My Xperia has been with me for more than a month now and it took me a while to actually decide on proceeding with this post, because I thought, I'm not a tech blog, why should I write about it?
But I really love this phone so I guess I should spread the love, right? Anyway, I'll just be sharing the pros and cons as an ordinary and daily user and skip the technical data that you can easily find on Sony's website and other online reviews.
Just a short explanation why I bought it: my iPhone had been acting up and finally, after 3 years of serving me faithfully and more than 1000 times of being dropped on the floor, it gave up. And I couldn't stand one minute without a phone. I didn't want to get the iPhone 5/5S because I hated the new ios (I have refused to update my software since ios 6, it remained at 5.1.1 before its death) so I thought, maybe I'll just get a Sony because I was a Sony user before the advent of Smartphones. If I'm going against mainstream, might as well go fully and not get Samsung (though I did consider Note III but it wasn't out yet at that time).
Once I reached the nearest M1, I asked for the Sony Xperia Z (which is what I originally saw). They gave me both the Z and the Z Ultra and quickly told me that the Ultra was really big, and it was! I was hesitant of course, since I wanted to buy it to use for one year until I can recontract again next year (hoping the iPhone 6 would come up with something less bleh). Also, the size of the Ultra might prove impractical for me, but I did read a few reviews before getting it and they were all positive, so heck, I just said yes, I wanted the Sony Xperia Z Ultra.
After almost a month, I don't have any regrets, although the Z1 already came out and it has a better camera, I'd still choose my Z Ultra any other day.
The Sony Xperia Z Ultra
1. Size.
Pros:
a. The big screen is good for watching videos and dramas! The clarity of videos is amazing, it's really like having a mini-HD TV in your hand. Images are super clear, vivid and sharp!
b. This Phablet is also very lightweight despite its size, and you can hold it in one hand perfectly. Although with regards to typing, you still need to use both hands.
Cons: Being ginormous is obviously what turns off most people from buying this phone.
As a girl though, it's okay for me since I always carry a bag and I have the bluetooth headset with me everywhere. Surprisingly, it can also fit a guy's back pocket although it may be peeping out a bit!
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| It has a one-handed keyboard but I still can't manage it since my hand is so small :( |
2. Design and Durability
Pros:
a. Sophisticated. The design is lovely, it's slim, sleek and sophisticated. By slim, i'd almost call it anorexic, it's unbelievably thin for its breadth. It's not called the world's thinnest IP certified smartphone for nothing!
b. Waterproof. It being waterproof is such a huge plus point for me since I am very careless and I have once dropped one phone into the toilet bowl. (It was clean though, no shit no nothing. lol)
c. Scratch proof and Dust proof. Both sides are made of glass, and tempered glass at that. It's also dust proof provided that you always close the ports and covers.
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| Super skinny! |
Pros:
a. Files are easier to access. Unlike iPhone, Androids work like PC so it's easy to just copy paste images and music once you connect it to your PC. They say this makes it more vulnerable to viruses though, but if you're a careful person, this shouldn't be much of a problem.
Cons:
a. No emojis!! Because I've been an iPhone user for so long, the biggest setback for using an android phone is shallowly enough, the lack of emojis. I know for some of you it's not a big deal, but for me who is as full of expressions in person as I am when texting, this is a major no-no! Even if I downloaded apps, the android emojis still shows differently especially in instagram and twitter.:( For messaging though, I use an app called GoSMS to have my emojis back!)
b. Unavailable apps. Most apps available for iPhone also have their Android version, but there are some that don't, such as PicPlayPost (not sure if you've been wanting to use it too?)
4. Camera
Cons:
a. NO FLASH! This is what bothered me the most, even though it does capture images even in low light, I'd still prefer that they put flash. I mean, what if I suddenly get lost in the dark at night? I would still need an emergency flash light!!!lol
Pros:
a. The quality of the camera is very good although it's only 8MP as compared to the Z1 with 20.7MP. But for me, it doesn't matter since it still shows up very clear when I upload it to Instagram on Facebook (which is small in size, fmost social media platforms only use 640x480px)
b. It makes you look pretty!!! Even without the Soft Skin effect, it automatically captures you in the best light! So no need to really edit or add filters to make your skin look better when taking photos. At first I didn't like it because it's like cheating people, but since I have a lot of pimples recently, who cares! LOL
Sorry if the following photos are very unartistic! This is the quality of the photos:
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| Last two photos used the Front Camera! No editing whatsoever, it's totally awesome how my skin looks great without filter, those who know me IRL know how bad it is now. |
5. Music/Sound quality
Pros/Cons:
Although sound quality is still good, (Sony has always had good sound quality on their phones) I'm a bit disappointed that it's not as loud as other phones! Perhaps it's because of water tightness, because once I connect it to my bluetooth headset, it sounds better and louder.
6. Touch
Pros:
Did you know that you don't need to use any Stylus and can use any pen or pencil to draw on it? I was amazed by its built in sketch app where I can just grab any pencil and draw on it for emergencies! And since it's scratch proof, you don't have to worry about scratching your phone (I am still careful though and even put a protective film--that's how much I want to care for it. LOL) Great for designers, architects and artists!
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| Almost as if it's paper. Using an old, ordinary pencil. It's scratch proof so no need to worry that my pen/pencil will scratch it. |
7. Battery
Lasting with Power Save management like STAMINA Mode which disables mobile data and Wi-Fi only when the screen is off, which really saves me a lot of battery and time (I don't need to manually turn them on and off), and furthermore, a Low battery mode which disables other functions when battery level is low. I usually charge it full for the night and I wouldn't even need to charge it for the day until night at around 7 to 8pm.
8. Speed
Pros:
I'm very satisfied with how fast the apps run and respond, everything goes smoothly, and with 4G everything loads very very quickly and never lags!
9. Storage
It comes with 16GB of flash storage but the awesome thing is it can support up to 64GB of microSD card! Yay more photos and music^^
10. Cool Accessories
Pros:
It also has a wide array of accessories that I totally love. I bought the Bluetooth headset separately and it's very convenient! You don't even have to insert an earpiece to answer the phone, you just have to hold it against your ear like a mini-phone. Very cute right! It can also serve as a music player and can even read your text messages to you out loud.
I've also been wanting to buy the SmartWatch:
and this very cool lens that your phone can connect to with 20.2MP and F1.8-4.9 Maximum aperture WTF!
There's also these Smart tags but I'm not sure if they'll be useful for me.. apparently what it does is when your phone touches it it automatically does a preset action, like turn on the alarm when you get to bed, open the calendar when you reach office, turn on music when you get into the car.. you get the idea. Basically, it's for busy *cough* *lazy* people *like me*.
Cons:
For some who like to dress up their phone though, it would be difficult to find pretty covers as you would normally do for iPhone and Samsung. This isn't much of a problem for me either because I rarely change cases and I love to keep it simple, mine came with a free black cover and I would prefer to keep it that way. I saw some covers from the Sony store and they're quite clean and simple...which I think is how the Xperia should be kept.
11. Price
Bought it for full retail price of $1038. Yep. More expensive than the iPhone, but for me, it's worth it.
Overall, I obviously love it and give it an 8 out of 10. This is in no way sponsored and all opinion are my own, though some might disagree, of course, everyone is free to comment otherwise.:)
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