I got a z3c in November 2017 rather than a z5c because of the small form factor, high spec and magnetic charger port. My previous Sony- an xperia x10- failed on me with a loose USB port- a common issue so I thought a magnetic charger would let me use the phone for years to come. I was wrong.
Camera was dead out of the box. Magnetic port failed at 5 months. USB port became loose at 8 months (with just 3 months of use, charging every other day), touchscreen began to fail at 9 months and fully at 11 months (middle and top). At some point the USB flap rubber broke.
Now at 14 months the headphone socket is dead and usb is almost dead so the phone is unusable. I'm extremely disappointed because the software performance and battery life has been excellent and even better than many new smartphones that I've tried.
I now need an alternative. Has Sony improved build quality in their newer compacts (xz1/2) or are these also plagued by the same hardware faults as their predecessors.
I want a small form factor with a similar screen size, body size and weight to the z3c, with performance that enables good Web browsing and multitasking. My priority is on good quality hardware- I don't care about new software updates - the hardware simply should not fail for 3-5 years.
I'm reluctant to switch to an iPhone, being an early adapter of Android and an embedded systems engineer.
The only small phones I can find are the budget Moto G play and E models and A series Samsung galaxy.
What is the performance of these phones? I've temporarily got an entry level Samsung and it's pathetic in terms of performance.
Apple has been selling the old 4" SE on clearance this week. If I were to make a switch to iPhone for its build quality, would the SE (or 6s which has an identical spec) offer decent performance for Web browsing and multitasking?
I have used over 25 different phones in the past 10 years and have had enough with either poor build quality or poor software performance. Why can't it be both?
