Posted by Ricky D
This will be a work in progress until the first day of the 2017 thread. I appreciate any feedback on layout or tips that want to remain anonymous.
Reliability rating
XR1 - 'Whispers from a friend of a friend who cleans the house of the guy who's brother used to sleep with Kaz's wife'
XR2 - ..
XR3 - ..
XR4 - ..
XR5 - 'Kaz himself said so'
Announcements
Nothing to see here. Keep moving.
Major Tech Events
CES - 6-9 January 2016
MWC - 22-25 February 2016
IFA -
Rumours
XR - details - source - posted here
XR3 - 6.4" Z6 Ultra - Chinese sources > gsmarea > here - Dec 15
XR4 - 5.8" Z6 Plus - Chinese sources > gsmarea > here - Dec 15
XR4 - 5.2" Z6 - Chinese sources > gsmarea > here - Dec 15
XR4 - 4.6" Z6 Compact - Chinese sources > gsmarea > here - Dec 15
XR1 - 4" Z6 Mini - Chinese sources > gsmarea > here - Dec 15
XR1 - 5" Z6 Lite with SD652 SoC for May 2016 - Chinese sources > mobile-dad > here - Dec 15
XR4 - Z6 series to come in 2h2016
XR3 - Z6 series to contain Ultra
XR4 - Z6 series to contain Premium/Plus
XR5 - Z6 series to contain Flagship
XR5 - Z6 series to contain Compact
XR4 - We'll see new tablets in 1Q2016
XR3 - 'Z6' will be the series name of the next full range of handsets
XR3 - We'll see mid-range handsets 1H2016
[ This Message was edited by: Ricky D on 2016-01-05 06:44 ]
Posted by Xajel
Good start Ricky D... keep us posted
Posted by Ambivalent_
My concern is will S820 be enough in fall of 2016? S820 is more of a H1 2016 powerhouse and later in the year S830 will launch. If Sony wants the best of 2016 technology it needs to have something other than a SoC from early 2016.
Posted by josephnero
XR1.llllllllloooolllll
goodluck
[ This Message was edited by: josephnero on 2015-12-05 19:12 ]
Posted by JohnnyNr.5
XR1 - 'Whispers from a friend of a friend who cleans the house of the guy who's brother used to sleep with Kaz's wife'
MADE MY DAY!
Posted by djin
I like how this thread has started
. I hope 2016 is a good year for us and we finally get that one flagship we have been waiting for 
.
Posted by nightwing369
I do too. I have the original Z, saw the Z5 series (around the time of me starting to think of getting a new phone) and decided to wait for the Z6 series instead, based on what the Z5 series offers.
Posted by miromiromi
XR5 - Z6 series to contain Flagship
hahaha
this should be rated XR9999999999999999999999999999
Posted by supercoolman
after seeing Z5P, I'm really looking forward to Z6P. not because of the name, but how it's closer to my expectations for a flagship than the regular Z5
Posted by vivftp
Holy shyte, Esato is back! I haven't been able to load this site in many, many days.
I suggest we celebrate by having some insiders leak HUGE news on the next Z Ultra
Posted by Ricky D
I was having horrible nightmares Kaz had closed Esato down after my note about his wife!
Posted by Xajel
Finally esato is back !!!
The only info is that they're planning fewer models this year..
Remind me how many years we've been getting this exact same info ?
Posted by josephnero
alpharumors says there will be a Xperia phone in CES for sure but maynot be a flagship
Posted by napahlm
Just got a tablet z4 for christmas! Hooray!
Just read that new tablets will be announced Q1, guessing at CES? Nay!
I can still return my new tablet intill january 24, will we se the new tablets in shelves by then?
Posted by goldenface
WooHoo 🙌 🙌. We're back. Good luck Ricky and thanks!
Posted by MNX1024
We're finally back!!!!!!! Almost thought the site was going to be permanently gone because of Ricky D's comment.
Posted by Supa_Fly
About TIME!
Was starting to think this site ... possibly THE oldest cellphone forum discussion site globally (a site comes close) was gone forever. Began looking at Xperia-Blog or XDA Forums for members there to see if any Esato like minded membership.
PS: Site owners/mod's ... some succession for going-concern business should be in order sooner before too late.
Ahhh now I can breathe Esato is back.
OK Onward with the rumors! Love the starting post
Posted by Ricky D
I also thought Esato may be gone forever and was starting to wireframe a new mobile forum website to reignite the popular threads from here.
Perhaps I should continue building it in my spare anyway, for worst case scenarios.
Posted by hihihans
Thanks for showing your love for esato.
Esato loves you too ❤
Posted by Xajel
@Ricky D, Heh, I was thinking the same actually
BTW, mod's.. .the 2015 thread needs to be un-stucked and this should be sticky
[ This Message was edited by: Xajel on 2015-12-23 09:54 ]
Posted by tk007
Finally Back !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by evaleon
Yay Esato's back up..
On 2015-12-06 00:57:53, miromiromi wrote:
XR5 - Z6 series to contain Flagship
hahaha
this should be rated XR9999999999999999999999999999
Or it could be called something completely different
Looking forward to a rumor and humor (no probs there right RickyD?
) filled 2016 thread..
Good Luck RickyD.
Hoping Sony really pushes it and gives a true flagship this year.
Posted by Xajel
So what do u guys try think of what Z6 should look like... And what to expect from Sony ?
Posted by goldenface
I Z6 should be heavier, more metal, more premium. I don't think a lighter phone necessarily makes it feel more premium. In fact, it can make a phone feel flimsy.
I'd like the body to be made of a heavier, dark coloured alloy.
-
Btw. Just picking up on this Tweet from Riccolio :-
"#XperiaZ5 #XperiaZ5Compact #xperiaZ5premium Battery,to become REAL CHAMPIONS ,thanks to an "IMPROVED" STAMINA MODE in #Marshmallow #soon
"[ This Message was edited by: goldenface on 2015-12-23 19:00 ]
Posted by nightwing369
For comparison's sake, do you think the original Z was premium enough? It has a good weight. Maybe if the Z6 just had the same [good] weight (based on if it were made of a metal build) you be less worried about the Z6 being "flimsy".
Posted by evaleon
On 2015-12-23 19:52:48, goldenface wrote:
I Z6 should be heavier, more metal, more premium. I don't think a lighter phone necessarily makes it feel more premium. In fact, it can make a phone feel flimsy.
[ This Message was edited by: goldenface on 2015-12-23 19:00 ]
Spot on!! The very reason i skipped Z5 and went ahead with Z5P..
[ This Message was edited by: evaleon on 2015-12-24 06:24 ]
Posted by Xajel
I agree with that, but the point is to find the perfect spot so it will not fell lite and flimsy, and not too heavy also.. just the perfect weight which matches the size and materials of it...
Posted by goldenface
Yeah. A good medium between the two.
Posted by badassmam
I really wanted a Z5C but it seems like the back scratches really easily. With the current design, it looks too chunky so it needs more curved edged like the Z1C. All Z's should have a metal frame. Normal Z5 looks very nice with the frosted glass but I think maybe the Premium should be metal. Unibody would look great. I miss my Xperia P, that looked much better than the Xperia S despite having a near identical design. Weight doesn't need to be added, the cold feel of metal is very satisfying and also because you instantly think that metal is solid and heavy. The texture should be nice too, a little bit of relief would be great. Apple makes their Macbooks look great in metal.
Posted by Jamzy
Hope it remains 5.2"
Has a smaller form factor, the current Z5 feels too long a bit unweidly.
Put a better front camera see Nexus 6p and M9.
Finally get their back camera more reliable etc
Posted by Xajel
Japan Display’s second generation Pixel Eyes LCD modules enter mass production
The second generation module utilises new materials and sensor structure that results in deeper black levels, thinner borders (0.5mm versus 0.8mm previously), wet finger support and the ability to use a finer stylus (1mm versus 2mm previously). There’s every chance that we could see this next generation in-cell touch display appear in future Xperia Z models.
http://www.xperiablog.net/201[....]modules-enter-mass-production/
Posted by bronxdude
yey we're finally back!
So any new rumours? Especially with the design of the next Xperia series and the Android 6.0 update?
Posted by Ricky D
It seems there is rumour about Android 6.0 having new stamina mode that will make the battery unbelievable. Do we want such rumours in post#1? I'll put it in if you do want it there.
On other rumours that are missing, drop notes in the general chat (aimed @Ricky D) or PM me if I've missed something.
On the subject of design. Z5 looks and feels amazing even though it is significantly lighter than the Premium. In some ways and some eyes it looks more premium than the Premium, which looks cheap if you happen to notice the slight mirror distortions.
Posted by aussieland1
Doze mode works really well on pure Android 6.0 but only in stand by. It should make battery on Sony phones/tablets even better !
Posted by nightwing369
On 2015-12-24 00:17:07, nightwing369 wrote:
For comparison's sake, do you think the original Z was premium enough? It has a good weight. Maybe if the Z6 just had the same [good] weight (based on if it were made of a metal build) you be less worried about the Z6 being "flimsy".
Just wondering what people thought of my (quoted) post? For example, imagine the Z6 with the same screen size and similar build as the very first Z (released at the start of 2013) but with even more premium materials/metals etc. than it and the better specs that it likely could have: 64GB internal storage, 4GB RAM etc. That's what Sony needs to do for the Z6. Will Sony ditch expandable microSD storage and 3.5mm headphone jacks as other OEM's have toyed with the idea themselves?
[ This Message was edited by: nightwing369 on 2015-12-27 20:41 ]
Posted by Gok
so its confirmed there isnt anything new during CES right? Will there be anything mobile related? Anyone going to CES here?
Posted by josephnero
Alpha rumors says there will be a new Xperia on CES
Posted by xshopper
I wish, Sony's UI looked like that...: CLICK!
Posted by Xajel
Animation : 7/10 ( thought video is not a good way to test speed and fluidity )
Main Design : 8/10, thought it's more than 70% Android design actually...
Icons : 2/10, It's something that changes from one to one... but such icons just remind me of some cheap Chinese brands
Power Menu : 9/10, the blur effect and layout are very nice... only icons are not that much
Speed : 8/10 again with the first point, the video might not be a good way to judge here
Samsung : 4/10 unless they made a very large progress with the software this time
Posted by badassmam
I don't like the UI at all. The problem I have with all stock launchers is that there is so much wasted space. I like to put lots of things onto a single screen rather than have lots of screens/pages with only a couple of items. Android needs the option of a dark mode or the ability to change themes like the Kitkat days. I think the basic layout needs a refresh. Rather than scroll left and right, perhaps scroll up and down like Lucid launcher but if it were circular that would be awesome. Have the homescreen in the centre, scroll left for one page or up for another then down for all apps because that way you don't have to scroll through multiple pages to find yours. Maybe have each screen with it's own wallpaper of have the option to give it a label. Ah....I wish I could design my own launcher, let me draw it up on paper and somebody make it for me please.
Posted by Xajel
@badassmam
Thought there's a different between UI and launcher where the later affect only home screens and apps list, the former have everything including settings app, power menu status bar design (SystemUI)... And even individual apps like clock, calc. & contacts
A launcher will only change the home screen and apps list... You can use other apps to customise the Clock and Contacts but the ROM you choose will define the Settings, status bar, power menu and few other things...
Of course with root you can change everythinf, and Exposed will make it much easier... But it will be very hard to get a constant experience in the whole UI... Even some stock ROM does not have such consistency
I also always use a launcher (Holo launcher, light and very customizable... And most features are free thought I bought the paid ver. )... I like to use every single pixel of my screen... Every stock launcher I tried are very limited even basic things like home screen columns and rows
But I still love to see nice UI on other parts of the system, status bar, power menu mainly... Settings not that much but I hate tapping too much to reach where I want when some ROM's hide basic or some settings deep inside settings app...
Status bar is very important for me as I can access it from every where without the need to exit the app I use... So having a feature rich experience with it is very important... Samsung UI status bar while it has good features but still forces u to things you might not want and waste a good space ( like quick connect crap which can't be removed except by modding SystemUI )
Sony has a very nice design, and I hope the best for marshmallow too, but no stock ROM will give me what I&You want as the majority of users won't use such features any way... So we're stuck with 3rd party launchers which we can change easily... But we hope for the rest of cant-be-changed-without-root-and-modding-apks to be as good as possible
Posted by badassmam
@Xajel
I hear you, I totally agree. A lot is down to Google. I hate that the lollipop settings menu is pure white because it ruins the whole look and the notifications bar because I much prefer the Kitkat design. I understand that they want to make it feature rich but I don't see much progress in terms of design and feel. I do appreciate the amount of progress made (not to poo poo the developer community) that you don't necessarily see but it just feels the same. I want to change my Z1C for something a bit newer but at the shop I see that the UI looks the same, I want something more for my money in terms of user experience. At the very least, I should be able to skin everything and it would be nice if I could choose between grid, list, tile etc for some of the deeper menus. I love the look of WP in terms of menus but I really miss having the widgets. Yes, compared to iOS and WP Android is much more flexible for customisation but I have an idea in my mind that I can't have on my phone that would much improve its functionality.
Anyways, other sites are talking about an Xperia Z6 Lite with a metal back. Any thoughts?
Posted by josephnero
maybe a BS
Snapdragon 650-powered Sony Xperia Z6 Lite coming next year?
http://www.phonearena.com/new[....]-Lite-coming-next-year_id77017
Posted by Ricky D
Who's talking and where about Z6 Lite?
I don't want to put much stock in this unless the 'Lite' is actually a renamed other model, eg. T line is dropped in favour of a single 'Lite' model.
We hear (and have heard over the years) that the portfolio is ever slimming (to match the cash flow I guess). A new model placed somewhere in the already cramped mid-ranger market is suicide unless it is entirely eating a sibling.
When shoebills have two successful hatchlings they use the junior as backup for the senior. They don't go hatching a third.
Posted by Aycaramba
Esato was founded in the year 2001 and was mainly targeted at Sony Ericsson mobile phone users. We started with a couple of services offering free ringtones, grayscale logos for the Ericsson T39 and R520 models. We have expanded the service to include free color backgrounds for over 50 mobile phone models. Other popular services are the discussion forum for anyone interested in topics about mobile phones and accessories. Even if the focus was targeted at Sony Ericsson owners, we now have separate forums for owners of other brands. The most popular sections are the News, Blog, discussion forum, Free themes, free color backgrounds and a service where users can upload images from a PC and download a converted image down to their mobile phone.
[ This Message was edited by: Aycaramba on 2018-08-07 15:55 ]
Posted by bronxdude
Sony Xperia Z6 Lite with Snapdragon 652 SoC to come in 2016
Victor, 30 December, 2015 Sony Android Rumors
The Xperia Z5 family definitely brought a new and very overdue spark of life to the OEM's presence in the mobile realm and naturally got fans excited about the future of the brand. Consequently, rumors of a 2016 Xperia Z6 lineup have been flying all over the pace, but there are often conflicting and seem to raise more questions than they answer.
Initial leaks hinted at a total of five models, including a 4-inch Z6 Mini, 4.6-inch Xperia Z6 Compact, 5.2-inch Z6, 5.8-inch Xperia Z6 Plus and a 6.4-inch Xperia Z6 Ultra – talk about spoiled for choice. However, a leaked T-Mobile roadmap later omitted any mention of a Z6 Mini, dropping the number of devices down to four – two allegedly powered by a Snapdragon 820 and the other by a Snapdragon 652 SoC (previously known as Snapdragon 620). However, a new Chinese source just added another twist to the mystery with talk of a Z6 Lite.
According to Mobile-dad, the device will have a 5.0-inch display, placing it right between the Z6 Compact and basic Z6. The website also claims that said handset will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 SoC (known as the Snapdragon 618, prior to the renaming). A suggested price of $385 is also listed for the handset, along with a May 2016 release frame, but we can't really be sure which market this refers to, nor can we vouch for the authenticity of the source as a whole.
Source (in Chinese) | Via
http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_[....]ems_2016_lineup-news-15783.php
Posted by napahlm
Not even a week untill CES and still no leaks?
Headphones, Bluetooth-speakers, smartwatch?
Posted by nightwing369
Sony needs to up their game further in 2016, now that the Z5 Premium's 4K has made it such a success. I predict 2016 to be the year that 64GB internal storage and 4GB RAM both become the standard for smartphones. They also need to be quicker to update their phones, aim to release them on the newest available version and update their phones with more updates following the phone release e.g. 24 month's worth of updates, including hotfix updates for issues similar to what we've seen with heartbleed and stagefright.
Posted by Xajel
^^^ I feel the same about 64GB Internal + 4GB RAM.. but donno what Sony has in it's mind.. the mind that didn't move to 32GB till mid 2015 !!
Posted by rraz9228
I can live with 32gb as long as they will support Micro SD card. It is a far cheaper solution than what iPhone is charging for their 64gb and 128gb. I can buy a 200gb SD card and still save some money.