Because the black version is sexy....especially the front with its blended black bezels when the screen is off and the classy silver lining......white is ugly IMO. When the screen is off on both the black s5 and z2 the only difference is the z2 is pointed and squared while the s5 is rounded and squared as they're are both just a classy clean black front :)
***** The Z is one of the strongest phones around. I remember chucking mine around, dropping it on concrete tonnes of times and it was fine. Their use of a metal exo-skeleton is genius and protects their phones better than most
I've seen and played with the white & Black GS5 at my local retail store and it seems great to me. It's not that bad actually, the back cover feels soft and grippy. Not a bad evolution at all.
Really? You think S5 is more capable? You talked about S health for Samsung. What about life log for Sony? Never mentioned. Although, I love to see your reviews and I liked this one as well but I am not convinced that this is how they stack with each other. I have both and I find Sony is more worthy of housing my primary sim. DXOmark is rating Z2 the best camera in mobile phone. I do like the screen on S5 which is the only thing that I like about it. I wonder why you and Taylor never showed any respect to S5 in pocketnow weekly and in the reviews it is a different story.
Good review, well considered. On the camera front (my USP of choice), my Z1 is updated to the latest KitKat firmware and that includes the processing algorithm from the Z2; camera wise, this really is a direct replacement for a point and shoot. Details are ridiculously high, noise is through the floor in all but very dark conditions - it just produces clean, attractive photos pretty much every time I use it. The Z2 has slightly larger pixels on its sensor so it should be even better. If you're a keen photographer, the Sony is, for me, the clear choice.
HOW DECEPTIVE !!! At 8:30 the Sony has its front towards the camera while the Samsung has its rear faced to the camera (because the speaker is on the back of the phone). The is not a fair comparison.
Pocketnow While that makes sense, how often do you watch videos without looking at the screen lol... A "fair" comparison would be to play music or watch a video in a real-world scenario. Loudness isn't the only factor. How you hold it (could cover up Samsung's speakers), and the fact they're facing away from you is huge.
***** All of which would be a totally valid complaint if we didn't specifically call out the (already self-evident) superiority of front-facing speakers starting around 8:12. ^M
Pocketnow It's still a valid complaint because the tests in the video are unrepresentative, you might as well not have had it in. All I gleaned from it is that both phones have decent speakers because we heard them in an unrealistic controlled setup. Telling us where the speakers are located doesn't demonstrate their actual effectiveness. Simply put, you just should have set them up as described above.
Henry Kimmer No, Z2 is pretty much heavier than other flagship smartphones. By the way, I was talking about the weight, not the performance or what so ever. Sony Xperia Z2: 163g HTC One (M8): 160g LG G3: 149g Samsung Galaxy S5: 145g Xiaomi MI-3: 145g Huawei Ascend P7: 124g
I never was one to buy the things that are popular with those who dont care for the tech that they have so I always bought the best alternative. When the iPhone was the thing of the town, I was the one with the Motorola Droid. Now that everyone and their mom have a samsung (and worst the galaxy mini and compares it to the actual device claiming that their phone is just as good) I will go with this Sony z2. I love the style and it being water proof. Powerful and distinguished. So yeah, this is my choice to keep myself distinguish from the commoners
Another problem with this review - The sony blacks are only that horrible grey on their boot animation. Anyone who's spent more than a day with an Xperia device can confirm this. I have no idea why Sony do that, but that's what it is. Later on in the review you can see the black status bar, and other blacks and they're reproduced very well. Again, come on pocketnow.
Exactly. Sure the blacks aren't as good as the Samsung's. But why show that, and comment on it, only when the Sony is doing their stupid bootscreen. You know, instead of ANY other time lol? It's clear bias tha t just doesn't make sense
Pocketnow You are indeed somewhat wrong, the amoled screen does not activate the pixels that should present the color black, and therefore not showing any color/brightness at all in these areas. And as a second argument, the Xperia Z2 brightness is set to maximum* when booting and meanwhile you choose to do this in a low light room, the thing is, LCD-screens does leak brightness behind their blacks, and that is whats making it look blue, like our sky does due to the sunlight-reflections. (*)But when the brightness is set to appropriate volumes in the current environment, the blacks does not show any misscoloration AT ALL, it is completely black and comparable with the S5 as other people mentioned. So Auto-Brightness keeps the right setting for you wherever you go, exept when booting the device since the light sensor hasnt started yet. You will ALWAYS have the opportunity to set the right whites on the Z2, or even the whites that fits your taste, that makes the Z2 display much better in this zone, admit.it.bro. Hahaha anyways have a nice day, hope you learned something ^^
That's why I keep coming back for more review videos on pocketnow. Michael is very honest and gives allot of useful information. His reviews are unbiased and he tells you what kind of phone fits whom. Thank you Michael for your honest reviews!
I would have gotten the Z2 over my HTC One M8 if AT&T carried it as well. But do not regret it at all. Z2 is a fine peice of hardware, glad Sony is stepping up their game.
I wanted to buy Z2 but could not wait for its availability and brought HTC m8 and quite glad that I brought M8 super smooth android experience and everything flys speakers are outstanding and the call quality is brilliant hope it had Z2 camera.
Randy Vasquez it doesnt looks all that great compared to z2 or htc m8. I have a g2 and i dont like it at all tbh...lg tries to copy samsung in their ui which sucks
Was it just me or did the S5's mic sound recording on the videos sounded muffled and worse than the Xperia z2's? And that contrast on S5 camera... beautiful or too much? I might get one of these soon, so idk...
Walkman output to headphones is much better quality than Samsung. clear audio is really sophisticated when you conect in to your stereo system. The RAM is more important for android than amounts of gigahertz. Better Camera, desing, watterproofness. I'm using 99% of time the headphones speakers are just for calling. Oversaturated AMOLED is not much for me. Xperia Z2 utter winner.
I'd probably go for the Z2 here but only slightly. I upgraded from a Galaxy S4 to an HTC One M8 and quite frankly, I wouldn't trade my M8 for either of these. Sure the cameras on either of these absolutely crush my M8's shooter but I love Sense 6 and the boomsound speakers are amazing. Z2 is a sexy phone though. We as android users should rejoice in how spoiled for choice we are because any of these devices are amazing!! And LG is looking to kill it with the G3 so I'm excited to see that too!!
as an old galaxy user (1 and 3) I wasn't sure of upgrading to S5 and instead I chose the Z2 and all I can say is I'm glad I made the change, powerful phone and 3GB of RAM this thing never slows down even with a bunch of installed apps and services and yeah the premium look and feel doesn't hurt :)
Can you use the Galaxy when the screen is wet? I've seen videos of the screen becoming completely unresponsive when it's wet. Most Sony water proof phones have wet finger tracking which works well (obviously not as good as when dry), so I assume the Z2 does well in wet screen situations.
chinjiriki and if you want to take underwater photos In the ocean or any where else you can't because the toy phone doesn't have a camera button and it would die because its only water resistant not waterproof like the z2 even the Z1 that came out last year in September is waterproof ip58 s5 is only ip67 z1 even has a 20.7mp camera
why is everybody arguing, this is a closed case, if u're like me the first thing you do is install a custom ROM, no further talking is required, Z2 hands down takes it
Had the S5 for few days but it lacked the wow factor, cheap plastic. Exchanged it for Xperia Z2 and it's a whole new experience. It feels more premium and polished. Very useful features rather than show off features. I'm still using the default keyboard on Z2 which I couldn't on S5 due to lack of usability. I do however miss the hard button at the button at the bottom for quick exit and that's the only thing I miss about S5. The question is do you prefer Korean engineering or Japanese engineering.
I had the S3, and S4, In both i had the same problem, use it greatly for 2-3 months then it completely slows down, becomes so laggy and freezing. I now have the Xperia z2, for me its amazing. No problems until now. User interface is amazing, fast, never freezing or lagging. Its like the speed of an iphone, with a battery of a car and a professional camera. I highly recommend the Z2 over the s5. Coming from an ex iphone and samsung user.
Great video as always, I still think that the skin over the Z2 is much snapper and feels like something well-built ( and less cartoony ). Both are great phones, but I'm thinking of getting the Sony. Hope I will make the right choice for me.
The Sony skin let's you change the theme of the whole ui they always add new themes the themes also changes the navbar buttons like the home back and multitask buttons
can't find a reason really to pick any of these two when we have the HTC ONE M8 available; sound, build quality, screen quality, user interface, camera app / music app/ gallery app / blinkfeed- for those who want such a thing
Well, the camera, for one. The M8 camera is not a patch on either of these, sorry. When I take a picture on my Z1, I can crop into the image well over 100% to re-frame things and I'll still get a great result. I do it all the time. The M8 doesn't allow this. And I'd argue that the Music and Gallery apps on the Z2 are much better than HTC's. Personal preference.
Ok i can give you that, the camera is not the best on the htc one, but have you seen and tried out the sense 6 gallery app and music player? Also would you trade everything else for the camera quality? If so why not go for a Lumia 1020 like i have?
Out of the S5, Z2 and M8, I think the Z2 is the best overall phone. It has the least amount of major cons. Most complained about cons S5, ugly design, cheap materials M8, bad camera, low megapixels Z2, buggy software is the only thing I can think of (which can be fixed)
I heard enough from samsung and I can't resist going into a new phone. Everything about samsung is given already from the galaxy s4 and note 3 but for someone who will buy a new phone I think it is a good choice to go for new brand which is Sony Xperia Z2. Everything you need from a phone is here and much closer to stock android
No one mentions the mag charging port, I think it is the one killer feature of the Z2 as opposed to the S5. If you use the mag port you never have to disturb/wear out/break/leave open the protective covers on the ports. In fact there are even cases for the sony that cover all ports other than the mag port, preventing them from being opened. massive win I believe.
Please upload full review of Sony Xperia Z2.... With camera ,display , sound, design, battery, future proof, value for money, etc... We are waiting for that. Make it as soon as possible...
and as usual the samsung sheep are bashing on anything isnt samsung tbh the Z2 is the most powerful phone on the market, its more capable than the S5, I rather have something in my hand that feels premium as opposed to plastic.. But because I use my phone for a lot of tasks throughout the day, I'm going to upgrade to an S5 simply because of the removable battery otherwise I would never get a samsung
The z2 battery will last all day even if you use it alot also it has a lot of power saving features to make it last even longer the battery on the s5 is 2800mah vs 3200mah
When you do speaker tests, especially comparisons, could you do them with youtube clips? who the hell listens to music over their phone speakers? Most people do watch plenty of youtube videos with the phone's internal speakers, and gaming.
you dont doesnt mean others dont i spent a lot of time listening to music with the loud speaker because I'm deaf with headphones on can be very dangerous sometimes
just tick some settings for the speakers on z2, you can manually set it up so it would sound perfect.. for earphones, get the noise cancelling earphone that would be the greatest music experience you will have.. z2 user here, ex-sammy user..
I would get the Z2. Better overall. Anyone else concerned about scratches, though? Does Sony have any cases for the Z2? I don't want scratches in the first month. Does anyone know?
Dang people really hate on the gs5!! Honestly I don't know why. Both of these phones are awesome. Personally, I prefer the gs5, not because I think its a better phone but because it's a better phone for me. Really love the saturation and actually really like TouchWiz, but mostly the saturation, colors seem more vivid.
I love my Xperia Z2 *-* The front speakers are awesome and totally loud enough for me. The camera (especially the software)is just great and overall good to use. I'm not saying the S5 isn't good, cause it obviously is, but I couldn't live with that phone, I'm clearly a Sony fanboy apparently. :'D
Thanks Michael for the comparison. I am tremendously disappointed by the sound for the Z2 as I was interested in the phone. Looking forward to an in depth on the Z2 and those speakers.
Friendly Suggestion: Finish all your testing so you can include everything in one final video before publishing. I'm talking about things like we'll get back to you on battery usage, etc. because we're still testing... I understand there's competition among channels but really, a few more days wait time wouldn't be that bad to get some extra helpful information. It's certainly better than having multiple videos for every little thing. Thanks.
well sir, it's been awhile, but, I'm intrigued with the music player used in sony. could you please kindly tell me what it is? i see it has in screen volume button. thank you sir.
Zarman1337 there is gonna be a ZL2 with 5 inch screen and super small bezel with all the other specs like dual front speakers 20.7 mp cam 3gb ram and the back will be more round
The thing that i love the must about the z2 is the design. It's just stunning! It's simple get elegant in it's on way. Beside having a great design, i love new front facing speaker! It's a must have for any flagships phone. And lastly the notification light. Oh it is just stunning! I love the long pulse light. It's very attractive. Wish i could win this cause this is my all time favorite phone :)
Sony is better in performance than the Samsung. plus it looks very luxurious too. For the S5 i am not even ready to pay a crap, Xperia is worth every penny. Samsung once impressed me with the Galaxy S3. but since then the galaxy series sucked. Although the note series is still going good. I am not a Sony fanboy or something like that. but Galaxy S5 is for those who want a comfy phone and those who never bought anything else. Sony for the gamers,the photographers and the heavy demanders.
S5 if you want to be the common guy with another galaxy. The Z2 if you wanna be that classy dude who just lives to experience. Z2 wins the cake for me.
Both area good phones. I'm leaning towards the Z2. I've had the Galaxy S2, Note, S3 and Note 2 (my current phone). I don't think I'm going to repeat with Sammy. I'm kind of bored of their UI and the way they do things. I just hope Sony keeps up with Updates. I have to say the camera and design of the device is what's calling me to the Z2. :)
I did come really close to picking up a Z2, which coming for a hardened Samsung fanboy like myself, means I must give the guys at Sony some credit. Unfortunately, I'm the kind of person who loves features and productivity, and more so over aesthetics; so I've held back from any phone, until I've seen what the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 has to offer :D
Some strange comparisons Michael. HDR vs Superior auto doesn't make much sense. The Z2 is waterproof vs the GS5s resistance which is played down for some reason. Lots of emphasis on the GS5 being an active device because of software when apparently the Z2 is also similar in that regard. Fair point about the S5s more rugged build though.
S5 or Z2, which one should i get? I want a good camera, good audio (from headphones), and a solid phone considering the rest ( Net browsing, some minor games, and other normal stuff for an android)?
I was wondering whether there was much of a difference in Usable Internal Memory on the 16 Gig version. Do the different skins use 5 Gigs, 8 Gigs, etc?
This time I love Sony Xperia Z2 because its made made under Sony's real life thinking doesn't have any stupid gimmiks which S5 is full of...after using S4 i feel the all Air commands,smart stay etc. are only useless stupid gimmiks.....and by adding that much sh*t on a phone samsung made their UI slow and lazy.........although S5 doens't seems laggy now,but I'm sure after sometime it becomes same as S4...
Sony is better engineered, while Sumsung is as powerful but cheaper. Atleast it's cheaper in my country. Also, there's a bend test video, if you try to bend Z2 with force, it won't bend. It's flexible and the middle part is strong, while Sumsung would break.
It bothers me you don't go into how the music apps are. They're different, aren't they? So it'd be really nice to know which one was more useful, handy, and easy to use and all that. I'm a huge music listener. I have a headset around my neck/on my head almost all day and never leave my house without it. So knowing the difference would probably be the decider for me.
dude, let your beard grow!!! good review, but i'll never be a android guy. Windows Phone rules for me, especially since the 8.1 update. keep doin' such great vids!
Haha I like the purple one because it is a different color than everything else. Black and white r the most common so personally I would go for a purple one lol
S5 hands down for its S Health Suite/wearables. Only phone that will beat it is the Note4, which I'm really hoping will offer something more significant than an evolutionary upgrade as the Note3 ovrr the Note2.
Moh J True, but it only happens at night time so it's not too bad on the screen. Also it changes the colour temperature to make it easy for you to go to sleep when reading/watching etc.
Hassan.Q Ricardo Galindo Hi guys. Thanks for the heads-up on xLOUD. Just to be clear: there's no dedicated setting for it on our Z2 (it seems to have been bundled with ClearAudio+ in the new software). Enabling ClearAudio+ does indeed increase the sound's clarity, but the loudness seems unchanged according to our dB meter here. Will address this further in our Z2 vs M8 comparison! EDIT: Disabled ClearAudio+ and manually enabled xLOUD. dB levels tied at 91dB between Z2 and S5. Will add note to description. Thanks again! ^M
Pocketnow Mm... kinda strange. MOst of the review out there tells that the speakers is just superb for that kind of a phone, close to HTC one M8. Strange that your ex seems to be so bad? When it comes to bloat, Sony is really not bad at all. Its only "Whats new app" and "Sony Select" that i consider bloat. All the rest from Sony is actually usefull apps. like Albumapp, walkmanapp, Videoapp, messaging app and so on. Cant understand why those are considered unusefull bloat? SO 2 bloatapps against Samsungs S5 fullpacked bloatmachine, that you wont use half of it. But thanks for a good comparison. :)
Dude they're a lot better than S5's speaker. Xloud does make them louder without losing clarity. Right now I believe Z2 has the second best speakers right after HTC M8.
They S5 is so fugly, how can people pay 600$ for that piece of cheap plastic?
Because the black version is sexy....especially the front with its blended black bezels when the screen is off and the classy silver lining......white is ugly IMO. When the screen is off on both the black s5 and z2 the only difference is the z2 is pointed and squared while the s5 is rounded and squared as they're are both just a classy clean black front :)
***** The Z is one of the strongest phones around. I remember chucking mine around, dropping it on concrete tonnes of times and it was fine. Their use of a metal exo-skeleton is genius and protects their phones better than most
I've seen and played with the white & Black GS5 at my local retail store and it seems great to me. It's not that bad actually, the back cover feels soft and grippy.
Not a bad evolution at all.
***** hahaha so true
Because I put a case on my phones regardless.
Really? You think S5 is more capable? You talked about S health for Samsung. What about life log for Sony? Never mentioned. Although, I love to see your reviews and I liked this one as well but I am not convinced that this is how they stack with each other. I have both and I find Sony is more worthy of housing my primary sim. DXOmark is rating Z2 the best camera in mobile phone. I do like the screen on S5 which is the only thing that I like about it. I wonder why you and Taylor never showed any respect to S5 in pocketnow weekly and in the reviews it is a different story.
Good review, well considered. On the camera front (my USP of choice), my Z1 is updated to the latest KitKat firmware and that includes the processing algorithm from the Z2; camera wise, this really is a direct replacement for a point and shoot.
Details are ridiculously high, noise is through the floor in all but very dark conditions - it just produces clean, attractive photos pretty much every time I use it. The Z2 has slightly larger pixels on its sensor so it should be even better. If you're a keen photographer, the Sony is, for me, the clear choice.
It's amazing how much improvement there's been between the Z1 and Z2. Thanks for the feedback! ^M
Thank you for your comment. Made me decide which phone I am getting, it's the Z2. :)
Pocketnow thanks for this video I'm sold in the z2
Still using lame Z1? Lol
HOW DECEPTIVE !!!
At 8:30 the Sony has its front towards the camera while the Samsung has its rear faced to the camera (because the speaker is on the back of the phone).
The is not a fair comparison.
... we did that specifically so the speaker output could be compared fairly. ^M
Pocketnow While that makes sense, how often do you watch videos without looking at the screen lol... A "fair" comparison would be to play music or watch a video in a real-world scenario. Loudness isn't the only factor. How you hold it (could cover up Samsung's speakers), and the fact they're facing away from you is huge.
***** All of which would be a totally valid complaint if we didn't specifically call out the (already self-evident) superiority of front-facing speakers starting around 8:12. ^M
Pocketnow It's still a valid complaint because the tests in the video are unrepresentative, you might as well not have had it in. All I gleaned from it is that both phones have decent speakers because we heard them in an unrealistic controlled setup. Telling us where the speakers are located doesn't demonstrate their actual effectiveness. Simply put, you just should have set them up as described above.
sony does it better and with STYLE. sony style. :-)
Sony Details make the difference Make.Believe
true that.
perfect Sony baby.....
im getting one on this Friday .....yeeeeehhhh!
if i were to upgrade now z2 would be my phone for sure, but my time for upgrade is q4.
+Amir Amran slave to the rythm yeah!
Z2: Cool looking, useful, but heavy and back panel cracks really easily
S5: Light, powerful, but looks cheep and doesn't have sufficient memory
Z2's not heavy at all, i've got it, and it's basically the same as any other flagship device.
Henry Kimmer No, Z2 is pretty much heavier than other flagship smartphones.
By the way, I was talking about the weight, not the performance or what so ever.
Sony Xperia Z2: 163g
HTC One (M8): 160g
LG G3: 149g
Samsung Galaxy S5: 145g
Xiaomi MI-3: 145g
Huawei Ascend P7: 124g
It's a matter of opinion, not a fact.
Henry Kimmer Hmm well at least I thought Xperia Z2 was heavier than other flagships...so yeah, it's just my opinion
I know right..
I never was one to buy the things that are popular with those who dont care for the tech that they have so I always bought the best alternative. When the iPhone was the thing of the town, I was the one with the Motorola Droid. Now that everyone and their mom have a samsung (and worst the galaxy mini and compares it to the actual device claiming that their phone is just as good) I will go with this Sony z2. I love the style and it being water proof. Powerful and distinguished. So yeah, this is my choice to keep myself distinguish from the commoners
Z2 - Elegant and Powerful.
S5 - Powerful and full of useless functions.
Exactly
The s5 still works with out you using the "useless features"
The TONS of useless apps eating up the memory X(
+arnar gunnar thank god they have that disable button
Z2 of course! Wise man choice!
Another problem with this review - The sony blacks are only that horrible grey on their boot animation. Anyone who's spent more than a day with an Xperia device can confirm this. I have no idea why Sony do that, but that's what it is. Later on in the review you can see the black status bar, and other blacks and they're reproduced very well. Again, come on pocketnow.
That shot is erroneous, yes - but Sony's blacks are indeed much more gray than Samsung's, as can be readily seen in Display Tester. ^M
Exactly. Sure the blacks aren't as good as the Samsung's. But why show that, and comment on it, only when the Sony is doing their stupid bootscreen. You know, instead of ANY other time lol? It's clear bias tha t just doesn't make sense
vexx506 at that point the phone was turned off...
Pocketnow You are indeed somewhat wrong, the amoled screen does not activate the pixels that should present the color black, and therefore not showing any color/brightness at all in these areas.
And as a second argument, the Xperia Z2 brightness is set to maximum* when booting and meanwhile you choose to do this in a low light room, the thing is, LCD-screens does leak brightness behind their blacks, and that is whats making it look blue, like our sky does due to the sunlight-reflections.
(*)But when the brightness is set to appropriate volumes in the current environment, the blacks does not show any misscoloration AT ALL, it is completely black and comparable with the S5 as other people mentioned.
So Auto-Brightness keeps the right setting for you wherever you go, exept when booting the device since the light sensor hasnt started yet.
You will ALWAYS have the opportunity to set the right whites on the Z2, or even the whites that fits your taste, that makes the Z2 display much better in this zone, admit.it.bro.
Hahaha anyways have a nice day, hope you learned something ^^
That's why I keep coming back for more review videos on pocketnow. Michael is very honest and gives allot of useful information. His reviews are unbiased and he tells you what kind of phone fits whom. Thank you Michael for your honest reviews!
I would have gotten the Z2 over my HTC One M8 if AT&T carried it as well. But do not regret it at all. Z2 is a fine peice of hardware, glad Sony is stepping up their game.
I wanted to buy Z2 but could not wait for its availability and brought HTC m8 and quite glad that I brought M8 super smooth android experience and everything flys speakers are outstanding and the call quality is brilliant hope it had Z2 camera.
Michael's videos seriously just get better and better with each upload.
yay Gs5 wins for bringing nothing new to the table save for a heart beat sensor which is completely useless to 95% of the ppl.
+Who the he'll wants to use a heart rate monitor. They're useless gimmicks on a phone!!!
Randy Vasquez Just for people who really wants to check their heart rate?
gtone339 or people who want to make sure they're still alive I guess lol!
Have you checked out the LG G3 leaked pictures? now that is what I call a phone.
Randy Vasquez it doesnt looks all that great compared to z2 or htc m8. I have a g2 and i dont like it at all tbh...lg tries to copy samsung in their ui which sucks
Z2 ftw
I'll take Z2 any day.
Z2 hardware + custom ROM = WIN!
Sony phones are just soooo much more elegant than the samsung style. And as i look at my phone every time i use it i would prefer Sony... every time.
HTC One M8 x Sone Xperia Z2 x Samsung Galaxy S5 its a really hard choice, but what ever you choose, it will serve you perfectly.
Was it just me or did the S5's mic sound recording on the videos sounded muffled and worse than the Xperia z2's? And that contrast on S5 camera... beautiful or too much?
I might get one of these soon, so idk...
Sony Stereo Microphone STM10 for Z2 is a game changer :)
Walkman output to headphones is much better quality than Samsung. clear audio is really sophisticated when you conect in to your stereo system. The RAM is more important for android than amounts of gigahertz. Better Camera, desing, watterproofness. I'm using 99% of time the headphones speakers are just for calling. Oversaturated AMOLED is not much for me. Xperia Z2 utter winner.
I Just Love My Xperia Z2... I Always Love Z2.. No Idea For S5 .. Just Love Z2 :D
Thanks for the review Mike!
I wish the new Sony xperia has an ir blaster, then it'll be a beast phone!
I'd probably go for the Z2 here but only slightly. I upgraded from a Galaxy S4 to an HTC One M8 and quite frankly, I wouldn't trade my M8 for either of these. Sure the cameras on either of these absolutely crush my M8's shooter but I love Sense 6 and the boomsound speakers are amazing.
Z2 is a sexy phone though. We as android users should rejoice in how spoiled for choice we are because any of these devices are amazing!! And LG is looking to kill it with the G3 so I'm excited to see that too!!
The Xperia Z2 wins for me, true premium experience on an android device, Sony is a major underdog in the android world.
sony :)
as an old galaxy user (1 and 3) I wasn't sure of upgrading to S5 and instead I chose the Z2 and all I can say is I'm glad I made the change, powerful phone and 3GB of RAM this thing never slows down even with a bunch of installed apps and services and yeah the premium look and feel doesn't hurt :)
And you got the purple version! Cool comparison!
Can you use the Galaxy when the screen is wet? I've seen videos of the screen becoming completely unresponsive when it's wet. Most Sony water proof phones have wet finger tracking which works well (obviously not as good as when dry), so I assume the Z2 does well in wet screen situations.
so usefull
chinjiriki if it where raining you would not be able to use the s5 with z1 and z2 you can touch the screen even when its wet
it will never work underwater so..
chinjiriki so you still can't use your s5 in the rain or take it to the pool and hear music with dual stereo speakers
chinjiriki and if you want to take underwater photos In the ocean or any where else you can't because the toy phone doesn't have a camera button and it would die because its only water resistant not waterproof like the z2 even the Z1 that came out last year in September is waterproof ip58 s5 is only ip67 z1 even has a 20.7mp camera
why is everybody arguing, this is a closed case, if u're like me the first thing you do is install a custom ROM, no further talking is required, Z2 hands down takes it
Root>Choose costumed Rom>Reboot and Boom The S5 Killer. The only thing could have safe S5 if they would had implemented 64 bit chip and more ram.
The Z2 is so gorgeous HNGGGGGG
Had the S5 for few days but it lacked the wow factor, cheap plastic. Exchanged it for Xperia Z2 and it's a whole new experience. It feels more premium and polished. Very useful features rather than show off features. I'm still using the default keyboard on Z2 which I couldn't on S5 due to lack of usability. I do however miss the hard button at the button at the bottom for quick exit and that's the only thing I miss about S5.
The question is do you prefer Korean engineering or Japanese engineering.
You make the best reviews
I had the S3, and S4, In both i had the same problem, use it greatly for 2-3 months then it completely slows down, becomes so laggy and freezing. I now have the Xperia z2, for me its amazing. No problems until now. User interface is amazing, fast, never freezing or lagging. Its like the speed of an iphone, with a battery of a car and a professional camera. I highly recommend the Z2 over the s5. Coming from an ex iphone and samsung user.
Great video as always, I still think that the skin over the Z2 is much snapper and feels like something well-built ( and less cartoony ). Both are great phones, but I'm thinking of getting the Sony. Hope I will make the right choice for me.
The Sony skin let's you change the theme of the whole ui they always add new themes the themes also changes the navbar buttons like the home back and multitask buttons
I need the Wallpaper used on Galaxy S5 in second 1:22 in this video.
Any help where I could find it ?
Please compare it with the Lumia Icon.
I'd get the Z2.
can't find a reason really to pick any of these two when we have the HTC ONE M8 available; sound, build quality, screen quality, user interface, camera app / music app/ gallery app / blinkfeed- for those who want such a thing
Well, the camera, for one. The M8 camera is not a patch on either of these, sorry. When I take a picture on my Z1, I can crop into the image well over 100% to re-frame things and I'll still get a great result. I do it all the time. The M8 doesn't allow this. And I'd argue that the Music and Gallery apps on the Z2 are much better than HTC's. Personal preference.
Ok i can give you that, the camera is not the best on the htc one, but have you seen and tried out the sense 6 gallery app and music player? Also would you trade everything else for the camera quality? If so why not go for a Lumia 1020 like i have?
isinox its not Android
Out of the S5, Z2 and M8, I think the Z2 is the best overall phone. It has the least amount of major cons.
Most complained about cons
S5, ugly design, cheap materials
M8, bad camera, low megapixels
Z2, buggy software is the only thing I can think of (which can be fixed)
isinox You use stock media players? Why?!
Micheal that outro was awesome You Da Best
I heard enough from samsung and I can't resist going into a new phone. Everything about samsung is given already from the galaxy s4 and note 3 but for someone who will buy a new phone I think it is a good choice to go for new brand which is Sony Xperia Z2. Everything you need from a phone is here and much closer to stock android
still using z2 and working perfectly
No one mentions the mag charging port, I think it is the one killer feature of the Z2 as opposed to the S5. If you use the mag port you never have to disturb/wear out/break/leave open the protective covers on the ports. In fact there are even cases for the sony that cover all ports other than the mag port, preventing them from being opened. massive win I believe.
Please upload full review of Sony Xperia Z2.... With camera ,display , sound, design, battery, future proof, value for money, etc... We are waiting for that. Make it as soon as possible...
"Pocket....................Now"
and as usual the samsung sheep are bashing on anything isnt samsung tbh the Z2 is the most powerful phone on the market, its more capable than the S5, I rather have something in my hand that feels premium as opposed to plastic.. But because I use my phone for a lot of tasks throughout the day, I'm going to upgrade to an S5 simply because of the removable battery otherwise I would never get a samsung
The z2 battery will last all day even if you use it alot also it has a lot of power saving features to make it last even longer the battery on the s5 is 2800mah vs 3200mah
Z2 out of these two overall though I love my One M8
Great Review & Comparison!
When you do speaker tests, especially comparisons, could you do them with youtube clips? who the hell listens to music over their phone speakers? Most people do watch plenty of youtube videos with the phone's internal speakers, and gaming.
you dont doesnt mean others dont
i spent a lot of time listening to music with the loud speaker because I'm deaf with headphones on
can be very dangerous sometimes
I think the screen should be facing the viewer in either case. Ultimately that will be how the phone will be used.
just tick some settings for the speakers on z2, you can manually set it up so it would sound perfect.. for earphones, get the noise cancelling earphone that would be the greatest music experience you will have.. z2 user here, ex-sammy user..
Are viewing angles good on the xperia z2 ?? Compared to previous xperia smartphones like the z1 ?
I would get the Z2. Better overall. Anyone else concerned about scratches, though? Does Sony have any cases for the Z2? I don't want scratches in the first month. Does anyone know?
Ok thanks. I still have to wait for the Z2 to be available in US retailers, etc.
just put tempered glass on front and back then you're fine :D
For me sony xperia z2 win... it is very nice phone and i like this smartphone in black colour. Just great and waterproof is one big +...
Dang people really hate on the gs5!! Honestly I don't know why. Both of these phones are awesome. Personally, I prefer the gs5, not because I think its a better phone but because it's a better phone for me. Really love the saturation and actually really like TouchWiz, but mostly the saturation, colors seem more vivid.
I love my Xperia Z2 *-* The front speakers are awesome and totally loud enough for me. The camera (especially the software)is just great and overall good to use.
I'm not saying the S5 isn't good, cause it obviously is, but I couldn't live with that phone, I'm clearly a Sony fanboy apparently. :'D
I'm looking forward to Sony Xperia Z4
me too
Thanks Michael for the comparison. I am tremendously disappointed by the sound for the Z2 as I was interested in the phone. Looking forward to an in depth on the Z2 and those speakers.
z2 is classy and sexy... in Black.
Friendly Suggestion: Finish all your testing so you can include everything in one final video before publishing. I'm talking about things like we'll get back to you on battery usage, etc. because we're still testing...
I understand there's competition among channels but really, a few more days wait time wouldn't be that bad to get some extra helpful information. It's certainly better than having multiple videos for every little thing.
Thanks.
well sir, it's been awhile, but, I'm intrigued with the music player used in sony.
could you please kindly tell me what it is?
i see it has in screen volume button.
thank you sir.
I think you should throw in to any comparison between 2 devices software updates based on manufacturers/ carriers history
Z2 is the best phone.
Too big, no ir blaster.
Zarman1337 better specs
Zarman1337 there is gonna be a ZL2 with 5 inch screen and super small bezel with all the other specs like dual front speakers 20.7 mp cam 3gb ram and the back will be more round
Zarman1337 why does sony needs IR blaster when you can actually pair sony devices to bravia TV's?
Z2 if you're tired of Touchwiz
The thing that i love the must about the z2 is the design. It's just stunning! It's simple get elegant in it's on way. Beside having a great design, i love new front facing speaker! It's a must have for any flagships phone. And lastly the notification light. Oh it is just stunning! I love the long pulse light. It's very attractive. Wish i could win this cause this is my all time favorite phone :)
Z2 will be my next phone. I don't agree with some of the points in the video but it's a nice review overall. Thanks for the video.
Sony is better in performance than the Samsung. plus it looks very luxurious too. For the S5 i am not even ready to pay a crap, Xperia is worth every penny. Samsung once impressed me with the Galaxy S3. but since then the galaxy series sucked. Although the note series is still going good. I am not a Sony fanboy or something like that. but Galaxy S5 is for those who want a comfy phone and those who never bought anything else. Sony for the gamers,the photographers and the heavy demanders.
S5 if you want to be the common guy with another galaxy. The Z2 if you wanna be that classy dude who just lives to experience. Z2 wins the cake for me.
Both area good phones. I'm leaning towards the Z2. I've had the Galaxy S2, Note, S3 and Note 2 (my current phone). I don't think I'm going to repeat with Sammy. I'm kind of bored of their UI and the way they do things. I just hope Sony keeps up with Updates. I have to say the camera and design of the device is what's calling me to the Z2. :)
Can we all take a second to bask in the analogy at 3:47
Bravo
I did come really close to picking up a Z2, which coming for a hardened Samsung fanboy like myself, means I must give the guys at Sony some credit. Unfortunately, I'm the kind of person who loves features and productivity, and more so over aesthetics; so I've held back from any phone, until I've seen what the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 has to offer :D
Watching SONY brand on my mobile make me more proud. Not all appreciate Classic. Z2 I love you
Some strange comparisons Michael.
HDR vs Superior auto doesn't make much sense.
The Z2 is waterproof vs the GS5s resistance which is played down for some reason.
Lots of emphasis on the GS5 being an active device because of software when apparently the Z2 is also similar in that regard. Fair point about the S5s more rugged build though.
The difference in water resistance (neither is "waterproof") is a half meter, and we clearly called out the Z2's superiority in this regard. ^M
Is that a Palm pre box in the back of the beginning?
S5 or Z2, which one should i get?
I want a good camera, good audio (from headphones), and a solid phone considering the rest ( Net browsing, some minor games, and other normal stuff for an android)?
For Good Camera, Galaxy s5👍
For Good Audio, Z2 👌
+Manahan X ur so wrong, z2 has 20 mp
Great review, seems very unbiased
I have Xperia Z2 and I am just love it.. Good pic and video..
I was wondering whether there was much of a difference in Usable Internal Memory on the 16 Gig version. Do the different skins use 5 Gigs, 8 Gigs, etc?
The smasung skin uses alot more memory you get like 8gb free vs 11.7gb on the z2
Ricardo Galindo Thanks!
This time I love Sony Xperia Z2 because its made made under Sony's real life thinking doesn't have any stupid gimmiks which S5 is full of...after using S4 i feel the all Air commands,smart stay etc. are only useless stupid gimmiks.....and by adding that much sh*t on a phone samsung made their UI slow and lazy.........although S5 doens't seems laggy now,but I'm sure after sometime it becomes same as S4...
Thank you very much +Pocketnow, xperia z2 ftw
Thanks for the link Z2 for me hands down!!!!
How come Phonearena DOES NOT mention 4K video overheating on Z2?
'Which one belongs in your Pocket...Now' XD
Sony is better engineered, while Sumsung is as powerful but cheaper.
Atleast it's cheaper in my country.
Also, there's a bend test video, if you try to bend Z2 with force, it won't bend. It's flexible and the middle part is strong, while Sumsung would break.
Pls make an antenna test and coverage test next time, thats the overall important functions and then all this nice stuff, you cover.
Hey can you please do a review on Z2 with marshmallow and please explain how to get into recovery mode in Z2.
It bothers me you don't go into how the music apps are. They're different, aren't they? So it'd be really nice to know which one was more useful, handy, and easy to use and all that. I'm a huge music listener. I have a headset around my neck/on my head almost all day and never leave my house without it. So knowing the difference would probably be the decider for me.
dude, let your beard grow!!! good review, but i'll never be a android guy. Windows Phone rules for me, especially since the 8.1 update.
keep doin' such great vids!
Well y'all better check out the Z2 Drop Test on Android Authority's channel. It doesn't break. At all.
In the end, I got the HTC one m8, and I am so happy with it.
S5 for the win! Fast, light, has more color and more importantly, SUPER DURABLE!
Cant decide if black or purple z2
Haha I like the purple one because it is a different color than everything else. Black and white r the most common so personally I would go for a purple one lol
Thats excatly what im thinking because purple is kinda feminine color
Rajeev Talwer get the purple its different don't be the same as everyone else stand out from the crowd and it's cool too
Yeah, and its final ill get the purple one I wish magnetic charging dock and noise canceling headset will include in the box too
S5 hands down for its S Health Suite/wearables. Only phone that will beat it is the Note4, which I'm really hoping will offer something more significant than an evolutionary upgrade as the Note3 ovrr the Note2.
Which should i buy s5/note3/z2...plz ans me @Pocketnow
I'd go for the htc one (m8) but I really find useful the Spen and multi Window
If you want ultra dim like the S5, get the app called "Twilight" and it dims the screen even lower than the Sammy.
But those apps dim the screen by putting a black colored shade on the screen, which is not the same thing as the display itself dimming at all
Moh J
True, but it only happens at night time so it's not too bad on the screen. Also it changes the colour temperature to make it easy for you to go to sleep when reading/watching etc.
Just bought a Oneplus One. It makes me smile to see all these other phones that are more expensive, but less powerful.
Im searching for a long lasting phone....any suggestion??
for the camera i install always camera zoom fx, that's no problem.
but i think the galaxy s5 win for me
but i'm happy with my note 3
Watching this on my 6 years old Xperia Z. Though not my main phone anymore.
Pocketnow what about the headsets that ships with the phone and u forgot the z2's music app with its active noise cancellation built in.
When I saw those stereo speakers I thought at last..... What a bummer
He didn't enable XLOUD in sound settings on the z2 if you enable Xloud the speakers should sound alot better
Ricardo Galindo ok then, please update the comparison Pocketnow
Hassan.Q Ricardo Galindo Hi guys. Thanks for the heads-up on xLOUD. Just to be clear: there's no dedicated setting for it on our Z2 (it seems to have been bundled with ClearAudio+ in the new software). Enabling ClearAudio+ does indeed increase the sound's clarity, but the loudness seems unchanged according to our dB meter here. Will address this further in our Z2 vs M8 comparison!
EDIT: Disabled ClearAudio+ and manually enabled xLOUD. dB levels tied at 91dB between Z2 and S5. Will add note to description. Thanks again! ^M
Pocketnow Mm... kinda strange. MOst of the review out there tells that the speakers is just superb for that kind of a phone, close to HTC one M8. Strange that your ex seems to be so bad? When it comes to bloat, Sony is really not bad at all. Its only "Whats new app" and "Sony Select" that i consider bloat. All the rest from Sony is actually usefull apps. like Albumapp, walkmanapp, Videoapp, messaging app and so on. Cant understand why those are considered unusefull bloat? SO 2 bloatapps against Samsungs S5 fullpacked bloatmachine, that you wont use half of it. But thanks for a good comparison. :)
Dude they're a lot better than S5's speaker. Xloud does make them louder without losing clarity. Right now I believe Z2 has the second best speakers right after HTC M8.