Sony Xperia Z questions

kozak

Hello

Thinking about buying Sony Xperia Z, amazon price £357.17. Now have Sony Xperia S (PAYG Meteor), nice phone, but its time to get something better! Questions to Xperia Z owners :

1) how is battery life?
2) is GPS reasonably accurate
3) Is camera as good as advertised?
4) Spec reads TV-out (via MHL A/V link). Xperia S has HDMI TV-out. What is the difference?
5) Looks like aluminium body, is it right?
6) Any issues?

Open to suggestions for other PAYG Android mobiles, budget around 400 eur. Important points are battery life, TV-out, decent camera, GPS. Removable battery would be great, Xperia Z has built-in battery.

Thanks

Sony Xperia Z, amazon price £357.17
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-Xperia-SIM-free-Android-Smartphone/dp/B00AXXOXJI/ref=sr_1_5?m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1384262021&sr=1-5

Baron Kurtz

kozak wrote: »

Hello

Thinking about buying Sony Xperia Z, amazon price £357.17. Now have Sony Xperia S (PAYG Meteor), nice phone, but its time to get something better! Questions to Xperia Z owners :

1) how is battery life?
2) is GPS reasonably accurate
3) Is camera as good as advertised?
4) Spec reads TV-out (via MHL A/V link). Xperia S has HDMI TV-out. What is the difference?
5) Looks like aluminium body, is it right?
6) Any issues?

Open to suggestions for other PAYG Android mobiles, budget around 400 eur. Important points are battery life, TV-out, decent camera, GPS.

Thanks

Sony Xperia Z, amazon price £357.17
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-Xperia-SIM-free-Android-Smartphone/dp/B00AXXOXJI/ref=sr_1_5?m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1384262021&sr=1-5

I had this phone for a few months. I was pretty impressed with it and was quite fond of it on the whole, but like most smartphones battery life was always found wanting - in particular this handset.

To try and offer my opinion with regard to some of your questions, as already mentioned I felt at least two charges a day was necessary to keep it at a sustainable level. As it doesn't have a removable battery this could prove troublesome.

It's facade is made out of glass, not aluminium. Imo it's the nicest looking smartphone I've owned.

It did suffer from some lagging every so often (just something I found with Sony phones) but nothing to cause concern.

The camera was excellent, picture clarity was crisp and clean. I doubt many other smartphones could eclipse the standard of photos this produced.

Maybe you should try Adverts to purchase this phone as to me that seems a bit pricey especially as the Z1 is out.

I had no major issues in its functionality apart from the ailing battery.

GPS was accurate.

I would recommend overall, for looks, excellent camera and a pretty swift processor.

Ballyv24

I have the Xperia Z with a few months and I am happy enough with it.

It is a lovely looking phone. The 2 things that are disappointing are the Camera and the Battery.

Camera: There are a lot of different settings that would probably suit every situation, but I don't want to have to adjust settings to take a picture. The auto mode is not as good as it should be. It can take some really good pictures, but not all the time.

Battery: My battery is now comfortably lasting all day, but when I got the phone first and was using it a lot, then it would not last all day.

I'd agree with the previous post that you should look for the phone on Adverts for a better price

kozak

Thanks for prompt reply.
A bit wary about buying mobile from adverts, 1 year guarantee worth paying some extra.

Have you tried TV-out (via MHL A/V link)? Xperia S has HDMI TV-out, works great ! What is the difference?

120_Minutes

I went from an S to a Z, i'd echo the sentiments of the other posters, and like all smartphones the battery is crap if you're a heavy user, but on the other hand the standbytime is excellent, especially if you tweak stamina mode to your taste.

Case in point: if my phone is 100% at 8am and i use it heavily it will need to be charged before 6 pm, if i use it moderately it will be at about 50% and lightly even better.

I find though, if it got to 10 or 15% at 8 pm and i didnt charge it, it would only lose a couple of percent overnight.

kozak

Thanks for your replies.
Battery life is a bit of concern.

Any suggestions for similar Android phone with removable battery, screen at least 4.6” TV-out, decent camera, GPS for around 400 eur?

Baron Kurtz

kozak wrote: »

Thanks for your replies.
Battery life is a bit of concern.

Any suggestions for similar Android phone with removable battery, screen at least 4.6” TV-out, decent camera, GPS for around 400 eur?

Nexus 5. There's a thread on here about it, if you do a quick search.

The S3 or S4 is also an option, but for 400 the former would be the one you could acquire for that cash, with a bit of change.

kozak

Nexus 5 has Non-removable battery.
http://www.gsmarena.com/lg_nexus_5-5705.php

How is S4 camera compares to Xperia Z1 ?

Baron Kurtz

kozak wrote: »

Nexus 5 has Non-removable battery.
http://www.gsmarena.com/lg_nexus_5-5705.php

How is S4 camera compares to Xperia Z1 ?

I'm not sure about the Z1 hands on, but regarding the Z and S4 (I've both owned, although I'm not someone that's all about the camera) I don't see any difference between the two. Others more knowledgeable in this aspect might be able to clarify which one you should plum for if the camera is an important feature for you.