Picked up the white Z3 this afternoon too. Last minute decided to go for the full size rather than the compact. I'm actually with Virgin Mobile but was able to buy it out right from a Bell store and insert a Virgin sim card.
Haven't had a whole lot of time with it yet but love everything so far. Major upgrade over my 3 year old Samsung.
Picked my Z3 up today, so far it seems like a pretty slick phone. I did spring for full sized just because I got screen greedy at the last minute.
So far I'm impressed with the SQ when hooked up to my Phonak headphones, it blows away my S2 and is pretty comparable to my old Ipod + iBasso D3 amp.
Only annoyance so far is that it has a mag charger on the side which looks sweet, but doesn't come with it in the box. Which wouldn't be such an annoyance if I didn't have to remove the waterproof cap to get to the micro usb charging port.
Basically it means I will be buying that mag charging unit ASAP.
Aliexpress has some great prices on magnetic charging cables and docks for the Z2/Z3. I bought a few for my Z2 and all they all work really great. Shipping is generally free but it can take up to a month sometimes.
I'm considering because of the possible wait for the Nexus 6, due to limited supply.
My main concern is the layer of software that Sony puts on. How intrusive or limiting are you guys finding it? Any of you that got the Sony, that are past Nexus users?
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.
Last edited by Sliver; 11-14-2014 at 02:53 PM.
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Besides the Sony store, where can we buy the phone unlocked? I called the Chinook location, but all they have is black. I was looking for white.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dammage79
I don't suppose best buy mobile or wireless wave or t-booth would?
I know Telus here in B.C will unlock your phone for you when you purchase it for 25 bucks. Maybe the other carriers have such a service?
Nope, best place will be the Sony Store for the short and long term feature for buying it unlocked. I'd imagine that the different colors will eventually make their way to the country in the coming months as it always turns out to be...
If you're a customer with a carrier, they've got set fees for unlocking the device when you purchase it outright. Telus I believe is $35 whereas the rest of the carriers do it for $50. Koodo I don't remember off the top of my head.
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I’m always amazed these sportscasters and announcers can call the game with McDavid’s **** in their mouths all the time.
I've been happily using mine for a couple of weeks now, it's a fantastic phone. The battery life is second to none I've used, I am NOT a power user, just use it for checking my pool, listening to music and a few texts and pics per day, maybe 2-3 calls. I am usually burning 25-30% per day. I don't even bother charging it every day and I can't remember the last time I've had that option in a phone.
I am still waiting on my case and mag charger I ordered, I am pretty sure they will be here by Christmas... In the meantime I just put front/back protectors on it. This phone is ridiculously slippery without something on it, I mean, Teflon, step aside, you've been replaced. I went 4-5 days without anything on it and I almost dropped it every day, it slipped off a counter where I had placed it on top of my iPad at like a 5 degree angle, it just slooowly worked it's way off. I've never seen anything like it.
I've been happily using mine for a couple of weeks now, it's a fantastic phone. The battery life is second to none I've used, I am NOT a power user, just use it for checking my pool, listening to music and a few texts and pics per day, maybe 2-3 calls. I am usually burning 25-30% per day. I don't even bother charging it every day and I can't remember the last time I've had that option in a phone.
I am still waiting on my case and mag charger I ordered, I am pretty sure they will be here by Christmas... In the meantime I just put front/back protectors on it. This phone is ridiculously slippery without something on it, I mean, Teflon, step aside, you've been replaced. I went 4-5 days without anything on it and I almost dropped it every day, it slipped off a counter where I had placed it on top of my iPad at like a 5 degree angle, it just slooowly worked it's way off. I've never seen anything like it.
FYI, you can order the mag chargers from the Sony Store in Chinook. $45 and it's a two-week wait.
I ordered a couple off Amazon a few weeks ago (one before I even had the phone) so I'm going to try to hold out and wait for those, but if anywhere starts stocking them, I'll get one ASAP. I can't wait to use that feature.
I'm going to go check out this phone in person tomorrow. I'm deciding between the Z3 and the Nexus 6. The battery of the Nexus 6 has me concerned, combined with the amoled display. I need a workhorse of a battery, and it sounds like the Z3 is the right fit.
Does anyone know if apps can be stored and run on the microSD card? With only 16GB of internal storage, this has me a little concerned. I run a lot of apps.
