Sony Xperia Z1: Big, Powerful and Waterproof, but Is It Enough?

Is it enough to recommend it over these devices? The answer is yes, if you don't mind some of Xperia Z1's shortcomings. The Xperia Z1 is nearly identical to the Xperia Z — the front camera position right instead of left and aluminum frame being the biggest differentiators. The phone is elegant, beautiful even, but big.

The Z1's 5-inch screen is nearly identical in size to Galaxy S4's screen, but the bezels around it are much bigger, and the difference is not negligible. If modern 4. And even if you do have hands that are big enough, the rectangular shape and slick surfaces of the Z1 will cause you a problem or two while handling the phone.

Sony Z3 Compact Deals Uk - Xperia Z1 Compact

It's just not that easy to hold, and I had to be extra careful not to drop it on more than one occasion. That said, if you don't mind the size, the black variant of the phone looks great. When the screen is off, it's like a shiny, black block of granite. We prefer its design to the Galaxy line of products, while the HTC One and iPhone 5S still remain, in our eyes, slightly more appealing devices. We'll keep this section short: The Z1's 2. In day-to-day usage, the phone feels and operates extremely fast, period.

The Z1's 5-inch, p screen is of the TFT variety, and it boasts Sony's Triluminos technology, which brings better sharpness, colors and contrast. It looks great — when viewed directly from the front. It's also a bit too reflective for our taste. Don't get us wrong — the screen is good, but if you're concerned with viewing angles, there are better screens elsewhere. Finally, the sound can only be characterized as passable.

The somewhat tinny speaker is located on the bottom of the device, so if you grab it there, you won't hear much — and you will grab it there, especially in landscape mode. One of the main selling points of the Xperia Z1 is its Here's a sample more in the gallery above :. And yes, during the daylight the Z1 takes great photos, and takes them fast. Switch from landscapes to something else, and the results are not as good. I've had a lot of problems trying to make it focus an object held in my hand a common occurence at trade shows such as IFA Berlin , where the Z1 debuted , and I wasn't always happy with photos taken in low-light conditions.

In the end, I've opted to use the camera's Manual mode of operation instead of the default Superior Auto , and I've managed to wrestle the myriad of settings into a setup that works most of the time.

Sony Xperia Z1 review

All in all, if you expect the Z1's camera to take perfect photos in all conditions, you'll be disappointed. It's among the best cameras on a smartphone, yes, but it's far from a revolution. Sony did take it a step further with its lens-type cam , an accessory-style camera that can be strapped onto the Z1 by using a special case , essentially turning the smartphone into a real camera with optical zoom.

The two models on offer aren't cheap, and you have to love your phone a lot to buy a camera accessory that costs more than the phone itself. We also have to mention the many camera modes — think of them as camera apps that come by default. Social Live lets you immediately share your photos and videos on social networks, while Info-eye integrates with services such as Vivino and GoodReads to bring you instant info on objects around you — books, bottles of wine, or landmarks.

It's an amazingly nice feature to have on a high-end smartphone, and I've enjoyed not having to worry about spilled drinks it happened on a few occasions and a little rain while using the phone.

Design and build quality

However, to make the Z1 water resistant, Sony had to close most openings except the headphone jack with little rubber-coated flaps, and having to pry those open each time you need to charge the device is a bit of a nuisance. Plus, when open, the flaps dangle from a tiny rubber stalk, which is far from a perfect scenario when you're charging the phone on the go — from a portable charger in your backpack, for example. The flaps didn't break during our testing, but we're concerned they might one day if you're not careful.

On paper, the Sony Xperia Z1 has it all — looks, build, specs, camera, software. Does the Z1 rise above the flaws of its predecessor?

Sony Xperia Z1 C6902 - 16GB - Black (Unlocked) Smartphone

The Xperia Z1 is now available unlocked around the world, and several operators will begin carrying it over the next weeks. We take an in-depth look at all the things that matter in our Sony Xperia Z1 review. To the untrained eye, the Xperia Z1 may seem virtually identical to the Xperia Z, but slightly different dimensions and a few design touches set the two phones apart.

That gives it a nice heft that, coupled with the glass back, just screams premium quality. Call us spoiled, but we also wished the bezels around the display were a bit smaller. The metal and glass combine seamlessly in an ensemble that inspires refinement and precision. The buttons on the Xperia Z1 are sturdy and crisp, which is especially important for the dedicated camera button. The two-stage shutter is responsive, though its placement on the lower right side of the phone will probably make it hard to action it in portrait mode. The good news is they are unobtrusive once in place and they feel like they can take some abuse.

To wrap up this section, we feel that Sony changed just enough on the Z1 to make it feel like a new phone, while maintaining the distinctive look that people now associate with Xperias. Much virtual ink has been spilled over the poor viewing angles of the Xperia Z, but, after the excellent Z Ultra, Sony fans were hoping to put that bad memory behind them.

Well, the Xperia Z1 is definitely a great improvement in the display department, but the ghost of bad viewing angles is still making its presence felt. Look at the Xperia Z1 straight on more or less and the viewing experience is absolutely wonderful. A greyish hue appears, smothering the otherwise vivid colors of the display, and, in some cases, making them almost invisible. The Full HD, ppi display of the Xperia Z1 really comes into its own when consuming media, thanks to the vivid colors generated by the Triluminos screen and the smoothing effect of the X-Reality rendering engine.

Watching nature documentaries on the Z1 is a lovely experience. Many phones promise lag-free operation, but the Sony Xperia Z1 gets closer to delivering on the promise than most competitors.

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The Z1 sails through UI, apps, and even 3D games. In our testing, about six hours of moderate usage that included video shooting and playback, benchmarking, and some gaming, ate through 40 percent of the battery. In other words, unless you are a true power user, the Xperia Z1 should easily take you through a day of usage.

The earpiece speaker on the Xperia Z1 is very loud and voice call quality was generally adequate, though not very crisp.

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The opposite can be said about the large speaker found on the bottom side of phone, which emits rich sound, but lacks volume. Sony has a long and glorious history in making cameras and imaging equipment, and with the Xperia Z1, the Japanese giant was dead set to show it.

Sony Xperia Z Review

The Z1 features a