and the XZ not so much.

EDIT: The other problem is, there isn't anything at the moment which I would consider buying. I have looked again at the HTC One and still don't want it. Maybe I will return my XZ and wait for Samsung to reveal the S4 and hope that it's build quality/design is a step up from the S3. If not, I can get the XZ (or the succesor of the XZ) beginning of the summer. Really bummed out..
Personally I think it isn't worth will upgrading a high end 2012 phone, maybe if Google releases an android version that has something crazy cool and that needs a ridiculous amount of horsepower. Otherwise I think you can hang on to your phone until the end of 2014 or so
 
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