yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Xperia Z General] m00moo:
Ok, had my few minutes with the XZ today at a Three store.

Honest opinions are that the screen is quite dissapointing (the one instore that is), especially with the washing out and colors did look a bit duller. I am not sure about this pre production thing as obviously there is no real way to determine if that model was or was not a pre-production model. To break it down I tried the screen at Full/70%/50%/30% and all of which were quite washy and dull. The blacks were good but you could still tell it was backlit as it was never as black as the surrounding frame. I tried looking for calibration but nothing was available for that, and I tried different themes which again didn't appear to help. As for the 1080p it was stunning, text on the screen almost looked like a sticker of some sort. Clear and very easy to read text on websites and on the phone. I asked the sales guy about the pre production thing and he just said it was final but I am not sure if he just waffled that answer, It does however look abit poor to be a final.

As for the rest of the phone, it feels smooth and no lag from my 5-10minutes usage. I tested some video and pictures and loved the album app. The transition when pinching within the pictures was buttery smooth and looked awesome. I was unable to turn the phone which was abit stupid of the store as it was bolted down securely so I wasn't unable to view images and videos in landscape. But from potrait and what I could see it looked nice and smooth. I changed themes on the phone to try find a better theme which may show off the screen more, during those changes it was very quick and took little time and on the whole the phone wasn't laggy one bit as people have mentioned.

The handset was black and looked pretty nice all around, was a bummer though I couldn't as mention pick it up to grasp it fully.

I am pretty worried to say the least about the screen after what i saw today. But my hopes are high as from what people have said about pre production models and videos of the docomo version appear to be completely on a different level. There is no harm in me keeping my pre order, If i dont like it I will simply return it or sell it off. Here's hoping eh?
[Xperia Z General] xl VipeR lx:
Re: Xperia Z IPS Screen discussion [LOOKS PROMISING [VIDEO UPDATED 15/02]

Same here. I asked the three.store in Blackburn and Manchester. they said its demo unit.not.final. I.think.Only phones 4 u have exclusive rights to.preview the unit the customers till launch but Sony.are keeping it pretty hush till then. But three definitely don't have production units. Yet. And the unit I saw in three. Nowhere near looks like the docomo units
[Xperia Z General] stefanve:
With all the negative reports I have lowered my expectations, hopefully I will be pleasantly surprised :)
[Xperia Z General] m00moo:
I was tempted to go to the phones4u which was not very far from the Three store i was at. But then i remembered that only 300 stores got the XZ available and being where i was, a small place in a big London city I thought that it probably wouldnt be available at that particular store. Hopefully more reviews become available since the phone is being released on the 21st in Germany. That is when I will truly decide what i should do. But really I don't plan to get another Samsung, especially with the problems AND worries I've had with the S3 (namely the emmc bric/sds). HTC's got quite a bad name with the S-ON's and faults. Sigh, why so problematic lol If only Sony killed the screen then it would've been a super easy decision. Sony in a way have killed many possible sales due to this one thing. Poor poor business from them.
[Xperia Z General] xiFIL:
:| THIS^^ This post highlights exactly how I feel, the nexus 4 is just not on par with devices this year, M7 or the One, looks terrible, buying a HTC phone to me is like buying a nokia :| And Samsung aren't offering much either, am so sceptical about what phone to get! The xperia Z geuingly ticked all the boxes for me but even this post made me scared... look at the screen section :|. POST
[Xperia Z General] dibdin:
Dont know what to do now. Thinking of canceling my order all together, and possibly look to the HTC One. I really want the Z, but I know how seriously pissed off I'm going to be if the display is not up to scratch.
[Xperia Z General] :
Reviews and Japanese retail units have a good screen, cant see a big company like Sony would put a **** screen on there flagship phone. The HTC One will have awful battery life and has no sd card slot. Just get the Z and if you don't like it take it back. HTC suck big time.
[Xperia Z General] xiFIL:
True that, that's exactly right!
[Xperia Z General] ethan3686:
Now only hope is screen calibrtion or as everyone says docomo jap uits are better. So hope to get those same models!
[Xperia Z General] m00moo:
That's what I am doing. I've left my pre order the way it is and will decide later. Don't forget some countries in the EU may be getting the phone slightly earlier than the UK or 28th Feb. Soon it will be clear what the true screen looks like as people who originally said the screen sucked may change their mind. If not then you can cancel still.

Problem is I just sold my S3, cancel the XZ and what do i do lol
[Xperia Z General] dibdin:
Do most places accept returns if your not entirely happy with your purchase then? I have never bought a phone and sent it back before, that is why im asking you see.
[Xperia Z General] :
Yeah I've done it a few times with carphone warehouse and contracts. Phones4U are a little trouble to get a refund back though so don't use them.
[Xperia Z General] xl VipeR lx:
Re: Xperia Z IPS Screen discussion [LOOKS PROMISING [VIDEO UPDATED 15/02]

I think everyone needs to calm down and wait. It's already been explained Amit demo units and docomo look good as they are the final units. Just have to wait 12 days now
[Xperia Z General] maverick1103:
Re: Xperia Z IPS Screen discussion [LOOKS PROMISING [VIDEO UPDATED 15/02]

All places will have a returns process.

I work at Carphone, it depends on how you buy it as if you buy it on contract or Pay As you go, it's the networks decision not ours.. If you buy it Sim Free and there is no network, you have 28 days.

Agree on Phones4U they are quick to take your money but when it comes returning it they don't want to know! We actually get Phones4U customers come to us to repair their phones cos there repair process sucks!
[Xperia Z General] Tomatoes8:
Never ever get an HTC product if you are prone to OCD. They will drive you crazy. Crap quality control. Besides, do you really want to give Apple money for HTC's shoddy work? That is like getting raped twice with one stone(yes that actually makes sense if you piece it together).
[Xperia Z General] sshariff:
Check this out (ZL has brighter screen than Z) http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2152700

Are we again seeing Sony put a better screen on their flagship sidekick like they did between the T and TX? More reviews might bring out the true picture. I also think that they might be fitting the better panels on the Japanese Docomo ones as Sony do treat the Japanese market differently to the rest of the world! Not too long to learn the truth now.
[Xperia Z General] shem2409:
New review appeared online from gsmarena

http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_z-review-887p3.php

"However, the screen is by no means perfect. First of all its viewing angles aren't really great. They are a step forward compared to the Xperia T, but a very minor one. In that area Sony still has a lot of work before it catches up with the competition.

More disturbingly, the display has rather poor contrast for a flagship unit and not really inspiring colors. As testified by the measurements in our dedicated test it comes nowhere near the standard of its main competitors and it even fared worse than its predecessor."

That's how I felt about the colors and contrast, when I had my hands on time, as well...
[Xperia Z General] xl VipeR lx:
hmmmm, was the contrast any better at 70% brightness
[Xperia Z General] shem2409:
I was better but still not perfect. The screen just lacks vibrancy, it appears kinda dull. I mean it is beautiful when you view images and videos, but when you compare it to any other device you feel like there is something missing in presentation of colors. As I said before, though the blacks are deep and I don't think that there is any problems with the viewing angles. The screen appears very reflective, but the one I looked at lacked the screen protector supplied with the phone (which maybe corrects that a little bit)
[Xperia Z General] xl VipeR lx:
I get you about the vibrancy , i feel that about the T, my younger brother uses it and it isn't vibrant! i think its the launcher, Sony have used Dull icons!
[Xperia Z General] Maedhros:
Hello everyone,

Just wanted to give a quick comparison to the HTC X (NA version). I compared the HTC One X with the ZL my friend had as a testing device for one of our carriers here.

My 2cents:

Viewing angle:

The ZL has nice viewing angles, despite what some reviews said, the screen is acceptable, and you don't really notice anything wrong with it.

However, once you start doing side by side comparisons, that is when you notice the difference. The HTC One X had a clear advantage in this regard. Almost immediately you notice the difference in viewing angles once the two are compared.

Winner: HTC

Screen Color & Vibrancy:

Again, the ZL has a nice screen. When viewing videos colors appear sufficiently accurate and pop quite nicely.

It suffers however, when compared to the HTC One X. Whereas on its own the screen is good, once side by side with the One X the devices screen appears bland and uninspiring. Colors are sharper on the One X imo, despite the resolution difference.

Contrast:

Since people seem to put alot of emphasis on this, the contrast is ok. When compared to the One X, the One X has much deeper blacks, leading to it appearing as if the screen has better contrast ratios.

Again, unscientific observations, just my own eyes interpretation.

Conclusion:

The screen on the ZL is sufficient for everyday use. If the screen is a stickler for you, I would personally hold off and wait for HTCs offering (as they have been leading in terms of screen quality lately). I would hold that the HTC One X has a better screen on almost every aspect.
[Xperia Z General] shem2409:
Tbh I don't even know what is wrong with the screen. It looks good when you view pictures etc, but then when you have it next to other phones you just get this feeling that for what you are paying for the phone (which is a pretty big sum) you wanna have something better than all the other and yet it isn't even as good as the others.

Right now it seems like the screen isn't the only downside either. I don't care about how loud the speaker is or how hard it is to remove the flaps but I do care about battery life. I am on a network that supports LTE, so if I get the phone I would like to make use of it. The worrying part is that I can hear complaints about battery life even without LTE on. (I have tweeted with a guy from Poland who has tested the device and he summed it up as " a great phone with a crap battery life, which makes it useless". )

I am not trying to troll in this forum as I am no Apple, Samsung, HTC or any other brands fan or rep. I just wanna get a premium phone for the premium price that it has on its tag.
[Xperia Z General] stefanve:
I didn't find a single review that worried about the battery, most praise it.
[Xperia Z General] :
Exactly. Battery life will get you through the day on this phone without Stamina Mode on and over a day with it on. Depends on the end users usage though.
[Xperia Z General] shem2409:
That's what I saw as well in the few reviews that were out there. It didn't explain how they did the tests though. No information on brightness level, 3g on/off, 4g on/off, etc etc. So we are yet to see a reliable review on the battery life of the device
[Xperia Z General] xl VipeR lx:
Im just wondering if this make it better you think?

Apparently this is the calibration tool

Pictures look great due to BE tool, all that does is change the contrast, and saturation levels etc,

well isnt that the same as calibrating the display anyway?
[Xperia Z General] :
Correct but will this be on our Z in the UK/Europe? Lets hope so.
[Xperia Z General] stefanve:
battery benchmark test are less reliable that real world uses test. some of the benchmark test let the phones deplete to 50% and than make recommendations, this is silly since most phones are not very precise with reporting battery power in percentages. The reviews that comment on battery use all say they where more than happy with the phone in daily use. Apart from that I'm sure that I have read at least a couple of reviews that did test like that and/or write about the usages pattern.
[Xperia Z General] shem2409:
That's good to hear. I am just citing the reviewer I have tweeted with... maybe he was sponsored or something. You never know who is biased and who isn't.
[Xperia Z General] stefanve:
some reviewers like to do a movie playing run down test maybe it doesn't score very well with a test like that since at default the BE is switched on and that is bound to use some battery. I don't care about 5 or 7 hours of movie watching since I have never seen a complete movie on my phone or tablet, but that's just me:). I use my phone mostly for reading/web browsing/emailing and various chat/messaging applications.
[Xperia Z General] shem2409:
Same here. In my galaxy nexus I only get 2hrs of screen on time with normal usage and I usually run through 2 batteries in a day. At least with the nexus there is an option to swap the battery. All I really need is a full day of moderate usage from my phone.
[Xperia Z General] stefanve:
If I'm not mistaking most reviewers reported +/-4 hours of screen on time.
[Xperia Z General] xl VipeR lx:
For those looking for hope, watch this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=lgsYDXmdVzc#t=130s

forward to 2 minutes and 10 seconds, while the phone is booting up, all of a sudden it gives very deep black levels at 2:17

video is also here if you manually forward

[YOUTUBE]lgsYDXmdVzc[/YOUTUBE]
[Xperia Z General] ipmanwck:
Re: Xperia Z IPS Screen discussion [LOOKS PROMISING [VIDEO UPDATED 15/02]

Wow. I am now convinced that screen is awesome !

Now lets hope camera is as good ;) I hope so.

Custom Stock Rom 4.0 Eternity

Stock but better
[Xperia Z General] LitoNi:
Re: Xperia Z IPS Screen discussion [LOOKS PROMISING [VIDEO UPDATED 15/02]

That happens to all xperia phones. Same thing on my xperia t tx and s.
[Xperia Z General] Droidyou:
The screen backlight dims.
[Xperia Z General] xl VipeR lx:
Ahh i thought so, but wasnt too sure, stil gives better blacks with good colour
[Xperia Z General] Riyal:
I just wanna comment on the battery life here. Not sure if this is good or not but whenever I watch reviews of the Xperia Z I always look at the battery life from the start of the video and in the end.

Now from what I have noticed seems like the battery depletes from a range of 4 to 6% in 10 to 15minutes. And that's just by scrolling the homescreen back and forth and doing some less than 1 minute camera tests. Now should that be ok? Whatever it is though I'm getting a ZL nomatter what the ZL really attracts me with it's IR remote :D Today I'm still using my nokia n900's IR Remote to play pranks :)
[Xperia Z General] kyogiro:
Re: Xperia Z IPS Screen discussion [LOOKS PROMISING [VIDEO UPDATED 18/02]

I got the same impression when testing the device for 30 minutes. Te difference, screen wise, is stunning when I was running YouTube (for some reason or maybe it's normal, the bravia engine didn't kick in) or playing the installed game, Temple Run 2.

What is even more troublesome is the fact that the problem is not officially recognized by Sony, so it's highly possible that some of the customers will end up with the bad unit. While I was told the test models were demo ones, I got very worried reading the Gsmarena review because they specifically requested another unit after their first XZ's preview and getting, surprisingly a bad screen.
[Xperia Z General] Droidyou:
Re: Xperia Z IPS Screen discussion [LOOKS PROMISING [VIDEO UPDATED 18/02]

What problem do you exactly mean? Contrast? Colors?
[Xperia Z General] kyogiro:
Re: Xperia Z IPS Screen discussion [LOOKS PROMISING [VIDEO UPDATED 18/02]

Both, poor contrast and washed out colors. It is the unit that being demoed at the Paris Sony Store.
[Xperia Z General] xl VipeR lx:
I have some bad news, There is a reason why the Sony store devices had a washed out device,

I just spoke to xiFIL, and worst fears have come true, his Vodafone store received batches of the Z today in preparation for launch, These were final units not units for testing, the boxes had IMEI numbers on it and serial numbers etc, they took out a few devices where the boxes got damaged in transit and tested them to make sure they work as well as testing the whole batch for quality control

The screens on the final unit look washed out like the demo units, to top this off he checked several devices in case it was just the one device AND all of them looked like the demo units with washed out colours exactly as described in the paris sony store, there is no production unit and demo unit theory, why would SONY put rubbish screens in the demo and then better ones in the actual product, no there was no cost saving, THIS IS IT!, this is what you will get nothing else, all hope was lost today and i am probably going to cancel my Pre-order,

There is no trolling, there is no hating on the device, it is the simple truth, Sony just put a 2012 screen on a 2013 device,

So many people have seen the live units at phones 4 u, at a sony store and all agree with the above.
[Xperia Z General] Fasty12:
All right Peace! Go with God my friend.
[Xperia Z General] omersak:
What about the Docomo XZ's? Do those have a different panel? Because they look different in every video so far.
[Xperia Z General] :
Anyone feel like Sony cheaped out on the world other than Japan..
[Xperia Z General] xl VipeR lx:
I believe so , look at HTC they use Acer and Sharp panels, the sensation had two different panels and so does the ONE X,

i spoke to him on the phone, lets just say he has had first hand experience with the DEV UNIT and the Final unit, i don't think he will take part on this forum anymore that is how disappointed he sounded he is just getting the NEXUS 4 instead, and i for one am also disappointed, i didn't want to believe it, GSM Arena their first preview showed 500 contrast ratio then the review 705 contrast ratio, i wanna have hope just like every other guy and stay in denial but truth is look at the phones 4 u units, look at the sony store units, looking at the batch received by a vodafone store in the UK, worst fears have coem true, the screen on the DEMO is what we will GET!

and forget sharpness, i cannot live with a SH!T Screen :(:crying: Sony have been a let down
[Xperia Z General] craftycarper1:
I must be losing my sight in my old age because the screen still looks fine in my eyes......:cyclops:
[Xperia Z General] xl VipeR lx:
This just confirmed my fears, the screen is washed out on the final units

This is exactly what i think, they gave the best screens to DOCOMO, we got the sh!t ones

i was in denial, but phones 4 u have announced they are previewing live devices, as in production models, and also the sony stores showed live devices, all of them washed out, unvibrant colours, compared to my one X the Sony colours just look DULL, there is no vibrant eye popping colours, hands down their display will be beaten by M7 and S4, and i am not a fan of S4 and didnt take a liking to the M7 but hands down they will produce a better display

i just feel badly let down by SONY, they could have made this the ONE!
[Xperia Z General] dibdin:
That is so disappointing. Hearing this I think I will very likely plump for the HTC One, as I dont see them making the same mistake, and I am sure the display will be top notch.
[Xperia Z General] stefanve:
Video just like photography rarely gives a real world picture. Just look at the video done by one of the people here on xda was shot in the UK. There is no reason to believe that the Japan units have different screens just like there was no reason to believe store demo units had a different screen. Tomorrow I will decide if I cancel my pre order, HTC really have to have something special because other than not having the very best screen on the market it is still the best phone on the market

If you're after eye popping colors just turn up the saturation once the calibration tool is released, the screen is capable of vibrant colors since that is what you see when bravia engine is activated
[Xperia Z General] maverick1103:
Re: Xperia Z IPS Screen discussion [DISAPPOINTED?[UPDATED 18/02]

Oh man :( I'm not sure what to do now stay with my Note 2 or get the XZ! I'm not paying for it si it's not a problem for me, but I was more than happy with the display I saw on a unit in the 3 store!
[Xperia Z General] jader13254:
AW: Xperia Z IPS Screen discussion [DISAPPOINTED?[UPDATED 18/02]

I own an Xperia arc, and this device also has a very bad screen. The contrast is ultra-low, and everything washed out. Sony produces also TV's & I can't believe how their Smartphones fail in terms of screen.

The only Xperia with a good screen, was the xperia Ion. Either the kernels of sony have a bad calibration, or they use low-quality panels. I guess its both.

In addition. SONY Cameras are not really good, and they also produce cameras... The performance in low-light on my xperia is very bad, and I really don't think Exmor R/S is a good camera Sensor. The small lens produces even with 13MPx pictures, which aren't comparable with a cheap compactcamera.

The next thing is the battery. In every test i see 3-7% lost in just 10/15 minutes screen time.

Useless scrolling, or sliding

Either the battery management sucks, the battery wasn't calibrated correctly etc or Sony just put inside a very small battery in relation to screen size & 4-cores.

I don't know what kind of marketing-strategy sony is using, but this device won't be my next one, and since I see those issues on all sony devices, I'm sure next time its a Nexus device. Or atleast LG...

Samsung's UI isn't really my favourite & AMOLED is crap in my eyes, HTC is biggest @%@%&()@ on earth in terms of devepoper support, Bootloader, S-Off and Root. LG is better. Point.
[Xperia Z General] xiFIL:
I for one can confirm this, it is sad news indeed, the developer unit i tested was fine, but the several other devices i tested were not up to scratch and this is due to the quality of the screen. It really is a shame, but what can one do at the end of the day? I will get the nexus 4 instead, it was good knowing you guys!
[Xperia Z General] omersak:
Sony might pull an Xperia T/TX with the Z/ZL. The TX had a better screen than the 'flagship' T and early reports here suggest that the ZL has a better one than the Z.

I don't know why they do that.
[Xperia Z General] Fasty12:
Text?

Hey xfil so the problem lies in the color reproduction? Was text sharpness fine though since i read a lot.
[Xperia Z General] maverick1103:
Re: Xperia Z IPS Screen discussion [DISAPPOINTED?[UPDATED 18/02]

Maybe a faulty batch?