First sightings, Sony Xperia Z1 compact: In the modern age of technology where flagship phones are being fed with all sorts of steroids, red meat and what not in order to make their screens as large as possible, Sony has decided to seemingly buck the trend with their new Xperia Z1 Compact. A pocket-dynamo, it features a screen that is largely diminutive at only 4.3-inches. The Xperia Z1 may be small but is certainly no push over- you won’t associate with the performance compromises so commonly seen in the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini and HTC One Mini that lumber along under the weight of expectations.
Features and specifications: As has been mentioned already, the Z1 Compact is far from being a phone that has been stripped down to accommodate numerous features. It has all the components normally expected of a top-end device- a 20.7MP rear camera, a battery life of 2300 mAh, Android 4.3 OS, 2GB RAM, integrated Adreno 330 graphics and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor that clocks a speed of 2.2GHz. Although the screen is not a full-HD display platform, 720p is more than sufficient on 4.3-inches. The built-in storage capacity is 16GB while the microSD slot can accommodate another 64GB.
If you take a look at its complete list of specifications, you will find that all bases have been covered. Active noise cancellation, FM Radio, LTE, GPS coupled with GLONASS, Bluetooth 4.0 wireless connectivity and high-speed Wi-fi are just some of the features worth mentioning. The icing on the cake is provided by the waterproofing rating of IP58 where the phone was able to withstand an exposure over half an hour under water at a depth of 1.5m.
Tempered glass graces the front-end panel of the phone although this is not the Corning Gorilla glass many readers are so familiar with. The camera features Sony’s patent image-processing technologies such as Bionz, G-Lens and Exmor RS Sensor which improves the image clarity over its competitive models.
Pros:
– This phone has a great screen to work with
– The battery life is really impressive
– Made up of premium materials and features an equally premium design
– Waterproof even when immersed to a depth of 1.5m
Cons:
– The camera quality is hugely disappointing
– The phone tends to get scratched at the back a little too easily
Conclusion: Sony has finally done with its flagship phone what users had expected other manufacturers to do long ago- reduce the size of their flagship product while not doing away with the elite lineup of features and specifications. Throw into the mix such things as a waterproof construction, a good camera and beautiful design and you soon have a superb phone best suited for the ones who do not wish to see their pockets being stretched by the 5-inch Goliaths of other manufacturers.