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

[DJCBS]

I really need a charging dock because I'm getting ocd about wearing out the flap to charge it. That's all for now

I got this from Clover Buy MicroUSB To Magnetic Connector Adapter precisely to avoid opening the flaps at all. It's not the sturdiest of solutions (you can't really use the phone with it plugged in) but since I only need to charge the phone at night, it does wonders.

 

[anon(464338)]

I got this from Clover Buy MicroUSB To Magnetic Connector Adapter precisely to avoid opening the flaps at all. It's not the sturdiest of solutions (you can't really use the phone with it plugged in) but since I only need to charge the phone at night, it does wonders.

Thanks. I just ordered one off of Amazon. I think shipping would be too much for me here in the States for the Clove charger.

 

[anon(464338)]

It does not replace the Moto X for me if it does not have something touchless control(ok google now with screen off) and active display (screen turns on when pulled out of pocket). You have to remember what made the Moto X special was not specs; it was the addition of convenient features on top of stock android which summarized is basically automation. These are just smart features that are handy to me that aren't just spec sheet eye candy. The battery life and camera are sure to be far better but the ergonomics and the previously mentioned key features are still keeping me with the Moto X.

I'm also coming from an X and I understand the whole specs thing from Motorola X owners. It didn't matter that the X was dual core ect.. It still runs smooth. I thought I'd miss the touches controls but honestly I also never used them when the phone was off much. You can still give the Z3c commands from Google now like any other updated Android phone. The active display I do miss though but the double tap to wake works seamless. I think I might download a lock screen with the notification indicated. The z3c also has a notification light which I forgot how much I missed. I didn't buy the phone for specs.. Trust me I'm not that guy. But for the size, power, battery, camera, and also useful features, it was a no brainer for me as an upgrade in most categories vs the Moto X. I don't think of the X as any less of a phone though by far. Its a great phone and it may be fine for some still but in another 6 months to a year, I'm not so sure.

 

[robertkoa]

Received my Z3C on Friday. Spent a couple of days with it so far and here are my initial thoughts:

1) As compared to the Z1C, Sony has really refined the build on the Z3. It really is the same size with the .3 inch bigger screen. I really like the translucent plastic sides. The screen is much better with the removal of the anti shatter film. The device feels solid and looks really nice. I got the black.
2) I remember the Z1C screen being too small at the end of they day. The Z3C is not that much better. I am using it side by side with an Iphone 6 and its amazing how much smaller the screen feels even though they are about the same size. I was using the GS5 before this just so you have some perspective.
3) The phone is blazing fast. No lag at all. Makes the GS5 look silly in comparison.
4) Camera is ok so far. Takes a second to snap the picture. The GS5 was instant as is the Iphone 6. Pictures are very nice of course, just like the Z1C.
5) Battery life so far has been a little disappointing. I am not seeing epic longevity but I will give it a few charging cycles before I pass judgement on that.
6) I have been swapping my Iphone 6 nano sim back and forth and I have been getting "4G". The only issue is that the Z3C does not get the strongest signal. In weak signal area's the Iphone 6 is on LTE, the Z3C is getting H+. This is probably as much a result of the phone not being an ATT phone. When I first turned the phone on it downloaded ATT's network settiings.
7) The front facing speakers are a good try by Sony. They dont sound great though. In some games you get the stereo sound, but they still sound tiny and hollow. I give Sony credit though, I like the idea of putting them in front like HTC while keeping a slim bezel.


This is my android phone for the next year. I still love the form factor and the speed.

 

[robertkoa]

Thanks for the Review. It seems that some Speakers on the Z3 C are louder than others.

I don't have one yet, but on Videos and from Users/Reviewers-getting mixed reviews.

The speakers should be loud and clear, but a little thin sounding Like a Xperia Z2.

It should also be as loud as your Iphone 6.

Are you finding this speaker volume ?

 

[robertkoa]

Finally got mine all set up. Comparing the screen side by side with my Z2, I actually think the screen looks a little better. It's a bit more vibrant and has better contrast between black and white. I haven't found the need to mess with the white balance at all. Size feels pretty good but a tad on the small side. The next few days will tell if I can get used to it or not. I wish the body was just a hair bigger, somewhere between the Z2 and Z3c. Everything seems to be working fine, however I noticed my LTE speeds are low but I haven't compared that to people around me with AT&T so I'm not sure if that's a location issue or the phone. Speakers seem good. Notifications are a bit louder than they were on my Z2. I definitely miss the notification light bar on the Z2, but the little LED dot on the Z3c will do. Won't be able to really tell how battery life is for a few days, but it seems to be on par with the Z2. I've been on it non stop so I'll have a better idea with mixed use.

 

[robertkoa]

I am about to pull the trigger on a Z3 C so these User Posts are extremely helpful.
Thanks to all of you.

Question regarding Speaker Volume, on both calls and on Music/Podcasts how is the Volume and Clarity on Z3 C ?

It should be similar to the Z2 and less Bass than a Z3 and less everything compared to HTC One M8 [ lol] but still better than all Samsung, for example.

 

[anon(464338)]

I am about to pull the trigger on a Z3 C so these User Posts are extremely helpful.
Thanks to all of you.

Question regarding Speaker Volume, on both calls and on Music/Podcasts how is the Volume and Clarity on Z3 C ?

It should be similar to the Z2 and less Bass than a Z3 and less everything compared to HTC One M8 [ lol] but still better than all Samsung, for example.

From music the speakers are great but for some reason calls on Speaker are poor on my unit.

 

[Ventura726]

For music, they are comparable to the Z2, but I've found that notification and system sounds are a little louder. On my Z2 I have touch screen sounds enabled and they're kinda low and subtle, but on the Z3c, I had to turn them off because they were quite loud. When I've had both phones side by side and I get an email or Facebook notification, the Z3c is noticeably louder.

 

[nyc_rock]

Received my Z3C on Friday. Spent a couple of days with it so far and here are my initial thoughts:

1) As compared to the Z1C, Sony has really refined the build on the Z3. It really is the same size with the .3 inch bigger screen. I really like the translucent plastic sides. The screen is much better with the removal of the anti shatter film. The device feels solid and looks really nice. I got the black.
2) I remember the Z1C screen being too small at the end of they day. The Z3C is not that much better. I am using it side by side with an Iphone 6 and its amazing how much smaller the screen feels even though they are about the same size. I was using the GS5 before this just so you have some perspective.
3) The phone is blazing fast. No lag at all. Makes the GS5 look silly in comparison.
4) Camera is ok so far. Takes a second to snap the picture. The GS5 was instant as is the Iphone 6. Pictures are very nice of course, just like the Z1C.
5) Battery life so far has been a little disappointing. I am not seeing epic longevity but I will give it a few charging cycles before I pass judgement on that.
6) I have been swapping my Iphone 6 nano sim back and forth and I have been getting "4G". The only issue is that the Z3C does not get the strongest signal. In weak signal area's the Iphone 6 is on LTE, the Z3C is getting H+. This is probably as much a result of the phone not being an ATT phone. When I first turned the phone on it downloaded ATT's network settiings.
7) The front facing speakers are a good try by Sony. They dont sound great though. In some games you get the stereo sound, but they still sound tiny and hollow. I give Sony credit though, I like the idea of putting them in front like HTC while keeping a slim bezel.


This is my android phone for the next year. I still love the form factor and the speed.

Now a couple of weeks in and a few more thoughts:

-Still not seeing great battery life. I am starting to think I got a bad unit or something. Its not terrible, but not really much better than my GS5 or Iphone 6 which is a disappointment.
-Screen brightness is wonky at best. In a pitch black room, the brightest remains blindingly high. Not fun for when you wake up at night and roll over to check emails (I do that). I have to manually lower the brightness which is fine, but it should do that automatically. Hope this gets fixed with a software update.
-Screen has a blue-ish tint to it as compared to my other phones.
-The one thing I really hated about Sony's software was the hijacking of the swipe up motion to launch thier "whats new" application. Did this hack though:

get it done without root - Post #0 - XDA Forums

Works like a charm so now I only have google now on swipe up.

Still love this phone, just wish I could figure out why my battery life was not as good as everyone else.

 

[DJCBS]

Now a couple of weeks in and a few more thoughts:

-Still not seeing great battery life. I am starting to think I got a bad unit or something. Its not terrible, but not really much better than my GS5 or Iphone 6 which is a disappointment.
-Screen brightness is wonky at best. In a pitch black room, the brightest remains blindingly high. Not fun for when you wake up at night and roll over to check emails (I do that). I have to manually lower the brightness which is fine, but it should do that automatically. Hope this gets fixed with a software update.
-Screen has a blue-ish tint to it as compared to my other phones.
-The one thing I really hated about Sony's software was the hijacking of the swipe up motion to launch thier "whats new" application. Did this hack though:

get it done without root - Post #0 - XDA Forums

Works like a charm so now I only have google now on swipe up.

Still love this phone, just wish I could figure out why my battery life was not as good as everyone else.

- Have you turned on Stamina mode or checked what apps you have constantly running? Also, note that great battery life is only achieved if you don't do any gaming on the phone. If you do, you won't get much out of it of course. Also, check "App power consumption" as you may have an app that's sucking all the juice out of the battery.

- Don't you have the "adapt to lighting conditions" turned on? It should adjust the brightness for your automatically. Mine did it to the point where I had to actually turn it off because I didn't want the screen do dimmed.

- That "blue-ish tint" is a result of the settings of the White Balance. It changes from OEM to OEM. Some put the screens "warmer" with a more yellow-ish tint, others - like Sony - go for a colder tone. You can adjust the White balance on the Display settings to your liking

 

[nyc_rock]

- Have you turned on Stamina mode or checked what apps you have constantly running? Also, note that great battery life is only achieved if you don't do any gaming on the phone. If you do, you won't get much out of it of course. Also, check "App power consumption" as you may have an app that's sucking all the juice out of the battery.

- Don't you have the "adapt to lighting conditions" turned on? It should adjust the brightness for your automatically. Mine did it to the point where I had to actually turn it off because I didn't want the screen do dimmed.

- That "blue-ish tint" is a result of the settings of the White Balance. It changes from OEM to OEM. Some put the screens "warmer" with a more yellow-ish tint, others - like Sony - go for a colder tone. You can adjust the White balance on the Display settings to your liking

-I do not have Stamina mode turned on. I was actually going to ask the same question. From the reviews I have read, it doesnt seem to be necessary but I want sure. I am going to test it out though. Just felt I should be seeing better battery life than my Iphone 6 without the need for it. Are you using it? If so, what settings are you using? are you seeing any issues with getting emails pushed on time?
-Yes, auto brightness is on. But for whatever reason, it does not allow the phone to go to its dimmest setting even in a totally dark room. Thats why I am hoping for a software update that will fix it.

 

[DJCBS]

-I do not have Stamina mode turned on. I was actually going to ask the same question. From the reviews I have read, it doesnt seem to be necessary but I want sure. I am going to test it out though. Just felt I should be seeing better battery life than my Iphone 6 without the need for it. Are you using it? If so, what settings are you using? are you seeing any issues with getting emails pushed on time?

I have Stamina mode on, Low-battery mode on, Location-based Wi-Fi on and Queue data checked..

On the Stamina mode settings I have "always on", "extended standby" checked and Stamina clock on. Then I have on the Apps active even on standby the 5 usual suspects: email, Instagram, Messaging, Phone, WhatsApp and then the Z Launcher.

My emails arrive immediately. I use Outlook and they actually even arrive first on the Z3C than they arrive on my Nokia L930.

 

[ehiggins]

I'll be coming from the nexus 4 to the z3c on T-mobile as well. Did you go get a nano-sim from t-mobile or did you cut yours down?

If you picked up the card, did you have any IMEI hassle or is that just ATT specific.

 

[John Doe86]

Just FYI - using "bars" to compare signal strength between different phones is incorrect ;-) A better way is to download "Network Signal Info" app (it's free on Google Play) and use "Net Strength" value (it'll show numbers like "-85dBm" and such). It can also show more info about signals, both cellular and WiFi. I've been using it on many Android phones, always worked properly, so give it a try.

Or if your phone is not compatible - go to "settings" then "about phone" (or whatever it will be called on your phone) then find something related to "signal" status, most phones will also show signal strength there in "dBm" values.

 

[lindseybp]

To those that have it already... Does it come with a magnetic charging connection or a micro USB connection for charging?

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[anon(464338)]

Micro usb

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[anon5658834]

I have this phone in minty green and so far love it. Great build,screen & camera. Speed & smoothness excellent with no slow down,crashing or reboots. Very stable so far. I have good battery life but not anything like 2 to 3 days as some said. I have no GPS,BT,Wi Fi,NFC on all off,only two apps running in Stamina mode & I get about a day with much browsing,What's App and some picture taking. Don't know how people get 4 days

 

[Jim Williams]

Any issues with overheating on this phone? I had a z2for a few weeks and loves it but couldn’t deal with the phone overheating so flipped it..

 

[jimswms]

Hoping someone can answer the question above on overheating, but also I'm wondering where most of you are buying your Z3C? Looks like a few UK sources. Something about that seems more legit than the Ebay sellers, but maybe not. Where is the best price? I can't seem to get anything to load on the Sony site. When I hit "Buy Now" a page comes up with "Technical Error". Can anyone confirm the US price when it becomes available?