The Sony Xperia Thread

flazio

The hardware for FM radios hasn't been on Sony phones since the Z range. Once the XZ range stopped putting headphone jacks on the devices, there was no means of putting an FM antenna on the device. Although the current 1,5 and 10 ranges put it back. The hardware wasn't put back.

enough_about_me

Ah, thanks for that reply, I didn't expect to read that it isn't in the hardware. Some regions must have it though, or maybe GSM Arena is wrong.

I can't post links yet, so I've had to truncate these at the start: GSM Arena says both 10 iii and 10 iv have FM radio region dependent...

gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_10_iii-10698.php

gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_10_iv-11522.php

... so I expected that the functionality was built in (to one of the Qualcomm 6350 / 6375 chipset's LTE modems) and just not enabled in Ireland / EU by default. Since the 10 iii and 10 iv have headphone jacks I expect that the headphones would act as antannae if either had FM radio.

Do you reckon GMS Arena have made a small mistake there? It would be a pity if they did :-(

youcancallmeal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119184329#Comment_119184329

No mistake, the FM functionality is limited to certain regions like Japan. Only way to get it on a device bought in the EU would be to flash firmware from a region that has it. There is a lot of downsides to doing that though

Caranica

I have a 10 and a 10ii. The original 10 has a FM radio, the 10ii doesn't. Both have headphone jacks. The ii was advertised as having a radio on Amazon Spain (where I bought it) but it definitely doesn't so not expecting it on the iii.

flazio

New product launch on September 1st. Likely to be the Xperia 5 iv.

Not holding much hope it's going to be marketed to Irish consumers. Only "Very" are carrying any Sony phones and they are way over RRP. Not available on any carrier contracts.

https://m.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_5_iv_launching_on_september_1-news-55527.php

flazio

Well, the end of the Vodafone contract that saw me get the Xperia 5ii on upgrade is coming up next month, and although Vodafone did offer me an early upgrade a month ago I haven't bitten yet as 1, probably better to go monthly rolling and buy the phone unlocked at retail and 2, I thought I'd hold out for a while and see if the 5iv becomes available without importing from the continent. Obviously the UK is out because of the Boris Brexit Bonus Customs charges for everything coming from there. But in general, not only are Sony phones harder to buy, it's near impossible to get accessories such as cases for them as companies have stopped making them. Early on in my 5II ownership I managed to drop my phone from toilet bowl height to a hard floor and crack the screen, took over a month and €250 to get repaired as both a repair shop and the replacement part were hard to find. It was wearing the official Sony phone cover which consists of a sheet of plastic covering the back, holding on at the 4 corners. That's it. Thankfully Spigen had a much more rugged rubber cover available which the phone went straight into once repairs were completed.

It's not looking good for Sony availability. None of the carriers offered the Mark IIIs. Go to the Sony website on Irish location setting and under mobile there's nothing except a link that brings you to the UK site for the mark iv range. It's a shame because I've been using the range since the last Ericsson collaboration, the Xperia S (branded as Sony alone but still had plenty of Ericsson touches). You'd think that now chargers aren't bundled anymore, the fact the manufacturers don't have to worry about how many 3 pin UK / Ireland or a continental 2 pin plug packs they have to make would make them easier to introduce back into smaller markets.

The over €1000 RRP is also putting me off. Had a network offered the phone in or around €500 on a €40pm contract for 24 months I'd consider it but 1K is a threshold I don't want to cross.

I'm not in a huge hurry to change, the 5ii is working pretty well, but once Android 13 becomes more widespread (doesn't look like the 5ii is getting that upgrade but who knows) then it looks like Pixel is about to get a new customer next year.

flazio

Looking at the sites and I spotted that Harvey Norman and Refurbbed.ie are selling the mark iv ranges. At €1040 for the 5iv you'd want to be some dedicated idiot to pick this over phones like the Pixel and the like. <sheepishly raises hand>

flazio

So, an update none of you asked for but here it comes anyway. Set on buying the Xperia 5iv and narrowed it down to refurbbed.ie and Harvey Norman who had a phone online each for around €1040. However refurb had the price including delivery and HN didn't and it pushed the price up to over €1050 so refurb wins, also bought the same style of Spigen case as what I have on the 5ii because it has definitely saved that phone on occasion of some hard knocks. PayPal done, phone ordered, happy out. Only when the German company refurb were using sent an invoice on Monday morning (phone ordered previous Friday) did I spot my error. It wasn't a 5iv I had just ordered, it was the 1iv. Now ordinarily you might think this would be like getting a pixel pro for the standard Pixel price, happy accident but the size of the 5 series suits me better than the 1 so I have reluctantly sent it back.

Waiting for the refund to PayPal then it's hopefully over to HN.

flazio

New phone announcement on the 11th of May.

Not so subtle hint it's going to be the Xperia 1 V.

https://twitter.com/sonyxperia/status/1651497401071419395?t=P6tx5tgp8pEs5wUU5t8-Ww&s=19

billbond4

Saw Low light camera samples with the new senor, looks to be a very good improvement

But its a pity they didnt introduce the matrix camera for selfies, maybe that will be added to the 5V

flazio

The 10V finally brings in stereo speakers, but lacks a fast refresh rate.

Tough market but looks to have good specs.

https://www.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_10_v_in_for_review-news-58529.php

moonboy52

Hello Xperia owners.

Thinking about picking up a 10 V to replace a Pixel 3aXL. (it is 309 on Amazon UK at the minute)

Does anyone know if Vodafone supports VoLTE.

From a search another user on Boards stated "WiFi Calling and VoLTE need to use operator specific servers called IMS (IP Multimedia Service)"

As no operator sells the Xperia 10V here from what i can see, my guess it will not be supported?

flazio

I had the Xperia 5ii on Vodafone and I got WiFi calling just fine. I've since migrated to 48 with an Xperia 5iv and it's a no go there. I think that's more on 48s side then Sony

Harvey Norman stock Sony phones as far as I know.

moonboy52

Thank you for the reply flazio. Appreciate it.

Ordered the 10 V from Amazon Germany last night for around 290.

There are faster phones out there and some have a longer update schedule, but the Sony has its place i feel.

Battery life and a lovely selection of bluetooth codecs, SD card and headphone jack won the day. Plus basically stock Android and the ability to limit the charge to 80%