Official Xperia Z Thread

[marcoyeo]

About 2 weeks has passed. Most of the time I'm on 3G/H data via Singtel. I tried LTE and never switch on since the battery depletes very quickly and the phone becomes warm fast.

Most of the time my usage is on chats(Whatsapp & LINE, social media(Fb, Instagram) and browsing, considered light usage. I used apps like Greenify to hibernate my apps, Snapdragon Battery Guru & turn on Stamina mode. Not sure has the battery been conditioned, battery life seems like a constant battle.

Overall performance has been great. No lag or strange glitches. Timescape UI is great. Simple! If you support Sony eco-system, it's a plus to add control with your other Sony devices.

I just don't like seeing ads in Android apps. It is a Google problem.

Voice call is loud enough, about 60~65% volume without Clear Phase.

Screen is very good! If you're into photography, Sony cam is decent. Not perfect due to shutter lag/slow load of cam app. Focusing is very good. It can deliver good details. Very good mobile option compared in the market.

Build quality no creaks!! I leave a clear screen protector on the anti-shatter film. Although it attracts finger prints but easier to clean off. Truly monolithic from Sony design.

I'm not complaining here, they are just my opinions.

If someone could offer their opinions about improving battery life, please share with us here.

 

[OnLyOnE]

Xperia Z camera is pretty good actually when compared with HTC one camera, I tested a night shot 2 weeks ago. Sorry to say I have deleted both images but you can test it out yourself if you dont believe me.

I took my opposite block 6 floor down where I can see shoes outside the door, with Xperia Z, I can clearly see in specific a pair of red shoes, but with HTC one, the pair of red shoes became white and blurry. Therefore as what a lot of people have mentioned, HTC one is only good for macro and such, whereas Xperia Z has an overall good camera, not fantastic like what our friend here had mentioned, decent but good enough to see details a short distance or even far away.

What I am more interested to see is how the cybershot camera app mod version does in terms of details, colors and noise.

 

[hush66]

hmm also I would like to check with u guys..

isit possible to set different wallpapers for different page?
(Page meaning..for eg by default the phone has 3 pages)

You'll need 3rd party apps like:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.minder.wallpaper.multiple&hl=en

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.go.multiplewallpaper&hl=en

 

[N3wXTyp3]

Xperia Z camera is pretty good actually when compared with HTC one camera, I tested a night shot 2 weeks ago. Sorry to say I have deleted both images but you can test it out yourself if you dont believe me.

I took my opposite block 6 floor down where I can see shoes outside the door, with Xperia Z, I can clearly see in specific a pair of red shoes, but with HTC one, the pair of red shoes became white and blurry. Therefore as what a lot of people have mentioned, HTC one is only good for macro and such, whereas Xperia Z has an overall good camera, not fantastic like what our friend here had mentioned, decent but good enough to see details a short distance or even far away.

What I am more interested to see is how the cybershot camera app mod version does in terms of details, colors and noise.

how about s4. many claims s4's beat what Sony has...

 

[reimina]

Overall performance has been great. No lag or strange glitches. Timescape UI is great. Simple! If you support Sony eco-system, it's a plus to add control with your other Sony devices.

Timescape UI? It belongs to Sony Ericsson era. How did you resurrect it?

 

[covertspy2556]

Anyone notice any ripple on the left side of the screen when u gently press on the border and not on the right side? Or isit just my phone?

 

[carlover76]

how about s4. many claims s4's beat what Sony has...

If S4 camera is good then I love to see their camera performance for night or low light condition as the camera used is provided by Sony but just a basic lens without Exmor RS.

 

[OnLyOnE]

how about s4. many claims s4's beat what Sony has...

It's all in the Software between S4 and XZ, if Sony can wake up and tweak their Camera app, no way S4 can beat XZ... Anyway, I have yet to compare S4 and XZ myself, all I was saying is XZ beat HTC One overall according to my personal test.

 

[dreamz13]

If S4 camera is good then I love to see their camera performance for night or low light condition as the camera used is provided by Sony but just a basic lens without Exmor RS.

yes samsung use the sony camera, but u do not see the S4's camera getting criticised like XZ. XZ's camera hardware is seriously let down by its software.

Even the GSMarena rates S4's camera higher than XZ: Samsung Galaxy S4 vs. Sony Xperia Z: When worlds collide - GSMArena.com

"The Galaxy S4 exposes it low-light shots better than the Xperia Z's, no matter of the shooting mode. It lets in slightly more noise, but it also manages to preserve more detail and produce better colors than the Sony flagship. The Xperia Z picture quality improves though when set to shoot on Superior Auto (which automatically switch to Night Scene), in which case things are closer, but still slightly in favor of the Samsung flagship."

"Winner: Samsung Galaxy S4. The Samsung flagship has a clear advantage in terms of image quality over its competitor."

 

[carlover76]

yes samsung use the sony camera, but u do not see the S4's camera getting criticised like XZ. XZ's camera hardware is seriously let down by its software.

Even the GSMarena rates S4's camera higher than XZ: Samsung Galaxy S4 vs. Sony Xperia Z: When worlds collide - GSMArena.com

"The Galaxy S4 exposes it low-light shots better than the Xperia Z's, no matter of the shooting mode. It lets in slightly more noise, but it also manages to preserve more detail and produce better colors than the Sony flagship. The Xperia Z picture quality improves though when set to shoot on Superior Auto (which automatically switch to Night Scene), in which case things are closer, but still slightly in favor of the Samsung flagship."

"Winner: Samsung Galaxy S4. The Samsung flagship has a clear advantage in terms of image quality over its competitor."

Some of these reviews are very biased so I will not take it seriously.

Sam Sung also tweak their camera app and firmware heavily on their S4 causing the instability of their camera app and also the firmware so I will rather Sony do it properly and not over tweak from the default android guidelines.

 

[N3wXTyp3]

Some of these reviews are very biased so I will not take it seriously.

Sam Sung also tweak their camera app and firmware heavily on their S4 causing the instability of their camera app and also the firmware so I will rather Sony do it properly and not over tweak from the default android guidelines.

yes samsung use the sony camera, but u do not see the S4's camera getting criticised like XZ. XZ's camera hardware is seriously let down by its software.

Even the GSMarena rates S4's camera higher than XZ: Samsung Galaxy S4 vs. Sony Xperia Z: When worlds collide - GSMArena.com

"The Galaxy S4 exposes it low-light shots better than the Xperia Z's, no matter of the shooting mode. It lets in slightly more noise, but it also manages to preserve more detail and produce better colors than the Sony flagship. The Xperia Z picture quality improves though when set to shoot on Superior Auto (which automatically switch to Night Scene), in which case things are closer, but still slightly in favor of the Samsung flagship."

"Winner: Samsung Galaxy S4. The Samsung flagship has a clear advantage in terms of image quality over its competitor."

It's all in the Software between S4 and XZ, if Sony can wake up and tweak their Camera app, no way S4 can beat XZ... Anyway, I have yet to compare S4 and XZ myself, all I was saying is XZ beat HTC One overall according to my personal test.

If S4 camera is good then I love to see their camera performance for night or low light condition as the camera used is provided by Sony but just a basic lens without Exmor RS.

Whaa, I am being very sacastic here lie...

 

[dreamz13]

Some of these reviews are very biased so I will not take it seriously.

Sam Sung also tweak their camera app and firmware heavily on their S4 causing the instability of their camera app and also the firmware so I will rather Sony do it properly and not over tweak from the default android guidelines.

gsmarena's reviews are one of the more unbiased reviews I have seen. u do not have look far to see (whether in hwz or xda) that sony's camera firmware is obviously not up to par. I think you only take reviews seriously when they are pro-Sony or anti-Samsung.

 

[OnLyOnE]

In terms of camera hardware, XZ is leading here but XZ camera app sucks, thats why it cannot reach its full potential yet. S4 camera hardware is a grade lower but S4 scores with their camera app tweak.

If you are looking for immediate results, go get S4 but from what I see, there are only 2 scenarios. 1st, Sony suddenly wake up and tweak their camera app to match the hardware capability and Samsung users LLST or 2nd, Sony never did want to improve their camera app and us XZ users LLST.

 

[OnLyOnE]

yes samsung use the sony camera, but u do not see the S4's camera getting criticised like XZ. XZ's camera hardware is seriously let down by its software.

Even the GSMarena rates S4's camera higher than XZ: Samsung Galaxy S4 vs. Sony Xperia Z: When worlds collide - GSMArena.com

"The Galaxy S4 exposes it low-light shots better than the Xperia Z's, no matter of the shooting mode. It lets in slightly more noise, but it also manages to preserve more detail and produce better colors than the Sony flagship. The Xperia Z picture quality improves though when set to shoot on Superior Auto (which automatically switch to Night Scene), in which case things are closer, but still slightly in favor of the Samsung flagship."

"Winner: Samsung Galaxy S4. The Samsung flagship has a clear advantage in terms of image quality over its competitor."

The comparison was done using XZ normal mode / Auto mode which sucks, I am not saying XZ night mode is good or not, in fact, their night mode still cannot make it but burst mode during the day is fantastic, how fantastic? I was at peach garden at OCBC at 33rd floor shooting down at the museum opposite, I can see the word IndoChine clearly. Sony just need to apply very very slight noise reduction to the burst mode and implement it in the normal mode to give it a clear advantage which is what I have been saying all along, camera app failed.

Don't have to take my words for it, if you got XZ, go and test it out, if not, find someone who owns it and test it out.

Just to add, Sony R&D knows what they are doing, the XDA community knows what they are doing and we the XZ users knows what we want but sad to say Sony IT department doesnt have a clue about what they are doing.

 

[OnLyOnE]

Another word of advise. This is not a Sony fan talking, I am speaking because I love android so much to see some big rich company trying to bring it down. You can be a HTC supporter, Sony supporter or even LG or motorola supporter I dont care but if you want android to carry on, you jolly well stay away from Samsung, I know after I post this, I will get tons of Samsung fanboy hate reply, you can scold all you want but this is reality, the Tizen OS managed solely by Intel and Samsung is going to bring down Android's market share by a lot after it takes its first major move. If Samsung market share dont reduce, we will see another Apple forming in terms of mobile phone. The reason why many of us stick with Android is because we got lots of options in terms of hardware, official rom and the fantastic XDA / CM 3rd party rom. I hate to see all these destroyed because of 1 company.

 

[carlover76]

Another word of advise. This is not a Sony fan talking, I am speaking because I love android so much to see some big rich company trying to bring it down. You can be a HTC supporter, Sony supporter or even LG or motorola supporter I dont care but if you want android to carry on, you jolly well stay away from Samsung, I know after I post this, I will get tons of Samsung fanboy hate reply, you can scold all you want but this is reality, the Tizen OS managed solely by Intel and Samsung is going to bring down Android's market share by a lot after it takes its first major move. If Samsung market share dont reduce, we will see another Apple forming in terms of mobile phone. The reason why many of us stick with Android is because we got lots of options in terms of hardware, official rom and the fantastic XDA / CM 3rd party rom. I hate to see all these destroyed because of 1 company.

I agree with you on this.

Apple = Sam Sung

They are just good at copycat and regarding their camera app tweaking, it is not surprising that they follow exactly what Apple did for their camera app.

 

[marcoyeo]

Timescape UI? It belongs to Sony Ericsson era. How did you resurrect it?

heh paiseh I'm mot aware of the new ROM name.

 

[jokergaara]

omg my battery (uAh) is 2320000 zzz got smth wrong with my battery??

 

[DoraemonBoi]

Another word of advise. This is not a Sony fan talking, I am speaking because I love android so much to see some big rich company trying to bring it down. You can be a HTC supporter, Sony supporter or even LG or motorola supporter I dont care but if you want android to carry on, you jolly well stay away from Samsung, I know after I post this, I will get tons of Samsung fanboy hate reply, you can scold all you want but this is reality, the Tizen OS managed solely by Intel and Samsung is going to bring down Android's market share by a lot after it takes its first major move. If Samsung market share dont reduce, we will see another Apple forming in terms of mobile phone. The reason why many of us stick with Android is because we got lots of options in terms of hardware, official rom and the fantastic XDA / CM 3rd party rom. I hate to see all these destroyed because of 1 company.

LOL... If their OS cannot win android, people will still use Android one la... Samsung is not everything...

 

[N3wXTyp3]

LOL... If their OS cannot win android, people will still use Android one la... Samsung is not everything...

I think their OS going to be as buggy as their phones...

Greeny is so stable on Sony and their own nexus products, if they cannot even do that, what makes people thinks of their OS.

On top, IF they can do better, I think Windows phone will be up next rather than a company that only manufactures parts....