Very tempted, but worried about storage issues

One reviewer says over half 8gb taken up by system (which seems like a killer)
However another reviewer says soon Marshmallow update will allow full switching to SD card.

Not really up to speed with tech news, so any info will be appreciated

I've had this phone for about 9 months and have had no problems. The latest update from Sony removed a load of bloat leaving over 3gb free (still not great but heading the right way). The performance is great as is the battery life but I don't use it for gaming just social networks\email\text\calls\music but have a smartwatch connected to it 24/7. Personally I'd recommend it for £99

Same process with the Moto G - reserve online for in store collection and you don't pay for a SIM.

And if you have ever stuck a SD card in any device you will always have this issue, a phone is only as fast as its slowest component, get a high speed read writers then you're hardly going to notice a thing with a budget device like this.

c H

this or lg g3 ?

Alright then! :smiley:

Looks pretty good for 99 quid

Is this 2GB model?

I have it and it's a very good phone. Storage is just 8GB, but most pre-installed stuff can be removed and this device will get Marshmallow so the microSD card could be used just like internal storage. I haven't installed much on it but I am not the type of person who has 1000 apps on their phone.

Battery life is good, especially in stand-by. If you're a light user it will last more than a day

I've had this phone. Although the storage is advertised as 8gb, the usable memory is around 1.2gb from what I remember. Fine for Facebook, messenger and similar. Although some apps cannot be transferred to SD. The camera is very good in my opinion and has image stabilization. Battery life is also very good. The build quality isn't as good as some and mine was returned after 2 months after issues with the Wifi cutting out and then it was refusing to charge. Good value at £109 all in though.

Son just bought this phone and he is already moaning about it running out of memory because of it 8gb storage also the camera is not great but to be honest he still likes it.

Would have been tempted by this if the offer was on last week, ended up with the LG G4.

The length Sony and Vodafone take to update android would put me off.

My last phone, a Vodafone Xperia Z finally got updated with lollipop just as marshmallow came out on the nexus 9.

Yeah its just a warning not to expect an update anytime soon for the marshmallow SD support. The phone looked great in store through. Would be perfect if the 16GB version was released here.

What's the deal with unlocking and unbranding (for quicker updates), been a few years since I last had a Sony Device.

For those saying about storage issues get your phone on the latest firmware (.167) this has far less bloat on it and has 3.24gb free after a fresh install. The release of new firmware can be checked here https://www.ptcrb.com/vendor/complete/view_complete_request_guest.cfm?modelid=29921 and there are plenty of guides on manually updating the firmware so no need to wait for network. Root is also available for those who want to remove more.

Don't believe it will at a low level but as long as the device has been unlocked to all intents and purpose Vodafone branding apps etc will no longer be applied or installed.

Ive unbranded a Z3 from o2 that receives updates from Sony in a timely manor it's easy to do

The storage does concern me i had a moto e 2nd gen i could move certain apps not Facebook but everything else would this not be the case ?

It's a bit hit and miss with app to sd move. This phone would get my recommendation but that 8gb is just too problematic. Marshmallow is probably not due till summer... if you're lucky.

Is it running 5.1.1 currently ?

How easy is it to update the firmware manually? Any novices (like me :disappointed: ) can share their experiences?

I'm also interested in how to update the firmware manually. Is it the same process for different makes of phones? I have limited technical understanding :neutral_face:

Who did you use for unlocking ?

Thanks

It looks like with the marshmallow update this phone will be a real bargain. It was abit overpriced when it came out at £200 but £99 seems reasonable. The Redmi note 2 is a similar price but Sony phones usually have good audio quality and I think the fact it's water resistant and likely has a much better camera makes it a winner. It also looks more expensive than the price suggests, very similar to a z3.

I've just ordered one to replace my moto e 2nd Gen

Loks like a great deal, provided Marshmallow arrives to address the on-board storage limitations.

would someone kindly post a link to who they used to unlock the phone, cheers.

unlock_phone_4ever managed to unlock mine

My mate sent his back to voda for repair and they updated to marshmallow and relocated it. We used the code again but this android version doesn't allow you to install part apps on sd as it's supposed to have adaptable storage which has been blocked by Sony for m4 aquas. I'm not updating mine as I barely can use it now with sding the apps never mine not able to do that. Time to get rid I think. What do I go to though the m5 is mediatech and GPS issues I use my phone for os maps mmtracker walking