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LineageOS is one of the most popular custom ROMs available, with somewhere around two million active installations. It typically takes a while for the project to update to newer versions of Android, since development is largely done by maintainers in their spare time. Six months after the public release of Android 9 Pie, it looks like LineageOS is about ready to make the jump — but not before dropping older devices.
Sony was one of the first OEMs to focus on designing water-resistant phones, but they weren't always resistant enough. Consumers were brushed off by Sony when their water-resistant phones and tablets showed evidence of water damage. Now, there's a class action lawsuit wrapping up that could result in affected Sony owners getting a 50% refund on their devices.
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- According to Xperia Blog, the Android 7.0 Nougat update OTA has also started rolling out to the Xperia Z3+ and Z3+ Dual. It has the same firmware number 32.3.A.0.372 and weighs a little more at 1347MB.
The Xperia Z5 series (Z5, Z5 Compact, and Z5 Premium) was on the list of devices that Sony promised to bring Android 7.0 Nougat to. After releasing the update to the more recent X Performance and XZ, then the X and X Compact, Sony is now ready to bring Nougat 7.0 to the Z5.
With Android 7.0 now officially rolling out to devices, you might wonder which non-Nexus phones will see the update some day. Sony has released a list of devices it intends to update to Nougat at some point in the not too distant future. The gist: if you've got a Sony phone from 2015 or 2016, you'll probably get the Nougat update.
For people looking for a small high-end phone, there's the Xperia Z5 Compact and that's it. Sony's latest version comes with a 4.6-inch screen, a Snapdragon 820, a 23MP camera, and plenty of reason for people who like hand-sized phones to fall in love.As usual, small size does not mean small price. The Z5 Compact typically costs half a grand. But right this moment, Amazon is offering the handset for $100 off. That brings the price down to $399.99.The Z5 Compact is available from Amazon in black or white. This is the US model sold with a warranty. It only works with GSM carriers, so don't try picking one up if you're on Sprint or Verizon.The device is Prime eligible, so shipping should be fast. Hop on the deal while you can.
After taking its sweet time releasing the Xperia Z5 and Z5 Compact in the US, Sony thought charging $600 and $500 respectively for the devices seemed like a good idea. Well, they're already discounted via Amazon for $50-60 off after going on sale February 7th.These are the same basic devices you could get previously as international models. However, you get a US warranty in case something goes wrong. Sony also removed the fingerprint sensor from these devices because it hates making money. I don't know this to be true, but it sure seems that way. At any rate, you can pick up a Z5 for $539.99 ($60 off) in black, white, or gold. The Z5 Compact is $449.99 ($50 off).The Z5 Compact is in stock, but the larger Z5 is almost gone. There are a few more of the black, but the other colors have a 2-5 week wait. You can order any of them now and they will ship as soon as Amazon has them available.Source: Xperia Z5, Xperia Z5 CompactVia: XperiaBlog
While they don't carry the same popularity as flagships from Samsung, HTC, and LG, Sony still has some dedicated fans of its unique hardware. Those fans will be glad to know that the Xperia Z5 and its smaller cousin the Xperia Z5 Compact are now on sale in the United States, right on time. According to Sony's blog post, both phones should now be available at Amazon, Best Buy, B&H Photo, and other electronics retailers. They're both being sold as unlocked GSM phones. At the time of writing Amazon only has the international version (without a US warranty) and Best Buy's website is only showing the Z5 Compact, but B&H seems to have all of the current US models.
Sony made some tweaks to its design aesthetic this year to accommodate the inclusion of a fingerprint sensor in the power button of the Z5. It's not as accurate as I'd like, but it's still nice to have. However, a number of reports claim that Sony will not include this feature in the newly announced US variants of the phone. We reached out to Sony and got confirmation: no fingerprint reader for the US.
Sony unveiled the Xperia Z5 series way back in September 2015, and they're finally coming to the US. The Z5 and Z5 Compact will go on sale February 7th at Amazon, Best Buy, and B&H. The Z5 will be $599 and the Z5 Compact will run you $499.These should be essentially the same phones that have been available in other markets for the last few months. Although, there's no mention of the Z5 Premium. Perhaps that phone won't be making it to the US at all. Here are the specs of the Z5 and Z5 Compact as a quick refresher.Xperia Z5:
I remember not that long ago thinking that a 4.7-inch phone screen was pretty large. How could they get bigger than that and still be usable? Surely this is the end of the road... and here we are a few years later and the Xperia Z5 Compact is considered diminutive at 4.6-inches. When I say this phone is small (and it is) I mean it's small compared to every other Android flagship.
The Xperia Z5 and its variants are great looking devices, but for those of us in the US, they're just that—great looking. Sony hasn't started shipping them our way, no matter how far open we stretch our wallets.But that doesn't mean there aren't ways to get the hook up in the States. A seller on eBay is offering the Xperia Z5 for 0 and the Xperia Z5 Compact for 0. The former is slightly cheaper than what you can order on Amazon, though the price for the latter remains about the same. On eBay though, you're stuck with black.Alternatively, you can now get the phones from Expansys USA. The retailer offers the Sony Xperia Z5 and Z5 Compact for around the same price as Amazon and eBay. Like the former, you have your choice of colors. Whichever seller you go with, the prices look better than what we've seen in Europe. And as for the Xperia Z5 Premium, it's available as a pre-order.These GSM phones are compatible with both AT&T and T-Mobile. That said, they don't come with a warranty in the US. You're paying a lot of money and going out on a limb. If Sony really doesn't want to sell you the phone, you're probably better off not giving them (or a third-party seller) your money, but the option is there.Source: eBay - Xperia Z5, eBay - Xperia Z5 Compact, Expansys USA
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Sony's open device project was launched to allow developers to run AOSP Android builds on many of Sony's devices. The company has been keeping up the software support for this program, and has even added new devices frequently. Now, Sony's latest flagships are joining the open initiative. You can grab the Marshmallow software binaries for the Xperia Z5 and Z5 Compact right now.
Google has shown off what's in Android 6.0. Factory images and over-the-air updates are popping up for Nexus devices. That means the time is ripe for smartphone makers to announce when they're going to bring Marshmallow to their devices.
Story time. I've been a technology blogger for almost exactly four years now, and one of my first video assignments was to compare AT&T's first crop of LTE Android phones, the Samsung Galaxy S2 Skyrocket and the HTC Vivid. At the time (November 2011) they were big deals. Throughout a 7-minute video, I kept calling the HTC Vivid the "HTC View," confusing it for a similarly-named but somewhat different device... a tablet on Sprint that came out earlier that year. No, I'm not going to link to it; if you're that eager to see me make an idiot out of myself on a poorly-shot video, you can Google it.
Sony is one of the very rare companies who know how to balance the right level of features between smaller and larger devices. Their newly announced Z5 series has a very powerful Z5 Compact, a good Z5, and a slightly fluffed up Z5 Premium, all without compromising on processor, RAM, or camera performance.
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- Here's a deeper look at all three devices in video form.
Sony's Xperia Z5 is the story of three phones. Like with previous iterations, there's the usual Z5 and Z5 Compact, but this time they're joined by the Z5 Premium. The last addition is the biggest, baddest model in the lineup, but Sony remains the one major smartphone manufacturer that remains convinced bigger isn't always better.