Develop Bugs

What you think about xperia S

Hii guys .. I'm a x10 user and I'm going to upgrade for a new phone but I have to chose betwen S3 and xperia S
So what you think about your xperia S and does it have a official miui fully working ??
Sent from my X10i using XDA

MIUI is fully working, but comparing the SGS3 to the XPS is just wrong. This phone is closer to the SGS2.

K900 said:
MIUI is fully working, but comparing the SGS3 to the XPS is just wrong. This phone is closer to the SGS2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
but comparing the SGS3 to the XPS is just wrong: only in benchmark.. same resolution screen, with better color screen (imho), better audio (walkman v sgs3's stock , imho), better camera (again, imho, the camera hardware though, ), and of course the lightbar
bigger battery (and easily removable too) and bigger storage is nice though but the different in battery only bout 1 hour (with same usage) and i think the 32 gB is just enough (u can always use usb-otg)
and i havent found any mali mp400 only games, yet there are some qualcomm's adreno-only game (but if u're not using adreno, u can buy and use chainfire3d )
and u need usb-jig to go to sgs3 download mode.. got me in panic mode when i was modding my friend's new sgs3
so.. your choice

SE (or Sony) came to the market with a inferior product, I m talking about dual core processor and it is S3 not even S4, and 6-10 months late.
On top of it
1. Hardware is just wrong, capacitative buttons are not responsive. It is a basic requirement, dammit. And what good does that transparent bottom does?
2. They advertised 1GB ram and now i came to realize (bought it only 3 days ago) that it is only 634mb ram and 450mb is almost always full with Sony crap running all the time. I had to freeze apps using Titanium to make sure i have enough memory for my apps.
3. Camera is not SE good. I own Xperia neo and SGS2 and i feel SXS camera is inferior to both.
4. Neither Bravia nor Xloud is working good. Low sound on in call speaker volume.
5. Sony fills your phone with all their junk which you ll never gonna use but have to pay for it with RAM. Also you cannot mount as USB connection on MAC as you ll need Sony Bridge for MAC and if you use it you cannot use Android File transfer provided by Google. Sony Bridge is crap as file transfer is at awful speed. (Again comparing to SGS2 which has mount as USB for ICS as well).
6. Screen has washed out colors and 720p doesnt feel any good. Even LG and Asus has better screens. I had LG optimus 2X and own Transforme prime.
7. Non removable battery and no option for micro SD. If you have non removable battery at least put higher capacity battery or make software good that battery lasts long.
8. And yeah it costs as much as HTC one x or SGS3.
May be i ll have something good to say after few weeks of use.
-K

It's OK. First of all, it sucks to go into a phone store and only found 1-2-3 different cases for the phone. SGS3 got alot more cases to choose from.
Second, yelloy tint problem many phones got, including mine (!).
Third, the sucky battery. It drains sooo fast.
Also very little available memory after ICS upgrade.
So its a OK phone, not that good and not that bad.
Sent from my LT26i using xda premium

I said what is the intention of publish this question in Xperia s Forum?
It's ridiculus. I've this phone and is excellent, i prefer Sony that other brands. But you choose that you want.
Sent from my LT26i using xda app-developers app

Go for S3, it is a better phone than Xperia S in all the ways possible (maybe the screen is a matter of taste, but the rest...). Battery, GPU, CPU, Sound Quality (yes, sound quality, the chip that Samsung uses are really better, the sound of Xperia S is just OK, to be true it is worse than my old ex-phone, LG Optimus Black), camera (8MPX vs 12 MPX, its true, but the camera is more sharp, and dont make noise like Xperia S camera, imo a unacceptable noise), etc. The community is just huge! I don't want to diminish my fellow comrades, but Xperia S community is really small and with devs shortage (not complaining). I just have it because its the best phone i could get for free from my carrier. Not a bad phone, but far from be a incredible phone. In fact, it is not incredible in any area, but competent in almost all except battery (and maybe cam). A good phone and just it, a good phone.
Press thanks if i helped, please.

Reasons I prefer the Xperia S over SGSIII. Note that these are mostly subjective.
1) Xperia Timescape and Walkman apps. No TouchWiz. (moot point if you flash custom ROMs, but there goes the warranty)
2) Sharper, more color-accurate screen. SGSIII screen is greenish and fake-looking due to AMOLED.
3) Better physical build. I find Samsung phones to feel cheap and plasticky.
4) Looks better (according to my brother, the SGSIII is awesome because it looks so generic that any case looks good on it...?)
5) microHDMI + microUSB vs MHL.
6) Cheaper - in NZ. Xperia S is ~$600, SGSIII is ~$850, so it's a significant difference.

ksekhar said:
SE (or Sony) came to the market with a inferior product, I m talking about dual core processor and it is S3 not even S4, and 6-10 months late.
On top of it
1. Hardware is just wrong, capacitative buttons are not responsive. It is a basic requirement, dammit. And what good does that transparent bottom does?
2. They advertised 1GB ram and now i came to realize (bought it only 3 days ago) that it is only 634mb ram and 450mb is almost always full with Sony crap running all the time. I had to freeze apps using Titanium to make sure i have enough memory for my apps.
3. Camera is not SE good. I own Xperia neo and SGS2 and i feel SXS camera is inferior to both.
4. Neither Bravia nor Xloud is working good. Low sound on in call speaker volume.
5. Sony fills your phone with all their junk which you ll never gonna use but have to pay for it with RAM. Also you cannot mount as USB connection on MAC as you ll need Sony Bridge for MAC and if you use it you cannot use Android File transfer provided by Google. Sony Bridge is crap as file transfer is at awful speed. (Again comparing to SGS2 which has mount as USB for ICS as well).
6. Screen has washed out colors and 720p doesnt feel any good. Even LG and Asus has better screens. I had LG optimus 2X and own Transforme prime.
7. Non removable battery and no option for micro SD. If you have non removable battery at least put higher capacity battery or make software good that battery lasts long.
8. And yeah it costs as much as HTC one x or SGS3.
May be i ll have something good to say after few weeks of use.
-K
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a lot of issues with the phone but I'm sorry you are on your own with all that. The xperia s is no where near as bad as you make it.
It's display is the best available. Viewing angles mean nothing in every day use and it's one of the best in direct sunlight which has more value. The camera is also the best available. It's not for point and shooting and so you need to take more time to get the best pictures but those pictures are the best of any smartphone. No phone has all ram available to the user do don't know what you're on about. The sensitivity of the capacity buttons are too low but I've used other phones where they have been too high and you keep hitting them inadvertently. You knew it had all its internals sealed in before you got so what's your beef and no it doesn't cost as much as other high end phones.
Back to OP, the GS3 is faster and smoother but not by a long way in real world performance. Just benchmarks much higher.
I'd say, go down to the phone shop and try out both before making up your mind.
Having said don't choose the Sony under any circumstances if android software is a big deal for because in that department Sony are notoriously very poor. Their ICS update was later than all their major competitors and is far from ready. It needs a lot of work still doing to it. It's slower than gingerbread with a lot of slowdowns and glitches here and there.
Sent from my LT26i using xda app-developers app

brunodmjr said:
Sound Quality (yes, sound quality, the chip that Samsung uses are really better, the sound of Xperia S is just OK,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Xperia S has very harsh treble and meh mids with the stock Walkman player on default equalizer settings, but it can easily be tuned to sound as good as a dedicated Walkman player.
I have an old S series Walkman and prefer the audio quality of the Xperia S.
I'm using a good pair of Shure IEM and a decent portable amp (not really needed) and the only fault I can find with the audio is that the gsm/3g radio tends to interfere with the sound a bit when I use the shure earphones with the amp.
I had a Galaxy TAB a while ago which has the wolfson dac and I never liked it (don't know about the GS3 but maybe it's improved?), even after tweaking the audio for a long time using Poweramp.
Also, the Sony Walkman app sounds far better than both Winamp pro and poweramp.

dSayonarab said:
Reasons I prefer the Xperia S over SGSIII. Note that these are mostly subjective.
2) Sharper, more color-accurate screen. SGSIII screen is greenish and fake-looking due to AMOLED.
3) Better physical build. I find Samsung phones to feel cheap and plasticky.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Spot on! that's why we should not buy mobiles by reading internet reviews and forums posts.

I'm happy with my Xperia S no complains just enjoying its features. Everyone should be happy they have their own phone too. Sony, Samsung, LG, HTC, iPhone etc.. Whatever brand it is. Just learn how to appreciate what you have. This is just my opinion again I'm enjoying my Xperia S
Sent from my LT26i using xda premium

Reason why I got xs instead of s3: its cheaper!
Sent from my LT26i using Tapatalk 2

brunodmjr said:
Go for S3, it is a better phone than Xperia S in all the ways possible (maybe the screen is a matter of taste, but the rest...). Battery, GPU, CPU, Sound Quality (yes, sound quality, the chip that Samsung uses are really better, the sound of Xperia S is just OK, to be true it is worse than my old ex-phone, LG Optimus Black), camera (8MPX vs 12 MPX, its true, but the camera is more sharp, and dont make noise like Xperia S camera, imo a unacceptable noise), etc. The community is just huge! I don't want to diminish my fellow comrades, but Xperia S community is really small and with devs shortage (not complaining). I just have it because its the best phone i could get for free from my carrier. Not a bad phone, but far from be a incredible phone. In fact, it is not incredible in any area, but competent in almost all except battery (and maybe cam). A good phone and just it, a good phone.
Press thanks if i helped, please.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Galaxy s3 isn't 200 dollars better which is the price difference. And its an ugly phone.
---------- Post added at 07:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:46 PM ----------
ksekhar said:
SE (or Sony) came to the market with a inferior product, I m talking about dual core processor and it is S3 not even S4, and 6-10 months late.
On top of it
1. Hardware is just wrong, capacitative buttons are not responsive. It is a basic requirement, dammit. And what good does that transparent bottom does?
2. They advertised 1GB ram and now i came to realize (bought it only 3 days ago) that it is only 634mb ram and 450mb is almost always full with Sony crap running all the time. I had to freeze apps using Titanium to make sure i have enough memory for my apps.
3. Camera is not SE good. I own Xperia neo and SGS2 and i feel SXS camera is inferior to both.
4. Neither Bravia nor Xloud is working good. Low sound on in call speaker volume.
5. Sony fills your phone with all their junk which you ll never gonna use but have to pay for it with RAM. Also you cannot mount as USB connection on MAC as you ll need Sony Bridge for MAC and if you use it you cannot use Android File transfer provided by Google. Sony Bridge is crap as file transfer is at awful speed. (Again comparing to SGS2 which has mount as USB for ICS as well).
6. Screen has washed out colors and 720p doesnt feel any good. Even LG and Asus has better screens. I had LG optimus 2X and own Transforme prime.
7. Non removable battery and no option for micro SD. If you have non removable battery at least put higher capacity battery or make software good that battery lasts long.
8. And yeah it costs as much as HTC one x or SGS3.
Dude it has 1gb of ram
the system
May be i ll have something good to say after few weeks of use.
-K
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It has 1gb of ram, the system takes up almost 400mb. Also onex is 100 dollars more while sgs3 is 200 more. If I would get another phone it would be a nexus. Both the other 2 have their issues too.

sparxx4 said:
Hii guys .. I'm a x10 user and I'm going to upgrade for a new phone but I have to chose betwen S3 and xperia S
So what you think about your xperia S and does it have a official miui fully working ??
Sent from my X10i using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, it depends on what you like/want from your phone:
1) If you want the fastest android till date with earlier software updates/lots of roms along with external memory & replaceable battery: Go for SGS3
2) If you want an android with best camera till date, brilliant screen & eye catching design, and relatively cheaper: Go for SXS
I have been using Xperia S for over 3 months now and am quite pleased with it overall, no major issues so far (except for a few bugs in current ICS build by sony). Also compared it to my friends SGS3 & was pleased to see my SXS almost matching the real world performance of SGS3!
And yes, as aready stated, fully functional/official MIUI is available for SXS (myself currently on MIUI build 2.8.3 which fast, smooth & most stable build so far).
Also, i recommend you to check both of them out at local demo stores and then decide it for yourself!

Dpk1 said:
Well, it depends on what you like/want from your phone:
1) If you want the fastest android with earliest software updates/lots of roms along with external memory & replaceable battery: Go for SGS3
2) If you want an android with best camera till date, brilliant screen & eye catching design, and relatively cheaper: Go for SXS
I have been using Xperia S for over 3 months now and am quite pleased with it overall, no major issues so far (except for a few bugs in current ICS build by sony). Also compared it to my friends SGS3 & was pleased to see my SXS almost matching the real world performance of SGS3!
And yes, as aready stated, fully functional/official MIUI is available for SXS (myself currently on MIUI build 2.8.3 which fast, smooth & most stable build so far).
Also, i recommend you to check both of them out at local demo stores and then decide it for yourself!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Galaxy Nexus has its updates the quickest because it is directly from google and it is running vanilla android. It has one of the biggest dev communities and it is easy to unlock the bootloader for it, the gs3 is hard to mod and you need a special usb tool
btw, the xperia s is an amazing phone, it looks great with the lightbar and the performance is great, even with the snapdragon s3, sony knows how to optimize the software for snapdragon chipsets

Xperia S on Gingerbread was great but on ICS its crap...
You will be irritated by the terrible multitasking of Xperia S on ICS...
Its just a software issue n can be fixed...
If you want upto date performance and may be good software support go for SGS3 ..
Go for Sony Xpria S if you care about looks, decent performance (Compared to SGS 3) n can wait for an update to solve the ICS issues on Xperia S..

Jackmax32 said:
Xperia S on Gingerbread was great but on ICS its crap...
You will be irritated by the terrible multitasking of Xperia S on ICS...
Its just a software issue n can be fixed...
If you want upto date performance and may be good software support go for SGS3 ..
Go for Sony Xpria S if you care about looks, decent performance (Compared to SGS 3) n can wait for an update to solve the ICS issues on Xperia S..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the galaxy s3 suffers the same multitasking issues of the xs.
if you need apps to remain open without them being closed by the os get a phone with 2gb of ram.

I had a SGS2 last year, went to the Xperia Play, which to be honest was an awesome phone, sucked the bootloader was locked.
Picked up ths SXS last month and I prefer it over the s2.
I have a friend with a s3, I think they are ugly and clunky. Its trying to be a iPhone.
Been flashing roms to find the right one for me, and its seems to be a hard phone to brick.
I use it for my main MP3 player at night (Due to ringing in the ears), it barely looses any battery playing all night.
Headphones sucked a bit, but picked up some Skullcandy and the phone drives them perfectly.
I'd recommend th SXS to anyone.

ttiimm said:
Galaxy Nexus has its updates the quickest because it is directly from google and it is running vanilla android. It has one of the biggest dev communities and it is easy to unlock the bootloader for it, the gs3 is hard to mod and you need a special usb tool
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right, my bad! Hence, i stand corrected & use the word "earlier" instead of "earliest".

Xperia S key features and issues

hey guyz,
As i am going to buy this phone next week so i am having some questions running around my head
like what are the key features and problems/issues of this phone?
I have seen some pretty good reviews of this phone on google and youtube but still wanted myself to be sure about this phone
1)is the yellow screen problem present in all xperia s?
2)what is the video playback support of this phone? (720 or 1080)
3)is there any force close or camera not responding problem with this phone?
4)i have seen many xperia phones with warm glow problem in portraits with camera.any chance of this happening in xperia s?
5)wifi or network signal drop issue?
any help will be appreciated
or any other phone that you can suggest
thanks guyz

1) i dont think so, i havent had any Problems regarding yellow tint
2) wow i dont really Know.. The screen is Not 1080 p as it doesnt have 1900x1200 (or 1080 i dunno) like the z
3) the camera is actually pretty quick and stable, but it will be even faster in JB Update. In the dark the camera is Not that good but flashing a cybershot mod or the Xperia v camera will almost fox this issue..
4) havent had that Problem
5) nope none at All. WiFi is a Bit worse than on my old iPhone 4(im ashamed) but still good
Hope i could help you But if i may ask, why buy an XS? Just take a Bit more money And buy a t or something
Sent from my LT26i using xda app-developers app

Radixtrator said:
1) i dont think so, i havent had any Problems regarding yellow tint
2) wow i dont really Know.. The screen is Not 1080 p as it doesnt have 1900x1200 (or 1080 i dunno) like the z
3) the camera is actually pretty quick and stable, but it will be even faster in JB Update. In the dark the camera is Not that good but flashing a cybershot mod or the Xperia v camera will almost fox this issue..
4) havent had that Problem
5) nope none at All. WiFi is a Bit worse than on my old iPhone 4(im ashamed) but still good
Hope i could help you But if i may ask, why buy an XS? Just take a Bit more money And buy a t or something
Sent from my LT26i using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for your reply
i have seen xperia t although it has 720p screen and high ppi it looks even worse that my current phone(xperia sola)
which samsung phone do you suggest?

HunainKhalid said:
hey guyz,
As i am going to buy this phone next week so i am having some questions running around my head
like what are the key features and problems/issues of this phone?
I have seen some pretty good reviews of this phone on google and youtube but still wanted myself to be sure about this phone
1)is the yellow screen problem present in all xperia s?
2)what is the video playback support of this phone? (720 or 1080)
3)is there any force close or camera not responding problem with this phone?
4)i have seen many xperia phones with warm glow problem in portraits with camera.any chance of this happening in xperia s?
5)wifi or network signal drop issue?
any help will be appreciated
or any other phone that you can suggest
thanks guyz
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) No yellow tints since Week 16 (that means since May 2011)
2) Supports 1080p with most codecs with full speed, maybe a bit of lag with some.
3) I don't have any
4) Warm Glow Camera?
5) My networks drops a bit too much, but it must be my carrier. it sucks.

Felimenta97 said:
1) No yellow tints since Week 16 (that means since May 2011)
2) Supports 1080p with most codecs with full speed, maybe a bit of lag with some.
3) I don't have any
4) Warm Glow Camera?
5) My networks drops a bit too much, but it must be my carrier. it sucks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 thanks for the reply
i have seen some sony phones camera that give warm glow to the skin in portraits like camera in xperia p,sola etc
i am asking is this problem present in xperia s or not?

HunainKhalid said:
+1 thanks for the reply
i have seen some sony phones camera that give warm glow to the skin in portraits like camera in xperia p,sola etc
i am asking is this problem present in xperia s or not?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not aware of that. My images look good. no tint issues.

Which Samsung phone i would suggest? hm Thats easy: none.
Why buy a samsung phone? The Tablet might be pretty good but the phones are really ugly, made of cheap plastic and overpriced. If you dont want to spend a lot of money go for T or S. If you have a bit more to spare why not the Z or SP?

Radixtrator said:
Which Samsung phone i would suggest? hm Thats easy: none.
Why buy a samsung phone? The Tablet might be pretty good but the phones are really ugly, made of cheap plastic and overpriced. If you dont want to spend a lot of money go for T or S. If you have a bit more to spare why not the Z or SP?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well said :thumbup:
Sony's UI is awesome and better than TouchWiz.
Sent from my LT26i using xda premium

A few things you should be aware of:
The battery is NOT exchangeable,
There is NO µSD-Slot, so you only have the internal 32GB (ca. 28GB usable).
I own this phone now for 2 months, and i'm absolutely satisfied.
Actually there is no better phone available for the price of about 300,- € (about 350 - 400 $)
The Screen is very bright and crystal clear, like it.
Never had the illumination switched on, because then the display is so bright, worried of becoming blind
One last thing on playing videos:
Depending on the videoplayer (i use vlc) the phone CAN play 1080p videos (downsampled of course), because
the display is (only) HDready: 1.280x720p,
which is imho far enough for a handy display atm.
Compared the Screen with Sa****g S4 in the last days, using a hi-res photo ([email protected]), and saw no really big difference.

leine0104 said:
A few things you should be aware of:
The battery is NOT exchangeable,
There is NO µSD-Slot, so you only have the internal 32GB (ca. 28GB usable).
I own this phone now for 2 months, and i'm absolutely satisfied.
Actually there is no better phone available for the price of about 300,- € (about 350 - 400 $)
The Screen is very bright and crystal clear, like it.
Never had the illumination switched on, because then the display is so bright, worried of becoming blind
One last thing on playing videos:
Depending on the videoplayer (i use vlc) the phone CAN play 1080p videos (downsampled of course), because
the display is (only) HDready: 1.280x720p,
which is imho far enough for a handy display atm.
Compared the Screen with Sa****g S4 in the last days, using a hi-res photo ([email protected]), and saw no really big difference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
:thumbup: thanks for the reply

Radixtrator said:
Which Samsung phone i would suggest? hm Thats easy: none.
Why buy a samsung phone? The Tablet might be pretty good but the phones are really ugly, made of cheap plastic and overpriced. If you dont want to spend a lot of money go for T or S. If you have a bit more to spare why not the Z or SP?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
xperia z here costs same as galaxy s4 (near about 650$) and xperia t price is the same as xperia s but the screen of xperia t is really worse
will go for xperia s
thanks for the reply

Yeas the screen is pretty much the same but dont forget Xperia T screen is bigger
I wish you a lot of fun with your new phone Dont forget to update to Jelly bean in the next couple of days(hopefully)

Radixtrator said:
Yeas the screen is pretty much the same but dont forget Xperia T screen is bigger
I wish you a lot of fun with your new phone Dont forget to update to Jelly bean in the next couple of days(hopefully)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 thanks
i know the screens of xperia t and s are same both 720p but dont know why when i saw the xperia t the only thing that disappointed me was its screen it was not good at all even worse than my previous phone (xperia sola)

yeah my fiance recently got a TL...not sure if that has the same LCD as the T, but its a pretty noticeable difference over my Ion (which i think is similar to the S, but that is an xperia i've never seen in person). I was surprised that its so different, especially for video playback. I'm not saying it is terrible, but no matter the brightness setting, the contrast levels are completely different.
I know i've read that the Ion has one of the better screens...just didn't really notice how good it was until i compared it to an 'updated' version. kind of defeats the purpose imo...

jtr165 said:
yeah my fiance recently got a TL...not sure if that has the same LCD as the T, but its a pretty noticeable difference over my Ion (which i think is similar to the S, but that is an xperia i've never seen in person). I was surprised that its so different, especially for video playback. I'm not saying it is terrible, but no matter the brightness setting, the contrast levels are completely different.
I know i've read that the Ion has one of the better screens...just didn't really notice how good it was until i compared it to an 'updated' version. kind of defeats the purpose imo...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 thanks for the reply
you are right both the phones xperia s and xperia ion uses LED-backlit LCD while the xperia t and xperia tl uses TFT capacitive touchscreen
i think thats the reson.(all the phones have 720p display)

[Q] Z1C vs. alternatives

Okay so I'm in a situation where I soon need to get rid of my old sh**ty Xperia Active.
My first smart phone was a Xperia X10i (Which I contributed almost all stock firmwares for, here on XDA), followed by a Nokia 800 (WP7), then a Huawei Ascend P1 which I unfortunately lost and had to go back to a backup phone which is the Xperia Active.
Now I've been looking around for a replacement and the Z1C is really attractive with the awesome design language Sony has set for their Xperia line. But I wanted to get the opinions from flashers and devs here on XDA, mainly because I usually don't stick with stock firmware for long.
So I've done some searching and found some "contenders" for my next phone.
Sony Xperia Z1 Compact
Oppo Find 7a
Sony Xperia M2
OnePlus One (When available)
Google Nexus 5
I know there is loads of custom firmwares for the Nexus line of devices, and the Oppo and OnePlus devices has CyanogenMod support.
So my only "Uncertainty" is the Xperia devices.
Now I know FXP is covering a lot of Xperias but I want to know if there is other major ROM supports for the Z1C and M2 and if the release cycle is on time with CM or not too far after that.
And how stable the builds are in general with the latest official builds of Android (4.4.3 and 4.4.4).
In general how have you had it with your Z1C?
Is it easy to root?
What recoveries is available?
Is there many reports on defects/faults on the device?
How well is the developer community for this particular device?
Is Sony releasing kernel source for the device?
I appreciate all the input you can give me and hopefully I'll get a little bit back into the Xperia hacking.

arkedk said:
So I've done some searching and found some "contenders" for my next phone.
Sony Xperia Z1 Compact
Oppo Find 7a
Sony Xperia M2
OnePlus One (When available)
Google Nexus 5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm curious, why is Z1C on the list but not the Z2? I ask because I noticed that besides the Z1C (and the M2 which is just a cheaper (and larger) Z1C pretty much) all the other phones are 5" or larger. The main reason I personally picked the 4.3" Z1C is that it has flagship specs in a small package, that and that Sony are traditionally quite developer friendly. Is it an economical choice or are you just not sure on the size?

Rekoil said:
I'm curious, why is Z1C on the list but not the Z2? I ask because I noticed that besides the Z1C (and the M2 which is just a cheaper (and larger) Z1C pretty much) all the other phones are 5" or larger. The main reason I personally picked the 4.3" Z1C is that it has flagship specs in a small package, that and that Sony are traditionally quite developer friendly. Is it an economical choice or are you just not sure on the size?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mostly because of pricing. These devices cost from 270 to 400 euro here, and the Z2 is significantly more expensive because it's the newest flagship coming in at around 670 euro, and I wont spent that on a phone since I'm buying without contract as I'm perfectly happy with my carrier and don't want to be locked down for 6 months at a new carrier.

arkedk said:
Mostly because of pricing. These devices cost roughly the same here, and the Z2 is significantly more expensive because it's the newest flagship.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So it has nothing to do with size? Because compared to other Snapdragon 800 phones, that (and waterproofing) is what the Z1C has going for it. It has a lower resolution display which means less work for the GPU, and thus better battery life and a more fluid UI.
If it's solely the price and you don't mind a larger phone then I'd probably go with a One PlusOne, but I would suggest you go and have a play with a Z1C before making a decision. See if you like the size.

Rekoil said:
So it has nothing to do with size? Because compared to other Snapdragon 800 phones, that (and waterproofing) is what the Z1C has going for it. It has a lower resolution display which means less work for the GPU, and thus better battery life and a more fluid UI.
If it's solely the price and you don't mind a larger phone then I'd probably go with a One PlusOne, but I would suggest you go and have a play with a Z1C before making a decision. See if you like the size.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well it's not all down to price. I want a phone that has a good dev community around it, so it's possible to try new kernels, tweaked stock firmwares and custom firmwares like CM, Paranoid and other major custom ROM's. I know that Nexus has this, but the design of that phone is boring and the camera is "bleeh". So the Z1C looked like a good device with great specs, small form factor and a great camera.

arkedk said:
Well it's not all down to price. I want a phone that has a good dev community around it, so it's possible to try new kernels, tweaked stock firmwares and custom firmwares like CM, Paranoid and other major custom ROM's. I know that Nexus has this, but the design of that phone is boring and the camera is "bleeh". So the Z1C looked like a good device with great specs, small form factor and a great camera.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well camera is a bit iffy, but other than that CM runs smooth as hell on the Z1C, that's really all I care about hehe.

Trying to be helpful here (my comments in italics):
In general how have you had it with your Z1C?
I used to be LG O2X owner, and compared to my old phone Z1C even running with stock rom is fast, stable and smooth.
Is it easy to root?
Very easy. All you need to do is download a file and follow the OP here. And I can confirm that it works with the latest kitkat/4.4.4.
What recoveries is available?
TWRP, PhilZ and CWM are available. You can get them here..
Is there many reports on defects/faults on the device?
Some users report flashbleed problem with the camera (fortunately I don't have that problem).
How well is the developer community for this particular device?
I'd say quite good, judging from the number of custom ROM and kernel available for Z1C in the XDA.
Is Sony releasing kernel source for the device?
I think so, check here..

komedol said:
Is Sony releasing kernel source for the device?
I think so, check here..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
arkedk said:
Is Sony releasing kernel source for the device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sony recently uploaded all their copyleft kernels to GitHub, below link is for current Z1C tree.
https://github.com/sonyxperiadev/kernel-copyleft/tree/14.3.A.0.xxx

Rekoil said:
Well camera is a bit iffy, but other than that CM runs smooth as hell on the Z1C, that's really all I care about hehe.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm that's quite a big point in why I want the Z1C. The great pictures that can be taken on stock doesn't work properly on cm. Are they porting stock camera drivers and app into future FXP releases or count on getting the issues fixed?

Rekoil said:
Well camera is a bit iffy, but other than that CM runs smooth as hell on the Z1C, that's really all I care about hehe.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do photos have a lower quality or do some things simply don't work?

mugoftee said:
Do photos have a lower quality or do some things simply don't work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Photos seem to have more noise as far as I could tell when I tested a FXP build. And currently it's not possible to have 4k and 120FPS recording on a CM based rom or at least nobody successfully tested it.

mugoftee said:
Do photos have a lower quality or do some things simply don't work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
About the same quality wise in my opinion, but camera starts really slow, and you lose a lot of features and post-processing that Sonys camera app does.

People mentioned that the BIONZ image processor only works with stock roms, don't know if that's true.

[Q] Z1 Compact or S5 Mini

Hello everyone,
I am considering to buy Samsung S5 mini or Sony Xperia Z1 Compact. Z1C does have much better hw, but does it really make significant difference comparing S5 mini hardware for daily use (no games)? Battery life is also quite important for me as I would appreciate 2 days of use (day-night-day). I like design of S5 mini a bit more, but not saying, that Z1 Compact is ugly... Price in these days also plays for Sony.
Thanks for sharing any experiences
Lowmick

Move this **** to [email protected] section
Sent from my D5503 using XDA Free mobile app

i'm getting average 3½ days on Z1C.
Already have super stable Rom and kernel and Soundmod.
Now S5 mini has no rom nor kernel so you have to wait for it.
As my previous phone was Galaxy S4 i can say the TouchWiz is complete trash and the Knox is another huge PITA for developers and for flashers.
There is even more bloat on S5 omg.
The only reason i accidentally bought Galaxy S4 was because it provided so many features which seemed like a good deal but they all were useless and drained battery.
The Z1 compact is the first phone after nokia 3310 i am totally satisfied with.

For exclusivity and quality go for Z1c OR Z3 Compact.

Z1 compact, much better.....

Lowmick said:
Hello everyone,
I am considering to buy Samsung S5 mini or Sony Xperia Z1 Compact. Z1C does have much better hw, but does it really make significant difference comparing S5 mini hardware for daily use (no games)? Battery life is also quite important for me as I would appreciate 2 days of use (day-night-day). I like design of S5 mini a bit more, but not saying, that Z1 Compact is ugly... Price in these days also plays for Sony.
Thanks for sharing any experiences
Lowmick
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The S5 Mini rocks an Exynos 3, for which open source is practically non-existant. If you're gonna be rocking custom ROMs, definitely get a Z1 Compact.

Z1c, best Phone i ever had battery ftw

rob rich said:
Z1c, best Phone i ever had battery ftw
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree totally!

Z1 compact
My answer wil be very clear: Z1 compact.
as you said, better specs, better Price, what do you want more?
Also it's almost identical to Sony's Z1, so, many options for modding and cross device roms that will work flawlessly.
And with the Z3 goodies coming, I presume very soon we will be having 4k and 120fps shooting as well as AR effects etcétera.

fritsprive said:
And with the Z3 goodies coming, I presume very soon we will be having 4k and 120fps shooting as well as AR effects etcétera.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We have 4K and 120fps and AR mod for a real long time .........
---------- Post added at 11:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:20 PM ----------
Lowmick said:
Hello everyone,
I am considering to buy Samsung S5 mini or Sony Xperia Z1 Compact. Z1C does have much better hw, but does it really make significant difference comparing S5 mini hardware for daily use (no games)? Battery life is also quite important for me as I would appreciate 2 days of use (day-night-day). I like design of S5 mini a bit more, but not saying, that Z1 Compact is ugly... Price in these days also plays for Sony.
Thanks for sharing any experiences
Lowmick
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
S5 mini and Z1c is almost same price here in HK now because Z3c is going to out next week in HK. I'll say Z1c is a much better choice overall with much faster CPU/GPU, 512MB more memory, 200mah more battery, much more mods available from big brother Z1 or Z1c board, MHL supported, 4K recording with mod, water protection.
S5 Mini on the other hand got 0.2" larger screen, IR blaster and more light weight. So, it really depends do you need the 0.2" screen and IR to remote your TV.
The previous of Sony design on Arc and Xperia S is much better without doubt but I found the Sony' s OmniBalance design is quite good on Z1 Compact, OmniBalance is very ugly on big phone like Z1/Z2 I've to admit it but it looks okay on a compact phone.

TheEndHK said:
We have 4K and 120fps and AR mod for a real long time .........
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you are right but I have also read that with 4.4.4 the mod doesn't work as well as with 4.4.2 for reason of the old libs from the Z2 that this mod is using. They are now working very hard with the Z3 fw download to improve this.
And yes we have AR effects, but the Z3 has much more of them with more fun etcétera.

Get the S5 Mini.. At least the camera works on the S5. My wife is about to throw her Z1C at the wall every time she tries to take a photo of the kids she misses the moment because the phone either freezes when activating the camera, or it takes a photo and hangs and doesn't record it, or reboots..
Fkin Sony do my head in.

cheetah2k said:
Get the S5 Mini.. At least the camera works on the S5. My wife is about to throw her Z1C at the wall every time she tries to take a photo of the kids she misses the moment because the phone either freezes when activating the camera, or it takes a photo and hangs and doesn't record it, or reboots..
Fkin Sony do my head in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Software issue and can be solved. Others have had the issue (even me when flashing other ROMs) and we're fixed through flashing the a new ROM through recovery or Sony's tool.
I'm sorry your wife's z1c is doing that but don't paint a picture that every z1c does this.

hol17 said:
Software issue and can be solved. Others have had the issue (even me when flashing other ROMs) and we're fixed through flashing the a new ROM through recovery or Sony's tool.
I'm sorry your wife's z1c is doing that but don't paint a picture that every z1c does this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Software issue that can be solved?? Why haven't sony solved it already???????????? LOL :laugh:
My wife has had 2 of these phones, the first the sound and vibration stopped working after a week and the camera did the same thing!!
Looking at the forums the camera issue is very common especially those on 4.4.4!!

Go for Z1 compact or if ur pocket allows go for z3 compacr.

cheetah2k said:
Get the S5 Mini.. At least the camera works on the S5. My wife is about to throw her Z1C at the wall every time she tries to take a photo of the kids she misses the moment because the phone either freezes when activating the camera, or it takes a photo and hangs and doesn't record it, or reboots..
Fkin Sony do my head in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
S5 camera works but not S5 mini, their cameras are totally different. Z1c focus speed is slow, really no good for taking photo for kids. Not sure about Z3c at this moment. Indeed, I believe HTC M8 got the fastest focus speed among android, good for your wife.

TheEndHK said:
S5 camera works but not S5 mini, their cameras are totally different. Z1c focus speed is slow, really no good for taking photo for kids. Not sure about Z3c at this moment. Indeed, I believe HTC M8 got the fastest focus speed among android, good for your wife.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The whole point of my wife wanting the Z1C is for a few reasons. Flagship specs, high pixel camera for the great photos Sony said it would take (I find the focus speed just fine - when it works), water resistant so it can handle the spills and thrills of being a parent with young kids, and being a compact similar size to iPhone 5S (we are an android family btw). For that its perfect - except for the god dam freezing!!
Regarding the HTC M8, sure great focus speed but seriously rubbish 4MP photos you cant even zoom into. I'm not really a HTC fan either after owning the M7 :good:

I had the freeze issue a number of time. But the phone just resolve itself, miss that moment, but kids being kids there are other moments. comparing results from the photos I got no qualms as it is much better then my previous phones. I bought this mainly for the battery and so far it does not dissapoints
Sent from my D5503 using Tapatalk

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=55272916&postcount=2604
If you guys got root, try flash this stuff in recovery. After that, my whole z1c including camera is faster. Remember to backup before flash.

rob rich said:
Z1c, best Phone i ever had battery ftw
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree with you!

I'm gonna buy this or Z3 Compact. Honest opinion?

Hello!
This Christmas I'mm gonna buy a new phone for myself. I'm really in love with Sony, and I also don't like more-than-5-inch displays, so the two options I'm considering are this phone (Z1 Compact) or the newer Z3 Compact.
The thing is, looking at specs, the biggest differences between them are a bit larger screen, a larger battery and the newer SD801 (in contrast with the SD800). I believe the camera sensor is the same, as is RAM, connectivity, etc.
I can buy the Z1 Compact from Amazon at 350€, or get it second-hand at 250-300€. However, the Z3 Compact I can get at Amazon for 460€, a bit less if I get it second-hand.
My question is: Is this difference in price worth it? Or would you recommend me to buy the Z1? (I think Sony confirmed that all "Z" family will upgrade to Lollipop, right?)

Go for the Z1C!
In my opinion the difference is minor, but the price is much higer.

Xavali7 said:
Hello!
This Christmas I'mm gonna buy a new phone for myself. I'm really in love with Sony, and I also don't like more-than-5-inch displays, so the two options I'm considering are this phone (Z1 Compact) or the newer Z3 Compact.
The thing is, looking at specs, the biggest differences between them are a bit larger screen, a larger battery and the newer SD801 (in contrast with the SD800). I believe the camera sensor is the same, as is RAM, connectivity, etc.
I can buy the Z1 Compact from Amazon at 350€, or get it second-hand at 250-300€. However, the Z3 Compact I can get at Amazon for 460€, a bit less if I get it second-hand.
My question is: Is this difference in price worth it? Or would you recommend me to buy the Z1? (I think Sony confirmed that all "Z" family will upgrade to Lollipop, right?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think this is something you only know the answer for, here is a detailed video that explains the differences between the two devices :
Though, if I were you, I'd go for Z3 Compact as a device (even after looking to the price)
but, if I wan't to chose in terms of software, I think I'd go with Z1 Compact
cuz I believe not many users that already have Z1c (like me) would wonna switch to the almost the same Z3c!
which means no devs are gonna be there as well
So as I said, your personal needs control what decision you should make
Regards,
Omar.

Z1c. As previously stated not much difference (bigger display, faster CPU, 4k video) but much higher price.
Best regards,
Coempi

as z1c owner, i would pay the difference for z3c.
the display size and dual speakers win it for me as major improvements in my eyes.
huge downside z3c cant be rooted with locked bootloader, you must unlock BL to root :/

i would go for the z3 compact if i never bought my z1 compact because of the ps4 remote play and daulshock 4 compatibility

If money is not a problem, go for Z3c all the way.
But if you consider the extra money Z3c asks for, then by buying the Z1c you won't feel really bad, the differences are minor in my opinion. Of course a bigger screen in the same body and a bigger battery would be welcome, but I don't think they are important enough to justify the price difference.

Buy the Z3c . It's better than the Z1c, but that does not mean the z1c is bad.

I think the z3c is worth the cost of the upgrade, but as a z1c owner I will not upgrade unless sony changes their policy on unlocking wrt DRM keys, or someone finds an exploit. Root isn't optional for me, but I'm not willing to tank my camera performance to get it, so I'm sticking with my z1c until something comes along in this form factor that is better and also non-destructively root-able.

Z1 compact owner here:
If you already have a Z1c = don't get the Z3c
If you don't already have a Z1c = get the Z3c
Quite simple brah

there is 2 issues with the camera on z1 compact.
1) LED bled, and black marker made it ugly on my white phone.
2) My camera freeze once in a while. And recently, it freeze when i try to take consecutive shots. (First shot ok, 2nd shot freeze)
Get the z3. And z3 has double tap to wake. I doubt ps4 game would look nice on such small screen though.

Thank you! I'm more decided now on buying the Z1C!
Honestly, I don't need the PS4 Remote Play function (don't own one, to begin with). Also, losing the DRM keys and general camera functionality when rooting is a real bummer.
I watched the video Omar posted, very helpful! Also, the Z1C will get 5.0 Lollipop in this coming year, as is all the Xperia Z family, right?

Xavali7 said:
Thank you! I'm more decided now on buying the Z1C!
Honestly, I don't need the PS4 Remote Play function (don't own one, to begin with). Also, losing the DRM keys and general camera functionality when rooting is a real bummer.
I watched the video Omar posted, very helpful! Also, the Z1C will get 5.0 Lollipop in this coming year, as is all the Xperia Z family, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes don't worry Sony has promised to bring official Lolipop to Z1 Compact alongside with the rest of Z family (in next the February or so)
also, Z1 Compact will get official Lolipop support from many AOSP-Based ROMs, as soon as CyanogenMod team do so
As I mentioned no worries about software for Z1C, it should get more custom support than Z3C ever will
Regards,
Omar.

Not a worthy phone to buy for Rs.15,000 more
Me too was confused between z1c and z3c
But after a lot of searching and review,i decided to go for z1c
I could go for z3c if sony priced it less.
The sales man tried to convinced me to buy z3c,then i convinced him
Go for the white version gud luck

The main problem now is z3c needs unlock BL to get root so you will loss warranty and some of Sony features. If you need root or want to backup your TA before unlock BL, Z1c is more recommended.
There are many good stuffs on z3c like better battery life(bcoz of s801), a bit bigger screen, dual front speaker and 4K recording w/ video stabilization(our 4K mod no stabilization), a bit better camera focus and more light weight.
But z1c is really good for its lower price and the looking is better because of metal bumper it looks like more a premium design and I think the LED notification is also better on z1c.