I bought a Sony Xperia Z3 Friday morning: First Impressions

[blairharrington]

The speakers are much louder than on the Moto X, for sure. Listening to the Louis C.K. channel on Pandora requires much lower volume.

My Moto X is very loud so that is impressive. Do you notice anything superior being that they are dual speakers?

 

[tdawg]

My Moto X is very loud so that is impressive. Do you notice anything superior being that they are dual speakers?

I would listen to pandora in a quiet room at half volume on the Moto X. With the Z3, it's less than a quarter up the volume bar to get the same output. Quality seems on par.

 

[blairharrington]

I'm reading Z3C speaker isn't as loud as Z3.

 

[Red Storm]

I think having dual front stereo speakers is about more than just loudness. The audio presentation is just so much better when you get sound that is coming at you and in a centered direction, rather than coming out the back or side of a phone and only from one side.

 

[Kneedragger]

I went into T-mobile yesterday to look at phones and plans. Checked out this new Sony and really like it. Feels like a solid built phone. T-mobile doesn't have the compact version right? I didn't see it at the store.

 

[Bateluer]

I went into T-mobile yesterday to look at phones and plans. Checked out this new Sony and really like it. Feels like a solid built phone. T-mobile doesn't have the compact version right? I didn't see it at the store.

No US carriers have the Z3C. Outside of tech forums, there's no demand, apparently.

 

[blairharrington]

I think having dual front stereo speakers is about more than just loudness. The audio presentation is just so much better when you get sound that is coming at you and in a centered direction, rather than coming out the back or side of a phone and only from one side.

Yes I know this. But loudness is also really important to me as I sometimes listen to podcasts with alot of sound around me. (Not in public.)

 

[blairharrington]

No US carriers have the Z3C. Outside of tech forums, there's no demand, apparently.

I don't think the issue is lack of demand. For some reason Sony USA isn't making an effort to make it available at American carriers. B&H has it for $500.

 

[Yuriman]

I'm surprised by the battery life being reported in this thread. I averaged around 4 hours screen-on time with my Galaxy S2, and typically get about 5 hours with my Moto X, with mixed web browsing, gaming and bluetooth paring. The Z3C should be 2-3x better than that, how the heck do you run your battery down in 3 hours?

 

[paperwastage]

I'm surprised by the battery life being reported in this thread. I averaged around 4 hours screen-on time with my Galaxy S2, and typically get about 5 hours with my Moto X, with mixed web browsing, gaming and bluetooth paring. The Z3C should be 2-3x better than that, how the heck do you run your battery down in 3 hours?

it highly depends what you do (and somewhat on what you install on your phone)

eg: my Nexus 5: typical use case = 8-16 hours uptime, 2-3 hours SOT. I can push 3-4 hours SOT with like 4-5 hours uptime if I slow down on my browsing

some people can get 4-5 hours SOT with 1 day battery life on the nexus 5...

 

[Kneedragger]

No US carriers have the Z3C. Outside of tech forums, there's no demand, apparently.

Thanks

 

[VashHT]

I'm surprised by the battery life being reported in this thread. I averaged around 4 hours screen-on time with my Galaxy S2, and typically get about 5 hours with my Moto X, with mixed web browsing, gaming and bluetooth paring. The Z3C should be 2-3x better than that, how the heck do you run your battery down in 3 hours?

I'm not sure what you do with your phone but the way I use mine I rarely got over 2 hours screen time with older phones. This is why I dislike using screen on time as an indicator of battery life, I'd see people posting pictures of their nexus 4 getting 3 hours or more when mine would usually die at around 1 and half to 2 hours of screen on time no matter how much I tweaked it.

 

[Bateluer]

Another battery life shot. This is about half on my weekend and half during my work week, 2hrs 30 minutes of screen on time here. It was at 40%, but I watched Angry Joe's 40min Dragon Age video.

I'm surprised by the battery life being reported in this thread. I averaged around 4 hours screen-on time with my Galaxy S2, and typically get about 5 hours with my Moto X, with mixed web browsing, gaming and bluetooth paring. The Z3C should be 2-3x better than that, how the heck do you run your battery down in 3 hours?

Streaming video or playing HD video will run down the battery, streaming more so because you've ramped up both the radio and the CPU.

 

[Dari]

I got this phone for my wife as her personal phone, replacing the Moto G. She complained about the crappy camera on the Moto G so I got her this. Bought it straight off SONY's website. The ability to uninstall every non-Google app on this thing shocked me (can't even do this with carrier apps on a rooted phone). Also, it also has that knock-screen feature that started with LG. The battery life is awesome and picture quality is great. Finally, she likes to take an hour bath after returning from work so dropping it in the tub is of zero concern. She's happy and that means I'm happy. I will definitely be buying phones directly from the manufacturers from now on, not from any store or any carrier-branded models. Can't wait until Mobile World next year to see what'll be available.

 

[ragom]

my nexus was broken after 1 month

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

True, but isnt the Nexus 6 a large monstrosity compared to the Z3C? Its a whole different ball park.

Absolutely. For me its a totally different phone. Had it been a 5.2" phone I would've jumped immediately

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Another battery life shot. This is about half on my weekend and half during my work week, 2hrs 30 minutes of screen on time here. It was at 40%, but I watched Angry Joe's 40min Dragon Age video.

Streaming video or playing HD video will run down the battery, streaming more so because you've ramped up both the radio and the CPU.

Did you stream over LTE?

 

[Wingznut]

I got this phone for my wife as her personal phone, replacing the Moto G. She complained about the crappy camera on the Moto G so I got her this. Bought it straight off SONY's website. The ability to uninstall every non-Google app on this thing shocked me (can't even do this with carrier apps on a rooted phone). Also, it also has that knock-screen feature that started with LG. The battery life is awesome and picture quality is great. Finally, she likes to take an hour bath after returning from work so dropping it in the tub is of zero concern. She's happy and that means I'm happy. I will definitely be buying phones directly from the manufacturers from now on, not from any store or any carrier-branded models. Can't wait until Mobile World next year to see what'll be available.

I just ordered a couple of Z3's off of Sony's website yesterday. This will be the first time we purchased phones outright, and not subsidized... I'm looking forward to the experience.

What carrier are you on? I'll be on AT&T.

 

[EvilYoda]

I've had my OPO a lot longer than expected...a month ago I thought for sure I was going to pick up an iPhone 6 and see if I was willing to go back to the Apple world. At this point, I almost just want to pick up a Z3 or Z3c and be done with it. I love the battery life of the OPO but it's just too big. That's about the only thing about it I don't like...I'm not too picky, I'm not a super user, but I do travel a LOT and never having to carry an external battery is pretty damn nice.

 

[Dari]

I just ordered a couple of Z3's off of Sony's website yesterday. This will be the first time we purchased phones outright, and not subsidized... I'm looking forward to the experience.

What carrier are you on? I'll be on AT&T.

She's on T-Mobile. Compared to the Moto G, she says her speed is much faster (thanks to LTE). But, from the specs, this phone is made for AT&T. I must say that, compared to my LG OGP, the skin on the Z3 is worlds better. Less gimmick, less bloat, and more focus on battery life.

EDIT: When I said this phone was meant for AT&T, I meant the D6603 model on SONY's website. T-Mobile and Verizon have their own Z3 variations but the one on SONY's website (non-T-mobile) has all of AT&T's LTE bands.

 

[Wingznut]

She's on T-Mobile. Compared to the Moto G, she says her speed is much faster (thanks to LTE). But, from the specs, this phone is made for AT&T. I must say that, compared to my LG OGP, the skin on the Z3 is worlds better. Less gimmick, less bloat, and more focus on battery life.

EDIT: When I said this phone was meant for AT&T, I meant the D6603 model on SONY's website. T-Mobile and Verizon have their own Z3 variations but the one on SONY's website (non-T-mobile) has all of AT&T's LTE bands.

Right... Took a bit of research, but I did order the D6603.

 

[Red Storm]

Checked out the Z3 at a T-Mobile store over the weekend. It's a very nice looking phone, my only problem with it is that the screen is quite a bit smaller than the Note, which is even smaller than the Nexus 6. To me screen size is one of the most important considerations, but otherwise it's a very nice phone.

 

[Wingznut]

Checked out the Z3 at a T-Mobile store over the weekend. It's a very nice looking phone, my only problem with it is that the screen is quite a bit smaller than the Note, which is even smaller than the Nexus 6. To me screen size is one of the most important considerations, but otherwise it's a very nice phone.

I concur. I've been driving a DNA for a couple of years, and the 5" screen is now too small for me. I'm trying to get my hands on a Nexus 6.

(The Z3 I ordered, will be for my son.)

 

[blairharrington]

My Z3C is due to arrive today. I'll share impressions when I have the time. I'm banking on this phone being my last phone purchase for at least 2 years.

Edit: Returned it after 24 hours. Terrible speaker at near max or max volume. Muffled and rattles the device. Bizarre. Liked the rest.

 

[foghorn67]

I love my T-Mobile edition Z3. I had one on pre-order and cancelled it when I saw reports of the camera being downright wonky. I turned my attention to the Nexus 6, but turned to the Note 4, deciding I'll wait for the dust to settle on supply issues and early bugs.

I played with a Note 4 for what seemed like a good half hour on two occasions in the store. I couldn't get passed the phablet thing. The Z3 is pretty damned big, but it's not in the obscene territory the Nexus or the Note 4 is.
The Note 4 camera is impressive, but it tends to over-sharpen everything. On some shots, it really looks out of place. It's harder to soften a over-sharpened photo and have it look natural.
I bought the Z3 knowing I'll get a new phone in another 6 months. Either a Z4, Nexus 6 or even a S6 if they tone down TouchWiz and improve fit and finish. (Galaxy Alpha looks great).
The camera is a surprise. I've been seeing some really bad images uploaded on the various Android forums, but I love it. The in camera post processing evens out the tones to what I do similarly on SLRs in Lightroom or Photoshop. And as far as detail, the data is there. If I want to crank up the sharpness, it will do it. Snapseed and VSCO Cam do rather well with the Z3's images.
I came from a 2013 Moto X. And the images were as good as it would get right out of the camera. There was no detail or dynamic range to play with. Evening out tones was impossible. Colors were wonky in low light or artificial lighting, and the processing would kill any detail. Daytime shots were nice and good enough most of the time.

The Z3's camera app is a little slow and not that well thought out. But there is plenty to play with. HDR is limited to 8MP, and not the 15MP or 20MP options.
You can get around that by using the Google Camera app.

Pros:
-Great aesthetics, fit and finish
-The best LCD screen around, kind of sick AMOLED.
-Fast
-Outstanding battery life. I tried killing it before the end of the day, but I can't.
-It's skinned, but Nova fixes most of that. Stuff Nova can't do like pull down menus and the dialer/contacts app are pretty minimal.
-Great image quality from the camera.
-It's features checks off all of the boxes, NFC, ANT, etc.

Cons:
-It's not pure Android.
-Updates will be there, but slower than HTC, Motorola, Samsung.
-Camera app needs a lot of work.