Sony Xperia Z1 Review

As good camera quality has become a trend in smartphones this year, it was only a matter of time for some manufacturers to take this new trend very seriously, for example, Nokia with its Lumia 1020 and its monstrous 40 MP camera. Sony is the next OEM to ship a smartphone with a gorgeous camera, in this case, the Xperia Z1. Very similar to the Xperia Z we've seen at the beginning of the year, the Z1 is a refresher that adds a faster processor, an impressive 20.7 MP rear camera and a larger battery to the flagship smartphone.

	Sony Xperia Z1	Sony Xperia Z
Body	144 x 74 x 8.5mm, 169g  IP58 certified (dust-proof and water-proof for up to 1 meter for 30 minutes)	139 x 71 x 7.9mm, 146g  IP58 certified (dust-proof and water-proof for up to 1 meter for 30 minutes)
Display	5" 1920 x 1080 (441ppi) Triluminos with X-Reality engine	5" 1920 x 1080 (441ppi) with Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2
Connectivity	GSM, HSDPA, LTE	GSM, HSDPA, LTE
Storage	16 GB, 2 GB RAM	16 GB, 2 GB RAM
Ports	microSD (up to 64 GB), microUSB	microSD (up to 64 GB), microUSB
Camera (Rear)	20.7 MP with Sony Exmor RS image processor, 1080p video + LED flash	13.1 MP,1080p video + LED flash
Camera (Front)	2 MP, 1080p video	2.2 MP, 1080p video
Battery	Non-removable 3000 mAh Talk time: 14 hours Standby time: 880 hours	Non-removable 2330 mAh, Talk time: 14h Standby time: 530 hours
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 MSM8974 (Quad-core Krait 400 @ 2.2GHz + Adreno 330)	Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 APQ8064 (Quad-core Krait 300 @ 1.5GHz + Adreno 320)
OS	Android 4.2 Jelly Bean	Android 4.2 Jelly Bean

Design

The Xperia Z1 follows the same design language used in all 2013 Xperia devices. The shape of the device is plainly rectangular and is slightly thicker and heavier than the Xperia Z, no doubt due to the monstrous camera and the larger battery, measuring 8.5mm thick and weighing 169g. Comparing to other 5" flagships the Xperia Z1 is pretty hefty, but that doesn't mean it's uncomfortable to hold.

As with the norm for 2013 Xperia smartphones, the Z1 has a rather stylish-looking glossy polycarbonate back, available in black, white or purple colors. The top left edge of the back houses that beastly 20.7 MP rear camera, and just under it is the LED flash. The only complaint I have with the Xperia Z1's design is that the bezels, especially the top and bottom bezels, are considerably wider than what other manufacturers have achieved (recalling the LG G2 and its almost bezel-less design). The thicker-than-normal left and right bezels make the phone wider and less comfortable to hold. Large bezels and heftiness aside, I still consider Sony's new design concept one of the most stylish designs this year. 

Display

Much like the Xperia Z and most of 2013's flagships, the Xperia Z1 has a large 5" display with a crisp 1920 x 1080 resolution (441ppi). What's different in the Z1 is that is packs some new display technologies, specifically, TRILUMINOS display technology, which enhances the color reproduction spectrum and producing bright, colorful images, and an X-Reality picture processing engine, which analyses the content of pictures, videos, and games and makes them clearer, sharper and more colorful. So while the basic specs of the display remain unchanged, Sony has included some new display technologies to bring clearer, more colorful content into the screen. 

Camera

The biggest selling point of the Xperia Z1 is, no doubt, its camera, and it does impress. Sure, the camera doesn't protrude from the device like the Lumia 1020, and the rather small camera lens would make you think its another boring old 13 MP shooter, but don't judge this 20.7 MP beast just by its minimalism. Aside from the higher pixel count, Sony is also borrowing from its compact digital camera technology, integrating a large 1/2.3" image sensor with Exmor RS technology, ensuring excellent low-light shots with little grain and vibrant colors. The Xperia Z1 also utilizes Sony's excellent G Lens of F/2.0 aperture, and to back up these powerful optical instruments is a BIONZ image processing engine, which enables noise reduction, as well as intelligence exposure and white balance adjustments automatically, Motion Detection, which alters the camera shutter speed to greatly reduce motion blur other visual treats.

The result is a nearly perfect camera on your smartphone. Not only is the 20.7 MP a very high resolution, per-pixel quality is the best due to the G Lens' F/2.0 aperture and the Exmor RS image sensor, both of which help more light to pass through the camera, enhancing low-light shots, reducing noise in low-light situations and greatly aiding color reproduction, creating the most vibrant shots. Like that wasn't already enough, the BIONZ ISP takes digital image processing to its best, eliminating motion blur, and ensuring the best exposure and white balance settings for every shot. All that comes without having a bulbous camera lens protruding from the device, like in the Lumia 1020 or, even worse, in the Samsung Galaxy Camera. Many of you might just not care about this, but if you want a smartphone with an excellent camera without sacrificing portability, the Xperia Z1 is the perfect phone for you.

Performance

Like many flagship refreshers coming out this quarter, the Xperia Z1 upgrades its processor to a monstrous Snapdragon 800 SoC. While this isn't the highest binned Snapdragon 800, it still packs a lot of power. The Xperia Z1's Snapdragon 800 MSM8974 consists of four Krait 400 CPU cores clocked at 2.2 GHz plus an Adreno 330 GPU at 450 MHz. That puts it in line with the absolute fastest smartphones available.

Conclusion

The Xperia Z1 is, no more, no less, than a refresher of the Xperia Z. It builds upon the already proven smartphone solution with a new processor, a better display, a larger battery, and it gives it something to distinguish itself from other flagships: an excellent camera, which incorporates years of development in compact camera technology into a smartphone camera that not only has a high pixel count, but also boasts excellent per-pixel quality and takes advantage of advanced image signal processing, without making the sensor itself too large and without adding too much girth to the device.

If you're on the market for a flagship device, the Xperia Z1 should be near the top of your list. Personally, I have no big complaints about it, and I would recommend it to anyone unless you're particularly sensitive about a smartphone's size and weight. Without any major deficiencies, this smartphone is easily one of the best available, and if you consider camera quality an important factor, then look no further.