The megapixel race continues! Sony has shown off its next flagship Android smartphone -- the Sony Xperia Z1 -- and its a five-inch slab with a 20.7-megapixel camera on the back.
Sony unveiled its new phone at IFA in Berlin. Inside is that larger-than-normal sensor, paired with a stonking great quad-core 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 CPU and 2GB of RAM.
CNET's Andrew Hoyle notes that this sensor compares favourably to the rest of the market: "The sensor size, at 1/2.3-inch, is bigger than what you'd find on your normal smartphone and is similar to the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom's (1/2.33-inch). In comparison, the iPhone 5 uses a small 1/3.2-inch sensor, and the HTC One's UltraPixel sensor is slightly larger at 1/3-inch."
The Xperia Z1 follows Nokia's relatively recent introduction of the Lumia 1020, which sports a 41-megapixel sensor, and is the only sensor on the smartphone market larger than Sony's.
In person, during what might be the fastest hands-on test Wired.co.uk has ever had to do thanks to problematic flights to Berlin (don't ask), the five-inch screen looked crisp as any smartphone can hope to be. The super tight pixel density, paired with Sony's generally excellent screen technology, makes this a beautiful display to look at.
The phone still has a slightly industrial feel to it, particularly compared to the slim Galaxy S4 with which it competes most notably. There's a more rounded feel to the edges versus the original Xperia Z, too. It's perhaps closest to the HTC One, its metal chassis wrapping around a sizable bezel. It feels solid though and tougher than the S4, plus it's waterproof so you can take 20.7-megapixel photos in the bath.
Sony has bundled a 3,000mAh battery to keep the phone and its powerful CPU ticking over for a full day all being well.
There are a number of included photo apps, such as rapid burst modes and social media integration for video capture, but we'll save our views on those for a full review. Safe to say the Xperia Z1 is a promising new model, with heaps of processing power and what looks to be a fiercely competitive camera. Many UK networks have confirmed they will stock the phone from September, although price remains a mystery.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
