See Dave is weighing up the Sony xperia z3 compact and the z5 compact phone

[_Andrew_]

I have been using the Sony xperia products from when they first appeared on the market and I had been looking at the z3 compact phone as I have been very happy with my z3 compact tablet, and being IP rated is a plus for me as I spend a lot of time working outdoors. Often getting rained on.

The only thing that has held me back on getting the phone has been the reports of build quality isues with the z3 compact phone. So decided to hold out for the next xperia z series compact phone. In the meantime sony decided to skip a model to the z5 compact.

For an end of model phone the phone networks are asking too much for it as it's successor is now out.

I have yet to get my mitts on the z5 compact phone and have a good play with it and see what my initial impression of the build is like. The z3 compact did seem a bit fragile especially that glass back.

Although I do still miss the xperia ray. It was probably as small as you could make an android smart phone and still be usable.

[stmdude]

So, I used to work for Sony, and probably shouldn't write about them here, but heck, I'm sure Dave won't sell me out.

So, looking at the Sony products from the inside...
The electronics and antennas in them are second to none. I have nothing bad to say about that at all.
The software has become pretty good now (much better than the Ray for example). There's minimum bloat and customizations. And the few that are there, I actually miss now that I've switched to a Nexus device. And I'm not someone that enjoyed drinking the corporate cool-aid..
In fact, my Nexus 5 is a lot less stable than the Z-series I had last at Sony. And that wasn't even running the final software..

If you look around the internets, you'll find a bunch of belly-aching about getting the latest Android updates in a timely manner. Now, I could explain why (Sony dancing too much to the carriers pipes, and the carriers dragging their feet), but in the end, yes, you will get the latest Android a little later on Sony devices. But it's definitely finished by the time you get it.

Now, for the really bad stuff, and why I doubt Dave should get one (unless he's upgrading his wifes Compact Zx), and it's the mechanical part of the phone.
The water-proofing is an excellent idea, and it works. It's so nice to not having to think twice before taking your phone out if it's raining. You can bring it to the beach and go out in the water with it to take pictures of the kids (your own, not other peoples kids..).
However, they are _very_, _very_ fragile. I've broken more screens and backs of the Z-devices than I can count, and I'm generally quite careful with my devices.

Dave, being the active and energized guy he is, would probably break it in the first week..

Whoever at Sony that came to the conclusion that a glass sandwich was a durable mechanical design should probably buy a return-ticket to planet earth.

Oh, and battery life is excellent. Just make sure you enable "Stamina Mode", and only make exceptions for the apps you really want notifications from. It makes a world of a difference.