Sony Xperia Z3 Compact - Your Thoughts . . .

[cuneus]

AGK said:

I'm back on an iPhone 6.

My Z3c cracked within 4 days of getting it, totally un usable with a cracked screen too.

Sony approved a repair under warranty as it is a common problem but estimated a few weeks as they don't have any stock of replacement screens available.

Cracking phone otherwise .

It is the retailers responsibility to fix it

[AGK]

cuneus said:

It is the retailers responsibility to fix it

The retailer were waiting for Sony to confirm it was going to be a warranty fix which is fair enough.

After that was confirmed they had no stock to offer me a direct replacement and a repair was going to take a few weeks so gave me a refund that day.

[robsa]

I had a Z2 and the camera was capable of taking some great photos, but I was frequently frustrated by poor colour processing. For some reason, it took bland, slightly muddy shots a lot of the time. Summer landscapes would always show a great, washed out sky where my old Galaxy S3 would show vivid blue.
I exchange my Z2 for an S5, and now enjoy a whole new set of Camera problems instead! I still think the iPhone camera is hard to beat.

[GravelBen]

Interesting thread, I'll have to read it properly later when I'm not supposed to be working!

Thinking about a Z3c or cheap second hand Z1c as a replacement for my old Xperia Active which is getting frustratingly slow and low on space... probably to be expected with a 3-4 year old phone

Also considering a Z2 or Z3 but have to go to a shop and see if they are too big for my pockets.

I like the waterproofing and general feature set, pity they aren't as tough as the old Active but what is? I know the Galaxy S5 is waterproof, but its a design abomination and I don't think I could bring myself to spend that much on something that feels so cheap and nasty.

Any other alternatives I haven't thought of?

[milner993]

I have the Z3c I love the phone but the internal speaker volume when on a call seems really really quiet I can hardly hear the person on the other end.
Does anyone else have this problem or know a fix.

[wombleh]

AmiableChimp said:

I've been running with my Z3C for a few days now and I love it!

It is a little smaller than the Nexus 4 it replaced and very much faster.

I did the same upgrade and agree with your comments, also re-used the same launcher (go) so the UI hasn't changed much but it is noticably smoother. I went for the orange one, stuck it in a £3 clear bumper case from Amazon which has prevented any cracks so far.

Main reason I got it was for the camera, had mixed results with Sonys camera app but I purchased FV-5 which seems to produce better pics and I prefer the interface with the manual controls on screen.

One thing I am struggling with is the LED colours, it charges on the dock on bedside table overnight so don't really want a glowing orange or green LED. I've got light manager which should allow setting of the LED colours to a very dark colour (hex 000001) but the settings don't seem to work for charging. It changes the other notification colours (SMS, Whatsapp, FB, etc) so does appear to be OK, not sure if Sony have something overriding it.

[TheAngryDog]

I turn it away from me so I don't see the led at night

[wombleh]

TheAngryDog said:

I turn it away from me so I don't see the led at night

That'd work but just to be awkward I have daydream mode enabled with a clock so need to see the screen.

[GravelBen]

hora said:

I was in a 3store this weekend and they had the Z2 and Z3 side by side. So I went onto youtube and selected the same Rally (Finish) vid and pressed play with a 2second lag on the Z3's playback (phones on theirside/fullscreen). The quality was very differently. The Z2 blocky/blurred - the Z3's sharp and clear. Try it- on that basis I would definitely go with the Z3.

Good to know ta - I guess the improved screen tech must be making the difference as the other hardware is pretty similar.

[GravelBen]

Just ordered a Z3 compact, so that will be a fun new toy to play with when it arrives next week.

[Tycho]

wombleh said:

TheAngryDog said:

I turn it away from me so I don't see the led at night

That'd work but just to be awkward I have daydream mode enabled with a clock so need to see the screen.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/z3/help/disable-charging-led-t2908146
http://forum.xda-developers.com/z3-compact/help/li...

HTH, haven't tried it myself but hopefully it will work.

[wombleh]

Tycho said:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/z3/help/disable-ch...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/z3-compact/help/li...

HTH, haven't tried it myself but hopefully it will work.

Cheers, that's the process I've tried, it worked once then reverted to the old LEDs for charging but kept the new settings for all the other notifications. Must work for some people as they mention on that thread so will have a play later.

[milner993]

Anyone having trouble with low speaker volume from the top speaker on a call and just in general?

[wombleh]

milner993 said:

Anyone having trouble with low speaker volume from the top speaker on a call and just in general?

Not had any issues with it here, does it make any difference using the volume buttons while in a call?

[bodhi]

milner993 said:

Anyone having trouble with low speaker volume from the top speaker on a call and just in general?

I get this on my full fat Z3 - but only when talking to iPhone owners. Talking to the missus who also has a Z1 Compact and it's crystal clear.

[dxbtiger]

Bump

I have a feeling there is one of these under the Christmas tree for me, those using covers to avoid the screen cracking, are you using the ones that cover the back as well or just a bumper cover?

Quite like the look of this Ali one if a bumper only one is sufficient.

http://uae.souq.com/ae-en/ultrathin-0-7mm-aluminum...

Cheers

Edit - Actually I think that one is for the full fat z3 but the question still applies

Edited by dxbtiger on Monday 22 December 06:56

[wombleh]

I went for one of these, fits nicely and can dock it. http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00NWAAILG

It's fairly hard, something a bit softer might be better to reduce shock into the phone if it does get dropped. Would be a bit worried about that with the metal one. No cracks yet,but a lot of scratches on the back of the case so glad I put something on it.

[AmiableChimp]

I went for 2 of these, 1 in red and 1 in purple so I can swap (phone is white)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00NNYCI2I?psc=...

[dxbtiger]

Thanks both

[TheAngryDog]

I just have matte screen protectors on my Z3. I don't like cases so this is the best option for me and seems to work well.