Sony Xperia Z

[The_Gza]

Recently announced at CES but couldn't see anything on here about them - I think they look really promising: http://www.sonymobile.com/gb/products/phones/xperi...

I've had every iteration of the iPhone from the first to my current 4, but the 4S and even 5 haven't really floated my boat. Out of contract now and itching to upgrade, but the S3 and One X didn't quite push me into an upgrade - however, I think the Xperia Z could be the one! Some good initial reviews on the phone:

http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/48940/sony-xperia-...
http://www.techradar.com/reviews/phones/mobile-pho...

Any thoughts?

[ST270]

I'm interested in this phone - I upgraded to an Xperia T last year and whilst it was nice - great screen etc I returned it. I have an Iphone 4 and after reading up on the new Sony handset I'm going to try it. iphones even the 5 have small screens in comparison and they and their UI are starting to look dated in my opinion. The Sony HD screen on the Xperia T i tried was better than iphone 4 so the Xperia Z will look fantastic I expect. Plus the Z has glass facings for a premium feel.

Oh and it has 4G capability - what's not to like!

Edited by ST270 on Friday 11th January 12:27

[The_Gza]

I did wonder if it's going to be a bit too big, but this comparison with the Samsung Galaxy S3 indicates that despite the 5" screen, the overall dimensions are very similar:
http://www.gizmag.com/galaxy-s3-vs-sony-xperia-z/2...

[redtwin]

ST270 said:

I upgraded to an Xperia T last year and whilst it was nice - great screen etc I returned it.

Any particular reason why you returned it?. I am interested in getting one.

[ST270]

Well I had been looking at many handsets and having never used Android before I wanted to test the UI out so that was part of it - the other part was I found I was convincing myself that this is the phone I wanted which you shouldn't have to do if its the right one - to blame for this was the fact that there were some new handsets on the horizon for 2013 and I thought why not wait. Theres nothing wrong with my iphone and I can upgrade at any time.

Don't get me wrong the T is very slick phone and feels good with the matte curved back and the screen is imo more realistic than any of the super Amoled ones you find with Samsung and Motorola etc (if you look at the greens on an S3 you will see what i mean they look radioactive and oversaturated)

redtwin said:

ST270 said:

I upgraded to an Xperia T last year and whilst it was nice - great screen etc I returned it.

Any particular reason why you returned it?. I am interested in getting one.

[Popolou]

So basically, not handset related

[ST270]

haha - entirely correct (i really should have re-read that one before posting!)

Popolou said:

So basically, not handset related

[redtwin]

ST270 said:

Well I had been looking at many handsets and having never used Android before I wanted to test the UI out so that was part of it - the other part was I found I was convincing myself that this is the phone I wanted which you shouldn't have to do if its the right one - to blame for this was the fact that there were some new handsets on the horizon for 2013 and I thought why not wait. Theres nothing wrong with my iphone and I can upgrade at any time.

Don't get me wrong the T is very slick phone and feels good with the matte curved back and the screen is imo more realistic than any of the super Amoled ones you find with Samsung and Motorola etc (if you look at the greens on an S3 you will see what i mean they look radioactive and oversaturated)

Thanks for the reply, I am somewhat familiar Android already so that shouldn't be an issue. Good to know it wasn't a fault or weakness with the phone. On paper it seems to equal or better it's competition yet doesn't seem as "loved". A quick 5 minute play (with the phone!) in a shop doesn't really give a big picture.

[bodhi]

Decided to skip the T but my Xperia S has been great, fantastic screen, build quality, camera and sound quality (calls and from the Walkman), and I'm a big fan of Sony's oerlay on Android. They try to keep it as Vanilla as possible, with "enhancements" rather than new skins like HTC, Samsung et all.

As good as it is however, it is getting replaced by the Z when it arrives

[andyps]

Looks like a great phone but having got a One X the day they came out I'm sure there will be something even better when my contract runs out. If I could I would be very tempted by one of these, however. Has all the things a new phone should have and it appears that Sony have sorted themselves out with Android updates now.

[zcacogp]

My tuppence's worth: I have a Sony Xperia U (baby brother) which seemed excellent on paper as well. I saw it in a shop and it seemed acceptable.

Having had the 'phone for a while I can confirm that it is utter trash. Orange have been helpful, sending me a replacement handset and SIM card. The problems persist. Erratic functioning, calls dropped, poor sound quality, errors such as showing me that someone is calling me but not giving me a button to answer the call, exceptionally poor GPS reception, very poor data reception, failure to pick up a WiFi point it is less than 2 inches from etc etc etc.

I sincerely hope that the Z is better than mine. But then, I'd sincerely hope that something this crap never made it to the marketplace.


Oli.

[liller]

xperia Z does look rather promising...the ZL looked good as well, shame they are not bringing it to the UK.

I wanted to like the S when it came out but it felt too blocky for me, I prefer more rounded designs. Hopefully the Z will not feel too slab like.

Edited by liller on Friday 11th January 18:36

[andyps]

liller said:

I wanted to like the S when it came out but it felt too blocky for me, I prefer more rounded designs. Hopefully the Z will not feel to slab like.

That was exactly my thought. I was all set to get an S because I like Sony stuff but the HTC One X just felt so much nicer. Hopefully the Z will feel good, the spec looks promising for that.

[The_Gza]

Looking like a 27th Feb release date for the Xperia Z:

http://www.knowyourmobile.com/blog/1766168/sony_xp...

[Smiler.]

I've had Xperia ARC & ARC S over the last few years & found them to be generally very good.

Might take a punt on the Z when my contract is up.

[TameRacingDriver]

Anyone pre-ordered one of these?

I have. Looks a great phone, phablet size, but thin. 1080P display, 13 MP camera, should play music well too. Hopefully I'll be one of the first 1000 so I'll get the free headphones. If they are any good I'll keep em if not they go on the bay and thats a few quid off my contract.

Going with 3 hope they are OK. £36 ppm but I get unlimited data and tethering so I feel I'm getting a decent enough deal for my money.

[robsa]

Yep, the Xperia Z looks amazing. 5" HD screen, 13mp camera, waterproof, BRAVIA engine, expansion slot, and advanced battery power management. Oh, and really tasty headphones included too. AND it's LTE. What's not to like?

I really fancy it myself. I have an S3 and love it but it niggles me too. My OH has an Xperia U and I really like it, its dinky, had a lovely screen and works really well. It did have a few glitches on Gingerbread but ICS upgrade changed all that.

O2 are doing a purple one too which I fancy.

ETA when I said 'tasty headphones' I mean the bud not the free giveaways. Thats just s bonus!

[BlueJazz]

I ordered mine yesterday as an upgrade with 3. Hopefully will qualify for the free Sony headphone offer. Anyone tried the accompanying smart watch?

www.sonymobile.com/gb/products/accessories/smartwa...

Edited by BlueJazz on Saturday 2nd February 20:44

[zcacogp]

robsa said:

My OH has an Xperia U and I really like it, its dinky, had a lovely screen and works really well. It did have a few glitches on Gingerbread but ICS upgrade changed all that.

Interesting, how did you get the ICS upgrade? Mine is still on Gingerbread and I sometimes think that ICS would be a good thing to get ...


Oli.

[TotalControl]

£450 SIM free? That looks to be a pretty good price for a handset like this.

I'll wait a few months and see how prices are comparing to its competitors once they're released.