Sony Xperia Z2 vs Samsung Galaxy S5

[Duncan1982]

There are few moments to consider, let me start from the least important:

1. Prestige. There are cars (VW, Opel, even Lada), and premium class cars (Audi, Volvo, MB, BMW). Most of the people buy cars, but some value premium brands. A number of first ones is much greater than a number of second ones. In case of Samsung, they always used to have an aggressive marketing - and that brings results. Most people do not check very carefully all the details. But some do. Surprisingly, a price tag of both S5, and Z2 is similar. Great. Because... It's a Sony!

2. Ecosystem. Now it is not about Google one, which is great one, but about companies' ecosystems. Samsung has something like that. But sorry... I never used that and always hated their bloatware. Sony offers a list of useful applications and services, including Play Memories with unlimited storage for pictures and videos, Walkman, Lifelog, and few applications that help you to operate Sony TVs, receivers, media-centers, and other home electronics. And the beauty is - you do not need to install them, and you can always remove them. This is not a case with Samsung phones.

3. Quality. My experience with Sony product is longer than a quarter of century, and with Samsung products is even a bit longer. During this time I never experience any problems with Sony products (I own many of them, and often recommend to others), and barely heard someone did. But I experienced many problems with Samsung products, and continue to hear of those from all around. Almost all Samsung (including S4) phones that our university bought for our staff, had to be fixed within first 0,5-1,5 years. Quality build of Z2 is not only for beauty. A solid contraction that you cannot bend and twist, ensure that you will not have any problems with electronics - those that may be caused by micro-cracks and short-circuits.

4. Technical excellence. 200 extra MGz of the same chip that S5 has cannot compete with extra 1 GB RAM (3 in Z2 versus 2 in S5) that Z2 has (50% more!). An overclocked CPU brings some benefits (not much though, as it is overclocked just about 8,7%), but also is a faster battery withdrawal. Therefore, Z2 is a better bet to the future. Speaking of batteries, Sony is well known of making the quality ones. Those that I use with my Sony video cameras, for example, last longer than obsolescences of those camers (which are longer than 5 years in my case) Speaking of Z2 camera, only Lumia 1020 can compete with Z2 at these days IMHO.

The Z2 really is a focused device and one that I am very happy with

Posted via Android Central App

 

[SwiftHax]

I'm most likely picking up a Z2 tomorrow or later this week. I had some thoughts about a Nexus 5 as well, but decided to stick with a Z2 and get the upcoming Nexus tablet to replace my iPad with for that stock android experience.

 

[thatdennis]

I'm most likely picking up a Z2 tomorrow or later this week. I had some thoughts about a Nexus 5 as well, but decided to stick with a Z2 and get the upcoming Nexus tablet to replace my iPad with for that stock android experience.

Glad you chose the right thing the nexus 5 is indeed a great phone, but the battery life is very lacking, as all nexus 5 owners complained

Sent from my Xperia Z2

 

[SwiftHax]

Lack of a micro SD slot and only 32GB of storage was kind of a deal breaker to me as well. If there was a 64GB version, I might've considered it more. Cloud storage is not my kind of thing especially since I live in Europe and carriers abroad charge a ton of money for the cellular network.

Weaker batteries don't bother me that much. Just buy a charging case and your problems are pretty much solved.

 

[thatdennis]

Lack of a micro SD slot and only 32GB of storage was kind of a deal breaker to me as well. If there was a 64GB version, I might've considered it more. Cloud storage is not my kind of thing especially since I live in Europe and carriers abroad charge a ton of money for the cellular network.

Weaker batteries don't bother me that much. Just buy a charging case and your problems are pretty much solved.

Same here, cellular network is expensive and cloud storage is wifi dependant.

True, but it's hard to find battery casings outside of iPhone

Sent from my Xperia Z2

 

[anon(21022)]

Yes they will, for about 3-4 year I predict, could be more but definitely not less.

Just as a general comment, that's a wildly optimistic prediction, not supported by history. Not saying it'll always be the same cuz things can change, though.

Up till now, it's been difficult getting updates on flagships for over 12 months, though we're seeing more and more do it for 18 months. Even Nexus phones have had trouble getting over 2 years of support, mostly for technical reasons, according to Google etc.

Time will tell. I'd be glad if Sony, HTC, Samsung, etc support their phones with *timely* updates for 3 years, even 2 years at least, they're surely moving in that direction which is good, and I remain cautiously optimistic.

 

[Andyvalver]

Get the versus app from the play store to give you an idea on what's best. Here are the results.

http://versus.com/en/samsung-galaxy-s5-vs-sony-xperia-z2

Posted via Android Central App

 

[robsawalker]

Okay, so loads of good points on here and may I say how nice it is to see people discussing the question without being reduced to petty arguing and... that horrible word.. f*nb*yism!

Which of these two phones should you buy? I asked myself that same question, and was torn between the two.

Some people really like the look and feel of the Galaxy phones - including me - whereas others like Sony's cool alloy and glass design - like me! I ended up going for the Z2, but it was real close. A guy in the office has the S5 and after playing with that, I really like it but for me the Z2 was the right choice.

Specification...
I really wouldn't even consider either one a winner. They both have excellent performance and the difference between them is tiny. You just aren't going to notice a difference between them really.

Camera...
both these phones have great cameras. Whichever one you choose, you WON'T be disappointed. Coming from an iPhone, you will have high standards - the iPhone 4S has a lovely little camera on it. Luckily though, both the Samsung and the Sony have really brilliant cameras. Yes, the Samsung has slightly worse low light performance apparently (I haven't tested it a great deal myself) but it probably just edges it for autofocus speed in good light. Swings and roundabouts.

Video...
I haven't spend much time using video on either phone, but I can say I was really impressed with the Sony's stabilisation. In comparisons, videos I took walking round the office and up the stairs were much smoother on the Z2.

Battery & charging...
the Sammy has a removable whilst the Sonys 3100mah beast is just brilliant. The Samsung is to have wireless charging, the Sony doesn't BUT it does have magnetic charger. (NOTE: It's funny, when the Galaxy S3 came out I remember the headlines 'it's going to come with wireless charging out the box!'... I don't ever recall seeing wireless charging for the S3. Then the S4 came out... 'it's going to come with wireless charging out the box!'... Nope, still not. And now they are saying it with the S5!).
I can't comment on wireless charging on the S5 but generally my experience of wireless charging has been pretty poor. On the other hand, I got a magnetic dock for ?10 for my Z2 and it is absolutely brilliant! Charges nice and fast, docks really easily, holds the phone at the right angle for me to watch TV on it whilst laying in bed. Perfect. I also bought a genuine Sony magnetic cable for about ?12 as well so I never have to worry about opening and closing the door of the phone.
The Sony charges up pretty quickly too, much faster than my HTC One M7 (what phone doesn't!)

Screen...well both screen are brilliant. You won't be disappointed with either, they are both full HD and both have really vivid colour so I'll leave it there for the screens.

Waterproofing...
again, both are waterproof, although the Sony will happily go with you in the bath whereas if you take the Samsung S5 in the bath, a Samsung rep will be standing over you , wringing his hands, and asking if you want to take it out the water yet? Seriously, for general water-tightness both are fine.

Sound...
the S5 has a really loud speaker, but the Sony's waterproof stereo speakers definitely win here. I was impressed how loud my mates S5 was, but the Sony sound is better no doubt. Then there is the built-in noise cancellation and the free headphones. There is simply no comparison here, and this is one of the reasons why I went for the Sony. The sounds is just amazing. Combining the noise-cancellation and the great bass and full range of the free earbuds, the sound is just fantastic.
My only gripe is that I would like to have had flat, anti-tangle cabling and in-line remote. But you forgive them that when you hear them.

Other features...
well the Sammy has the fingerprint recognition and heartbeat reader. My mate has used the Sammy more than me, and so I asked his opinion. He said he was rather disappointed in the fingerprint reader as it didn't work that often, and what is the point if it isn't reliable? I haven't used it myself, and I wonder if it is just a question of technique, but defer to him here. He said the heartbeat reader wasn't very accurate either. But there is no doubting it, the Sammy is chocked full of little touches and features that the Sony just doesn't have. If you like playing with loads of little features, the Sammy is great in this regard. The Sony has digital audio out though, and has a Stereo microphone available for it - STM10. Although this works with any smartphone, it has been optimised for the Z2 and that makes a big difference apparently. I haven't got one yet, but as a keen bird watcher I plan to. I have noticed that the built-in microphone on the Z2 is excellent already though.

Camera side button...
Another little extra I really like on the Sony is the camera button on the side. It's so nice to just be able to squeeze this two-stage button at any point and it will take a picture. Again, I take a lot of photos and find this little button invaluable.

Then there are the fitness bands.
In favour of the Sony - great battery life, cheap, discreet and logs many aspects of your life. No screen though.
In favour of the Samsung - Although it's more expensive and logs less, it looks awesome, has a lovely screen, probably more useful and accurate fitness aspect. More potential too.

Memory...
Both of course have microSD slot, though the Sony has 3GB of RAM over the Samsung's 2GB. This doesn't seem to make any noticeable difference though.

So there you have it!

Clear winner? Well, there is a clear winner here - it's US! You would have to be a pretty petty or sad and confused person to buy one of these phones and feel you made the wrong choice; they are both so great.
I went for the Sony, as photos and music were important to me and I felt the Sony edged it here. You may like having all those little touches, a replaceable battery or take a lot of daytime photos, and so go for the Sammy.

Good luck either way with your choice, OP! Oh, and remember the LG G3 has just come out now, and that has a QHD screen and TINY bezels!



R

 

[thatdennis]

Just as a general comment, that's a wildly optimistic prediction, not supported by history. Not saying it'll always be the same cuz things can change, though.

Up till now, it's been difficult getting updates on flagships for over 12 months, though we're seeing more and more do it for 18 months. Even Nexus phones have had trouble getting over 2 years of support, mostly for technical reasons, according to Google etc.

Time will tell. I'd be glad if Sony, HTC, Samsung, etc support their phones with *timely* updates for 3 years, even 2 years at least, they're surely moving in that direction which is good, and I remain cautiously optimistic.

Well seeing Sony in the past I would dare make that claim. I might be wrong if Sony decided to change courses.

Sent from my Xperia Z2

 

[Duncan1982]

Okay, so loads of good points on here and may I say how nice it is to see people discussing the question without being reduced to petty arguing and... that horrible word.. f*nb*yism!

Which of these two phones should you buy? I asked myself that same question, and was torn between the two.

Some people really like the look and feel of the Galaxy phones - including me - whereas others like Sony's cool alloy and glass design - like me! I ended up going for the Z2, but it was real close. A guy in the office has the S5 and after playing with that, I really like it but for me the Z2 was the right choice.

Specification...
I really wouldn't even consider either one a winner. They both have excellent performance and the difference between them is tiny. You just aren't going to notice a difference between them really.

Camera...
both these phones have great cameras. Whichever one you choose, you WON'T be disappointed. Coming from an iPhone, you will have high standards - the iPhone 4S has a lovely little camera on it. Luckily though, both the Samsung and the Sony have really brilliant cameras. Yes, the Samsung has slightly worse low light performance apparently (I haven't tested it a great deal myself) but it probably just edges it for autofocus speed in good light. Swings and roundabouts.

Video...
I haven't spend much time using video on either phone, but I can say I was really impressed with the Sony's stabilisation. In comparisons, videos I took walking round the office and up the stairs were much smoother on the Z2.

Battery & charging...
the Sammy has a removable whilst the Sonys 3100mah beast is just brilliant. The Samsung is to have wireless charging, the Sony doesn't BUT it does have magnetic charger. (NOTE: It's funny, when the Galaxy S3 came out I remember the headlines 'it's going to come with wireless charging out the box!'... I don't ever recall seeing wireless charging for the S3. Then the S4 came out... 'it's going to come with wireless charging out the box!'... Nope, still not. And now they are saying it with the S5!).
I can't comment on wireless charging on the S5 but generally my experience of wireless charging has been pretty poor. On the other hand, I got a magnetic dock for ?10 for my Z2 and it is absolutely brilliant! Charges nice and fast, docks really easily, holds the phone at the right angle for me to watch TV on it whilst laying in bed. Perfect. I also bought a genuine Sony magnetic cable for about ?12 as well so I never have to worry about opening and closing the door of the phone.
The Sony charges up pretty quickly too, much faster than my HTC One M7 (what phone doesn't!)

Screen...well both screen are brilliant. You won't be disappointed with either, they are both full HD and both have really vivid colour so I'll leave it there for the screens.

Waterproofing...
again, both are waterproof, although the Sony will happily go with you in the bath whereas if you take the Samsung S5 in the bath, a Samsung rep will be standing over you , wringing his hands, and asking if you want to take it out the water yet? Seriously, for general water-tightness both are fine.

Sound...
the S5 has a really loud speaker, but the Sony's waterproof stereo speakers definitely win here. I was impressed how loud my mates S5 was, but the Sony sound is better no doubt. Then there is the built-in noise cancellation and the free headphones. There is simply no comparison here, and this is one of the reasons why I went for the Sony. The sounds is just amazing. Combining the noise-cancellation and the great bass and full range of the free earbuds, the sound is just fantastic.
My only gripe is that I would like to have had flat, anti-tangle cabling and in-line remote. But you forgive them that when you hear them.

Other features...
well the Sammy has the fingerprint recognition and heartbeat reader. My mate has used the Sammy more than me, and so I asked his opinion. He said he was rather disappointed in the fingerprint reader as it didn't work that often, and what is the point if it isn't reliable? I haven't used it myself, and I wonder if it is just a question of technique, but defer to him here. He said the heartbeat reader wasn't very accurate either. But there is no doubting it, the Sammy is chocked full of little touches and features that the Sony just doesn't have. If you like playing with loads of little features, the Sammy is great in this regard. The Sony has digital audio out though, and has a Stereo microphone available for it - STM10. Although this works with any smartphone, it has been optimised for the Z2 and that makes a big difference apparently. I haven't got one yet, but as a keen bird watcher I plan to. I have noticed that the built-in microphone on the Z2 is excellent already though.

Camera side button...
Another little extra I really like on the Sony is the camera button on the side. It's so nice to just be able to squeeze this two-stage button at any point and it will take a picture. Again, I take a lot of photos and find this little button invaluable.

Then there are the fitness bands.
In favour of the Sony - great battery life, cheap, discreet and logs many aspects of your life. No screen though.
In favour of the Samsung - Although it's more expensive and logs less, it looks awesome, has a lovely screen, probably more useful and accurate fitness aspect. More potential too.

Memory...
Both of course have microSD slot, though the Sony has 3GB of RAM over the Samsung's 2GB. This doesn't seem to make any noticeable difference though.

So there you have it!

Clear winner? Well, there is a clear winner here - it's US! You would have to be a pretty petty or sad and confused person to buy one of these phones and feel you made the wrong choice; they are both so great.
I went for the Sony, as photos and music were important to me and I felt the Sony edged it here. You may like having all those little touches, a replaceable battery or take a lot of daytime photos, and so go for the Sammy.

Good luck either way with your choice, OP! Oh, and remember the LG G3 has just come out now, and that has a QHD screen and TINY bezels!



R

Well done with that write up, seems balanced and accurate after a cursory reading lol

Posted via Android Central App

 

[anon(21022)]

Well seeing Sony in the past I would dare make that claim. I might be wrong if Sony decided to change courses.

Sent from my Xperia Z2

Show me a Sony android that got updates more than 2 years please.

 

[thatdennis]

Show me a Sony android that got updates more than 2 years please.

Not phones but PSP and the such, so I assume that they would continue the trend with smartphones

Sent from my Xperia Z2

 

[anon(21022)]

Not phones but PSP and the such, so I assume that they would continue the trend with smartphones

Sent from my Xperia Z2

But they haven't so far, none of the oems have. I know the past isn't the future, but to affirm without a doubt that it will be like that is to ignore the facts up till now.

Better to wait and see, and realize that you should at least get a phone that works well NOW and will be awesome for a awhile still, and take support beyond a year as a nice bonus.. And hopefully a coming trend hehe.

 

[thatdennis]

But they haven't so far, none of the oems have. I know the past isn't the future, but to affirm without a doubt that it will be like that is to ignore the facts up till now.

Better to wait and see, and realize that you should at least get a phone that works well NOW and will be awesome for a awhile still, and take support beyond a year as a nice bonus.. And hopefully a coming trend hehe.

Well if Sony doesn't support their phones for at least 2 years then the demand will decrease, so logically Sony wouldn't try to do that (unless they're crazy).

Yeah like my dad said, in a few years the best tech you bought now might not bet the best anymore.

Sent from my Xperia Z2

 

[anon(21022)]

Well if Sony doesn't support their phones for at least 2 years then the demand will decrease, so logically Sony wouldn't try to do that (unless they're crazy).

But this is exactly my point! So far there are barely any phones from any oem supported for even 2 years. Few and far between. Not to mention carrier involvement and meddling.

The oems are getting better recently which is encouraging but it's still crazy to affirm categorically that the Z2 will see updates for 3-4 years, considering what has been happening so far and the slow pace of change in that area.

There is hope but not certainty yet.

 

[thatdennis]

But this is exactly my point! So far there are barely any phones from any oem supported for even 2 years. Few and far between. Not to mention carrier involvement and meddling.

The oems are getting better recently which is encouraging but it's still crazy to affirm categorically that the Z2 will see updates for 3-4 years, considering what has been happening so far and the slow pace of change in that area.

There is hope but not certainty yet.

I fail to understand how a global company thinks,

Sent from my Xperia Z2

 

[anon(21022)]

I fail to understand how a global company thinks,

Sent from my Xperia Z2

Shareholders, board members, board room meetings, profit projections, profit & loss statements, "how can we squeeze more money out of customers" ===> customers being the carriers more so than us end users, etc...

Supporting software on a cellphone for a long time is quite new for the phone industry, so it takes them a while to catch up.