Develop Bugs

[Q] Arc Vs Samsung Infuse

I am planning on purchasing either a Samsung Infuse or an Arc today.
Generally, I like the Samsung products, however, this one does also seem pretty nice. What made me consider the Arc was the battery life, camera and screen.
I don't think I have any complaints about either, however, I do think this ones screen is a bit smaller, however, it does have the better screen.
The Arc's interface is slightly different. On the Samsung, I do like the slide down menu bar which tells you what is on such as Wifi, where as the Arc you need to go to the first page to turn it off.
Most likely, if there is a firmware that has the same interface as the Samsung one, I will use that on the Arc.
Do you have any suggestions? I do see that people are trading Infuses for Arcs. Or maybe wait a while, and something new will come out?
Regards,
~404

Afaik there's no mod to get the Samsung style on the Arc.
And the Infuse is a 4G device, so if you want to use 4G go for it otherwise go for the Arc.
Performancewise they should be the same.
Sent from my LT15i using XDA Premium App

Whereis404 said:
I am planning on purchasing either a Samsung Infuse or an Arc today.
Generally, I like the Samsung products, however, this one does also seem pretty nice. What made me consider the Arc was the battery life, camera and screen.
I don't think I have any complaints about either, however, I do think this ones screen is a bit smaller, however, it does have the better screen.
The Arc's interface is slightly different. On the Samsung, I do like the slide down menu bar which tells you what is on such as Wifi, where as the Arc you need to go to the first page to turn it off.
Most likely, if there is a firmware that has the same interface as the Samsung one, I will use that on the Arc.
Do you have any suggestions? I do see that people are trading Infuses for Arcs. Or maybe wait a while, and something new will come out?
Regards,
~404
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Spcwise both are the same and of course, awesome too. Sony Ericsson does better job by listening their customers now and offers updates.
Infuse is better with Tablet~like screen and of course OLED. plus, 4G. Plus, you get 16GB (arc gets 16GB memory card with it).

binku said:
Spcwise both are the same and of course, awesome too. Sony Ericsson does better job by listening their customers now and offers updates.
Infuse is better with Tablet~like screen and of course OLED. plus, 4G. Plus, you get 16GB (arc gets 16GB memory card with it).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah it's you're call really. but there are always Downside for both phones.
Choose which fits you perfectly Since you said you like Arc stats then go for it.

Arc... love it

[Q] Honest opinions needed - X10 to Defy or wait?

I currently have an Xperia X10, I've had it since it came out in Canada. I've had numerous roms on it etc, I'm currently on stock 2.3.
Anyway, I'm getting frustrated with my carrier, and the phone... lack of touch sensitivity and other issues are driving me crazy.
I've also picked up an EEE Transformer, so I find myself using my phone less and less for "intensive" things. I used to have to use it for email/files/etc at work, but not anymore. I'm thinking now I want a phone that's more "utility" vs "powerhouse".
I'm thinking of getting a Defy. It's $49 on contract, $379 without.
Other options are: Nexus S, or wait (not sure how long) for a Galaxy S2 X (hercules)., but I like the water resistance and toughness of the Defy.
Not sure if the Defy+ is coming to the carrier.
How does the Defy compare to the X10 in terms of speed? I know about the smaller screen etc, but hows the raw performance? Are the Gingerbread ROMs solid?
Thanks in advance.

A no official gb rom...
Cm and miui rock!
Sent from My Mind using the Brainwaves...

In terms of performance a bit better than the x10 (on custom rom's at least) but less screen. Galaxy S2 much better. BUT not water resistant.
The resistant is nice 'in case of' but you can't count on it.
Galaxy s2 t-mobile (hercules) sounds really good, big display and fast hardware. I do think this will be really expansive.

The defy is good and will be all u require if u r ready to use custom roms ...but if it were me I'd wait for the defy plus

Well i would go for nexus S. Decent processor and camera, AWESOME display and GPU and of course full google support (after all it`s their phone right?) + pretty good support for it here, on XDA
If you don`t like nexus S, you can go for Defy of course (decent specs + "life proof") but, try to get one with red lens for HD recording.

Nexus S tbh.
Sent from my ME525+ using Tapatalk

If i were you i would go for an Atrix. The Motorola Atrix is the best phone i used. Excellent touch responsiveness, great 4 inch display (It's nice to read in that screen and the display resolution is enough for all your needs) It's not so expensive, remember it has a Dual Core processor with a Tegra 2 GPU from Nvidia wich will give you better performance and it will response in most of hard use situations as fast as you would need. It also has many accesories such like the Laptop, the multimedia dock, the standard dock and a full size USB keyboard. And that's not all, it has a 1940 mAh battery and also you'll be able to visit overclocking and undervolting thread to speed up your processor and undervolt it to extend its battery life. It come by default with Android Froyo 2.2, not the best option for a high end phone, but it is fully functional and compatible with most of the market's applications. I think it would be the best choice you could make. In a near future it will be updated to Android Gingerbread, wich has new features and better perfomance. Go for it, you won't regret. Galaxy S II is as good as Motorola Atrix, the difference is the display inches, the AMOLED Plus screen, and the CPU's speed. But it doesn't include Tegra 2, and in mine opinion, Motorola is better in quality. You can also lock your Phone using the Fingerprint feature, nice, isn't it? Look for it.

I have Defy about 5 mounts, it great, i will get it again I will not get Atrix, cause a Pentile display (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PenTile_matrix_family) on Defy i can play every Tegra game, and NVidia' chip not offers something special, about me. I not buy and Nexus S, not a Samsung fan, but best phone at this time not even Samsung Galaxy S2 or stupid 3D lame, it's LG Optimus Black, such a greatest display i ever saw, NOVA, low-power, great colors so real and dynamic. About me if you wait you will get phone with HQ resolution 1280x720 and new technology, it's will be best, i don't know, but it's your decision, good luck.

see this please...http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1263238
and this...http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=17569351&postcount=3

I also change from a X10 (2.3) to a Defy (2.2) two weeks ago... I was looking for an outdoor android phone and was tired to wait for the Xperia active (which will have a low res screen).
I am 90% satisfied by my new Defy... not 100% because of the GPS problem which sometime freeze the phone.
Everything is very reactive, sound is much much better and screnn resolution is the same as the Xperia, so you hae exactly the same "view" as with an Xêria when surfing the net.
I still use my X10, as backup phone or as navigation system, at least as long as i don't find how to fix the Defy GPS.

GreG. said:
I also change from a X10 (2.3) to a Defy (2.2) two weeks ago... I was looking for an outdoor android phone and was tired to wait for the Xperia active (which will have a low res screen).
I am 90% satisfied by my new Defy... not 100% because of the GPS problem which sometime freeze the phone.
Everything is very reactive, sound is much much better and screnn resolution is the same as the Xperia, so you hae exactly the same "view" as with an Xêria when surfing the net.
I still use my X10, as backup phone or as navigation system, at least as long as i don't find how to fix the Defy GPS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are on Stock 2.2, your issue is most likely caused by the VM eating all your memory, causing first the phone to lag like hell, and then rebooting itself.
Go to the Beginners Guide and check out on common problems this "Stock Froyo sometimes lags and/or freezes the phone"
gl

Xperia T vs Xperia ION

I've been playing around with the xperia T and I can say for sure that the screen of the xperia ion is so much better. In fact, maybe the Xperia ion has the best screen that Sony has ever made, with vibrant colors and stellar contrast for an LCD panel.
The battery life is surprisingly on par, but xperia T is noticeably faster and smoother, literally flies.
I can't say if upgrading from the Ion to Xperia T it's worthy. If the screen is your main priority, stay with the ION.

Every person have different taste,so who have better specs win,but I do support the phone that I owned
Sent from my SK17i using xda premium

I'd definitely go with the T because of the s4 processor. Though I'd expect for the T to last much longer than the ion. On the other hand, I've read reviews on the T and there's really not much of a difference to the S and ion. I'm just glad that the T doesn't look like the Xperia sx or else I'd be regretting getting the ion even more because the sx is the sexiest phone evar!
Sent from my Xperia GX

So how is that 13 mp cam on the T compared to the 12 on ion?
Sent from my LT28at using xda app-developers app

princemarcus19 said:
So how is that 13 mp cam on the T compared to the 12 on ion?
Sent from my LT28at using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check this out
Shootout: Nokia 808 PureView vs Sony Xperia T.
Very impressive images for the T, in my opinion at least.
LINK

this just struck me
The ion and the T have the same size screen, but isn't the T constrained by perma-on screen buttons? So wouldn't that make the viewable area of the display effectively smaller on the T?

Yes, i guess so.
Sent from my LT28i using xda app-developers app

I thought the T had a 4.6 and the Ion 4.55. Maybe that makes up the difference. I'm getting different screen specs from different sites. Also, some say TFT for the T and others say LCD. Does anyone have the real hard specs?

gerbsterkiller said:
I thought the T had a 4.6 and the Ion 4.55. Maybe that makes up the difference. I'm getting different screen specs from different sites. Also, some say TFT for the T and others say LCD. Does anyone have the real hard specs?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Screen is exacting the same size

I just got an Ion, and am contemplating returning it for a T. As far as I can tell these are the differences - does anyone have more?
Processor: S3 vs. S4. Real world difference?
Ion has cumbersome flap covering the µUSB and dedicated µHDMI ports. T exposes the single µUSB+MHL port, which is more convenient if you plug it in to the charger often (e.g while driving)
Ion has dedicated off-screen keys, whereas T adds buttons within the screen. These buttons are not visible when playing movies full-screen, but otherwise eats into the real estate on the screen.
T has "mini apps" that can be launched from the task manager. These don't seem to exist on the Ion (also with ICS)
12 vs 13MP camera sensor. Is the latter larger, or simply more packed? Are pictures any better?
Video recording is reported to be better with the T
Ion screen is brighter?
Ion has slightly better looks? T is a bit drab.. but then has the coolness effect from Bond. James Bond.
T will get Jelly Bean for certain. Not sure about Ion.
I'm slightly leaning toward returning the Ion and getting a T, mainly for more convenient access to the µUSB port.
(Mostly I'd like to be able to keep my Nokia 808 PureView - but it has some unforgivable bugs such as spurious reboots when connecting to certain HSDPA-enabled cells, and seems to be completely abandoned by Nokia at this point...)

Ion will get Jellybean, Google announced years ago that Sony, Samsung, etc are committed to update their phones for the next 9 months. Sony, among the rest, has the best track record with updating old phones
Sent from my Xperia

Hlorri said:
I just got an Ion, and am contemplating returning it for a T. As far as I can tell these are the differences - does anyone have more?
Processor: S3 vs. S4. Real world difference?
Ion has cumbersome flap covering the µUSB and dedicated µHDMI ports. T exposes the single µUSB+MHL port, which is more convenient if you plug it in to the charger often (e.g while driving)
Ion has dedicated off-screen keys, whereas T adds buttons within the screen. These buttons are not visible when playing movies full-screen, but otherwise eats into the real estate on the screen.
T has "mini apps" that can be launched from the task manager. These don't seem to exist on the Ion (also with ICS)
12 vs 13MP camera sensor. Is the latter larger, or simply more packed? Are pictures any better?
Video recording is reported to be better with the T
Ion screen is brighter?
Ion has slightly better looks? T is a bit drab.. but then has the coolness effect from Bond. James Bond.
T will get Jelly Bean for certain. Not sure about Ion.
I'm slightly leaning toward returning the Ion and getting a T, mainly for more convenient access to the µUSB port.
(Mostly I'd like to be able to keep my Nokia 808 PureView - but it has some unforgivable bugs such as spurious reboots when connecting to certain HSDPA-enabled cells, and seems to be completely abandoned by Nokia at this point...)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Believe me, no difference on real world performance between S3 or S4 processor, S4 is faster but there's no so much difference, and Xperia T gets very hot running games, same as the ION.
Screen is so much better on the ION. Design feels much premium on the ION too.
Xperia T only wins with slightly better battery life (around 15% better, not so much).
All 2012 devices will get Jelly Bean at the end of the year.

I see Att offical announced the Xperia TL, I have the Ion, only I don`t like is the buttons on the bottom, I like the TL with the on screen buttons, like the nexus, which I have installed the mod to put the on screen buttons on my phone and they are a little small, I will probably buy this phone I`m a phone whore lol

Unbranded Xperia TL firmware?
One more question that comes to mind is whether I can flash the Xperia TL with Xperia T firmware, and retain LTE support?
This is possible with the Ion: Physically the LT28at and LT28i is the same device, so you can flash LT28i (but not LT28h) firmware on it even if you get it from AT&T. But I don't see any unbranded/OEM versions of the T with LTE support?
Does one have to suffer AT&T branding to get LTE on the T?

Hlorri said:
One more question that comes to mind is whether I can flash the Xperia TL with Xperia T firmware, and retain LTE support?
This is possible with the Ion: Physically the LT28at and LT28i is the same device, so you can flash LT28i (but not LT28h) firmware on it even if you get it from AT&T. But I don't see any unbranded/OEM versions of the T with LTE support?
Does one have to suffer AT&T branding to get LTE on the T?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We will probably be able to flash the LT30p firmware excluding the baseband to keep LTE like how we flashed the LT28h firmware before official ICS came out.
Sent from my Sony Xperia S

Spectre51 said:
We will probably be able to flash the LT30p firmware excluding the baseband to keep LTE like how we flashed the LT28h firmware before official ICS came out.
Sent from my Sony Xperia S
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice.
Aside from that dull display thing, this thing seems like a winner. I'm sure it will do well on AT&T...

It is bugging me how this thread isn't getting more action! What do you think Spectre51?
I got an ion as my first Andriod phone, and when the ICS update came out I was really enjoying it. The phone seemed too slow though. A quick trip back to the home screen from an app appeared to relaunch the entire home screen, with blank widgets staring at me. It lacked that premium feeling. I wonder if the T's S4 takes care of the home screen reloading faster. I returned the ion and I'm back to my iPhone 4.
The T at first seemed like a no-brainer upgrade, but the more I learn about it the more bummed I am. Worse camera than other phones, annoying on-screen buttons, poor color detail compared to the ion, no mini HDMI, washed out display.. it's killed my excitement. Lol.
I'm looking forward to trying out the T but I hope the ion promotion doesn't end in case it looks like the ion is going to be the better choice.

blindwarrior said:
It is bugging me how this thread isn't getting more action! What do you think Spectre51?
I got an ion as my first Andriod phone, and when the ICS update came out I was really enjoying it. The phone seemed too slow though. A quick trip back to the home screen from an app appeared to relaunch the entire home screen, with blank widgets staring at me. It lacked that premium feeling. I wonder if the T's S4 takes care of the home screen reloading faster. I returned the ion and I'm back to my iPhone 4.
The T at first seemed like a no-brainer upgrade, but the more I learn about it the more bummed I am. Worse camera than other phones, annoying on-screen buttons, poor color detail compared to the ion, no mini HDMI, washed out display.. it's killed my excitement. Lol.
I'm looking forward to trying out the T but I hope the ion promotion doesn't end in case it looks like the ion is going to be the better choice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have the home screen redraw problem on my ion like you experienced but then again I don't use alot of Widgets.
Its funny how people don't like the on screen buttons when it seems for a while before people complained about hardware buttons. To each their own I guess. I will get my hands in a TL this weekend to play with and will report back my thoughts when comparing it to my Xperia S and ion.
The camera will be good. Most Sony phones have good cameras in them. Yeh they could be better with less compression but they are still decent.
I'll take some pictures this weekend comparing the screens and see how it looks.
Sent from my Sony Xperia S

Spectre51 said:
I don't have the home screen redraw problem on my ion like you experienced but then again I don't use alot of Widgets.
Its funny how people don't like the on screen buttons when it seems girl a while before people complained about hardware buttons. To each their own I guess. I will get my hands in a TL this weekend to play with and will report back my thoughts when comparing it to my Xperia S and ion.
The camera will be good. Most Don't phones have good cameras in them. Yeh they could be better with less compression but they are still decent.
I'll take some pictures this weekend comparing the screens and see how it looks.
Sent from my Sony Xperia S
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is going to be the highlight of my weekend! lol.
Also, do you all really think ion will get Jelly Bean? 'Cause it sure is lookin' good.

I would be surprised if it didn't.

[Q] is arc S still Best in Class !!??

i am planning to buy a new arc S tomorrow .. i wanted to ask u ppl how already using one !,
do u ppl think i should buy one at price of 17k INR.. ?? or should i go for a used 4g dual-core ph.
i dont work with too many task (multi-tasking ,,) as RAM is less, so rest other .....??
how far still arc S is competing, what all phones i can compare my arc S with ...((Defy, S2, motorla photon 4g......)) ??
thanks ..

samuraidattu said:
i am planning to buy a new arc S tomorrow .. i wanted to ask u ppl how already using one !,
do u ppl think i should buy one at price of 17k INR.. ?? or should i go for a used 4g dual-core ph.
i dont work with too many task (multi-tasking ,,) as RAM is less, so rest other .....??
how far still arc S is competing, what all phones i can compare my arc S with ...((Defy, S2, motorla photon 4g......)) ??
thanks ..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Arc s is not too shabby to be honest. Compared to 2012 phones, it obviously doesn't perform as well with noticeably more lag. However it's performance can be boosted to a very large extent if you install a custom rom (either based on stock ICS or MIUI or something else not sure) and to a larger extent with custom kernels. The Arc s compared to 2011 phones is actually pretty good. Regarding the ones you mentioned, it's a lot better than Defy and it's not as fast as S2 and photon because of the number of cores, but in other terms such as Screen quality and camera quality, it's a lot better.
I'm sure threre's more to add

If you want a better phone it's not hard to find but you should be able these days to find an arc s at an affordable price maybe on EBay or something and it's still a good phone but I wouldn't pay much over 300 for one if I was you I would say 250 sounds about right, (250Canadian Dollars).
Sent from my LT18a using xda app-developers app

samuraidattu said:
i am planning to buy a new arc S tomorrow .. i wanted to ask u ppl how already using one !,
do u ppl think i should buy one at price of 17k INR.. ?? or should i go for a used 4g dual-core ph.
i dont work with too many task (multi-tasking ,,) as RAM is less, so rest other .....??
how far still arc S is competing, what all phones i can compare my arc S with ...((Defy, S2, motorla photon 4g......)) ??
thanks ..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm usin Arc lt15i(not Arc S),but i'm very pleased with it,Arc S has a better processor and i think you will like this phone,well i'm using GB,gaming,multi-tasking,recording and other stuffs works perfect,no lag at all,ICS on the other hand sucks with most games,recording,multi-tasking but hey you can use custom ROM's,it will run just fine.
Xperia Arc S looks very nice it fits very good on your hand.
Sent from my LT15i using xda premium

samuraidattu said:
i am planning to buy a new arc S tomorrow .. i wanted to ask u ppl how already using one !,
do u ppl think i should buy one at price of 17k INR.. ?? or should i go for a used 4g dual-core ph.
i dont work with too many task (multi-tasking ,,) as RAM is less, so rest other .....??
how far still arc S is competing, what all phones i can compare my arc S with ...((Defy, S2, motorla photon 4g......)) ??
thanks ..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you do not care about problems of software maintaining and its low level hardware ,arc s is a good choice

samuraidattu said:
i am planning to buy a new arc S tomorrow .. i wanted to ask u ppl how already using one !,
do u ppl think i should buy one at price of 17k INR.. ?? or should i go for a used 4g dual-core ph.
i dont work with too many task (multi-tasking ,,) as RAM is less, so rest other .....??
how far still arc S is competing, what all phones i can compare my arc S with ...((Defy, S2, motorla photon 4g......)) ??
thanks ..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think Arc S is a good choice for new Android users.
Except the gaming experience, it is enough for whatsapp and facebook etc.

I am from India too. I think 17k is lit bit high. Why don't you think about HTC Desire V

arc s is a bad phone, in my country galaxy nexus is only about 50 euro more expensive but it's incomparably better... If I could make my choice again, I'd definitely go for a dual core, 1gb ram phone.
also, build quality is one of the worst I've ever seen. the housing is really squeaky, damn this phone is bad.

progosu said:
also, build quality is one of the worst I've ever seen. the housing is really squeaky, damn this phone is bad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you sure that you have Xperia Arc S? Sony's phone build quality is the best.
Sent from my SGH-I747M

yulet said:
Are you sure that you have Xperia Arc S? Sony's phone build quality is the best.
Sent from my SGH-I747M
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you made my day.

Don't buy this phone! I am the developer, I know what I'm saying! Arc and whole 2011 line is slow, badly-crafted and support from Sony is horrible. Don't buy anything what's not at least dual core and don't even think about Xperia T! It's good phone, but camera is laggy and materials used to produce the device are simply awful! If you want something cheaper - think of Samsung Galaxy SII. If you have some more money to spend, buy HTC One S or Desire X! Those phones have future, not like crap Xperia's.
I will never buy a phone of Sony anymore! Even if it's high-end beast.

This phone is the bad thing that could happen to me..because is a very slow device...only 512 mb ram, but only 350 available, single core, and ~400 mb internal memory, crapy cracks on sensor, low battery life....only good thing is just the sexy look, but hei this should be a smartphone not a girl.....
Overall is my mistake because I buy this, but for sure will be the last Sony phone...and believe me, I'm not a young ..but from a smartphone I want to have at least 1 gb ram and also dual-core processor...maybe Samsung Galaxy S ll...will be my choice, because I don't want a huge phone like S lll...
All the best ...

Why would you even consider purchasing this phone? Budget wouldnt even be reason enough as there are quite a number phones out there, in this price range, which are way better than the arcs. And more importantly, they'd be newer models.
Several months ago it would have been a decent buy. But right now? Why buy a dated phone with terrible specs? Imagine where you'd be in 6 months, or a year. By that time you'd be calling it Grampa Arc S.
It would no longer be worth it anymore. Get something else
Cheers
Sent from my Xperia Pro using xda app-developers app

I'm very pleased with my ARC S - In Sweden one of the best phones in its price range. Great camera, with camera button and swift system. It has good battery, 44hours~ with moderate use. But if you tweak it a little it'll last a full day and be a little bit faster. It works great, But it's not an S3, It's good, you don't actually need better. really.
the Sony Xperia GO has same CPU specs, water proof, and is cheaper. Aswell with better ROM etc (lolroot). All games I've tried games work great, subway surfer etc works flawlesly on both phones - using ICS.
(owner of both GO and ARC)
You don't need the best of the best systems for a phone. But if you really feel like it, go for an S3. You can now switch games twice as fast!
When looking for phones, I look for durability, Camera , RAM and internet speed. I personally dont have the need to have 1 million widgets, and 10's of apps open at the same time, I usually just do the same things, then close them.

maxio1998 said:
Don't buy this phone! I am the developer, I know what I'm saying! Arc and whole 2011 line is slow, badly-crafted and support from Sony is horrible. Don't buy anything what's not at least dual core and don't even think about Xperia T! It's good phone, but camera is laggy and materials used to produce the device are simply awful! If you want something cheaper - think of Samsung Galaxy SII. If you have some more money to spend, buy HTC One S or Desire X! Those phones have future, not like crap Xperia's.
I will never buy a phone of Sony anymore! Even if it's high-end beast.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nonsense, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the Arc S, infact its the 3rd best phone of 2011, which is why i bought it, it might not be an amazing phone when compared to the current market, but its constantly changing, the Galaxy S2 is out of date now, even if it is / was good. But your opinions just seem anti-sony.
Support from Sony is horrible? In what respect? Sony were the first 3rd party phone developers to deliver ICS to their phones outside of Googles own, they do a pretty good job of adding their own style to the OS with their own apps, and theres not much bloatware.
Granted there are some design floors with Ram and Space on the actual phone, but the whole core thing isn't much of an argument, as the phone was a september 2011 update of the original, they only updated the speed of the processor, but its not like Dual Core phones were on every phone back then, only a handful had them, and they were much more expensive.
Just because a phone is quad core doesnt make it better than a dual core, it's all relative, a lot of people are impressed by the Xperia T, and from what people said months before it was released, its dual core was faster than the Galaxy S3s Quad Core.
The benchmark for smartphones isn't high, you can achieve most of what one person needs with the cheapest of smartphones, its when you get into the realm of chasing the best games and multitasking 50 apps at a time that you need the boost, everything from 2012 on-wards is just constant polish and raising bars that don't need to be raised, to make out that somehow they need more cores n ram, till when? When somehow quad core and 2gb of ram isnt enough, then we have 6 core processors and 8gb of ram in one phone? Where do we draw the line in what is actually needed in a device thats just supposed to connect us to people. I guess Google Project Glass is the answer, as its pointless to keep adding constant power to a device that doesnt need it.

I bought my Xperia Arc S a month ago. I wouldn`t do it again. For less more money (relatively) you can get a Galaxy S2 which is a much more capable device.

stu15 said:
Nonsense, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the Arc S, infact its the 3rd best phone of 2011, which is why i bought it, it might not be an amazing phone when compared to the current market, but its constantly changing, the Galaxy S2 is out of date now, even if it is / was good. But your opinions just seem anti-sony.
Support from Sony is horrible? In what respect? Sony were the first 3rd party phone developers to deliver ICS to their phones outside of Googles own, they do a pretty good job of adding their own style to the OS with their own apps, and theres not much bloatware.
Granted there are some design floors with Ram and Space on the actual phone, but the whole core thing isn't much of an argument, as the phone was a september 2011 update of the original, they only updated the speed of the processor, but its not like Dual Core phones were on every phone back then, only a handful had them, and they were much more expensive.
Just because a phone is quad core doesnt make it better than a dual core, it's all relative, a lot of people are impressed by the Xperia T, and from what people said months before it was released, its dual core was faster than the Galaxy S3s Quad Core.
The benchmark for smartphones isn't high, you can achieve most of what one person needs with the cheapest of smartphones, its when you get into the realm of chasing the best games and multitasking 50 apps at a time that you need the boost, everything from 2012 on-wards is just constant polish and raising bars that don't need to be raised, to make out that somehow they need more cores n ram, till when? When somehow quad core and 2gb of ram isnt enough, then we have 6 core processors and 8gb of ram in one phone? Where do we draw the line in what is actually needed in a device thats just supposed to connect us to people. I guess Google Project Glass is the answer, as its pointless to keep adding constant power to a device that doesnt need it.
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Very well said My thoughts exactly. Smartphones are not just about the abundance of cores the phone has. Only a very select few of knobheads care about such novelty. As long as it can perform the tasks you need to do, it is subjectively good.
Sent from Xperia Arc S

I'll buy a phone only if it has 4 ghz hexa-core processor,12 gb of ram,10TB internal storage,5000 mAh battery,7 inches display,adreno 999 graphic driver,and 60 mpx camera....Come on peoples,what the hell is with this insanity "don't buy it if it doesn't have at least dual core and 1gb of ram"? Like someone else said,the basic function of a phone is to use it for talk,not for gaming,photoshop or programming. Can't you see that the phone evolved but the batteries are more and more weaker? Why do you need a quad-core which is last only half a day? For the OP: if you don't want a phone for gaming,but for multimedia,Arc S is a wise choice,if you want it for multitasking and games,get a Galaxy S2 or a Galaxy Nexus. PS: i have a Neo,and i'm planning to upgrade it to Xperia V.

The speed was never an issue but the lack of ram and internal storage totally ruined the arc S experience for me and it's put me off Sony devices. My wife has an Xperia S and it sucks too. Never again.
If it wasn't for the Nexus 4 I'd of bought an Acer S500 next. Unique design, amazing display, pretty much stock ICS, SD slot, removable battery, etc. For about £280. Easily rooted as well apparently.
But I got lucky and bagged a Nexus 4.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium

rec71 said:
The speed was never an issue but the lack of ram and internal storage totally ruined the arc S experience for me and it's put me off Sony devices. My wife has an Xperia S and it sucks too. Never again.
If it wasn't for the Nexus 4 I'd of bought an Acer S500 next. Unique design, amazing display, pretty much stock ICS, SD slot, removable battery, etc. For about £280. Easily rooted as well apparently.
But I got lucky and bagged a Nexus 4.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
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WRONG! Xperia Arc (S) wasn't a Sony device,it was a Sony Ericsson device

Should I get this phone?

It is August 3 2013 and this phone has been out for a little while now. I am looking for a new phone because I need to switch carriers. I currently have a Galaxy Note 2 and I absolutely love it. I see that Sony announced they will update it to 4.3. The screen is only 0.5" smaller then my Note 2. The Sony has a higher resolution though. The battery life doesn't seem to be a problem for most of you (I checked the battery thread). Do all of you who currently own the Sony absolutely love the phone? Do you wish you tried a different phone? I love the look of the phone.
I am stuck between the Galaxy S4, HTC one, and this ZL. The S4 seems to have a ton of bloatware that I will never use but since the Google edition was announced, I might be able to flash a stock version of android on it once they figure out the battery drain issue. Same goes for the HTC one. I love the Sony for no apparent reason. It looks like a decent phone on paper and I remember reading about how Sony is really making an effort to help out developers. They also seem to keep updating this phone (4.2.2 and 4.3).
I need to decide soon so I appreciate any responses!
Edit** was this phone really just released 4 months ago? For some reason I thought it was older.

It's your decision of course and nobody here can really make that decision for you... it's a very subjective topic and you will get 100 different "answers".
However, I'll give you my highly subjective and personal opinion... for what it's worth.
I have both the Z and ZL, a GS3 and have had an HTC One. The GS3 is a reliable and usable phone that is easy to mod. It does everything well, except the screen is really unreadable outside. The 2 particular key points for me on phones, other than the ability to function reliably as a phone, are a good notification LED and a decent FM radio. The Radio is quite passable on the GS3. I bought an HTC One to replace the GS3 and was both impressed by some aspects and seriously disappointed by others. The notification LED is a joke and the FM radio was chronically insensitive to the point of being worthless. Plus the speaker grilles didn't fit correctly. It lasted a week and then got returned.
The GS4 doesn't have an FM radio... pathetic discrimination
Anyway, on to Sony...
The Z was bought in lieu of the H1. I've always liked Sony and SE phones, they are designed in Scandinavia and it shows, certainly in the electronic design and qualification. I also bought the ZL whilst on a business trip in Germany a week or two later. Both phones are great, but I prefer the ZL - because it is physically smaller (thicker but nicer to hold), has a better screen (higher brightness and contrast plus better viewing angles), no flaps to mess about with, the Sony logo is on the phone not the ASF (gives you more options) and has a slightly better notification LED. The FM radio is fantastic on both, although for some reason the Z is more sensitive, by about 10% I reckon. I also prefer the easy access SIM and SD card slots. The loudspeaker on the ZL is not restricted by waterproofing and is thus a fair bit louder...
So for me, the ZL is my phone of choice. It does everything I need and well. Sony are quick with updates and there are no obvious bugs. The UI is rather less "Noddy" than TW and less intrusive than Sense. The call quality is excellent too, in case you need to use it as a phone!!!
So it's down to what is important to you...

That was a awesome post very informative of different phones. I just got a zl to replace my broken HTC one xl and I love it I'm a big Sony fan they make solid products and I've never had a issue and when I have Sony has been quick to respond. It's a good choice
Sent from my Xperia Arc using xda app-developers app

It's honestly a great phone and highly underrated. Maybe it is a very polarizing phone, in that some hate it while others absolutely love it.

Well it's down to what your needs are.
For custom roms development support go for either Htc one or S4.
For sound Htc one.
For screen brilliance HTC One or possibly S4. Zl screen looks washed out and very poor viewing angles.
Camera. ZL or S4.
Memory Zl or S4.
Smoothness UI Htc one.
Design HTC one.
Speed HTC One or S4.
Notification light ZL or S4.
Premium build HTC One.
For me it has to be HTC One.

riz157 said:
Well it's down to what your needs are.
For custom roms development support go for either Htc one or S4.
For sound Htc one.
For screen brilliance HTC One or possibly S4. Zl screen looks washed out and very poor viewing angles.
Camera. ZL or S4.
Memory Zl or S4.
Smoothness UI Htc one.
Design HTC one.
Speed HTC One or S4.
Notification light ZL or S4.
Premium build HTC One.
For me it has to be HTC One.
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Had someone offer me a HTC One + $50 the other day. I just don't see the appeal.

Which HTC One has...
4G (LTE)?
notification toggles?
support to microSD card, including SDXC (I still believe Sony will really fix it )?
Sony design?
Sony UI and Sony exclusive widgets?
full integration with Sony products (PS3, Bravia, Muteki, Music Unlimited...)?
movie player with BE2?
a full 5" screen almost to the edge of the bevel of the phone?
a 2013 main camera (against the 2009-compatible 4 Mpx from HTC one?)

Andre Verissimo said:
Which HTC One has...
4G (LTE)?
notification toggles?
support to microSD card, including SDXC (I still believe Sony will really fix it )?
Sony design?
Sony UI and Sony exclusive widgets?
full integration with Sony products (PS3, Bravia, Muteki, Music Unlimited...)?
movie player with BE2?
a full 5" screen almost to the edge of the bevel of the phone?
a 2013 main camera (against the 2009-compatible 4 Mpx from HTC one?)
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Click to collapse
The One has LTE and notification toggles. To the OP. I switch phones A LOT so I've had all the big boys and I have to say the ZL is a really nice phone. The One is definitely a good competitor though. As for the S4 that has been my least favorite as it feels so cheap and i hate the home button. It all depends on personal preference but as for me I'll probably keep this for the next 2 months and then get the Moto X.

I think the answer depends on your timetable and perspective:
On 8/7, the LG G2 is going to be announed, which will be the first American-carrier snapdragon 800 phone. A month later, Samsung is expected to announce the Note 3 and a Galaxy S4 advanced. By the late fall, there should even be a Nexus 5.
Battery may not be a problem for us... but we don't have notes. We have small phones with giant screens and have (relatively) low standards like a phone lasting 12 hours on a charge rather than the Note's 2 day/no charge norm.
--
I like the ZL (bought 3 months ago). It has met my needs pretty well. I find that it's easier to make a mistake flashing mods and have bootloops needing reflashes... compared to my Samsung experience. I dislike its bluetooth stack... as I have to disable wifi for it to facilitate phone calls in my car. I have a slight feeling of it being the stepchild of the Sony family, as the developer of the only kernel stopped supporting the phone (he never owned it) and the custom roms are not as numerous as the Xperia Z. I had an AT&T LG Optimus G (same processor, smaller screen, wider body) directly before it and the SGS3 before that. I don't wish I had the HTC One.

I have checked almost every review available on the internet and they all wish the device had better screen and camera.
The screen has poor viewing angles and camera is gainy in low light and looses focus even in bright light.
Well I don't want to base my idea totally on reviews, since they compare it with the best.
Will you guys recommend if the Screen and camera quality are at par with a high end phone, so that I can consider buying it?

ajhavery said:
I have checked almost every review available on the internet and they all wish the device had better screen and camera.
The screen has poor viewing angles and camera is gainy in low light and looses focus even in bright light.
Well I don't want to base my idea totally on reviews, since they compare it with the best.
Will you guys recommend if the Screen and camera quality are at par with a high end phone, so that I can consider buying it?
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Trust me, screen quality is much much better after the Update. Camera vise its really improved. If i am at a party with friends its like they want me to click pics from my ZL and day light pics are just great.
Compression Issue has been fixed in HDR. So its less noisy in low light condition with HDR.(Really Improved)
close up i would prefer my ZL.
But macros are not that great.
New update increased screen responsiveness. Frankly speaking Its getting better in every update.
But Beware, in Some phones there seems to some sort of Microphone bug which i am facing right now.(software May be as it works in everything else like recording)
Happy with Sony Xperia ZL Using from Past 5 Months.
Price has also been reduced. so its a best buy as of now.

IMO,if you need phone that trending (more dev support),go for HTC One or S4,since it also have Google Edition
but here few advantage of ZL to me:
-compact size 5' screen: -it slightly thicker than z,but more compact,it have thin bezel (fit into my pocket)
-omnibalance design: -slightly curve on the back,which support better grip,not need for cover since it make from plactic (still look premium)
-don't have to worry to put with key in pocket (still you should at least use screen protector to prevent direct scratch)
-camera : hv 13mp back n 2mp front,can recorded full hd video,have hdr,and hv dedicated shutter key with 2 press mechanism
image captured viewed beautiful on the phone with bravia engine 2 on
-notification light: at bottom,look really premium to me
-hv expandable storage (compare to HTC One)
-hv ir blaster: can control tv (compare to xperia z)
-speaker: average to me (htc one better i think) but it still able to make me up in the morning (i'm a heavy sleeper xD )
the earphone include is good enough (but can't compare it with high end earphone)
-sony software that does matter : walkman,album,movie,etc- support BE2,xloud,clearphase equalizer,which make music better
disadvantage:
-highly under rated (less dev support,however most dev in xperia z do port to zl,we still hv CM,PAC support )
-camera apps takes some times to launch (about 1-2 sec)
-screen does hv limited viewing angles but still visible in bright sunlight (with the help of UI itself that mainly white/grey colour)
Last word: xperia ZL does not hv the hype of other phone such as HTC One or S4 but it does hv enough power to run almost any apps in the play store,moreover with gr8 support from sony,i believe you could stay in stock firmware for quite sometimes,i used to unlock my bootloader and use custom rom for a week (to do this make sure you read all FAQ first if you not used to sony devices) but i'm back to stock and i'm happy with what sony offer to me
---------- Post added at 10:54 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:39 AM ----------
ajhavery said:
I have checked almost every review available on the internet and they all wish the device had better screen and camera.
The screen has poor viewing angles and camera is gainy in low light and looses focus even in bright light.
Well I don't want to base my idea totally on reviews, since they compare it with the best.
Will you guys recommend if the Screen and camera quality are at par with a high end phone, so that I can consider buying it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i suggest you bring ur current phone and compare it with zl at retail shop,i u satisfied then grab it,if not choose others,review is useful but sometimes the company hv push updates to the phone to fix/improve the problem appear,while review stay the same,for example we recently received updates that improve touch sensitivity,ram management,camera low-light performance,etc,the latest firmware changelog can be view here

Ya I wasn't really looking for a specific yes or no. I was looking for things like: are you happy with it? Things you like about it and things you dislike. Did you find out anything after you bought it that you wish you knew before you bought it?
I really wish I could wait for the Note 3 but I need the phone basically this week. I am not a heavy user so I am pretty sure the smaller battery in this phone will be fine. My current Note 2 is amazing though. I understand that there will always be a better phone that is out or coming out soon. The Sony zl is free at Rogers right now so if I hate it that much I can sell it and get a nexus 4 or something. I don't really care about custom roms that much anymore. I used to care more because my first android phone was an LG G2x and they never updated it so I had to rely on custom roms for upgrades. As long as Sony will update it for another year or 2 ill be happy.

htc one vs sony zl
After many reviews online, I could not decide between One and ZL, so I bought both on eBay for my personal evaluation but will sell the other one later. HTC One is very good phone, high contrast screen, hi-powered speakers and responsive touch (very good if you want to watch YouTube). But, my choice is Sony ZL. There are much talks on the internet about washed screen on ZL. Do not believe it and I tell you why. For some reasons Sony designers chose to use the theme with dark grey background and white letters which is easier for eyes for long time but losing on sensation of hi-contrast. However, if you can choose a dark theme, it will change the game. Also, latest updates for ZL tend toward black background. Really, do you think that Sony, that makes TVs, laptops and professional monitors can not make phone screens? The speakers of One is better but that does not apply for the speaker when you make a phone call, which is sensational for ZL with xLoud and noise canceling enhancements. Overall the ZL looks and feels much more modern with very thin bezel while the One feels like an upgrade from old one. I thought BraviaEngine is there for commercial reasons but its really good when you watch movies and videos.

ZL is a awesome device. Its that developers don't do anything currently. There is a dev kamarush who said if he get the device he will do the kernels. But he didn't have money AFAIK. Some1 should come and help the community. Looks like we gotta donate a device to a very well know xda member: suggestion - tonyp, slim_rick, pulser_q2 etc etc
Sent from my C6503 using Tapatalk 4

Never really understood the issues people are having with the screen. All the reviews made it out to look like it was the most horrible screen on a phone to date. That is simply not the case. Having came from a galaxy note 1 I can honestly say the screen is on par with it. The viewing angle issue is a joke and should be experienced first hand and not from some reviewer with his head stuck up his ass. Thank god I got this phone despite what the reviews said. I'd have missed out on a great device.
Sent from my C6503

Agree that the screen (as stated in my post above) is not at all bad. Better than the XZ
Sent from my C6503 using xda premium

devilsshadow said:
Never really understood the issues people are having with the screen. All the reviews made it out to look like it was the most horrible screen on a phone to date. That is simply not the case. Having came from a galaxy note 1 I can honestly say the screen is on par with it. The viewing angle issue is a joke and should be experienced first hand and not from some reviewer with his head stuck up his ass. Thank god I got this phone despite what the reviews said. I'd have missed out on a great device.
Sent from my C6503
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I agree 100% ! I just love it.
The viewing angle is indeed deficient but I dont care. Its still bright and colorful. The FM radio and the loads of media formats it can play built in, are a great plus for me Really enjoyable device. Cant wait for an aokp 4.3 custom rom

unoo said:
Ya I wasn't really looking for a specific yes or no. I was looking for things like: are you happy with it? Things you like about it and things you dislike. Did you find out anything after you bought it that you wish you knew before you bought it?
I really wish I could wait for the Note 3 but I need the phone basically this week. I am not a heavy user so I am pretty sure the smaller battery in this phone will be fine. My current Note 2 is amazing though. I understand that there will always be a better phone that is out or coming out soon. The Sony zl is free at Rogers right now so if I hate it that much I can sell it and get a nexus 4 or something. I don't really care about custom roms that much anymore. I used to care more because my first android phone was an LG G2x and they never updated it so I had to rely on custom roms for upgrades. As long as Sony will update it for another year or 2 ill be happy.
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i would not sure if there will be update for 2 years,you said u used note 2,so r u using the s-pen heavily,i hv a friend that like to sketch cartoon with his note 2,and i think that phone really suitable for him,if you one of them,you should wait for note 3,if not,i suggest you give zl a shot,nexus 4 also a good phone but i choose zl instead of nexus 4 when i buy it because i want to hv expandable storage n i also use fm radio quite frequently,i use zl since early 3 april until today and so far i'm happy with it.what i like mainly the phone shape,different from other and the only thing i dislike is the camera takes some times to load as i mention earlier,hope sony will fix it later on

ihsan123 said:
i would not sure if there will be update for 2 years,you said u used note 2,so r u using the s-pen heavily,i hv a friend that like to sketch cartoon with his note 2,and i think that phone really suitable for him,if you one of them,you should wait for note 3,if not,i suggest you give zl a shot,nexus 4 also a good phone but i choose zl instead of nexus 4 when i buy it because i want to hv expandable storage n i also use fm radio quite frequently,i use zl since early 3 april until today and so far i'm happy with it.what i like mainly the phone shape,different from other and the only thing i dislike is the camera takes some times to load as i mention earlier,hope sony will fix it later on
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I never use the sPen. I don't care about the speakers either because I never use external speakers in a phone. I never heard anything bad about the screen but I make the assumption that sony makes TV's so that can make a decent cell phone screen haha. The more I think about it, I just want a properly functioning phone. If Sony updates it then that is great but as long as it is smooth and everything works then ill be happy. It is going to be my phone for the next 3 years so it needs to last!