[Xperia Z General] 1Learning:
I don't think his argument is invalid simply b/c he doesn't supply a statistic. Obviously there are enough people out there where this is an issue for people to discuss the merits of quad-core vs. dual-core - so it factors into their purchasing decision. Now whether it is the deal breaker or not, that is a separate issue - for some it is, for others it is not. But it doesn't change that it is definitely a factor for many; it is another weight in the decision scale. It simply might not be the deciding factor - obviously design, software implementation, and so on play into the decision too. But the fact that the Samsung Galaxy line of phones have been international bestsellers definitely says something about that line - arguably a lot of its appeal is based upon its raw power and not exactly about its aesthetics which arguably is not as "pretty" as SE/Sony's line of phones. But then again, beauty is in the eye of the beholder...

The only way to get a proper scientific survey would be to have 2 completely identical phones (e.g. battery, screen resolution, camera, software) in the same market at the same price (i.e. all other factors being equal) by the same manufacturer with one having a dual-core and the other having a quad-core and see what people buy (much like a car manufacturer offering a 4, 6, or 8 cylinder car model). Obviously that is not happening in phones or at least hasn't yet.

I agree that having more power doesn't hurt. While it is not necessary now, who is to say it will not be necessary in the future? When the X10 was being developed, according to SE anyway, they didn't use a proper multitouch screen or a screen that could handle the increased colors that came with Android 2.x+ b/c it wasn't what 1.6 could handle. Well imagine how much headache medicine they could have saved if they had the foresight to include multitouch and the increased color capability even if not implemented yet in their hardware at that time so it could be implemented in a future update of Android when it could be used. They had to have a roadmap of Android's upcoming capabilities so it wasn't as if they were caught unaware that those things would be upcoming update features; they simply chose to not supply the hardware that could handle such things. How many people complained? A lot. Pretty much all the other phone manufacturers that released a similar tier phone in the same time did have the necessary hardware to handle the updated features. Raw processing power does matter to help "future proof" the phone so that it can last just a little longer for one thing...whether it matters enough to detract someone from buying the phone is that person's choice. I think it is fair to say that it is definitely something to consider.

I like SE/Sony's phones in general and always eagerly look to see what they are doing but it does feel like I am being charged a premium for design over technology. The latest Samsung Galaxy S has a pretty decent battery life (according to GSM Arena) so even if its quad-core is not necessarily faster than the Krait dual-cores in certain tasks or to be able to be fully implemented yet, I wouldn't exactly say that it's taking an usability hit (according to Sony, one of the reasons they chose to stick with dual-cores is b/c of battery life).

Btw, really appreciate the teasers and information.