Z3v to Desire Eye

[richard_rsp]

Hey everyone,

I'm a former Sony Xperia Z3v user who switched to AT&T and just picked up an HTC Desire Eye. (Originally, I had tried a cheaper Sony , T2 Ultra, but had to return due to RAM limitations.)

There are many similarities between the Z3v and Desire Eye, so I hope to compare and contrast some of those.

Both have the same size/resolution screen, both have Qualcomm 801, both are waterproof...

First thing, I am going to HAVE to get a case. While I understand HTCs design, the white and coral polycarbonate has a sort of "kiddie" look to it, especially compared to the Z3v. I really wish they would have had a darker color.

Camera is very nice with the HTC. It's wayyyyy faster than the Sony and quality seems nice so far. I'll update more on this as I use the phone.

So far, I like the Sony overlay and apps a bit better. But overall, the Desire Eye is very fast and fluid... A good start! I'll update more as I use it!

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[richard_rsp]

Battery life is quite decent! I think the Z3v was a bit better, but the Desire Eye is still not bad.

WiFi on (connected half the time) , Bluetooth on, NFC off, High Accuracy Location, Google Services on,Auto brightness.

I'm pleased.

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[Michael Saxon]

Battery life is quite decent! I think the Z3v was a bit better, but the Desire Eye is still not bad.

WiFi on (connected half the time) , Bluetooth on, NFC off, High Accuracy Location, Google Services on,Auto brightness.

I'm pleased.

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I see you are using gsam...you may also want to check out the built in battery manager...it reports much more granular detail than stock android.

Regarding camera, I've also found the HTC experience to be superior to my Z3c, with the exception of video. Sony's software stabilization is quite good, and the HTC is a bit jerky in comparison. So I tend to use my Lumia 1020 with ois for video...

Also found standby battery to be good, if not on the same level as the Sony...

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[richard_rsp]

So just to keep this going: I ordered a Z3 Compact to try out and make a decision between it and the Desire Eye before the end of my 14 days refund period.

3 issues with the Desire Eye that I am deciding if I can live with:

1) wayy too sensitive of a screen. I keep accidently hitting buttons and mis-typing

2) Color of the camera is off. I took a picture of my very brown cat and he came out very orange. Not the only time I have noticed an incorrect color. (Edit: this turns out being the screen color, not camera - camera is great color).

3) I am scared that because there is little to NO people using this phone, that HTC will give up on it.

Overall, I really like this phone (minus the screen sensitivity and camera color). I'm pretty bummed that more people haven't given it a shot.

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[Michael Saxon]

Can't speak to screen sensitivity...all personal choice...but I am surprised to hear about the colors being off, I have not experienced this and I us a lot of different camera phones. You may have a hardware problem. Can you recreate the issue? I could try a similar picture on my desire and my z3c for comparison.

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[richard_rsp]

Hmm. It almost seems like it's a white balance issue .... The picture was taken in indoor natural light (window with curtains). If I decide to keep it over the z3 compact, then I may switch it out to see if it's hardware based.

 

[richard_rsp]

Here are some of the pics I was talking about. Seems to be really noticeable with orange colors.

The first picture is of my cat and is closer to his actual (brown) color. (i manually adjusted the white balance for this shot)

The second , you can see how orange the 'brown' shows in his fur. Auto WB.

The final pic, you can see the orange on my skin. I'm a pretty pale guy and it looks like I've had my hands in self tanner. Auto WB.

I absolutely love the shot time and quality of the camera, it's just the color seems off at times.

EDIT: You know, I just looked at these pictures on my computer and the color isnt bad at all... so apparently its just the screen color calibration! Thats MUCH easier to live with!

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[richard_rsp]

Update: Okay, for anyone looking at this thread, I have been deciding whether or not to stay with the HTC Desire Eye (still in my 14-day return policy) or go another route. So I Purchased a Sony Xperia Z3 Compact as an alternative. (ive been a big fan of Sony devices, specifically because of audio and battery life). I have had the HTC Desire Eye for a little over a week now; yesterday I swapped it out for the Z3 Compact for the day -

Here are my conclusions:
HTC Desire Eye Pros
a) Bigger Screen (duh!) - This is something that I thought i could deal with on the Z3 Compact, but realized that a 4.6" is no longer as ideal as I once thought.
b) No Flaps! - Opening the flap on the Sony every time I need to charge is very irritating. Yes, I know it has magnetic charging, but I am not going to buy new cables for work, home, car, etc. e
c) Camera is better - Yep. I said it. While the 20.1mp camera may "technically" be better on the Sony, the HTC just has a much faster, better color, better optioned camera in my opinion. Manual focus? check (I havent had that since my Nokia Lumia days!) Controllable shutter time? Check. Camera fast enough to catch my cat in his super cute poses? check!
d) Better software - HTC Sense is more intrusive than Sonys, but its actually useful at times. Specifically with the "Do Not Disturb" functions
e) Better speakers - I really didnt see this being an issue, but I realized I missed the sound quality of the speakers on the HTC when watching videos, etc.

Sony Z3 Compact Pros
a) Better color screen - My HTC seems to have some discoloration in the screen (very warm). Its not noticible all the time, but the color reproduction on the Sony (and manual White balance) is much better.
b) More Accessories - Even though the Z3 compact was never sold through any carrier in the US, there are MANY more options for cases, screen protectors, etc. than the HTC Desire Eye.
c) Better Battery - The Sony lasted me over 6 hours or on-screen-time and still had 20% remaining after 17 hrs off charger - on the first day. Impressive. HTC is not getting that good of charge yet - usually about 4 hrs OST.
d) More support - Similar to "b", even though it wasn't sold in the US on a carrier, there are a lot more Z3 compact users than those with the HTC Desire Eye.

Overall, unless something drastic happens in the next week, I have decided to stay with the Desire Eye. The speed and quality of the camera is a huge reason for this. It just seems like many of the negitives I had against the M8 are fixed with the Desire Eye - suprising it isn't more popular. Anyway, thanks for reading!

 

[Michael Saxon]

As an owner of both devices, I agree with your assessment. I carry the Eye as my daily driver. I do like the size and battery of the z3c, and I agree completely on the camera assessment (see my comparison in another thread). The only place where the z3c has an advantage is video. They electronic image stabilization on the z3c is quite good. The Eye doesn't have this and it shows.

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