Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post - Sony Xperia Z3

Sliver · 11-14-2014, 03:50 PM

In short, I'm super happy with it. Here are a few highlights:

It takes insane low-light video with very good sound. I took this at The Smalls show the first night I had the phone. It's super dark where I am, in a loud bar, facing ever-changing lights, etc. Tough environment for any video camera, let alone one on a phone.

Still photos are very good, but I think my wife's Note 3 takes slightly better ones. Richer colour on the Note, but still good on my Sony.

Front facing speakers are incredible. Not having to cup your hand to direct the sound at your ears like some sort of troglodyte is awesome. I don't understand why every phone isn't like this. It should write off any other phone for everyone. Also there are two front speakers giving you stereo sound, which is also pretty cool.

Waterproof - haven't used it yet because I'm a chicken. It just doesn't feel right to get a phone wet. I was even in Banff this past weekend in the hot springs and I still didn't have the balls to take my phone. Next time I will, though.

External SD card works flawlessly, as you'd expect. Wouldn't buy a phone without that.

Here's something that doesn't get enough play - the battery-saving options. I can't believe this isn't a requirement for people when buying a phone. First, I'm a power user and I have 50% at least when I go to bed every day at 11. I start using it first thing in the morning at 6:15, too. But what's really cool is there is Stamina mode, which saves power when the screen is off by temporarily disabling Wi-Fi and mobile data. Most applications will be inactive. When the screen is on, the phone functions normally. The battery life about doubles when you do this.

Then there is also ultra-power-saving mode. I activated it on my phone and the battery life went to 12 days and 3 hours (or 24 days 7 hours in standby mode). That's on one charge. It disables basically everything except: phone, contacts, messaging, camera, album, calendar, clock, calculator and FM radio. Your screen goes to a very simple black/white theme, there are no widgets, etc. It's GD amazing.

Interface is fine. Very unobtrusive (comparing it against my S3). I've never had a Nexus phone, but I do have a Nexus tablet. It feels quite Nexusish.

Drawbacks:

Double tap to wake the phone up? Yeah, that works like half the time.

Not a huge market for accessories. Not a big deal, but there it is.

11-14-2014, 03:50 PM	#65
Sliver evil of fart Join Date: Sep 2009 Exp:	In short, I'm super happy with it. Here are a few highlights: It takes insane low-light video with very good sound. I took this at The Smalls show the first night I had the phone. It's super dark where I am, in a loud bar, facing ever-changing lights, etc. Tough environment for any video camera, let alone one on a phone. YouTube Video Still photos are very good, but I think my wife's Note 3 takes slightly better ones. Richer colour on the Note, but still good on my Sony. Front facing speakers are incredible. Not having to cup your hand to direct the sound at your ears like some sort of troglodyte is awesome. I don't understand why every phone isn't like this. It should write off any other phone for everyone. Also there are two front speakers giving you stereo sound, which is also pretty cool. Waterproof - haven't used it yet because I'm a chicken. It just doesn't feel right to get a phone wet. I was even in Banff this past weekend in the hot springs and I still didn't have the balls to take my phone. Next time I will, though. External SD card works flawlessly, as you'd expect. Wouldn't buy a phone without that. Here's something that doesn't get enough play - the battery-saving options. I can't believe this isn't a requirement for people when buying a phone. First, I'm a power user and I have 50% at least when I go to bed every day at 11. I start using it first thing in the morning at 6:15, too. But what's really cool is there is Stamina mode, which saves power when the screen is off by temporarily disabling Wi-Fi and mobile data. Most applications will be inactive. When the screen is on, the phone functions normally. The battery life about doubles when you do this. Then there is also ultra-power-saving mode. I activated it on my phone and the battery life went to 12 days and 3 hours (or 24 days 7 hours in standby mode). That's on one charge. It disables basically everything except: phone, contacts, messaging, camera, album, calendar, clock, calculator and FM radio. Your screen goes to a very simple black/white theme, there are no widgets, etc. It's GD amazing. Interface is fine. Very unobtrusive (comparing it against my S3). I've never had a Nexus phone, but I do have a Nexus tablet. It feels quite Nexusish. Drawbacks: Double tap to wake the phone up? Yeah, that works like half the time. Not a huge market for accessories. Not a big deal, but there it is. Last edited by Sliver; 11-14-2014 at 03:53 PM.