Hey everyone,
After a long wait I finally received my Z3 (Dual) today. My last Android phone was an S2 back in the day, I have used a lot of Android phones since, but I haven't owned one. After the S2 I was on the iPhone 5, then recently a Lumia 930 for two weeks until I realised every app I needed was a) on windows phone but a terrible app, or b) 'in development'. I decided to head back to Android and the Z3 caught my eye, specifically the dual. I'm loving it so far, the only issue I'm having is the camera. It's beyond terrible.
The pictures are so bad that I am now starting to think that the online retailer (grey import) that I purchased this from may have sold me a refurbished phone with an unlocked bootloader. When I opened the box, the protective plastic on the phone had air bubbles all over the front and back which is a bit odd but that doesn't guarantee anything. I went to the service menu and checked there, it says the bootloader is allowed to be unlocked which implies that it hasn't actually been unlocked. If somebody did unlock it, can it be locked again?
I'm not sure what to do. If the camera really is this bad I need to get a different phone. I've been looking at the waterproof feature too and I've seen several posts about Sony refusing to honour the warranty on phones that have been exposed to salt water which is a bit stupid - what kind of pool doesn't have salt? (In Australia anyway). The grey importer I purchased this from will definitely not honour any warranty for water damage, I'm sure they'll go out of their way to find how you yourself voided the warranty. Unfortunately this model isn't available to purchase directly from Sony yet.
In saying that though, the waterproof + dual sim features were the reason I purchased the phone to begin with so if I can find a solution to this, that would be ideal. Out of all the new Android phones I've used this one is by far the snappiest, I really like it
Any help would be appreciated. And I apologise for the long post, I just needed to get my day 1 issues with this phone out there
Edit: I also just noticed, the box of the phone itself was a bit odd in that the cover just came right off. The cover wasn't taped down with a sticker to the box. For example when I opened my Lumia box I had to remove the sticker, which left a permanent mark on the box to indicate that it had been opened. Is this normal with Sony mobiles?
So when I submitted this post I realised that you can't share links on this forum if you have less than 10 posts. I'm not sure how to get my images across then without doing this dropbox/sh/5o72xpbc6ip3g7e/AACXyG80777D3foAVXNOkZdda?dl=0#/
I hope that doesn't cause any issues. I just didn't want to go spam 10 posts which I think would be worse than ^
Also I just noticed in this thread OP mentions that he unlocked/relocked his bootloader. So it is possible?
the out of the box camera quality wasn't that great for me, at least until I switched to manual within the camera settings and opted for 21 megapixels - I'd say the camera is reasonably good but not excellent, as long as you know how to use it - as an aside, if the bootloader had been unlocked before it was sold on to you wouldn't this cripple the bravia image enhancement within the display settings - might be worth a look?
Stick to manual, for better pics. 8MP seems better than 20MP which is darker.
If it helps at all my service menu says "Bootloader unlock allowed: Yes" and my phone was definitely factory new (sealed) when I got it. If the bootloader on your phone has been unlocked in the past apparently that removes the DRM keys which hits the camera quality.
Send us a picture from ur device in differents lighting
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Hi everyone.
I hear this company is pretty much widespread, so chances are you stumbled upon their particular services, too. Prepare yourself for a pretty long reading.
I have a Samsung Galaxy Nexus at the moment. I bought it in January - actually, I bought it from a guy who bought it at that time... it doesn't really matter, the phone has warranty and all that stuff.
You may be aware of this, but for those of you that aren't, this phone has serious issues with the screen. Some experience purple tinting, extreme ghosting / image retention and, overall, poor screen performance. I am among those - blue`ish tint on the upper-right corner, especially EXTREMELY observable when reading articles (which is what I mostly do ). All these color-related issues can be solved through some particular kernels, but the inhomogeneity and image retention are serious hardware issues which require a screen replacement. It's pretty amazing how such a top-notch device (and a flagship, actually) can have such a poor QC - Sammy doesn't even admit the problem (which is something we should all throw rocks at them for). Anyway, HERE's the topic which should shed more light on this topic if you're willing to find out more about the... awesomeness of this story.
ALRIGHT, that was somewhat an introduction. Here comes the real part I was interested in.
I can take my phone only to CORDON Electronics (I hear they're ex CIRMA, changed their name, whatever), since that's the only authorised service here, in Romania. Samsung... doesn't exist, or if it does, I bet their services are just as crappy. If I take my phone to Vodafone - where it was originally bought from - those guys would simply send it over to CORDON. Lazy fat... Oh well, carrying on.
I own this device for 3 weeks, and I realised the grays become EXTREMELY purple when the brightness is set to 0%. This can be fixed through a particular kernel which alters the color multipliers and gamma and such... More like a workaround. The problem where the white is blue in the upper-right corner and vertical/horizontal lines appear on the screen, also the problem where black isn't really black after a longer exposure... these can't be fixed through software, so, I figured why not take advantage of the warranty? I mean... that's why I have it, right? - for them to fix my problems .
So, I flashed a stock Google image (erased all of my contents - didn't make a backup, I said I'll do that AFTER; didn't know this would erase my sdcard partition, so I F`ed up), then the stock recovery, then locked the bootloader. "I'm a little boy and don't know how to modify my phone in any way" :cyclops:
Took it to the service, told them what my problems are - explained them with almost all details, but of course, the hot chick standing there couldn't fit all of what I'm saying in three freaking lines, so everything I said got cut down to "when light is low gray becomes purple, black is brown and only with a few black spots, bands (lines) appear on the screen". I figured "Oh well, it's not like she can write any more than that in those 3 freaking lines pre-set for "Problems description", so I thought the problem where grays become purple should make the engineers responsible for the reparation would be OBVIOUS ENOUGH in order for them to replace the SCREEN.
Phone comes back 7 days later. What do you think they did? Software update. I flashed Android 4.0.4 on it, and now it had 4.0.2. I'll just use the phone until it wears to the point where burn-ins and such become extremely obvious, even for those with 99% impaired vision, so they can't use the "Parameters are okay" excuse for their retarded blindness. Until it becomes something like THIS - which is something all Galaxy Nexus display units experience (so they can't tell me it's MY fault - I just used the goddamn phone, rofl). Then, I'm gonna return to them and see what they do .
One more notable thing : the bootloader was unlocked when I got the phone, so they flashed it pretty much in the same way I would've done it. I'm gonna re-lock it next time I bring it to warranty service; it'd be ridiculous of them to reject it reasoning "bootloader unlocked - user tampered with the device, hence we RIP THE WARRANTY PAPER SHEET IN HALF".
Now... given the fact that you actually read what I just said and didn't quit in mid-story... I'd like to hear what are your personal experiences with CORDON Electronics. Or with other warranty companies, for that matter.
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I hope I posted this thing in the right section. If I didn't, I honestly have no clue where I should've posted it... I hope I don't get another "fine" for doing this :/
Hello all,
So my first Z3 broke the day I got it after getting wet. Was slightly annoyed. Spent two days finding an EE store that had one in stock to replace it. Finally, today I got my replacement Z3.
However, my joy was quickly shadowed by what appears to be faulty graphics, though hopefully one of you folks can shine some light on this issue.
Image: http://imgur.com/XmTsNNy
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuMhRA5dmtk
I'm getting black lines and glitches while scrolling in any app like Facebook, Reddit or even the phone's settings menu. The lines seem to actually replace entire letters, as you can see in the image above. I'm also getting some odd behaviour with live wallpapers, though games and benchmarks seem to run fine.
Anyone have any ideas? I've tried resetting it. I really don't want to have to go through the pain of finding a third replacement...
Edit: The actual problem seems constrained to one line of pixels, and flickers as text scrolls through that line.
kaineshutler said:
Hello all,
So my first Z3 broke the day I got it after getting wet. Was slightly annoyed. Spent two days finding an EE store that had one in stock to replace it. Finally, today I got my replacement Z3.
However, my joy was quickly shadowed by what appears to be faulty graphics, though hopefully one of you folks can shine some light on this issue.
Image: http://imgur.com/XmTsNNy
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuMhRA5dmtk
I'm getting black lines and glitches while scrolling in any app like Facebook, Reddit or even the phone's settings menu. The lines seem to actually replace entire letters, as you can see in the image above. I'm also getting some odd behaviour with live wallpapers, though games and benchmarks seem to run fine.
Anyone have any ideas? I've tried resetting it. I really don't want to have to go through the pain of finding a third replacement...
Edit: The actual problem seems constrained to one line of pixels, and flickers as text scrolls through that line.
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Click to collapse
you should've taken it to sony repair center earlier maybe it's because of that replacement you did? why not try taking it to repair center now?
I'd take it back again. They should give you a brand new one if its within 28 days.
Sony repair centres I believe are hard to find in England, at least i've never seen one.
Your gpu or software relating to gpu is nackered. Take it back to EE, there are no sony centres in most UK now and they will repair not replace. Be reasonable with EE and they'll swap it out again but when they do, you sit in store and check everything, I did in o2 and found a fault but because I was in store they just immediately swapped. Better than any more trips and you know you've got a solid phone.
Sent from my D6603 using Tapatalk
corallus said:
Your gpu or software relating to gpu is nackered. Take it back to EE, there are no sony centres in most UK now and they will repair not replace. Be reasonable with EE and they'll swap it out again but when they do, you sit in store and check everything, I did in o2 and found a fault but because I was in store they just immediately swapped. Better than any more trips and you know you've got a solid phone.
Sent from my D6603 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Completely agree with tihs. always open it in front of them and the fact you got a picture/ video as evidence will help your case.
corallus said:
Your gpu or software relating to gpu is nackered. Take it back to EE, there are no sony centres in most UK now and they will repair not replace. Be reasonable with EE and they'll swap it out again but when they do, you sit in store and check everything, I did in o2 and found a fault but because I was in store they just immediately swapped. Better than any more trips and you know you've got a solid phone.
Sent from my D6603 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! I took it back and they tried telling me it was just because of a faulty sim card... -_- The same EE advisor also told me that the processor and RAM is inside the sim card, so I just needed to get a new sim and the issue would be fixed.
I'm not even joking.
Anyway, I was adamant that he replaced the phone and he did. The new unit is a beaut.
Thanks guys!
My beloved z3 cracked itself, let in water and died at 8 months old. I decided to claim on my insurance as I couldn't face the ordeal of trying to convince Sony that i hadn't damaged (or dropped/twisted/ hit/taken to below 1.5m of water etc) my phone and being told that I had damaged it myself and am either a liar or an idiot. My insurance company took nearly 3 weeks to return the repaired phone which was still very faulty, no Bluetooth, no wifi, no calls and no MAC address. I re-returned it, got it back again with the same faults and eventually got a new Z3 only to find screen faults of overall flickering and intermittent screen blurring like an old tv set.
I'll have to send this one back too, another week without a phone and another installation.
It is so sad that the Z3 which was by far my favourite phone so far and was hailed by Sony as robust and waterproof is so disappointing and fragile in real life. BTW my phone had always been in a case with screen protectors.
Bought a sony xperia z3 but after 16 days i looked in the back and the inside of the lens was all covered in dust.
It seems my unit had the back case a little loose, can't imagine what would happen if i had put the phone in the water. The phone is in Sony repair service and i and waiting for news.
Anyone else had this kind of problems?
Sounds like you got a manufacturer defect due to bad quality assurance on the phone. It happens with these phones (any phone really). From reading the forums, there are lots of bad quality assurance with this phone, including but not limited to gap issues, camera defect, corner pieces bulging out, light leak, etc. Good thing we have the warranty--hope either Sony fixes it, or give you a new one.
hanime said:
Sounds like you got a manufacturer defect due to bad quality assurance on the phone. It happens with these phones (any phone really). From reading the forums, there are lots of bad quality assurance with this phone, including but not limited to gap issues, camera defect, corner pieces bulging out, light leak, etc. Good thing we have the warranty--hope either Sony fixes it, or give you a new one.
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Click to collapse
Called the repair service and they said they were waiting for a new part, i suppose they are going to Exchange the back cover... still sucks i have this phone for about 16 days and this happens... oh well like you sair the warranty is more than valid.
I recently dropped my (2 day old) Z3, cracked the screen - Sent it off to an independent repair shop. They claim they use only OEM parts - However on return it looked 100% but when I powered it up I noticed the colours looked washed out and dull - A side by side comparison with my z3 tablet showed a huge difference.
Does this sound like they used a non genuine part? How else could i tell?
try to compare with another z3 and if the display still looks like a fake part go to the shop with both phones and tell them that you think that your display is broken.
ask them to replace it.
if the solution is still same ask for your money back and try another shop.
I've compared against a compact and a tablet and the colours don't look right. Any other way of proving the point? They have agreed to take it back blaming their supplier of course, but all their advertising claims they use nothing but genuine parts
philip5660 said:
I've compared against a compact and a tablet and the colours don't look right. Any other way of proving the point? They have agreed to take it back blaming their supplier of course, but all their advertising claims they use nothing but genuine parts
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Click to collapse
Not entirely, i guess just show them the tablet colours and your Z3 Colours, if they provided a statement and it was false you're obligated for a refund/replacement, let them take it back and repair it.
Hey everyone,
It's been a while since I last posted on here, and in attempting to avoid a pessimistic undertone, the G7 Power is actually a really good phone: the battery really does last for ages (I charge it once every two days, and it has never been below 40%), and it is surprisingly loud (everywhere). I am a pretty casual user now, rarely playing games or other media, but I am impressed with the difference compared to upgrading from a Moto G4. Some apps which appear as though they were designed for more premium screens - logos, icons, widgets - definitely lose some fidelity around the edges and these can look a bit poor on the 720p screen, but I have become oblivious (or distracted from) a lot of the finer details already.
And now the question: where, and how, would I be able to repair a cracked screen?
It feels like a pretty silly question; but the screen has 'developed' a crack from the bottom-right corner of the new notch, to about 2cm underneath the power button.
I say develop, as the phone is always within eyesight or kept in a pocket. It has never been dropped onto a surface harder than a pillow, and the case/screen protectors are still yet to arrive. It has been in my possession for about 12 days, and it lasted for 6/7 of those. I still have no clue when or why the crack appeared.
The question is a combination of where/when/how, I have contacted Motorola Technical Support, and explained the situation leading up to the cracked screen. The response was (exactly): "we do not process repair of the screen, what we offer is replacement of the whole device", they also said that this service will cost a fee (shipping + device) depending on the IMEI information. A single crack on the screen resulting in the replacement of a whole device seems pretty excessive, and the support member did not acknowledge that it is a brand new phone, or that it is* under warranty.
This is the first cracked screen from all previous handsets, so I am not sure what to do: is there any way to avoid replacing the whole device? How does this effect any warranty? What if I/whomever repairs the device creates other issues? When would services and replacement parts become available? XDA always has a someone whom is knowledgeable in these areas, and it would be great to hear some helpful advice from the community on how to proceed,
Thanks all,
MrSpuddy
(Also - the phone was bought directly from the Lenovo website - and I was hopeful that the "one free screen replacement" still worked)
mrSpuddy said:
Hey everyone,
[ quote edited to save space]
And now the question: where, and how, would I be able to repair a cracked screen?
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Click to collapse
Please see the teardown video here: https://forums.androidcentral.com/m...-power-xt1955-disassembly-teardown-video.html
I repair a lot of phones as a hobby. And phone that are assembled front to back are hard as hell to fix. You have to remove pretty much everything to get to the screen. Contrast that with something like the Pixel phone where the screen is connected last. You just have to pry up the screen and unplug the cable. Fixing the screen on the Moto G7 may not be worth it.
My recommendation is to use your phone as long as you can and then buy a new one. Hopefully by then it will not be as expensive as it is now. I know, it is not much of a solution...
zerogun said:
Please see the teardown video here: https://forums.androidcentral.com/m...-power-xt1955-disassembly-teardown-video.html
I repair a lot of phones as a hobby. And phone that are assembled front to back are hard as hell to fix. You have to remove pretty much everything to get to the screen. Contrast that with something like the Pixel phone where the screen is connected last. You just have to pry up the screen and unplug the cable. Fixing the screen on the Moto G7 may not be worth it.
My recommendation is to use your phone as long as you can and then buy a new one. Hopefully by then it will not be as expensive as it is now. I know, it is not much of a solution...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The solution provided by the company was just to buy a new phone; which was not very helpful at all. My collection of screen protectors arrived, and the one on the phone is a lot more robust than the original screen.
Thank you for providing the video.
These screens are very easy to replace... Multiple times...
I have the moto g7 and I have replaced the screen four times, and I'm getting another screen in the mail this weekend, because this *[email protected]_-HJN' SUCKS DONKEY WHATEVER. I like the phone, but for some reason, the screen doesn't like to stay in one piece. All you need is a hair dryer and a new screen. Amazon has them. But you have to watch out; there are counterfeits out there. Buy from two different vendors, and return the counterfeit. Here's how to tell: make sure the printing on the ribbon cable is the same as the one you're replacing. Make sure that the printing on the back plate is the same as the original. You won't know until you take the screen off, which replacement is legit. But it's just one connector and some glue. Way easy, or mail it to me and I'll fix it.