Xperia 10 ii usage (in Android while awaiting SFOSX) experiences

Devices
#1

I’m sure all the mobile phone retailers with Xperia 10 ii stock are wondering why they are flying off the shelves. :slight_smile: I ordered five phones (for all family members), but opened only one to try in Android mode.

I was able to purchase the XQ-AU52 model. I live in the USA and have T-Mobile. I am grieved that Sony did not make a U.S. variant of the phone to operate on all of the frequencies operating here, but I cannot change that. I am trying to determine whether this is a usable phone for us here, or whether I must try to find other 10 devices because my screen is barely usable. I thought I caught grief from friends/coworkers for using Sailfish before, but as they watch me bending my phone to get it to recognize touch inputs… Ugh.

I suspect other users are trying out their 10ii’s and I am curious if the challenges I am facing are experienced by others, or whether this is a faulty phone.

With the correct T-Mobile settings, I have been able to get LTE, but it is very weak as I travel around the metro area. I have not yet traveled to rural areas with the phone and fully expect LTE to be a challenge.

I paired a Bluetooth headset with the phone and frequently have the headset stop sending me the other person’s audio. I thought it was the LTE dropping, but it happens even when I am stationary. I then paired to my automobile and the exact same thing happens. The person with whom I am speaking reports that they could hear me perfectly well, but I no longer hear them. When I no longer hear them, I can switch to the handset or speaker and I still cannot hear them. I have to disconnect the call, then call them back.

If I am traveling, the symptom happens more frequently.

I changed the wireless settings to prefer GSM/WCDMA and the phone calls didn’t drop as frequently as I traveled, but the internet speedtest was <1Mbps. Yikes.

I have read that VoLTE won’t even work here if I call T-Mobile because that is “baked into the phone” locked to the phone’s intended area of operation - which is EU. That key piece of information, alone, is making question whether I should just return the phones that are due to arrive later this week. I mean, if Jolla does get VoLTE working, it still will not work for us U.S.-based users, right? That would spell certain doom for us as soon as T-Mobile does finally push us off of 3G.

Has anyone else experienced the calling issue where I can no longer hear the other caller? Is that just U.S.-based issue or is that happening in EU where the phone is intended to work? If no one else reports having the same issue, I may open a second one and see if the issue exists on it, as well.

Does anyone else have anything they would like tested? I just turned this phone on Sunday morning around 10:00am. I finally had to charge it today at 6:30pm at 10% battery charge remaining. I used it for calls, took some photos, video, Chromecasted video to TV, plenty of texts, some light web surfing, including 15 minutes of YouTube streaming to Bluetooth to my car as I drove home. The streaming was done with phone still preferring LTE and the stream did not drop once on the ride home from work taking the same route I used to go to work and had the calls drop. That is normal since the phone call probably reverted to 3G while the YouTube used the LTE data connection. I am impressed with the battery life.

I’ll answer what questions I can.

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#2

I’ve been testing mine here, too. Haven’t put the SIM in yet, just making sure it runs reliably so far. My first experience for more than a minute or two with Android. It’s “Ralph Breaks the Internet” in here! It’s popping stuff up what seems like all the time to get me to install something or sign in somewhere. The screen sure is oddly tall, but not as tall as it seems since there’s those buttons at the bottom taking up about 8% of the real estate. I’ll be using an ATT MVNO (Straight Talk). I hope I can get the MMS stuff set up correctly. Somehow I got it screwed up on the XA2 Ultra disaster.

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#3

Rob, you are SO correct with the Android. Wow. I haven’t had to use Android other than to help end users get their work Exchange onto their phones. I could not believe how many things pop up and want my attention. I tried the gesture-based UI instead of the back, circle, square that wastes screen real estate at the bottom. I couldn’t make the transition to their gestures and it took me a long while to figure out where to put it back to the buttons. I truly miss the interface of SF.

I downloaded Android app called Network Cell Info Lite. I drove around and found places where my calls drop. I am consistently on 2G for all voice calls, then back to LTE for data. I may have reasonably strong connection on 2G, but transitions between towers is very problematic for some reason. The problems are roughly 95% resulting in people hearing me perfectly fine, but I lose the ability to hear them, whether on Bluetooth headset, Bluetooth to car, phone speaker, or phone held to my ear.

In fact, to be systematic, I drove back and forth across the same stretch of road five times (10 passes total) trying different settings to see if I could improve the situation. The person with whom I was speaking for this test joked that I am going to have the police show up on my doorstep if anything untoward occurs at a business along this route because they will think I was casing the joint.

Only one time did I have the problem happen where I could not hear the person, transition from one tower to another, then the person’s audio came back to where I could hear them again. All other roughly 20 times it has happened, I have to disconnect the call, then call them back and all of those times the other person reports they could hear me the entire time, including my verbalized frustrations.

T-Mobile confirmed that no VoLTE or WiFi calling is possible with this phone here. Hopefully Sailors in other countries have better experiences.

I did try a second phone and received identical results. I upgraded the second phone to latest Android and all Xperia updates to see if that helped matters. Same results.

I am still on the fence as to whether I try and find 10 or 10+ again since my screen is barely usable, or whether we take the plunge into 10ii. I need to take a road trip and test 10ii for phone calls more extensively before I know for certain.

Does anyone else have their 10ii’s out and about to see how it works for you?

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#4

I’m not sure if I understood it right:

Is the Xperia 10 II also facing the horrible Touchscreen “Bug” the Xperia 10 has? So only resolved by bending the whole phone, rebooting, etc.?

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#5

My Xperia 10 II wants to update Android. Should I allow it or will I have problems when I flash the phone with Sailfish OS?

#6

There are no problems with the touch screen in my experience.

#7

Jolla recommends updating to Android 11.

#8

Thank You!

#9

I have no specific issues with my x10ii on Android. It’s a midrange device so expect midrange Android performance, but it’s a good phone.
Hopefully on SFOS it’ll be great too.

#10

I am sorry for not being clearer.

The Xperia 10 II does not appear to have the horrible touchscreen bug the Xperia 10 has. I have only used the 10 II for less than a week, so they are basically brand new. The touchscreen appears to be fine. I have not read anywhere else that the 10 II suffers from the same problem.

I was pointing out that I REALLY want the 10 II to work well for me BECAUSE I have a 10+ and I have terrible problems with the screen. The phone is practically unusable.

I hope this helps.

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#11

So you have not experienced the call issues I have experienced? Are your voice calls taking place via 2G connections? Or are you in EU and have you been able to activate VoLTE?

#12

I’m in the EU, some calls have the “HD” icon in the dialer history (which means VOLTE I guess). Call quality seems good overall in the very few calls I had on the phone.

#13

I am jealous of your HD calls. :slight_smile: I am glad to read that your call quality is good. I will assume my issues are related to the phone calls in USA are on 2G and don’t hand off well between towers. Thank you for sharing your call experience.

#14

Got nothing to do this afternoon but watch for vaccine side-effects, so might as well pop in the SIM and try stuff. StraightTalk/AT&T (just one SIM in dual-SIM phone): Text works. Receiving MMS pics works. Sending audio MMS works. This time, I’m gonna get a picture of MMS and data settings before installing SFOS! Sending MMS pic seems to work – at least no errors. Device has been running for a few days now.

Hmm. Haven’t bought a case or screen protector yet. Looking on Amazon there sure are some interesting choices – rather more interesting than those typically available for phones sold over the counter in the US market. A faux carbon fiber one with the words “Ultimate Autofocus” printed on the back? Or another described as " ACMBO Ultra Thin [Skin Touch Feel]". :wink: And lots of dreaded flip wallets. :stuck_out_tongue:

I’ll be mobile in a little while, and probably try a voice call later.

PS, any good case recommendations? Protective, no bling, no fancy colors . . .

edit: voice call came through, sounds fine, although I was stationary the entire time

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#15

Can one of you Xperia 10 ii owners comment on sunlight legibility? It was pretty sub-par on the 10.

Also, any other newer android features (ahem) like double tap to wake, always on screen, or how about the power and volume buttons position?

#16

Sunlight legibility seems ok to be. Better I think than my Xperia X. No double tap to wake, AFAICT. And no low power clock or other always on function that I can find. There’s a screen saver setting, which will turn on a clock display or other effect when the device is charging, but not other times.

These answers all pertain to Android 10, I haven’t done the upgrade it’s nagging me for yet.

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#17

Well, I loved the phone when I was stationary, but having the phone calls drop incessantly as I drove was too much. It is a mobile telephone first and foremost. I would drive three miles and have the call drop twice. I made a 20-mile trip and it dropped nine times. Reverting to 2G for phone calls was suboptimal, apparently.

I moved the SIM back into my 10+ with the screen annoyances, continue to lock/unlock the screen and bend the phone. I guess I’ll start looking for a 10. The 10+ is too large for my taste, especially after using the 10 II for a week.

@vlagged - I do prefer the 10 II’s volume button rocker location better than the 10+. I like that the power button is integrated into the fingerprint reader. It’s been kind of confusing going back to the 10+ in that regard. But I SURE am glad to be back on SFOS and off that dreaded Android. Whew.

I am envious of those of you around the world that will have a fully functioning 10 II onto which you will be able to install SFOS and have a stellar experience.

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#18

Could anyone who still has Android on the Xperia 10 II check something for me? Am I completely misremembering things, or does Android only play audio (i.e. from the browser) through the bottom speaker? On Sailfish, it plays through both the top and bottom speakers, creating a very nice stereo sound.

#19

Tried a youtube video, and sure enough, only comes out the bottom (portrait) or the right (landscape-full screen). Huh.

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#20

Yes I noticed that on Android, and was wondering why on SFOS audio is from both speakers. Weird :face_with_monocle:

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