yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] Flavio:
Just flash Scrubber's GPe ROM and you have basically the same.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] E90 Commie:
The GPe version is the bad choice, actually. The issue with it is a different partition scheme, making it incompatible with ROMs for the Sony editions (even if there are early test versions of GPe converting tools). Approximately 99% of the ROMs are for the Sony edition only, which includes AOSP ones as well.

So the irony here is that the GPe is a worse choice for... AOSP than the Sony edition, which offers the GPe ROM AND a lot of different options including Sony AOSP ROMs.

You will enjoy the regular C6806 much more than the GPe - if you want the "pure" experience, just flash the Scrubber GPe ROM.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] atisha:
Anyone knows a dedicated webpage showing how to root and things for Sony z ultra? I've rooted s3 and nook before . The former with some big price I paid- losing imei number etc. From what I notice we have a Sony Xperia rooting for various phones, some say need to downgrade version 4.4.4 before before downgrade some not. If anyone has an idiot guide and able to point the link, pls do so. I've been meaning to root but haven't had much time available with two toddlers who won't allow some 'me-time'!
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] vincentallen2:
Which experience do you guys prefer more, stock sony 4.4.4 or gpe 5.0?
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] MSK1:
Any sign of replacement? At mwc?
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] vincentallen2:
The Alcatel Onetouch Hero 2+ looks like a very affordable powerhouse alternative to the Z ultra. $299 unlocked. Plus, it comes preloaded with Cyanogenmod 11S out the box.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] shaolin95:
Unless I am missing something, the specs are not as good as the Ultra plus its smaller so at least for me, its not really an alternative. Luckily the Ultra its still good enough that I can wait patiently. :highfive:
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] mrm43:
Very applicable. Just got mine this February. Rooted and unlocked bootloader immediately. Very fast indeed.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] atisha:
Hey can give me some guide how you root it? Do you need to downgrade your Rom from 4.4.4 to root?pls help. Some Step by Step guide if you still remember
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] adfurgerson:
Here's what you want.

http://xdaforums.com/xperia-z-ultra/general/guide-everything-root-4-4-4-t2938098
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] corrado85:
this phone soo good, i am thinking of purchasing a replacement (this time purple) from ebay.

the phone is still speedy Gonzalez !:cowboy:
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] atisha:
Just updated my almost unused Sony z ultra with lollipop official. Anyone with official lollipop manage to root? I know I sound like a broken record, it's slightl tougher to root on this Sony z ultra compared to my other phones. Less clear instructions on it whilst the other has dedicated blogs and clear instructions, not lumped together with other Xperias
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] MSK1:
Any news on succesor?
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] jtdc:
I am on the fence whenever a reasonably priced Z Ultra comes up. I am thinking whether I should upgrade my Nexus 7 2013 to this or not. Any inputs from someone who did?
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] Benjiro:
Frankly, i am upgrading away from the Sony Z Ultra, to the Huawei MediaPad X2.

Disadvantages from the ZU ( from my point of view ):

* Battery life getting bad after two years. Changing the battery involves melting the glue that holds the back together.

* Basic battery life is not that great. Its not bad for a device this big but for me its now just too little.

* Camera ... medium in the best of conditions, just horrible in anything with lower light settings. My old HTC HD2 does way better and that is only a 5Mp camera.

* Lack of flash / light ability can be bothersome at times to extreme annoying when you need to take a quick picture in low light or dark.

* ...

So i am upgrading to the Huawei MediaPad X2 for the following reasons:

* Battery life, depending on what test it shows a 200 to 300% difference in battery life. ZU: 4 to 8 hours at best video playback, while the X2: 12 to 16 hours. Screen on with no activity at 150ln still able to keep running for 32 hours! Etc ... its just a monster.

That also means in my eyes: Less frequent battery charging, less battery damage = more capacity after 1 or 2 years of usage compared to the ZU ( or any phone with a 1 or two days charge-up cycle ).

* Camera is maybe not the best but still better then the ZU. And it has a flash!

* Bigger screen: 7" ( IPS! ) vs 6.4".

* 1920 * 1200 resolution vs 1920 * 1080p on the ZU. The extra bigger screen and resolution = win win ...

* CPU is also faster in all the tests that i see up to now. ( 10 a 30% faster and yet more energy efficient ). 64Bit ready etc.

* Battery can be removed with a few screws and it uses a simple connector cable. More "safe" to remove battery if a new one is needed.

* Same specs as the X1 = you can fall back on accessories etc for the X1 already.

All that for only 10mm bigger side and 10g more weight....

Anyway, i am fed up waiting for Sony because i am frankly sure if they release another phone it will have a limited capacity extreme difficult to remove / replace battery. And a CPU that will probably suck up more juice for very little user improvements ( Smartphone's are already plenty fast, power conservation is now a nice point ).

That is my opinion but ... frankly, just buy a X2. Its probably also going to be cheaper then buying a brand new Sony ZU2 ( if they ever release one ). And buying a old second hand ZU is asking for trouble with the battery.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] E90 Commie:
I would consider a Huawei IF there is ROM development for it, i.e. a possibility to replace the stock ROM with something like BlissPop. The unfortunate situation seems to be no development for their devices, though (based on XDA searching).

It doesn't feel safe to rely on Huawei for Android updates just yet but if decent custom ROM support appear, I would consider a P8 Max since it seems to be a nice device otherwise.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] Benjiro:
That is like the Chicken or the Egg...

The more people buy, the more change for more custom roms. At the moment most of the ROM development comes from Chinese owners as the device is popular in China.

Huawei is only recently getting more traction in the western markets so of course there is some delay. And lets face it, it took also a long time before the ZU noticed any decent rom development. Now the ZU looks like it has a lot of support but its also a two year old device.

Fun tool: http://www.phonearena.com/phones/size/Sony-Xperia-Z-Ultra,Huawei-MediaPad-X2/phones/7883,9277 ( and press "VIEW LAYERED" ). >:)
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] atisha:
I acquired Sony z ultra early this year, haven't been using much until recently when my Samsung s3 broke down. The camera has been a real disappointment. I am thinking of getting a new phone. I soon discover I don't need such a big screen phone. A Note 2 size would suffice. For the same price, I would rather trade with one that has better phone. Anyone has any idea what I should get? Lenovo vibe shot seems good. Anyone have any thoughts? (I want a phone that has plenty of rom support, pretty powerful but no need to be the top, good camera, good battery plus easy change, no break down).
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] TravisBean:
Still using my Ultra z as a game-boy and luv'n it. No disappointments here !!

....................................
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] raundown:
S6 variants
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] tgdinamo:
IMHO size matters. A lot. For that but also other reasons not only was ZU applicable in 2014 - it's still the best phone in 2015. I was on Note 3 before ZU and thought it was a good phone as well - but ZU is far better and Sony seems to add much less crap to their devices than Samsung.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] Klaos3000:
Even if this thread was titled "Is the Z Ultra still an applicable device in 2015?", the answer would still be yes. The S800 is still doing great.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] hansip87:
With 5.1.1, the XZU definitely still applicable even now. Just don't rely on the cam though and all be fine.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] E90 Commie:
I would also say that the Ultra is still very applicable since the only devices which can be considered "replacements" is the Huawei MediaPad X2 or M2 but they are not there yet developer wise.

Considering all false rumors about Ultra successors (Z3X anyone), I would rather consider a Z5 TC when Sony release it as the closest we probably will come UNLESS there is credible rumors such as prototype pictures and FCC documents arriving, clearly showing a "Z Ultra II" is coming (earliest possibility I can think of is MWC next year and I am not sure if they would use the 'Z5' as a branding at that time).

In my case, I have opened up the possibility of getting an 8 inch device as a replacement since I have serious doubts about highend devices around 6.5-7 inches considering how long time it has taken since the Ultra came out while the only other maker stepping up with a more highend approach has been Huawei.

It seems like the 8 inch segment is more alive than the 6.5-7 inch one and I have been looking at both the Dell Venue 8 Pro and Huawei MediaPad M2 but realize that it will most probably be first in 2016 we got such hardware improvements that it is worth to finally upgrade. Snapdragon 820 or newer Intel CPUs, 4 GB RAM, 64-128 GB internal storage + microSDXC (256 GB cards should be in the market next year I guess) plus perhaps a 4K display and a keyboard flipcover seems to be what it takes to really replace the Ultra. Bigger battery is another plus.

As it is today, most manufacturers seems to be set on making 5.5-6 inch devices and then leaving a gap filled with some lower end 7 inch tablets and then provide highend at the 8 inch segment.

If Sony include an ear speaker for phone calls on the Z5 Tablet Compact (they omitted it on the Z3 TC despite including the dialer on the SGP621), then that would be like a silent release of a Z Ultra "successor" since it would make the device equally capable.

I think it is a higher probability that we will get a Z5 TC sooner than a new "Z Ultra II".

Edit: Sony could have hinted at a possible Ultra replacement if they had released a successor to the T2 Ultra (T5 Ultra) and given it approximately the same specs as the original Ultra (Snapdragon 801, 2 GB RAM etc) and a display around 6.3 inches. Such a device would indicate that they are open to those sizes rather than capping at around 5.7 inches (as the new C5 Ultra is).
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] Hermann1222:
I would say the ultra is still applicable in 2015/16.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] jassalmithu:
Yes, with the news of it being discontinued, I just got one to just use at my desk and backup phone, using for about 4 days, and it's great.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] TravisBean:
Battery died in my Xperia ion lt28, so I removed the Straight talk sim card and put it into my GPE Ultra z.

Voice calls were immediately enabled, but data required more settings in order to come on line.

Including:

APN Protocol.........Ipv4/Ipv6

MVNO type...............SPN/IMSI/GID

Much to my surprise, GPS/Maps loaded and worked much better on the UltraZ vs the Xperia Ion.

Voice quality over Bluetooth also seemed clearer.

I decided to switch to the Ultra Z (which I was previously only using over wi/fi as a gamming device) after seeing all that was involved in changing out a battery on the factory sealed Ion.

I can't help but wonder the nightmare to come when it's time to change out the battery on the Ultra Z.

I wonder how many charge/discharge cycles the Z is good for ??

..................................
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] Klaos3000:
I've used my Ultra constantly for over 2 years now, and the battery is still going strong. It lasts easily a day, and I usually get 4-5 hours of screen-on-time. Also, it's not that hard to change the battery. I haven't done it myself, but you should only heat up the back with a heatgun, use a small suction cup to lift the back off, and then change the battery. You can get a new battery for around £23.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] vipfreak:
Welp, been nice knowing ya Sony... I'm moving on since you won't give me my Z5 Ultra. I was ready to throw my money at you too... Moving on to a LG V10.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] hansip87:
Interesting thing is, an SOT for about 5 hour plus per day is still a standard affair even for the latest phone in real life. to think that Z Ultra can reach such SOT in real life (albeit with dimmer backlight) is proving that this phone still can cope with the time. Only the camera is the pain point though. For now, if the Z5 Premium's dpi is set to 400ppi as default (rather than 480ppi which will render the same display as Z5 albeit larger), that would be the perfect XZU replacement for me.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] atisha:
Is it not the case the higher PPI, the better the photo?

What's the problem that Sony ultra z camera suck? The hardware is at par with others smartphone but Sony screwed up at the software side? I still couldn't help but hoping there'll be a good camera app to solve the problem....
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] morestupidemailnames:
Super thin body. Tiny sensor. No flash. **** camera.

Good screen. Not great. Light patch top right corner.

Handy that you can run a USB memory stick via an adaptor cable.

Internal memory too small.

Poor build quality.

Sony battery case magnetic dock was stronger than the tape holding the phones magnetic dock so pulled it out of the phone. Phone now has a hole in the side.

I won't bother again. But I'll keep this one as a GPS for the car.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] hansip87:
If we talk about ppi or dpi, we need to talk about the size too. A 600ppi but only at 1 inch square only equals to 600x600 res. But a 300ppi file with 4inch square will be 1200x1200 res.

Take for example, z3 with 1080p display on 5 inch (480dpi) can only produce around 640x360 equivalent desktop screen resolution compared with xzu on 6.4inch (320dpi) which produce 960x540. Z5 have 640x360 (same as z3) whereas z5p (if indeed set at 400dpi rather than 480 of z5 standard) have 768x432 desktop equivalent res.

Yes it might be less sharp, but it will be more spacious. Plus with density more than 300ppi these days it's still sharp enough to have 400dpi screen at 5.5 inc, heck xzu with 342ppi is sharp on 6.44 inch
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] TravisBean:
Is an Ultra Z still applicable in 2014/15/16?

Long time since I posted on this forum...............

Well, I'm finding that it still is. Both Kill Shot and Kill Shot Bravo still play brilliantly on this thin, light, and powerful phone.

Is there any way to split the screen and run 2 apps at the same time like you can on the Samsung Note series of phones ?
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] E90 Commie:
There are different solutions for multiwindow on the Ultra. SkyolinHelper and XHFW3 is two Xposed based solutions and another one is MM/AICP11, which offer the capability out of the box.

I would say that the Ultra is still going strong in 2016 but a viable replacement has arrived, finally: the Xiaomi Mi Max. If we exclude it for a moment I would say that I would still go for another Ultra when I look at the rest of the market. The other possible contenders (Asus Zenfone 3 Ultra, Huawei Honor 8 Note and Lenovo Phab 2 Pro) has issues such as badly documented CPU (Huawei) and big question marks regarding developer support (Asus and Lenovo), where the Ultra is still keeping up. Sony has no viable replacements (the XA Ultra is an inferior device despite better camera) and the rest of their models have way too small displays.

The Ultra is simply pretty much a relevant device today but the time to move on is approaching as I see it (to a Mi Max).
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] TravisBean:
I guess that Snapdragon 652 with the Adreno 510 gpu makes the Xiaomi Mi Max a more powerful device than the Ultra Z. I wonder what the actual "real world" perceivable improvement is ? (love my video games)
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] fghjkld:
Yes, use xhwf3 it works wonders when setup right
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] TravisBean:
So will the Ultra Z GPE get the Marshmallow upgrade ??
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] SUPERUSER:
nope don't think so
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] TravisBean:
I thought all Google Play Device's were supposed to.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] SUPERUSER:
Google is famous for scrapping their projects without notice... so did they with the gpe program. Its dead and defunct. Abandoned.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] TravisBean:
I didn't even know that. (thanks)
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] speculatrix:
To re-read answer this question, "is the xzu relevant", I say yes. It seems the world is catching up with the idea, with 5.5" displays being quite average

And, there's this

http://m.imgur.com/ALMObBv
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] TravisBean:
This review indicates that the Xiaomi Mi Max is primarily designed for use in Asia. That's a shame because a device with a Snapdragon 652 at $260 is a bargain. I live in the USA, and use Straight Talk.

http://www.techspot.com/review/1239-xiaomi-mi-max/page3.html

.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] DarkSandmaN:
what is xhwf3?
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] TravisBean:
Looks like this is the replacement (but only a 6 inch screen).

http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_xa_ultra-review-1465.php
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] E90 Commie:
The XA Ultra isn't exactly a 'replacement' to the Ultra. It is MediaTek, same performance as a C6833 (why bother when there's no gain?), smaller display and since it is MediaTek - no Open Devices Program or anything.

It has better cameras than the Ultra, though.

I wouldn't trade my C6833 for the XA Ultra, that's for sure.

The most appropriate replacement so far is the.... Xiaomi Mi Max and then we have the Asus Zenfone 3 Ultra, Huawei Honor 8 Note and Lenovo Phab 2 Pro.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] TravisBean:
My god, it's now 2017, I'm still using the Ultra Z and have no desire for something newer. Is there something wrong with me ? (other than my silly avatar) :D
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] SUPERUSER:
nope so am I. As long as I reinstall the os every now and its very fast. My choice of rom is Hybrid concept edition 2.0

My proximity sensor is broken but bypassed with sensor disabler xposed module. The headphone jack needs to be replaced. Not sure if I'm gonna do it or not. The gasket for the sim/microsd flap broke of so it wouldn't close. So i glued it shut with contact cement instead of paying 8 USD for a set of new usb + sim flap... I don't need access to the flap anyways. A year ago i dropped it strait onto concrete and cracked the back panel. But it was easily replaced within 5 minutes.

I have tempered glass back and front replaced on a regular basis. Ordered a new set a few days ago to replace them again.

Its a sturdy little fukker i would say :p

The reason I'm waiting is because s835 not being released yet. And what to come next. I'm not in a hurry. I will keep using my z ultra at least three more years or so. Maybe more?
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] TravisBean:
I was actually considering the Note 7, but that's down the toilet for obvious reasons...............

(But only because you can run 2 apps at once, side by side. I want to run Uber and Lyft driver programs at the same time)
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] SUPERUSER:
If you wait a little longer its going to be possible in android natively. Its possible in Nougat. But it might be more stable in the future and hopefully implemented by other oems. Not just vanilla android.

I don't recommend buying samsung devices any more because of their proprietary everything and locked down this and that. Its basically an android iphone where jailbreak is no more. (Jailbreaking died off some years ago)

Oh my look at that..1000 posts
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] TravisBean:
Yes 1000 posts. Congrats. :)
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] TravisBean:
Finaly, a worthy replacement of the Ultra Z. Only 1/10 of an inch smaller screen.

http://www.samsung.com/us/galaxy/note8/?cid=ppc-
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] TravisBean:
Hard to believe the Z Ultra is now 5 years old. Seems just like yesterday that I was so proud to own the latest and greatest. I still get a lot of compliments on the phone. People still keep asking "where can I get one? " Still a great phone for playing games, thin and light with that huge fantastic screen.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] SUPERUSER:
Same here. Everywhere I go the first topic many times is my huge stealth looking phone with no logos :)

Togari to me is a genuine timeless piece of art. I think its design could be superseded by the beautiful XZ Premium if they had a piano black version like the togari has and flush camera lens on the back.

I'm still looking for a replacement device. The new pixel xl might be interesting with almost 6 inches if rumors are correct.

The note 8 is a no for me.

Samsung never sharing their source code other then the kernel puts their products in a bad spot.

There is only stock based stable roms as it has always been. This is where sony really shines with their open community.

I meet owners of galaxy phones that have problem with stock rom. Bad battery life..stuttering performance even on the s7 edge exynos and one guy that had the exynos note 5 that had random reboots and sluggy performance from time to time after doing multiple reflashes of stock rom.

I think its going to take long time before samsung impresses me again.

I give them creds for putting 6GB of ram in the note 8. Samsung is big and other manufacturers will soon follow where the other still stick with 4GB.

Okay lets wait for the haters. They'll be: you only need an i5 for playing games!! .... android don't use more than 2GB...stfu more is better. Give me 64GB of ram!!
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] TravisBean:
Everyone I meet who has the S8 plus says it's flawless.

So I assume the Note 8 is basically the same with a larger screen that you can split and run 2 apps simultaneously. It's probably amazing for playing games also.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] SUPERUSER:
I read some time ago that Samsung slimmed their ui to make it a bit snappier

I haven't read much about the s8 but I really hope Samsung are starting to get their software right.

I wanted to try the s8+ but they all were powered down in the store..
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] TravisBean:
Well, my Z Ultra finally bit the Dust. I have moved on to an LG v40 thinq. I like the new LG phone, but I loved the Sony Z Ultra.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] raundown:
The phone has not been rooted nor flashed before. I only had 10 minutes to look at the phone and only discover it's problem after 2 hours of usage hope that does not offend you.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] TheFamilyMan:
No I Wasn't Trying to Offend or Demean You

I think you may have misunderstood me, download something called Flashtool, then find either a rooted or non-rooted stock ROM and flash it using Flashtool. It'll solve your problems unless it is locked because it's either lost or hot.

Flashing the device in that kind of condition with the right firmware will make your phone like new albeit as long as there's nothing internally wrong with it.

In summary, if your device isn't hot flashing it will make it feel like you just took it out of the box. All it's going cost you are downloads that are the most important ingredients you'll need to bring that BEAST back to life.

Capice?

I meant no ill will toward you ok. I was trying to set off the light bulbs in your head, that's all. P.M. me if you need help, ok.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] raundown:
I have tried the repair tool from Pc companion. The phone works normal but you just don't know when the reboot will kick in. What is the difference between the flashtool and Pc companion?

Thanks for your help.
[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] raundown:
Not sure about stolen but the IMEI is still unlocked.