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Help Should I upgrade from S4 to Z3C?

basim96

Lurker
Ok guys I don't really need a phone upgrade at the moment, I'm pretty satisfied with my s4 but when I saw how fast 4g is compared to the 3g network, it made me really want to sell off my s4 and get a new lte phone. Do you think that the Sony Z3 compact is a good upgrade? The things that concern me about the upgrade is the screen resolution and also that it has 2 gigs of ram which is also on my s4. Also they used a snapdragon 801 not 805 while the 810 is coming out next year.. What do you guys think?
 
You know, I hadn't realised until I read this that there were so many S4 variants which didn't have LTE!

To be honest if I was buying a phone today the Z3C would probably be my choice - I'm not interested in phablets, and it's the best spec you can get in a relatively compact form factor. The RAM wouldn't worry me, since I'm currently using a phone with 2GB RAM and it's not a problem at all. The screen resolution does mean that it will be more responsive: if you don't have a qHD screen I personally don't think you need an 805.

That said, if you don't really need a new phone at the moment then there will always be something better in the pipeline if you wait long enough. I don't know whether 64bit computing will bring a tangible benefit (as opposed to bragging rights), but if you think it will become important in the next couple of years that might be an argument for waiting for the 810. There are also rumours of a Z4 Compact with a 1080p screen, but remember that rumours are just that (Sony skipped from Z1 to Z3 in the Compacts, and the talk last week was that they would back off from the 6-monthly flagship releases, so who knows whether this will turn out to be accurate or not). If the Z4C rumours were correct then the suggestion that it would have a waterproof USB socket which didn't need a cover would interest me (flaps wear with constant use - fine with an SD card slot which you rarely open, more of a concern with a charging port). But we don't know yet.

Bottom line: have a play with a Z3 Compact. That's the best way to decide whether the screen resolution is an issue (remember that 720p 4.6" is pretty much the same resolution as the iPhone 4/5's "retina display"). Then think about whether you'd rather wait a few months in case a better version is announced in the Spring, or have the faster internet now.
 
I know neither did I till I did some research, thats what I hate about Samsung they have so many different model phones. Do you know if Sony are good with their updates, cause Samsung is really horrible with updates since they have so many different variants for one phone. Honestly I've looked at so many other phones but theres something about the Z3C that seems to be attractive, I also tried it and the 720p isn't really noticeable and it seems to be really snappy. Ive also read that the benefit to having a 720p screen is that the battery life would be better, not sure if thats a fact. Do you think that the Z3C would be good for another 2-3 years? I think Sony will continue the 6 month release since I've read that they'll be unveiling the Z4 sometime in Q1 of 2015 but I'm not sure if thats a rumour or if its confirmed.
 
Yeah, one way all of the rumours could be consistent would be if they released a Z4 range in the Spring and then didn't release a Z5 until the following year. But nothing is confirmed right now - it's all rumour and speculation (with me providing the speculation here ;) ).

As for updates, I've no direct experience of Sony (my last couple of devices have been HTC). But a reliable source has said that all Xperia Z devices are currently on 4.4.4, with upgrade to 5 promised, so I think they've been doing OK lately.

Most high-end phones today are capable of 2-3 years IMO. I'm currently using a HTC One (M7), which is already 18 months old, and perfectly fine still. It's certainly holding up better relative to modern devices than its predecessor did at the same age. Truth be told I expect I'll want to upgrade before I need to. :)
 
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