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Sony Xperia Z5, Z5 Compact & Z5 Premium (First 4k Display on Phone) Announced

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Reckoner

Member
Been looking to buy a new phone for ages so could do with some advice. The S6 and iPhones are way too expensive, and the Z series seems superior as well. Is the Z4 still worth getting and the new Z5s, is there any pricing news?

Don't get the Z3+/Z4. It has lots of issues with overheating. There is already pricing info.

My Z3 Compact might have died over the weekend due to some water damage (looks like it wasn't as water resistant as I had hoped).

If I can buy a Z5 this week on Amazon, I'm there. Here's hoping I don't end up spending a couple hundred on a repair for the Z3.

Coming out only on October 8th.
 

Lexxism

Member
Been looking to buy a new phone for ages so could do with some advice. The S6 and iPhones are way too expensive, and the Z series seems superior as well. Is the Z4 still worth getting and the new Z5s, is there any pricing news?
I got bad news for you. The pricing for these phones are pretty on par with iphones and S6. This might be not for you if you are looking for cheap phone.
Holy crap! It looks like Sony may have done a sizable price cut to these phones already:

http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/...mpact-premium/
On September 3, the Xperia Z5 line of phones was listed on Sony’s U.K. online store: 549 pounds (about $833) for the Z5 Compact, 599 pounds (about $909) for the Z5, and 699 pounds (about $1,060) for the Z5 Premium. The next day, those prices were knocked down to 429 pounds (about $651) for the Z5 Compact, 549 pounds (about $833) for the Z5, and 629 pounds (about $954) for the Z5 Premium, as observed by uSwitch.com.
 
they bomb in the US because they take forever to come out and aren't marketed at all. Sony's mobile demise is of their own doing. Shame.
I can't imagine Sony is just shrugging off the largest market in the world. There's got to be carrier influence at play. Their phones sell great in Japan and elsewhere, so it's not the product that's the problem.

I hope with carriers moving away from phone subsidies, Sony works on making it easier to get unlocked phones in the US, but so far there's no evidence of that. =(
 

Malvolio

Member
My Z3 Compact might have died over the weekend due to some water damage (looks like it wasn't as water resistant as I had hoped).

If I can buy a Z5 this week on Amazon, I'm there. Here's hoping I don't end up spending a couple hundred on a repair for the Z3.

Let me guess, touchscreen stopped working.
 

KalBalboa

Banned
Let me guess, touchscreen stopped working.

No, it flat out wont turn on.

I've had it since January- taken it jet skiing, used it in the shower probably a hundred times, taken a bunch of underwater photos, you name it. This weekend was apparently one trip too many into the water and now all I can get is a red LED when I try and charge it (tried it via PC, a typical charging brick, and now and external battery).

Tried drying it in rice for two days, used a vacuum to try and get any moisture out, reversed a shop vac to try and clean it that way, you name it. Tried the various combinations of holding Power + Volume Up/Down, too. It's been three days, so I'm wondering if it's just done. Going to contact Sony unless I find any other bright ideas.
 

Malvolio

Member
No, it flat out wont turn on.

I've had it since January- taken it jet skiing, used it in the shower probably a hundred times, taken a bunch of underwater photos, you name it. This weekend was apparently one trip too many into the water and now all I can get is a red LED when I try and charge it (tried it via PC, a typical charging brick, and now and external battery).

Tried drying it in rice for two days, used a vacuum to try and get any moisture out, reversed a shop vac to try and clean it that way, you name it. Tried the various combinations of holding Power + Volume Up/Down, too. It's been three days, so I'm wondering if it's just done. Going to contact Sony unless I find any other bright ideas.

Yup, red light is certainly the code for water damage. Mine has never returned the red light, but I've had the touch screen fail on me twice because of use in water. I had to laugh at the TMobile salesman when he explained it to me. Mine is clear for replacement because it didn't get the red light, but being told that a "waterproof" phone wouldn't be repaired if it showed the code for water damage is just silly.

I love the phone, but Sony seriously oversold the waterproof angle.
 
I can't imagine Sony is just shrugging off the largest market in the world. There's got to be carrier influence at play. Their phones sell great in Japan and elsewhere, so it's not the product that's the problem.

I hope with carriers moving away from phone subsidies, Sony works on making it easier to get unlocked phones in the US, but so far there's no evidence of that. =(

You have to play ball with the carriers. It's that simple. Nearly everyone else was willing to do it except Sony, and Sony's been paying the price over the past few years.
 

KalBalboa

Banned
Yup, red light is certainly the code for water damage. Mine has never returned the red light, but I've had the touch screen fail on me twice because of use in water. I had to laugh at the TMobile salesman when he explained it to me. Mine is clear for replacement because it didn't get the red light, but being told that a "waterproof" phone wouldn't be repaired if it showed the code for water damage is just silly.

I love the phone, but Sony seriously oversold the waterproof angle.

Yeah, they really did. I read somewhere that they should have treated it more like and airbag function in a car- good to have for emergencies but not exactly the kind of thing you should explicitly try and use regularly.

Either way, I'll be using my old Nexus 4 for a few days while I wait to see if my Z3 compact comes back to life. I have to send it directly to Sony for a repair, if needed, because I bought this sucker on Amazon.
 

Reckoner

Member
I can't imagine Sony is just shrugging off the largest market in the world. There's got to be carrier influence at play. Their phones sell great in Japan and elsewhere, so it's not the product that's the problem.

I hope with carriers moving away from phone subsidies, Sony works on making it easier to get unlocked phones in the US, but so far there's no evidence of that. =(

Since they aren't even released in the US to bomb, and sell good in Japan and in Europe (I personally saw lots of people with Z3 here in Portugal when it came out), what is exactly the cause of their huge losses on the Mobile division? It's something that has left me wondering.
 
Since they aren't even released in the US to bomb, and sell good in Japan and in Europe (I personally saw lots of people with Z3 here in Portugal when it came out), what is exactly the cause of their huge losses on the Mobile division? It's something that has left me wondering.

They are released in the US. At least the Z1 and Z3 lines have been (I think they were both exclusive to T-Mobile). And the Z4 is supposed to come out on Verizon at some point this year as the Z3+. They just don't sell at all because Sony doesn't have the marketing spend that Samsung has, and because they don't play ball with carriers they don't get pushed by the carriers either.
 
Sony’s Xperia Z5 lineup may not be done yet: Z5 Ultra tipped for next year


a source suggests that the Z5 Ultra will emerge as an even larger handset than the 5.5-inch Z5 Premium, coming in with a 6.44-inch display – the same as the original Z Ultra from back in 2013.

Like the Premium, the Z5 Ultra’s screen could be another 4K-class component, and the phone’s tipped to arrive with the same 23MP sensor gracing the rest of the Z5 devices. And a 4000mAh battery may help provide all the juice needed to drive that big, high-res screen.

If true that would be .....
 

Anion

Member
Im really thinking of going from my iPhone 5S to the 4K Xperia due to the waterproofing and the sick design lol. I dont know much about android phones, so is the 4K one going to be faster than the iPhone 5S? And will its battery last longer?

Also, I heard different brands like Samsung put a "modified" version of the android OS. Is the sony one close to stock?
 

reKon

Banned
Im really thinking of going from my iPhone 5S to the 4K Xperia due to the waterproofing and the sick design lol. I dont know much about android phones, so is the 4K one going to be faster than the iPhone 5S? And will its battery last longer?

Also, I heard different brands like Samsung put a "modified" version of the android OS. Is the sony one close to stock?

Yes to all three of your quetions. Sony does have their own version of Android, but it's considered to be a pretty light skin. A lot of people hate on Sony's skin because some of the icons, but overall the skin is close to stock android, especially when it comes to the notification bar and settings.

If you decide to upgrade to this, you will have options with Android so if you don't like the Sony skin, you can install these things called custom launchers, which let you customize the look and feel of your home screens. You can do anything from changing the icons and font, to the animations when you swipe through your home pages on custom launchers like Nova Launcher. You can also set up customized actions on your home page or on certain icons. For example on my phone, swiping down anywhere on any of the home screens pulls down the notification menu, instead of having to reach for the top.
 
They are released in the US. At least the Z1 and Z3 lines have been (I think they were both exclusive to T-Mobile). And the Z4 is supposed to come out on Verizon at some point this year as the Z3+. They just don't sell at all because Sony doesn't have the marketing spend that Samsung has, and because they don't play ball with carriers they don't get pushed by the carriers either.

When you're not on 3/4 major carriers, and when you come way late to the 1-2 you are on, putting you at a disadvantage against other flagships, you're going to do poorly no matter how much money you spend on marketing.
 

Anion

Member
Yes to all three of your quetions. Sony does have their own version of Android, but it's considered to be a pretty light skin. A lot of people hate on Sony's skin because some of the icons, but overall the skin is close to stock android, especially when it comes to the notification bar and settings.

If you decide to upgrade to this, you will have options with Android so if you don't like the Sony skin, you can install these things called custom launchers, which let you customize the look and feel of your home screens. You can do anything from changing the icons and font, to the animations when you swipe through your home pages on custom launchers like Nova Launcher. You can also set up customized actions on your home page or on certain icons. For example on my phone, swiping down anywhere on any of the home screens pulls down the notification menu, instead of having to reach for the top.

Ah, thanks for really clearing that up! I've heard a lot about the customization, but coming from iOS I'm just not used to tinkering with my phone lol. Its either the Z5 or the upcoming Nexus 5 successor I'm thinking of getting. Regardless, I'm pumped for finally joining the android side.
This is so weird for me. I was the type of guy who had an iPhone, iPad and mac and now Im going android and windows.
 
When you're not on 3/4 major carriers, and when you come way late to the 1-2 you are on, putting you at a disadvantage against other flagships, you're going to do poorly no matter how much money you spend on marketing.

Well, yeah. I'm not going to put this all on the carriers, as Sony has mismanaged their mobile sector in terms of the US for almost a decade at this point.
 
Im really thinking of going from my iPhone 5S to the 4K Xperia due to the waterproofing and the sick design lol. I dont know much about android phones, so is the 4K one going to be faster than the iPhone 5S? And will its battery last longer?

Also, I heard different brands like Samsung put a "modified" version of the android OS. Is the sony one close to stock?

Budget android phones are faster than iPhones.
 
Figured I'd ask this in here. Has anyone heard anything about the Z4v? Verizon discontinued the Z3v last month but there's been no word about the Z4v release. It seems like they removed all pages about it on their website too (besides the initial announcement blog post). Weird. Was really thinking about getting that once it came out.
 

Fezan

Member
? Don't you mean your thumb? I'm right-handed but hold my phone in my left hand. I use my right to tap/swipe/write/etc.
sony-xperia-z-ultra-17-635.jpg


I am getting confused but you can use one hand like shown in the pic and just register your finger
 

Mokubba

Member
It looks like we have confirmation on the earlier rumours about the way the 4K display works:

http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_z5_premium_4k_display_under_our_microscope-blog-13887.php

It appears the phone renders everything in 1080p except 4K content to save battery life. It also settles any doubt that it is a true 4K panel on the phone.


As for these new Z Ultra rumours, dag nabbit! I had pretty much made up my mind that I'd go with the Z5 Premium and now we have fresh Ultra rumours! I'll probably sit back and see how things develop... my Ultra is still going strong and I can easily wait several more months if need be

4K bodes well for the next tablet but do you think it would render everything in 4K or at least up-scale it instead of a 1:4 pixel mapping?

Looking to upgrade my Tablet Z next year.
 

Theonik

Member
4K bodes well for the next tablet but do you think it would render everything in 4K or at least up-scale it instead of a 1:4 pixel mapping?

Looking to upgrade my Tablet Z next year.
Technically, 1:4 pixel mapping as you call it, is a perfect 1080p to 4K upscale. You don't need filtering to make that look good and at this size of display filtering the video would be downright moronic too. The pixel density does that for you already and you are gaining a significant amount of processor time back by not doing it which translates to better battery life.
 

Theonik

Member
I'm curious about this too. Right now, the only thing keeping me away is concern about that 810 processor overheating, and how that affects battery life.
Sony continues to claim their 2 day battery life on these devices but obvious we will not have real world tests until the device is released.
 

Mindwipe

Member
Any negatives to getting a Japanese one? I want green dammit.

I don't think it's available outside of a Japanese carrier contract, nor do I know if it even has an English language firmware (it's not the same hardware as the Z5C, so you wouldn't necessarily be able to flash that image).

It might work, but I imagine you'll have to pay an awful lot to get hold of one.
 

Jon Armdog

Member
Crickets on news sites about these Xperias. Everything I read is about the new iPhone and Nexus. Anyone heard a date for a U.S. release of the standard Z5?
 
Crickets on news sites about these Xperias. Everything I read is about the new iPhone and Nexus. Anyone heard a date for a U.S. release of the standard Z5?

Nope, there's still no news on whether this is coming to the US at all, let alone a release date. Though at least the Xperia US twitter account is actually active now after taking 3 months off, so that might mean they're gearing up for an announcement.
 
Nope, there's still no news on whether this is coming to the US at all, let alone a release date. Though at least the Xperia US twitter account is actually active now after taking 3 months off, so that might mean they're gearing up for an announcement.
They need to announce something, at least.

I pre-ordered a Nexus 6P, but I would gladly cancel it if I actually get a solid confirmation that the Z5P is coming.
 

liquidtmd

Banned
Unless the screen and unit is more durable than the Z3C, there's honestly no point.

I had and enjoyed Z1C and Z3C but both cracked after minimal knocks. Durability absolutely needs to get more priority because as is I've gone from Sony phone fanboy, to considering ANY other brand for my next
 

Elitist1945

Member
A yellow tinted 'smudge' mark has been growing under my screen, so I guess thats the phone's way of telling me I should upgrade. Plus this long, rubbery line came off all along the edge of my screen. What would that have been? I'm assuming nothing good.
 
They need to announce something, at least.

I pre-ordered a Nexus 6P, but I would gladly cancel it if I actually get a solid confirmation that the Z5P is coming.

The problem is that no carrier wants it, it looks like, and they just shut down their online store this summer so there's nowhere for them to sell it.
 

zoku88

Member
I'm getting really close to just importing the compact from a UK shop. Trying to hold out for a us release but I feel like it won't happen.
 

artsi

Member
After owning many iPhones, I fell in love with my Z3 for the physical camera button alone. It just feels so good compared to pushing a virtual one on the screen.

I have to upgrade to Z5 Premium after the price drops a bit.
 

HigXx

Member
Got mines today (Uk). Such a lovely upgrade from my Z2! Fingerprint scanner is in the most perfect position. Cant wait to try out the camera
 
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