[Xperia Z3 General] RockStar2005:
RCJ,

Your link above shows that the Z3's speaker loudness for phone calls and music were actually higher than the M8's. I have the M8, and let me tell you, it can be VERY loud when it wants to be. So if that's true, then wow! lol This is the first time I've seen a "final tally" showing the Z3's volume is actually higher than the M8's (though still clear sounding too). If the headphone volume isn't as loud that sux but I dunno. I guess that matters more to some ppl than others. I've heard that the S5 and G3 had been found to distort the sound at full volume (Z3 and M8 don't), so I'm not sure I agree with the results listed there in that link. I know Jiyeon said she actually tried the Z3's headphone abilities out with her good headphones, and said it wasn't loud enough (and not any louder than the Z2, which she currently owns), though it was loud enough on her smaller headphones (which I assume means she used earphones). So your buddy at Vodafone was probably right as he too said it didn't sound any louder than the Z2.

Also, the 2nd article keeps referring to the Z3 as a Sony-Ericsson phone.... why? Sony split from them in 2012. They are now simply Sony Mobile.

I think what's happened is their phones have gotten better. The Z and Z1 (and Z1s) got good not great reviews. The Z2 and Z3 phones however have been given even better reviews for finally resolving some of the issues from those first few models, like screen issues, sound quality, etc. Sometimes on my M8 the call quality isn't great but I think that's more to do with the person I'm calling's phone than mine. Also if that person wasn't in an area with good reception, that could degrade the quality as well. I dunno. I think I will ask Jiyeon to chime in since she has the Z2.

In my previous post, the phonearena.com results were different:

http://www.phonearena.com/reviews/So..._id3795/page/3

Scroll down to "Audio Output", which is just under "Multimedia". From there, add the HTC One M8 (my current phone) and Sony Xperia Z2 to see. Or see below:

AUDIO OUTPUT

LOUDSPEAKER LOUDNESS (DB)

(HIGHER IS BETTER)

Samsung Galaxy S5 81

LG G3 81

HTC One (M8) 75.2

Sony Xperia Z3 74

Sony Xperia Z2 71

Although it says higher is better, that doesn't always mean it's clearer. The S5 and G3 HAVE to be louder to make up for the poor decision of putting a SINGLE speaker in the BACK vs 2 stereo front-facing speakers.

To be honest, sometimes I think my M8's speakers are TOO loud, so if the Z3's are only like 1 db softer, then they sound fine to me. Now if you use Sony's special noise cancellation earphones (they came with the Z2 in Japan I believe, but not in the states), they utilize a special and very innovative proprietary technology (when used with the Z2 and Z3 at least) that works together with the earphones to cancel most of the noise out, almost 100% of it........ which would logically result in a higher volume b/c you're not losing sound to outside noise. See my FIRST post on Page 2 of this thread for more info on that. The earphones themselves are not too pricey either. If I got the Z3, I would most likely buy these as well:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0P0WX01XFMYSSJAAD6K2

RockStar2005

---------- Post added at 06:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:06 PM ----------

Hi Jiyeon,

I was just wondering, how is the call quality on the Z2? Since you actually own it I thought it would be wise to ask you. I'm guessing the Z3's would be the same if not better, so just wondering. Also, do you live in an area with great reception or no?

Thank You,

RockStar2005