Sony Xperia Z1 review

After several years of missteps, Sony is on a comeback trail in the mobile phone market. The company is aggressively going after smartphone buyers. The idea is that Sony should make use of its expertise in design, imaging and display technologies to create smartphones that other companies, which do not have camera or display manufacturing experience, cannot match.

Xperia Z - launched in India in March this year - was the first phone following this approach. Now we have Xperia Z1 in the market. It is an update to the original Z. Is Xperia Z1 the flagship Android phone from Sony.

Sony Xperia Z1 is one of the first smartphones to be announced with Qualcomm Snapdragon 800. Running a quad-core CPU at 2.2 GHz, with 2GB of RAM, and 16 GB of internal storage. The Xperia Z1 is a fast phone, and there is no slow-down or stuttering in applications. That power does come at an energy cost so while the inclusion of a 3050 mAh battery might seem an attractive choice for the power user.

With 4G LTE connectivity, and a 1080p resolution screen, that shouldn’t be a surprise. The Xperia Z1 hardware can take up a lot of power, so it’s a smart decision to get as much battery capacity into the chassis as possible. Unlike Samsung’s Galaxy S4, the battery in the Z1 is a sealed unit, but most of the thinking will be down to the waterproof design.

The Z1 is waterproof and dustproof, to IP55 and IP58 standards.Xperia Z1 looks similar to the Z at the first glance. But look closer and some subtle differences are apparent.

The big change is the material used to make Z1. Unlike the original Z, which used glass and plastic, this phone uses aluminum and glass. The front and back of the device are covered in scratch-resistant glass, which feels sturdier than what was used in the original Z. The frame of the phone is carved out of the single block of aluminum.

20.7 megapixels in a camera

The camera is the big highlight of Z1. Z1 can shoot images in up to 20.7 mega pixels. These images are clicked and processed using a 1/2.3-inch image sensor, which in terms of size is similar to the sensor inside an average point and shoot camera! Z1 is also the first phone to utilize Sony G Lens and Bionz image processing, which are found in the company's point-and-shoot cameras. This G Lens has an aperture of F2.0, which is great for a smartphone. There is even a physical shutter release button. This button can also be used to open camera app without unlocking the device.

Sony Xperia Z1 price in India - Rs.39,989.