My Z3C Has Arrived - First Impressions (share yours as well)

[damonb10]

Who was the seller? Hopefully someone that has one can chime in. On other Sony products I have had there has definitely been an unbroken seal.

Well I assume there should be some kind of official Sony seal but don't see one. The seller put there own seal on it. Can someone respond back on whether there was a seal and what the seal looked like on there phone.

I've looked at a bunch of YouTube unboxing videos and none show a seal of any kind.

 

[DJCBS]

Hey all, I just received mine from Amazon today. Haven't opened the box yet, because I'm concerned that it has been tampered or is used. Can those of you that have received one report what kind of seal or stickers there were on the box before opening. I'm assuming something was there to "break the seal" before opening. Thanks so much for your help!

I got mine from Clove and it didn't bring any sort of seal at all.

 

[lindseybp]

Do sellers normally put their own seal on phones? Are they trying to prove you opened it so you can't return it?

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[FSRBIKER]

Hey all, I just received mine from Amazon today. Haven't opened the box yet, because I'm concerned that it has been tampered or is used. Can those of you that have received one report what kind of seal or stickers there were on the box before opening. I'm assuming something was there to "break the seal" before opening. Thanks so much for your help!

No seal on mine that I ordered from Clove. This had been asked on XDA as well and not a single person has recieved an order with a sealed box, whether from Sony directly or a retailer.

 

[lindseybp]

So why would this seller seal it then??

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[anon(464338)]

Probably just so it's more secure. It looks better to the buyer getting a sealed package . I wouldn't think there is something fishy going on just because he put a sticker on the box.

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[damonb10]

I appreciate the responses about the box seal. This is encouraging and makes me think that maybe this isn't an issue at all. It is a curious decision by Sony, though, to not have a seal on the box.

 

[codeda]

Have any of you come from a larger device and have found this one too small? I want to buy it over the z3 mainly because of the price but coming from the nexus 5 then G3 not sure if it's going to be shocking to use. Sort of wish there was a size between this and the larger version. Any responses appreciated. i'm buying a new phone tonight!

 

[Issemann]

Have any of you come from a larger device and have found this one too small? I want to buy it over the z3 mainly because of the price but coming from the nexus 5 then G3 not sure if it's going to be shocking to use. Sort of wish there was a size between this and the larger version. Any responses appreciated. i'm buying a new phone tonight!

I am waiting. Decided that $500 is too much money to simply "take a chance" and see if the size, display, sound, etc. meets my needs. (I'm coming from the HTC One m7)

 

[DJCBS]

Have any of you come from a larger device and have found this one too small? I want to buy it over the z3 mainly because of the price but coming from the nexus 5 then G3 not sure if it's going to be shocking to use. Sort of wish there was a size between this and the larger version. Any responses appreciated. i'm buying a new phone tonight!

No. I came from a Nokia L930 with a 5" screen and the fact that the Z3C is smaller was precisely the reason why I bought it. If it were ANY bigger I wouldn't have bought it as it would be pointless. This is a great size both in terms of screen size as well as overall footprint.

 

[strav22]

I have the same concern, coming from a Nexus 5. I do have a moto g backup phone which comes in at a 4.5 inch screen. The moto g is slightly thicker and a little taller than the z3c. The z3c does have a slight larger screen.

I do notice a size difference between the motog and nexus 5. If the z3c were a 4.8 inch device it would be perfect. I value battery life over screen size though. The nexus 5 is a workhorse but does not have endurance.

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[BuffOrange]

I'm coming from a Nexus 4 so don't think it'll bother me. I guess 4.8" would be my ideal too but close enough. The way I look at it it's still significantly more screen real estate than an Iphone 5 (which is owned by pretty much everyone I come across in the wild) and basically the same as the 6; so it's all frame of reference.

 

[lindseybp]

I'm coming from a Nexus 4 so don't think it'll bother me. I guess 4.8" would be my ideal too but close enough. The way I look at it it's still significantly more screen real estate than an Iphone 5 (which is owned by pretty much everyone I come across in the wild) and basically the same as the 6; so it's all frame of reference.

So true.

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[ffosse]

A review I made on another site - basically, I had the Xperia Arc S, the Xperia Z and the Xperia SP all of which had major problems. No issues at all with the newest Sony. The Z3C is cheap (for a flagship) and an excellent device

I also own a Moto G and an Iphone 5: Sony Xperia Z3 Compact - Anythingbutiphone - abi>>forums

 

[robertkoa]

My Z3 Compact just arrived from Handtec (man, that was fast). I'll share more, but here are my initial impressions:

* A tad heavier that I expected, but no complaints. Has a quality feel
* I love the size. I'm using an S4 right now and the Z3C is considerably smaller
* Feels great in the hand, but I have to get used to its smaller size
* As many have noted, the volume buttons are in an awkward spot (middle and under power button )
* The glass front and back are awesome and give it a great look (a case will ruin that, however)
* It is as appealing as I hoped

Now I need to turn it on....

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[robertkoa]

Thanks for the Mini Review

I have noticed different quality speakers in Reviews and Youtube Vids-compared to your S4 the speakers should be much louder and fuller.
Some Z3Cs on Youtube compare very favorably to HTC One M8 Mini (not the full sized HTC) some don't.

Also the Camera -similar in Clarity to your S4 or a tad less would you say ?

Thanks-getting ready to purchase when they hit Sony Store cause I want the $79.99
Warranty but more expensive than ordering from England.

Speaker: Sony Xperia Z3 Compact vs HTC One mini 2…: http://youtu.be/J_jKi8zjB7E

Example of Better speakers on Z3C.

Some are quieter, some are muffled.

Most are a little less full.

 

[ffosse]

Bought a black leather magnetic flip cover from Amazon...plus a Sony Smart Band.

Got the Smart Band to go along with the Lifelog app which I love.

 

[Mister K]

I've had the orange one for nearly a month now, so slightly more than initial observations.

1. Looks - it is very neat, and I like the "burnt orange" colour. Had plenty of positive comments about the looks - a bit different and eye-catching but still smart. The form factor is perfect for me. I've had big phones, but I like the more compact size for now.

2. The famed battery life. Well, to be honest, I haven't played much with the settings. It comfortably lasts all day - using between 50% and 75% by the time I get home in the evening. Yesterday was a heavy day - I listened to Spotify for 4 hours (using Aptx bluetooth headphones), 1/2 hour of streamed video, 1/2 hour phone calls, 1/2 hour of sat nav use, some testing on some apps we are developing, and the usual emails/texts etc. When I looked at the battery usage when I got home I'd used 75%. with a screen on time of 4 hours. Factoring in the fact that the signal is pretty poor where I work, so the radio has to work hard to maintain a signal, I think that is not bad. I might mess around with the stamina mode when I have time, just out of interest, but the phone is good for day-to-day usage.

3. Screen. It is lovely. Now. Out of the box it was far too cold for my liking. A quick adjustment of the white balance (R98 G121 B0) and making sure Super vivid was off (but X-Reality was on) and it is vivid but reasonably realistic. Viewing angles seem fine - Sony has had issues with this in the past, and the Z3C isn't as good as some others, but is good enough for me. 720p is absolutely fine at this screen size IMO.

4. Sound. I don't use the speakers much, listening to most things through headphones, but they seemed OK. Loud enough, but not much more. Via headphones, the Z3C sounds great, and I don't have any problems with gapless playback, both Spotify and Google Play Music seem to support it fine. Call quality is good, but not fantastic.

5. Connectivity. My impression is that the wifi reception isn't the strongest. Other people at work seem to have more reliable connections to our dodgy router than me. 2G/3G is very decent, however, considering how poor Vodafone are in the UK outside of cities. Much better than my previous Samsung and on a par with my Nokia. Bluetooth seems strong and reliable.

6. Camera. Seems OK. I have been using a Lumia 1020 and the Z3C struggles in comparison. It fires up quickly (which was a real problem with the Lumia) and the photos are reasonably detailed, and it performs OK in poor light, but there is a lot of noise at times. I haven't really fiddled about with the settings much yet though, so perhaps I can improve things when I have time. I've been using the camera on manual mode in the main.

To conclude - I am pleased with the Xperia Z3C and can see myself keeping it for a year at least. It is a fast, good looking and enjoyable phone to use, and Sony's decision to put almost top of the range components into a smaller chassis means that, for me, it is close to being the ideal phone.

 

[kertong]

6. Camera. Seems OK. I have been using a Lumia 1020 and the Z3C struggles in comparison. It fires up quickly (which was a real problem with the Lumia) and the photos are reasonably detailed, and it performs OK in poor light, but there is a lot of noise at times. I haven't really fiddled about with the settings much yet though, so perhaps I can improve things when I have time. I've been using the camera on manual mode in the main.

I, too, had a Lumia 1020 before this - and when you're comparing photos of the same scene side by side with the z3c, the 1020 easily annihilates the z3c. No contest.

However, like you mentioned - the 5 second startup time for the 1020 camera, along with another 3-5 second delay before your next shot, really crippled the phone camera for me. per-pixel detail may excel in the 1020 over the z3c, but I've been capturing way more meaningful photos in the z3c due to its quick start-up and operation.

Also, if you're seeing excessive low light noise in 20MP manual mode, try it in superior auto mode - the 20MP->8MP oversampling should be able to remove a lot of noise, in theory..

I'm a strong believer in the saying "the best camera is the one you have with you" - and when the 1020 is starting up slowly or taking 5 seconds to write a photo out to memory - that is a camera that is unavailable to me during that lag, and defeats the purpose of "quick, capture that moment" photography. I'll take the slight hit in image quality from the 1020 for the quick, frictionless operation of the z3c's camera! I'm no longer missing moments with quicker moving subjects like kids, dogs, awesome cars I see on the streets driving by, etc.

The only caveat I have with the z3c camera is the location tagging. I love location tagging all my photos as it makes it easy to find a photo from a long time ago by looking on a map, since I generally remember where it was taken. Unfortunately, the z3c doesn't properly tag your location into a photo unless you wait for the satellite icon to turn into a location marker before snapping the pic - this adds a ~3 second delay, which kind of sucks because I feel like I'm shooting with the slow 1020 again.

Oh, man, that 1020 detail though, it just cannot be beat (this is a photo I took in seattle, WA - these two are the same photo, just a zoomed-in crop on the right)

 

[maxburn]

First thoughts are generally this phone feels like the right size. I really hope the rest of the flagship phones realize they overshot when they passed 5". Fits great in jeans front pocket. Bend test not performed.

The phone feels pretty dense and a little heavier than it maybe should be at this size, noticeably heavier to my Nexus 5 or the iphone 4s or even iphone 6. Looking at the numbers, it is heavier while being smaller.

Screen seems a bit dark, it looks sharp with what appears to be fairly accurate colors out of the box. Turning off auto brightness results in the brightness I was looking for so the screen can do it. I may be installing Lux in the next couple days. 720p not a concern at this size small text reads sharp. IMO accurate colors will make you glad you didn't go with an AMOLED device.

Battery life on the first day of moderate use resulted in 50% as I'm going to bed. I don't see this as a phone to really worry about if you charge it daily.

Sony customization in the ROM actually seems useful. There is much more and useful info in the power and display sections in settings. Smart connect seems like a very light version of tasker, you can configure it to do certain things when plugging in power or headphones for example, I need to look into this more but it says plugging in the power during certain hours will also put the phone on silent for the night. This phone DOES have double tap to wake but for some weird reason it is off by default, I was thrilled to see stumble over this in settings. I am coming from a Nexus 5 running Cyanogenmod and I'm not seeing a reason to miss that ROMs huge level of options.

Dedicated camera button, love it and it works from anywhere even when off. Personally I'd also like a play/pause button as well but I'll settle for having that on the headphones. Camera seems better than Nexus 5 which I did generally like but I'll need some more time to form an opinion.

Speed coming from a Nexus 5 is pretty impressive, I never expected this as I figured it was a similar CPU but obviously not with this and the power usage difference. I turned on .5 animation scale for everything and this phone just flies. If you were coming from something similar to a Nexus 4 this is going to be a huge difference.


The bad:
I can tell I'm going to miss wireless charging. Getting the sony dock to placate this but I don't like putting my charging pads away one bit.

Glass back, don't like it at all. IMO soft touch plastic like on nexus devices is great, grippy, durable and doesn't show wear. This is about the only thing I liked about all my blackberries, they nailed that material. I think sony could change this glass back and save weight. The back is slippery and I actually left the factory film on back to give it a little grip. Glass backs seem dated now so maybe they will change it soon.

Charging port flaps, don't like them. I can't help but think that if the headphone port doesn't need one then why can't they make the charging port the same way? Sure cover up the SIM and microSD, that's a good idea.

Font, for all of the customization in the ROM I don't see a way to change the system font. I may have to resort to brutality.