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Xperia Z/ZL |OT| Experience the best of Sony in a smartphone

Akira

Member
Did they improve the camera? It could've been as simple as setting Burst Mode to capture one photo and calling it Automatic Mode lol
 

Cerity

Member
The over processing of pictures seems to be fixed now.
There's a firmware update for the nfc.
The default whitebalance seems to be corrected, the previous settings (9 hue, 220 sat) comes off as too blue.

You currently have to have an unlocked bootloader if you want to root though, seems they've patched up the root method by goroh.
 
MY WHITE ZL JUST SHIPPED FROM GERMANY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

it says:
-Enhanced User Experience
-Improve battery life
-Software Performance Improvements

It fixes the media server bug so battery life should be greatly improved.

Also, the update makes the camera about 1000x better. Seriously. About 1000x better.

Honestly, this is how the Xperia Z/ZL should have launched. This firmware is almost perfect.
 

vivftp

Member
One of my friends just got his white Z from the USA... so purdy :(

Compared it against another friends black ZL and while the ZL is nicer in the hand, the Z was just so damned purdy! OTOH I'm sure if it was the white ZL, my opinion would shift back towards that.

Whatever Honami looks like, I'm all but certain I'll be getting a white version!
 

Chinner

Banned
MY WHITE ZL JUST SHIPPED FROM GERMANY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D



It fixes the media server bug so battery life should be greatly improved.

Also, the update makes the camera about 1000x better. Seriously. About 1000x better.

Honestly, this is how the Xperia Z/ZL should have launched. This firmware is almost perfect.

bro. congrats on the zl. it's a sexy beast.

how has it improved the camera? does it launch quicker now or picture quality improved?
 

vivftp

Member
zomg, any idea if Honami will incorporate triluminos tech in the display?

The rumor well on the next gen phones seems to have dried up as of late, unfortunately.
 
bro. congrats on the zl. it's a sexy beast.

how has it improved the camera? does it launch quicker now or picture quality improved?

Can't wait. I can finally get rid of this piece of shit HTC.

PQ is much improved, load up time is still poor. I don't get the last one, with Xperia S Sony boasted about how fast they could load up the camera so you could get snapping straight away etc... Now it's like they left all of that optimisation behind.
 

vivftp

Member
Please post tons of pics of your new device zomg! Not enough quality shots of users white ZLs out there. Plus camera pics would be much appreciated with this new update. It seems to have done something to help a bit, at least going by XDA so far.
 
zomg, any idea if Honami will incorporate triluminos tech in the display?

The rumor well on the next gen phones seems to have dried up as of late, unfortunately.

Seems unlikely. I think 2014. It's still v. expensive to implement. I think 5" 1080p IGZO is the best bet.

Also, remember the (now cancelled) C670x, that used the same 4.8" 1080p IGZO screen that Sharp are using in their own phone as shown today. For 1080p screens Sony are front of the queue for IGZO, so Sony are finally leaving TN and AV type screens behind. :D
 

vivftp

Member
Interesting, thanks.

I wonder if we'll still see any JDI white magic displays on any of the new phones. I would really like to see that AUO 5" 1080p OLED, but I guess that won't be ready for mass production til next year anyways.

A shame about triluminos though. It looks like it'll be in that nifty new VAIO slider that was leaked recently, so at least it shows they can scale it down from TVs. I was just hoping it'd be ready to go for smartphones this year :(
 
Interesting, thanks.

I wonder if we'll still see any JDI white magic displays on any of the new phones. I would really like to see that AUO 5" 1080p OLED, but I guess that won't be ready for mass production til next year anyways.

A shame about triluminos though. It looks like it'll be in that nifty new VAIO slider that was leaked recently, so at least it shows they can scale it down from TVs. I was just hoping it'd be ready to go for smartphones this year :(

I think JDI are not trustworthy. I have heard many, many rumours about poor quality control from them and late deliveries causing production delays. Sharp can at least deliver their product and IGZO really does look like a winner. I used a prototype 5" 1080p IGZO phone from Sharp when I was in Japan recently and it is probably the best screen in existence. 3000:1 native contrast ratio, 178 degree viewing angles with above 1500:1 CR, lowest power consumption in class, best touch response in class. IGZO is seriously good tech, honestly if Sony's H2 flagship uses IGZO then it will be a very impressive phone. Part of the reason Z/ZL battery life is worse than it should be with the screen on is because they use VA type screens which have poor battery characteristics compared to IPS and ASV.

so superior auto isn't a piece of shit anymore? is that what you're saying?

That's the word. :D

I was also told that HDR video and pics have been improved, and similar camera updates are being integrated into all Exmor RS phones (ZL, SP, L, ZR).
 

vivftp

Member
Interesting to hear about JDI there. I did have a question on that (sorry to keep bugging ya zomg, heh). Sony of course spun off its small display business into JDI so do you find it likely that they will ever rebuild this aspect of their business so they can make their own small displays again? Or is such a thing just not economical compared to buying displays on the open market like they're doing with TVs?

Glad to hear you're impressed with IGZO. From what I've been hearing elsewhere, it's still in the running for Honami so let's hope it'll be the one.

Finally, this camera update... is this THE update we've been hearing about with new JPEG algorithms and all that? I'd guess not but always good to clarify :)
 
Interesting to hear about JDI there. I did have a question on that (sorry to keep bugging ya zomg, heh). Sony of course spun off its small display business into JDI so do you find it likely that they will ever rebuild this aspect of their business so they can make their own small displays again? Or is such a thing just not economical compared to buying displays on the open market like they're doing with TVs?

Glad to hear you're impressed with IGZO. From what I've been hearing elsewhere, it's still in the running for Honami so let's hope it'll be the one.

Finally, this camera update... is this THE update we've been hearing about with new JPEG algorithms and all that? I'd guess not but always good to clarify :)

I don't think Sony will ever go back into mobile display manufacturing. Look at what it has done to Sharp and Panasonic. Japanese companies just can't compete with Chinese and Korean competitors, the cost of labour in Japan is just too high.

I think the only way it happens is if Sony decide to buy a large stake in AUO if the latter requires capital for investment, but even then it will only be a stake rather than full ownership. Otherwise buying displays from Sharp means lower fixed costs and with products like smartphones and tablets which have huge margins, the added expense of buying from out is worth it vs the higher fixed costs of having a division that will be running below capacity.

I think it is the front runner. The word is that SMC have been very, very disappointed with JDI screens and very impressed with the Sharp screens in Z/ZL so Sony are looking to build a better relationship and supply chain with Sharp Mobile Display.

I don't know whether it is *the* update we've been waiting for, but it is definitely a good one.
 

Chinner

Banned
someone on XDA posted a comparison
dsc0008akk.jpg

You DON'T need a before/after comparison, there is a big difference! Now, Auto mode is even sharper than burst in good light conditions.

noice
 

vivftp

Member
Hope my friend got the update... I'll try to play with his Z as soon as I can.

I imagine with the camera improvements it'll be only a matter of time before we see fresh comparisons with other phones to see how much of an improvement it really provides. Can't wait!
 

Akira

Member
Hmm with the improved firmware, mindblowing black bar AND camera software (lol), I'm tempted to get the Z now instead of wait for the Honami. But that IGZO, Cybershot camera, and 3000mAh...
 

vivftp

Member
Hmm, considering that Honami is supposed to be a fair bit thicker than Z due to the camera, I'm hoping they can stuff a far larger battery in there. 3000mAh is nice and all, but here's hoping for 4000 :)
 
yup.

does sony technically owe me money for beta testing? they should put a badge on my PSN profie at least!

Give them a call!

If you really want to do it send me a PM and I can give you the number for the SMC London office.

Hmm with the improved firmware, mindblowing black bar AND camera software (lol), I'm tempted to get the Z now instead of wait for the Honami. But that IGZO, Cybershot camera, and 3000mAh...

Get the Z man, it's awesome.
 

Cerity

Member
Yeah it's only for certain countries right now, I flashed the singapore ftf before I left for uni and have been using for most of the day, here's what I've found so far.

- Not sure if it's because I flashed purexaudio but the screen delay, is much, much longer when listening to music. In the 4-5 second zone.
- Stamina Mode estimation is bugging out, it's showing what I should be getting without it on.

+ Battery life is improved a fair bit, battery dropped 20% where by this time it'd usually have dropped by 30-40% given how much I've used it
+ camera!
+ During the first time startup it will actually ask to grab the APN's of your network.
+(?) there's an advanced stamina mode you can now play around with, it lets you add applications that won't close in standby mode, you can also set stamina to turn on after battery hits a certain point. I don't remember this being in 434 but I don't think I ever actually had a look.

~when changing themes it will now tell you what exactly is changing, though you still can't individually change the accents.
 

tha_devil

Member
Im waiting on updating untill there is new root mode. Already had black bars, and white balance from docomo version. So only the camera and perhaps battery life would be plusses. I really wish some reviewers would update their reviews with this new firmware.
 

Chinner

Banned
pefromance is meant to be a little enhanced too. but yeah, once the Z/ZL get 4.2.2 reviewers should rereview it again maybe, at least then its on the same playing field as the GS4 and htc one/
 
Im waiting on updating untill there is new root mode. Already had black bars, and white balance from docomo version. So only the camera and perhaps battery life would be plusses. I really wish some reviewers would update their reviews with this new firmware.

GSMArena usually do new reviews for milestone updates, they did all new camera, battery life and performance tests when the 4.1.1 update was released for the GS3. I hope they do the same when 4.2.2 comes out for Xperia Z. I think the difference will be night and day. I think sites like The Verge wouldn't want to do it as they would have to go back on their unnecessarily low score.
 
By the time 4.2 is out on the Z they'd be reviewing the next Nexus device with 4.3/5.0

D:

The update is still stuck in limbo afaik. This current update was put together to circumvent the whole "wait until 4.1.2 has rolled out" crap so Z/ZL owners got the most out of their phone. Most of these features and fixes were supposed to be part of the 4.2.2 update which should have been rolling out over the last couple of weeks.
 

raven777

Member
I will probably sell my ipad 3 and get tablet Z.
nobody here is using it yet? I know its only out in Japan but just wondering...
 

Chinner

Banned
okay just restarted. the colours and everything on the screen really pops out more, seems like theyve sorted out the contrast. performance is faster, going into settings for example is speedier.
 

lilltias

Member
Yeah it's only for certain countries right now, I flashed the singapore ftf before I left for uni and have been using for most of the day, here's what I've found so far.

- Not sure if it's because I flashed purexaudio but the screen delay, is much, much longer when listening to music. In the 4-5 second zone.
- Stamina Mode estimation is bugging out, it's showing what I should be getting without it on.

+ Battery life is improved a fair bit, battery dropped 20% where by this time it'd usually have dropped by 30-40% given how much I've used it
+ camera!
+ During the first time startup it will actually ask to grab the APN's of your network.
+(?) there's an advanced stamina mode you can now play around with, it lets you add applications that won't close in standby mode, you can also set stamina to turn on after battery hits a certain point. I don't remember this being in 434 but I don't think I ever actually had a look.

~when changing themes it will now tell you what exactly is changing, though you still can't individually change the accents.

Sounds great! Do we know when it hits certain countries? I am in Sweden.
 

Chinner

Banned
someone here recommended the Xperia expanded launcher and its risky cool, but yes there anyway to still it going landscape on the home screen?
 

Cerity

Member
Playing with the advanced stamina mode, it's essentially a built in greenify that closes every app in standby unless you specify certain ones to stay on.
 
Playing with the advanced stamina mode, it's essentially a built in greenify that closes every app in standby unless you specify certain ones to stay on.

This consumes more energy. Closing apps will stress the battery more than keeping them in memory, and since you have 2gb of ram, there is no need to close apps unless they run background tasks.
 
My ZL is in transit! DHL from Germany!

Can't wait until it arrives.

I've just been talking to a contact at SMC, they said the update they pushed lowered the gamma from 1.1 to 0.95 which has had the effect of better contrast and better viewing angles. Colour saturation has been increased also to 105%, and this makes the screen seem like it has better contrast and colours. However, both of these changes reduce colour accuracy, but basically my contact said the consumer clearly doesn't give a shit about colour accuracy since AMOLED blows all colours up to ultra-saturation and people love it.

The contact said this firmware may be released to manufacturing if the response is positive so new buyers will get a better experience.
 
My ZL is in transit! DHL from Germany!

Can't wait until it arrives.

I've just been talking to a contact at SMC, they said the update they pushed lowered the gamma from 1.1 to 0.95 which has had the effect of better contrast and better viewing angles. Colour saturation has been increased also to 105%, and this makes the screen seem like it has better contrast and colours. However, both of these changes reduce colour accuracy, but basically my contact said the consumer clearly doesn't give a shit about colour accuracy since AMOLED blows all colours up to ultra-saturation and people love it.

The contact said this firmware may be released to manufacturing if the response is positive so new buyers will get a better experience.

Eh, wouldn't buyers get the firmware anyway since it'll be stated as a update?
 
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