Z2, M8, or S5?

[Aniallation]

Having a hard time deciding...

 

S5 and M8 cost the same, Z2 and OPO cost $50 more

 

I like the waterproofing of the S5, and the stereo speakers of the M8... Z2 combines both in one device for a slightly higher cost, but the speakers aren't nearly as good as the ones on the M8. Honestly though I'd prefer good stereo speakers over waterproofing so leaning towards the M8.

 

All phones will be bought used but in good condition.

 

Which one would you pick? Reasoning in the comments is definitely of help.

 

Thanks!

 

edit: no real benefit of the OnePlus that I like really (don't need the battery life or updates), so removed it as an option.

[Thorium19]

Can you get the Z3 or is it quite a bit more? That's got better speakers than the Z2, with better waterproofing and overall a better fit and finish with slightly more power, plus the Z2 and Z3 have 3GB of ram, which I've certainly noticed is very handy to have.

If you don't need waterproofing I'd say get the M8, but if you do and would like a decent camera as well then the Z2 is a far better choice. Personally I wouldn't even look at the S5, partially due to touchwiz, partially because I'm a bit skeptical of their waterproofing claims and partially because the phone feels horrible in the hand (the back is rather tacky and doesn't feel right in the hand). The display and camera are great on it, but nothing else is good about it really.

[Mushious]

If you can get a Z3, go for that. If not, go for the Z2. If all else fails, the S5 is much nicer to use and hold than the M8.

[TassieTim]

never seen the Z2 in person but had real live experience with the M8 and S5

 

1st month with S5 , dropped it from hip height getting out of my car , in a case cover , landed screen down , smashed screen   :angry:

 

brought an used M7 to replace it , did exactly the same thing as the S5, didn't faze it at all ... since upgraded to an M8 never looked back

 

now consider it my anti-mugger weapon of choice ... HTC throwing star ...should do the trick

[Casperian]

I have a Z2 and my only complaint would be that Sony puts a ton of junk on it. (Just Sony versions of the normal Google stuff).

So, you'll have 2 pictures viewers, 2 music players etc.

[celotv]

I have a Z3, and before that I had an Z1. I just fell in love with Sony Xperia smartphones. It's amazing.

 

 

I can't say anything about M8, but if the S5 it's similar in quality to S3, don't go for it! In less then 4 months, my S3 broke down about 4 times....

[Aniallation]

never seen the Z2 in person but had real live experience with the M8 and S5

 

1st month with S5 , dropped it from hip height getting out of my car , in a case cover , landed screen down , smashed screen   :angry:

 

brought an used M7 to replace it , did exactly the same thing as the S5, didn't faze it at all ... since upgraded to an M8 never looked back

 

now consider it my anti-mugger weapon of choice ... HTC throwing star ...should do the trick

I haven't used the S5 before but I've had the M8 and it was amazing. Just haven't had the Z2 before though.

 

 

Can you get the Z3 or is it quite a bit more? That's got better speakers than the Z2, with better waterproofing and overall a better fit and finish with slightly more power, plus the Z2 and Z3 have 3GB of ram, which I've certainly noticed is very handy to have.

If you don't need waterproofing I'd say get the M8, but if you do and would like a decent camera as well then the Z2 is a far better choice. Personally I wouldn't even look at the S5, partially due to touchwiz, partially because I'm a bit skeptical of their waterproofing claims and partially because the phone feels horrible in the hand (the back is rather tacky and doesn't feel right in the hand). The display and camera are great on it, but nothing else is good about it really.

 

Z3 is definitely out of my budget. I don't exactly need waterproofing, it's just a nice thing to have but I'm wondering if it's worth the $50 extra and the sacrifice in speaker quality, as speakers are a really important part of a phone for me.

 

 

If you can get a Z3, go for that. If not, go for the Z2. If all else fails, the S5 is much nicer to use and hold than the M8.

Yeah Z3's definitely too much money for me

[Aniallation]

I can't say anything about M8, but if the S5 it's similar in quality to S3, don't go for it! In less then 4 months, my S3 broke down about 4 times....

Out of the four S3's that I've owned only one has had an issue and it was the power button

[Thorium19]

Z3 is definitely out of my budget. I don't exactly need waterproofing, it's just a nice thing to have but I'm wondering if it's worth the $50 extra and the sacrifice in speaker quality, as speakers are a really important part of a phone for me.

The speakers on my Z3 are actually pretty good, and they're almost identical to the Z2. Far louder than my old HTC 8S. I will say that most reviews I've looked at state that although they don't get as loud as the m8, they are of better sound quality. I would take the Z2, largely for the 3gb of memory and with waterproofing as a nice additional feature.

[Aniallation]

The speakers on my Z3 are actually pretty good, and they're almost identical to the Z2. Far louder than my old HTC 8S. I will say that most reviews I've looked at state that although they don't get as loud as the m8, they are of better sound quality. I would take the Z2, largely for the 3gb of memory and with waterproofing as a nice additional feature.

Really? Every comparison I've looked at puts the Z2's speakers at or slightly below the M7, and from the M7 to the M8 I noticed quite a big improvement. 

[celotv]

Out of the four S3's that I've owned only one has had an issue and it was the power button

Mine once was the power button, then the motherboard, then the speaker, and finally battery...

[Aniallation]

Mine once was the power button, then the motherboard, then the speaker, and finally battery...

Unfortunately the power button switch was practically impossible to fix so I ended up just prying it out and using the home button to turn on the phone and double tap the status bar in a custom ROM to put it to sleep.

 

Battery is obviously easy to replace, but so is speaker. I did it on a friend's S3 and it barely took 5 minutes.

[celotv]

Unfortunately the power button switch was practically impossible to fix so I ended up just prying it out and using the home button to turn on the phone and double tap the status bar in a custom ROM to put it to sleep.

 

Battery is obviously easy to replace, but so is speaker. I did it on a friend's S3 and it barely took 5 minutes.

Yeah, but I wasn't expecting that in less then 4 months hahaha 

And my friend got one too, and the motherboard died after a few months as well.

[Aniallation]

Yeah, but I wasn't expecting that in less then 4 months hahaha 

And my friend got one too, and the motherboard died after a few months as well.

The speaker didn't actually break, the top piece that I replaced contained both the headphone jack and speaker so I replaced both. It needed fixing because my friend sat down with his phone in tight pants with headphones connected, and the headphone plug actually broke off inside the jack. Not the phone's fault, maybe you just have bad luck with them

[celotv]

The speaker didn't actually break, the top piece that I replaced contained both the headphone jack and speaker so I replaced both. It needed fixing because my friend sat down with his phone in tight pants with headphones connected, and the headphone plug actually broke off inside the jack. Not the phone's fault, maybe you just have bad luck with them

Yeah, maybe hahaha But I'm more then happy with my xperia z3. Nothing to complain about it... yet hahaha