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Hi arc owners,
I am torn between which of two phones to get. I need to know real stories here, what do you love about the arc, what is not so great about it.
Right now, my decision is down to the Xperia Arc, or the Google Nexus S.
The main things about the arc I like over the Nexus S, are:
The camera/video camera
sd card support
the look of the device
the display
The things that I don't think are so great:
possible reliability issues (according to many forums and some reviews)
the update situation (when, how long will I have to wait?)
small internal memory
I would also like to know a few things:
How is the screen in bright daylight
can you put apps on the sd card?
does it have speech to text?
Well, I bought the Nexus S, thanks for all your help!!
Love:
screen (brightness, sharpness, colors, contras, size)
design
camera
performance even with stock launcher
hate:
Nothing really, except the squeaking battery cover. You can be lucky and have one, that's brilliantly made, but if you are unlucky... well... It is a bit annoying, but you can round it by taping something to the inside of the cover. Except that build quality is quite good. Be sure to get a decent pouch oder cover, since the back is quite slippery and has fingerprints all over it very quickly. The pouch I use is made by fitBAG and cleans the whole phone when sliding it in and out - very useful.
App to SD: depends on the App. Every phone with atleast Froyo can do App2SD, but the app needs to support it.
The visibility in sunlight is rather good. I have seen much worse.
Speech to text is possible as far as I know. Since I don't use it and therefore deleted the applications/plugins needed for that, I can't tell you how well it works. But it is there, if you need it.
Update situation isn't that bad actually. It can never get updates as fast as a Google Nexus device, but SE did a good job on 2.3.3 and as far as I know 2.3.4 is scheduled for October.
Hate: The position of the notification LED. I'd rather not have one at all than put it there
Love: Everything else
love:
- best display ever seen !!!
- Bravia video/photo enhancement (only MP4/3gp)
- awsome speech quality, good mics and clear speakers
- camera (you can get awsome results, but some skill and practice is needed)
- very slim and lightweight body (no "brick-effect" like iphone)
- battery (really good after last update)
- Modern and fast launcher. Much better than HTC sense or touchWiz
- very fast (with stock rom up to 1700 in quadrant benchmark)
- very reliable
hate:
- lack of good workmanship (display bordering)
I really love that thing I have chosen it over Nexus S and Galaxy 2
pngface said:
Hate: The position of the notification LED. I'd rather not have one at all than put it there
Love: Everything else
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree with this. The notification LED is pointless where it is.
I dislike the image compression using stock camera. Full res pictures I take indoors normally range from 500-800 kb
I love everything else
Love:
display, even in bright daylight
camera, advanced but interface is 'idiot proof' which is good for me ;-)
launcher, smooth and fast
design, just not one of the many black boxes around
Hate:
on/off button (to small)
camera button (to small and to hard to press, luckily there's on screen shutter present)
Can't think of anything else right now, anywayz, a phone is always a very personal choice, if possible, just go to a store and try both, pick the one that suits your needs best.
Good luck and maybe soon welcome aboard the Arc
To answer your questions...
possible reliability issues (according to many forums and some reviews)
Not had any reliability problems at all.
the update situation (when, how long will I have to wait?)
Already had one update a month after release (from 2.3.2 to 2.3.3 and loads of other improvements too)
small internal memory
Not actually been a problem for me.
I would also like to know a few things:
How is the screen in bright daylight
Really Really excellent - no problems with visibility at all
can you put apps on the sd card?
Yes if the app supports it.. You can also get something which moves all apps to sd but I don't trust it!
does it have speech to text?
Yes.
[/QUOTE]
LususNaturae said:
Agree with this. The notification LED is pointless where it is.
I dislike the image compression using stock camera. Full res pictures I take indoors normally range from 500-800 kb
I love everything else
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you use a different camera app, is the compression different?
I love the display of the arc, it's really beautiful. In bright daylight the screen is good for me.
It is possible to put apps on the sd card ( depending on the app).
I also like it's look, most beautiful phone out there imo.
I would recommend it. Although you have to decide for yourself what you want .
In fact I haven't got any big issues with the phone and I really love it.
The notification LED is indeed somewhat pointless in that place but that's no big deal for me at all.
chrisss87 said:
love:
- best display ever seen !!!
- Bravia video/photo enhancement (only MP4/3gp)
- awsome speech quality, good mics and clear speakers
- camera (you can get awsome results, but some skill and practice is needed)
- very slim and lightweight body (no "brick-effect" like iphone)
- battery (really good after last update)
- Modern and fast launcher. Much better than HTC sense or touchWiz
- very fast (with stock rom up to 1700 in quadrant benchmark)
- very reliable
hate:
- lack of good workmanship (display bordering)
I really love that thing I have chosen it over Nexus S and Galaxy 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what made you choose it over the nexus s?
I hate heating issue. But fixed it with setcpu app. I downclock my cpu to 768 mb and i can still play all 3d games and use my phone with no crash and keep it COOL!
And it would be better if case was aluminum or anything stronger. Plastic material is so cheap for that quality nice design.
I love the screen and design and price( over iphone) Really there are so many features then iphone. When i meet someone with iphone and tells iphone is better, i always beat them with showing extra features I love it
I like the plastic.. makes the phone more robust, and resistant to dropping/ knocking.. also has less impact on reception... I do miss the slightly rubberised back of the x10 though..
like:
- Phone design and material.
- Clear and big screen.
- SonyEricsson launcher.
- Phone specs in general.
- Great camera for still photo.
- Good battery after last update.
---
Dislike:
- Can't add more than (5 home screen).
- Small RAM and internal memory
- Camera button it's very hard to use it.
- Power button it most be in right side of device (like Galaxy).
Don't like Keyboard layout and power / sleep button too smalp and deep they should have made it rectangular rather than round. Other than that its all good loving the bigger screen and yah i am still using my iphone 4 gotta admit though my Iphone 4's retina display is much clearer than ARC dont matter what angle you looking from.
What do you arc owners think of this photo compare tool on gsmarena.
It looks like the Arc pictures are less clear than the nexus s. Maybe the arc compresses the shots? Is there any way to fix that in camera?
If you use a different camera app, is the compression different?
can it be minimized?
abhisheak.bansal said:
If you use a different camera app, is the compression different?
can it be minimized?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also use the app Vignette to take pictures, on the highest "super fine" settings the pictures are 4 - 5mb.
LususNaturae said:
I also use the app Vignette to take pictures, on the highest "super fine" settings the pictures are 4 - 5mb.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what size are they when you use the stock camera app??
This is promising.
Oh I went to the store today and got a chance to play with both phones;
My impressions of the Arc,
the screen is awesome
the camera seems to have lots of good features
browsing around the UI was quick
I liked the design, even though it was a little hard to tell with all the crazy security attachments all over it
The nexus s was really nice as well, the only thing I noticed was the keyboard on the nexus was a little harder to use than the one on the Arc. But the Arc's keyboard had the crappiest tiniest spacebar! Can you change that??
123go! said:
what size are they when you use the stock camera app??
This is promising.
Oh I went to the store today and got a chance to play with both phones;
My impressions of the Arc,
the screen is awesome
the camera seems to have lots of good features
browsing around the UI was quick
I liked the design, even though it was a little hard to tell with all the crazy security attachments all over it
The nexus s was really nice as well, the only thing I noticed was the keyboard on the nexus was a little harder to use than the one on the Arc. But the Arc's keyboard had the crappiest tiniest spacebar! Can you change that??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just sharing...
I am happy to have ARC because:
-good display (bravia engines). You can still see it clearly under the sun
-sound quality is excellent
-video recording quality is good even under the low light
-camera is 8MP
-light weight and slim
I am dissaponted to have ARC because:
-grip less (the body cover is so slippery and can easily loss of grip, need some kind of rubber material)
-usb port location is quite unusual and make it difficult to use phone while charging
-power and camera buttons are too small and too flat, take effort to use it
-internal memory is to small/low (I run out of memory).. I think we need at least 1 GB, because you will need it when installing so many apps (although you have app2sd, but some apps cant be moved to sd)
-sometime it is laggy (even after update to 2.3.3)
-battery drain so fast (need to turn off apn and wifi when not in use) (but charging is very fast)
BTW, my ARC is not rooted and use 2.3.3 stock rom
Cheers...
123go! said:
what size are they when you use the stock camera app??
This is promising.
Oh I went to the store today and got a chance to play with both phones;
My impressions of the Arc,
the screen is awesome
the camera seems to have lots of good features
browsing around the UI was quick
I liked the design, even though it was a little hard to tell with all the crazy security attachments all over it
The nexus s was really nice as well, the only thing I noticed was the keyboard on the nexus was a little harder to use than the one on the Arc. But the Arc's keyboard had the crappiest tiniest spacebar! Can you change that??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes the spacebar i.e. keyboard can be changed.....u can download different keyboard apps from the market.........
Hi All,
I picked up a Sony Xperia ZL this morning.
I happen to also have a HTC One (friend's phone - had for the morning just to see If I wanted it before deciding on the ZL) and Note II in my possession currently.
I've also owned the HTC One X, Nexus 4, One S, Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy SIII, Xperia S, HTC Raider LTE and Xperia T in the past - So I've got experience with most of the newest phones - I'm a phone geek - Flip and sell phones - always trading in for newest things.
Anyways, this thread is specific to my new phone, the Sony Xperia ZL, a "cousin" to the Xperia Z.
Here are my initial thoughts based on playing and testing this morning.
1) The Screen is awesome - It is WAYYYYY overblown about the viewing angles. Yes the viewing angles are not as good as any of the above phones, but this phone is Clear and Crisp - The best I've ever seen. I think head on it's got a better Screen than the HTC One. Prior to the ZL, my favorite screen was the HTC One X - but I think the ZL tops it. (As does the One)
VIDEOS SHOWING SCREEN ***EDIT***
https://www.dropbox.com/s/lrwzhpq4kc2x658/00001.MTS
http://youtu.be/AcItXcUgiEs
- Compared to the Note II it's replacing as my daily phone, the biggest difference I see in 720p vs 1080p is Websites and Media - Tiny text that isn't clear on my Note II is crisp on the ZL. Color reproduction is Much better on the ZL than the Note II. I try not to be bias here as I've never been a huge fan of AMOLED's but the Note II was the best one.
Overall - I think this may be the best screen of 2013 depending on what the S4 brings (Which I doubt will top it). Viewing angles are not that important to me, I look at my phone head on and when it's sitting on my desk, everything is still completely legible just the colors are washed a tad. The Xperia T I owned also had this effect, but the ZL screen is better.
2) Speed - The phone is Very quick and snappy - I haven't been able to slow it down yet. It has the S4 Pro (Same as Nexus 4) and runs anything with ease. The HTC One has the chipset revision, the 600. Its equally as fast. The Note II is also very fluid - no slowndowns. Now the only thing I see so far with the ZL is the Sony Launcher will have an occasional hiccup that the Note II and One do not have - but this will easily be fixed with an update.
I tested Web Browsing using the newest Chrome on all 3 devices - It comes stock on the Xperia ZL. I'm not sure why, but Chrome was much more fluid on the ZL and One compared to the Note II - It can be a tad jerky on the Note II. The Stock browser on the Note II though does not have this - I find the Stock browser faster than chrome on the Note II. Not sure why Chrome is faster on the Qualcomm's compared to the Samsung chipset.
Games - All equally playable at highest settings. Even though the One and ZL use 1080p screens, they outbench my Note II with its 720p screen.
3) Size - The ZL wins here - I find it the most comfortable phone to hold between the 3. I am a big dude, 6'7, with big hands, which is why bigger is ok for me - but I did find the Note II to often be uncomfortable in pocket. The ZL fixes that - It's a 5 inch screen with a small footprint - The phone feels as small as a Galaxy SIII in hand. The One is nice in hand too but is a little bigger than the ZL (Longer). It also has capacitive buttons (in odd locations) which isn't anything major - but I've grown to like on screen buttons - with options to Auto-hide it in apps.
4) Other things - The ZL has a IR port on it - you can use it as a Remote control for your electronics - and it has a learn function to learn directly from remotes. It's actually pretty cool - Works with all my LG stuff great. The headphones that came with the ZL are very nice - They are the best headphones I've ever got with a phone. The LED placement on the front bottom is really cool looking, and doesn't have a blaring effect like the giant LED on the Note II. The ZL supports 64GB MicroSD Cards, as does the Note II - the One Does not but has 32GB of storage rather than 16GB. The Note II has a removable battery - which isn't important to me as I never change batteries anyways - but this could be important to others.
5) Phone - The One wins here - It has the loudest and clearest speakers - both handset and external speakers. The ZL is clear but not loud. The Note II is in the middle. I would rank them overall HTC One, Note II, ZL here - But all 3 are acceptable for most users. Stock Keyboards - I find the ZL easiest to type on (minus the terrible auto correction - disable it), followed by the Note II and the One. I find the keyboard on the One to be cramped. This is minor though as keyboards can be replaced.
EDIT - BUILD QUALITY - I think the HTC One is the nicest built phone, followed by the ZL and last the Note II. The Note II looks very plastic next to the other 2. The ZL is nice and feels very solid. It also has the most screen relative to the actual phone itself. That being said, the HTC One is probably the nicest built and looking phone on the market.
6) Interface and Camera - I prefer the ZL interface - but I knew this going in. I use Sony Camera's at home and am familiar with the Interface on that. Also, I've never been a huge fan of Custom UI's - but I also use the camera very often - so I usually try to resort to nice phones with AOSP roms on them. (The Nexus 4/Galaxy Nexus Camera's simply suck). The issue with this is HTC's Image Sense and Samsung's TW Camera actually add to the photo's - Go AOSP and I find you lose some image quality - so people like me who want a stockish experience with a good Camera app often don't have far to go - Well Sony's UI is very close to Stock which I appreciate. It does have some things added in such as a "Multi-view" copy and Mini Apps that you can pop-up. Overall I like the ZL Best, the One Next best and the Note II worst - I don't like Touchwiz as much as Sense 5.
Camera Quality is hard to judge - I think the Note II is probably the best "All Conditions" shooter of the 3 - It takes good quality photo's outdoors and decent indoors. The ZL has the best Camera by far outdoors - Capturing the most detail and best colors thanks to its 13MP sensor - but low light it struggles with Noise more than the other 2 phones. Indoors the One excels here, beating both the Note II and ZL easily. I think if you want a good overall camera, the Note II is it. The ZL is easily the best in good light, while the One is easily the best in lower light. It's hard to decide.
Here's a quick snap I took with all 3 camera's at my desk at work - focusing on the same object from same distance:
NOTE II
XPERIA ZL
HTC One
Final Thoughts:
The Sony Xperia ZL is a nice phone - I would not hesitate in giving it a try - It's Sony's best phone to date in my opinion. The screen is incredible - much better than the Xperia S or Xperia T I owned in the past. If viewing angles are important to you - look elsewhere - but In my everyday usage I RARELY see why this would impact most people - head on it's one of the nicest screen's I've held. I hope this helps some folks.
If I was to buy a phone today with these 3 choices, I would go - Xperia ZL than One Than Note II. Just my opinion of course.
A well written review! Could you put up some pics of the ONE and the ZL side by side, front view, side view and the back? Also with their screens on?
Welcome to the ZL forums
anirudh412 said:
A well written review! Welcome to the ZL forums
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
haha
I wrote it without editing - It's more "just my thoughts so far"
skip note 2
just pick one zl or htc one
I am really enjoy my zl.
watch the demo video it comes with (not the movie but the nature movie)...omg the screen is incredible
Now if only Sony could fix the notification led to work with stamina mode !!
glovesave said:
watch the demo video it comes with (not the movie but the nature movie)...omg the screen is incredible
Now if only Sony could fix the notification led to work with stamina mode !!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
glove stop complaining no phone is perfect
Sent from my C6506 using xda app-developers app
First thing I've noticed as a Negative - Screen sucks outside.
Other than that, I'm loving it so far. Don't miss the Note II at all.
The screen is awesome minus the viewing angles, which don't matter to me anyways.
Very nice phone,but if the viewing angles are like on the Arc then it's bad,I don't understand how Sony can't use a slcd tech,also the speaker is not loud which is a negative for me as I live in a loudy country.
The One is the best but cost an arm and is rare
Sent from my HTC One X using xda app-developers app
Here are videos
Recorded with a Sony HX100V Camera
To show viewing Angles for yourself and decide
Wish I could upload the video untouched somewhere - its 1GB for a few minutes of 1080p video
So putting Dropbox and YouTube links up to same video - You can stream from DropBox too but not as good quality as downloading the actual file.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/lrwzhpq4kc2x658/00001.MTS
http://youtu.be/AcItXcUgiEs
Great Revew
Great Review. However, I have to mention something that that has bothered me since the advent of videos on the internet.
While I appreciate the effort you took to make a video, next time say something in it. I absolutely hate watching un-boxing videos or "review" videos where people just sit there in silence breathing into the camera.
I can't handle it for more than a few seconds before I get frustrated and shut it off.
I am not sure why people do this. It's obvious you have a lot to say and a lot of good information to convey, so why not say it instead of just tapping around the phone awkwardly in silence.
Nothing personal, I appreciate the review like I said but its just something that has always eerked me and you happened to be there for me to vent :cyclops:
One thing missed in this review
The BATTERY!
I've come from Note II and agree with most everything else, but the non-replaceable battery is a real pain! Not to mention I'm getting only 15 hours or so on a charge. Stamina mode is stupid as I want my phone to give me background notifications for emails, text messages, etc.
I obviously need an external battery to tow-with me. Any thoughts?
Am I missing any battery tweaks?
My Note 2 would last AT LEAST 24 hours on a charge - and I had an external charger and charged battery ready-to-go for it! (spoiled I guess!)
Thanks folks for any BATTERY help / options you can provide
nutzuTo said:
glove stop complaining no phone is perfect
Sent from my C6506 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thats the whole point of stamina mode .. save battery
I'm really torn.
I currently have the HTC One S and really love the form factor and build.
The issues that really make me want to upgrade include: No expandable memory or removable battery, smallish screen, mediocre screen res and pentile (although it is bright and has good coloration), outdated resources - especially the 1 GB Ram, and useless notification light.
The other piece of info is that I am using Simple Mobile.
The ZL seems to take care of all of the above (except the battery), but does it do it by enough to justify a full price purchase?
1) While it can take an sd card, (I think) it is is limited to 32GB and has only 16 GB built in. The HTC One Dev Ed has 64 GB (best) and the S4 has 16 or 32 and can take a 64.
2) While the ZL has a 5" 1080p, it loses some real estate from the onscreen buttons and the washout at angles (I saw it firsthand at the Sony Store), while the One & S4 seem to have amazing screens (each in their own way - super lcd vs amoled)
3) In the resource department, the 600 or Octa don't seem to be significant upgrades to the S4 Pro and all 3 blow away the One s. (Antutu: One S = 10,644, ZL = 20,743. The One & S4 are 2-4k higher).
4) Notification Light - ZL by far.
And yet, it just seems like Sony did a lot of things mediocre on the ZL (by current flagship standards).
The screen already mentioned.
Battery Life.
The reviews are hard on the ZL's camera also. One interesting negative I came across is that it only takes 1 mp stills during video.
I'm not crazy about the onscreen buttons. Are there mods to make more use of them i.e. NavBar/NavRings? Has anyone tried using an app like Swipe Pad with them?
Can the toggles in the Notification Panel be removed? I'd rather use something like Elixir or Widgetzoid.
What I really like:
The price! I'm seeing the 6502 as low $515 no tax and 6506 $540, while the S4 or One would be more like $700 or more after tax.
The Power Button placement and the physical camera button (the One's placement on top is really unacceptable).
Lack of Carrier bloatware and yet fully compatible with both AT&T and T-Mobile.
The sound and screen enhancements and tweakability (Bravia, White Balance, xLoud, etc.)
And some more questions:
How is the rear speaker for music and in calls compared to the S4? The Note 2? By it's placement and the way the camera comes out a little it looks like it might have the "N8 effect" on a hard surface.
How is call quality on T-mobile?
Will the camera work better/differently on CM or in stock using something like Camera Zoom fx?
Thanks a lot in advance. I've spent many hours doing research, saw all the phones in person at the stores, etc. but it's such a large purchase so I'd really appreciate the feedback!
ymmp said:
I'm really torn.
I currently have the HTC One S and really love the form factor and build.
The issues that really make me want to upgrade include: No expandable memory or removable battery, smallish screen, mediocre screen res and pentile (although it is bright and has good coloration), outdated resources - especially the 1 GB Ram, and useless notification light.
The other piece of info is that I am using Simple Mobile.
The ZL seems to take care of all of the above (except the battery), but does it do it by enough to justify a full price purchase?
1) While it can take an sd card, (I think) it is is limited to 32GB and has only 16 GB built in. The HTC One Dev Ed has 64 GB (best) and the S4 has 16 or 32 and can take a 64.
2) While the ZL has a 5" 1080p, it loses some real estate from the onscreen buttons and the washout at angles (I saw it firsthand at the Sony Store), while the One & S4 seem to have amazing screens (each in their own way - super lcd vs amoled)
3) In the resource department, the 600 or Octa don't seem to be significant upgrades to the S4 Pro and all 3 blow away the One s. (Antutu: One S = 10,644, ZL = 20,743. The One & S4 are 2-4k higher).
4) Notification Light - ZL by far.
And yet, it just seems like Sony did a lot of things mediocre on the ZL (by current flagship standards).
The screen already mentioned.
Battery Life.
The reviews are hard on the ZL's camera also. One interesting negative I came across is that it only takes 1 mp stills during video.
I'm not crazy about the onscreen buttons. Are there mods to make more use of them i.e. NavBar/NavRings? Has anyone tried using an app like Swipe Pad with them?
Can the toggles in the Notification Panel be removed? I'd rather use something like Elixir or Widgetzoid.
What I really like:
The price! I'm seeing the 6502 as low $515 no tax and 6506 $540, while the S4 or One would be more like $700 or more after tax.
The Power Button placement and the physical camera button (the One's placement on top is really unacceptable).
Lack of Carrier bloatware and yet fully compatible with both AT&T and T-Mobile.
The sound and screen enhancements and tweakability (Bravia, White Balance, xLoud, etc.)
And some more questions:
How is the rear speaker for music and in calls compared to the S4? The Note 2? By it's placement and the way the camera comes out a little it looks like it might have the "N8 effect" on a hard surface.
How is call quality on T-mobile?
Will the camera work better/differently on CM or in stock using something like Camera Zoom fx?
Thanks a lot in advance. I've spent many hours doing research, saw all the phones in person at the stores, etc. but it's such a large purchase so I'd really appreciate the feedback!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the ZL and am using a 64GB SD card with no problems being recognized. Also I've had an iphone 5, htc one for a week and the ZL's battery is better, way better than the htc one and a little better than the iphone 5. Actually really impressed with battery life for a 5" screen that is 1080P. As far as the screen being washed out at an angle that's true but useless criticism as far as i'm concerned. The only time I can see it washed out is when it is at an angle i would NEVER use it. Looking right at the screen for normal use it's as good as any phone out there, HTC one included. As far as the onscreen buttons, I wouldn't have it any other way, its the way android was designed anyway. When I had the htc one for a week the buttons on there just sucked (and why they went from 3 to 2 buttons i have no idea, stupid decision). It takes 2-4 presses usually to get them to work, not that way with the onscreen buttons. I have no regrets on getting this phone.
All I can say, coming from a droid 3:
- The screen is awesome.. personally the viewing angles dont bother me at all since I use it from front angle
- Yes the screen uses a lot of power, but it also did on my droid 3 and that screen sucked major ass. Also, the idle time is the best I've seen on any recent smartphone. With wifi I can stay a fixed percentage for 2 hours easy. When you use it it will drop reasonably fast but it's OK because you still have 95% when you start watching a movie I always can go through 1 day.
- It's super fast. 2GB is awesome
- The camera is supposedly getting better with every update
DoubleYouPee said:
All I can say, coming from a droid 3:
- The screen is awesome.. personally the viewing angles dont bother me at all since I use it from front angle
- Yes the screen uses a lot of power, but it also did on my droid 3 and that screen sucked major ass. Also, the idle time is the best I've seen on any recent smartphone. With wifi I can stay a fixed percentage for 2 hours easy. When you use it it will drop reasonably fast but it's OK because you still have 95% when you start watching a movie I always can go through 1 day.
- It's super fast. 2GB is awesome
- The camera is supposedly getting better with every update
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The thing I like, I have a Galaxy S2-i9100 and use it with a otterbox case, the ZL with a simple clear case is as 'small' as my S2 in the otterbox.
and it feels real solid. I still have to hack it. but all in all it seems to be a very good phone...
Make sure you switch on the Stamina mode for the battery...
Video on this is crystal clear... have not toyed with the camera...
I hope Sony comes with AOSP for the ZL...
Ans 64GB SD should work... on most devices... folks prefer to format it exFAT which may not be supported on some custom roms but factory images definitely support it.
G
I plan to get this for my dad, who is currently using a Windows Phone Lumia 720. He is pretty happy with it per say, but he misses his Xperia X10..
I will be brutally honest, that Android phones arent as smooth as WP. But again, WP have a serious dearth of Apps that Android doesn't. One of the main reasons I am rethinking of getting dad back on Android.
The only thing he can't bear is a slow phone...He is retired and spends 90% of his day on his cell phone. Messaging on WHatsApp, Hike, Facebook and Twitter.
And yes, he was also an avid photographer in the past. So a good camera will be an added advantage.
What do you honestly think about the T2 Ultra. Since it's a 6" display, he can easily read and surf the net on it.
I would love to hear honest opinions about it.
Though I am into rooting and modding devices, I will stick to stock on this one...
On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate t2 Ultra's performance, speed, usability (6" screen) and built quality?
Thanks for reading and replying.
in my opinion this phone is good,with the 13mp primary camera it can shoot a good photo...
and the performance is good...but with root it will be more smoother than before...
furthermore,its good for gaming beacuse the 6'' display...but its a bit slippy that i have to be more careful with it...
X0LARIUM said:
I plan to get this for my dad, who is currently using a Windows Phone Lumia 720. He is pretty happy with it per say, but he misses his Xperia X10..
I will be brutally honest, that Android phones arent as smooth as WP. But again, WP have a serious dearth of Apps that Android doesn't. One of the main reasons I am rethinking of getting dad back on Android.
The only thing he can't bear is a slow phone...He is retired and spends 90% of his day on his cell phone. Messaging on WHatsApp, Hike, Facebook and Twitter.
And yes, he was also an avid photographer in the past. So a good camera will be an added advantage.
What do you honestly think about the T2 Ultra. Since it's a 6" display, he can easily read and surf the net on it.
I would love to hear honest opinions about it.
Though I am into rooting and modding devices, I will stick to stock on this one...
On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate t2 Ultra's performance, speed, usability (6" screen) and built quality?
Thanks for reading and replying.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bro, the camera isnt good in this phone, i personally use this and found the camera experience unsatisfying. There are a lot pixels visible in the pics, color reproduction isnt accurate, and its takes plenty of time for taking one pic, considering its a quad core, it shud have been much faster.
The pros of this phone are the screen size and battery backup.
This is my honest opinion.
AndroMAN said:
Bro, the camera isnt good in this phone, i personally use this and found the camera experience unsatisfying. There are a lot pixels visible in the pics, color reproduction isnt accurate, and its takes plenty of time for taking one pic, considering its a quad core, it shud have been much faster.
The pros of this phone are the screen size and battery backup.
This is my honest opinion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Chena_22 said:
in my opinion this phone is good,with the 13mp primary camera it can shoot a good photo...
and the performance is good...but with root it will be more smoother than before...
furthermore,its good for gaming beacuse the 6'' display...but its a bit slippy that i have to be more careful with it...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks a lot both you guys for the reply..
A nice phone but, camera is unsatisfying, i have 8MP phone beter than this.
opimion
Honestly saying you should have it it has big screen good processor and GPU
it's an all in one package and ya it has a good camera too..
coming from note 2,its has an awesome battery backup, screen and killer looks, but camera is one of the worst I ever used plus 1 gb ram is another issue, sometimes even my keyboard dsnt pop up in browser coz all the ram has been eaten.... go for lg pro 2 instead some sellers are selling it for 28k
Thanks people...I'm listening
Auto-coded on my DROID RaZR!
Here's what I gotta say :
Pros
- Awesome screen size, display quality.
- The ram may be 1gb, but its more or less lag free.
- The camera is pretty awesome in natural lighting conditions.
- Battery life.
- It looks pretty good too.
Cons
- Loudspeaker volume is low.
- Camera doesn't perform that well in artificial lighting conditions. The zoom is a bit problematic too.
- It will feel a little uncomfortable to hold for a few days, because of its size, but after a few days, it'll feel normal.
If you think size and display matter, go for this phone, or you could consider the moto x.
Hope I helped.
Sent from my D5322 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
I'm coming from Lumia 630, I do missed its ease of use and smoothness but I finally settled to this phone.
I'm looking for a dual Sim device first and foremost, so battery life is a priority even though I yearn for a big screen experience. I bought Asus Zenfone 5 about 2 weeks ago, and the whole android experience is being let down by awful hardware. Very weak GPS, weak WiFi, weak GSM signal, crazy battery life that doesn't even hold a charge for half a day because the device is scrambling for every wireless protocols. Switching to Xperia T2 Ultra isn't as easy for me too... In my country, Sony is notoriously known for very bad after sales service, plus this phone is double the price of the Zenfone 5. I bought it new because nobody is selling it used (the phone isn't exactly a seller).
I had doubts, I kept every bit of plastic covering intact, just in case the phone doesn't work as intended, I'm going to sell it again.
Lo and behold... Strong WiFi signal, quick connecting GPS, stable GSM signal on both SIMs, and the strong battery life makes me extremely happy with my purchase. The big screen might have lower pixel per inch compared to the Zenfone 5, but you won't notice it that much. The media is overblowing the PPI thing, they are accustomed to seeing high end devices screen, but for commoners like us, unless it's very extreme, we won't notice the difference. After the KitKat update, I torture test the device, playing whatever games, go back home, open the browser, Google docs, taking pictures, while Facebook (no messenger) and whatsapp pinging in the background. Some hiccups, but nothing crashing. The games occasionally restart though, due to limited memory, so you might want to limit it to casuals or save a lot when switching apps.
There is one peculiar app that crashed one time, and it's Sony socialife app. I never opened it, but I got a warning the app crashed, might be a background process.
The camera on this phone is disappointing, I could've swore my old Xperia Arc took better picture. Prepare for an overly aggressive image sharpening and slight discoloration. I really don't know why Sony's smartphones cameras are now subpar, up to Xperia S (my last Sony phone before T2), the image was clear and crisp. Might be T2 Ultra is a mainstream high end I mustn't expect much, but when a 3 year old camera phone can do it better, something amiss.
The phone size is just right, I tried Z Ultra before and to me it's a bit too big. I can still put it inside my pants side pocket with ease and can handle it with one hand just fine.
Since my T2 ultra is the dual Sim version, the KitKat update lower the processor speed to 1.2 GHz. Well, at least it's still a quad core and I didn't notice significant slow down on daily usage.
I'm not a power user by far, and so far I only change wallpaper and have Google now and calendar widget with organized icons on my home screen.
Just curious, why didn't you get the Z Ultra for your dad? If you don't need the dual Sim, the Z ultra can be had for a little more than the T2 ultra. In my country, I can get the Z ultra for US $70 more, with free powerbank and free case. Minus the LED flash and the size, everything is better. I need the dual Sim in my case.
Guys guys guys! Just want to thank everyone who bothered to come here and wrote what they felt like!
I am so glad you guys are helping me...
While I am 99% sure I want to get him a T2U, one thing stopping me is the size.
He wants to get it cause he once had a Xperia phone and I sold it cause I wanted to buy me a new phone (stupid and selfish me!). But Now, the best of the lot, in terms of size, spec, price IS the t2U...
I will be grateful for anyone else who thinks they can chime in...
Thanks again to all the wonderful people who replied!
How is your dad doing with the T2 Ultra? I've owned the phone for about 6 months and I'm hating it, it's so slow that I prefer going to my computer to do even basic stuff, such as browsing the web.
Honestly speaking if u buy this phone use it without root or custom things than this phone is great deal
+ battery backup is very good
+topnotch performance
+good display
- Shutter lag (take too much time in taking photos sometime)
-No vivid images like Samsung(there will we no vivid colour in your photos)
-Front camera is bad
-No 4k and real 120 fps video..
---------- Post added at 03:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:00 PM ----------
bchangip said:
How is your dad doing with the T2 Ultra? I've owned the phone for about 6 months and I'm hating it, it's so slow that I prefer going to my computer to do even basic stuff, such as browsing the web.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bro I think u did something wrong with your phone my phone never hang.. Never means never. Do a factory reset and disable or unintall unused apps.. I am sure u will get good performance like me and last always get your app up to daye from play to get optimum performance.. From apps.. And use official softwares. And updated version of firmwares
My opinion
my experience
Good-
1)Display is great.loved watching Movies,playing games.etc
2)Performance is great even if it has only 1 Gb. It lags very less
3)camera is very very nice in naturally bright conditions.
4)I do lots of basic things on my phone never need of my pc to start.
5)Seriously Battery backup is awesome. I am using this phone by 1 year and some months now and i still get same battery backup.
6)Most important thing to me Android version.so as u know it has lollipop version.so i am loving it.
-Bad-
1)camera is bad in low bright condition.
2)front camera is worst
3)sometimes it doesnt even show keyboard . i experienced this problem in only 1 app.(clash of clans game)
4)After rooting my android it lags more than stock.
I hope that u will get my opinion helpfull.
Midi_Amp said:
I'm coming from Lumia 630, I do missed its ease of use and smoothness but I finally settled to this phone.
I'm looking for a dual Sim device first and foremost, so battery life is a priority even though I yearn for a big screen experience. I bought Asus Zenfone 5 about 2 weeks ago, and the whole android experience is being let down by awful hardware. Very weak GPS, weak WiFi, weak GSM signal, crazy battery life that doesn't even hold a charge for half a day because the device is scrambling for every wireless protocols. Switching to Xperia T2 Ultra isn't as easy for me too... In my country, Sony is notoriously known for very bad after sales service, plus this phone is double the price of the Zenfone 5. I bought it new because nobody is selling it used (the phone isn't exactly a seller).
I had doubts, I kept every bit of plastic covering intact, just in case the phone doesn't work as intended, I'm going to sell it again.
Lo and behold... Strong WiFi signal, quick connecting GPS, stable GSM signal on both SIMs, and the strong battery life makes me extremely happy with my purchase. The big screen might have lower pixel per inch compared to the Zenfone 5, but you won't notice it that much. The media is overblowing the PPI thing, they are accustomed to seeing high end devices screen, but for commoners like us, unless it's very extreme, we won't notice the difference. After the KitKat update, I torture test the device, playing whatever games, go back home, open the browser, Google docs, taking pictures, while Facebook (no messenger) and whatsapp pinging in the background. Some hiccups, but nothing crashing. The games occasionally restart though, due to limited memory, so you might want to limit it to casuals or save a lot when switching apps.
There is one peculiar app that crashed one time, and it's Sony socialife app. I never opened it, but I got a warning the app crashed, might be a background process.
The camera on this phone is disappointing, I could've swore my old Xperia Arc took better picture. Prepare for an overly aggressive image sharpening and slight discoloration. I really don't know why Sony's smartphones cameras are now subpar, up to Xperia S (my last Sony phone before T2), the image was clear and crisp. Might be T2 Ultra is a mainstream high end I mustn't expect much, but when a 3 year old camera phone can do it better, something amiss.
The phone size is just right, I tried Z Ultra before and to me it's a bit too big. I can still put it inside my pants side pocket with ease and can handle it with one hand just fine.
Since my T2 ultra is the dual Sim version, the KitKat update lower the processor speed to 1.2 GHz. Well, at least it's still a quad core and I didn't notice significant slow down on daily usage.
I'm not a power user by far, and so far I only change wallpaper and have Google now and calendar widget with organized icons on my home screen.
Just curious, why didn't you get the Z Ultra for your dad? If you don't need the dual Sim, the Z ultra can be had for a little more than the T2 ultra. In my country, I can get the Z ultra for US $70 more, with free powerbank and free case. Minus the LED flash and the size, everything is better. I need the dual Sim in my case.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
$70 for Z Ultra ? Where did you get that? Wish I could get one of those lol.. Well Z Ultra doesn't good in any aspect, the display rather disappointing and not as accurate as what Sony said about wider RGB colours and the display still using TFT and just a bit better than Xperia Z. At least it got Snapdragon 800 and 2 GB with 16 GB of internal storage.
BTW, well I just want to speak up my mind.
The phone is good but not great, you'll get okay performance but don't expect more since this is just a midrange device, one gig of RAM isn't that great tho but well it got the job done. What I hate is the software, Lollipop ruins the camera, it will be a bit greenish while you can get really scary effect from front camera after the update, still SONY doesn't update or fix it. I hope you guys could HELP to COMPLAIN so Sony could hear it and help us.
The camera is okay, beside the cold white balance, you could change it with manual mode.
[Just a TIP for people who found the camera is SLOW when it's getting dark. Go to manual and change the scene to Anti Motion Blur or Night Handheld]
Another problem is the internal, since it only has 8 GB of internal storage, installing too many apps could easily take up the space, well this can be fix with rooting and install Link2SD Pro (YOU NEED FAST MEMORY EXTERNAL). The speaker, it is not bad, it could get loud but distorted.
Well, not everything is bad about the phone, the display is good, it is bright enough but not so bright under the sunlight and the phone is rather light even it is a big phone, put a case on it wouldn't make the phone so heavy tho.
The battery is rather good for a phone with 6 inch screen, but the downside you have to wait 4 hours until it fully charged, at least you could leave it while you're sleeping.
Pros:
- Good camera
- Good display
- Okay performance
- Good battery life
- Light weight
Cons:
- Disappointing speaker
- Low internal memory
- Bad front camera
After months of "which phone next?", I was solidly set on the X⁴.
While researching this purchase, I found the unlocked, for all US carriers, Z2 Play.
Dilemma revisited...
Is the Z2 Play worth the extra $100?
It does have double the internal storage and ups the RAM by 1GB, so it could easily be justified, with that.
Big concern, will Moto Actions, Voice and Display be the same, on both of these as it is on the Moto X Pure Edition?
I'm really hooked on the custom wakeup word and reading my text to me, while driving.
I'd appreciate opinions and other 'vs.' thoughts.
Hey man, Moto Actions, Voice, and Display are all present on the Z2P. The big difference that you need to think about is that the X4 is 5.2 IPS, has a dual camera and no mods. Meanwhile the Z2P is 5.5 AMOLED, single camera, and you can use mods.
kiden said:
Hey man, Moto Actions, Voice, and Display are all present on the Z2P. The big difference that you need to think about is that the X4 is 5.2 IPS, has a dual camera and no mods. Meanwhile the Z2P is 5.5 AMOLED, single camera, and you can use mods.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, there is no custom wakeup word in Moto Voice. I played with the app at best buy and it seems to only have 'show me' commands, but I bought Z2 unlocked version on swappa anyways.
Now, I have a 6P 128 and a Moto X Pure 32 to sell.
I'll keep my Moto X Pure 64 as a backup.
ETA, got the wife an X4 and the battery life is just as great as the Z2 Play.
I've had the Z2 Play for almost 2 months and with same daily usage, the battery life far exceeds the MXPE and 6P.
Hey Pablo, after another month, do you have any words of wisdom on preference between the Z2 and X4? I doubt that I would buy any mods for the Z2, but I like the storage capacity it offers. I will definitely root the phone also and it looks like Z2 is ahead in that area right now also. On the other hand, I like the water resistance, display screen, and dual cameras of the X4. I am not having huge problems with my XPE now; battery life is not great and internal storage is jammed full. So I would like to get a new phone, probably by February. Thank you in advance for your time and thoughts.
G_Man18 said:
Hey Pablo, after another month, do you have any words of wisdom on preference between the Z2 and X4? ....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was stuck between these two, but ended up with the Z2. The 4 GB RAM and 64GB internal storage did it. I've had it just shy of three months and the wife has had the X4 for a month. With what I now know about the two, the Z2 would be an easy choice for me.
I prob won't get any mods, either, but the thinness is awesome in my pocket, especially compared to the MXPE.
The X4 is a decent phone, but a few things bother me:
A) Only 32GB internal storage which has 13GB taken up by OS files. I've read that it's some doubling of files, in order to make updates smoother.
B) 3 GB of RAM. The wife has not reported lag issues, but I want more RAM to enable the phone to be able to handle future needs.
C) The camera has a really bad lag, between pressing the go button and the pic actually being captured. I've side loaded a Google Camera apk and every time I test it, it snaps pics right after the button is pressed, but in real world use, she misses what she is trying to capture. Very frustrating.
D) Lack of availability of good cases. I like hybrid cases, like Speck or Incipio, with a hard back and grippy sides. There are no major manufacturers cases available for the X4.
E) X4 is kinda fat in thickness, when compared to the Z2 and I prefer the larger screen on the Z2.
Both batteries greatly out perform the MXPE, even when new. With the same daily usage and charging, I am usually left with at least 50%. The MXPE often required charging, in the evening, in order to make it to bed time.
I am really happy with my Z2 choice. I have been using the ONE BUTTON NAV feature and it's pretty awesome. Sometimes I forget which way to swipe it, when in landscape, using a nav dock and sometimes BACK goes all the way to the home screen, instead of just back one page in the app being used, but overall I like it.
I have rooted it and themed it. Making the backgrounds black is my major motivation for rooting. Since lollipop arrived with all of its white backgrounds and icons I have been a theming junkie. I'll be trying Xposed and Gravity Box, soon, but only for a few tweaks.
I really like tempted glass screen protectors! I think they feel better than a bare screen and they give me security piece of mind. I am using a TG PROJECTOR, to I can't recall which, and it is serving me well. It does not cover the entire screen side to side, but covers enough and the cutouts are accurate.
I have the Sleo snap case for weekend carry and is a great low profile and grippy case. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B072562YNT/ref=oh_aui_i_d_old_o1_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I have a Speck Presidio for work days and it's quite grippy.
I also have an Otterbox Commuter for days that require even more protection, but is had a smooth back and is a bit hard to hold on to. I have a GadgetShieldz for a different phone (Z Force I think) that I will add to the back of the Commuter, in hopes of adding grip.
ETA: got the Gadgetshieldz camera and body protectors. I'm not impressed. The sandstone finish seems just as slippery as the Commuter case and the camera protector does not have precise cuts. I reckon they are cheap for a reason.
I have tried this camera protector, but they did not stay applied and are plastic, not glass.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B074FTS66N/ref=oh_aui_i_sh_post_o0_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I have GadgetShieldz camera films for both phones on their way, also.
I tried this case, before better cases were available and returned. It is cheap and not grippy.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B071ZS9R1X/ref=oh_aui_i_r_o1_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Too bad you missed the $350 price, from Moto's site, that was running for a few weeks! There are a couple on swappa.com right now.
After reviewing both, I've determined the Z2 Play as the far superior option. It's faster (even though not on paper), the camera's better, the software's better, and it has a nicer AMOLED screen.
https://thematridox.com/2017/11/17/moto-x4-review/
https://thematridox.com/2017/07/31/moto-z2-play-and-new-moto-mods-review/
Thanks again Pablo for your thoughtful review/comparison. It did help me decide on the Z2P, and they are marked down again on the Motorola site. Not quite as good as the Black Friday deal, but good enough for me to order one. Now I just need to read up on the best root method so I am ready to go when it gets here in a couple of days.
I've got my Z2 Play (4/64) a few months ago. My wife got new X4 (4/64) this christmas. Both phones has advantages and disadvantages. Z2 Play have a better screen (AMOLED) and X4 have a much much better camera (apart from Z2 Play, wich is rubbish in photoshooting...).
Another voice from me, I've bought both phones :
Moto X4:
+ better camera support on XDA (stock camera is OK, but modded GCam... is often better, especially low-light)
+ newer chipset (better LTE modem - 600 Mbit, Bluetooth 5.0, faster graphics)
+ longer foreseen future (as it's chosen by Google for its Project Fi)
+ water/dustproof
- smaller storage (I've just discovered that - having almost no custom apps, just Spotify and GCam plus e-banking) I have only about 5.5 GB left
- hybrid dual-sim tray
- microSD card can only be formatted as portable storage
- slightly less "snappy" device (but this is just an impression maybe, really hardly noticeable)
Moto Z2 Play:
+ bigger, more impressive screen
+ more RAM (so slightly "snappier", just a little bit)
+ more storage
+ Mods support
+ dual SIM and microSD support at the same time - no "hybrid" slot
- GCam currently not possible (and probably never will be), so camera is noticeably worse, despite of its 1.7 aperture and laser AF
- single main camera (well, I really love the wide-angle one on Moto X4)
- Lenovo already has broken its built-in equalizer after one of latest updates - not working (but at least it sounds really OK even without EQ...)
- worse LTE modem (300 Mbit)
Common for both phones :
+ great battery life !
+ really nice sound via headphones
+ great, highly sensitive FM radio tuner
+ fantastic design and build quality
- so-so support for now