The device is among the most powerful ones in history, and should be able to take on about any other device in the market. FYI, the Snapdragon 800 is the fastest mobile processor, in theory, running at 2.2 GHz on all 4 of its cores. So what do you make of the device?
Camera and Internal Storage
The USP of the device is, as everyone already knows, the camera. The Xperia Z1 packs a 20.7MP camera which makes it the first smartphone to feature the camera it does. It is Sony’s home-grown 1/2.3-inch Exmor RS for mobile CMOS image sensor, which promises mind-blowing image quality. Sony feels that the device will churn out better pictures than that of Nokia 1020’s 41MP camera. The front of the phone makes place for a 2MP unit which will be used during video calls. The Xperia Z1 packs 16GB of on-board memory, which is just about the right spot between low memory and high cost. Most users don’t need 32GB while almost all need more than 4GB or 8GB, which makes 16GB an obvious and a perfect choice. The phone does have a microSD slot though, which can be used to expand memory by up to 64GB.
Processor and Battery
Oh wait, did we say that the phone’s USP lies in the imaging hardware? Well, some might argue. The Xperia Z1 will pack the Snapdragon undoubtedly is the world’s most powerful mobile processor. The chipset consists of 4 cores clocked at 2.2 GHz each along with the utterly powerful Adreno 330 GPU which should be able to render the world’s most high end games as smooth as butter. Nothing more needs to be said about the processor, you can imagine that the phone will blaze through tasks like a strike of lightning. The phone again proves it’s mettle with a 3000mAh battery, which does sound larger than average, but should return an average run time thanks to the ultra powerful hardware (CPU and screen in particular) which will probably end up being massive battery mongers.
Display and Features
The Z1 packs the same display specifications as that of the previous Xperia flagship phone, the Xperia Z. It comes with a 5 inch panel which packs a full HD resolution of 1920×1080 pixels, which returns a pixel density of 441 PPI. A large section of Xperia Z users from around the world were unhappy with the phone’s screen, and we believe Sony, being the technology pioneer it is, would have worked on the shortcomings and made a much better panel on the Z1. Other features of this device include waterproof coating like a few other Xperia phones, and a few software goodies which will help you with extracting the most out of the phone’s hardware, particularly the camera.
Looks and Connectivity
The device comes with a trademark Sony Xperia look, with a sleek and wide body which is more angular than curvy. The device shouldn’t be too big to be handled or carried around, and would fit in most pockets. On the connectivity front, the phone comes with HSPA+ 850/900/1700/1900/2100MHz and LTE bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8 and 20, apart from support for regular GSM frequencies. The phone includes popular radios such as WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, NFC, etc.
Comparison
The phone has some competitors from international manufacturers such as HTC, Samsung, LG, OPPO, etc. However, there’s no doubt about the Xperia Z1 being the most powerful among them all. Probable competitors include Sony’s Xperia Z itself, Samsung Galaxy S4, HTC One, LG G2, OPPO Find 5, etc.
Key Specs
Conclusion
The device is indeed a showstopper, and would remain to be one for quite a while now. Price will play a major factor in determining the success of this phone, and until the pricing details are unveiled, we can’t comment on the value proposition aspect of this phone. However, the aspect of a 20.7MP camera and the presence of the uber powerful Snapdragon 800 should be enough to lure most users into buying the device, highly regardless of the price.
