Xperia XA2 Dual Sim - notes on Sailfish3
asked 2018-12-04 07:37:17 +0200
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Revision / Edit 14.12.2018
After some further use of Xperia w/Sailfish3 I've come across other issues which require addressing, in the event Jolla's aim is to enable SailfishOS to become common, or a genuine alternative to android / iOS.
My experience w/ current device / OS has exposed an issue with the touch screen activation: during phone calls, the call will go on hold, the device will attempt to call a second person and with surprising easily the phone will make a "pocket call" (=taskupuhelu) i.e. dial up someone unintentionally.
In plain english, controlling the device is a little tricky. In some respects Sailfish is extremley fluid and nice, and yet in others it lacks refinement which mean that as a primary device it just doesn't really cut it.
Things like the functionality of email, calendar, camera, browser need development. These problems may be adressed with a (hopefully prompt) update and allowing the use of android apps, even though native sailfish would be nice(er).
Hoping for prompt resolution (or at least info that these issues are being addressed) of the aforementioned, as well as earlier comments.
[Previous below]
This is mostly a comment i.e. "idea" than question.
Recently acquired an Xperia XA2 (as in headline). After a couple of weeks of experience a few notes on issues not posted earlier:
in general the browser works okayish, however text input / responsiveness is occasionally sluggish, as in the browser (device?) seems to "pause to think"
text input doesn't work in all situations (in the browser)
when making a phone call the screen quite easily slides the call onto hold or switches to mute or loudspeaker
as I've mentioned in previous posts calendar functionality could use a significant upgrade; perhaps not emulating other, but instead a little out-of-the-box thinking might be useful
managing the volume level seems a little tricky
I'm not entirely sure if Sailfish3 is getting all the "oompf" out of the device it should (occasionally in an application I get an impression of being a little laggy, in a way a little difficult to define)
the camera software needs development; it works nicely enough in good / reasonable light, however focusing is an issue, as well as low light
battery life could be better (although it isn't bad)
largely Sailfish3 seems to work nicely enough on the device, however without upgrades to allow access to applications (or alternative browser) the potential is a bit of a question mark
Finally: (as in more of a comment) in the event Jolla wants Sailfish (and Jolla phones) to grow significantly from the current level I would suggest a more aggressive stance on publicity and the native app store. We live in a world were visibility is crucial. Not responding to this reality creates an unnecessary impression of a company not being serious in developing their product.
Some of the feel of Sailfish3 reminds me of my N9 (meego), which in all honesty was an impressive phone / OS. This is a good direction.
I am trying to manage with only a device, my current Xperia. At this rate it is a bit of a challenge, and I would really love to see Jolla succeed.
Fully agree with their native store lacking crucial apps and publicity. It will make or break their acceptation in the world. You can have the most beautifull OS in the world, without good apps it's doomed. Or at least a uptodate browserengine so apps can be site-wrappers but working perfectly. Come on Jolla, step up!
JSEHV ( 2018-12-04 08:27:56 +0200 )edit"when making a phone call the screen quite easily slides the call onto hold or switches to mute or loudspeaker" I can definitely support this. Maybe its an issue with the proximity sensor that does not turn off the screen?
bomo ( 2018-12-04 10:49:44 +0200 )editThere are known issues regarding the proximity sensor, that Jolla hopefully gets fixed in an upcoming release.
The browser needs some serious love. There are rumors about Chromium-based browser, but it doesn't look like anything majos is happening anytime soon. We would need a company to order and pay for the work, as it is a major task to tackle. The text input issues are due to using Gecko, and the possible browser replacement should take care of it...
Email and calendar sure could use some more features, but I think community can help, if the source code is available... Gotta look into this actually.
There are some serious issues with battery life, at least with my Xperia XA2 Ultra. My device drowns its battery from 100% to 20% in a day, even though it only sits idle on my WLAN and hourly checks my email. I'm considering reflashing, although I don't think it helps.
I know there isn't a lot of solutions in my comment, but sadly all those issues are true and already known.
Direc ( 2018-12-16 15:38:55 +0200 )editWell, I'm happy for your post. To be honest it helps establish an understanding of where Jolla is and what to think about the technical / software issues the Xperia is experiencing with SailfishOS.
TBH, in my view a lot could be saved, or at least smoothed out, if Jolla HQ / CEO / admin, would initiate a policy of being more pro-actively open (to the community, for instance here, about the issues noted and any and all thoughts in terms of addressing these issues.
For what it is worth, I'm also experiencing battery issues (not unlike w/ Jolla One phone). So, I'm guessing there is something of a bug in the system, which needs attention.
Thanks for the comment though. It did help.
OptimistiJolla ( 2018-12-17 10:45:32 +0200 )edit