Lovely screen, very powerful processor, waterproof and dust resistant, fine camera, sturdy build
Not latest version of Android, premium design and features comes with a premium price
Don't be fooled by the name -- the Xperia Z1 Compact isn't that small. But Sony's latest premium handset manages to pack in a whole lot of impressive specs, including a top notch camera, powerful processor, excellent screen and very good battery life.
Design
Available in four different colours the Z1 Compact has a premium look about it with its curved metallic sides and solid feel. There are a couple of docking station pins on one side but ports for microUSB, SIM and microSD card are all hidden behind sturdy covers.
That's because, like other Xperia handsets, it's waterproof in freshwater to a depth of 1.5m for up to half an hour. This is actually an extremely useful feature for guarding against accidents and it's a surprise that more handsets don't feature it.
At 127x65x10mm and 137g it's not particularly small (unless you compare it to Sony's gargantuan Xperia Z Ultra with its 6.4-inch screen); it's actually a little bigger than the iPhone 5s. Still, it packs a lot in, starting with its really rather wonderful looking 4.3-inch touchscreen. It has a less than full HD resolution of 1,280x720p but looks beautifully sharp and vibrant with its 342ppi pixel density while retaining natural-looking colours. How much of this is due to Sony's trickle-down Triluminos technology from its TV screens, which apparently enhances colour saturation, accuracy and contrast is open to question, but it does look deliciously good.
Android and processor
It's running Android 4.3 Jelly Bean rather than the very latest 4.4 KitKat but you won't be missing out on too much before the promised upgrade.
The quad-core 2.2GHz processor is backed by an impressive 2GB of RAM. In our standard AnTuTu benchmark test it delivered a score of 35,108 which is faster than the Xperia Z Ultra and faster than just about anything else we've yet seen in the Android phone world. It skipped through apps in a trice with absolutely no sign of lag and handled HD games like Real Racing 3 with aplomb. This being a Sony device, as well as the million or so apps on Google Play, you also get access to the PlayStation Mobile store.
Photography
The Z1 Compact has the same impressive camera as the larger Z1, with 20.7 megapixels of photographic goodness. There are modes and settings aplenty, including HDR, panorama, Timeshift burst (with pics before and after you press the shutter), red eye reduction, smile shutter and face detection but you can bypass them all and still take very good snaps with the Superior Auto setting. It also has Sony's Info-Eye app which recognises landmarks and objects like books, wines, foods, QR codes, barcodes and business cards and offers information on them. Well, sometimes. Pic quality is really very good however, with sharp edges, lots of detail and realistic colours.
There's 16GB memory onboard as standard, though you can add another 64GB via microSD card.
For a premium handset with such a bright screen and powerful processor, life from the sizeable 2,300mAh battery proved to be a pleasant surprise and we just about got two days' worth out of it with regular use at standard settings. And if you need longer you can set up "Stamina" mode which limits data and cuts down on power usage when the screen is off.
Conclusion
Bucking the phablet trend, the Z1 Compact is a whole lotta phone in a neatly pocket-sized body. It has a terrific screen, an outstanding processor and camera, plus better than average battery life.
If you want quality and don't mind paying a bit extra for it (it's cheaper than an iPhone 5s, but more than a Nexus 5), look no further.
[Html##<iframe src='http://www.mobilephoneaffiliateprogram.com/SR/cmd_widget/dploy/iframer_narrow.php?make=Sony&model=XPERIA%20Z1%20Compact&trackingref=WIRED&affid=CN&show=5&style=wired&css=wired' style='width:100%; height: 850px' scrolling='auto' frameborder='0'
Software: Android 4.3 Jelly Bean
Processor: Quad-core 2.2GHz Qualcomm MSM8974
Memory slot: Yes
Display: 4.3in TRILUMINOS with X-REALITY, 1280X720 pixels
Connectivity: Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0
Ports: microUSB, 3.5mm headphone jack
Camera: 20.7 megapixel with autofocus, Exmor RS sensor, LED flash; 2 megapixel front-facing camera
Video playback: 3GPP, MP4, M4V, MKV, AVI, XVID, WEBM
Audio playback: MP3, 3GPP, MP4, ADTS, AMR, SMF, XMF, OTA, RTTTL, RTX, iMelody, WAV, OGG, FLAC
Radio: Yes
Battery: 2300mAh
Size: 127x65x10mm
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
