WP user considering going back to Android. Is this phone good?

[P1ng0fDeath]

Hello!

as a Windows Phone user, i'm new to Android Central. I'm currently considering going back to Android. Had to send my Lumia to a repair shop. And another one before that, twice. So i grew a little weary with my bad luck with those phones and with the fact that Microsoft pretty much screwed up the Lumia line releasing scheme (in my opinion). The only Android phone i ever owned run the jurassic 2.3 Gingerbread, and after that i switched to WP, so i have no idea about how Android is doing nowadays. I'm considering the Sony Xperia M4 Aqua, so i have a few questions i was hoping you could clarify for me:

- it has SD 615 - octa core 1,5 mhz and 2 GB of RAM, which sounds "enough" for me. But will it starting to lag after months of use, to the point i'll have to reset it? Never had to do that with WP (not because of random performance issues)

- how long does it take to charge up to 100% using the stock wall charger? A charger with higher output will make any difference?

- can i easily remove pre-installed apps without rooting it?

- how's the temperature when using it? Does it get extremely hot?

- battery life, how good it is with moderate use of WhatsApp, social media and browsing?

- considering this phone has LCD screen and that i'm coming from a phone that has a great Oled screen, how good are the black levels?

- is Xperia UI good and easy to use (music and video players, camera, menus...)?

- how's audio quality for calls and for music?

- does the back of the phone scratches easily? Is the plastic in them glossy or matte?

- will screen protectors fit completely on the screen? (my Lumia has slightly curved screen which makes any screen protector look horrible on it lol)

sorry for all the questions but i really need to know these things before making a decision
Thanks in advance!

 

[P1ng0fDeath]

up?... apparently it's not a very popular phone

 

[Tech-Newb]

up?... apparently it's not a very popular phone

Yea other sony phones except the Z series aren't popular. Why don't you buy the nexus 5x? You can have the best android experience on nexus devices. Especially the nexus 6p.

Posted with ❤Love❤

 

[bnice]

To the op can you provide us with some details of what you as a user is looking for in a phone? Maybe this will help others provide you with more choices to meet your needs.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[itguyjax8430]

up?... apparently it's not a very popular phone

Welcome to Android Central!

I would also say go with a Nexus device. That is going to give you the purest experience with a phone. It won't come installed with bloatware like other devices and would be closer to a WP experience you are going to have. I would recommend the Nexus 6P over the 5X myself. The 6P has come down in price a lot and performs great.

 

[P1ng0fDeath]

Yea other sony phones except the Z series aren't popular. Why don't you buy the nexus 5x? You can have the best android experience on nexus devices. Especially the nexus 6p.

Posted with ❤Love❤

yea, too bad. Sony always was the brand that i wanted if i were to buy an Android one day, most of their phones seem great. But i can't buy a Nexus because the newer ones weren't released in my country to this day :-\ but thanks for the suggestion!

 

[P1ng0fDeath]

Welcome to Android Central!

I would also say go with a Nexus device. That is going to give you the purest experience with a phone. It won't come installed with bloatware like other devices and would be closer to a WP experience you are going to have. I would recommend the Nexus 6P over the 5X myself. The 6P has come down in price a lot and performs great.

thank you!
well, thanks for the suggestion, but unfortunately newer Nexus still weren't made available in my country.

 

[P1ng0fDeath]

To the op can you provide us with some details of what you as a user is looking for in a phone? Maybe this will help others provide you with more choices to meet your needs.

Posted via the Android Central App

i'm pretty much looking for the same info i asked about. Some things i can't give up:
decent screen: no need of extremely high resolutions. I content myself with good image quality and good brightness and black levels.

performance: it must be very responsive. That's why i asked whether there are slowdowns after some months of usage.

battery life: at least a full day of the moderate usage i described.

price: it can't be too high. Almost all phones are very expensive in m country at the moment. This was one of the few exceptions.

audio quality: good sound quality when listening to music with a earphone is essential for me.

temperature: i don't mind the heat on demanding apps and games, but i don't want a george foreman grill in my hands when performing simple tasks.

is there any matte finish version or are all of them glossy? I prefer the feeling of matte finish phones and don't want it to become too much scratched, that's why i asked about it. Most reviews says the back of the phone smudges and scratchs fairly easily...

 

[dwmitchell61]

Coming from a WP like the Lumia, you'll be missing Cortana... Ok Google is mentally incompetent and needs developers to spend some time on it.
All I get is "Unrecognized command" when I say "Send text <contact>", even though the Help says that is the proper syntax.

David W. Mitchell
Posted from LG V10 via Android Central app...

 

[P1ng0fDeath]

Coming from a WP like the Lumia, you'll be missing Cortana... Ok Google is mentally incompetent and needs developers to spend some time on it.
All I get is "Unrecognized command" when I say "Send text <contact>", even though the Help says that is the proper syntax.

David W. Mitchell
Posted from LG V10 via Android Central app...

to be fair, Cortana is not even available in my country yet. Microsoft announced it for 2015, but it was delayed until this year. Anyway, a worse virtual assistant isn't a deal braker for me

 

[anon(123856)]

I remember you from WC. I just moved back to Android myself. I bought a Verizon Droid Maxx 2. I only mention that because it has similar hardware to what you're looking for. Here's a link to the specs Motorola Droid Maxx 2 - Full phone specifications .

I came from a Lumia 735 so I seem stuck in the midrange but this hardware works just fine for me. I am admittedly NOT a power user and I don't game. I won't comment on charging and battery life because they probably won't be similar.

I would like to move up the ladder with the next phone I buy and I might go with a Nexus if there is something that interests me. Good luck.

 

[k72]

I also recognized you from WC. I too just switched back to android. I've been on WP for a year and a half and the last android I had was a poorly upgraded jelly bean. I am totally amazed at how great it is now! I had a 635, then a 640,and was happy with them, but app envy got me (and I don't like W10) so I decided to switch. I bought a Blu (which I learned about from WC) Studio Energy 2, which is a relatively lower end phone with a huge battery. I thought it would be a little laggy but couldn't afford more. It is super slick and speedy. I am so happy with it. No opinion yet on long term, but so far it is great. And the apps are totally worth it. I'm still kind of in shock at how much more capable the same apps are on Android.

 

[P1ng0fDeath]

I remember you from WC. I just moved back to Android myself. I bought a Verizon Droid Maxx 2. I only mention that because it has similar hardware to what you're looking for. Here's a link to the specs.

I came from a Lumia 735 so I seem stuck in the midrange but this hardware works just fine for me. I am admittedly NOT a power user and I don't game. I won't comment on charging and battery life because they probably won't be similar.

I would like to move up the ladder with the next phone I buy and I might go with a Nexus if there is something that interests me. Good luck.

i don't usually game either and actually i was also thinking that the charging wouldn't be the same. Still, a longer charging time (to an extent) wouldn't bother me.

 

[P1ng0fDeath]

I also recognized you from WC. I too just switched back to android. I've been on WP for a year and a half and the last android I had was a poorly upgraded jelly bean. I am totally amazed at how great it is now! I had a 635, then a 640,and was happy with them, but app envy got me (and I don't like W10) so I decided to switch. I bought a Blu (which I learned about from WC) Studio Energy 2, which is a relatively lower end phone with a huge battery. I thought it would be a little laggy but couldn't afford more. It is super slick and speedy. I am so happy with it. No opinion yet on long term, but so far it is great. And the apps are totally worth it. I'm still kind of in shock at how much more capable the same apps are on Android.

I'm glad to read that a low end is running it smoothly. My biggest fear is having to reset it often.

 

[anon(123856)]

i don't usually game either and actually i was also thinking that the charging wouldn't be the same. Still, a longer charging time (to an extent) wouldn't bother me.

The main reason I didn't mention the charging is the Maxx2 has Turbo Charging so it charges very quickly. Otherwise the hardware seems pretty similar.