Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 review

[beetle84]

The basics do work well, in my opinion (and thats all it is, dont take this to heart) an iphone is locked in as far as keyboards, browsers, messaging apps, everything really, as far as apple is concerned, its take it or leave it, or jailbreak it. Where as android is more for the person who likes to choose what works best for them.

[Annirowe]

Hehe. No offence taken. Prefer a constructive conversation Over a iPhone vs android argument.

[Kalak]

Well, the Z3 is getting a giant fail from me.

I arrived at my holiday destination and my screen is non-responsive. It refuses to register any touches at all. A hard reboot with power and volume up does nothing. It still allows photos to be taken via the hardware button launching the app, but that's it. It's not even useful as a paperweight because it slides off everything. So my only form of contact while on holiday is now gone. Many choice words regarding this device are in my head, and coming out of my mouth.

If you get a chance, don't buy this phone. After a quick google search it appears this isn't an issue that I am experiencing in isolation.

[DEANJA]

Ok young fella, just settle down there and stop . You said you did the vol up and power button and it didn't work. Did you hold it long enough so that the phone vibrated about 3 times.

If that's not working, try this.

Take a look under the cover for the micro SD and nano SIM card holder., you should see a little yellow button. Press the button with the tip of a pencil or a similar object and hold it down for 5-10 seconds. After a series of quick vibrations, release the restart button.

.Then turn on the phone in the regular way by pressing the power/unlock button. After the restart all settings and personal data such as contacts, music, photos and other files will stay intact. 

[Kalak]

Hi Jeff. Yep, the power + volume works, 3 vibrations and it turns off.
Tried the yellow button under the cover, on the Z3 it's labelled OFF. It does indeed turn the phone off, but regardless of the length of time I hold it in, it does not perform a hard reset. It just causes a bunch of triple vibrations.

I also tried the holding both volume buttons down when turning on, again no impact. I can get it to boot into Safe Mode, but that doesn't do anything either.

I should note that according to page 133 of the user manual, the button is now simply a force off button. It does not perform a factory reset. The ONLY instructions to perform this involved the use of the screen, which is made somewhat difficult by the fact that the screen is what the issue is.

Perhaps in a weeks time when my holiday is finished I can return home and try resetting it via a downloadable PC applications, but that does me no good now.

I should also note, that I have been foiled by my own use of secure two factor authentication. Aside from crowd support and a single email address, ever other form of contact including Facebook and a number of email addresses require two factor authentication. Facebook for example requires the code generator from the app, or my home computer. Oh and my banking for the money I need for the holiday, you guessed it, SMS security. So I guess I'll be forced to buy another phone. Ridiculous.

With my iPhone, I'm half an hour drive from an apple store here, I'd head in to a Genius and head out with a refurb device shortly after. I bet it won't be the same experience with this device. Thinking I made a big mistake getting rid of my iPhone.

[beetle84]

I doubt a factory reset will help @Kalak
Turn the phone off, wait a few seconds and turnnit back on.
When the led turns pink, or whatever colour it goes now, press volume up e few times to enter the recovery menu (if vol up doesnt work try vol down) from there you use the volune buttons for up or down and the power button for enter.
You will findb the factory reset setting there.

[beetle84]

Please excuse the typos, 8am saturday and im still half asleep

[beetle84]

Also check the screen for a hairline crack, most of the reports of unresponsive screens on the net also have a crack to go with it.

[Kalak]

I also tried the volume up button on boot. Best case it will occasionally boot into Safe Mode, however no recovery meny ever appears.
 
I also can't see any crack, hairline or otherwise. I also wouldn't think one would develop while sitting in the cup holder of my car for 6 hours. Then again, who knows with this phone.
 
One thing I have noticed is that previously with the screen on, when it was tilted in the light I could see vertical rows of rainbow coloured (holographic style) dots, which I assume was the sensor. Now with the screen active and tilting it, I can see no such rows on the screen.

EDIT: I should also point out there is NO LED activity at all during the boot process. The screen starts with the Xperia Logo, then an Android Logo, a purple Wave screen, multi-coloured Telstra logos then the device is booted and ready to not be used. There is no flashing of the LED in the corner at any point, despite what some online sites may say. These sites also suggest the yellow button is a reset button when on the Z3 it's simply a hard power off. So there may have been some changes between the Z1/Z2 and the Z3 which people are assuming things from previous models which in fact do not operate the same with the Z3.

[beetle84]

@Kalak ignore my comments regarding recovery

[katroberts]

@Kalak obviously this is a big disappointment and we'll do our best to get this sorted for you. Thanks for your honesty

@Annirowe hopefully you re having no issues with the phone? Now you've spent a bit of time with the phone, what are your latest thoughts?

[Annirowe]

Well I definately have had any issues like @Kalak has experienced. 

My Sony is still working... 

I have a few pics to share of the tests I did I planned on uploading them tonight. In the meantime here is just one sample of the pics I took. They were taken of the same subject at almost the same distance (The cat came and knocked poor Santa over so he isnt in the exact same position in each photo). 

Sony Z3:

iPhone 6+

You can see just from these two photos how superior the iPhone camera is over the Sony. The white balance is almost pefect on the iPhone, while the Sony has a significant blue hue to it. I also found that looking at the photos on the phone there was a significant difference to the image. Where on the iphone they almost matched on screen as they did on computer and indeed real life. 

Tonight I will upload the low light pics, where even though the camera has progressed in terms of previous models and phones, it is still no match for the iPhone 6+.

[Kalak]

While the quality, particularly in the unfocused areas, is better on the iPhone, your Z3 is still taking better pictures than mine LOL

[Annirowe]

Hahaha!! You have to just imagine your photos.

[katroberts]

Looks great @Annirowe !

Some final questions to wrap up please (I know you've kind of covered this but a sum up would be great)

• What do you consider to be the overall pros and cons of the phone?
• What would you change about the phone?
• Will it be replacing your usual handset?

[Kalak]

Pros:
Large vivid screen
Water resistance
Front facing speakers
General Android flexibility including widgets

Cons:
For some it may simply be too big. The Compact version might suit more people.
The screen issues which appear widespread however Sony have a head in the sand attitude. A simple Googlr search or read of the Whirlpool thread shows this.

What would I change:
Durability. Any device that can't survive sitting in a cup holder in an air conditioned car needs some work.
Charging port location to the bottom of the phone rather than the side.
Other than those two things it's quite a good device.

Will it be replacing my usual handset:
It had, before it died. However with this durability issue and the potential long turnaround time for assessment and repair I will most likely be purchasing a different phone instead of using the Z3 full-time going forward.

[Annirowe]

Okay so over the last couple of weeks I have had the pleasure of using the Sony Z3..... a phone that along with its previous versions, has always had me wondering if the grass was greener on the other side. 

So thanks to Telstra I got to sample life over the fence and put this device through its tests. It an was interesting experience. There were moments of intrigue, moments of "oh wow thats handy" and other moments of "Why??? Why would you do that!!". 

Prior to the iPhone 3G I had many different phones. From Alcatel, to Nokia, onto iMate's and even a Sony. But from the moment the iPhone appeared I found it to be the holy grail. It did everything I needed. It was stable.. Secure.. Efficient and intelligent. But hey.. there must be something better out there... isnt there?? So I convinced myself to go into this with an open mind. Live with it as if I didnt own an iPhone.. and see how content I was using it day to day. 

So here we go: 

Pro's

Quality: In the hand, this is a very well made phone. It feels solid.. secure.. and generally feels well built. 

Camera Button: A quick and easy way of getting to the camera.. start pressing it while your bringing it out of your pocket and technically its instantly ready to shoot. 

Water Proofing: There is no denying this is a handy feature. While I strugged with its actual usability, for accidental spills and submersions its fantastic. 

Remote Play: Okay this was a cool feature. The ability to play PS4 on teh phone in another room was pretty cool.. just a couple of caveats to that however.. Your Wifi needs to be up to scrath in terms of speed, and connection quality needs to be A+ or else your stuck with lag and quality degradation. Also I found it difficult to find a comfortable position to play like this.. You really need the extra holder that clips onto phone and controller. 

Con's

Water Proofing: Yep.. I know I just put it above, but it has to fall here too! While its a fantastic feature, the usability of it is some what troublesome. Firstly water droplets are recognised on the screen as finger presses.. So all hell breaks loose when water touches the screen. I had it making calls, skipping songs etc.. Wasnt enjoyable. Thanks to @Mickb83 he pointed out a screen block mode that disable touch inputs. Activating that helped solve the issue, but to me, for such a heavily advertised feature, I just felt activating the mode was cumbersome. A simple switch or button to activate Waterproof mode would be handy. 

Charging Port:  @Kalak was right when commenting on the port.. Its in a weird spot.. On teh side of the phone at the top of the screen. It makes no sense to me.. Gravity comes into play and the weight of the cable pulls the phone sideways in a car cradle. It would take me two hands (one holding the phone one holding the cable) to both plug it in and take it out.. This was frustrating. Also No matter what iPhone I have had, I have always been able to put the cord into the phone without looking at it.. You can do it blind just by feel. But with this phone you have to pay attention... and carefully insert the cable. 

Android: I tried my hardest... I really did.. I wanted android to work. I wanted it to be cool and give me all these exciting new features. But for me... it came up short.. As discussed in previous Posts, as a new comer to Android, it was just too overwhelming. Sony has dumped all these extra programs on, doubling up on already installed default apps. Customisation is a fantastic thing, but when given too much control it becomes mayhem.. and this is what I felt this was. Hopefully Android 5 helps to fix some of these issues. 

Texture: This is one slippery little sucker.. The glass front and back make living with this phone a stressful event.. Super glue or a rubber band around your wrist may help here! 

So in Summary what would I change? 

• Not so slippery
• Just the Basic Software. Feel free to point me to the Sony Software, but let me build from a simple base. 
• An easy way to access a waterproof mode. 
• Relocate the charging port. 

Will I be replacing my usual Handset.. Well yes I did actually.. But not with this handset... This experience just reassured me that iPhone is a superior phone and Platform. So much so I went and got an iPhone 6+. 

I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank @katroberts and all the team at @Telstra. This program is a fantastic opportunity to try out something new and I have really enjoyed my time doing it. 

If anyone has any other questions feel free to ask and I will endevour to answer either on here or via my twitter @annirowe. 

[polarwarp]

Looks like a fun dimension for a phone camera to be able to take photos underwater - nice work

[polarwarp]

I might be posting this a bit late sorry

@Annirowe did you end up trying different keyboards?  ie. that you can download different keyboards from companies and change the input to that?  I find on the z1 compact the keyboard input is forever confusing what word I've entered and would often break up words into multiple even though I'm highly confident I hadn't lifted my finger from the screen.  I had been hoping that it would be fixed in the z3 but sounds like it hasn't.  Also do you get full functionality when controlling your ps4?  Would it make a good dvd remote?

Were there any outside nighttime shots taken?  Maybe I missed them but there didn't appear to be too many photos posted.  Do they still have the dinosaur mode?

Thanks!

[Donaldo2]

Well what can be said about this review except to say what a joke.

From the very first it was clear that two apple fan boys had a mindset and that would be it, and they certainly didn’t disappoint.

Yes I have a Sony Z3 and I have to say that I can’t fault it technically or performance wise. Yes you need to be a little more careful with the glass casing and it’s not a phone that you would recommend for a builder or brick-layer.

I find it amazing that anyone would race out and sell their current phone as they unwrapped this gift from Telstra before they had really found out if it would suit them. Then to hit out at Telstra because the phone had some problems both here and on other forums in the manner that they have is very immature. What they are saying is that this is the first phone that within days has developed a fault, well maybe they should be a little more widely read before blaming Telstra and Sony as there are reports of various phones including apple phones that are DOA. This isn’t a first and won’t be the last. I’m sure that Telstra staff would have raced to assist the reviewer in an instance, but to lash out on various forums the way they have, well shows to my way of thinking a bad lack in judgement.

Previous reviews of different phones make this look like a sick comedy.

I’m an old crowd support user reader for years and this really disappoints. 

[Kalak]

Sorry you feel that way @Donaldo2 You can certainly take the time to put forth your own request to join the program during the next round, especially if you feel you could do better.

I personally resent the term fanboy. I happened to use a iPhone prior to the Z3, however this in no way makes me a fanboy. Am I a fan of their after sales support, certainly, and I've availed myself of it in the past.

Prior to it dying inexplicably, I couldn't really fault the devices performance either, which was reflected in my comments. As a Z3 owner, you would be very aware of how slippery the back of the device is, so it's no surprise we both commented on that.

I didn't sell my phone as soon as I unwrapped the Z3. I trialled it in a variety of situations and quite frankly very much enjoyed using it, so much so I didn't feel the need to keep my old iP5. It did everything my iP5 did, and more, until it died.

Also, I never 'hit out' at Telstra, I did however have a go at the device itself. Sure there are others who have DOA/ELF for phone from many brands, and those with a Z3 who don't, but this was entirely about my experience and my feelings towards the device. Not some generalisation based on statistics.

With regards to Telstra racing to assist, I emailed them on Friday. On Monday I received a quick return email advising that they were sorry and tried to call me (which was not able to be received due to the phone not working). Then nothing until last Friday when I called to follow-up myself. As yet I have not received the paperwork needed to have the device looked at and it's still just sitting on the counter doing nothing. Not exactly racing, but not that I blame Kat (or others invovled in the program). They have others things to manage aside from a single device Insider.

I would love to have given it a real run in it's 2nd week, particularly in regards to navigation and photography while on the Sunshine Coast, but alas it wasn't to be.

Also, if you had specific suggestions or questions, then may I suggest to you that you could have posted them during the review period as others did and where possible information could have been provided.