Wanted to Try: Sony Xperia Z Ultra (or other HUGE Android Phone)

To post in this sub-forum you must have made 100 posts or have Trust status or have completed our ID Verification

Forums › Offers and Wanted › Wanted to Try: Sony Xperia Z Ultra (or other HUGE Android Phone)

Krishant007

1403 posts

Uber Geek

#151439 25-Aug-2014 16:52

Hi

My HTC One is back in the repair shop (the power button stopped working- should be covered under warranty) and I am currently using my mates phone temporarily.

I was flirting with the idea to go into the phablet territory. But before I do that, I wanted to check with any of my fellow Geekzoners here if anyone would like to graciously lend me their unused phablet that they have lying around somewhere (something bigger than 5.5 inches). Before I make a such a large (no pun intended - ohk, maybe a little) investment, I wanted to make sure I am ohk with handling a phablet. So wanted to see if I can borrow someones phablet for a couple of weeks max.

I am based in Auckland and would happily come pick it up and drop it back if someone would be kind enough to lend me one. If you are based in the city, thats even better - I will shout you a round a coffee as a sign of my gratitude, while we can have a round of in real life geek talk about what is the latest gadget you got and why?

Wonderingly

Krishant

PeterReader

6015 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Geekzone

Lifetime subscriber

#1115327 25-Aug-2014 16:52

Hey, have you listed a price, location and how much shipping would be to other parts of New Zealand? Also if you are asking for a PM make sure your Privacy settings allow your account to receive PM otherwise people can't contact you. Also note if you are selling something we ask you to offer to other members first. Links to private sales (including Trade Me posts) aren't accepted anymore and will be removed.

I am the Geekzone Robot and I am here to help. I am from the Internet. I do not interact. Do not expect other replies from me.

These links are referral codes: Sharesies | Mighty Ape

AliExpress

Shop now on AliExpress (affiliate link).

NikT

1710 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1115875 26-Aug-2014 14:16

If you can hold off until the release of the Note 4, I might just have a Note 3 you can play with. :)

Wouldn't half mind having a proper tinker with a Zultra myself, they're so cheap these days. Be great to have a Lumia 1520 or HTC One max as well, but then one can't own all of the phablets all of the time (Try as I might).

Product Manager @ PB Tech

Smartphones @ PB Tech | Headphones @ PB Tech

Krishant007

1403 posts

Uber Geek

#1115974 26-Aug-2014 16:48

NikT: If you can hold off until the release of the Note 4, I might just have a Note 3 you can play with. :)

Wouldn't half mind having a proper tinker with a Zultra myself, they're so cheap these days. Be great to have a Lumia 1520 or HTC One max as well, but then one can't own all of the phablets all of the time (Try as I might).

That is one of the phones I have in my eyes as well. Hoping for good things from the Note 4. I would love to try out the Note 3 to get a bit of play with Samsungs new Touch Wiz as well!! (I have previously used the Galaxy Note 8 and wasnt too happy with the Samsung skin there).

I have been tempted by the Windows platform as well but I am quite tied to my Google services so 1520 is out of question - but I do love the hardware!

Ahh the Z Ultra at such low prices is the only reason my interests sparked in the genre... and the success of the Note series just added on

benokobi

927 posts

Ultimate Geek

ID Verified

#1115977 26-Aug-2014 16:55

I love my note 2 still works perfectly after all this time and I'm not changing unless the Note 4 or the iPhone 6 are awesome.

33coupe

982 posts

Ultimate Geek

ID Verified

#1116103 26-Aug-2014 20:49

I'm also in the market (I think!) for a pahblet. Didnt know about the Ultra.

I've had a play with the LG G3 in the shops, and that seems to be a big phone. Saying that, the phone I'm interested in is LG Pro 2 which is even bigger! lol. I have yet to find one in a shop though.

michaelmurfy

meow
13197 posts

Uber Geek

Moderator

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1116107 26-Aug-2014 20:55

I have a Oneplus One and love it, if you're thinking about doing it then just do it - you'll honestly love it.

Michael Murphy | https://murfy.nz
Referral Links: Quic Broadband (use R122101E7CV7Q for free setup)

Are you happy with what you get from Geekzone? Please consider supporting us by subscribing.
Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer.

Krishant007

1403 posts

Uber Geek

#1116143 26-Aug-2014 21:58

Ahh i had an invite to the OPO just today. I gave it to my friend who is in the US right now. If i get any more invites, I will be jumping on it.. I was thinking of going something bigger than the OPO to be honest. Just wanted to try it out. The Z Ultra is tempting me quite a bit! but I just am not sure of the sheer size... Hence starting this thread.. lol

33coupe

982 posts

Ultimate Geek

ID Verified

#1116148 26-Aug-2014 22:23

That Z ultra looks really big. I ended up drawing the lg pro 2 on a piece of paper to get an estimate of size. Too take it to the next level you could make a replica out of card lol.

Sorry if a bit off topic, but just came up with a big question. Does anyone know if the LG Pro 2 will work on 2 Degrees 3g or 4g Networks?

Specs

2G Network

GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - D837

GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900 - D838

3G Network

HSDPA 900 / 2100 - D837, D838

4G Network

LTE 800 / 1800 / 2600 - D837

LTE 1800 / 2600 - D838

NikT

1710 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1116407 27-Aug-2014 12:12

33coupe: That Z ultra looks really big. I ended up drawing the lg pro 2 on a piece of paper to get an estimate of size. Too take it to the next level you could make a replica out of card lol.

Sorry if a bit off topic, but just came up with a big question. Does anyone know if the LG Pro 2 will work on 2 Degrees 3g or 4g Networks?

Specs

2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - D837 GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900 - D838 3G Network HSDPA 900 / 2100 - D837, D838 4G Network LTE 800 / 1800 / 2600 - D837 LTE 1800 / 2600 - D838

The Zultra is really big. I think I could deal with the size, as long as it fit in a pocket - have had a brief tinker with one in person. Sony also makes a great big battery case for it with an integrated stylus, the CP12, but that truly takes it to tablet level.

With those specs, the G Pro 2 will work just fine on Vodafone & 2degrees, but not on Telecom/Spark/Skinny.

I've seen those pretty cheap, Mobile Station (Which is just around the corner from my house) dropships them for ~$599. Would be inclined to wait until after the IFA announcements, though, as I expect a few prices will drop as folks ditch their current devices in anticipation of the new batches.

Product Manager @ PB Tech

Smartphones @ PB Tech | Headphones @ PB Tech

33coupe

982 posts

Ultimate Geek

ID Verified

#1116842 27-Aug-2014 20:50

Thanks for the reply. I didnt know about the upcoming IFA, so I will definitely wait and hope for a good price drop.

Ive just realised the LG has two different models, this one available here (although I think it's still ok for 4G)

GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900 - D838
3G Network HSDPA 900 / 2100 - D838
4G Network LTE 1800 / 2600 - D838

I've just stumbled across some info in regards to the 700mhz spectrum. Do you know if it is worth waiting and getting a phone that supports 700?

NikT

1710 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1117146 28-Aug-2014 10:49

33coupe:

Thanks for the reply. I didnt know about the upcoming IFA, so I will definitely wait and hope for a good price drop.

Ive just realised the LG has two different models, this one available here (although I think it's still ok for 4G)

GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900 - D838
3G Network HSDPA 900 / 2100 - D838
4G Network LTE 1800 / 2600 - D838

I've just stumbled across some info in regards to the 700mhz spectrum. Do you know if it is worth waiting and getting a phone that supports 700?

Yep, both the D837 & D838 will be good to go for current NZ 4G over 1800MHz (Vodafone also has some metro infill over 2600MHz). Whether you'll want to hold out for a device that supports band 28 700MHz LTE (Not to be confused with bands 13 & 17, which also operate in the 700MHz spectrum, but using the awfully convoluted USA band plan - US-market devices that support 700MHz over bands 17 & 13 will never work on NZ's 700MHz 4G) will depend on two things:

- How long you intend to hold onto the device you're buying now
- Where you live, work, and play

700MHz/band 28 will primarily be used in NZ for rural or less urban areas, as being a low frequency, it's able to travel over longer distances, serve more customers off of a single tower, and penetrate buildings better than higher frequencies (Higher frequencies are better suited to urban environments where there are lots of people and larger numbers of of towers or small cells in a more compact area, as they don't travel as far - this is actually desirable when it comes to both LTE and 3G technologies in cities).

If you intend to hang onto the phone for several years, or live/work/play semi-rurally, it could be worth waiting on a band 28 device. Currently there are only two in market: The HTC One M8, and the SM-G900I variant of the Galaxy S5. Of course, NZ's mobile networks are literally the fastest in the world, and the tech is moving so fast that it's almost a challenge for the hardware to keep up - with VoLTE on the cards and LTE Advanced features like carrier aggregation coming so quickly, it's difficult to pick a spot to dive in on the hardware space.

Which brings me full circle - Sony hasn't released an updated version of the Zultra, and doesn't show any signs of doing so anytime soon, making it oddly exempt from Sony's somewhat impractical 6-month release cycle. But when I get another phone, I want it to support new network features like carrier aggregation and band 28 LTE, so I'm less inclined to pick up a Zultra right now - even when they go as low as $350 on TradeMe.

Product Manager @ PB Tech

Smartphones @ PB Tech | Headphones @ PB Tech

Krishant007

1403 posts

Uber Geek

#1117170 28-Aug-2014 11:36

I was thinking on jumping on the Note 4 when that comes out. Hoping that the physical size is not bigger than the Note 3 since that is borderline massive... I just got my hands on a friends Note 2 and that was quite unusable, unhandleable in one hand for me.

The choices I have narrowed down it to is iPhone 6 assuming that comes out next month, Note 4 and Moto X+1 (or the Nexus X if thats what its called).

I have resorted to using my Samsung Galaxy Nexus while my HTC One is in the repair shop.. I am getting withdrawal symptoms....

33coupe

982 posts

Ultimate Geek

ID Verified

#1117597 28-Aug-2014 22:27

Wow, thanks for such a detailed reply.

Ive had my current phone for two years (terrible phone), so I'm hoping a new phone would be double that. I'm currently living in Howick, and work / play in those areas.

When will band 28 be introduced, is it worth the wait, and I'm assuming it will be as (if not more) expensive than current 4g prices / plans?

Sorry OP for going slightly off topic! Hopefully others are getting as much info out of this as me.

NikT

1710 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1117830 29-Aug-2014 11:37

Krishant007: I was thinking on jumping on the Note 4 when that comes out. Hoping that the physical size is not bigger than the Note 3 since that is borderline massive... I just got my hands on a friends Note 2 and that was quite unusable, unhandleable in one hand for me.

The choices I have narrowed down it to is iPhone 6 assuming that comes out next month, Note 4 and Moto X+1 (or the Nexus X if thats what its called).

I have resorted to using my Samsung Galaxy Nexus while my HTC One is in the repair shop.. I am getting withdrawal symptoms....

Aha, no wonder you want to borrow one! If you find the Note II unwieldly, the Zultra may well not be your cup of tea, as it's closer to tablet territory.

I find that there are several different approaches to managing larger devices. They're my bread and butter, I wouldn't go to anything below 5.5" for my daily driver for any serious length of time. I use two hands for most tasks as-is, possibly because I never got into one-handed use, even from my earliest cellphones (And certainly not on my earliest smartphones!). Samsung in particular includes a number of one-handed use options in software, including the ability to shrink everything on screen down to a size better suited to one-handed use - these could be worth exploring. I also use a bunch of apps that work better on larger screens, for example by having controls at the bottom.

33coupe:

Wow, thanks for such a detailed reply.

Ive had my current phone for two years (terrible phone), so I'm hoping a new phone would be double that. I'm currently living in Howick, and work / play in those areas.

When will band 28 be introduced, is it worth the wait, and I'm assuming it will be as (if not more) expensive than current 4g prices / plans?

Sorry OP for going slightly off topic! Hopefully others are getting as much info out of this as me.

Hey, no worries. I think we're getting a bit far off topic now and would probably be better served by opening a new thread in the Android forums on phablets in general and/or the best jumping-on point for current tech. :)

With regard to the 700MHz LTE rollout, there are two Vodafone 700MHz sites live right now (One is the Papakura off-ramp site), so that has already begun. I would be surprised if any NZ network operator intended to have different plans specifically for access to different LTE bands, as this would be quite difficult to implement on a software level in the handsets, and would be very costly to test and provision, as well as confusing users (Please note that this is my personal opinion based on my time in the industry, there may well be a good way to do this for sensible reasons, I just find the cost:potential benefit ratio unlikely). I'd expect it'll just be a case of needing the right hardware and any plan that includes access to the current 4G networks, similar to the way the 900MHz 3G rollout occurred - if you have one of the two band 28 devices currently in market, you can go use the service on those two towers right now. It is, after all, just a new band rather than an entirely new network technology.

Looks like Howick has current 1800MHz coverage for 4G. If you're sticking in this area, or indeed, Auckland in general, you may not need to worry too much about 700MHz. That said, as you're intending to hold on to whatever you buy now for several years, I'd be inclined to go for the most future-proof device you possibly can.

Product Manager @ PB Tech

Smartphones @ PB Tech | Headphones @ PB Tech

Krishant007

1403 posts

Uber Geek

#1117840 29-Aug-2014 11:50

Yes I guess you are correct. I know that the Note 3 is a bit smaller in physical size than note 2 (not much, but like 1mm or something) and its a bit easier to handle i guess. I really hope the Note 4 trims those bezels to non-existent next week! Else it looks like I may have to jump ship to the iPhone (or maybe the Moto X+1).