Sony Xperia Z user reviews

Giorgos Zagalikis 9 March 2013

Good: Waterproof and dust-resistant

Comment: My next mobile phone

pwodnetd 8 March 2013

Good: capability the pushes the envelope

Bad: Poor GPS, some dodgy apps and user interface not as intuitive as iPhone

Comment: The apps gripe is a minor point since you can always get other ones, but there are some small but annoying oversights in things like the Notes (really needs an undo button) and Walkman (terrible design, you cant play an album without shuffling it, can't clear the queue, you need to use a 2nd app "Play Music" to plug those gaps)

My other gripe is concerning GPS which seems to really lack accuracy. In the absence of wi-fi, I generally don't get a fix more accurate than 3600m. Sony customer support told me that this is normal. I wonder if other reviewers here would agree? I'd appreciate the feedback

neils 7 March 2013

Good: Quality build, good spec and very responsive

Bad: Battery gets a little warm with heavy use

Comment: The Sony is superb. Have been very impressed with it so far. Thought the size might be an issue at first however as soon as you start using it you realise that it's just right. Very involving.

Seb Hart 7 March 2013

Good: Great design

Bad: Prone to scratches and fingerprints

Comment: Would recommend to buy over the S3 which was my old phone

Gordon Stewart 7 March 2013

Good: Build quality and finish, screen, camera

Bad: erm... Prefer the stock android folder look.

Comment: Really happy with this so far.

Minami Hanako 6 March 2013

Good: Picture

Bad: Don't know yet

Comment: I went to a shop to check this phone out and the quality of the display looked amazingly good. I'm using iphone5 at the moment but I have to get this very soon,

ampost 6 March 2013

Good: stunning screen, a joy to hold, waterproofing is a relief

Bad: battery life average, external speakers could be better

Comment: I've had the Z for over a week now. It's the best phone I've ever owned. My iphone 5 is too small for browsing (through screen contrast is better & audio is better). My Note 2 feels cheap and the screen is poor in comparison.

Used the Z in the bath- a real luxury not to be concerned about using it in wet environments.

tgw123 5 March 2013

Good: Tech specs - on paper, but not in reality (bugs as usual with Sony Mobile)

Bad: Bugs, faults, lack of customer support (as usual from Sony)

Comment: The Sony Xperia Z 'superphone' released 28th February, 2013 to grteat fanfare from Sony. Well it looks great on paper and certainly Sony Mobile are advertising like mad on Facebook, TV and elsewhere. But does it work properly?

NO ... Sadly the sort of problems concerning battery drainage, recharging, WiFi and more that owners of the new Xperia V have been experiencing since launch in December are already showing up in threads on the official Sony Xperia Support Forum for the Xperia Z/ZL. Here is a link to those:
http://talk.sonymobile.com/community/support/xperia_z_zl

Here is a link to problems with the Xperia V, including the 'Xperia V Random Freeze in Standby' issues (referred to by many as 'SOD', or the Sleep Of Death issue):
http://talk.sonymobile.com/thread/60422?start=230&tstart=0

Joel Russell 3 March 2013

Comment: giggidy

Omair Malik 2 March 2013

Good: Screen, design, day time photos

Bad: Battery life, low light photos, external speakers

Comment: I was a self confessed applephile, heavily integrated into apple's ecosystem (4S, iPad and macbook), but it’s clear the pace of innovation of their products has been slowing down for some time. So having in doing extensive research into a replacement for my 4S, I have looked past the Iphone 5 (not enough of an improvement) and the Lumia 920 (bulk, battery life and limited apps) and decided to take a punt on the Xperia Z.

I'll get the bad out of the way first. As expected the battery is poor, I doubt I'll be getting a full day out of it, but the stamina mode does help. Sony made a big deal of their new 13 mp sensor but the low light shots are disappointing; worse than the 4s (bravia engine or not). Finally, for a company that has audio excellence in the essence of what it does, I can’t fathom why the speakers are so poor. This is not such a big issue for me, as I will usually be using headphones to listen to music.

Now for the good. The screen is the best I have seen on a phone by far, the colours pop out at you, the detail is pin sharp. Photos and video look stunning. The camera takes amazing day-time photos and there are plenty of fun settings to try. The operation of the phone overall is smooth and navigating around it is a pleasure.

The phone’s design is close to perfection. It feels solid and good in the hand. The glass on the black version gives a classy bluish hue. Overall it looks sophisticated, futuristic, understated but classy.

There are multiple other positives. The android experience seems to have come of age. The water and dust proofing is a huge plus point. The on screen buttons are sleek and don’t make miss a hardware button. Sony’s UI is simple and clean. LTE, NFC and what looks like a good range of accessories coming.

Things that reviews have mentioned that actually don’t matter a jot include the poor viewing angles and the “fiddly” port covers.

Overall I expected a lot from this phone and it hasn’t disappointed. it’s worth 8.5/10. There isn’t many phones out there worth a 9/10…perhaps the HTC one, but that will only be known once the phone comes out. Certainly, now that I have this phone I’m not wondering if I should have picked or waited for another… not the Iphone5, Lumia 920, Htc one, nor the S4 whatever it might bring!!

The Sony is excellent