***************************************** So, I purchased the new Xperia 1 VI just before Golden Week. This time, I was especially careful about transferring my data. Over the past few years, the number of digital membership cards and IDs I use has increased dramatically, and I hadn’t properly recorded all the IDs and passwords (sweat).
When switching devices, if you have a smartphone electronic certificate registered on the old device, you must first revoke it there, then register a new one on the new device. Although there is a manual by the Digital Agency explaining the procedure, it’s typical government work — “clear yet confusing.” Also, I only learned through this process that there are actually two types of electronic certificates: one for user identification and another for digital signatures. The transfer itself wasn’t very complicated, but the system as a whole is so hard to understand that it was very frustrating.
Next, I was cautious with LINE and SUICA because I had painful experiences transferring these in the past. However, this time, maybe due to improvements in the apps themselves, the migration went quite smoothly without much stress. Also, I had some balance left on Edy besides SUICA (although I hardly used it), so I had to handle transferring that too. With these “Osaifu-Keitai” wallet apps, you must carefully delete each one before selling your old phone, otherwise the shop may refuse to buy it.
Some banking and securities apps required resetting one-time passwords or changing “trusted device” settings.
I also had to transfer balances on various café apps for iD payments, like Doutor, Starbucks, and Tully’s. That wasn’t particularly difficult, though.
Furthermore, I keep music files (over 100 GB) on local storage, which took an extremely long time to transfer.
Although Google’s transfer tool can do most of this, because of the huge amount of data, I connected the old and new phones with a cable and used Sony’s dedicated app “Xperia Transfer.” Even then, it took over an hour to complete. Some apps don’t retain their settings on transfer, so I had to spend extra time configuring them. All in all, it took almost a full day to finish everything.
The left phone in the photo is my old Xperia Pro-i. The screen aspect ratio changed from the tall 21:9 to 19.5:9. The resolution dropped from 4K to HD+, but I don’t notice any negative impact, and I’m actually happier that the battery lasts much longer now.
I was so used to the tall 21:9 screen that even a few millimeters wider feels surprisingly uncomfortable to hold. Well, I guess I just have to get used to it.
What I appreciate most about the new phone is how long the battery lasts. Even when fully charged in the morning, my old phone needed charging at my desk during the day, and I always had to carry a mobile battery pack. With the new phone, I use the “battery care” setting that limits charge to 80%, yet even on heavy-use days, I usually have over 30% left before bed. If fully charged, I think it can last about two full days.
I also feel significant improvements in screen brightness and camera usability compared to the Xperia 1 Pro-i. However, to be honest, there are some areas where it fell a bit short of my expectations. I’ll report on those after using it a bit more.
The following week, I went to the “Janpara” store in Shibuya to sell my Xperia Pro-i. I wanted to sell it quickly because with the new model announcement after Golden Week, both used selling and buying prices were expected to drop somewhat.
Despite always using a glass screen protector and a case carefully, the assessment noted “overall minor scratches.” In the end, I got 52,500 yen for it. When I sold my iPad at the same store, it was immediately appraised at full price, so maybe Android devices just don’t fetch as good resale value.