XZ user not impressed with the XZ3

[jeff84]

 I'm writing to give feedback for my XZ3. 

I have just migrated from my wonderful silver XZ and am already regretting it after day one. 

Double tap to wake - I used this religiously on my XZ due to it's immense usefulness/accessibilty, despite the fingerprint reader being in a genuinely usable location on that handset. Now that the XZ3 has a fingerprint scanner in a genuinely unusable location I am mortified to discover that double tap to wake no longer works. I have to enable the pointless and frustrating added-layer of 'Ambient Screen' so that I am then able to double tap to get to that pointless extra screen...then I'm forced to wait a second or two before double tapping again to get to the lock pattern screen.

Buying this £700 flagship phone has, at the least, quadrupled the time and effort to unlock the phone via screen-tapping compared to my XZ which I got for £450 at launch.

If double tap can be registered in order to reach that God-awful ambient nonsense screen then why can't I unlock my phone with a double tap when that ambient screen is disabled? Appalling design.

No headphone jack is near unforgivable as it is so totally needless to remove, yet so remarkably convenient and necessary. I'm heavily begrudged by it and if a near-identical phone is released with headphone jack and double tap to wake then I won't hesitate to say goodbye to Sony whom I've been a loyal customer for many generations. 

Sony have made using my phone a complete chore compared to how my XZ functioned. The fingerprint scanner was on the side so that it could be accessed whilst the phone was in a cradle or flat on a surface. Sounds useful right? Then why change it!

If the fingerprint scanner was still awkward or hands were messy then a nice clean double tap on the screen unlocked the phone or took it to the lock pattern screen. Sounds really useful right!? So why the **bleep** did Sony remove it!?

Sony need to strongly consider their approach to QA testing. I guarantee anyone on planet earth presented with 2 phones, with and without those features above - would choose the features that made accessing the phone much easier. Go figure!

Sorely disappointed with this phone. Nice screen, nice to have more power, nice that it comes with Pie... Shame its a laborious shambles at the point of user entry every-single-time and cost me £700 for the 'pleasure'.

Please pass this feedback to your OS software department because simply reinstating double tap to unlock (without that pointless 'Ambient Screen' active) would make me care less about the useless fingerprint scanner (which I'm constantly confusing with the camera lens...finger marks all over the lens CONSTANTLY, YAY!). 

Another point is that the phone is practically made from Teflon. I have ordered a gel case out of necessity because, oddly enough, I don't want my phone to skid at 100mph like hot melting butter across any surface that hasn't been perfectly levelled by NASA engineers. It slides off my bed which is a firm and flat mattress! Given that it's not made from beautiful aluminium like my previous XZ, but in fact glass (known for it's easily breakable qualities) - you do not want the phone to slide about like a bar of soap. If you have a sofa on a hard floor then good luck is all I say. 

One last note is that facial recognition hasn't worked once. When setting up the facial recognition it asks me to position my head in full frame of the circle but it's at such an unnatural distance, height and angle that I'd have to hold my phone up in the sky and at arms length to register my face. Yet again more inconvenience dressed up as convenience. Who's going to hold up a phone like that? No one, that's who. 

All in all very disappointed that accessing my phone is a complete shambles. Design is meant to move forward and become more elegant and less noticeable. Sony have stepped back 4 years and thrown bollards at the user. 

The phone is also too big. If it was the same size as the xz but with a bigger screen then it would be perfect. Phablets are needless - see my earlier point about design making things smaller and more convenient - again sony have stepped back 4 years. 

Regards 

- A sorely dissapointed loyal customer now £700 and 5-seconds-per-phone-interaction poorer

[Darbo25]

I've never had an issue despite driving a car and cooking in my kitchen, and what you describe as pointless and whatever, I quite like. 

If I want to check the time or see what message has come through I just have to pick the phone up and it shows me, no tapping involved, I can just tilt it towards me and I'm done. 

My point is everybody is different and not everyone will like everything ,but you're acting as though your opinion is the only right one, it's not. 

[jeff84]

So it's fine for you Darbo, so then your opinion is the right one? OK then. 

How about you read my reply properly before jumping to assumptions? 

I asked for the OPTION to bypass the ambient screen (which is pointless for me). Simply - an option in settings (just like the XZ had) for "double tap to wake". 

So you can have your ambient screen and I can turn off but still access my phone without having to pick up the entire handset off the table. 

Also, I'm not talking about the functionality of "checking the time or notifications" but rather the ease of unlocking the phone. It sounds like you don't have a lock on your phone enabled at all if you're able to access the recipe in your phones browser once it has turned it's screen off on your kitchen side with "no tapping invloved". 

Maybe you can tell us how you unock your phone with one hand whilst it is sat in a cradle in your car?

[Darbo25]

Of course I have a lock on my phone, I use my normal sized fingers to unlock it with the fingerprint scanner on the back 

I'll go back to my original point, you've been up in arms about this phone in a very dramatic fashion, the vast majority of your issues could have been mitigated with research, you've even complained about things you knew about prior to buying it like the lack of headphone socket, I didn't like ie this originally either  but after looking into it I found that Sony provide an adapter in the box, good enough for me but if its not good enough for you(like everything else on the phone) then why buy it ?

Treat this horrendous life altering experience as a lesson for the future, before buying a phone go to a shop and check out a display model, learn about what you're buying and see if it's right for you. 

[jeff84]

The main gripe I've had has been the functionality (which, as I've already explained) could not be "mitigated with research" as it requires real-world usage, not popping in to a phone shop and fingering it for 20 minutes.

And (which I've also expained) I couldn't appreciate how annoying these design elements were (such as lacking headphone socket) until I have been using the phone in real life. I have already stated that I have migrated from an XZ, so much of these changes are fresh to me and frankly seem very gimmicky and needlessly hindering. 

If you had an XZ2 or similar and thus have simply gotten use to some of this bad design then good for you. I would like to point out the bad design to anyone migrating from a phone with great design like the XZ so that they can use it to judge better their buying choice (as I have already said). 

I asked how you unlock it with one hand whilst it's in a car cradle, as you mentioned you didn't have a problem with that. You can't reach the fingerprint scanner, and phone screen is black/blank. How do you do it? 

And for that matter, how do you unlock the phone without picking it up? I'm sure you can appreciate some phone users would like to do this? Why not have the option in settings? Why is that something you must resist? It is literally sitting there as dormant code.

This ambient screen nonsense doesn't even work 100% of the time. Just a few moments ago I lifted it out of my pocket and it stayed blank. I had to press the side button to wake it. Fluid functionality or what. 

[Darbo25]

OK, point for point, if you go to a phone shop and test it out  you'll see the extra screen and be able to note how many taps you need to unlock it, you can also note the materials used and whether they are to your taste or not.

I don't see how you couldn't predict how the missing socket would affect you, I put the adapter on the end of my headphones I use for the phone and that's that, you may be different but then you should know your needs and whether this meets them.

My previous phone was the z5 so, like you, these features are brand new to me, you keep saying you need to point out bad design,  it isn't bad design, you just don't like it. You didn't ask how i unlock the phone while driving, you commented on having to negotiate the extra screen while driving and it being annoying, my comment was in regard to not having an issue, the motion of the car keeps the first screen visible so I'd only have to tap twice (like my previous phone) to access the phone, in this situation I would input my 4 digit code but again, its not an issue because I only use my phone as a sat nav rarely so it's often just on the seat next to me .

I don't unlock the phone without picking it up, if some users find this necessary they can turn off the fingerprint and use another option.

And finally, I have yet to have a problem with the screen not showing automatically, if its only now and again I won't let it ruin my day, if it becomes a regular thing I'd mention it here or reinstall software. 

[jeff84]

My arguments are about the functionality of the phone in my experience of usage, not yours. 

So you can't see a use for simply activating an option to double-tap to wake without the ambient screen. Brilliant, then I guess those of us who desperately want this function will all just have to lump it. What exactly *is* your argument for not reinstating this existing tech?? It wouldn't be a huge change to the tech team but would be very useful for many users. Why are you against it?

"you just don't like it" - Sure, because having a fingerprint scanner hidden out of eyesight on the back of a phone, directly next to the identically-sized camera lens, placed at the same length of the average human knuckle from the hand's normal holding position is "not bad design". Erm, sure. I must be the first person who doesn't like that...(see many of the reviews, forums etc). The XZ scanner was a masterpiece compared to this. 

fantastic that you have a bumpy car to keep your high-tech phone awake. Mine isn't. It's actually smooth as silk. But again, as long as you don't experience the problem then it's fine. You personally also don't need that functionality (in your own words) so how can you sit there arguing it? Seems like argument for the sake of argument. 

If it's something you don't use, nor want, then I don't see why you're on the defensive. It seems you're just unhappy that I don't love the phone as much as you.

The screen is gorgeous, the camera is great, Android Pie is generally really nice, wireless charge is great, waterproofing is great, tech specs are fine, the UI close enough to G stock...so there you go I don't all-out hate the phone. It is, however seriously hindered from being near-perfect by some really daft design decisions which could easily be alleviated, if not completely erradicated, with a simple patch fix. 

If they simply added the double-tap-to-wake function then I wouldn't be even the slightest bit bothered by the ambient screen (as it would be switched off) or even the fingerprint scanner placement (as I wouldn't use it). A simple software fix would shut me up to enjoy the phone. 

[Darbo25]

I stopped reading when you started getting passive aggressive, "fantastic you have a bumpy car, i don't, its silky smooth" . 

An absolutely ridiculous comment, I'm done. 

[jeff84]

Same as me, at your previous "it's not bad design, you just don't like it". (you could have instead explained why it was 'good design' instead of attacking me). 

Though I still endevoured to present an argument which still stands, should you ever become un"done" and read it.

I also don't see the problem with my car comment. It *is* smooth so the sceen doesn't stay awake. How you've taken that personally is a bit strange.