Nexus 4 vs Xperia Z: Round 1: Fight!

[briankariu]

Just saw this on youtube

This should have been the nexus. What are your opinions?

 

[Bar81]

So it has a better camera with a bigger screen but will likely be double the price and not vanilla. Unless you need the extra storage ability or a better camera, I am not clear why anyone would pay so much more.

 

[Jerry Hildenbrand]

No, it shouldn't have been the Nexus. SDcard and proprietary camera module drivers are a no-no.

 

[Jeremy8000]

I haven't watched the video (at work atm), but just wanted to say that it's always a little odd to compare a current handset with one that has only been announced, lacking even a release date. Would you expect a new flagship to trail behind an older one in feature/function? Kind of defeats the purpose...

That being said... Xperia Z will undoubtedly be substantially more expensive, will at best be running the concurrent version of Android OS, and one year from now will be running (several?) versions behind. It might be a great handset, but in terms of present value - even if it were actually available at the present, which it isn't - I expect it to fall behind, and, simply put, it won't be as good a performer in a year or so of OS updates it lags behind, for the mass majority of users who don't root their phones with custom roms.

 

[Citizen Coyote]

I'm sure the Xperia Z will be a fine phone. That said, it will never be equal to the Nexus where it counts for me, and that's software updates.

 

[briankariu]

You have to admit tho, that phone is one helluva sexy device. I really dunno why they made two of them, the Z and the ZL. Its just plain confusing to people. Plus the ZL is not as sexy as the Z.
Samsung hit on a strategy that Apple found out long ago, create one device and sell it across all carriers with very little alteration. then profit

 

[DeadpoolJunior]

You have to admit tho, that phone is one helluva sexy device. I really dunno why they made two of them, the Z and the ZL. Its just plain confusing to people. Plus the ZL is not as sexy as the Z.
Samsung hit on a strategy that Apple found out long ago, create one device and sell it across all carriers with very little alteration. then profit

Wow, I was actually just thinking about the exact opposite. I don't like the square/rectangle look of phones like this and the Optimus G. Just from a design perspective, I think this is one ugly phone. The Nexus 4 kills just about any android phone from a design perspective except maybe the One X.

 

[katamari201]

I would stick with the Nexus 4, if you can get one at normal price, since it seems to always be sold out. By the time the Xperia Z comes around in a few months, give or take, the Nexus 4 will probably have had some price drop and you can get a 16gig one for $299, while the Xperia Z is expected to be $599+ or 500+ GBP.

It's a good phone no doubt, but my biggest problem with every Sony android phone I've seen or used or temporarily owned is how bad the viewing angles are. Even head on it looks washed out and there's always a "glow" throughout the image. The above linked video isn't the best quality, but you can clearly see how much better the viewing angles and contrast are on the Nexus 4. It's a true IPS display from LG, whereas the Sony is definitely NOT. For god knows what reason, a big display and TV brand like Sony still can't bring themselves to use a real IPS display on any of their phones. No wonder they are still so far from the front of the pack, last-gen specs and OS aside (xperia s cough). The most prominent thing on a smartphone is the display, and that's how you woo customers casually browsing at the store. That's why the Galaxy S III is selling tens of millions of Galaxy S III phones, because the SuperAMOLED display looks so nice, even though the phone body is pretty terrible IMHO. A company like HTC has the best IPS display in the smartphone market with its SuperLCD, with none of the silly viewing angle and contrast problems that Sony has. HTC doesn't even make displays. Other manufacturers like Motorola and Pantech have the smarts to buy displays from their competitors. Sony needs to get its head out of the sand in this area.

The Xperia Z however has the much better camera. And of course expandable memory to use it. The 1080p samples on youtube look and sound really great, especially since they are in lowlight on a dark showfloor with variable lighting. Leading the pack in fact. Quite a jump from the GS3 and iPhone, and definitely much better than the Nexus 4, although the Nexus isn't that bad.

I think the Nexus 4 has the better shape. The squared off corners on the Xperia Z aren't that great in the pocket, and the slightly larger size will make a difference in the hand and the pocket. The speckled back on the Nexus 4 also looks way better and less smudged. I've watched so many Xperia Z videos, and every time someone says how beautiful the phone is and turns it on its back, I get a bit vomity at all the grease and blobs of fingerprints. The sides of the Xperia and the power button, however, look nicer and more fashionable.

 

[briankariu]

^^^^^wow, you really analyzed everything

Sent from my PantechP8010 using Android Central Forums

 

[KitN]

Omg it has a glass back!! That's a poor design! They should know that glass is a horrible material to use in a phone with all these fat-fingered, clumsy, careless buttheads manhandling and dropping their Nexus 4s then blaming it on the manufacturer.

"I threw my phone from a third floor window and the back glass shattered!!1!!!!1!!! LG made a crappy phone! It's defective. Glass should never break when I abuse it!!1!!!"



Sarcasm aside, the only thing I like about the Sony Xperia Z is the better camera (though a full review is still forthcoming so I'm just guessing on specs) and the water resistance for the clumsy toilet dropping butterfingered amongst us... That's it!

I couldn't care less about expandable memory. My Nexus 4 has 10.6 GBs of space left and I've had it since release! I'm not a file hoarder. That's what the cloud and streaming is for! So expandable storage is moot to me.

The squared off design on the Z is kinda ugly and not easy and comfortable to palm like the N4. Also the larger screen makes it that much more uncomfortable to hold for people with normal to small sized hands like myself.

And let's not even mention price... Oh, that's right, they didn't! But you know it's going to cost $599-699!

No thanks. I'll pass. I'm incredibly happy with my Nexus 4.

Sent from my Nexus 4

 

[bobjohnson201]

i love this new sony phone and am really happy to see sony upping their game with this one. that being said, im still very content with my nexus.
advantages for xperia z appears to be camera, screen, stronger glass on back, micro sD slot, and its water resistant/dust resistant features (how cool is that?). but it still will be lacking in terms of software updates and the price will most likely be double the nexus.

 

[bobjohnson201]

You have to admit tho, that phone is one helluva sexy device. I really dunno why they made two of them, the Z and the ZL. Its just plain confusing to people. Plus the ZL is not as sexy as the Z.
Samsung hit on a strategy that Apple found out long ago, create one device and sell it across all carriers with very little alteration. then profit

i believe ZL is more of a mid-range device, and it will be in different markets than the Z.

- - - Updated - - -

Wow, I was actually just thinking about the exact opposite. I don't like the square/rectangle look of phones like this and the Optimus G. Just from a design perspective, I think this is one ugly phone. The Nexus 4 kills just about any android phone from a design perspective except maybe the One X.

i think this sony phone is just as good, if not better looking than the nexus. both are incredibly sexy though.

 

[bobjohnson201]

I would stick with the Nexus 4, if you can get one at normal price, since it seems to always be sold out. By the time the Xperia Z comes around in a few months, give or take, the Nexus 4 will probably have had some price drop and you can get a 16gig one for $299, while the Xperia Z is expected to be $599+ or 500+ GBP.

It's a good phone no doubt, but my biggest problem with every Sony android phone I've seen or used or temporarily owned is how bad the viewing angles are. Even head on it looks washed out and there's always a "glow" throughout the image. The above linked video isn't the best quality, but you can clearly see how much better the viewing angles and contrast are on the Nexus 4. It's a true IPS display from LG, whereas the Sony is definitely NOT. For god knows what reason, a big display and TV brand like Sony still can't bring themselves to use a real IPS display on any of their phones. No wonder they are still so far from the front of the pack, last-gen specs and OS aside (xperia s cough). The most prominent thing on a smartphone is the display, and that's how you woo customers casually browsing at the store. That's why the Galaxy S III is selling tens of millions of Galaxy S III phones, because the SuperAMOLED display looks so nice, even though the phone body is pretty terrible IMHO. A company like HTC has the best IPS display in the smartphone market with its SuperLCD, with none of the silly viewing angle and contrast problems that Sony has. HTC doesn't even make displays. Other manufacturers like Motorola and Pantech have the smarts to buy displays from their competitors. Sony needs to get its head out of the sand in this area.

maybe you're right about this, but based on initial impressions it seems people are liking the display on this one. maybe they improved from their previous ones?

 

[bobjohnson201]

Also the larger screen makes it that much more uncomfortable to hold for people with normal to small sized hands like myself.

unfortunately it appears 5-inch screens will be taking over android this year. i like the 4.7 inch screen size of the nexus 4, but i certainly dont want any bigger than that

 

[KitN]

unfortunately it appears 5-inch screens will be taking over android this year. i like the 4.7 inch screen size of the nexus 4, but i certainly dont want any bigger than that

4.7" is the largest screen size I can comfortably go. Even .1" bigger like the Galaxy S3 is just a little too big for my hand to reach all parts of the screen without repositioning and fumbling...

So 5" is just too big for me. Sorry. Not gonna try to one-hand something that big and wind up dropping it.

I see what you're saying about the trend toward 5"+ screens but that's two-hand territory for me. No thanks.

Sent from my Nexus 4

 

[bobjohnson201]

4.7" is the largest screen size I can comfortably go. Even .1" bigger like the Galaxy S3 is just a little too big for my hand to reach all parts of the screen without repositioning and fumbling...

So 5" is just too big for me. Sorry. Not gonna try to one-hand something that big and wind up dropping it.

I see what you're saying about the trend toward 5"+ screens but that's two-hand territory for me. No thanks.

Sent from my Nexus 4

yeah tbh i have to re-position and fumble for even 4.7".

 

[paul-c]

The all glass back of the Z looks nice, but the form factor of the ZL seems more practical because it curves to the hand better. The lack of bezel is also really nice. I wonder why Sony didn't include that for the Z. Guess they wanted the ZL to have a few stand out features they could push as well.

Sent from my Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini

 

[karmamule]

The Sony phone seems to have received the most buzz of any others coming out of this year's CES, and I think it speaks well of the nexus that it holds it own so well against it. Most phones are obsolete practically before they come out, but I feel the nexus 4 will be looking pretty good for much longer than your typical phone, especially given its price point!

 

[katamari201]

maybe you're right about this, but based on initial impressions it seems people are liking the display on this one. maybe they improved from their previous ones?

The display isn't necessarily bad. Its bigger and higher density than Sony's older displays. But the contrast and viewing angle issues remain. I've seen it mentioned more than a handful of times already. There are also videos on Youtube comparing it to the Droid DNA and One X. The issues are conspicuous on video. No need for first hand experience. It will be good enough for most people, but disappointing nontheless.

4.7" is the largest screen size I can comfortably go. Even .1" bigger like the Galaxy S3 is just a little too big for my hand to reach all parts of the screen without repositioning and fumbling...

So 5" is just too big for me. Sorry. Not gonna try to one-hand something that big and wind up dropping it.

I see what you're saying about the trend toward 5"+ screens but that's two-hand territory for me. No thanks.

Sent from my Nexus 4

Phones have different bezels and different sizes. You can't just compare screen size and magically know whether it is too big for you or not.

Nexus 4 : 133.9 x 68.7 x 9.1 mm
Xperia Z: 139 x 71 x 7.9 mm
Xperia ZL: 131.6 x 69.3 x 9.8 m
Galaxy S3: 136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6 m

The Xperia ZL is even shorter than the Nexus 4, and only .6mm wider. You can gain a whole 0.3in of real estate, which is a lot since it is measured diagonally, for less then a millimeter extra of width. As for the Xperia Z, its even thinner than the S3 and only 0.4mm wider and 2.4mm taller. That's completely trivial. You however, gain an extra 0.2in, which is also a substantial increase. The Xperia phones have thinner bezels. Another good example is the Galaxy Note and Note 2. The Note 2 is 5.5", even bigger than the 5.3" on the regular Note. Less than resourceful people continue to assert that its impossible to use and its too big compared to the regular Note. The truth is, the bezels are even thinner on the Note 2, it has a 16:9 screen that's narrower, and the dimensions clearly show that it is both thinner and less wide, so it is actually more manageable than the regular Note, ever so slightly so.