Sony Xperia Z1 Compact

Announced at the Consumer Electronics Show at Las Vegas, Sony's latest 4.3-inch handset is quite unlike its competitiors. Compared with the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini and the HTC One Mini. the Z1 Compact packs a hefty punch in the form of high-end hardware such as a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor.

Hardware

It features a MSM8974 Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor clocked at 2.2 GHz, an Adreno 330 GPU, 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage expandable by up to an additional 64 GB via microSD. Both the Z1 and the Compact feature the same 20.7 MP main camera with LED flash and a 1/2.3 inch sensor size, complemented by a 2 MP front-facing sensor.

Furthermore, the Z1 Compact is dust and water resistant (IP55/58 rating), features Android 4.3 Jelly Bean out of the box, and offer MHL, DLNA, NFC, Miracast, LTE, Bluetooth 4.0 and compatibility with Sony CyberShot Lenses.

Display, Battery, Size and Weight

The Xperia Z1 Compact is equipped with a 4.3-inch LCD IPS display. Screen resolution, which is set at 1280 x 720, due to the Compact’s smaller dimensions, the 4.3-inch display offers a pixel density of 342 ppi, which is enough to deliver a crisp, jagged-edge-free image.

The Z1 Compact has a smaller battery of 2,300 mAh, whereas the full-sized Xperia Z1 is powered by a 3,000 mAh unit. Fortunately, this doesn’t mean that the Compact has poorer battery life. Since the Compact’s display is smaller, it doesn’t need as much energy as the 5-inch gadget in order to function.

The Xperia Z1 measures 144.4 x 73.9 x 8.5 mm, and weighs 170 grams. The Compact measures only 127 x 64.9 x 9.5 mm.

Outlook

A smartphone’s range of colors can be a main factor in deciding whether or not you should buy it. If that’s the case, then you should be glad to know that the Xperia Z1 Compact is being offered in black, white, pink and lime. In contrast, the Xperia Z1 comes in black white, and purple.

The Sony Xperia Z1 Compact bucks the trend, and proves that good things can come in small packages. The 4.3-inch form factor seems the right size, not too small like the iPhone 5S and not too large that you can't use it comfortably with one hand. Sony looks like it could have a winner here.