WAR recon zero
Banned
I got an used nexus 4. Its the best phone ever and has everything I need. I just flashed multi ROM and android l preview
I need opinions on the android smartphone market.
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BertramCooper
Banned
If it's doable, get a Nexus.
Stock Android is a thing of beauty and shouldn't be compromised by shitty OEM skins.
When Lollipop rolls out to the public, you're really going to want to have the stock experience.
Get a Nexus.
Stock Android is a thing of beauty and shouldn't be compromised by shitty OEM skins.
When Lollipop rolls out to the public, you're really going to want to have the stock experience.
Get a Nexus.
Coriolanus
Banned
Might as well take advantage of this thread.
Looking for a 1080p phone with great battery life AND a removable battery. Am fine with using chinese brands.
Ideas?
Looking for a 1080p phone with great battery life AND a removable battery. Am fine with using chinese brands.
Ideas?
negreenfield
Member
I'm a weirdo who doesn't like stock Android. I have the HTC One M8 and this phone is so awesome. Yes, I will admit the camera is just ok but I really take very few pictures and it takes great videos which is really what I need it for. The speakers being awesome is one of those things I didn't think I'd care about but it's great.
You said you don't like Samsung so the Note 4 is out but the LG G3 is a really nice phone as well. It's not too loaded with another skin on top of Android if that's important to you.
You said you don't like Samsung so the Note 4 is out but the LG G3 is a really nice phone as well. It's not too loaded with another skin on top of Android if that's important to you.
PushTheButtonMax
Banned
I'm just wondering, what is the reason for people hating capacitive buttons? Is it because you can't customize their placement? I've only ever had phones with physical buttons and they work just fine (Galaxy S3).
I'll be upgrading to the upcoming Turbo, dat battery.
DR4G0NZ0RDx
Member
There are a lot of mentions for the OnePlus one, should be noted that it will not work since you're on Verizon. It is a gsm phone, no CDMA. But imo get the HTC m8 and install the google play edition ROM. Looks and runs beautifully. The camera is good, idk why so much hate.
whatever77
Banned
My opinion is the smartphone market hasn't changed much in the last year. Basically the whole 1080p->QHD; slightly faster CPU upgrade is not worth the extra $200.
If you are not getting a new contract, you can get a new/mint off contract S4 for $250-300.
You can put a 7500mah battery on a S4.
If you are not getting a new contract, you can get a new/mint off contract S4 for $250-300.
You can put a 7500mah battery on a S4.
Druz
Member
Wasted space for the screen? But really I feel like they were put there so that there wasn't a giant blank lip at the bottom to hold the hardware. Then you get something like the Android 5 button redesign and you're sitting with kitkat capacitive buttons. Just comes off as ugly in my opinion.
Yeah, I'd be screwed without them lol.
It'spretty much come down to the Z3v and the Moto X. Has anyone had the Z3v long enough to give a solid opinion on it?
DrFaustPhD
Member
The verge has a review on the Z3v and I think Droid Life's review on the Z3c has a lot of relevant information regarding the camera interface and software in general.
Personally, I chose the Moto X and I love it so far. Customization is great, and the leather is very cool, and feels very nice. The lack of higher storage options is definitely a negative in my eyes, but with its advantages in the software department, and the fact that I'll never feel the need to root this phone are more significant to me than the extra storage. Its also incredibly ergonomic and easy to get a nice grip on. So far I think Moto Voice is good but not great, but a lot of the other features like moto display and how it automatically detects when I'm driving to adjust some settings are really nice. The camera is good, but not great. Anyone who says its bad probably doesn't know what they're talking about. Its focus can be a little finicky, but its workable, and its really really fast. The battery life so far (had it less than a week) has been more than acceptable in my eyes. I've run a couple tests, charging it all the way and leaving it unplugged before I go to bed and the like, it has no problem running over 24 hours with 3-4 hours of screen time. Actually its kind of peculiar, my SoT seems to have almost no effect on the battery; whether I've used the screen 1.5 hours or 4 hours, the amount of battery drain has been reading in approximately the same range at the same times across the days I've used it.
Personally, I chose the Moto X and I love it so far. Customization is great, and the leather is very cool, and feels very nice. The lack of higher storage options is definitely a negative in my eyes, but with its advantages in the software department, and the fact that I'll never feel the need to root this phone are more significant to me than the extra storage. Its also incredibly ergonomic and easy to get a nice grip on. So far I think Moto Voice is good but not great, but a lot of the other features like moto display and how it automatically detects when I'm driving to adjust some settings are really nice. The camera is good, but not great. Anyone who says its bad probably doesn't know what they're talking about. Its focus can be a little finicky, but its workable, and its really really fast. The battery life so far (had it less than a week) has been more than acceptable in my eyes. I've run a couple tests, charging it all the way and leaving it unplugged before I go to bed and the like, it has no problem running over 24 hours with 3-4 hours of screen time. Actually its kind of peculiar, my SoT seems to have almost no effect on the battery; whether I've used the screen 1.5 hours or 4 hours, the amount of battery drain has been reading in approximately the same range at the same times across the days I've used it.
katsubento
Member
Picked up the Z3V in white (my first white phone!).
Coming from a Moto Droid MAXX
My initial impressions:
What's in the box... You get the phone, a micro USB cable, and a charger. The charger has one port and is rather...large. I didn't even open it as I have chargers galore as well as a TYLT vu wireless qi charger. I could be mistaken, but looking at the charger, it looked to be a 500 MAH output one. I could be wrong, and will check again, but I put it all in the box afterwards. Edit: It's 1500mah. NO headset included with the Z3V, but I did order a set of the MDR-31 noise canceling earbuds that look like ordinary earbuds with no control box and AAA battery. The noise canceling circuitry is in the phone, and will work with this particular headset. More on sound later.
Design: Nope, it's not a Z3. More along the lines of the Z2 as we all know now, but it feels nice and premium feeling nonetheless. The port covers feel like every other port cover I've felt on a phone, not sure why some people said they are flimsy. Weight feels fine for the size of the phone, and even though it's thicker than the Original Z3, it feels great in the hand. Big Red's logo on the front really spoils the look of the phone, but other than that, it looks and feels ace.
UI: Close to stock Android 4.4, but it does have Sony's influences. Nothing too drastic though, and the phone is snappy! There is of course Verizon bloatware galore. They even put their own VZW messenger app as the stock text app (think it's called Messenger+ or something. Thankfully you can change it.
Camera: Seems to be pretty damn good. Definitely faster and so far, better looking shots than the one in my MAXX. Way too many shooting modes. MOst will just set it on auto, but you need to go manual if you want the full res shots. Otherwise, it defaults to 8mp shots (which do look great). Still playing with it.
Sound/call quality/vibration: The stereo speakers sound great. They aren't as good as HTC Boom sound, but what other phone is? These are definitely second place though. I haven't yet had the opportunity to try the high res audio through USB or headphones, nor did I receive the noise canceling Sony earbuds I ordered last night so I couldn't try that either. I tried a few ordinary 256kb mp3's with Xaiomi Gold Piston 2's, Logitech UE 500's, Vmoda Crossfade M100s, and a few other pairs of really cheap cans. They all sounded pretty good. Definitely better than my MAXX, probably better than my Walkman Mp3 player. Would like to try the noise canceling headset for flights. Will update on that later.
Call quality: Some reviews said mediocre. All my test calls sounded perfectly fine, and the people on the opposite end said that I sounded great. No dropped calls as is par the course for Verizon. Vibration seems to be so-so, but maybe because I could tailor the types of vibrations in my MAXX. Dunno if that's something this phone can do...haven't found it yet.
Battery: Hard to say since it was at about 65% when I took it home, and just started messing around with it. With almost everything set as it came in the box, it was down to 40% when I was done messing around( about three hours of playing). I am trying to drain the battery to about 5% then will charge her fully with my TYLT Vu qi charger. I did test the charger briefly just now, and she seems to rest perfectly and charge right away on it...no positioning or fiddling around, but that's pretty much the design of charger and not the phone.
Screen: Looks good to me. Not mega bright, but more than what I would ever need. 1080p is a bit overkill imo, so it looks fine to me. You can adjust the white balance etc if you are so inclined.
PS4 Remote Play: coming soon
Waterproofing/Dust proofing: I haven't tried this yet.
Misc:
Coming from a Moto Droid MAXX
My initial impressions:
What's in the box... You get the phone, a micro USB cable, and a charger. The charger has one port and is rather...large. I didn't even open it as I have chargers galore as well as a TYLT vu wireless qi charger. I could be mistaken, but looking at the charger, it looked to be a 500 MAH output one. I could be wrong, and will check again, but I put it all in the box afterwards. Edit: It's 1500mah. NO headset included with the Z3V, but I did order a set of the MDR-31 noise canceling earbuds that look like ordinary earbuds with no control box and AAA battery. The noise canceling circuitry is in the phone, and will work with this particular headset. More on sound later.
Design: Nope, it's not a Z3. More along the lines of the Z2 as we all know now, but it feels nice and premium feeling nonetheless. The port covers feel like every other port cover I've felt on a phone, not sure why some people said they are flimsy. Weight feels fine for the size of the phone, and even though it's thicker than the Original Z3, it feels great in the hand. Big Red's logo on the front really spoils the look of the phone, but other than that, it looks and feels ace.
UI: Close to stock Android 4.4, but it does have Sony's influences. Nothing too drastic though, and the phone is snappy! There is of course Verizon bloatware galore. They even put their own VZW messenger app as the stock text app (think it's called Messenger+ or something. Thankfully you can change it.
Camera: Seems to be pretty damn good. Definitely faster and so far, better looking shots than the one in my MAXX. Way too many shooting modes. MOst will just set it on auto, but you need to go manual if you want the full res shots. Otherwise, it defaults to 8mp shots (which do look great). Still playing with it.
Sound/call quality/vibration: The stereo speakers sound great. They aren't as good as HTC Boom sound, but what other phone is? These are definitely second place though. I haven't yet had the opportunity to try the high res audio through USB or headphones, nor did I receive the noise canceling Sony earbuds I ordered last night so I couldn't try that either. I tried a few ordinary 256kb mp3's with Xaiomi Gold Piston 2's, Logitech UE 500's, Vmoda Crossfade M100s, and a few other pairs of really cheap cans. They all sounded pretty good. Definitely better than my MAXX, probably better than my Walkman Mp3 player. Would like to try the noise canceling headset for flights. Will update on that later.
Call quality: Some reviews said mediocre. All my test calls sounded perfectly fine, and the people on the opposite end said that I sounded great. No dropped calls as is par the course for Verizon. Vibration seems to be so-so, but maybe because I could tailor the types of vibrations in my MAXX. Dunno if that's something this phone can do...haven't found it yet.
Battery: Hard to say since it was at about 65% when I took it home, and just started messing around with it. With almost everything set as it came in the box, it was down to 40% when I was done messing around( about three hours of playing). I am trying to drain the battery to about 5% then will charge her fully with my TYLT Vu qi charger. I did test the charger briefly just now, and she seems to rest perfectly and charge right away on it...no positioning or fiddling around, but that's pretty much the design of charger and not the phone.
Screen: Looks good to me. Not mega bright, but more than what I would ever need. 1080p is a bit overkill imo, so it looks fine to me. You can adjust the white balance etc if you are so inclined.
PS4 Remote Play: coming soon
Waterproofing/Dust proofing: I haven't tried this yet.
Misc:
- The Z3V loses the lanyard loop that the Z3 has.
- The themes you can download are kind of cool. These are just like the PS3 themes except for your phone. There's a free Little Big Planet one that's kind of cool.
- Having been on Verizon for a long time, it's nice to see a Sony product that is more in line with their new outlook (PS4, etc).
- Cases: There are none. Well, MY VZW store had a silicone case that I had to get since there was no other option. Hoping something comes soon.
- The employees at my store really like the phone. Several want to buy it and they are excited that Sony is back in their stores.
That said, there was no advertising the phone in my store. It was tossed right next to the Notes and Moto X. No signs except for the tiny placard under the demo unit telling you what kind of phone it was. I did notice a lot of people asking what it was. Most people said the same thing..."Sony makes phones?"
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