yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] Ryland Johnson:
Hi,

Spent hours and hours researching the Ultra and the Note 3. Though I truly love the design of the Z range Not even I can find an excuse for purchasing what is in effect a tablet with a phone? I like my Z phone and the Z 10.1 tablet. for me though the Ultra is just that tad OTT regarding size for an every day user friendly mobile phone.

I am rather shocked and surprised to write that I have the Samsung galaxy Note 3 on order complete in a package with that awful gear watch. I write awful gear watch BUT I have not even set eyes on one yet. From what I have seen of it on Youtube it looks bloomin awful and may well end up gathering dust in a draw? Package deal though and a very good price.

Reasons I went with the Note 3 and not the ultra. Size, The specification of the Note does appear to leave the Ultra wanting in fact the only two positives I managed to write on the numerous lists I wrote where the Ultra has a bigger screen and is water and dust resistant. IN all other areas the Note, on paper, leaves the Ultra behind. I am shocked by this but compare both specifications side by side and the Ultra is basically a tablet spec with a phone.

Just like to thank you again for your input and say I am still very proud to own the Sony Xperia Z tablet and have found my time with the Xperia Z phone a great experience. Cant really believe I am returning the Samsung path, I hatted all that plastic. At least with the Note there are going to be a myriad of changeable back plates and some of them made by third party brands will be in metal.

I think the thing that made the choice was the phone. The Ultra doesn't even come with a flash and the picture capabilities are very poor according to reports. The Note comes with Android 4.3 out of the box, has 3GB RAM and 32GB memory not to mention the pen functions, and myriad of other built in technology such as Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, temperature, humidity, gesture, even a larger battery! Add to that the Note has 4k video and an IR port.......The Ultra does appear rather dull? I would still have bought the Ultra though had it not been so near a 7" tablet. Pleased I shall be using a new device but sad its not a Sony.

Kindest regards.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] AntiLazarus:
While I do hope you enjoy your Note 3 and hope you don't experience buyer's remorse, I have to disagree about the Note 3's spec advantage re: the Z Ultra. The only advantages it has are an additional GB of RAM and and extra 16 GB storage. I do concede that these are advantages, and have no interest in trying to spin the facts to argue against you, but let's be honest: 2 GB of RAM is PLENTY for Android at this point in time. I run a custom ROM on my Nexus 4 that shows the RAM bar in the recent apps screen and I routinely have 15+ apps open at once, usually with 200 MB or more of RAM left. So, an extra gigabyte of RAM is better, but when you still have headroom with 2 GB of RAM, it's not a difference you're going to feel. Like, at all. So this is an advantage in terms of future-proofing but will not result in any better performance at this point in time.

The extra 16 GB of storage is nice as well, but in my opinion, this would not have been a decisive advantage even a year or two ago, let alone now that cloud storage has evolved so much. I am not one of these people who advocates storing everything in the cloud (at least not yet), and do appreciate lots of local storage, but since the Xperia ZU has 16 + 64 GB, the question of storage is one of second or third-tier importance. I guess if I were an economist, I would say that the Note 3 does have an advantage in terms of RAM and storage, but given the amount of RAM and storage the ZU already has, the marginal utility of more is very low. It's just not really going to result in a significantly better experience. The Z Ultra, however, has very tangible advantages over the Note 3, including a much larger display, total waterproofing up to 1.5 meters + dust resistance, thinner, and it's much better-looking and probably better-built.

This is all my opinion, of course, and YMMV. But subjectively, today was my first day out in the real world with the Z Ultra (I took it with me to university) and OH MAN, it was awesome. It slides right in my pocket, no problem, and once I lit up that huge, beautiful display (between classes, of course!), I just smiled and knew that I'd made the right choice buying this phone.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] capitansid:
Welcome to Samsung's world...

I am a current Samsung Galaxy Note 1 owner and I'm happy to say that it has served me well.. I was happy with it.. I would agree to you that Note3 is better on paper.. specswise... a dash of flash here...a sprinkle of RAM there.. a spoon of 32gb memory there.. and add 4k recording on top..

To be honest, I was disappointed with Samsung's market strategy.. I bought the Note not just for practicality and purpose but also for bragging rights.. "big screen! muwaha!" And then a few months later, they released the Mega.. then the S4... With even bigger screens..

I'm like "wtf Samsung? I thought the Note was your phablet line??" And then the Note became just some other big phone and not Samsung's star of the show.. At least with Sony, they released another star of the show without stepping over the ZU.. take note of the Z1.. We have the Z1 but it specialized on another field (photography). They did not release *and hopefully WILL NOT release* another phablet which is not from the Ultra family and would end up stepping over the ZU..

Simply with this, I am moving to Sony.. For sure by Q1 of 2014, you guys will see a Samsung Mega 2, Galaxy S5 etc... etc.. which will leave the Note in the backstage yet again... :confused:

"Sent from my refrigerator"
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] deepu4puppy:
awesome device..

Hi Mr Ryland..This is DR Sudeep here..i did find some of our tastes being in common and thought of sharing some of them ..i m a proud owner of the z ,z tablet as you do and the new awesome z ultra..infact i really enjoyed some of your comments and debate with one of those reviewers of the website i dont remember about the xperia z and think exactly the way and hold opinions exactly the way you do..funny many things in common..infact before i bought the z ultra i exactly had the same things and queries in mind as you do now and now being the proud owner of z ultra ..thought of sharing some things..as your reservations stand here u are spot on in many of ur fears i guess if u wanna leap to ultra as i did feel the same way when i first laid my hands on this awesome device..its huge for sure ..make no mistake about that..but its own of those devices u really forgive even being such huge coz the design is so freakingly awesome the device is so thin yet feels so sturdy and strong with that alluminium framed finish ..not once did i feel that i was holding a glass sandwiched phone coz it feels so strong in hand no creaking noise what so ever ..its huge yet its pocketable..and did i mention the awesome water resistance..its in a league of very few masterpieces in the world that try to balance opposite things and yet do it with a plomb and authority..what i mean is ..its huge but pocketable and pleasant to hold in hand the screen which is out of this world can be the reason alone to buy this jewel and carry this burden in pocket infact i no more feel it a burden in pocket ..i sttarted enjoying the glares and the attention i was getting in public places,,,touch response is frealkingly silky smooth ..i have never seen a faster device in my life than this..i thot z was fierce fast bfre i got this in hand and boy it flies it literally flies yet to notice a single hang or stutter..i will end up by saying this...all your reservations are true ...but it is one of those few devices out there which you will be joyful and proud of and will be willing to compromise for all the great things it does and its a guarantee,,,hope ieven though i sounded a little fan boy i was helpful to you and i can afford doing that holding this awesome device,,..regards..please come up with any queries or opinions of yours as i would be glad if im being helpful to you in anyway..thanks..cheers mate
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] Ryland Johnson:
Hi, thanks for the reply, I appreciate your thoughts and time.

If you log into GSMArena.com you can view side by side both the Ultra and the Note3 and the specs are more than a tad different. I must make it clear I am a great fan of these Xperia devices, I own two of them already and enjoy them both with zero regrets.

I must confess I am a little confused by your comment "To be honest, I was disappointed with Samsung's market strategy.. I bought the Note not just for practicality and purpose but also for bragging rights.. "big screen! muwaha!" And then a few months later, they released the Mega.. then the S4... With even bigger screens.. " To the best of my knowledge I purchased my Note 1 in 2011. The Galaxy S4 only came out this year same as the Mega? If I understand you correctly I don't think Samsung can be accused of introducing new models soon after their latest effort.

NOW, if I HAD to pick a fight it could be with Sony...Only bought my Z in April at launch yet less than six months latter the Zi is taking the crown with reviewers already saying the new Z1 is what the 'old' Z should have been:(

I support progress and am pleased this field of technology keeps pushing the boundaries. The one major criticism I have is that battery technology is lagging way behind to the point that tis new tech we are seeing today is more or less academic in many ways as the devices don't have the battery power to run said device for longer than a few hours in some cases.:confused:

I agree with you that a new Samsung Note 4 will soon appear but then so will the stunning new Ultra 2 with flash and 32-64Gb plus 4Gb RAM, maybe even a larger screen and thinner body etc. Its called progress and all brands thankfully work this way.

Regards.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] capitansid:
Oh sorry forgot to say that I did not buy the Note the time it went out.. I bought the note last June 2012 wherein the Note 2 was due to be released..

I dont feel bad that the Note 2 went out a few months after I bought the Note 1. I just feel bad that they released an entirely different line of phablet which is the Galaxy Mega.. So what's the specialty of the Note now? Just the stylus? Not the big screen anymore? Samsung shouldve stuck with the idea wherein the Note is their only phablet product... :(

"Sent from my refrigerator"
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] AntiLazarus:
I may have missed something, but I'm not sure the Mega series is going to be a continuing line of devices going forward. I think Samsung just uses their manufacturing advantages to spit out devices in every conceivable size and shape to see what people like and what they don't. Not many manufacturers have the capital to do this, but if you do, it's probably not a bad strategy.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] Ryland Johnson:
I think the thing we technophiles need to accept and understand is exactly what you wrote. Not all customers are looking at the top of the market with the latest and newest devices. To that end the Mega, to me, is very odd BUT it is selling well to those who desire a large device without the latest technology.

Part of the deciding factors for me with the Ultra was its poor camera, zero flash, identity crisis, lol and for a device this size it should have had a much larger battery and 3Gb RAM not 2GB. I do love the Ultra, its massive and stylish with real character and quality but I cant justify purchasing the Ultra on looks alone. When we explore what this new Note 3 does it really is a technophiles dream on steroids! The other clincher for me was the awful looking, probably useless gear watch that is coming with my Note 3 for only 120.00€ Now that deal was just to good to pass.

If the Ultra continues to drop in price I may well in future months go completely bonkers and treat myself, pennies permitting. I am still happy with my Xperia Z phone and absolutely love the Xperia 10.1 tablet, that is the king of tablets at present for me, its choice and subjective of course.

Kind regards
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] AntiLazarus:
Now hold on just a minute, lol. I don't agree with the notion that the ZU has a bad camera. I think one thing we techies are often guilty of, since we keep up with all the bleeding-edge developments in the industry, is assuming that a particular piece of technology or feature is more widespread and standard than it really is. The ZU 's camera, in my opinion, is fairly decent. Since smartphone cameras are the latest big hole everyone is rushing to plug, we assume that if it isn't 120 megapixels with oversampling, or using some kind of unique sensor technology, or some such thing, that it must "suck," but in reality it's a fairly good sensor when placed in proper context. I like to think of it as an "honest" smartphone camera, one that knows it is a smartphone camera and is happy with its role. Such cameras are meant for convenience, and not high-end imaging. Even Apple is "only" using 8 megapixels on their flagship.

As for RAM, no offense, but you're being totally unrealistic and unfair by saying that the ZU "should have" had 3 GB of RAM. Why? You can barely fill 2 right now. The Note 3 is the ONLY phone with 3 GB of RAM. If Samsung had released it with 2 GB, you wouldn't have written that part of your post. Saying that a device "should have" had more RAM than anything else on the market to be usable is just unfair. It's exactly like saying the Note 3 should have had a 64 bit CPU because the new iPhone has one. As I've already pointed out, that 3 GB will not improve your experience AT ALL. Plus, the battery is actually pretty good. In my opinion, the NOTE 3's screen is just too small, and Samsung's AMOLED displays are not up to the quality of Sony's Triluminos panels, but it wouldn't be fair for me to insinuate that the NOTE 3 is less advanced, even though it really does fall short from a certain point of view.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] Ryland Johnson:
Hi, thanks for the reply. from the benchmark tests I have seen so far that 3Gb of RAM does add to the performance. The extra RAM is also needed, so I am told, to ensure the new Pen system works at optimum level? I am writing in the dark here as I have not yet received the Note 3.

ALL of what I write is second hand information taken from the web etc.

With regard to the camera. Can you explain why on earth Sony did not use a flash?

I changed from Samsung to Sony because of the screen and to be honest I like the screen on My Sony Xperia Z. I had the Samsung galaxy S3 and the screen on that distorted the colours. I do agree with several reports that the Z screen does look at tad washed out so we have the two extremes. Sony has soon rectified that with the introduction of the Z1.

I don't want to keep listing the advantages of the Note 3 over the Ultra as I truly love the Ultra. Did you know the Note 3 is the first mobile phone to make use of USB 3? Its incredible what Samsung have placed in the note 3.

Size. I have said it before and will say it again, this is choice. You say the note 3 screen is too small and I say the Ultra screen is too large. Thank heavens we have the choice.

I am now going to give you a real laugh. Way back in 2011 I was one of the first people in this country to own the Note 1. I sold it very quickly as it was just too big to be travel friendly. Here I am now 3 years later with the Note 3 on order? I have now come to accept large screen mobiles and no doubt in a few years there may be many mobiles the size of the Ultra? At 5.7" I don't think we can refer to the Note 3 as a small screen?

Lets see how sales go on both devices.

Oh, another point that's a shame is the value of my Sony Z just after 6 months of ownership. I cant give it away. Samsung appear to do better in the used market despite them being so common. I think a Sony body with Samsung technology would be a winner. We could call it a Sonsung!:laugh:

I hope I don't regret purchasing the Note 3. On paper it even makes your morning coffee. If only Samsung could be banned from using plastics! That 'plastic leather' back is hideous and will have to go!

Thanks for the reply,

Kind regards.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] capitansid:
We'll lets not make this a flame thread shall we? ;)

Well it just comes down to taste.. i was really looking for a Sony phablet last June 2012 but there was none so I went for the Note 1.

Now we have the ZU so I'm jumping ship towards Sony... I have High hopes and I don't think it will disappoint me despite its shortcomings... (camera flash)

I still cannot understand why didn't Sony include a camera flash... but I'll get over it.. :sly:

"Sent from my refrigerator"
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] AntiLazarus:
The decision to not use a flash, as I understand it, enabled Sony to make the device thinner. Whether that's a good trade is down to opinion, and I'm not sure exactly how much thickness it saved them. Personally, it doesn't bother me, as I almost never use an LED flash since I think they make pictures look worse than they would have looked anyway more often than not. Plus, even though I've always thought of myself as someone who really didn't care much about phone thickness, I'd be lying if I said I didn't like the thinness of this phone.

Anyway, as long as there is enough RAM to run the benchmark (and there is, 2 GB is a lot), more RAM will not help you. I am not saying more RAM is not better, but right now, it's kind of like Warren Buffett making another million dollars. Yeah, I'm sure he's happy to have it, but he has so much money already, there's no tangible benefit to having it for him. In just the same way, no one was asking for more RAM before the Note 3 came with 3 GB. Again, not saying it's not good, but I don't see how it could possibly be a big enough deal to sway someone's decision to purchase the device over another.

That's the case with all of the Note 3's "advantages" over the Z Ultra. I guess technically it has several, like additional storage, the RAM, 4K, USB 3.0, but all of those things are extremely trivial. I like a very large display (obviously, since I have the XZU), so for me, the display size difference alone is enough to outweigh ALL of those things the Note 3 has over the XZU. The storage and RAM just don't provide a very tangible benefit over what the ZU already has, I don't own any 4K hardware, and even if I did I'm sure the 4K files are going to be compressed to hell and awful-looking (by the way, I'm sure this would apply to Sony as well, had they chosen to implement 4K recording in their new phones, so I'm not picking on Samsung), so that's not really an advantage to me, and I don't even know what USB 3.0 brings. Faster transfer speeds, I guess? Again, nice, but it's so far down the list in importance that it barely registers. Just the fact that the ZU is waterproof is more than enough to wipe out all of those advantages.

Anyway, I guess this is just to say that we have different opinions, the foregoing are mine, and saying that the Note 3's specs are better than the ZU's sort of irritates me, because it depends entirely on which specs you look at. Saying that the Note 3's are better just means that you place more importance on those areas in which the Note 3 is ahead. Anyway, I truly do hope you enjoy the Note 3 and don't regret your purchase. Hell, I think the Note 3 looks like a pretty kick-ass phone myself, and if there were no such thing as the XZU I'd be all over it for sure.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] LordManhattan:
A thought popped up: I doubt that the pen system uses that much more RAM, but doesn't it say a lot when Samsung has to put another GB of RAM in it to keep the system afloat? Holy unoptimized bloatware Batman!

I'm not here to discuss though, since there really isn't much to discuss. You want the Note 3, and that's totally fine. There shouldn't be a discussion around this since it's your choice. This thread is way beyond its purpose though, so i would recommend you to report your own thread to a mod and ask if (s)he can close it, unless you want to discuss some more, that is :p
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] appelflap:
I kept my Xperia Z and bought a second sim card for the Ultra. If the Ultra can travel with me I bring it along. It doesn't need to replace my phone completely. It's more like a second phone / organizer / reader. In some cases it's more convenient to use the Ultra, in other cases the Z.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] greves:
Still torn between these two myself, and possibly the Liquid S2 although I haven't played with one yet.

I LOVE the Z Ultra. Hands down the best phone released to date. I played with the demo models for a long time on multiple occasions at my local phone shops, but I just can't bring myself to pull the trigger yet and make the purchase. I'm getting what will be my only phone until it breaks and I need a new one. I'm coming from an X10 mini pro that I bought new when it was released in 2010, and just recently broke beyond repair. That's over 3 years, and with the quality of the Z Ultra, I'm sure it will last longer than that. So that means 3 or maybe 4 or even 5 years of having a huge phablet uncomfortably stuffed in my pocket (I've done the pocket test, it fits but I can't sit/squat comfortably with it in there), or carrying around a shoulder bag every time I leave the house. It won't even fit in the phone shelf on my dashboard, which means putting it on top and exposing it to direct sunlight while driving. I don't even know if I could find a GPS mount big enough for it, and if I could, it will take up a large chunk of windscreen visibility.

But I'm so tired of the tiny screen of the mini. The 4.3" HTC Desire HD that I'm currently borrowing from a friend (until I decide on a replacement) and even the Galaxy Note 2 that I have used extensively (a few friends have one) pale in comparison to the look & feel of the Z Ultra, and I know the GN3 is just a very slightly larger GN2.

So yeah, I totally agree with the poster who said the screen is both it's strongest and weakest point. Would I be better getting a "normal" sized phone (Z1) and a tablet (Nexus 7 2013)? But then I have to carry both devices anyway if I want to use the tablet. And if I only get a "compromise" device (like the GN3), I will for sure have buyer's remorse. If I just get a Z1, I'll know exactly how much screen real estate I'm missing - I've used them side by side at the shops and there's simply no comparison. The ZU has 25% more screen area than the GN3, and a whopping 75% more than the Z1. That's practically double.

Totally in love with and simultaneously dumb-founded by the Z Ultra.

What to do?