Sony Xperia Z3v Now Available on Verizon

[smalltowngirl13]

Does the tempered glass protector take up the whole screen? Can't tell by the pics.

And if it does, must've been pretty easy to put on straight since the screen sits a bit lower than the edge. Or is that just camera angles?

Yes, it covers completely and is a very nice fit. With the screen protector on, everything is flush on the front... Meaning nothing is raised or lowered with the use of the tempered glass protector.


Sent while mobile...

 

[dezymond]

Yes, it covers completely and is a very nice fit. With the screen protector on, everything is flush on the front... Meaning nothing is raised or lowered with the use of the tempered glass protector.


Sent while mobile...

Awesome. Should've been flush in the first place, imo, but good to know that a tempered glass screen protector pretty much won't add much and probably makes swiping from the edge feel better too.

 

[94lt1]

Dang.. So it's a solid device.. But like any brand change... Would take a little getting used to... Sweet..

 

[pchain]

Yep... Its a real solid device. I've had it for 24 hours now and am really liking it. I charged it to 100% overnight and 5 hrs and 20 minutes of screen time later I'm at 34%. The radio reception is consistently about 4 dbm better than my Samsungs. I don't have a case, and the back edge of the frame is actually giving my fingers a positive reference point so I'm actually kind of liking it now. I have not had a single glitch or lag, and its so smooth and fast I doubt I'd know the difference if it had the 805 vs the 801 processor in it. (I'm not a heavy gamer). At this point unless you despise the form factor I can't see why anyone would not consider this phone. Of course 24 hours isn't nearly enough time for a full review, but I'm feeling more and more confident about this device as my daily driver. And yes...I happen to like the "slab factor" of the phone. Does that make me old fashioned?

 

[dezymond]

Yep... Its a real solid device. I've had it for 24 hours now and am really liking it. I charged it to 100% overnight and 5 hrs and 20 minutes of screen time later I'm at 34%. The radio reception is consistently about 4 dbm better than my Samsungs. I don't have a case, and the back edge of the frame is actually giving my fingers a positive reference point so I'm actually kind of liking it now. I have not had a single glitch or lag, and its so smooth and fast I doubt I'd know the difference if it had the 805 vs the 801 processor in it. (I'm not a heavy gamer). At this point unless you despise the form factor I can't see why anyone would not consider this phone. Of course 24 hours isn't nearly enough time for a full review, but I'm feeling more and more confident about this device as my daily driver. And yes...I happen to like the "slab factor" of the phone. Does that make me old fashioned?

For us "tech nerds" this is the Achilles of the z3v, imo. By paper, yes it's got "last gen" components, but how noticeable is it really in real world use? Also, alot of store employees tend to push the latest and greatest on customers to, so in this case, I think once the latest Turbo releases, the z3v could be overlooked.

Yeah Sony didn't really help themselves by changing the device so much compared to the original variant of the z3, but hey, the z3v is a great looking device and offers something the z3 doesn't, wireless charging.

I'm debating between the Turbo and z3v (favorable to z3v so far). It's true the Turbo is a more powerful device as it has the latest and greatest, but in the end like any phone debate, it comes down to personal preference.

 

[pchain]

Well said dezymond. I'm on the tech nerdy side myself, but I have to take a step back here and just be a normal consumer. This is a solid device regardless of what its called.

However I will say that if the Turbo would have had the LED notification light I would have waited for that. Even though I like the looks of the Sony more, I would have wanted he better radio hardware over the aesthetic/form factor of the Sony. STG posted the side by side reception of the Z3v and the moto x so I'm encouraged by that in regards to the Z3v.

Anyway... We each have our own priorities...

 

[94lt1]

For us "tech nerds" this is the Achilles of the z3v, imo. By paper, yes it's got "last gen" components, but how noticeable is it really in real world use? Also, alot of store employees tend to push the latest and greatest on customers to, so in this case, I think once the latest Turbo releases, the z3v could be overlooked.

Yeah Sony didn't really help themselves by changing the device so much compared to the original variant of the z3, but hey, the z3v is a great looking device and offers something the z3 doesn't, wireless charging.

I'm debating between the Turbo and z3v (favorable to z3v so far). It's true the Turbo is a more powerful device as it has the latest and greatest, but in the end like any phone debate, it comes down to personal preference.

I'm up against the same wall @dezymond. I really like the z3v, but for me.. I'm a moto droid head... So I'm naturally drawn to the turbo...

 

[pchain]

I'm up against the same wall @dezymond. I really like the z3v, but for me.. I'm a moto droid head... So I'm naturally drawn to the turbo...

Well ... here's the latest pic of the Turbo in the retail box via droidlife.com.
Here is the DROID TURBO in Its Retail Packaging Turbo Charger Included Droid Life

 

[FoxKat]

Well said dezymond. I'm on the tech nerdy side myself, but I have to take a step back here and just be a normal consumer. This is a solid device regardless of what its called.

However I will say that if the Turbo would have had the LED notification light I would have waited for that. Even though I like the looks of the Sony more, I would have wanted he better radio hardware over the aesthetic/form factor of the Sony. STG posted the side by side reception of the Z3v and the moto x so I'm encouraged by that in regards to the Z3v.

Anyway... We each have our own priorities...

Don't decide on one phone or the other by the number of bars of signal that are displayed There is no "standard" that says each bar represents a specific signal level. Some manufacturers may use different amounts of signal level to indicate one, two, three, four, and five bars. Number of bars is a"relative" indication of signal level and should only be used as a reference guide for that phone only and not as a comparison.

Also dBm of signal isn't necessarily a good comparison either unless we're comparing two of the same devices. Different radios (i.e. different manufacturers), can perform differently even if receiving the same dBm of signal. Signal level is only a part of the equation. Quality of signal is far more important than level or dBm. For instance my MAXX right now has only 2 bars of 4G/1G, and is at 115 dBm of 4G but is at 91 dBm of 1G.

2 bars would for most be considered relatively poor signal level however, with a clean signal (good performing radios), even low signals can carry more data faster and longer. The only real way to compare is side by side phone calls and side by side speed tests while noting dBm on both phones, and across various signal conditions.

Also as I've said before, even a mediocre radio can perform well if it has a good antenna. Antennas are a critical part of radio transceivers and can be the deciding factor between a clean signal and successful communications and a dirty, distorted, multipath signal that hinders proper communication.

Everyone knows I'm a Motorola fanboy so what I'm about to say may not come as a surprise to most, however there is plenty of real world fact and history behind my claim. Motorola is King in the world of radio frequency transmission and reception and in the realm of antenna technology. Just open nearly any first responder's vehicle and look at the name in their radio. Look at the one they carry on their belt or in their pocket. Look at the radios the US military branches carry. Look at the radios used to communicate in space exploration by NASA. I'm going to bet that the overwhelming majority will be Motorola.

That said, successful communications and data transmission/reception with less than the best radios and antennas can happen for most in good coverage areas. Where a good communications system outshines one that isn't so good is in fringe areas of coverage, and in locations with high levels of RF interference. In these extreme conditions is where a top quality transceiver and antenna system is mission critical and the reason why Motorola is the radio of choice for more military and first response teams than any other.

Often we forget these smartphones we carry now are still first and foremost transceivers, phones if you will. The quality of the call, the clarity of voice transmission should be something we hold high when choosing one over another. There is only one problem. Most of us don't do test calls to a land line and listen to how we sound on the other end. Some of the lousiest sounding calls I received are consistently those from iPhones and Samsungs. So bad in fact that I can almost tell someone what phone they are on when they call me. By contrast calls from Motorola phones are often so clear and crisp that I mistake them for land line calls.

Try it yourself. Give your phone to someone else and have them call you on a land line. Then listen to the caller and note how clear and easy they are to understand. Are they muffled? Can you tell s from f or t from p in their voice? How natural do they sound? Do they sound good in your mind? If not, then you won't sound good to others.

I have yet to have someone tell me they can't understand what I'm saying or to have them mistake the word suck for something far less appropriate. When I spell my name to people on the other end they don't question whether it's a t or a p in my last name. Unfortunately nobody seems to do these kinds of tests when reviewing cellular phones today. If they did, I think we might find some very different results than what we might expect.

 

[smalltowngirl13]

A couple of battery usage screens... Not much screen on time today..

Sent while mobile...

 

[FoxKat]

A couple of battery usage screens... Not much screen on time today..

Sent while mobile...

Looking pretty good, STG.

 

[pchain]

Great post FoxKat about radios, and I wish everyone would understand it. This is exactly why I wanted the Turbo. If it only had LED notification. The Z3v does have better quality of call than my Samsung's (yes listening on landlines) and also has consistent 4dbm edge over my Samsung's in the three main places I go throughout the day. I honestly haven't looked at the bars because that is futile. The only thing I can go by is side by side simultaneous comparisons of phone status signal - dBm/asu. The Z3v is no Motorola but it is a step better than Samsung.

 

[FoxKat]

Well ... here's the latest pic of the Turbo in the retail box via droidlife.com.
Here is the DROID TURBO in Its Retail Packaging Turbo Charger Included Droid Life

Ooooooooooooh!

 

[pchain]

Here's my usage today on the Z3v

 

[FoxKat]

Can you guys and gals tap on the graph and post the next screen please?