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photo question

I
Want to purchase this device and i qould like to is the camera as bad as said in all the reviews your opinions are greatly appreciated

Main camera - Meh.. Great
Front camera - Epic... BAD

Main camera, good in daylight, not so good in low light conditions. Photos have a yellow-ish tint. Front camera is bad, but you should not expect much in the beginning.

thank u all very much
starterz said:
Main camera, good in daylight, not so good in low light conditions. Photos have a yellow-ish tint. Front camera is bad, but you should not expect much in the beginning.
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Can u please post a low light shot please I need a decent cam and I really want a Sony

If you want a decent cam get a more expensive Sony As I said, good enough in daylight, not decent enough in low light conditions. This means that if the photo quality is important to you, this cam will not provide it in low light (with ot without flash). I think the phone is great for the price, but I don't care much about the quality of the camera as I use it very rarely.

thank u
starterz said:
If you want a decent cam get a more expensive Sony As I said, good enough in daylight, not decent enough in low light conditions. This means that if the photo quality is important to you, this cam will not provide it in low light (with ot without flash). I think the phone is great for the price, but I don't care much about the quality of the camera as I use it very rarely.
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I think I made up my mind then

The camera got better with kitkat, but it's still nothing impressive. If you want a good camera, get a camera. Or pay way too much for minor upgrade in quality by buying a high-end phone.

Like a said in my review, Sony always made great cameras, remember very well of my X10 and Arc ,great cameras. Im very disappointed with M2, both cameras are terrible, dunno why they did that. I would never buy M2 if i were a photographer.

The camera itself (=sensor) is fine, what isn't are the post-processing settings. Just look at these photos:
Example 1: 4.3 stock app | non-stock app
Example 2: 4.3 stock app | non-stock app
All of them taken with an M2, but the non-stock app is clearly superior; not oversharpened and no weird noise (like ex2, upper left corner)

In my opinion, the camera has a problem, if there are light and dark olayes in the picture. An darker daylight room with an window. In this situation, the pictures are getting realy creapie.

Crim Soukyuu said:
The camera itself (=sensor) is fine, what isn't are the post-processing settings. Just look at these photos:
All of them taken with an M2, but the non-stock app is clearly superior; not oversharpened and no weird noise (like ex2, upper left corner)
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What is this non stock app that you are using, please share how you set it up

@boro111: i'm using this one. I like the fact it offers saving to "raw" (.png) format, it's also the only one i saw so far that gives you control over the sharpness parameter, which i set to 0.

[Q] Some questions before buying

I have done a lot of reading about the Z3 but I still have some unanswered questions.
-Does the Z3 have a IR blaster? (I have seen both yes and no for this one)
-I currently use a LG G3 cat6 (SD805) and its very fast, how is the Z3 in comparison with its SD801? I benchmark around 47-48k on antutu.
-Is it actually that fragile? I have read through many threads regarding the glass cracking, but it seems that there is no clear answer.
-How does the camera focus in terms of speed? My G3 focuses faster than anything I have used including the S5 and Note 4. Is the quality on par with the S5/G3? (I have also looked through the pictures in the OP for the camera, but are there any owners of both the G3 and Z3 that could do a comparison?)
-I want a waterproof phone as a backup or if I like it enough a primary phone is this a viable choice, or would the Z3c be better?
-How does the screen compare to the G3? I'm used to the 2k display so I don't want to necessarily move down to the 720p of the Z3c, but the Z3 might be alright.
-I wear average jeans not really baggy or tight, will the phone break in my backpocket? I keep my G3 there all of the time while walking and its perfectly fine as my Note 3 was when I did the same thing. Will the Z3 actually break just by walking around with it in there? I never sit on my phones and generally I never drop them, but accidents happen.
I'm still up on the air about getting the Z3. I just want a nice waterproof phone for when the weather gets really bad (which happens very often here). We get about 60inches of rain per year not including snow. I will be using this on ATT if that matters. Any help would be appreciated.

I really don't like answering posts where the signature occupies more space than the post itself; but anyway...
Does the Z3 have a IR blaster? (I have seen both yes and no for this one)
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A clear NO ! - I don't know which devil rode Sony for leaving out that feature - but they studiply did.
I currently use a LG G3 cat6 (SD805) and its very fast, how is the Z3 in comparison with its SD801? I benchmark around 47-48k on antutu.
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It is fast enough, feels like an iPhone. Today's Smartphone's processor power is just pure overkill.
Is it actually that fragile? I have read through many threads regarding the glass cracking, but it seems that there is no clear answer.
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Extremely fragile. The material is extremely slippery, it's even difficult to pick the Z3 up from a solid surface.
Tiny scratches on the backplane after a single day of very cautious use.
My display screen cracked after listening to loud music for some hours. Device unusable, waiting for repair.
How does the camera focus in terms of speed? My G3 focuses faster than anything I have used including the S5 and Note 4. Is the quality on par with the S5/G3? (I have also looked through the pictures in the OP for the camera, but are there any owners of both the G3 and Z3 that could do a comparison?)
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Focus is medium fast, like the S4. Photo quality is SUBZERO. S4 shoots far better pictures, especially in bright sunlight. Unfocused areas at the picture's borders, left and right, horrible rendering of shades of green, like grass, leaves. Just a green slurry. HDR mode restricted to 8 MP, showing almost no effect at all, panorama shots restricted to 1080 pixels in height.
Picture quality is like a 8 MP camera, even with 20.7 MP photos. No joke, sorry.
Z3 is better under lowlight conditions, but the "flash" is nothing more than a joke; like a dim candle.
Video quality is not the best, too. With pan shots, there's that typical jerking and stuttering. Even at 1080p.
Camera gets hot, even while just taking photos.
I want a waterproof phone as a backup or if I like it enough a primary phone is this a viable choice, or would the Z3c be better?
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Don't tried if it's real waterproof.
How does the screen compare to the G3? I'm used to the 2k display so I don't want to necessarily move down to the 720p of the Z3c, but the Z3 might be alright.
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Screen quality (except the glass) is very high, you will love it. But incapable of "displaying" black. Black is always a dark grey. Good touchscreen response, very fast - but still a bit less sensitive than the S4 screen. Using a pen is possible (glove mode), but still not as good as with the S4.
I wear average jeans not really baggy or tight, will the phone break in my backpocket? I keep my G3 there all of the time while walking and its perfectly fine as my Note 3 was when I did the same thing. Will the Z3 actually break just by walking around with it in there? I never sit on my phones and generally I never drop them, but accidents happen.
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I don't know but I guess: Yes, it will break. If a screen glass breaks just while listening to music, I regard it quite prone to break under slight pressure conditions.
Personally, I feel like waving the Z3 goodbye. I never expected a device that sensitive to breakage, I never expected a camera THAT bad.

Thank you for the info, I am disappointed in Sony for leaving it an IR blaster and every day I see more issues. The only way I can justify getting one is if the issues seem to dissipate as more people buy them. I guess ill wait and see if the t mobile one suffers all of the same issues.
Also I didn't realize how long my signature is, I can see how it's annoying so I'll condense it.

Poor Camera Results

My pictures are coming out flat, with very poor contrast and colour rendition. I've owned mainly Samsungs before, and their cameras, even lower in MP, have given excellent results. I was expecting something lot better with a 20MP camera, but the quality I'm getting is comparable to maybe a 5MP camera. I use the Superior Auto mode, with full 20MP resolution.
Anyone else disappointed with the camera as well?

I'm not disappointed with it but seems some people are. Have you looked in the General section? There's a thread for voicing your opinion on the cam: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2887635

J_Kirk said:
My pictures are coming out flat, with very poor contrast and colour rendition. I've owned mainly Samsungs before, and their cameras, even lower in MP, have given excellent results. I was expecting something lot better with a 20MP camera, but the quality I'm getting is comparable to maybe a 5MP camera. I use the Superior Auto mode, with full 20MP resolution.
Anyone else disappointed with the camera as well?
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I just talked about that few days ago...
I was comparing Note4 and Z3 and Note 4 kicked Z3s ass...
Z3 can take great photos outside when there's a lot of light but in lower light conditions photos are terrible...
You can always switch to manual shooting mode and set few things but you won't get nothing special...
That's the only thing I would like to see improved in next gen Xperia...
I'm absolutely satisfied with everything else..
OK, that and maybe X-pen, Sammy has S-pen so why shouldn't we have X-pen
It's amazing addon for many things (I'm using S-Pen to sign documents in PDF, without needing to print them out) and emailing them after signing...
Z3 powered by Tapatalk

funky0308 said:
I just talked about that few days ago...
I was comparing Note4 and Z3 and Note 4 kicked Z3s ass...
Z3 can take great photos outside when there's a lot of light but in lower light conditions photos are terrible...
You can always switch to manual shooting mode and set few things but you won't get nothing special...
That's the only thing I would like to see improved in next gen Xperia...
I'm absolutely satisfied with everything else..
OK, that and maybe X-pen, Sammy has S-pen so why shouldn't we have X-pen
It's amazing addon for many things (I'm using S-Pen to sign documents in PDF, without needing to print them out) and emailing them after signing...
Z3 powered by Tapatalk
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Note 4 kicked Z3s ass ?
Whay don' t you buy one!

TheTeslaCoil said:
Note 4 kicked Z3s ass ?
Whay don' t you buy one!
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Hahah...grow up buddy..
I have both device and I'm in Xperia threads for a years... So please - save your kind words for someone else...
Z3 powered by Tapatalk

funky0308 said:
Hahah...grow up buddy..
I have both device and I'm in Xperia threads for a years... So please - save your kind words for someone else...
Z3 powered by Tapatalk
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The kind words are for you.
Enjoy your KNOX.

funky0308 thanks for your feedback. I feel exactly the same.. Z3 is a great device, EXCEPT for the camera. I've used Note, Note2, 3 AND 4, but never found much use for the Spen other than scribbling and drawing etc. in my free time. So I don't miss it at all. A 5.5" screen, however, would help tremendously.

Sell S6 Flat, Go Z5 Premium or wait for Marshmallow?

Hii Folks!
So I just got back from our local mall and took a test drive of the New Z5 Premium. I'm stoked. From the fingerprint unlock to the Camera Test, amazing. Its fast too. I was trying to stress the device by multitasking really fast, flawless. I'm now having a dilemma if I'll sell my S6 and go Z5P. Oooorrrr, wait for Marshmallow then decide whether to throw in the towel. No bashing please. Thanks!

I have S6 and am having trouble with my cell reception. Keep losing network pretty randomly now in dodgy network areas where my sony Z3 holds on pretty well! Ive used my friend's Z5P and it is a good phone with solid network and better battery. But I think camera and screen are debatable between S6 and Z5P. I'm also looking to replace my S6 due to the network issue and sony Z5/Z5P are my top choices at present. But I might wait for S7 for a couple of months.

I think maybe wait till marshmallow drops. Many beta users have reported that the fingerprint sensor speed and recognition has improved in the marshmallow update.

Dpk1 said:
I have S6 and am having trouble with my cell reception. Keep losing network pretty randomly now in dodgy network areas where my sony Z3 holds on pretty well! Ive used my friend's Z5P and it is a good phone with solid network and better battery. But I think camera and screen are debatable between S6 and Z5P. I'm also looking to replace my S6 due to the network issue and sony Z5/Z5P are my top choices at present. But I might wait for S7 for a couple of months.
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I didn't had the chance to compare the ZP5's camera with my S6. But from what I can say is when I took a little bit of mixed shots and the zoomed it, there are minimal noise. It feels detailed.

Jhayzt said:
I didn't had the chance to compare the ZP5's camera with my S6. But from what I can say is when I took a little bit of mixed shots and the zoomed it, there are minimal noise. It feels detailed.
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http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=64808179&postcount=1013
I got both S6 and Z5c(the cam on Z5/Z5c/Z5P is same). The only good from Z5 camera is more accurate WB and auto exposure. The Z5 focus much improved over Z1~Z3 but I'll call it still slightly worse than IP5s, not as good as advertised while S6 focus is decent to the level near my friend's IP6(I've friends who own IP5s and IP6). The S6 OIS is unbeatable, I could take 100/200iso at low-light/indoor easy but on Z5 I've to pick 400iso to reduce handshake.
Z5 got good software video stabilization but it hurts so much the FOV and degraded the video quality. With software video stabilization enabled you hardly record a long video bcoz it will push the cpu to limit and overheat easy. S6 video stabilization may not as well as Sony but you can record video in long length with full FOV, the FHD/4K quality on S6 is also much better.
Battery on SD810 is quite power draining no doubt worse than Exynos 7420. Mine Z5c got best battery life in entire Z5 line but it looks like no better than S6 in my experiences, might be a bit better but not very noticeable. If you think S6 is power hungry, the fact is Z5P will just more worse. One reason is Z5P screen is dark, max brightness is like half of Z5/Z5c/S6 so you always need to tune up a bit the brightness and wasted extra power. The 4K panel isn't mature yet.
The fingerprint sensor faster than S6 but once the power button gets dirty the recognition speed become slower than S6. So, the S6 isn't fastest but more stable overall.
All and All. It's hard to make a conclusion bcoz all I can feel is the current Sony build are still beta, gonna wait 6.0 to release the camera power on Z5. Expected major upgrade of camera API and improved battery when 6.0 hits Z5. I'll say wait 6.0 to arrive on S6 and Z5P and check the result clearly. If you have free time, waiting for S7 is a even better choice.

I would give MM a chance on the S6
Like M...N said there are reports of more effective and usable fingerprint sensor support.
- Renolz

I actually sold my 8months old S6 (64gb) and got myself a new Xperia Z5 (dual) black. As stated earlier my S6 had a lot of network connectivity issues which got worse with time, got repaired but to no use. I was bit unsure about how good the camera would be on Z5 as there are mixed reviews.
My quick review of Z5 compared to S6 (after 2 days use):
- Better battery backup: my Z5 is at 67% after a full days use (charged fully at 10 am), while my S6 used to be at 4-5% by this time and had to charge it at least once daily (sometimes twice daily). 3g data on all the time with some voice calls, chrome browsing, whatsapp etc. Only using one sim in Z5.
- Camera: IMO the daylight pics on Z5 (23mp manual mode) are better overall than S6 (sony sensor). The pics are sharper overall with vibrant colors but slightly noisier compared to softer (less noisier) dull looking pics on the S6. The night pics are comparable on both but S6 auto mode does way better job than sony's. You actually need to know the manual mode on the Xperia very well as to get good results in poor light (which are comparable to or sometimes even better than S6). Also the camera app is faster and easier to use on the S6 compared to Z5. But, to me (a long time sony user) its a non issue. Mind it there are faulty units with lots of lens blurring and all (as apparent from reviews online) with Z5 in particular, so you need to keep that in mind. Mine doesn't have any such issue.
- Screen and touch response: Samoled vs Ips lcd. Both have their pros and cons. I like the touch response on the Z5 better though. Auto brightness works better on Z5.
- Network connectivity: Much better on the Z5 IMO.
- UI: Z5 has cleaner UI which is seamless. Samsung UI felt a bit laggy at times but both phones are pretty snappy.
P.S - I'm really happy with my purchase overall! Sony's camera app needs work for sure, which I'm confident will be done in coming updates. Samsung needs to improve upon its battery backup and UI IMO.

As this question is in your mind, I'm pretty sure you'll not be satisfied with the S6 again! Why wait? Sell it and get yourself a new Z5, but make sure you'll accept its minor deficiencies.
No offence, but if you're not satisfied with your phone, get another which will make you happier

If you need people to convince you to stay with galaxy s6, you've already made up your mind. Go with Z5, because you're always going to find a flaw with galaxy series.

Z5 pros: Custom roms, better battery life, better camera, micro SD slot, better sound quality, more open for devs (unlocking/relocking bootloader, releasing source codes etc.)
S6 cons: no stable custom roms due to Exynos + Knox tripping = no guarantee outside EU and quite bad battery life compared to G4/Z5 or any other comparable high-end phone released in 2015.
The s6 is only acceptable because of its design, no other stuff makes this phone worth it. An iPhone would probably even be a better choice than the S6. But if you especially dont care about custom roms and just look at hardware specs than just go with that Z5 premium or wait for the Galaxy S7.

In reality, it is impossible to run the 28nm octa-core SD810 Z5 with a full day usage and still got 67% battery left. I think it will need a Z3c with KitKat rom to do that.
If you just trying to get best SOT out with super light use and tune the screen to real dark, it is achievable though. Indeed, I'm a S6 light user mostly and my S6 always got 6~7hrs SOT as well. Such a campaign doesn't reflect real world performance for most people. There are many complaints from medium to heavy users from Z5/Z5c/Z5p on XDA and talk sonymobile forum about battery life.
I always prefer color reproduction from Sony. S6 used a heavy noise reduction and a bit dull but there are just too much noises on Sony. Speaking to the details, both of my IMX240 and ISOCell performs better than my Z5c day and night. It is strange that your S6 IMX240 photo not as sharp as Z5, in my experiences the IMX240 is just too sharp and I even want it to be lower. Me any my friend got a Z5c, mine is absolutely perfect without blur while my friend one got slightly blur so clearly no problem on my camera.
Both got pros and cons on auto brightness and touch responsive. Z5 auto brightness is too bright while S6 is a bit dark but overall I prefer S6. S6 got faster touch responsive while power saving disabled and some lag when power saving on. Z5 is more consistency on this part with or without Stamina on.
Actually, S6 got way more custom roms and kernels but sure no AOSP/CM. S6 got knox trip but Sony also has DRM key and TA partition.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s6/samsung-galaxy-s-6--s-6-edge-unified-development/cyanogenmod-13-galaxy-s6-t3269984
EDIT: I just found that CM13 is available now on S6

Fullmetal Jun said:
As this question is in your mind, I'm pretty sure you'll not be satisfied with the S6 again! Why wait? Sell it and get yourself a new Z5, but make sure you'll accept its minor deficiencies.
No offence, but if you're not satisfied with your phone, get another which will make you happier
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Click to collapse
the most accurate reply for this question :good:

Quintz said:
Z5 pros: Custom roms, better battery life, better camera, micro SD slot, better sound quality, more open for devs (unlocking/relocking bootloader, releasing source codes etc.)
S6 cons: no stable custom roms due to Exynos + Knox tripping = no guarantee outside EU and quite bad battery life compared to G4/Z5 or any other comparable high-end phone released in 2015.
The s6 is only acceptable because of its design, no other stuff makes this phone worth it. An iPhone would probably even be a better choice than the S6. But if you especially dont care about custom roms and just look at hardware specs than just go with that Z5 premium or wait for the Galaxy S7.
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the camera on the S6 is better.....better screen, design....and TW is miles ahead and better than sony's UI...it looks outdated....so you're wrong....the only reason to get the Z5 over the s6 are water proofing, and battery, some people would like an sd card also.....but still the S6 is better...can't deny that....and an iphone 6 is better? give me one thing the iphone does better....

abdelha said:
the camera on the S6 is better.....better screen, design....and TW is miles ahead and better than sony's UI...it looks outdated....so you're wrong....the only reason to get the Z5 over the s6 are water proofing, and battery, some people would like an sd card also.....but still the S6 is better...can't deny that....and an iphone 6 is better? give me one thing the iphone does better....
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How are these statements you are giving supposed to be contra-arguments when I havent mentioned anything about it. I did say that the S6 design is better. Also I havent mentioned anything about stock roms, I was referring to custom roms, i.e. Cynogenmod, slimroms etc. Also screen is debatable, the Z5 premium has a 4k screen with alot more ppi and sharpness,while the s6 qhd could be more colorful.
Regarding iPhone 6s:
https://mobile.twitter.com/arter97_dev/status/681054354153971712
https://mobile.twitter.com/arter97_dev/status/680299853801365504
https://mobile.twitter.com/arter97_dev/status/641752688728764416
Here we can see that the iPhone 6s A9 chip beats the Exynos 7420 in single core performance, which is most noticeable in real world comparison. Also iOS will always will be more in harmony with its own device than android and X brand phone. Ofcourse I wouldnt pick an iPhone because I like using cynogenmod etc. myself, therefore the z5 premium is a better choice than the galaxy s6. But id choose an iPhone above an exynos device any day..

Quintz said:
How are these statements you are giving supposed to be contra-arguments when I havent mentioned anything about it. I did say that the S6 design is better. Also I havent mentioned anything about stock roms, I was referring to custom roms, i.e. Cynogenmod, slimroms etc. Also screen is debatable, the Z5 premium has a 4k screen with alot more ppi and sharpness,while the s6 qhd could be more colorful.
Here we can see that the iPhone 6s A9 chip beats the Exynos 7420 in single core performance, which is most noticeable in real world comparison. Also iOS will always will be more in harmony with its own device than android and X brand phone. Ofcourse I wouldnt pick an iPhone because I like using cynogenmod etc. myself, therefore the z5 premium is a better choice than the galaxy s6. But id choose an iPhone above an exynos device any day..
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first of all, in your comment you said iphone 6 and not 6s...second...CPU isn't everything, screen, camera, battery....so even if the 6s is a bit faster it falls in all other aspects.....

abdelha said:
first of all, in your comment you said iphone 6 and not 6s...second...CPU isn't everything, screen, camera, battery....so even if the 6s is a bit faster it falls in all other aspects.....
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I didnt mention the iPhone 6, you should know this since you quoted me. Anyway doesnt matter. Battery wise the iPhone is quite good compared to android phones, because iOS is harmonized to the hardware used (something android lacks). Check http://www.anandtech.com/show/9686/the-apple-iphone-6s-and-iphone-6s-plus-review/8
According to this test it beats the s6 battery usage, but not charging time.
Also a reason why the lower MaH battery lasts longer is because it isn't packed with an unecessary qhd screen (nowdays gimmicks sell better than innovation). Retina, 4k etc screens are good enough and yes you see a difference if you put it next to the s6, but in real world you dont compare screens all day.
And camera wise id pick the s6.
All with all, I am not here to promote the iPhone, but I just want to make a statement how bad the exynos s6 device is compared to other (android) phones. The only things that matter nowday are battery life, performance, camera,functionality (this aspect is taken less in consideration by non xda users ) and design. All screens on high end phones look quite good.

Quintz said:
I didnt mention the iPhone 6, you should know this since you quoted me. Anyway doesnt matter. Battery wise the iPhone is quite good compared to android phones, because iOS is harmonized to the hardware used (something android lacks). Check According to this test it beats the s6 battery usage, but not charging time.
Also a reason why the lower MaH battery lasts longer is because it isn't packed with an unecessary qhd screen (nowdays gimmicks sell better than innovation). Retina, 4k etc screens are good enough and yes you see a difference if you put it next to the s6, but in real world you dont compare screens all day.
And camera wise id pick the s6.
All with all, I am not here to promote the iPhone, but I just want to make a statement how bad the exynos s6 device is compared to other (android) phones. The only things that matter nowday are battery life, performance, camera,functionality (this aspect is taken less in consideration by non xda users ) and design. All screens on high end phones look quite good.
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it's a bit confusing, you saying that the S6 with exynos is bad compared to other androids!...and you're wrong, it's the best cpu for androids, and in multi core it's the best in the world...my s6 is 9 months old and it doesn't lag....so if you're getting lag then it's either you have a defect phone or i don't know....the S6 fly through anything i do....and it and the NOTE 5 are the fastest android devices.....the ram management is bad but the speed is just great...it's faster than the nexus 6p....just so you know....

abdelha said:
it's a bit confusing, you saying that the S6 with exynos is bad compared to other androids!...and you're wrong, it's the best cpu for androids, and in multi core it's the best in the world...my s6 is 9 months old and it doesn't lag....so if you're getting lag then it's either you have a defect phone or i don't know....the S6 fly through anything i do....and it and the NOTE 5 are the fastest android devices.....the ram management is bad but the speed is just great...it's faster than the nexus 6p....just so you know....
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Click to collapse
No I yet again need to say this but I didnt mention lag. And yes the exynos chip is the best for android, but the sacrifice you need to make (no stable custom roms) is quite high. Anyway enjoy your phone, take care.

I sold a Z5 to come back to this phone. The premium is simply an oversized and ugly version of the Z5.
The only good thing on the Z5 is the fingerprint sensor.
Real world use, the Z5 camera is absolutely awful, daylight and low light is blown away by S6, it distorts pictures, and has no stabilisation in low light so motion blur even when you keep very still. Battery life is awful (4hrs SOT), the screen is not sharp enough, the phone is laggy, runs very very hot, and is NOT water resistant, speakers get wrecked after any contact with water, permanently.
The only good thing on the Z5 is the fingerprint sensor.
Aside from some very small skips (not lag) in settings menu, the S6 runs smooth and fast and battery life is 5hours SOT, camera is unbeatable. Very glad I got an S6 again.
On a side note, I have an Iphone 6 for work, unfortunately, and its far from lag free and smooth. It is buggy and battery life is mediocre at best although it does charge fast. Camera is useless.

TheEndHK said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=64808179&postcount=1013
I got both S6 and Z5c(the cam on Z5/Z5c/Z5P is same). The only good from Z5 camera is more accurate WB and auto exposure. The Z5 focus much improved over Z1~Z3 but I'll call it still slightly worse than IP5s, not as good as advertised while S6 focus is decent to the level near my friend's IP6(I've friends who own IP5s and IP6). The S6 OIS is unbeatable, I could take 100/200iso at low-light/indoor easy but on Z5 I've to pick 400iso to reduce handshake.
Z5 got good software video stabilization but it hurts so much the FOV and degraded the video quality. With software video stabilization enabled you hardly record a long video bcoz it will push the cpu to limit and overheat easy. S6 video stabilization may not as well as Sony but you can record video in long length with full FOV, the FHD/4K quality on S6 is also much better.
Battery on SD810 is quite power draining no doubt worse than Exynos 7420. Mine Z5c got best battery life in entire Z5 line but it looks like no better than S6 in my experiences, might be a bit better but not very noticeable. If you think S6 is power hungry, the fact is Z5P will just more worse. One reason is Z5P screen is dark, max brightness is like half of Z5/Z5c/S6 so you always need to tune up a bit the brightness and wasted extra power. The 4K panel isn't mature yet.
The fingerprint sensor faster than S6 but once the power button gets dirty the recognition speed become slower than S6. So, the S6 isn't fastest but more stable overall.
All and All. It's hard to make a conclusion bcoz all I can feel is the current Sony build are still beta, gonna wait 6.0 to release the camera power on Z5. Expected major upgrade of camera API and improved battery when 6.0 hits Z5. I'll say wait 6.0 to arrive on S6 and Z5P and check the result clearly. If you have free time, waiting for S7 is a even better choice.
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Click to collapse
The question I have for you is, none of my third party apps can auto focus the s6 rear camera. Only the official camera app and HwTest app can. Do you have any experience with this?

XZ owners do you recommend getting this phone now ?

Alright guys XZ it is thanks for everyone responded to me and shared his opinion/experience
For know please let me know if there are any known/common issues that maybe some units has to avoid especially since I am probably getting a "used XZ" :good:
For example I remember for Z5 many units had blurry left side in picture taken by rear camera, also screen bleeding, dead pixels ect..
I'm Z5 user looking to upgrade
Do you guys recommend this phone now considering other competitors
Ofc I'm a sony fan I like their desing, audio/display features, waterproofing ect..
But I'm concerned about the camera I've seen few camera comparisons especially this one it seems that Sony is still struggling with low light and still use same old pictures post processing without forget the weird dimensions distortions
Other alternatives I'm considering that I can get for about same XZ price tag in order
- Google Pixel (camera is DSLR level in my opinion/also better specs - not sure about the mic/audio issues though)
- LG G6 (better camera/specs)
- Galaxy S7
- Oneplus 3T(better specs)
Also another factor let's not forget that the XZs and XZP were already out, also XZ1 recently so at the best cases sony will still support XZ for next year/year and half
Also please let know if there are other things I'm might not be aware of that I should know

korom42 said:
I'm Z5 user looking to upgrade
Do you guys recommend this phone now considering other competitors
Ofc I'm a sony fan I like their desing, audio/display features, waterproofing ect..
But I'm concerned about the camera I've seen few camera comparisons especially this one it seems that Sony is still struggling with low light and still use same old pictures post processing without forget the weird dimensions distortions
Other alternatives I'm considering that I can get for about same XZ price tag in order
- Google Pixel (camera is DSLR level in my opinion/also better specs - not sure about the mic/audio issues though)
- LG G6 (better camera/specs)
- Galaxy S7
- Oneplus 3T(better specs)
Also another factor let's not forget that the XZs and XZP were already out, also XZ1 recently so at the best cases sony will still support XZ for next year/year and half
Also please let know if there are other things I'm might not be aware of that I should know
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know about google pixel ,but the camera of xz i notice by myself is superior by the others. Lg g6 have worst camera than g5, in more moments is worst than midrange. But on wide angle cameras panoramas is good. Of course on wideangle distortion can became in some situation very visible (the distortion on sonyies are for wideangle lens but there are not that visible). But xz destroys g6 on camera...day and night photos. Galaxy s7 produces false photos. The photos on his amoled screen seems great but on reality have more defect. Too filters applied. Yellow and reddish photos .. For example a summer photo of a lake , became autumn photo of lake,thanks to samsung filters. On night photos is easy to shoot with this device but with some burned dettails. Xz on day destroys s7, on night depends . Xz produces more dettailed photos than s7. But s7 have ois and some photos on night are easier to shoot. One plus 3t have a mid range camera ....is a phone studied for modding expecially. Talking about xz i think is the most stable phone in my opinion ...probably op3t is on similar level. I reccomand xz expecially for stability and less problems. I have some friends with s7 and g6 and they have a lot of problems . For alternative to xz i reccomand op3t if you find one. Is the one with less problems like xz. Xz use great the snapdragon 820. 821 is the same processor with only better energy use. But sony,thanks to his great optimizzation, make tha 820 less battery drainer, like 821. Every month Sony release security patches there, before of most OEM. Device have very good performance and very good battery. Signal is great there, one of better phones to have best signal (i think better than your alternatieves). Modding is good there but not one of best(but it seems grow). Ram seems doesn't have any problems .Phone is rock stable and very fluid . Sony optimizzation is the best in my opinion. It doesn't have raw ...but post processing is very natural. Raw seems enable only on aosp roms. If you doesn't worry about modding, give a look on xzs. More ram,loops ui, xzp and xz1 camera with all great new features. But no modding. If you want, give me all questions about xz. I'm very happy with my xz.

Hi,
Also consider screen size.. the XZ is rather small compare to G6, OP3t.
Then it's also Amoled vs LCD but maybe more personal?
The only thing I'm not really happy with mine is battery life, was used to more for a Sony phone, you have to tinker around to get something acceptable. Also would have prefer an Amoled screen since I read a lot so once again better for battery
Personally I would pass on the G6, XDA thread seems empty and LG support bad..
Pixel camera would be the best I guess, but you loose waterproofing.
Then it's Sony over Samsung for me for the "media" experience, sound, ldac bT etc
Also camera is actually really good. Auto is OK+ but manual gives really good shot when you know what you do.

Sony need manual settings to take good pic in low light. XZ have the best display in the market now. Super bright red and clear white. Other colors are naturals and clear. Its no juicy like Amoled or washed like other TFTs. I had G5 with screen burn problem. It have too many phones G5 and V10 with this problem. I dont know for G6 but look at it. Pixel have no IP 68 and its no interesting for me.
One Plus - no thanks. So so tricky warranty service.
S7 is stupid. I feel it in hand like a soap. And Samy dont cover under warranty water damages. I have frend in official Samy service here in Bulgaria and he told me that IP 68 nevermind. Its nothing for Samy. Just commercials.

For me thats a 100% not recommended, looking at the alternatives you posted above; go for the pixel without hesitation. I've used both, the XZ is inferior in almost every aspect except for waterproofing.
Dont get me started on overheating and battery issues, i just came back from a hot area where the phone was almost unusable just because i was standing in the sun for a little bit; once the phone temperature hits 42, forget about being productive anymore, for me this disadvantage is bigger than all the advantages above (even if it had the best camera, screen, speakers etc...) since i cant actually use the phone.

Just get the forest blue XZ, and forget the others.
I running stock on mine, unmodified, September security patch and battery life is very excellent, no overheating.
And I have to agree Sony optimisation is exceptional, I run my phone once for 20 straight days without reboot or slow down, the phone was still smooth.

korom42 said:
Alright guys XZ it is thanks for everyone responded to me and shared his opinion/experience
For know please let me know if there are any known/common issues that maybe some units has to avoid especially since I am probably getting a "used XZ" :good:
For example I remember for Z5 many units had blurry left side in picture taken by rear camera, also screen bleeding, dead pixels ect..
I'm Z5 user looking to upgrade
Do you guys recommend this phone now considering other competitors
Ofc I'm a sony fan I like their desing, audio/display features, waterproofing ect..
But I'm concerned about the camera I've seen few camera comparisons especially this one it seems that Sony is still struggling with low light and still use same old pictures post processing without forget the weird dimensions distortions
Other alternatives I'm considering that I can get for about same XZ price tag in order
- Google Pixel (camera is DSLR level in my opinion/also better specs - not sure about the mic/audio issues though)
- LG G6 (better camera/specs)
- Galaxy S7
- Oneplus 3T(better specs)
Also another factor let's not forget that the XZs and XZP were already out, also XZ1 recently so at the best cases sony will still support XZ for next year/year and half
Also please let know if there are other things I'm might not be aware of that I should know
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IF you're not chasing for glamour and high end phones these days..e.g. pixel phones, Lg g6, etc.. then XZ still worth to buy. ...Otherwise if you're looking forward for OnePlus, i suggest go for OP 5 instead of OP 3T. Imho
*OnePlus, Pixel phones=Dev enthusiasts+Custom ROMs friendly