Planning to buy this device. Thoughts will be appreciated. - Sony Xperia ZR

Hello fello xda users.
I'm in this forum since i've bought xperia u. Now i'm thinking of buying xperia zr. Why? It is old, right? Then why?
I'm buying this device because it is low budget with great specifications phone. But before going further, I want to know what's the actual deal with this phone. Is it really worth buying? How is the 8GB rom memory divided into? In xperia u it is 8GB with no memory card slot. 4GB internal sd card, 2GB for installing apps and hidden 2GB for system. Is it the exact way of division in this phone also? Give me your thoughts please.
Other options are also appreciated.

Well I won't and can't tell should you buy this phone. What I can tell you is that it has battery that can be changed and trust me it can be great plus. Also it's specification is of a very good and powerfull phone, and it is story for it self.
From those 8 gb I had 4.59 free to use as I like. Also you have SD slot for 32 Gb card, honestly I have seen somewhere that someone is using 64 Gb card (I can't confirm this so better don't do it)...so with no apps to sd, without rooting your phone, it is enough for normal use, but for serious gaming it is not enough. Now I would recomend PS4, Xbox One or PC for gaming but that is me (no offence). If you root your phone other possibilities open to you.
Also word of advice-be very carefull with sim card slot as it is very easy to brake as it is like tray. Also buy screen protector right away as ASF(anti shater film) can be scratched by looking at it:cyclops: Really buy it as fast as you can.
Few days ago I had over 25k in antutu benchmark with stock 4.4.4 Xperia ZR and people here tell me that with root and "better" kernel and rom I could get over 30k. Those are very good results...as I understand
Camera is 13.1 Mpx and it is really good. My opinion is that if you need better you can buy digital photoaparat and use that
It's price is also something to think about but shouldn't be crucial moment in choosing as there is other phones in this price range with specification lile Xperia ZR.
So my opinion very good phone that has few things I wanted so I picked it.
Anyway I hope I helped and good luck in your choice.

phone is good but lack some features of its elder sibling Z and ZL. it should have been given 16GB of internal memory like other two.
Also front camera is very poor quality VGA whereas Z has 2.2 MP.
Z and ZL have almost identical features except one is so called "waterproof" and dust proof and one is not.
The only negative that I have seen with ZL is its camera performance is below average though lenses are same on all three. dont know why

I agree with the first reply, the most important benefit of this phone is replaceable battery.
As this phone is over 2 years old, most buy it now because of custom rom possibilities, and be able to easily reverse is valuable for beginners of flashing.

Vtrendzzy said:
Hello fello xda users.
I'm in this forum since i've bought xperia u. Now i'm thinking of buying xperia zr. Why? It is old, right? Then why?
I'm buying this device because it is low budget with great specifications phone. But before going further, I want to know what's the actual deal with this phone. Is it really worth buying? How is the 8GB rom memory divided into? In xperia u it is 8GB with no memory card slot. 4GB internal sd card, 2GB for installing apps and hidden 2GB for system. Is it the exact way of division in this phone also? Give me your thoughts please.
Other options are also appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also bought this phone just a few months back due to it being cheap. There is about 4.6GB available for use for the 8gb rom.
The problem is without root you cannot put apps on the sd-card so that might be an issue if you plan on having a lot of apps and heavy games.
This phone is great, just that issue, the front camera ain't great but it's fine for me. Battery life is okay but can be greatly improved with root. Otherwise this phone is really good.

and, it MIGHT be able to upgrade to 5.0!,

I wish Sony had given 16GB internal memory to ZR also and at least 2MP front cam

paulson881 said:
and, it MIGHT be able to upgrade to 5.0!,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually it will get lollipop update.Whole Z line will get android 5.0
Last news was that Z3,Z2,Z1 are getting it officialy in first part of february, so I guess Z,ZL and us will get it in the second part or march.

Related

Xperia V vs Nexus 4..

OMG I CANT FREAKING DECIDE!!! I Like xperia v but the software is killing me
i like nexus 4 but no waterproof and horrible camera....!!!!!!!!!!
help me decide please , i like to play lots of games and multi task.. i also like roms.. its sorta like i like nexus 4 but it has horrible camera... while xperia v is sexy as hell , waterproof and an amazig 1080p camera!!!!!!!!!!
I think the waterproof is a deal breaker? If you dont mind waterprof then Nexus 4 is better RAM, quad-core, bigger screen and Jelly Bean. But if you like sexy and like to have the phone with you in the bath, buy a V.
Xperia V vs Nexus 4
I am in this exact same dilemma... both havent been released yet in my country, but their expected price is about the same... will be spending 2 months salary... so thats one reason i want my phone to be durable...
battery life does matter, and nexus 4 has double the amount of talktime, but i think i can forego this particular point... was thinking of getting a battery bank or something for emergency purposes...
not having so much time to meddle with the software, i think i can overlook the faster updates and vanilla 4.2 JB as well, i think...
the main thing bothering me is paying something for a dual core phone with an inferior graphic card when i can get the best in the market for the same price... but then, with the limited storage options, how many games can i install on it, because i will be playing a lot of games? This is going to be my 1st android (Nokia C6-01 being my only and current phone), so i dont really know what size files are generally...
the points going for the xperia V are its camera, expandable memory and that its waterproof, and its killer looks... and that i dont like huge phones and though the difference is minor, the xperia is smaller than the nexus 4...
YELP!!!
sHanKzZz said:
I am in this exact same dilemma... both havent been released yet in my country, but their expected price is about the same... will be spending 2 months salary... so thats one reason i want my phone to be durable...
battery life does matter, and nexus 4 has double the amount of talktime, but i think i can forego this particular point... was thinking of getting a battery bank or something for emergency purposes...
not having so much time to meddle with the software, i think i can overlook the faster updates and vanilla 4.2 JB as well, i think...
the main thing bothering me is paying something for a dual core phone with an inferior graphic card when i can get the best in the market for the same price... but then, with the limited storage options, how many games can i install on it, because i will be playing a lot of games? This is going to be my 1st android (Nokia C6-01 being my only and current phone), so i dont really know what size files are generally...
the points going for the xperia V are its camera, expandable memory and that its waterproof, and its killer looks... and that i dont like huge phones and though the difference is minor, the xperia is smaller than the nexus 4...
YELP!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The expandable memory is wrong. You only have less than 4 GB of actual storage space for apps. You CANNOT install apps to SD card on Xperia V. I was tricked by the SONY Sales representative before. The expendable memory is only for music pictures and videos and only up to 32GB. So forget about installing PLAYSTATION Store games coz 4 GB is useless for gamers.
really???
even my old C6-01 allows me to install apps on the micro SD card... cant believe thats not possible on a high end phone like the Xperia? and im sure some people here might have found ways to bypass that, i suppose :fingers-crossed:
No it is. Some of app data can be moved onto the Sd card and if you root you can get entire apps onto the sd card
Sent from my Xperia T using Tapatalk 2
well thats a relief
now back to the original question, same price, Sony Xperia V or LG Nexus 4
tilal6991 said:
No it is. Some of app data can be moved onto the Sd card and if you root you can get entire apps onto the sd card
Sent from my Xperia T using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have the links and instructions here on how to install apps to SD on XperiaV? Thank you.
Definitely not the Nexus. Horrendous battery life, and you're limited to about 12-13 GB of storage for your "lots of games", photos, videos, and music.
Maybe not the V, games are more exciting on bigger screens, battery life may not be the greatest for a person who "plays lots of games and multitask"
i was in the same dilemma as you guys.. had preordered the nexus 4 and was on the edge of going insane of the delay after delay.. so i cancelled the preorder the same second i noticed the Xperia V was released.. (I might have done it out of frustration, had sold my SGS3 and had an iphone as a replacement meanwhile.. i almost lost my mind.. lets not get into that, wont be able to sleep tonight if i think about it to much, frikkin traumatized by apple inc!.)
but in retrospect i must say i am glad i went for the V instead of the Nexus..
1. it is waterproof and quite sturdy... this is incredibly handy for me, as i am rather careless with my phones, they don't tend to get old..
2. i can expand storage with a microSD card.
3. the size, i do not have small hands and do not mind big phones, but the V fits so perfectly in my hands it is a joy to use.. also the screen is one of the nicest out there...
4. the camera, oh god the camera!! it takes so nice pictures. and me who only use the phone as my main camera it is quite important.. remember the best camera in the world is the one in your pocket when the Kodak moment presents itself !
4. probably many more, but didn't intend on making this a long post, as the "ol lady" is nagging me to watch Dexter with her now..
Also, i recon in the future the nexus will come with larger storage option after the fuss has calmed down.
but please please lets get a Sony Nexus device soon.. one big plus for nexuses is the fast updates from Google. I cant say to much about dev community for the V at this time cause it is not released in so many countries.. but hope it`ll pick up when more devs and users get their hands on this nifty thing!
damn it, it became a long post after all..

[Q] In-depth questions and queries

Hello guys.
I'm a long time reader but a new member.
Almost two months ago, my HTC One V was stolen by pickpockets in a crowded Mumbai train.
Since then, I was looking to buy a new phone. Soon, phones like Xperia M and L caught my eye. While I was browsing to phones, I saw Xperia SP, and the bang for the buck it gave, made me decide that this might be the phone I might buy.
Now, as I was looking and going through stuff, I came to know a lot of the cons of the phone, while pros outnumber the cons, the cons were quite important in this case. I've gone through a lots of threads and have known a lot, but some questions remain. Hence, I'm asking some questions in order to solve my queries and give a better view about it. Wish to get proper replies.
1. What version is the Indian variant. C5302, C5303 or C5306.
2. Lots of people say it's heavy. How do you feel about it.
3. GSM Arena wasn't happy with the loudspeaker, does it ring loudly? I see all the phones having a speaker in the back, causing it to ring very quietly.
4. Now an important one. On my HTC One V, I had an option to move apps to SD card. As I was browsing, through the forums, I came to know that it's not possible anymore without rooting. And rooting is something I do not prefer as of now (I had huge plans for One V, but unfortunetely, it was stolen before I decided to root it after the warranty was over).
On One V, I was having loop boot problem after moving the files to the SD card, however, that's not an issue here. Thing is, on One V, I had used AppMgr III (App 2 SD) to move my apps to SD card.
So now is my question. Will App 2 SD work without rooting? Has anyone tried using it without rooting? The Apps 2 SD page mentions this:
Move apps function may not work on your device as manufacture removes the function of moving apps to SD from Android system (not support: S4, S DUOS, Note2, Tab 2, L5-L9, OneX, 7-10" tablet)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does this apply to Xperia devices too?
This is very much a concerning thing to me, as 5.8 GB isn't a lot if one likes gaming.
5. Has the lack of sufficient space, just 5.8 GB, ever caused concerns for you?
6. Again, important one. How bad is the WiFi? I live in a 1BHK house in a suburb. While I mostly use WiFi (and internet for that matter) near my router and PC situated in the hall, my One V never did well for reaching the bedroom, something I was expecting SP to do well until I came to know about the problem.
Same situation here, I do not prefer to root my phone. Can the WiFi be fixed in any other way? Different channel / mode?
7. Does the WiFi fixes available here actually fix your WiFi? After using the fixes available, is it comparable to other phones' / laptops' reception? What do you think, it's software problem or hardware problem?
8. Do you expect Sony to fix the WiFI problem in in future?
9. People who have rooted then flashed their phones to latest Android should not having any WiFi problems right?
10. I remember some version of iPhone having grip of death for WiFi. Do you guys think SP's bad WiFi reception is due to this?
11. Now the camera. I've seen enough photos / graphs to say that Xperia SP probably has the worst smartphone camera I've seen. Comparing it to my HTC One V, One V was like godsent camera phone. So what to you guys think, is the camera something that is acceptable or just total deal breaker?
I personally do not have any use for the camera. However, my sister is a big camera selfie lover. While I see that the camera takes some beautiful vivid pictures outside, my use the camera would be mostly indoors.
From what I can understand is that the camera is over-compressing the images? I've seen photos very in-depth and have concluded that, one, SP pictures lack details, two, have lots of noise.
Those who wanna compare it on GSM Arena, don't use to ISO chart, see the camera on the color poster: gsmarena.com/piccmp.php3?idType=3&idPhone1=5364&idPhone2=5363&idPhone3=5375.
Compare it something like HTC One V and see the difference of quality of images.
While I've photoshopped and removed noise from the pictures I've found from the internet, from Xperia SP, I don't know if it's worth it, so I'm confused.
12. I've read some users saying that they tried 3rd party camera apps like ProCapture and they immediately saw that Xperia SP started taking great pictures. Can you say the same for yourself? Has anyone tried doing such?
13. Have people who have rooted / flashed SP to latest Android see any improvements in the camera?
14. What do you think. Is Xperia SP's crappy camera about hardware quality of the camera or the software?
15. Do you, being realist here, expect Sony to fix the camera with an update?
16. Now about rooting. Will rooting void the warranty? I read somewhere that if you do not unlock the bootloader, you do not void the warranty. Is it possible to just root the phone without unlocking the bootloader without flash it?
17. Noob question. Do you receive updates if you have rooted the phone? If yes, lets say, I made changes to the WiFi file, and then I updated the phone, will the root stay? If not, will the changes made to the file stay?
18. Now about the CPU. I know the phones are moving very faster these days. However, I'm making a big investment if I buy Xperia SP. So SP being so powerful of a phone it is, do you expect it to stay good to play generally powerful games for lets say, next 4 years? I'm not a person who likes changing his phone every year or two, nor do I have money to do that.
19. Some people are reporting screen touch issues when charging or when putting on desk. It is said to be fixed, is it true?
20. I compared the phone to Galaxy S3 and found that S3 had more contrast ratio when playing videos, however, Xperia SP seemed more bright, what to you guys think?
21. How is the front camera? I don't care about the resolution, but clear enough for video calling?
22. Any other problems / things anyone feels worth mentioning?
That's pretty much it for the phone, however, I have more questions.
23. I'm willing to squeeze out more money for a better phone like Xperia ZR, Galaxy S3 and such. However, they have their own problems. Like, S3 is nowhere to be compared with Xperia SP as SP's graphics is top-end.
As for ZR. I have two problems with it, one small, one big. The small one being people calling it's loudspeaker muffed and the big one being it not being Gorilla Glass. To understand what I'm concerned about it, see this: youtube.com/watch?v=4GzYnDnZDRg and this: youtube.com/watch?v=Q2qdwsFd-Qw. It shows that ZR screen is neither tough / shatter-proof nor, thanks to the sheet, scratch proof. And removing the sheet means warranty void. I've seen that even Xperia Z has the same thing, which makes me think how people manage with this?
24. What alternative phones to SP price range (Rs. 20500 to 22500 here - $330 to $360) or Galaxy S3 / ZR price range (Rs. 26500 here - $425) do you guys recommend?
25. Is the phone worth it? Will you recommend it to me?
Anyway, sorry for huge post. As so many days of sadness for the loss of my HTC One V, I'm asking this, so please bear with me. All these questions have been churning in my mind from almost month and a half now.
Any help with the questions will be greatly appreciated.
1- I don't know, It could be the 5303 or 5302
2-Yes, its heavier than the Z and ZL at 155 grams
3-Ring volume its OK, better than my previous phone (Xperia pro)
4-No. You cant move apps to the external microSD without root.
5-The internal storage its just for apps, the external for media. Its enough but could be better
6-I've never had problems with the Wi-Fi the last 5-6 months with my SP
7-They are just placeboes
8-I dont think so
9-????????????
10-Could be the metal used on the frame, If thats the reason the Z1 may have similar problems
11-Mediocre photo camera, my old pro (neo,ray and arc similar) took better pictures. Video recording is OK. You may want to use another camera app
12-Even Instagram's camera takes better pictures
13-I haven't seen any improvements
14-Could be both
15-May or may not be fixed when 4.3 arrives
16-In many countries, rooting voids the warranty...but just keep a copy of the STOCK, ORIGINAL firmware and flash it before taking it to a service shop. Bootloader unlock may void the warranty, Its better to ask before doing it because it cannot be undone. Dont worry about flashing, on a Sony phone its very easy
17-Yes, you may receive updates but you will lose the root access. Sometimes Update Service refuses to update if the phone is rooted, sometimes not. After unlockin the bootloader you cant use official sony tools, just flashtool.
18.I'm sorry to hear that...I made a huge investment on my SP too, but electronics, specifically smartphones are not designed or built to last. They are disposable. Right now its a good phone...but next year will be obsolete.
19-I had that issue. I dont know if there is a fix for that, but I tried disabling the glove mode and it seems to stop the touch issues
20-Screen isn't that great, cant compare to LED screens
21-Z and ZL have better front cameras. The one in the SP is still as bad as the one you will find on a 2011 phone
22-Phone overheats, that makes some people feel uncomfortable, up to 47 degrres celcius when playin real racing 3. No big deal for me
23-??????
24-I live in Mexico.
25-Yes, it will be a good phone for the next 12-18 months. After that time you will have to buy a new one.
As cachanilla86 answer almost everything.
for Q9. No - most of the sp suffers from wifi problems. whether rooted or not...
for Q23 Check S4 or xperia Z ultra...
1. Don’t know either
2. Yes its heavy, a manly phone
3. The loudspeaker is fine, may not be the loudest on earth but it’s fine.
4. Apps to SD is a contentious issue – the official line is that Google don’t like external SD cards and from Jelly Bean onwards it was no longer part of any Android builds. It’s the same with hardware navigation buttons, Google would prefer them to be on the screen soft keys. However manufacturers can do what they want – Samsung does what it likes and still uses hardware buttons and has tweaked their builds to allow app to sd. Sony haven’t had hardware nav buttons for some time now and perhaps their love for DRM makes them sympathetic to the idea of stopping users from moving apps around.
Anyway, it doesn’t work without rooting, hell it doesn’t work in the normal sense when you ARE rooted – hopefully a nice CM build will come along and resolve the situation for us.
5. Yes and no – it would be nice to install loads of games without a care, but I only really play one ‘big’ game at a time. Rooting can help too because you can move the data portions of big games to an external sd card with folder mount.
6. Range is excellent for me, the authentication process can take ages though, I had the same problem with my 2011 xperia – when the phone is trying to connect to the router signal strength seems to drop and I think you get into a loop of the phone thinking the wifi is too weak to connect to and it swaps to data, the signal goes up again and you try to connect but the same thing happens again. With my 2011 device most custom kernels, especially ones that were cm10 based, connection was instant – this is almost certainly a software issue.
There is talk that the most modern routers don’t have as many issues.
7. The fix that works best for me is the one that changes the level at which the phone decides the wifi reception is so bad it has to swap to data – the range is and has always been great for me, better than other devices in my house.
8. There have been 3 build versions of the phone so far – I’ve always had to apply the tweak. Don’t think Sony regard it as a problem.
9. There are no custom roms out there that provide the latest version of android, they are all based on 4.1.2. There should be a 4.2 build from FreeXperia at some point and a 4.3 build from some independent developers, but there is no ETA for either of these builds. This is not to say that the developers of existing custom roms haven’t tweaked wifi so it works better.
10. As I said, I’m certain it’s a software issue.
11. The camera’s auto mode is pretty poor in conditions which are less than optimum – you can take a nice photo if you mess with settings BUT in my opinion this is missing the point. If I want to mess with settings I’ll use a proper camera, I just want to take quick snaps with my phone in situations where I didn’t necessarily think I’d need to bring a camera. For the SP (and other Sony phones) the camera doesn’t support this type of spontaneous photography very well.
12. Haven’t heard of procapture, thanks for the tip
13. See my previous comments – the only builds available for the SP are 4.1.2 based.
14. Hope it’s the software – I’m no expert, but people talk about too much processing/compression.
15. I had a 2011 xperia with 8MP and the camera on the SP is not significantly better – I don’t think Sony believe that it’s a problem.
16. Unless the apps/mods/roms you install after root cause hardware damage, you can always just flash a stock rom – so warranty should be unaffected. Of course if you are unable to flash a stock rom because of hardware damage…
17. You do receive updates if you’re rooted. Historically if you updated OTA you kept root, via the PC meant you lost it.
18. The smart phone market is moving so fast that I doubt any phone out today will be able to play the most demanding games from 4 years time without any trouble. The latest iphone has 64 bit architecture and this will soon follow for android. Similarly, I imagine that graphics chips are upgraded once or twice a year – so you might be as many as 8 cycles behind what is considered top of the range. The SP is a midrange phone, with some flag ship properties.
19. There are still some touch issues in my opinion, though this is improving build to build.
20. Don’t know about the S3 – the XP screen is fine though, not mind blowing, but in no sense bad or embarrassing.
21. Fine for video calling, perfect in fact. OK for selfies if close up. Do not use for anything else – as mentioned it would only be an average FC for a 2011 device.
22. Not really you’ve been very thorough
That's pretty much it for the phone, however, I have more questions.
23. Don’t think the S3 is better, the S4 mini is better in my opinion ONLY if you can live with a smaller screen. If you can stretch to the ZR do it.
My last xperia didn’t have gorilla glass – I used screen protectors and after 18 months of use I sold it to a recycling company for the maximum stated value (so they regarded it's condition as perfect). Any phone with a large screen is more vulnerable to being broken than one with a small screen. Most days on the underground and on buses I see people with busted screens - usually S3s, S4s and iphones - but I guess this is because they are the most common phones.
24. The choice for me was this or the S4 mini – I prefer Sony phones though and the bigger screen was the deal breaker. You could wait for the new Nexus, maybe a month to go? This was my plan, but my network provider offered me an early upgrade to move to 4G and I couldn’t say no.
25. The phone is definitely worth it – I’m not mad on photography and am rooted, so can get around the storage issue. After that it has most of the really important flag ship stuff, the things that you need, rather than eye scrolling or the ability to take it swimming, and the user experience is great.
Thanks for the answers guys.
After this, I'm more unsure about SP.
Now, I'm considering ZR or ZL, as both are priced similar here.
DKT27 said:
Thanks for the answers guys.
After this, I'm more unsure about SP.
Now, I'm considering ZR or ZL, as both are priced similar here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unsure too as well now lol.
Might have to look for alternatives to SP with better camera for same price.
King p1n said:
Unsure too as well now lol.
Might have to look for alternatives to SP with better camera for same price.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If camera is a priority, then Xperia M has a good camera. However, you may not find any phone with such a powerful processor and graphics card, 720p screen and other features at this price.
I read all the questions wont be answering all, but I'll suggest you to go with XPERIA ZR (Don't go for ZR if you gona be using some mods or different ROM's as ZR is a low legacy device and many don't own it so there are no good devs for ZR) or ZL or either Nexus 4 also about rooting you can root any phone it doesn't voids warranty and also removing the scratch-proof sheet on ZR can be removed it doesn't voids warranty.
RuchRha said:
I read all the questions wont be answering all, but I'll suggest you to go with XPERIA ZR (Don't go for ZR if you gona be using some mods or different ROM's as ZR is a low legacy device and many don't own it so there are no good devs for ZR) or ZL or either Nexus 4 also about rooting you can root any phone it doesn't voids warranty and also removing the scratch-proof sheet on ZR can be removed it doesn't voids warranty.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the answer.
I might not use any mods or ROMs as of now.
ZR and ZL seem to be priced same here. So I'm leaning towards ZL.
As for Nexus 4, it's good but no microSD card support and ZL seems better.
Thanks again for the rooting issue. However, I read that rooting requires one to change ROMs or something? I'm very much a noob in this so no idea.
About the glass and the scatter proof sheet. One, I want to know whether the glass is actually tough enough to challenge Gorilla Glass or is even near it. I'm scared for the phone hitting the ground and the expensive screen breaking. As for the warranty, see this. The only reason to remove the sheet is, that it's cloth and scratch magnet, which can be fixed by by scratch guard I think.
DKT27 said:
Thanks for the answer.
I might not use any mods or ROMs as of now.
ZR and ZL seem to be priced same here. So I'm leaning towards ZL.
As for Nexus 4, it's good but no microSD card support and ZL seems better.
Thanks again for the rooting issue. However, I read that rooting requires one to change ROMs or something? I'm very much a noob in this so no idea.
About the glass and the scatter proof sheet. One, I want to know whether the glass is actually tough enough to challenge Gorilla Glass or is even near it. I'm scared for the phone hitting the ground and the expensive screen breaking. As for the warranty, see this. The only reason to remove the sheet is, that it's cloth and scratch magnet, which can be fixed by by scratch guard I think.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't need any ROM's for rooting, there are many rooting toolkits by DooMLoRD which easily roots a device, and the shatter proof glass is pretty strong (I feel far better than gorilla), my phone has felt many time (XPERIA Z) and nothing happened except a few scratches on the body but nothing on screen or back and I also have removed the scratch proof sheet and I mostly do so with all my XPERIA's it does not voids warranty.
DKT27 said:
If camera is a priority, then Xperia M has a good camera. However, you may not find any phone with such a powerful processor and graphics card, 720p screen and other features at this price.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
on a 5mp now on Galaxy Nexus and its not too great either and i see the Xperia M has a 5 MP also.
Hate the way Sony skimped on the front cam to only VGA, especially If I finally getting involved in snapchatting and what not it wont be great
I've heard people throw the 8mp camera and software in the same sentence, Im guessing its not the software that causing bad quality images?

[Q] to buy this phone or not?

Hi
I wanted to buy this phone. do you recommend it or not? why?
It was a great phone ... a year ago, but still good for its price
mahdi87_gh said:
Hi
I wanted to buy this phone. do you recommend it or not? why?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you just want an android phone, look at samsung or lg.
If you want Xperia now, go get t2 ultra, its screen is better, front cam is better, and runs 4.4.2 (same as ZR), and can app2sd.
The only situation when I will recommend this phone (again, in 09/2014) is the fact that it can switch batteries.
paulson881 said:
If you just want an android phone, look at samsung or lg.
If you want Xperia now, go get t2 ultra, its screen is better, front cam is better, and runs 4.4.2 (same as ZR), and can app2sd.
The only situation when I will recommend this phone (again, in 09/2014) is the fact that it can switch batteries.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all, thanks
I want a phone not more expensive than this phone. I checked for T2 ultra. It's cpu, gpu, memory is lower than ZR
I just wanted to know if ZR devices have any particular problem? does it get new updates?
Thanks
Reply
mahdi87_gh said:
First of all, thanks
I want a phone not more expensive than this phone. I checked for T2 ultra. It's cpu, gpu, memory is lower than ZR
I just wanted to know if ZR devices have any particular problem? does it get new updates?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, the specs are slightly lower classed, but the ability to app2sd sort of nailed it.
As for update, for ZR, after the planned 4.4.4, I highly doubt 5.0 will ever come.
A very good phone
mahdi87_gh said:
Hi
I wanted to buy this phone. do you recommend it or not? why?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i think it is the best phone that you can get with the same price
very good phone and i have no issues with it and i can play any game without lag and it performs really good
about apps2sd i use foldermount and this is not a problem for me
the only thing is, that sony released a lot of updates to it and we might not see android L but android 4.4.4 is just days away
Recommended
Price/Performance: I get around 33U$ I still find it worth the price, now some shop in my country was down price to 26U$.
Water-Resistance: I found it easier to clean, Use when you go to bathroom etc.
Prime camera: The main reason I'm still use Sony... Even an after-sales service suck so bad in my country.
Not Recommended
Price/Performance: Some phone have cheaper price with nearly performance: like Moto G, Xiaomi etc.
Water-Resistance port-cap: I found sometime it made me annoy to open, which quite difficult on this model(I'm use Xp Acro S before, it whole lot easier)
Front Camera: yeah let have VGA front cam... which can only find in a phone below 20 U$ (except from sony lol)
Speaker sound: Since it on the back of the phone you barely hear it clear or loud... except you turn it around, turn a volume up or used you hand to redirect a sound.
Internal Storage: 8GB.... while system eat up nearly 3GB. and no way to move app to SD card without a root.
And some rumor I heard was All Z series will have Android L for sure.
ps. I'm not good with english
ZervZ said:
And some rumor I heard was All Z series will have Android L for sure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Source?
paulson881 said:
Source?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I said, a rumor.
Source from a shop in my country, Its in Thai language. that why I won't quote at first place.
If you want to read, here
https://www.facebook.com/sonyxpth/p...1312/796772170365461/?type=1&relevant_count=1
They said
"Every Xperia phone in Z series going to have an update to Android L.
Congrats all of Z series owner.
The other series are not going to have it.
Got it?"
Still no more trust worthly source talk about this yet.
Cons: You pay extra for the xperia brand, get a Xiaomi or Oppo etc. if you dont care about waterproofing etc.
Pros: ITS WATERPROOF. Also its exactly the right size for a phone IMO.
Totally worth it.
stormsaber said:
Cons: You pay extra for the xperia brand, get a Xiaomi or Oppo etc. if you dont care about waterproofing etc.
Pros: ITS WATERPROOF. Also its exactly the right size for a phone IMO.
Totally worth it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Note : you pay extra(EXTRA)++++++++ for a SAMMY.:laugh:
No. Wifi and Bluetooth issues. Otherwise, fantastic phone
Sent from my C5502 using XDA Free mobile app
Yes You Can Buy
Xperia Zr is best phone.its same as xperia z.hardware are same in both phone.
I recomamded this zr because price is cheap then Z:good:
do not buy
mahdi87_gh said:
Hi
I wanted to buy this phone. do you recommend it or not? why?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
please never buy this phone. I am using this phone and having bluetooth and wifi problem. I can't use bluetooth and wifi. I insist you to buy Z instead of ZR. You can search on google that 50% users having problem with wifi and bluetooth. This phone is not water resistance well.

Is the Xperia Z worth it?

As compared to the Xperia SP. Please don't compare the Xperia Z with the other devices please. Tell me what's bad and good. I am interested in hearing the community thoughts here. Also, how much of a difference are the Stock ROMs and Custom ROMs? And do you think that there should be more development for the Xperia Z.
Thanks
Furrydaus said:
As compared to the Xperia SP. Please don't compare the Xperia Z with the other devices please. Tell me what's bad and good. I am interested in hearing the community thoughts here. Also, how much of a difference are the Stock ROMs and Custom ROMs? And do you think that there should be more development for the Xperia Z.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pros:
-big 1080p display(5 inches)
-High-resolution display (1080 x 1920 pixels)
-Extremely high pixel density screen, over 430ppi
-Quad core processor
-Lots of RAM (2048 MB RAM)
-Fast mobile data support (4G)
-Waterproof
Cons:
-Fingerprint magnet
-Off-angle display is poor
Best phone i ever had the performance is amazing it may lag some times but it never fails to impress. The software updates take a while to reach it but i guess this is a problem for all xperia devices. As for the XperiaUI for me is the best minimalistic design ever its close to stock android but without those ugly icons.
But if you have the money i would suggest you buy a xperia z2 or z3
Hope it helps you
Furrydaus said:
As compared to the Xperia SP. Please don't compare the Xperia Z with the other devices please. Tell me what's bad and good. I am interested in hearing the community thoughts here. Also, how much of a difference are the Stock ROMs and Custom ROMs? And do you think that there should be more development for the Xperia Z.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Z is starting to get a little old though so if you have the money you might want to go for the Z1 or higher as there is a chance of it still getting android M as well!
I had an Xperia sp before as well and I'm happy with my Z1 the only problem is that I bricked it, and sony replaced the motherboard with a faulty one so I will have to send it back :/
Sent from my XZ1 running cm12.1
I having my Xperia z for about 2 years now
I don't recommend buying Xperia Z
Cons/Problems I have with my Z:
1- The sim card slot is annoying. Fortunately I don't have to change my sim card for a long time until I travel to another country or decide to change carrier
2- Yes Xperia Z has big ram, good processor and good performance but the problem is that it produces much heat. Doing a multitasks in background like playing a game, then switch to watch a video then surf the Web produce a fairly heat that burns your hand and force you sometimes to decide putting it into the refrigerator
3- Destroys your SD card: When I copy any file to external SD card, It becomes corrupted suddenly or disappeares. Then after a short period the SD card will be unusable. And the problem proceeds when you put the SD card in another device or to computer with card reader, It will also make corrupted files.
(Tested with 3 SD cards 2gb, 32gb and 64gb sandisk. All are destroyed :'(
Even if you format it will still be unusable (I got this problem with the kitkat update. I was fine at jealy bean)
4- Now with the lollipop update new problem is added to the list and nothing fixed: My Z is now randomly shutting down during the usage. The only time it doesn't when it's connected to the charger.
I confirm that it's not a battery problem because my battery is good and I can turn the Z on again after the shutdown without charging. I was fine before lollipop
5- It is charging slowly. Takes about three hours to full charge from zero. When used heavily while charging, It will discharge faster than it's charging
Now I am planning to install a custom rom to see if I can avoid these annoying problems
Those are more than enough reasons that will make my next phone htc probably or Samsung which I disliked at first but now I seem to like them much much more
Sent from my C6602 using Tapatalk
Hashim97 said:
I having my Xperia z for about 2 years now
I don't recommend buying Xperia Z
Cons/Problems I have with my Z:
1- The sim card slot is annoying. Fortunately I don't have to change my sim card for a long time until I travel to another country or decide to change carrier
2- Yes Xperia Z has big ram, good processor and good performance but the problem is that it produces much heat. Doing a multitasks in background like playing a game, then switch to watch a video then surf the Web produce a fairly heat that burns your hand and force you sometimes to decide putting it into the refrigerator
3- Destroys your SD card: When I copy any file to external SD card, It becomes corrupted suddenly or disappeares. Then after a short period the SD card will be unusable. And the problem proceeds when you put the SD card in another device or to computer with card reader, It will also make corrupted files.
(Tested with 3 SD cards 2gb, 32gb and 64gb sandisk. All are destroyed :'(
Even if you format it will still be unusable (I got this problem with the kitkat update. I was fine at jealy bean)
4- Now with the lollipop update new problem is added to the list and nothing fixed: My Z is now randomly shutting down during the usage. The only time it doesn't when it's connected to the charger.
I confirm that it's not a battery problem because my battery is good and I can turn the Z on again after the shutdown without charging. I was fine before lollipop
5- It is charging slowly. Takes about three hours to full charge from zero. When used heavily while charging, It will discharge faster than it's charging
Now I am planning to install a custom rom to see if I can avoid these annoying problems
Those are more than enough reasons that will make my next phone htc probably or Samsung which I disliked at first but now I seem to like them much much more
Sent from my C6602 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
all of your problems will go away if you do a factory reset which is highly recommended after such a big update like android 5
ExCuTioN said:
all of your problems will go away if you do a factory reset which is highly recommended after such a big update like android 5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or he just updated via zip method instead of upgrade via ftf.
BTW @Furrydaus
I think the Z is still worth it, its not so expensive anymore but still performs very well (stock and custom)
My sister has an SP and I'm recommending her a Z also.
BTW 2: # offtopic: next week I'm flashing different rom / kernel on her SP, and since she doesn't have the time to let me test rom by rom,, could you recommend a fast and stable rom? Because now she suffers poor ram management and reboots.
ExCuTioN said:
all of your problems will go away if you do a factory reset which is highly recommended after such a big update like android 5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it would be so simple to fix everything by reset, everyone would do this and live happy after that :]
But about that list:
2. Yes its heat a lot... but I found out that almost EVERY new phone heat a lot, mostly those with glass.metal back... companies dont understand that today phones dont actually need such power, only better optimized apps, but instead of that they put there huge CPU's like XZ and never phones. And XZ normal temp are 60-70, I actually took pirometr from work and when playing, back panel had almost 60*C its actually hard to hold it :]
And no reset nor clean system install can fix that.
4. Actually this is only problem that could be fixed with clean installation, because its clearly problem of system(reboots)
5. that is so true. For past couple of weeks Im playing with Virtual Reality Goggles, and most of apps for that just massacre CPU and battery, and even when Im charging it, after one movie(90min) Battery is down from 70 to 20% WHEN CHARING! xD And Im using docking pins for charging because I found that they give more juice than charging from microUSB.
And in Lollipop I actually need to charge it two times per day, using only music player and browser...
And about topic... it is worth?
NO
I bought it knowing about two things that battery suck, and screen suck... its turn out that screen is awesome, but camera is tragic, especially after LP update, that now camera take worst pics quality than xperia Neo V that I lately fix to use as a Android TV(work like charm with BT mouse)
Xperia Z is amazing device but compared what you can get now for that money its plain stupidity to buy it.
Sofware on it is "shoot and miss", especially when you update to LP.
Battery is tragic no matter of OS version
Camera just suck
Cover flaps are HUGE F PAIN IN THE ARSE, when you use headphones a lot you can order new ones, or even bunch of covers, because they break up easily.
Because of heat and weird design back cover can pop up a bit, so forget about waterproof.
Without sound mods its really quiet device, especially after LP
Its HUGE fingerprint magnet....
I dont care about that, but if someone want to buy new phone, forget about xz....
Akinaro said:
If it would be so simple to fix everything by reset, everyone would do this and live happy after that :]
But about that list:
2. Yes its heat a lot... but I found out that almost EVERY new phone heat a lot, mostly those with glass.metal back... companies dont understand that today phones dont actually need such power, only better optimized apps, but instead of that they put there huge CPU's like XZ and never phones. And XZ normal temp are 60-70, I actually took pirometr from work and when playing, back panel had almost 60*C its actually hard to hold it :]
And no reset nor clean system install can fix that.
4. Actually this is only problem that could be fixed with clean installation, because its clearly problem of system(reboots)
5. that is so true. For past couple of weeks Im playing with Virtual Reality Goggles, and most of apps for that just massacre CPU and battery, and even when Im charging it, after one movie(90min) Battery is down from 70 to 20% WHEN CHARING! xD And Im using docking pins for charging because I found that they give more juice than charging from microUSB.
And in Lollipop I actually need to charge it two times per day, using only music player and browser...
And about topic... it is worth?
NO
I bought it knowing about two things that battery suck, and screen suck... its turn out that screen is awesome, but camera is tragic, especially after LP update, that now camera take worst pics quality than xperia Neo V that I lately fix to use as a Android TV(work like charm with BT mouse)
Xperia Z is amazing device but compared what you can get now for that money its plain stupidity to buy it.
Sofware on it is "shoot and miss", especially when you update to LP.
Battery is tragic no matter of OS version
Camera just suck
Cover flaps are HUGE F PAIN IN THE ARSE, when you use headphones a lot you can order new ones, or even bunch of covers, because they break up easily.
Because of heat and weird design back cover can pop up a bit, so forget about waterproof.
Without sound mods its really quiet device, especially after LP
Its HUGE fingerprint magnet....
I dont care about that, but if someone want to buy new phone, forget about xz....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Z1 fixes most of the issues so I recommend Z1 or up
Hashim97 said:
I having my Xperia z for about 2 years now
I don't recommend buying Xperia Z
Cons/Problems I have with my Z:
1- The sim card slot is annoying. Fortunately I don't have to change my sim card for a long time until I travel to another country or decide to change carrier
2- Yes Xperia Z has big ram, good processor and good performance but the problem is that it produces much heat. Doing a multitasks in background like playing a game, then switch to watch a video then surf the Web produce a fairly heat that burns your hand and force you sometimes to decide putting it into the refrigerator
3- Destroys your SD card: When I copy any file to external SD card, It becomes corrupted suddenly or disappeares. Then after a short period the SD card will be unusable. And the problem proceeds when you put the SD card in another device or to computer with card reader, It will also make corrupted files.
(Tested with 3 SD cards 2gb, 32gb and 64gb sandisk. All are destroyed :'(
Even if you format it will still be unusable (I got this problem with the kitkat update. I was fine at jealy bean)
4- Now with the lollipop update new problem is added to the list and nothing fixed: My Z is now randomly shutting down during the usage. The only time it doesn't when it's connected to the charger.
I confirm that it's not a battery problem because my battery is good and I can turn the Z on again after the shutdown without charging. I was fine before lollipop
5- It is charging slowly. Takes about three hours to full charge from zero. When used heavily while charging, It will discharge faster than it's charging
Now I am planning to install a custom rom to see if I can avoid these annoying problems
Those are more than enough reasons that will make my next phone htc probably or Samsung which I disliked at first but now I seem to like them much much more
Sent from my C6602 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude, are you sure that you're being logical?
1) This is the only legit fault you have named. You can do nothing about this.
2) Playing a game, watching a video and surfing the web simultaneously? Are you serious? This is the biggest pressure you can put on a phone, how do you expect it not to heat up? I agree that it generally heats up pretty quickly, but newer, stronger phones usually act like that.
3) Do you really think this is a reason to convince people not to buy the XZ? Do you not think if such a flaw existed in a device, the company would stop its production line until fixed? That is definitely not a whole issue, but one with your device. You have either a damaged card slot or a faulty SD card.
4) Again, do not generalize such issues with phones ever. Random shut downs are not normal at all. They are not expected to be spontaneously present at all units of the same model. The problem is surely at your side, whether software or hardware.
5) Slow charging is apparently a problem raised after the LP update. However, I kinsa feel like it is somewhat better now for me with custom ROMs. But anyway, anticipate the official 5.1 update.
And dear OP, please compare devices of the same level of specifications. The XZ is old, but the SP is even older. It uses a dual core processor and 1GB of RAM, while the XZ is equipped with the double of each. The display also is in fHD resolution with like 441 pixels per inch, and this is quite great. Thoroughly, the XZ is a good device, in my opinion, with its thermal control system disabled in order to prevent poor performance when heating up. Battery life is also not so good. Not bad either, though. Pretty natural with newer phones. Sound volume is also so damn low.
Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk
ashkan-khatar said:
Dude, are you sure that you're being logical?
1) This is the only legit fault you have named. You can do nothing about this.
2) Playing a game, watching a video and surfing the web simultaneously? Are you serious? This is the biggest pressure you can put on a phone, how do you expect it not to heat up? I agree that it generally heats up pretty quickly, but newer, stronger phones usually act like that.
3) Do you really think this is a reason to convince people not to buy the XZ? Do you not think if such a flaw existed in a device, the company would stop its production line until fixed? That is definitely not a whole issue, but one with your device. You have either a damaged card slot or a faulty SD card.
4) Again, do not generalize such issues with phones ever. Random shut downs are not normal at all. They are not expected to be spontaneously present at all units of the same model. The problem is surely at your side, whether software or hardware.
5) Slow charging is apparently a problem raised after the LP update. However, I kinsa feel like it is somewhat better now for me with custom ROMs. But anyway, anticipate the official 5.1 update.
And dear OP, please compare devices of the same level of specifications. The XZ is old, but the SP is even older. It uses a dual core processor and 1GB of RAM, while the XZ is equipped with the double of each. The display also is in fHD resolution with like 441 pixels per inch, and this is quite great. Thoroughly, the XZ is a good device, in my opinion, with its thermal control system disabled in order to prevent poor performance when heating up. Battery life is also not so good. Not bad either, though. Pretty natural with newer phones. Sound volume is also so damn low.
Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had both devices. XZ and SP. Both of them are using the Snapdragon S4 Pro Processor, the XZ the Quad-Core Variant with 1,5 Ghz and the SP the Dual-Core Variant with 1,7 Ghz.
I can't recommend any of these devices, they are old and the battery is too small for todays use. I'm using the Z for almost two years now. Don't buy it, its too old for todays usage.

is Xperia ZR still worth buying? (transition from ASUS Zenfone 5)

so, recently my local used phone shop got tons of used Xperia ZR docomo, with 2GB RAM and 32GB internal.
until this time, I'm using ASUS Zenfone 5 (ASUS_T00F) with 2GB RAM and 8GB internal, which sucks (and everybody knows ASUS have A LOT of bloatware).
is this phone still worth buying? they are sold like $90 here.
and what should I check first when buying?
thanks!
rinaldo.jonathan said:
so, recently my local used phone shop got tons of used Xperia ZR docomo, with 2GB RAM and 32GB internal.
until this time, I'm using ASUS Zenfone 5 (ASUS_T00F) with 2GB RAM and 8GB internal, which sucks (and everybody knows ASUS have A LOT of bloatware).
is this phone still worth buying? they are sold like $90 here.
and what should I check first when buying?
thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you share some pictures of these Xperia ZR units? I want to buy one too, but I want to know the whole state of use of them.
PD: Could you test if their Wifi works well?
rinaldo.jonathan said:
so, recently my local used phone shop got tons of used Xperia ZR docomo, with 2GB RAM and 32GB internal.
until this time, I'm using ASUS Zenfone 5 (ASUS_T00F) with 2GB RAM and 8GB internal, which sucks (and everybody knows ASUS have A LOT of bloatware).
is this phone still worth buying? they are sold like $90 here.
and what should I check first when buying?
thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're looking for a smaller phone with large internal storage and a removable battery, then this phone fits the bill. I believe it may be the only one out there that has all of the following:
- Under 5-inch screen size
- 720×1280 screen resolution
- 2 GB RAM, 32 GB (about 25–26 GB usable) internal storage
- Removable battery
- microSD card slot
- Some USB OTG support (microUSB flash drives work, USB OTG adapter cables don't seem to work)
- FM radio
- Custom recovery and custom ROM support (even though the bootloader is locked)
It also happens to be waterproof and can be charged on a charging dock via contact points on the side without using the microUSB port.
For anyone who's planning on buying one of these, check if the phone is SIM unlocked. If it's locked, you can just buy an unlock code online, but make sure it hasn't run out of attempts to unlock; otherwise, it may be permanently locked. Some info on the Xperia phones' SIM lock can be found here. And of course, make sure the phone's frequency bands match your coverage area since this particular one seems to have fewer bands than most other phones.
C D said:
If you're looking for a smaller phone with large internal storage and a removable battery, then this phone fits the bill. I believe it may be the only one out there that has all of the following:
- Under 5-inch screen size
- 720×1280 screen resolution
- 2 GB RAM, 32 GB (about 25–26 GB usable) internal storage
- Removable battery
- microSD card slot
- Some USB OTG support (microUSB flash drives work, USB OTG adapter cables don't seem to work)
- FM radio
- Custom recovery and custom ROM support (even though the bootloader is locked)
It also happens to be waterproof and can be charged on a charging dock via contact points on the side without using the microUSB port.
For anyone who's planning on buying one of these, check if the phone is SIM unlocked. If it's locked, you can just buy an unlock code online, but make sure it hasn't run out of attempts to unlock; otherwise, it may be permanently locked. Some info on the Xperia phones' SIM lock can be found here. And of course, make sure the phone's frequency bands match your coverage area since this particular one seems to have fewer bands than most other phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
and you forgot NFC! just lacks an IPS panel and maybe better camera
so so difficult to find a similar phone with such price, maybe the s5 mini, witch i hate due the mecanical button, amoled displays end up burned overtime, and has less ram, and much more expensive.
i just bought a mi4c with awesome 4k capable camera, ips panel, Infrared, usb type-c, and an snapdragon 808 that returns 67000 antutu bench
and i am thinking into sell it for a ZR, beacuase it has all what mi4c lacks for and i also need in a phone, waterproof, nfc, microSD expansion, radio, compact size, removable battery, charge dock so you dont end up breacking the water seal rubber of the usb.
ZR is quite close... the antutu bench is around 21 000, but i guess is enough for not heavy users.
Z3 compact was another option but much more expensive, and not easy to replace batt.
in my local country ebay (spain) they also got Xperia ZR docomo, with 2GB RAM and 32GB and thats why i knew this model, becuase the ZR was never released officially in spain, shame on you Sony. I was looking so hard for a cheap, compact waterproof with NFC and decent CPU phone.
i am tempted to get one, for 89€ about 99$ or so

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