I recently received a replacement Z3 from T-Mobile after living without the ability to plug in headphones for a couple of months. There was an issue with my headphone jack which just stopped working one day for some unknown reason. I dealt with it for a while cause it just wasn't a big deal but I also noticed that the speakers seemed to had loss quality in clarity and that was a bigger deal for me. As I liked to carry premium phones naked without a case one minor drop created a hairline cracking in the back and I knew it was time to go to T-Mobile.
I got my new phone hassle free and for only $5 with the plan I have. Let me just say my appreciation for the phone was instantly renewed. Having a clean slate and the new Lollipop update made a world of difference in my user experience. The Sony Xperia Z3 is hands down the most premium device I've owned in terms of looks and feel. It's design is sleek and a joy to hold. My one complaint is that the phone is also the most slippery phone I've owned both in hand and on any surface that is smooth and has a slight angle. I learned that with the first Z3. The battery is excellent and MicroSD expansion is a must for any device with 32gb of storage or less. And it turns out I was right about the speakers. The new phone's speakers were loud and clear. Very good experience compared to my older one. The front facing speakers are the real deal and unless you have the HTC One brand you most likely won't find a better sound experience on a phone. Every day usage on the phone is a breeze. Very few hiccups especially with Lollipop and not one random reboot so far. Apps and games alike run fast and smooth. You shouldn't have any issues with performance.
The 5.2 inch screen is gorgeous to look at. In the sunlight you can crank the screen brightness very high(higher than any phone I've ever owned) and still has a visible experience. I have no complaints about viewing angles or color accuracy. The whole package is made for whatever you're doing. And with the battery life, you can enjoy your Netflix fix for much longer without scurrying to find the nearest wall outlet.
My biggest letdown in buying the Z3 was the update cycle. I was very disappointed and frustrated with Sony's early boasting of a quick update path that didn't materialize until early June. But I'm not sure who should shoulder most of the blame between Sony and T-Mobile. But now that the update has been released I can honestly say that it's perfect in just about every way. My wife's early Galaxy S5 update was riddled with irritation and a few bugs(this could've been her getting adjusted to it though). Also Sony has now renewed my confidence in future support, albeit not without some degree of skepticism, in announcing support for the next version of Lollipop next month and even for devices as old as the original Z1. And after the "update is coming, no it's not" debacle of the first update, I believe they won't make the same mistake twice.
The camera. The camera is better than average and sometimes extraordinary. Sometimes. And really this sometimes should be closed to 99% of the time if Sony would just put in a little more work in the software and processing. This is the area where I believe Sony should be flexing some serious muscle yet it seems that they are content with allowing their units to continually be beaten out by their competition all while making the sensors those very competing phones use. I came from the Lumia 1020 so I knew I wouldn't get the same level of sharpness and quality but I honestly expected more. And with news that the Lollipop update was bringing new capabilities for the camera API such as manual focus and shutter speed I thought to myself I could do a lot with that 20.7mp camera. That was part of my frustration with the delay of the Lollipop update only to find out that use of the new API were not automatically included anyway and that Sony chose to forego it altogether in 5.0.2. Nevertheless picture quality is still very pleasing and with a few tweaks in manual mode I really can't complain. It is a phone afterall. I'm particularly impressed with Sony's night mode which when paired with a tripod produces some vibrant, low noise shots. Superior auto is good enough for quick snaps of the kids on the go. I recently got to test another cool thing about the Z3 at an amusement park: waterproof ability. It was able to use the phone going through the water park area without fear of damaging the phone. I actually rinsed the phone off one time to my mother-in-law's surprise. Video is also really good looking and the software image stabilization is almost magical. I love how videos turn out at the 1080p/60fps setting. The one annoyance I have with the camera is heat warning. It literally tells you that the temperature is rising and will shut-off automatically if it continues. That's one of the reasons why I was quick to give my Z3 a bath. Here's some unedited samples of the picture quality and a video created with the built in Movie Creator app.(huge plus with videos made in seconds with the touch of a button) I believe Sony will implement the Camera2 API in Lollipop 5.1 as well opening up a range of possibilities in an already great but slightly limited camera experience.
http://1drv.ms/1RgnlVQ
So my overall take of the Sony Xperia Z3 is that is really a near perfect device. With it's waterproof and dustproof ratings, ability to pair a PS3(I use this to play compatible games)/PS4 controller (this is a strong bonus for anyone with a PS4 being able to stream games from the system to the phone over WiFi), great battery life, zippy performance, nice camera in a premium build quality it's hard to overlookthe device as a true stand out when you get past the hype of quadHD screens, slightly better camera experiences on the GS6 and LG G4 and slim Apple products. After wanting to upgrade after the Lollipop delay I find more reasons to hold on to the Z3 than to get rid of it.(the manual mode on the G4 is a dream come true though) I can honestly say I would have no problem using the Z3 for the full two years of the monthly installments of my Jump plan even though I'll most likely give into the Microsoft flagship this fall but that's more of my love for Windows than a slight against the Z3.
Sent from my D6616 using Tapatalk
I got my new phone hassle free and for only $5 with the plan I have. Let me just say my appreciation for the phone was instantly renewed. Having a clean slate and the new Lollipop update made a world of difference in my user experience. The Sony Xperia Z3 is hands down the most premium device I've owned in terms of looks and feel. It's design is sleek and a joy to hold. My one complaint is that the phone is also the most slippery phone I've owned both in hand and on any surface that is smooth and has a slight angle. I learned that with the first Z3. The battery is excellent and MicroSD expansion is a must for any device with 32gb of storage or less. And it turns out I was right about the speakers. The new phone's speakers were loud and clear. Very good experience compared to my older one. The front facing speakers are the real deal and unless you have the HTC One brand you most likely won't find a better sound experience on a phone. Every day usage on the phone is a breeze. Very few hiccups especially with Lollipop and not one random reboot so far. Apps and games alike run fast and smooth. You shouldn't have any issues with performance.
The 5.2 inch screen is gorgeous to look at. In the sunlight you can crank the screen brightness very high(higher than any phone I've ever owned) and still has a visible experience. I have no complaints about viewing angles or color accuracy. The whole package is made for whatever you're doing. And with the battery life, you can enjoy your Netflix fix for much longer without scurrying to find the nearest wall outlet.
My biggest letdown in buying the Z3 was the update cycle. I was very disappointed and frustrated with Sony's early boasting of a quick update path that didn't materialize until early June. But I'm not sure who should shoulder most of the blame between Sony and T-Mobile. But now that the update has been released I can honestly say that it's perfect in just about every way. My wife's early Galaxy S5 update was riddled with irritation and a few bugs(this could've been her getting adjusted to it though). Also Sony has now renewed my confidence in future support, albeit not without some degree of skepticism, in announcing support for the next version of Lollipop next month and even for devices as old as the original Z1. And after the "update is coming, no it's not" debacle of the first update, I believe they won't make the same mistake twice.
The camera. The camera is better than average and sometimes extraordinary. Sometimes. And really this sometimes should be closed to 99% of the time if Sony would just put in a little more work in the software and processing. This is the area where I believe Sony should be flexing some serious muscle yet it seems that they are content with allowing their units to continually be beaten out by their competition all while making the sensors those very competing phones use. I came from the Lumia 1020 so I knew I wouldn't get the same level of sharpness and quality but I honestly expected more. And with news that the Lollipop update was bringing new capabilities for the camera API such as manual focus and shutter speed I thought to myself I could do a lot with that 20.7mp camera. That was part of my frustration with the delay of the Lollipop update only to find out that use of the new API were not automatically included anyway and that Sony chose to forego it altogether in 5.0.2. Nevertheless picture quality is still very pleasing and with a few tweaks in manual mode I really can't complain. It is a phone afterall. I'm particularly impressed with Sony's night mode which when paired with a tripod produces some vibrant, low noise shots. Superior auto is good enough for quick snaps of the kids on the go. I recently got to test another cool thing about the Z3 at an amusement park: waterproof ability. It was able to use the phone going through the water park area without fear of damaging the phone. I actually rinsed the phone off one time to my mother-in-law's surprise. Video is also really good looking and the software image stabilization is almost magical. I love how videos turn out at the 1080p/60fps setting. The one annoyance I have with the camera is heat warning. It literally tells you that the temperature is rising and will shut-off automatically if it continues. That's one of the reasons why I was quick to give my Z3 a bath. Here's some unedited samples of the picture quality and a video created with the built in Movie Creator app.(huge plus with videos made in seconds with the touch of a button) I believe Sony will implement the Camera2 API in Lollipop 5.1 as well opening up a range of possibilities in an already great but slightly limited camera experience.
http://1drv.ms/1RgnlVQ
So my overall take of the Sony Xperia Z3 is that is really a near perfect device. With it's waterproof and dustproof ratings, ability to pair a PS3(I use this to play compatible games)/PS4 controller (this is a strong bonus for anyone with a PS4 being able to stream games from the system to the phone over WiFi), great battery life, zippy performance, nice camera in a premium build quality it's hard to overlookthe device as a true stand out when you get past the hype of quadHD screens, slightly better camera experiences on the GS6 and LG G4 and slim Apple products. After wanting to upgrade after the Lollipop delay I find more reasons to hold on to the Z3 than to get rid of it.(the manual mode on the G4 is a dream come true though) I can honestly say I would have no problem using the Z3 for the full two years of the monthly installments of my Jump plan even though I'll most likely give into the Microsoft flagship this fall but that's more of my love for Windows than a slight against the Z3.
Sent from my D6616 using Tapatalk
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It's a great phone. I hope 5.1.1 will bring RAW to the camera. I have no complaints about the camera but I like options. 
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