Happy new owner of the Z Ultra GPe

John Wiskowski

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I stepped up from a Nexus 5 and am very pleased. Personally, Nexus' device always have weird quirks with things like wireless and Bluetooth specifically. Not show stoppers, just annoyances. The X Ultra GPe doesn't have any of the quirks my stock Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 had. And it replaces both :)

The screen, IMO, is amazing. The speaker is much better than reviewers led on. I enjoy having the Sony video and audio settings included in the GPe. The audio enhancements make a huge difference. All of Sony's "Smart" apps that were made for the Xperia line, seem to work just fine on the GPe. Battery life seems to be around 16-hours. However, I have been using it less than two days, and don't like to judge this early. I do believe I can get a "full day" with my usage.

The device is easier to hold than the Nexus 7, which was my primary device. I found the Nexus 5 too small and battery too lacking to use around the house as often as I wanted to. The Nexus 5 did fine when out and about. The Z Ultra GPe is a perfect marriage of the N5 and N7 in my opinion. The magnetic dock is close in convenience to the Qi charging of the Nexus devices. I also ordered a SwitchEasy folio case, which allows me to easy remove the device. I plan to use it naked at home and in the dock, and throw it in the case when I leave the house. Pulling the device out of my pocket to answer a call was awkward. I ordered the Sony SBH52 handset/headset which I will use mainly for voice calls.

Any specific questions... let me know. I will try to post about my experience regularly.

So you know a bit of my recent mobile background... Previous I owned every iPhone. Last year, I went from an iPhone 5 to Nexus 4 to LG Optimus G Pro to a Lumia 925 and finally the Nexus 5 before switching to the Z Ultra GPe. I had a Nexus 7 LTE as well as various other Android/Windows tablets.

I currently carry the Z Ultra GPe (stock 4.4.2 with the Google Now Launcher, Dalvik runtime) and a Dell XPS 11 around with me daily.
 
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wizzrah

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Re: Happy new owner of the Z Ultra GPe

I want to get a Z Ultra as well. Quick question, what's your opinion on the camera?

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bobsacomano

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Re: Happy new owner of the Z Ultra GPe

I'd get it if the price comes down. If it had wireless charging I would be more inclined, too

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coman

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Re: Happy new owner of the Z Ultra GPe

This phone is truly amazing and is the best one I've ever owned, but several of the worst things about it:
The camera is really bad, colors are blue-ish.
No flash.
No root, at least not without being able to back up TA partition.
 

wizzrah

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Re: Happy new owner of the Z Ultra GPe

This phone is truly amazing and is the best one I've ever owned, but several of the worst things about it:
The camera is really bad, colors are blue-ish.
No flash.
No root, at least not without being able to back up TA partition.

Would you trade the Z Ultra for a Z1 if you had the chance?

Sent from my AT&T One X running CodefireX ROM Android Version 4.4.
 

Google_Superuser

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Re: Happy new owner of the Z Ultra GPe

I love my Z Ultra as well. Best android device I've had (and I've had quite a few). Unlike every other Android device I've handled I've yet to find a single bug or issue with it. Never even a hiccup. I do wish the camera was better though. I can live without flash but quality is really a joke. The large screen though makes it worth it. Coupled with T-Mobile unlimited data and google play movies and I've got plenty of entertainment anywhere.
 

John Wiskowski

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Re: Happy new owner of the Z Ultra GPe

I'm not a big picture taker. It is fine for daytime shots that would go through Instagram or Facebook.

- - - Updated - - -

I wouldn't take a Z1. I don't like the screen. Now a Z2 could be a compelling option. But I wanted a huge screen phone.
 

John Wiskowski

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Re: Happy new owner of the Z Ultra GPe

Lack of Qi charging bothered me, but the magnetic dock makes up for it. Third party magnetic cables are available as well. Not as convenient as Qi, but not terrible.
 

John Wiskowski

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Re: Happy new owner of the Z Ultra GPe

I went back to the Nexus 5 for a week. Really liked it for the camera, Qi charging and built in pedometer. Also tried a Samsung galaxy S5 for literally a day. Not wide enough for me to type well on, laggy as well IMO.

But I am back on the Z Ultra. I love this device, except:
- I'm not a big picture taker, but this camera is dreadful. Nexus 5's camera blows this away. I wish it had a better camera.
- The battery life is better than expected, but recently it has gotten worse. Hangouts kills it since the last update. I now use Hello SMS and Facebook Messenger.
- The oleophobic coating has almost completely been wiped away after only a month. Others have stated the same. Got a nice screen protector, but those aren't my favorite. A $649 device should have this problem. I believe it is due to the factory installed screen protector being there. The coating likely sticks better to glass than that thing.
- The device is a tad too big 6" might have been better than 6.44". Also, they could shave a bit off the top bezel wise.
- Some apps won't install due to be incompatible. Amazon, OpenTable and my cable provider's TV app to name a few.

I still love the display. I'm sorry, but it is literally one of the best on the market. There is no discussion to be had. The width of the device is almost perfect, again I think a slightly smaller display would be even better. I have a phone and and a tablet all in one. Can't beat that. Still nothing else on the market comes close as there are no other Google Play Edition phablets. I hope another one comes soon.

Too bad I bought it 1-month before the $200 price drop. But I definitely got plenty of use during that time.
 

Google_Superuser

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Re: Happy new owner of the Z Ultra GPe

Has anyone had touch accuracy issues? Idk whats going on but its mostly noticeable on the lockscreen where it seems like I need to be extra careful to tap each number where as before I could just do it quickly.
 

jokarak

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I'm also greatly enjoying the z ultra. Like others commented, this is a near perfect device but for the rubbish camera. I recently went on a trip to a sketchy country and rather than lug my DSLR used only my Nexus 5 and I was very pleasantly surprised by the results. With the Z, on the other hand, I can barely take pictures - bluish tint, lack of detail, overall just no.

However, since getting the Z, I have barely used my original Samsung 10.1 tablet. The Z can truly replace a phone and a tablet. Not having wireless charging is inconvenient, but after buying a couple of third party mag cables, I have more convenient charging at home and in the car.

Only other complaint I have is weird wifi reception. When I'm sitting a few feet from my router, wifi seems to drop on and off fairly frequently. Searched around for an answer and can't find anything. It seems that Sony addressed the issue with their own Z ultra, but i can't find a solution for the gpe. Regardless, I still love this phone.

The incipio thin cover is also pretty good, although I don't think it offers much protection except for accidental bumps to the back. An annoyance is having to cut a slot for the mag charger by hand, but it looks OK for a simple hack job. If anyone has any tips for wifi, I'm all ears.
 

coman

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I've been having issues with wifi as well, often times it would simply not work at all, sometimes turning it off and on or rebooting the phone helps but other times nothing fixes it, only time, very annoying.
 

John Wiskowski

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I haven't had any WiFi issues but some oddities with it dropping LTE and going back to H+ more often than other devices. But it seems to have less LTE bars than H+ but it could just be in my area.

I am very happy overall, but still might go for something smaller. I would jump at a Sony Z2 GPe or a LG G3 GPe.
 

Google_Superuser

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Is there a notification light?

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

Yes

After almost six months of use I am thinking of getting something smaller again. The big screen is nice but the screen on say a nexus 5 looks nicer and honestly I'm getting a little tired of the weird looks I get when making calls with it and more importantly having a giant phone in my pocket. I find I am often moving in such a way as to not snap the phone in my pocket.

Thinking it may be either Nexus 5 or Oneplusone time
 

coman

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and honestly I'm getting a little tired of the weird looks I get when making calls with it and more importantly having a giant phone in my pocket. I find I am often moving in such a way as to not snap the phone in my pocket.

lol at least it's not google glass. I get anything from weird looks to confusion, to anger, to envy and jealousy. In the end it's whatever works for you, I don't even think about it anymore, when people stare and ask "what is that" I'm usually confused at first and wanna reply "personal email, can I help you?", before I realize that I'm about to blow their mind. But to each their own. I did notice that when you talk if your face is flush with the phone and your ear is not properly aligned with the mic then it might be hard to hear, but if you move away from the phone then it can be real loud almost like a speakerphone. Also what can be really annoying when you talk is the sensor doesn't always catch you and turn off the screen which somehow often results in your face inadvertently making its way all the way to time settings and changing the time format from 12 to 24 hours. But I never had issues with it in my pockets and I wear many different kinds of pants and even sleep with the phone still in them sometimes. However, I will also say that I never drop my phones, except for this one. It is really hard to get used to dealing with its size when it comes to handling it without dropping and unfortunately I have already dinged the screen with tiny marks, maybe they should've put gorilla glass on it like all the normal phones have.
 

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