[RockStar2005]

VPT studio kind of increases volume for me which is why i have it turned on. Its the only thing i usually turn on besides AO. I like the increased volume. I fits a sony first technology props to them.

so VOLTE gives you much better call connection? I was never aware of this tbh until you complained about it haha. But idk if volte is even accepted into my area.

I C. Well that's a plus then. Since I no longer plan to use an amp/DAC device (unless I have to? lol), maybe I'll give VPT another try? I think I used the Surround Sound one, but not sure now. Might've used Studio too?

Yeah man, VoLTE is the crap. lol VoLTE: 1) Gives you a stronger call connection and better reception b/c it uses the LTE radio band and mixes the voice band on top of it so it merges into one signal (aka, voice OVER LTE) 2) Makes your calls connect faster. W/o VoLTE I notice it can take 5-10 seconds to connect (aka you start hearing the ringing as u call someone), but with it enabled it's instant 3) During a call, you can still stay connect for data at the 4G LTE speed, so internet doesn't slow down if you wanna use it like while on hold or something. But with it n/a or disabled, the max speed you can get during a call for data is 4G.

Well now you've learned something new! LOL

No that's not really the right question to ask, b/c it will work EVERYWHERE there's a 4G LTE signal. What you want to find out is if your phone (what phone u got again, and is it locked or unlocked, and who is your provider??) has VoLTE or not. If you have AT&T, or other providers, then since they don't require certification, as long as your phone has it, it should be enabled with them. Let me all 3 answers.

 

[RockStar2005]

Holy crap!!!!!! 108 hours?!! The XZ1 got 82 hours on GSM Arena, and I thought THAT was fantastic! lol

Didn't know the Compact ones had BETTER battery life, but I guess it makes sense.

 

[aertus]

yeah seems like volte is a must now.


yeah its impressive sony newest flagships are the best since z3. And the XZ1c beat the z3c which is legit. i really didn't expect that endurance rating.

according to GSM :

Having reviewed so many flagships -Galaxy S8 and Note8, OnePlus 5, LG V30, Mi 6 - we've always experience some tiny hiccups which stick and annoy us. Not on the Xperia XZ1 Compact, though.

The phone runs super cool under peak performance, is capable of handling literally anything hassle-free, and offers amazingly smooth Android operations. Yes, the Xperia XZ1 Compact is probably the fastest phone right now, no matter what some score cards are telling you.

 

[Dobrescu George]

Holy crap!!!!!! 108 hours?!! The XZ1 got 82 hours on GSM Arena, and I thought THAT was fantastic! lol

Didn't know the Compact ones had BETTER battery life, but I guess it makes sense.

and when you have to go beyond and overdo everything, Mi Max 2

 

[aertus]

mi max might have better battery life but doesn't really compete in any other aspects of the phone.

 

[Dobrescu George]

mi max might have better battery life but doesn't really compete in any other aspects of the phone.

Well, it has a nice display and a nice design.

The CPU of Mi Max 2 is even slower than Mi Max 1, but the battery life is longer, and I am kinda happy with that. I mean, it runs plants vs zombies decently good, and does most things I need decently good

If you need a flagship, nowadays Xperia seems cool, very rare in here.

 

[RockStar2005]

yeah seems like volte is a must now.


yeah its impressive sony newest flagships are the best since z3. And the XZ1c beat the z3c which is legit. i really didn't expect that endurance rating.

according to GSM :

Yes it is IMO.

Yeah the reviews for the XZ1 were saying it's the best Xperia phone in years. So XZ1 is arguably better with the even stronger battery life.

Wow, that is a great quote there! I just wish the screen was a bit bigger. Oh well. lol The XZ1 Compact ALSO has the 835 and not a cheaper processor like you would expect. And the odd thing is, BOTH it and the XZ1 have the same size battery (2700 mAh)! What again Sony?! lol

 

[RockStar2005]

and when you have to go beyond and overdo everything, Mi Max 2

5300 mAh battery?! HOLY F!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL But DAMN it's a phablet!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! lol

Right now if I was to get any new phone, it'd have to be the XZ1 Compact. But I'd rather just wait 'til next year at this point. I was strongly considering the XZ1, but now that I've basically confirmed it doesn't have VoLTE-certification with T-Mo, unless Sony does something about that, I'll happily stick with my unlocked HTC 10. lol

 

[RockStar2005]

aertus,

Check here (I recommend bookmarking that and regularly checking it for updates) to see if your area has Band 12 or not. Also, what phone u got, is it locked or unlocked, and what carrier? Answer all 3 please.

 

[aertus]

Yes it is IMO.

Yeah the reviews for the XZ1 were saying it's the best Xperia phone in years. So XZ1 is arguably better with the even stronger battery life.

Wow, that is a great quote there! I just wish the screen was a bit bigger. Oh well. lol The XZ1 Compact ALSO has the 835 and not a cheaper processor like you would expect. And the odd thing is, BOTH it and the XZ1 have the same size battery (2700 mAh)! What again Sony?! lol

if it was any bigger i'd make the xz1 redudant xd. Also, all sony 835 devices have heatpipes and coper plates which means none of the sony 2017 835 devices will ever overheat glad they fixed that xd. Also, another thing people are understimating is how good the new screens are. Full brigthness outdoorson the xz1 panel is amazing its like an oled. Look at how black the blacks are and its full nit brigthness outdoors.

5300 mAh battery?! HOLY F!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL But DAMN it's a phablet!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! lol

Right now if I was to get any new phone, it'd have to be the XZ1 Compact. But I'd rather just wait 'til next year at this point. I was strongly considering the XZ1, but now that I've basically confirmed it doesn't have VoLTE-certification with T-Mo, unless Sony does something about that, I'll happily stick with my unlocked HTC 10. lol

not only its a phablet but it its underpowered in almost every area.

aertus,

Check here (I recommend bookmarking that and regularly checking it for updates) to see if your area has Band 12 or not. Also, what phone u got, is it locked or unlocked, and what carrier? Answer all 3 please.

i do have 12 in my area it seems. I have the Sony X unlocked and im using tmobile.

 

[RockStar2005]

if it was any bigger i'd make the xz1 redudant xd. Also, all sony 835 devices have heatpipes and coper plates which means none of the sony 2017 835 devices will ever overheat glad they fixed that xd. Also, another thing people are understimating is how good the new screens are. Full brigthness outdoorson the xz1 panel is amazing its like an oled. Look at how black the blacks are and its full nit brigthness outdoors.



not only its a phablet but it its underpowered in almost every area.



i do have 12 in my area it seems. I have the Sony X unlocked and im using tmobile.

Oh NICE on the heat pipes and copper plates, and yes the HDR looks awesome! And nice on brightness too.

Ok...........yeah you have a newer Sony that ISN'T the XZ1 Compact lol, so no VoLTE for you unfortunately either. If you switched to like AT&T or any other GSM carrier that has VoLTE, then it would be available to enable since AT&T (and etc.) DO NOT require VoLTE-certification to be done in order to use it on their networks.

Honestly aertus, if I were you, since you also have T-Mobile, and you clearly prefer compact phones over regular-sized ones, I would strongly suggest upgrading to the XZ1 Compact, even though I know you JUST got the X recently. LOL But I mean, considering all these factors, especially the option to finally have VoLTE so you CAN utilize the 700 MHz/Band 12 spectrum in your area........................seriously, you should think about it.

 

[InfyAsiX]

I think he should first test it straight out of the box. And then test it by turning on VPT to studio mode, and then using equalizer. yeah there are lots of options you can do to make it sound better.

I prefer none of the effects except lowering EQ for specific headphones on my Z3C. I used to like DSEE-HX until I noticed the sound very subtly artificial. I suppose the trade off with DSEE-HX is some added noise in emulating lost high resolution detail. However I do find PowerAmp 3's Sony Hi-Res output better for some reason than DSEEHX or off.

I notice the sound on Sony's Music app with DSEEHX off second best after PA3's Hi-Res. It's noticeable enough for me to not play music through Google Play Music. I'd put audio quality of Sony's Music at ~95% of PA3's, with the rest of system audio players at ~80%. To keep Google Play Music sounding better I use a root app to export download for play on PA3. Otherwise to stream I use BubbleUPnP to create DLNA access that Sony's Music can play. I only deal with 320Kbps MP3.

It's great having quality audio directly available on a smartphone format without the burden of extra hardware. The issue in the near future is updating onto custom developer software to get up to date with security patches and how that may effect the audio quality output. Hopefully there won't be much if any quality loss. If there is at least it won't be as drastic as devices dependent on stock proprietary hardware for audio quality such as quad-dac enhanced devices. That's the issue with smartphones, particularly Android, that stock update support ends after one to three years.

I've got a spare second Z3C that I can use for testing. If anything it can still be great having one spare on outdated firmware but with quality stock audio to serve as a portable DAP with smart device capabilities. Nowadays with their used price being very low it's actually a no brainer for value for such a purpose while rivaling ~$300 audio quality. I'd argue it's the current Walkman equivalent smartphone of previous times, reminiscent of Sony's cassette and CD products that defined audio quality in a unique innovative form factor for their time. I think they slipped up on the marketing of this one, hardly capturing any public awareness of the product's value. Though it's undoubtedly a hard task to match the recent ubiquitous marketing and power of Samsung and Apple. Though a conglomerate multinational company such as Sony has the means, maybe it lacks the foresight and direction though. It's kind of a case example of a sign of the times demonstrating the decline of Japanese industry and commerce from the rise of alternative competition and pressure.

In terms of hardware future reliability, at least due to the size of the industry spare parts are cheap and easy. Learning basic maintenance I've replaced countless parts on a few Z3C's. However official new batteries are suspiciously nowhere to be found so I'm taking up modding a replacement battery.

 

[InfyAsiX]

5300 mAh battery?! HOLY F!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL But DAMN it's a phablet!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! lol

However official new batteries are suspiciously nowhere to be found so I'm taking up modding a replacement battery.

I cut a small part of the mid-frame and use a case instead of sealing the phone, losing waterproofing but enabling a swappable battery mod. Very useful with the spare also acting as a charging dock.

I'm modding a GS8+ 3500mAh to replace the 2600mAh on the Z3C. Getting a Z1C case for it's extra 1mm thickness that fits the Z3C form. It's gonna have groundbreaking battery performance, defying the typical industry trend

 

[RockStar2005]

I cut a small part of the mid-frame and use a case instead of sealing the phone, losing waterproofing but enabling a swappable battery mod. Very useful with the spare also acting as a charging dock.

I'm modding a GS8+ 3500mAh to replace the 2600mAh on the Z3C. Getting a Z1C case for it's extra 1mm thickness that fits the Z3C form. It's gonna have groundbreaking battery performance, defying the typical industry trend

Hi InfyAsiX. Welcome to my thread!

I C. Sounds interesting. Do you swap the battery out often?

Nice! I guess we can refer to you then as our "local phone surgeon"?! lol

 

[InfyAsiX]

Hi InfyAsiX. Welcome to my thread!

I C. Sounds interesting. Do you swap the battery out often?

Nice! I guess we can refer to you then as our "local phone surgeon"?! lol

Hey RockStar, thanks.

Honestly, very often. Damn batteries are probably mostly dead, doesn't help that I used to not maintain them properly and Sony used to have charging to 4.35V until June 2016 when they changed to allow 4.25V. I had a couple bloat up in about a year replaced with warranty early on. It's one of those things I realise I can't live without when I have it but find alternative compromises when I don't. I'd actually prefer waterproofing as I use my phone mounted on a bike and for running but it's somewhat difficult to maintain. The alternative compromise is I ziplock bag it in rain, works fine. Swapping batteries is useful for having that extra power conveniently and help with managing to maintain battery health better.

Haha, I suppose so. I'm also a bit of a custom modded software nut. I like getting the most out of my device. An example is using root to stop charging even earlier to improve battery cycle life. Here's an app thread, I actually modded my own alternative using Tasker to improve the charge speeds for battery health too, I posted about in that thread. One problem not exclusive to Xperia designs however is they run a bit too hot for battery health, another reason for modding my charge speed.