Sony Xperia Z2
Discussion
I saw that on Xperia Blog yesterday, very impressive result considering it's the same camera module as the Z1, which came in just below the 1020.
Now I just need to have a word with the kind folks at work and get mine organised, as the Xperia S I'm using for a work phone is slowly dying.....
Now I just need to have a word with the kind folks at work and get mine organised, as the Xperia S I'm using for a work phone is slowly dying.....
For those with a picture fetish, I think the camera could be the thing that sways many toward the Z2 over the M8.
The M8 actually has a very good camera, it's just that the auto mode (which is what most people use) isn't very well-judged. You have incredible control over the One M8's camera so if you know what you're doing, good results are possible. Here are just a few of the controls you have in Manual mode:
I think it just takes work to get the best out of the M8's camera and most people just want to 'point-and-shoot' (which is fair enough on a mobile, given the type of use it's likely to receive).
The M8 actually has a very good camera, it's just that the auto mode (which is what most people use) isn't very well-judged. You have incredible control over the One M8's camera so if you know what you're doing, good results are possible. Here are just a few of the controls you have in Manual mode:
I think it just takes work to get the best out of the M8's camera and most people just want to 'point-and-shoot' (which is fair enough on a mobile, given the type of use it's likely to receive).
bodhi said:
I've also heard that pre-orders from the big shops will be fulfilled next week, everyone else has to wait for the 1st of May.
Yeah the info is a bit messed up at the minute, but some will be getting theirs in the next two weeks, the rest due for 1st of May. I'm not bother TBH, my existing contract doesn't end until May the 7th anyway, so the longer the better for me.
robsa said:
So anyone think theirs might arrive this week then?!
It looks doubtful.Sony have re-opened the pre order option on their website and stated expected delivery is 'the start of May'.
Doesn't inspire a lot of confidence TBH, especially as they can't seem to give a firm release week, let alone day.
The delays apparently relate to a supplier/manufacture issue, I'm guessing it's pretty serious if it has pushed release back by nearly a month.
Some of the secondary retailers (Phones4U etc) are still claiming pre orders will be sent out within the next week, but I think they may backtrack on this.
I'm hoping that Sony might sweeten the pre order deal further with the new delays. Already my pre order comes with noise cancelling headphones and a wireless bluetooth speaker (retails at £100 on Amazon and has some great reviews).
The official line I've heard is that Phones4U, CPW and Vodafone will get their stock this week, with the rest turning up next week. They have reinstated the pre-order offers as far as I can tell. Bit of a shame for the delay, but if it's anything like my original Z, it will be well worth the wait. I do keep looking at the Z2, but my Z is still working that well I would struggle to justify a change.
The only thing that really appeals is the better camera and noise cancelling headphones. The OH is due to get her Z1 Compact today, so I'll have a tinker with the camera on that and see if it's worth the change.
The only thing that really appeals is the better camera and noise cancelling headphones. The OH is due to get her Z1 Compact today, so I'll have a tinker with the camera on that and see if it's worth the change.
robsa said:
Sony always seem to manage to cock something up...
I went hold my breath, O2 site says estimated delivery of April 28...
Had an email last night to say that my phone was still not in stock and they estimate another 10 days until they have stock in.I went hold my breath, O2 site says estimated delivery of April 28...
Sony have definitely dropped the ball on this one.
Vodafone delivered my Z2 on Thursday morning which I was amazed at as it was only ordered on Tuesday afternoon!
The packaging isn't as impressive as that from Samsung or Apple but that doesn't bother me. A pair of noise cancelling in-ear headphones were included but I won't be using those as I have a pair of Shures. Other items in the box were a USB type mains charger, USB lead, a screen protector and some setup leaflets. Also included was the free 32" Bravia TV offer but I don't think business users qualify. Still, they've offered so I'm going to try!
It's a good bit larger than the Galaxy S3 it's replacing but feels much better built. The glass back is very nice but is a mess of fingerprints and smudges within minutes. I'll be putting it in a protective case anyway but it does seem a shame to cover it. Excuse the glare on the pics.
Xperia Transfer made an easy job of transferring contacts, messages, emails etc and I soon had my apps loaded and email accounts set up. The new SIM was activated online although it took around four hours to actually activate.
The screen seems very good and seems less harsh than the Samsung, to my eye anyway.
It seems slicker in operation than the S3 without the annoying lag which that handset could have but it's running more RAM and has a better processor so I guess that's no surprise.
One aspect of the Galaxy which often annoyed me was the battery life. I suffered from the dramatically reduced life following software upgrades and struggled to correct it but it could go from getting a working day to requiring a charge ever few hours. There was no consistency and no obvious cause. The Z2 was fully charged at 9pm yesterday and at 9am today was showing 98%. Given the larger (and new) battery I'm hoping for a big improvement here.
However, the battery is connected (no pun intended) to the one aspect of the phone I don't like. In order to connect the USB cable to charge or connect to PC, it's necessary to open a small flap on the left hand side of the handset rather than simply plugging into the base as with the Galaxy. The flap is retained by a small connection which appears to be made of rubber or flexible plastic. How robust this will be remains to be seen. I'm assuming the flap is required to provide the level of waterproofing but it's sometimes the little things which grate... I cant even tear it off as the Micro SD card live in there too! Actually, speaking of SD cards I could also say that the 16 gig standard memory is a bit low. I soon ended up with only 200Mb to spare! A 32G card has sorted that for now.
Whilst out today I took a couple of quick pics to see the camera quality. You can decide for yourselves. The second pic shows the Background defocus mode which seems to work quite well and which allows you to chose the level of defocus before you save the image.
Overall, I'm happy with it so far.
The packaging isn't as impressive as that from Samsung or Apple but that doesn't bother me. A pair of noise cancelling in-ear headphones were included but I won't be using those as I have a pair of Shures. Other items in the box were a USB type mains charger, USB lead, a screen protector and some setup leaflets. Also included was the free 32" Bravia TV offer but I don't think business users qualify. Still, they've offered so I'm going to try!
It's a good bit larger than the Galaxy S3 it's replacing but feels much better built. The glass back is very nice but is a mess of fingerprints and smudges within minutes. I'll be putting it in a protective case anyway but it does seem a shame to cover it. Excuse the glare on the pics.
Xperia Transfer made an easy job of transferring contacts, messages, emails etc and I soon had my apps loaded and email accounts set up. The new SIM was activated online although it took around four hours to actually activate.
The screen seems very good and seems less harsh than the Samsung, to my eye anyway.
It seems slicker in operation than the S3 without the annoying lag which that handset could have but it's running more RAM and has a better processor so I guess that's no surprise.
One aspect of the Galaxy which often annoyed me was the battery life. I suffered from the dramatically reduced life following software upgrades and struggled to correct it but it could go from getting a working day to requiring a charge ever few hours. There was no consistency and no obvious cause. The Z2 was fully charged at 9pm yesterday and at 9am today was showing 98%. Given the larger (and new) battery I'm hoping for a big improvement here.
However, the battery is connected (no pun intended) to the one aspect of the phone I don't like. In order to connect the USB cable to charge or connect to PC, it's necessary to open a small flap on the left hand side of the handset rather than simply plugging into the base as with the Galaxy. The flap is retained by a small connection which appears to be made of rubber or flexible plastic. How robust this will be remains to be seen. I'm assuming the flap is required to provide the level of waterproofing but it's sometimes the little things which grate... I cant even tear it off as the Micro SD card live in there too! Actually, speaking of SD cards I could also say that the 16 gig standard memory is a bit low. I soon ended up with only 200Mb to spare! A 32G card has sorted that for now.
Whilst out today I took a couple of quick pics to see the camera quality. You can decide for yourselves. The second pic shows the Background defocus mode which seems to work quite well and which allows you to chose the level of defocus before you save the image.
Overall, I'm happy with it so far.
You can also buy a magnetic dock. Genuine Sony is about £24, but you can get one which works on Ebay for about £8. The idea is you use the pogo pins to charge whenever possible. It does make the phone waterproof enough to use underwater... or to watch Wheeler Dealers in the bath!
I'm still hoping that O2 may deliver mine to the office next week..... and have you even tried the noise cancelling headphones? Interested to know how they sound.
I'm still hoping that O2 may deliver mine to the office next week..... and have you even tried the noise cancelling headphones? Interested to know how they sound.
I ordered mine just over a week ago; still no sign. Though I did order it through a 3rd party supplier in order to get the best deal, so I may have to wait another few weeks.
I'm also going from an S3 and completely understand the frustration with the battery life and lag. I think I get 8/9 hours on a full charge with minimal use at the minute; not to mention stuttering, lag, freezing etc. I hate Samsung with a passion now.
Hurry up Sony, I want my new toy!!!
I'm also going from an S3 and completely understand the frustration with the battery life and lag. I think I get 8/9 hours on a full charge with minimal use at the minute; not to mention stuttering, lag, freezing etc. I hate Samsung with a passion now.
Hurry up Sony, I want my new toy!!!
I had a quick listen to the noise cancelling headphones and wasn't impressed. They sounded wooly with overblown bass, not the sort of sound I like. The noise cancelling seemed to work ok but I get great isolation from the Shures and much, much better quality but then, they did cost around ten times as much as the Sony's sell for so it's not really a fair comparison.
The noise cancelling is built into the Z2. If anyone gets a Z2 without the phone bundle they can have these for the price of postage and a couple of quid in the RNLI box.
The noise cancelling is built into the Z2. If anyone gets a Z2 without the phone bundle they can have these for the price of postage and a couple of quid in the RNLI box.
Missus pre ordered a white Z2 through vodafone and was one of the 3000 peeps to get a Sony TV offer with it. Picked it up in store on Saturday just gone. She's very happy with it, coming from a Galaxy S4 too (which is now mine 
).
Ordered the magnetic dock for £24 too on the saturday so should arrive this week. Picked up a rubber surround cover for it too so don't know if it will charge still docked in with the cover on or if it'll have to be removed every time.
).Ordered the magnetic dock for £24 too on the saturday so should arrive this week. Picked up a rubber surround cover for it too so don't know if it will charge still docked in with the cover on or if it'll have to be removed every time.
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