Sony XPERIA Z, woah!

ukbondraider said:

Glass or metal are the only materials I look for. Cheapass plastic or polycarbonate is a no no. Hell even the plastic edges/skeleton of the Z nearly put me off the Z but in the Android world there is no alternative.

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I hate glass backed phones. They make the phone heavy, slippery, and are prone to cracks. I strongly prefer plastic of any sort over glass. That's just me.

So a pretty reputable XDA forum member named Spectre51 is stating that AT&T will not be offering the ZL. However it can be purchased unlocked of course from other sources and it will operate on AT&T's LTE network. FYI.

Yeah, I've really had enough of glass back phones.

It was honestly such a relief going from the 4S to the Galaxy Nexus and having a simply durable phone. Now I have the Nexus 4 and it's back to having to be careful when setting it down on hard surfaces, or being careful when I stand up at my desk where sometimes the device is in my pocket and accidentally bangs into the desk's edge, etc. It's not fun.

onthecouchagain said:

Yeah, I've really had enough of glass back phones.

It was honestly such a relief going from the 4S to the Galaxy Nexus and having a simply durable phone. Now I have the Nexus 4 and it's back to having to be careful when setting it down on hard surfaces, or being careful when I stand up at my desk where sometimes the device is in my pocket and accidentally bangs into the desk's edge, etc. It's not fun.

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That is why in Canada, I may pick up the ZL as that is the only variant which will be sold here, at least initially.

http://www.stuff.tv/review/sony-xperia-z

First review in.

Sony Xperia Z verdict
It’s no mean feat to take on the Galaxy S3 (and Nexus 4) and live to tell the tale but the Xperia Z has stolen our top spot away from Samsung in style. Not only does it make Samsung’s flagship look like a cheap toy with its tempered glass build and thoughtful design details, the Xperia Z also ups the ante with serious specs: a pin-sharp 5in 1080p screen, 4G, a quad-core Snapdragon brain and Jelly Bean 4.2 due just after launch. Sure, you may not feel the full benefit of those stonking figures right now, but you will have a lightning-fast, future-proof beast of a handset.

Camera crop comparison.


The originals can be seen here.
Nexus 4
Xperia Z

The phone is blisteringly fast. It doesn't feel slower than my Nexus 4, and in most cases felt faster. Surprising as it's pushing way more pixels.

The model that Three will be selling is the C6603, this includes the necessary bands for LTE in the UK when the various networks deploy it.

Comparison images with a Nexus 4 here and also the fingerprint magnet that is the back of the phone.








Of note I believe the actual retail models will have a different display to that of the one that I've been playing with.
This video shows a black background for the on screen keys
Unboxing Xperia Z
Whereas the unit I used shows a much lighter grey. There was no way to change the display contrast or any other configuration settings for that matter.

The viewing angles were excellent though, so I'm not too sure why we are seeing differences at all.

It's a shame as people looking in store will see a display that 'looks' worse than say the Galaxy S3 and be put off.

Hats off to Three in the Highcross for putting up with the barrage of questions I had.

Hopefully this helps some of you make a more informed decision.

strausd said:

Galaxy S4. Samsung marketed the S3 like crazy, I expect the S4 to be no different. And marketing is what gets many consumers.

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Yes indeed Apple proved via marketing & master salesman Jobs, that how a product is named, marketed & sold can be extremely influential.

Having lost much of its luster in recent years, Sony's not dead yet. Recently restructured internally with little attention paid by the blogosphere, the public may be in for quite a nice surprise. Time will tell.

maxosx said:

Yes indeed Apple proved via marketing & master salesman Jobs, that how a product is named, marketed & sold can be extremely influential.

Having lost much of its luster in recent years, Sony's not dead yet. Recently restructured internally with little attention paid by the blogosphere, the public may be in for quite a nice surprise. Time will tell.

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I too think Sony has a decent shot. Despite taking a pounding (like Panasonic) in their televison division, they are still a very diversified company. HTC on the other hand? Other than their phones (of which they sell marginally less than Sony surprisingly), they have nothing else. I can see HTC being a takeover target (Microsoft?).

One question for you people. Apart from dealing with your carrier (which I do not want to do), if you have problems with your phone do you end up sending it to Sony for warranty repair?

I really wish that Sony would duplicate the experience of the Apple stores, being able to take your phone to their B&M stores and, more often than not, get another one which has been, cosmetically at least, superbly refurbished.

Peterg2 said:

I too think Sony has a decent shot. Despite taking a pounding (like Panasonic) in their televison division, they are still a very diversified company. HTC on the other hand? Other than their phones (of which they sell marginally less than Sony surprisingly), they have nothing else. I can see HTC being a takeover target (Microsoft?).

One question for you people. Apart from dealing with your carrier (which I do not want to do), if you have problems with your phone do you end up sending it to Sony for warranty repair?

I really wish that Sony would duplicate the experience of the Apple stores, being able to take your phone to their B&M stores and, more often than not, get another one which has been, cosmetically at least, superbly refurbished.

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Sony used to have a beautiful, large store in San Francisco. Called Sony Style, they had all their computer & consumer electronics there. Always busy, I myself bought quite a bit from them. A few VAIO laptops which at that time were very well done, they held up well.

I have no idea why the store was closed after a few years.

As far as service goes I've sent in one phone & one mini disc player into their Los Angeles repair facility. Both were repaired within 72 hours and returned free of charge. I've been impressed & completely satisfied.

maxosx said:

Sony used to have a beautiful, large store in San Francisco. Called Sony Style, they had all their computer & consumer electronics there. Always busy, I myself bought quite a bit from them. A few VAIO laptops which at that time were very well done, they held up well.

I have no idea why the store was closed after a few years.

As far as service goes I've sent in one phone & one mini disc player into their Los Angeles repair facility. Both were repaired within 72 hours and returned free of charge. I've been impressed & completely satisfied.

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Thanks very much for the reply. After your post I gave a call to the local Sony Store and they told me that when a customer brings a phone in they send it overnight to Sony Mobile in Toronto. Hopefully the service offered here is equivalent.

Never had an Xperia phone before are they generally any good ?

I'm struggling with a decision to buy a Xperia Z or a Blackberry z10. I like both devices aesthetically, but must say I'm a little concerned with the ports on the Sony handset. I'd fear the little rubber breaks and the slot cover gets damaged or falls off.

Looks like a solid phone aside from the washed out looking display. Despite having last years processor this phone should hold up well for a while. I have yet to experience a single hiccup with my Nexus 4. Software has yet to completely saturate dual core. Tegra 3 and especially the S4 pro should last quite a while.

MacRumorUser said:

Never had an Xperia phone before are they generally any good ?

I'm struggling with a decision to buy a Xperia Z or a Blackberry z10. I like both devices aesthetically, but must say I'm a little concerned with the ports on the Sony handset. I'd fear the little rubber breaks and the slot cover gets damaged or falls off.

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Looking at the ports in one of the photos in the stuff.tv report, they do appear to be quite secure compared to so many other similar style flaps which definitely have looked fragile to me in use.

However, if you look here in an actual user review:

http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/com...ma/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

One question asked was:

"The flappy covers covering the microUSB/3.5mm ports... wont they get annoying and break easily?"

and the user responded with:

"From what I can tell they seem pretty securely attached and they're easy to open so they haven't been an annoyance to me."

Peterg2 said:

Looking at the ports in one of the photos in the stuff.tv report, they do appear to be quite secure compared to so many other similar style flaps which definitely have looked fragile to me in use.

However, if you look here in an actual user review:

http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/com...ma/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

One question asked was:

"The flappy covers covering the microUSB/3.5mm ports... wont they get annoying and break easily?"

and the user responded with:

"From what I can tell they seem pretty securely attached and they're easy to open so they haven't been an annoyance to me."

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Yeah it's a worry to me and before I purchase or don't purchase an Xperia Z I think i'll to have to go hands on before I can make the decision, which is easier said than done when you live in a rural area and do most purchasing online...

I've seen a couple of videos now of them struggling to open the ports. Most wouldn't be an issue but the headphone port and more-over the charging port could be troublesome. Especially if charging it every day like normal smart phones.

The free NFC wireless speaker is a nice bonus if I buy one though...

Decisions decisions decisions..

MacRumorUser said:

Yeah it's a worry to me and before I purchase or don't purchase an Xperia Z I think i'll to have to go hands on before I can make the decision, which is easier said than done when you live in a rural area and do most purchasing online...

I've seen a couple of videos now of them struggling to open the ports. Most wouldn't be an issue but the headphone port and more-over the charging port could be troublesome. Especially if charging it every day like normal smart phones.

The free NFC wireless speaker is a nice bonus if I buy one though...

Decisions decisions decisions..

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I can appreciate your concern. Looking at the video in the reddit.com link above, at the two minute mark he opens up one of the ports and it does not seem too bad. However, if you bite your nails it could be problematic

Here is the video link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aUxKcCAxm8&feature=player_embedded

As for myself, a 1.0 OS concerns me re BB10 and with quite possibly/probably the worst selection (in terms of quality) of apps of any of the 4 OSs. However, YMMV, and I would suggest hanging out in crackberry.com and read a lot of the posts. Despite there being a lot of fanboyism/fanaticism, there are some very honest posts from some long-time BB users.

Peterg2 said:

As for myself, a 1.0 OS concerns me re BB10 and with quite possibly/probably the worst selection (in terms of quality) of apps of any of the 4 OSs. However, YMMV, and I would suggest hanging out in crackberry.com and read a lot of the posts. Despite there being a lot of fanboyism/fanaticism, there are some very honest posts from some long-time BB users.

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Yeah thats exactly those concerns I have in regards to BB10 too. Love the hardware and Os, but applications are a big concern.

Bit the bullet and pre-ordered the white version from Expansys.ie (less noticeable finger prints than the black back) and it comes with the nfc wireless speakers. €650

Been watching a total **** load of videos and really like Sony's take on Jellybean and the music, camera apps look great. And I do have a music unlimited account so that's a plus too (the iPhone version is terrible).

Though if something comes out or gets announced in the next few weeks I may get second thoughts.


The lack of BB10 apps was what swung my decision towards the Xperia, and I'll buy the Sony SGH20 NFC wireless headphones when available so I can void using the headphone port.

MacRumorUser said:

Bit the bullet and pre-ordered the white version from Expansys.ie (less noticeable finger prints than the black back) and it comes with the nfc wireless speakers. €650

Been watching a total **** load of videos and really like Sony's take on Jellybean and the music, camera apps look great. And I do have a music unlimited account so that's a plus too (the iPhone version is terrible).

Though if something comes out or gets announced in the next few weeks I may get second thoughts.


The lack of BB10 apps was what swung my decision towards the Xperia, and I'll buy the Sony SGH20 NFC wireless headphones when available so I can void using the headphone port.

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Congrats MacrumorUser. That phone really appeals to me a lot.

The only other possible temptation coming up in the next few weeks is the HTC M7/One, which in all probability will be announced on February 19.

That said, what I have seen about the M7 is not quite as compelling as the Xperia Z/ZL (Canada is getting the latter).

I can't believe there is, so far, no plans for the Sony Xperia Z to make it stateside with LTE. It's a stunning looking phone with specs to match.

What a damn shame. I'm still hoping it'll find its way here.

onthecouchagain said:

I can't believe there is, so far, no plans for the Sony Xperia Z to make it stateside with LTE. It's a stunning looking phone with specs to match.

What a damn shame. I'm still hoping it'll find its way here.

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I assume you were looking here (or elsewhere). In any event, for others interested here is a good thread on it:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2128586

I gave this a very cursory glance and it seems that you will be able to buy the Xperia ZL outright from Sony and outlets and that will support LTE.

Yes, the back is definitely not as pretty as the Z but it will also not be a fingerprint magnet. It will be slightly thicker but due to a small bezel, it will be less wide and less tall than the Z.

Peterg2 said:

Congrats MacrumorUser. That phone really appeals to me a lot.

The only other possible temptation coming up in the next few weeks is the HTC M7/One, which in all probability will be announced on February 19.

That said, what I have seen about the M7 is not quite as compelling as the Xperia Z/ZL (Canada is getting the latter).

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Yeah I've had a HTC Sensation & HTC One X - I really like HTC design aesthetics - but I really HATE HTC software rollouts and terrible battery life.

Even if they address the battery and update sense, I know how irksome it is waiting months after an important software update to get your update, and they never sorted out new version of HTC sync for the mac.

The one X was the phone I got rid of and traded it for a brand new HTC 8X and it too pained me in regards to software rollout of the portico update. I just never got it...

So even if the M7 is announced, I'm happy to pass on HTC this gen. And I'm not a fan of Samsung phones tbh or Touchwiz / Samsung's applications & bloatware.

The OS on the Xperia Z looks like they've done the right thing. Enhanced the areas googles stock is a bit barren but kept it from filling up on tons of horrible bloatware (Samsung is brutally guilty of that) ...

Music and Photos apps look great and the Camera Apps smart setting feature looks class





When it arrives I'll post photos and a little user review

Peterg2 said:

I assume you were looking here (or elsewhere). In any event, for others interested here is a good thread on it:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2128586

I gave this a very cursory glance and it seems that you will be able to buy the Xperia ZL outright from Sony and outlets and that will support LTE.

Yes, the back is definitely not as pretty as the Z but it will also not be a fingerprint magnet. It will be slightly thicker but due to a small bezel, it will be less wide and less tall than the Z.

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But the white Xperia Z... :'(

onthecouchagain said:

I can't believe there is, so far, no plans for the Sony Xperia Z to make it stateside with LTE. It's a stunning looking phone with specs to match.

What a damn shame. I'm still hoping it'll find its way here.

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Is the ZL version coming out stateside?

I guess it doesn't matter in Ireland as we have NO LTE service and its only planned to rollout some vague 2014 estimate....

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onthecouchagain said:

But the white Xperia Z... :'(

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Yeah the whites lovely

MacRumorUser said:

Is the ZL version coming out stateside?

snip

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Yes, it is coming from the Sony US store:

http://www.sonymobile.com/us/products/phones/

Such a classy looking phone. Based on looks I'd put it on par with the Nexus 4 and iPhone 5.