I own a Sony Xperia Z3 Compact. It is probably the best compact mobile phone ever introduced to the market. Before the Xperia Z3, I owned the HTC ONE V Mini, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini.
Sony Xperia Z3 Compact
One major difference between the Sony and the other two handsets is that as the name already indicates, the Sony is not a Mini as such, but a small handset with all the features of its big brother. I like my handsets to be discreet and good to handle with just one hand. I don’t like tablet like mobiles, which are heavy and awkward.
Whereas the HTC and the Samsung were very good handsets. The HTC soon lacked in RAM and the Samsung S4 Mini, had a terrible battery life. I’m a tour guide, so I spend all day on the road, with no opportunity to charge my phone throughout the day. For people sitting in an office, this may not be a problem, but for me, battery life is vital – especially if I actually want to be able to use my phone.
The Sony handset did deliver to all my needs and more. It came with Android 4.4 – Kitkat.
Android 5.0.2 – Lollipop
Last night, I received a message reading “Xperia System Update 23.1.A.0.726 available. Download now”. The file to be downloaded was in excess of 620 MB, which is quite a lot of data. I researched it, and was pleasantly surprised that this file was the long awaited upgrade to Android 5.0.2 (Lollipop). I decided to wait until the morning, before hitting the “download” button.
So, here I am. I did eventually hit the magic button and my phone is now happily downloading the new operating system, which is supposed to be far superior to the already very good Android Kitkat. It’s supposed to be better on your RAM and battery life and is supposed to give your phone a much smoother feel and better handling. The download and install is supposed to take 37 minutes. I guess here it depends on how many applications you have installed on your handset. My download and install is, after only 20 minutes, finished and I see a message saying “Android is upgrading… Optimising application 294 of 415.”
The new system is up and running. I have to say, it feels as if I have a new phone. The look and feel is from a different planet. I think it will take a little while for me to get used to the new feel and to find out about all the new features. If you get the option to upgrade, do so. It can only be for the better.
