[aertus]

No. THAT would've been the smart thing to do, wouldn't it? LOL Maybe next time if I can go back I will. But I mean just the home screen alone looked IMMACULATE. Some say it is not always on 4K and some say it is. What I THINK it is is that it upscales non-4K images to 4K, which we know isn't the same thing as rendering actual 4K, but it comes close. So yeah, I will try to do that if I have time. But even if I don't, I still think it looked incredible.

Yeah at my Best Buy they had the XZ Premium, XA1, and another one in b/t them? Forgot which one it was. Might've been XZ, but I am not sure now. Might not. I'm in Illinois, specifically the Chicago suburbs. U? Not all Best Buys around me have the XZP, but the 2 closest to me just happened to. I wonder if they'll get the XZ1? If so, I may go check it out too if time permits. Love that it will have a full metal unibody like my 10. But I doubt it will top the XZP looks-wise. That might be the nicest phone I've seen yet.

Yeah it will take some time, which I don't like either. My cousin has a computer monitor at work that's 21:9, which I saw a pic of that he sent, and it does look pretty intense. Wide as F! lol I wouldn't be surprised if phones went that way down the line.

Yes, the LG V30 definitely got my attention too. But like with the XZP, b/c it's a phablet, I doubt I will want it. MAYBE the G7 next year? But a lot of it depends on what Sony and HTC put out next year. Google just bought a piece of HTC's smartphone business as you prob know by now, but they only really bought some of their phone team that worked on the Pixel, and also they have access to their patents too, but HTC is officially retaining their name for their phones and not closing/selling the smartphone business either, so there WILL be an HTC U12/12 I guess. But if it's a phablet then yeah either Sony or LG. Obviously audio is a big factor. Will the U.S. G7 have the Quad DAC? Or will they be jagoffs and keep that off limits like they did with the U.S. G6? Will they bump up the headphone volume and DAC quality? We will see.

That's cool about Foxconn and Sharp.

You make a good point there. Though I'm not a big fan of the Pixel's design/looks, this could potentially make them even bigger standouts b/c of HTC's audio quality, and yes, if they change to HTC's design quality too. That is a great point actually. Anything that makes ppl realize how OVERRATED SamDUNG is, I'll be happy. lol

hahah yeah. Next time you go check out the album app and whatever is stored in it you will see the full resolution. And then check 4k youtubes. its surprising how good LCD panels from JDI and i wonder how the XZP compares to s8 etc

Damn the XZP looks that good in person? I never get too see most xperias in person i need to find a best buy that has it so i might have to check out other best buys. XZ1 is very sturdy in the hand and feels good. in general they have good design i wonder if the mirai design wll be good.

yeah google/HTC is more of a partnership rather than Google completely eating up HTC which is good for both companies but is bound to benefit google a lot. They need to change design asap google pixel 1 only sold 1 million and im guessing its cuz the phone looks so ugly lol despite having the best camera in the market. BTW did you know HTC is rumored to come up with a bezeless phone the htc 11 +? Sony, HTC, Nokia might be late but will jump on it eventually.

Foxcoon and sharp is something people are really sleeping on. Cuz sharp has lots of technologies for OLED as well which means they might beat LG in oled TV's and even catch up to Samsung in smaller panels. JDI's financial issues might mean they might join Foxconn and Sharp and form a super alliance and combine their technologies. They will be forced to move to OLED soon because of apple.

yeah we gotta kill that samsung dominance. Big reason people dont like pixel is design. But if the pixel xl2 is bezeless it might catch peoples attention.

----

Sony is definitely holding back on audio for xperias they don't want to compete with their own. I feel like they should port the technology like you said, kill the 300 dollar line and just focus on the very high end DAPs those who want to spend 500 dollars and above.

and even in this segment they have competition from the korean company Astel and kern. So yeah.

 

[RockStar2005]

hahah yeah. Next time you go check out the album app and whatever is stored in it you will see the full resolution. And then check 4k youtubes. its surprising how good LCD panels from JDI and i wonder how the XZP compares to s8 etc

Damn the XZP looks that good in person? I never get too see most xperias in person i need to find a best buy that has it so i might have to check out other best buys. XZ1 is very sturdy in the hand and feels good. in general they have good design i wonder if the mirai design wll be good.

yeah google/HTC is more of a partnership rather than Google completely eating up HTC which is good for both companies but is bound to benefit google a lot. They need to change design asap google pixel 1 only sold 1 million and im guessing its cuz the phone looks so ugly lol despite having the best camera in the market. BTW did you know HTC is rumored to come up with a bezeless phone the htc 11 +? Sony, HTC, Nokia might be late but will jump on it eventually.

Foxcoon and sharp is something people are really sleeping on. Cuz sharp has lots of technologies for OLED as well which means they might beat LG in oled TV's and even catch up to Samsung in smaller panels. JDI's financial issues might mean they might join Foxconn and Sharp and form a super alliance and combine their technologies. They will be forced to move to OLED soon because of apple.

yeah we gotta kill that samsung dominance. Big reason people dont like pixel is design. But if the pixel xl2 is bezeless it might catch peoples attention.

----

Sony is definitely holding back on audio for xperias they don't want to compete with their own. I feel like they should port the technology like you said, kill the 300 dollar line and just focus on the very high end DAPs those who want to spend 500 dollars and above.

and even in this segment they have competition from the korean company Astel and kern. So yeah.

Yeah I will do that. lol I'm sure JDI's panels are better. F OVERRATED SAM-DUNGG!!! lol

Yes you should look around to see if any Best Buys in your vicinity carry them. I just got lucky that I live near a major Best Buy (it's near the most popular mall in my state of Illinois, Woodfield Mall, so I'm sure that helps too).

Yeah I'm glad it's a partnership. I think GOOD things will come of this purchase by Google for HTC. Yeah Pixel 1 was pretty plain and boring looking wasn't it? lol Yeah I just read about the U11+, but with it being another phablet, my interest level is mild at best. lol Hopefully it does well, but I'd prefer HTC went back to "sub-phablets" in 2018. We'll see.

Interesting about Sharp, JDI, etc. Yeah man, Samsung is the most overrated garbage piece of CRAP ever. LOL ONLY thing I like by them is Samsung Pay. lol I really hope HTC + Google and Sony too can knock Samsung out of dominance in 2018. lol That would rock!! lol

Well I'm glad we agree about the Xperias vs. Walkmans. I mean, they LOST me because of this issue. To be perfectly, I looked at the battery life of the XZ1, and on GSM Arena it's rated like 82 hours for endurance, where they only gave the 820-powered HTC 10 of mine 66 hours. I mean, that's a VERY CONSIDERABLE difference! When I considered that XZ1 was T-Mo VoLTE-certified, metal unibody, great camera (I think? more on that below), not a garbage phablet, and awesome looking (WITH HDR ftw), I honestly was about to bite the bullet. But the weak audio reviews pretty much killed it for me. I can't be the only one who thinks this way. So Sony needs to get their PRIORITIES STRAIGHT and chuck the $300 Walkman line and just port that tech over to the Xperias and move on into 2017 not 2007. LOL

Yes they DO have competition from the SUPERIOR (sorry Sony lol) Astell & Kern, and maybe even FiiO?? lol But whatever. I don't need my Xperia to sound as good as $700 DAP, but $300................at this point with the LG V20, V30, and HTC 10 & U11 in existence, I think to ACTUALLY MATTER, especially for a company like Sony that HEAVILY markets its audio and Hi-Res processing capabilities..............they need to be $300 good or else go die. lolo

Ok and man.............What is this crazy a$$ shiznet?! lol F'ing new iPhones dominate on camera, which is not shocking (ok 94 for iPhone 8 Plus is shocking, but still LOL)..................the SHOCKING part aertus is the score for the XZP! 83?!! What?!!!!!!!!!! How is that possible?!! My old POS X Performance got like an 87 on there, and it came out over a year ago!!!!!! Skim the comments though. You know what I think? I think it's some Apple fanboy BS! LOL It makes no sense that a 2016 Xperia phone would outdo a 2017 one on camera. No way! I call BS. From this point going forward, I will no longer recognize DxOMark as a reputable camera reviewer. DONE son! lol

Update:
So XZ Premium and new iPhones are the only phones rated under NEW system. But new system is basing its scores on like who can do Bokeh and who can't. Who the F cares about Bokeh? lol

We'll have to wait and see how Note 8 does, but I don't buy how iPhone camera got better but Xperia camera got worse? Both X Perf and iPhone 7 Plus got an 88 last year. Doesn't add up that newer phones would do substantially WORSE. What do u guys think??

 

[aertus]

Yeah I will do that. lol I'm sure JDI's panels are better. F OVERRATED SAM-DUNGG!!! lol

Yes you should look around to see if any Best Buys in your vicinity carry them. I just got lucky that I live near a major Best Buy (it's near the most popular mall in my state of Illinois, Woodfield Mall, so I'm sure that helps too).

Yeah I'm glad it's a partnership. I think GOOD things will come of this purchase by Google for HTC. Yeah Pixel 1 was pretty plain and boring looking wasn't it? lol Yeah I just read about the U11+, but with it being another phablet, my interest level is mild at best. lol Hopefully it does well, but I'd prefer HTC went back to "sub-phablets" in 2018. We'll see.

Interesting about Sharp, JDI, etc. Yeah man, Samsung is the most overrated garbage piece of CRAP ever. LOL ONLY thing I like by them is Samsung Pay. lol I really hope HTC + Google and Sony too can knock Samsung out of dominance in 2018. lol That would rock!! lol

Well I'm glad we agree about the Xperias vs. Walkmans. I mean, they LOST me because of this issue. To be perfectly, I looked at the battery life of the XZ1, and on GSM Arena it's rated like 82 hours for endurance, where they only gave the 820-powered HTC 10 of mine 66 hours. I mean, that's a VERY CONSIDERABLE difference! When I considered that XZ1 was T-Mo VoLTE-certified, metal unibody, great camera (I think? more on that below), not a garbage phablet, and awesome looking (WITH HDR ftw), I honestly was about to bite the bullet. But the weak audio reviews pretty much killed it for me. I can't be the only one who thinks this way. So Sony needs to get their PRIORITIES STRAIGHT and chuck the $300 Walkman line and just port that tech over to the Xperias and move on into 2017 not 2007. LOL

Yes they DO have competition from the SUPERIOR (sorry Sony lol) Astell & Kern, and maybe even FiiO?? lol But whatever. I don't need my Xperia to sound as good as $700 DAP, but $300................at this point with the LG V20, V30, and HTC 10 & U11 in existence, I think to ACTUALLY MATTER, especially for a company like Sony that HEAVILY markets its audio and Hi-Res processing capabilities..............they need to be $300 good or else go die. lolo

Ok and man.............What is this crazy a$$ shiznet?! lol F'ing new iPhones dominate on camera, which is not shocking (ok 94 for iPhone 8 Plus is shocking, but still LOL)..................the SHOCKING part aertus is the score for the XZP! 83?!! What?!!!!!!!!!! How is that possible?!! My old POS X Performance got like an 87 on there, and it came out over a year ago!!!!!! Skim the comments though. You know what I think? I think it's some Apple fanboy BS! LOL It makes no sense that a 2016 Xperia phone would outdo a 2017 one on camera. No way! I call BS. From this point going forward, I will no longer recognize DxOMark as a reputable camera reviewer. DONE son! lol

Update:
So XZ Premium and new iPhones are the only phones rated under NEW system. But new system is basing its scores on like who can do Bokeh and who can't. Who the F cares about Bokeh? lol

We'll have to wait and see how Note 8 does, but I don't buy how iPhone camera got better but Xperia camera got worse? Both X Perf and iPhone 7 Plus got an 88 last year. Doesn't add up that newer phones would do substantially WORSE. What do u guys think??

Yeah, thats why im against monopolies. i want to support other companies that go against samsung and apple especially samsung since it has a monopoly.

yeah its a shame how Astell & kern are better. They actually have some really cool ass designs but i'd never justify spending that much on a DAP. I but I believe it when you say they are better because sony has been slacking. But their audio offerings at IFA were really good mainly their upgrade to the 1000x and the airpod like earphones.

Yeah the DXO rating is bull imo. The timing of the new testing protocol is extremely sketchy considering the new iphones were JUST released and the additional categories of zoom and bokeh are done heavily in apples favor. It seems like a huge jump in image quality when apple was previously not as good as the competitors to its smaller image sensor.

This test seems to heavily favor dual camera systems (very specific ones like zoom) and not all dual camera systems have zoom so it seems to be heavily specific when most others are still using single camera and if dual are using something different.

Definitely be wary of DXO from now on. we are going to have to rely on random youtubers or something. The thing people don't realize is that websites get revenue from amount of clicks. whatever brings more clicks gets more money and so dxo doing some new crap to favor apple im sure will bring them tons of new clicks and money in their pockets. hmmm

 

[RockStar2005]

Yeah, thats why im against monopolies. i want to support other companies that go against samsung and apple especially samsung since it has a monopoly.

yeah its a shame how Astell & kern are better. They actually have some really cool ass designs but i'd never justify spending that much on a DAP. I but I believe it when you say they are better because sony has been slacking. But their audio offerings at IFA were really good mainly their upgrade to the 1000x and the airpod like earphones.

Yeah the DXO rating is bull**** imo. The timing of the new testing protocol is extremely sketchy considering the new iphones were JUST released and the additional categories of zoom and bokeh are done heavily in apples favor. It seems like a huge jump in image quality when apple was previously not as good as the competitors to its smaller image sensor.

This test seems to heavily favor dual camera systems (very specific ones like zoom) and not all dual camera systems have zoom so it seems to be heavily specific when most others are still using single camera and if dual are using something different.

Definitely be wary of DXO from now on. we are going to have to rely on random youtubers or something. The thing people don't realize is that websites get revenue from amount of clicks. whatever brings more clicks gets more money and so dxo doing some new **** to favor apple im sure will bring them tons of new clicks and money in their pockets. hmmm

I'm with you there aertus!!! lol

Yeah a lot of these DAPs out there are really up there in price. I just think Sony needs to take a step and see that they're hurting themselves more than helping by not porting the $300 Walkman tech over to the Xperia line. I mean, they're Sony, they are synonymous with the Walkman, but also great sound like their well-rated MDR-7506 headphones that still sell like hotcakes despite being like 30 years old. Instead of putting so much effort into their BS marketing strategy for Hi-Res, actually MAKE SURE your devices can compete against the rest first!

Yeah it's ALL BS. Check out this convo I just had on xperiablog. Guy makes a great point................

Spoiler

Akand RockStar2005 • 5 hours ago

I am not defending Sony but the odd is Xperia XZ premium is on the market long ago and iPhone isn't yet available. They waited to change methods and introduced new methods first and then went for Xperia XZ premium. Even HTC u11 came out later than Xperia, but got scored even before hitting the market. I know Xperia isn't the best but at least it deserves to be scored under old method as its competitors got. Or DxO should test S8, U11 and others phones again under new rules.
However, Sony never paid anybody to praise overly its devices, that's why Sony is always looser.
Still good to see Xperia has beaten iPhones in speed test. And as an user I know how stable and Xperia devices are. And Xperia cameras aren't the best but good enough to please me as I don't use smartphone camera to shoot my precious fotos. Smartphone cameras are for social media mostly. And Xperia is able to please me on that sense.
** Still I am with Sony**

RockStar2005 Akand • 23 minutes ago

I couldn't agree more Akand! Why is it the XZP which isn't even Sony's newest phone anymore being evaluated under the new methods? It really makes no sense to only evaluate the XZP but exclude the S8+ & U11? It gives them an unfair advantage that DOES NOT sit well with me. lol

Yeah it's sad but a lot of sites do try to extort those it evaluates. Yelp is one. I know of 2 people who got some bad reviews for their businesses. One refused to pay both Yelp and Google $300 a month each, and so they removed all the GOOD reviews off Yelp, and that guy had to close his restaurant. Another guy caved in and paid. I was shocked when I heard these stories, but the people who told them are people I know or people I trust know, so I think they are credible. And I bet DxOMark is the same way too. Makes me sick b/c then who are we supposed to trust?!!

Well I do use smartphones to shoot MY precious photos! lol And I know from experience that my old Z3 and especially my X Performance took better photos than most if not all of their competitors, esp the X Performance. At this point I no longer feel the need to use Manual Mode like I had to on my old Z3 either. The pictures pretty much always come out perfectly.

 

[aertus]

I'm with you there aertus!!! lol

Yeah a lot of these DAPs out there are really up there in price. I just think Sony needs to take a step and see that they're hurting themselves more than helping by not porting the $300 Walkman tech over to the Xperia line. I mean, they're Sony, they are synonymous with the Walkman, but also great sound like their well-rated MDR-7506 headphones that still sell like hotcakes despite being like 30 years old. Instead of putting so much effort into their BS marketing strategy for Hi-Res, actually MAKE SURE your devices can compete against the rest first!

Yeah it's ALL BS. Check out this convo I just had on xperiablog. Guy makes a great point................

Spoiler

Akand RockStar2005 • 5 hours ago

I am not defending Sony but the odd is Xperia XZ premium is on the market long ago and iPhone isn't yet available. They waited to change methods and introduced new methods first and then went for Xperia XZ premium. Even HTC u11 came out later than Xperia, but got scored even before hitting the market. I know Xperia isn't the best but at least it deserves to be scored under old method as its competitors got. Or DxO should test S8, U11 and others phones again under new rules.
However, Sony never paid anybody to praise overly its devices, that's why Sony is always looser.
Still good to see Xperia has beaten iPhones in speed test. And as an user I know how stable and Xperia devices are. And Xperia cameras aren't the best but good enough to please me as I don't use smartphone camera to shoot my precious fotos. Smartphone cameras are for social media mostly. And Xperia is able to please me on that sense.
** Still I am with Sony**

RockStar2005 Akand • 23 minutes ago

I couldn't agree more Akand! Why is it the XZP which isn't even Sony's newest phone anymore being evaluated under the new methods? It really makes no sense to only evaluate the XZP but exclude the S8+ & U11? It gives them an unfair advantage that DOES NOT sit well with me. lol

Yeah it's sad but a lot of sites do try to extort those it evaluates. Yelp is one. I know of 2 people who got some bad reviews for their businesses. One refused to pay both Yelp and Google $300 a month each, and so they removed all the GOOD reviews off Yelp, and that guy had to close his restaurant. Another guy caved in and paid. I was shocked when I heard these stories, but the people who told them are people I know or people I trust know, so I think they are credible. And I bet DxOMark is the same way too. Makes me sick b/c then who are we supposed to trust?!!

Well I do use smartphones to shoot MY precious photos! lol And I know from experience that my old Z3 and especially my X Performance took better photos than most if not all of their competitors, esp the X Performance. At this point I no longer feel the need to use Manual Mode like I had to on my old Z3 either. The pictures pretty much always come out perfectly.

sony does have the NW-WM1Z which is apparently really good.

yup, it's extremely fishy that they would do something like that they waited to test the XZP way too long and under newer protocols it wouldn't fair so well because it doesn't have dual camera system. The test is so specific and i feel designed to favor apple because it makes no sense since the dual cameras are not even standard industry.

i mean i know camera software is not that great on sony but it can't be that bad since X performance got rated highly.

 

[RockStar2005]

sony does have the NW-WM1Z which is apparently really good.

yup, it's extremely fishy that they would do something like that they waited to test the XZP way too long and under newer protocols it wouldn't fair so well because it doesn't have dual camera system. The test is so specific and i feel designed to favor apple because it makes no sense since the dual cameras are not even standard industry.

i mean i know camera software is not that great on sony but it can't be that bad since X performance got rated highly.

Yeah but it also costs $2000-$3000! lol

*You mean "an industry standard" I think?

Yes, that is strange. It's like they just happened to be playing to Apple's strengths, but those somehow didn't matter when Android had them? lol F DxOMark. And SamDUNG!! lol

Yeah man, that is one of my main beefs with this XZP DxOMark score. I OWNED the X Performance last year for several months, and it was the best camera last year b/t it, the S7, and the HTC 10 (Note: the HTC 10's camera got A LOT better though after 3 major camera updates, 2 of which were already deployed by the time I got my 10 this past January.) This comparison page I found and bookmarked highlights the X Performance's superiority over the 10 (before any of the 3 major camera updates were deployed) and the S7 too (which once again demonstrates Samsung's INABILITY to reproduce colors accurately, as shown here ((see purple sky one just below giraffes one, and read part before and after it))). So you're telling me their 2017 XZP's camera is worse than the X Performance's? ROFL Get the F outta here with that fake bribery BS!

DxOMark's contract? CANCELLED!! LMAO

I asked that guy on here who I linked you who said the XZP's audio wasn't AS good as the $300 Walkman's to re-compare the two again with both DSEE HX and especially Clear Audio+ OFF on both. Not sure if he will do it, but hopefully he says yes. I'll keep you posted if he does.

 

[aertus]

Yeah but it also costs $2000-$3000! lol

*You mean "an industry standard" I think?

Yes, that is strange. It's like they just happened to be playing to Apple's strengths, but those somehow didn't matter when Android had them? lol F DxOMark. And SamDUNG!! lol

Yeah man, that is one of my main beefs with this XZP DxOMark score. I OWNED the X Performance last year for several months, and it was the best camera last year b/t it, the S7, and the HTC 10 (Note: the HTC 10's camera got A LOT better though after 3 major camera updates, 2 of which were already deployed by the time I got my 10 this past January.) This comparison page I found and bookmarked highlights the X Performance's superiority over the 10 (before any of the 3 major camera updates were deployed) and the S7 too (which once again demonstrates Samsung's INABILITY to reproduce colors accurately, as shown here ((see purple sky one just below giraffes one, and read part before and after it))). So you're telling me their 2017 XZP's camera is worse than the X Performance's? ROFL Get the F outta here with that fake bribery BS!

DxOMark's contract? CANCELLED!! LMAO

I asked that guy on here who I linked you who said the XZP's audio wasn't AS good as the $300 Walkman's to re-compare the two again with both DSEE HX and especially Clear Audio+ OFF on both. Not sure if he will do it, but hopefully he says yes. I'll keep you posted if he does.

yeah thast true astel and kern is cheaper than that and their design game is much better they look awesome imo. Sony caught up with the WM1z but too expensive.


Yeah i meant its not standard in all smartphones since everyone has different and most are still using single camera lenses. Also i believe the X performance is not yet tested under the new protocols but we'll see. we definitely have to look elsewhere.

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.

 

[RockStar2005]

yeah thast true astel and kern is cheaper than that and their design game is much better they look awesome imo. Sony caught up with the WM1z but too expensive.


Yeah i meant its not standard in all smartphones since everyone has different and most are still using single camera lenses. Also i believe the X performance is not yet tested under the new protocols but we'll see. we definitely have to look elsewhere.

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 don't think they will be retesting any already-tested phones though. The XZP should've been tested months ago, but it wasn't, so again, F them. lol

So he did get back to me. See my response here, but read his msg too (within my response at top, just expand it first). Sounds to me like the XZP (and therefore XZ1 lol) is now a phone I more strongly would consider buying! lol But I want to see what he says about the amp & volume. Just read msg, and I will update here when I hear back from.

Honestly, I'd rather he just tested it the way he did. I used to use stuff like VPT in the past, but I find leaving them off keeps the sound more natural. But AO (or AHO) is a definite must for optimal sound. EQ.........I already EQ my headphones, but for comparing 2 different devices I don't think it's necessary. As long as both are not EQ'd it will still be a fair competition. If Sony TRULY has fixed the issue with the DAC sound quality AND amp volume (even if that means having to enable AO for the volume bump), then I will be extremely likely to go back to them. Better battery life, metal unibody, HDR screen, 835, IP 68, etc etc..............these are all hard to ignore if the audio is also finally up to par. I will see what he says. I was really hoping to wait 'til next year to upgrade, but who knows if Sony will continue making metal unibody phones or not? lol

 

[aertus]

I don't think they will be retesting any already-tested phones though. The XZP should've been tested months ago, but it wasn't, so again, F them. lol

So he did get back to me. See my response here, but read his msg too (within my response at top, just expand it first). Sounds to me like the XZP (and therefore XZ1 lol) is now a phone I more strongly would consider buying! lol But I want to see what he says about the amp & volume. Just read msg, and I will update here when I hear back from.

Honestly, I'd rather he just tested it the way he did. I used to use stuff like VPT in the past, but I find leaving them off keeps the sound more natural. But AO (or AHO) is a definite must for optimal sound. EQ.........I already EQ my headphones, but for comparing 2 different devices I don't think it's necessary. As long as both are not EQ'd it will still be a fair competition. If Sony TRULY has fixed the issue with the DAC sound quality AND amp volume (even if that means having to enable AO for the volume bump), then I will be extremely likely to go back to them. Better battery life, metal unibody, HDR screen, 835, IP 68, etc etc..............these are all hard to ignore if the audio is also finally up to par. I will see what he says. I was really hoping to wait 'til next year to upgrade, but who knows if Sony will continue making metal unibody phones or not? lol

i mean if you really must you could wait for next years Mirai design which might be new and groundbreaking for sony. Or idk if you really want an upgrade you could go for the xz1 its decent and better than the hTC10 in some ways. the obvious being the camera, Display, and battery life.

what is AO/AHO?

 

[RockStar2005]

i mean if you really must you could wait for next years Mirai design which might be new and groundbreaking for sony. Or idk if you really want an upgrade you could go for the xz1 its decent and better than the hTC10 in some ways. the obvious being the camera, Display, and battery life.

what is AO/AHO?

I could upgrade, but I dunno (see below). Well display comment is arguable as the HTC 10's screen is 2K, where the XZ1's is 1080p, though it does have HDR too. But camera and especially battery life for sure yes. Or maybe I will wait? Still gathering facts.

AHO stands for Automatic Headphone Optimization (scroll down some to see it mentioned). It's a unique feature of Sony's Xperia (and maybe Walkman too??) that sends out beeps and various noises to your headphones then the program records those sounds and then AUTOMATICALLY configures the sound for you, like what my HTC 10 does but this is done automatically. According to Donny, AO/AHO is what put the XZP ABOVE the $300 Walkman in terms of sound quality, which is f'ing GREAT news! I'm still waiting on him to reply back about if the volume got loud enough on the XZP though. But AHO does give you a volume bump like my 10's manual program does when enabled, so that is additional good news.

Ok so we have a problem now lol..............I read here and here that BOTH the XZ1 & XZ1 Compact are T-Mobile VoLTE-certified right? Well then The Verge and XDA and also T-Mobile's online publication indicate it's ONLY XZ1 Compact, not the XZ1 too. I had a few minutes so chatted with T-Mobile and they couldn't confirm it either. So since the majority of these online publications (including a random review on Amazon for the int'l XZ1 in Black) are saying that only the XZ1 Compact is VoLTE-certified, I'm going to assume the XZ1 DOESN'T have VoLTE-certification with T-Mobile. Therefore, I am no longer interested in getting this phone. EPIC fail, Sony Mobile. EPIC fail.

Unless Sony updates it OTA somehow? But I doubt they will do that. I guess I should be happy that at least there's hope that future UNLOCKED Xperia phones will get VoLTE-certified with T-Mo.

 

[aertus]

I could upgrade, but I dunno (see below). Well display comment is arguable as the HTC 10's screen is 2K, where the XZ1's is 1080p, though it does have HDR too. But camera and especially battery life for sure yes. Or maybe I will wait? Still gathering facts.

AHO stands for Automatic Headphone Optimization (scroll down some to see it mentioned). It's a unique feature of Sony's Xperia (and maybe Walkman too??) that sends out beeps and various noises to your headphones then the program records those sounds and then AUTOMATICALLY configures the sound for you, like what my HTC 10 does but this is done automatically. According to Donny, AO/AHO is what put the XZP ABOVE the $300 Walkman in terms of sound quality, which is f'ing GREAT news! I'm still waiting on him to reply back about if the volume got loud enough on the XZP though. But AHO does give you a volume bump like my 10's manual program does when enabled, so that is additional good news.

Ok so we have a problem now lol..............I read here and here that BOTH the XZ1 & XZ1 Compact are T-Mobile VoLTE-certified right? Well then The Verge and XDA and also T-Mobile's online publication indicate it's ONLY XZ1 Compact, not the XZ1 too. I had a few minutes so chatted with T-Mobile and they couldn't confirm it either. So since the majority of these online publications (including a random review on Amazon for the int'l XZ1 in Black) are saying that only the XZ1 Compact is VoLTE-certified, I'm going to assume the XZ1 DOESN'T have VoLTE-certification with T-Mobile. Therefore, I am no longer interested in getting this phone. EPIC fail, Sony Mobile. EPIC fail.

Unless Sony updates it OTA somehow? But I doubt they will do that. I guess I should be happy that at least there's hope that future UNLOCKED Xperia phones will get VoLTE-certified with T-Mo.

oh yeah. i always have automatic optimization turned on i figured it was pretty important and something sony would prioritize. I always thought that was an HTC idea and reading about how cool it was on the htc. VPT, AO, and eq is what i use for mine. do you think i should turn off VPT?

yeah if the XZ1 is not being certified its a massive fail for sony. They are fixing thigns slowly one by one but are taking forever to do it and making dumb decisions. Why certify the xz1c but not the xz1?

 

[RockStar2005]

oh yeah. i always have automatic optimization turned on i figured it was pretty important and something sony would prioritize. I always thought that was an HTC idea and reading about how cool it was on the htc. VPT, AO, and eq is what i use for mine. do you think i should turn off VPT?

yeah if the XZ1 is not being certified its a massive fail for sony. They are fixing things slowly one by one but are taking forever to do it and making dumb decisions. Why certify the xz1c but not the xz1?

Ok yeah so you ARE familiar with it then. Cool. I think the Z5 was the first Sony phone to have it. When I used my X Performance, I still had my Oppo HA-2, so didn't really play around with any of the Sony sound options except enabling S-Force for the speakers. It may have been an HTC idea initially? Not sure. If I recall, the LG V20 had something similar to the HTC one as well. Not 100% sure now. Yeah I mean, VPT is cool, but when I had my $300 Walkman, it made the sound less cool than when it was on, though on my Xperia phone it was better I think on? But now though, I dunno. I'd prob just leave it off cuz since getting into the Hi-Fi thing I've become a bit more picky about sound quality. lol It's up to you though. That Donny guy said he prefers CA+ but honestly on both my Z3 and my $300 Walkman, CA+ IMO sucked. lol If you like VPT, leave it on. But maybe try comparing it "A/B style" with it on/off, and decide which one is better. But AO and (Custom?) EQ are definitely things I'd enable.

Exactly!!!!!!!!! lol I mean, if you were only gonna choose one, why the flying F would you choose the Compact version?? Now that my area actually HAS Band 12 enabled (since May-June, though my LTE Discovery app hadn't detected it until about 4-6 weeks ago), VoLTE is a MUST with T-Mobile b/c since they require VoLTE certification, and Band 12 (700 mHz) can't be utilized on their network without also having VoLTE enabled, that means that you won't get FULL access to their network w/o VoLTE being enabled first. And Band 12 reaches out much farther than the other higher bandwidths (Bands 2 & 4) they use, and it also is like 4 times better at penetrating through buildings. So I'm sorry Sony, when I had the X Performance but DIDN'T have VoLTE in my area yet, that was ok, but now that I do, it's not good enough anymore NOT to have it.

 

[aertus]

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.

 

[aertus]

i do have a thing for the compact line but the z3c was my last compact and never plan on going back. bigger screen is better imo the compact is a bit too small. but one of the reasosn to go for compact not only fastest phone in the world but one of the best endurance ratings ever check it out

 

[aertus]