I do like my z3 compact.

[shortylickens]

But I really miss dedicated buttons.
Even capacitive buttons would be nice.

I lose too much screen real estate with screen buttons.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Root and install Xposed, then you have some options. You can either:

1. Disable the navigation bar completely and rely on Pie controls (I hate this personally)

or

2. Shrink the navigation bar (I have done this on every Kitkat device I have owned)

Also with Xposed you can use App Settings to force any app into immersive mode, which is great for games that don't do that like they should and waste screen space on a bar you aren't using.

 

[paperwastage]

In order to root right now, you need to unlock the bootloader (there isn't an exploit available yet, that avoids unlocking bootloader. some carrier versions of z3/z3 compacts do not have a unlockable bootloader)

unlocking the bootloader has some adverse effects (eg worse camera performance since proprietary algorithms get erased, no DRM keys for some apps/platforms), see: http://forum.xda-developers.com/z3-compact/general/loss-drm-keys-t2890936

 

[poofyhairguy]

Ouch that sucks.

 

[lopri]

Do you get crazy good battery life? What I read @XDA about the Z's battery performance is nothing short of amazing. I reckon the Z3C is even better?

 

[shortylickens]

It's good. Two days of regular use. One long day of movies and games.

 

[blairharrington]

I returned mine. Speaker doesn't sound good loud and it rattles the phone. Liked the rest.

 

[Dari]

I returned mine. Speaker doesn't sound good loud and it rattles the phone. Liked the rest.

After reading your posts over the years, I've come to the conclusion that you're a difficult man to please. You switch phones more than a celebrity gnat. Try iPhones.

 

[blairharrington]

After reading your posts over the years, I've come to the conclusion that you're a difficult man to please. You switch phones more than a celebrity gnat. Try iPhones.

No I'm not actually. My criticism of the Z3C speaker is valid. People referred to it as 'muffled' in some reviews, but I opted to purchase it because I wanted a small phone. Then I compared it to my Moto X speaker and the difference was startling. Has nothing to do with being 'difficult'.

I'm also completely over jumping phones. It's pointless. I left my iPhone in June of 2013 to try Android/a larger screen. Since then I've switched phones several times just to get a clear idea of what exactly I want in a phone. I was banking on the Z3C lasting me at least 2 years.

I'm not against getting an iPhone 6. I chose the Z3C for what I deemed features that trumped the iPhone 6. (Waterproof, cheaper 128 GB storage, dual speakers, smaller footprint.) But it didn't work out for me. The next phone I settle on will be my last for years to come.

 

[shortylickens]

I dont use the loudspeaker. I talk privately. I listen to music with earbuds.

 

[Dari]

No I'm not actually. My criticism of the Z3C speaker is valid. People referred to it as 'muffled' in some reviews, but I opted to purchase it because I wanted a small phone. Then I compared it to my Moto X speaker and the difference was startling. Has nothing to do with being 'difficult'.

I'm also completely over jumping phones. It's pointless. I left my iPhone in June of 2013 to try Android/a larger screen. Since then I've switched phones several times just to get a clear idea of what exactly I want in a phone. I was banking on the Z3C lasting me at least 2 years.

I'm not against getting an iPhone 6. I chose the Z3C for what I deemed features that trumped the iPhone 6. (Waterproof, cheaper 128 GB storage, dual speakers, smaller footprint.) But it didn't work out for me. The next phone I settle on will be my last for years to come.

If you read the reviews then you shouldn't have ordered the phone. Next time set priorities for yourself and get whatever meets those priorities, ignoring the negatives. There will never be a perfect phone, especially for you.

 

[Bateluer]

I like my Z3. But I think Sony's UI is now my least liked Android skin. :/ Lot of oddities and wonkiness that even Sense didn't suffer from.

Two of my biggest peeves.
Most of the Sony Xperia branded apps seem to be on some kind of permanent autoupdate. The Contacts app has no way to merge duplicates between Google contacts and SIM contacts.

 

[blairharrington]

If you read the reviews then you shouldn't have ordered the phone. Next time set priorities for yourself and get whatever meets those priorities, ignoring the negatives. There will never be a perfect phone, especially for you.

Spare me your nonsense Dari. The talk about the Z3C speakers wasn't negative. My takeaway from what I read was that they were very good, a bit muffled at loud levels, and not as good as the Z3's. That description wasn't a reason to not get this phone. Hearing them in person in a quiet room was what I needed.

 

[Dari]

Spare me your nonsense Dari. The talk about the Z3C speakers wasn't negative. My takeaway from what I read was that they were very good, a bit muffled at loud levels, and not as good as the Z3's. That description wasn't a reason to not get this phone. Hearing them in person in a quiet room was what I needed.

Fair enough. I'd like to hear about your next phone, though.

 

[foghorn67]

I like my Z3. But I think Sony's UI is now my least liked Android skin. :/ Lot of oddities and wonkiness that even Sense didn't suffer from.

Two of my biggest peeves.
Most of the Sony Xperia branded apps seem to be on some kind of permanent autoupdate. The Contacts app has no way to merge duplicates between Google contacts and SIM contacts.

I'll take it any day over TouchWiz. HTC Sense in the past couple of years is actually pretty minimal. Sony's skin actually isn't bad at all. It's just the icons for their apps look downright weird.

 

[Excelsior]

Just got mine last week. I love it so far: blazing fast, just about the perfect size, great build quality, and incredible battery life. What else do you need?

 

[shortylickens]

I like my Z3. But I think Sony's UI is now my least liked Android skin. :/ Lot of oddities and wonkiness that even Sense didn't suffer from.

Two of my biggest peeves.
Most of the Sony Xperia branded apps seem to be on some kind of permanent autoupdate. The Contacts app has no way to merge duplicates between Google contacts and SIM contacts.

I'm OK with the UI and the Walkman apps.