Well for starters at least the Xperia phones don't shout about themselves and Sony completely fail at marketing yet the phones are still really excellent to the point where owners are usually reluctant to upgrade them as Sony keep them bug free and updates on the software front now.
But I made no mention of Xperia until replying to your comment so...
Truth be told, it's the excessive cheese Samsung make these days that's real off putting and the phones don't do anything amazing over the last gen other than have a bigger screen. The software is also still bloated and going by the reddit Android subs, still buggy with users wanting more from their flagships.
IMO the Note 3 was the last great Samsung phone. Unfortunately for me, any Samsung phone I've had I've had to root to get the features I wanted and the same would apply to current ones. Not had the need to root on the Z3.
Obviously everyone is entitled to their phone choice, but no Samsung since the Note 3 has got me excited. The S6 ended up being a disappointment in the end.
I'm disappointed with the Z3+ and supposed Z4 as well. The Note 3 was so good that proceeding upgrades didn't feel like they justified their inflated prices, likewise not much can swing the bang for buck from the Z3 for my next upgrade as well.
I'm still waiting for the screen revolution. Bendy, waterproof, battery life.