BERLIN — After trying out Sony's new lens-type strap-on smartphone cameras, we've also gotten our hands on the company's new flagship smartphone, the Xperia Z1.
The next step in Sony's ambitious Z series of devices, the Xperia Z1 sounds like a true flagship, at least on paper, and it's currently the Android market leader in several areas, most notably with its 20.7-megapixel camera.
Add in the 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage and a 3,000mAh battery, and you have a device that's on par (or better) with the likes of Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One. But how does it feel and perform in real-life usage?
Simple Does It
The device's design won't surprise anyone: if you've seen the Xperia Z, the Z1 will instantly be familiar to you. That's not a bad thing; we like the simplicity of both devices, and the Z1's aluminum frame (which doubles as an antenna) with curved edges makes it feel sturdier than its predecessor.
The Sony Xperia Z1 is Sony's new flagship Android smartphone, featuring a 20.7-megapixel camera. We tried it out at the IFA Berlin trade show.
The Sony Xperia Z1 is Sony's new flagship Android smartphone, featuring a 20.7-megapixel camera. We tried it out at the IFA Berlin trade show.
The Sony Xperia Z1 is Sony's new flagship Android smartphone, featuring a 20.7-megapixel camera. We tried it out at the IFA Berlin trade show.
The Sony Xperia Z1 is Sony's new flagship Android smartphone, featuring a 20.7-megapixel camera. We tried it out at the IFA Berlin trade show.
The Sony Xperia Z1 is Sony's new flagship Android smartphone, featuring a 20.7-megapixel camera. We tried it out at the IFA Berlin trade show.
The Sony Xperia Z1 is Sony's new flagship Android smartphone, featuring a 20.7-megapixel camera. We tried it out at the IFA Berlin trade show.
The Sony Xperia Z1 is Sony's new flagship Android smartphone, featuring a 20.7-megapixel camera. We tried it out at the IFA Berlin trade show.
The Sony Xperia Z1 is Sony's new flagship Android smartphone, featuring a 20.7-megapixel camera. We tried it out at the IFA Berlin trade show.
The Sony Xperia Z1 is Sony's new flagship Android smartphone, featuring a 20.7-megapixel camera. We tried it out at the IFA Berlin trade show.
The Sony Xperia Z1 is Sony's new flagship Android smartphone, featuring a 20.7-megapixel camera. We tried it out at the IFA Berlin trade show.
The Sony Xperia Z1 is Sony's new flagship Android smartphone, featuring a 20.7-megapixel camera. We tried it out at the IFA Berlin trade show.
The 1080p screen, previously a weak point of Sony smartphones, has been improved to the Triluminos variety, already seen on the Xperia Z Ultra, which should ideally bring more vivid colors and better sharpness and contrast. In reality, the screen still lags behind, say, Samsung Galaxy S4's Super AMOLED display — tilt it a little and you'll see the blacks go gray and the whites go darker — but it's definitely sharp and beautiful to look at.
And let's not forget that the entire thing is water-resistant. It does not feel water-resistant, mind you, with somewhat flimsy covers for the USB port and the SD card, but Sony says it is, and who are we to argue. Not many flagship smartphones can claim this feat, so chalk another one up for Sony.
It's All About the Camera
In terms of performance, the phone feels very snappy, if not lightning fast. Truth be told, today the software makes all the difference, and the Z1 works as fast as any Android 4.2.2 device we've seen before.
Processor cores and gigabytes aside, what really makes the Z1 stand out is its camera. It sports a 20.7-megapixel sensor, Sony's "G Lens" with F2.0 aperture and a 27mm wide angle, and a BIONZ for mobile image processing engine. All this translates to a very fast camera that takes truly amazing photos in the daylight — better than any we've seen so far from a smartphone.
You can check out the photo quality in our gallery — all the photos (yes, even those of the device) were taken with the Z1. We haven't had a chance to try the camera at night, though, and we did have some trouble with the focus, which sometimes has a mind of its own, even after we've switched through the myriad of focusing modes.
See also: Sony Redefines 'Camera' With New 'Lens-Type' Cam
The camera also comes with a bunch of different modes such as Superior auto, Panorama, Manual or Timeshift burst. A fun mode is the AR effect, which adds some virtual reality elements into a photo, such as dinosaurs or fish.
The most interesting image-taking mode is the Info-eye, which integrates with services such as Vivino or GoodReads to identify real-world objects (like wine bottles and books) and brings you reviews and other info. Sure, you can do the same directly from these apps (I've been using Vivino to identify wines for a while now), but having it all integrated into the camera software makes it just a wee bit easier.
Finally, we've mentioned the 3000mAh battery, but we haven't had enough time to fully test it out. What we can say, that in the first three hours of testing (that's heavy usage, mind you) the battery went from 49% to 15%, forcing us to whip out a portable charger.
We can't give you our final judgment on the Z1, as we need more time to learn all the device's quirks, but we're not sure we'd trade it for any other Android smartphone on the market, and that's saying a lot. The design is nice (we still prefer the HTC One's brushed aluminum frame, though), we love the camera, and we love the fact that it's waterproof. Bar some yet-undiscovered bugs, Sony might have a winner on its hands.
Images: Stan Schroeder, Mashable