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jamezr

macrumors P6
Aug 7, 2011
15,833
18,376
US
I just bought a Z3. Pretty pleased with it myself.
Awesome! Congrats on the new phone! Have you had a chance to test the camera? I have read so many conflicting reviews about the consistency of the pictures taken with the camera. What are your thoughts?
 

adder7712

macrumors 68000
Mar 9, 2009
1,923
1
Canada
Awesome! Congrats on the new phone! Have you had a chance to test the camera? I have read so many conflicting reviews about the consistency of the pictures taken with the camera. What are your thoughts?

I've taken only indoor shots as outside's pretty hazy. The camera's fine, I have no problems with it.

Low light is definitely better than my old S III. I'll wait for better weather conditions before I take it out to th e field. :)
 
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Wiesenlooser

macrumors 6502a
Jul 9, 2010
983
1,540
Tested it in-store. I have to say, the Design ist actually pretty good. It is the closest you can get to an iPhone on Android in terms of fit and finish and sleekness.

However, the screen just cannot live up to the iPhone 6 or 6 plus. Even though it is higher res than the standard 6, it does not seem as crisp. And it is not as bright aswell. I think that iphone 6 polarizer really does some magic. It actually makes the screen look better, when you dim it, making it appear almost like a sticker.

Other than that, it feels great in the hand. I am not a fan of the android version though... just felt weird.Also, Sonys icons seem to be all over the place.
 

IFRIT

macrumors 6502a
Oct 15, 2012
840
137
Prices are already dropping here in the UK

Z3 Compact for £320
Z3 £420

Seriously tempted.
 

apolloa

Suspended
Original poster
Oct 21, 2008
12,318
7,802
Time, because it rules EVERYTHING!
Well, following the Nexus 9 and iPad launched this week, I STILL want the new Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact.

I'm in the UK and will get it as a Christmas present from John Lewis as they have great customer service and offer 2 year warranty on all tablets.

But if anyone else in the UK want to pre-order the tablet now, the Sony website and stores have a special offer where you can get £30 cash back when you buy the tablet and the case which you pay 1 pence for, it runs out November 3rd:

http://www.sony.co.uk/buy/sgp611-sgp612-sgp621?sku=SGP611GB-W.CEK
 

Ffosse

macrumors 68000
Nov 5, 2012
1,827
652
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Went out for groceries on Thursday, came back with a green Z3 Compact.

Coming from a Moto G and iPhone 5, I absolutely love it - fast, waterproof, the right size and with a phenomenal battery life. Bought it sim-free and unlocked.
 

Savor

Suspended
Jun 18, 2010
3,742
918
Also, Sonys icons seem to be all over the place.
Yeah, don't like Sony's icons which doesn't match the default Android apps. I hope they can totally revamp their skin and make icons all match. If I did get a Z3 or Z3C , I would just download the Meego icons pack from the old Nokia N9 days.

I am seriously tempted in either Z3 or Z3C. I like the design and extra 1 GB RAM of the former better but the price and battery life is better on the latter. I am starting to hate my HTC One (M7) as days go by. Yesterday, I saw the micro-USB charging slot on the bottom starting to crack. The plastic is creating this chin and cracking because my charger can get very hot. I put up with the 2013 smartphone of the year like purple photos, average batt life (4-5 hr SOT), 3x slower WiFi connecting than my Xiaomi, and the OVERHEATING which probably is causing the deformality of the bottom. But this thing might need to be sold for something like a Z3. HTC is my 2nd fav mobile company behind only Google but now I see them dropping below Sony and Xiaomi at #4. Even my Nexus One had several little issues that I had to put up for so long.
 

JunBringer

macrumors regular
Oct 7, 2014
118
27
Well, following the Nexus 9 and iPad launched this week, I STILL want the new Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact.

I'm with you there. It seems like they're only putting out the LTE version in 16GB which is BS though.
 

Savor

Suspended
Jun 18, 2010
3,742
918
My only possible issues with the Z3 series are -

- Price. Yeah the Z3C is near that $400 mark or under, but we've been spoiled by the LOW RISK / HIGH REWARD products offered by Chinese brands, Asus, Nokia, and Motorola. Still $400 for a Z3C is REASONABLE enough for a more popular and familiar global brand like Sony which are known to overprice their phones anyway.

- Glass rear which can make both slippery. This can be remedied by a screen protector but I plan to take it swimming alot and hope it doesn't create bubbles.

- Flaps. Much better now but still a bit annoying. At least the open headphone jack is water-proof.

- Still half-year old Snapdragon 801 when the rumored successor will skip the 805 and go directly to 810. While Sony might ditch the biannual flagships, the Z4 successor announcement could be by CES or MWC which is less than five months away.

But by selling the HTC One (M7), it completely remedies a few things while still maintaining the quality of the M7's best strengths.

- M7's design might still be more appealing to my eyes, but the Z3's rounded edges should be more forgiving to my hands. Z3 might still be the best-looking phone Sony has ever made even if it is generally a rehash of previous Z flagships.

- M7's display was great and I'm hoping the Z3 is just as good. I don't expect the Z3C with its 720p to be as good or as sharp as either.

- M7's sound quality was great internally and externally and the Z3 should maintain that quality with its dual front speakers and even surpass M7's internal audio as Sony being the geniuses behind Walkman.

- Camera. Sony DESTROYS HTC in this area in most cases perhaps Desire EYE included.

- Battery life. Sony is destroying everybody in this area with the Z3 series.

I will miss the default HTC Sense icons and BlinkFeed but a Meego icons pack and Flipboard shortcut are good enough alternatives. I might lose the M7's louder reception quality, Sense being so slick, and the beautiful design with glacial silver resistant to smudges.

Exchanging it for a better SoC, 2-3x longer battery, 2-3x faster Wi-Fi connecting, water/dust resistance, far superior camera, expandable memory slot, excellent sound quality, rounded edges, gaining double tap to wake, no carrier bloat, and PS4 Remote Play should all be worthy tradeoffs.
 

Ffosse

macrumors 68000
Nov 5, 2012
1,827
652
I love mine, and it was just an impulse purchase when I was in the store - if it hadn't been sim-free and unlocked I don't think I would have got it, but it's the best android I've ever owned.

My iPhone is just a beater/backup now.
 

Savor

Suspended
Jun 18, 2010
3,742
918
Sony Xperia Z3/Z3C is like my favorite 2014 phone I don't own. I haven't actually seem any of them yet in person but I watched several videos of them. Both conveys everything I want in a smartphone like good design, fast, good camera, and great battery life.

The only knock from Sony is price as most Chinese brands and Asus have undercut them and match them in quality which affected several major players like Samsung, Sony, LG, HTC, Motorola, and Nokia. Its in this price war that Sony can't compete in. Even their midrange ones like the M2 are underpowered and overpriced vs the likes of Xiaomi and Asus' mid entries. Still coming from a more reputable brand like Sony, Z3/Z3C is one of the best out there. Maybe even #1, overall.

My only other knock on the Z3 themselves is Sony should DITCH the glass rear for the Z4. I watched Taylor Martin's Z3C review and Josh Vergara's Z3 review as well as PhoneDog's. Dust resistance? Yeah, right! Look at the rear! So quick to make a shiny, beautiful phone look so ugly. And the tiny gaps from the screen to bezel similarly found on the Note 4. Many reviewers also find it very slippery. I will probably wait on the Z4 next year. I only average about one new phone every year and usually won't experience the latest Android until the following year anyway.

But if I could sell my HTC One M7 which has a useless, purple-tinted rear cam at night and a mediocre "HALF DAY" (4-5 hr SOT) battery life, Sony Xperia Z3 Compact or OnePlus One would be my Top 2 draft picks. I want it FAST, CHEAP, and GREAT BATTERY STAMINA. And according to several sites, Z3C & 1+1 have that and under that $400 price range. Until then (by CES or MWC in four months), I will be waiting for the Z4 Compact with Snapdragon 810 and a better rear.
 
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Savor

Suspended
Jun 18, 2010
3,742
918
Sony should go matte plastic or soft touch/rubberized plastic in their next flagship. Something similar to the polycarbonate found on Lumias, last year's Moto X (woven black), Nexus 5 and 7, or Sony's very own Xperia ZL and ZR. I even like the designs of the Xperia S, P, and Acro S from 2012. Apple has NEVER given iPhones a practical rear side. Metal dents, scrapes, or heats up more. Glass shatters and cracks. Glossy plastic feels cheap and attracts smudges. I realized matte PLASTIC esp in silver hides smudges the best and soft touch (ala Nexus 5) feels the best.

I think iPhone 4/4s had the best design ever among iPhones and among all-glass designs. I like the one-tone look. But they're crack-prone and slippery. I wished Sony and Huawei can ditch the all-glass altogether. Nexus 4 didn't hold up well using a glass rear. I still find the Xperia Z3 to be a better design than iPhone 6. And Sony corrected the sharp sides with rounder ones. It probably is among the Top 3 best-looking devices of 2014 perhaps only rivaled by HTC One M8 and Huawei Ascend P7. But since the Xperia Z lineup is meant to swim, it needs a more practical material for the outdoors that isn't slippery to drop....
 

adder7712

macrumors 68000
Mar 9, 2009
1,923
1
Canada
After 24 hours of use, I noticed a few scratches on the rear glass.

I already bought a case for it now. Guess Sony should forgo the glass back.
 
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