The Sony Xperia Flagship Xperia Z1 was launched a year ago, I purchased it and have been using the Xperia Z1 for 2 weeks now, here's my top down review of the Sony Flagship
First Impressions :
The first thing you notice when you see this phone at the store or when someone is using it , "gawd, this is huge" .
However the Sony flagship bends the laws of physics as soon as you hold it in your hand , it feels light , compact and super sleek. Having used the Samsung galaxy S2 , which was by far the best screen phone I have used till date , I would say that the Xperia Z1 is equally good. And the Bravia engine does a great job at making the color feel natural and vibrant.
I have to say that the Sony Xperia Z1 is the best viewing experience in any smartphone I have ever used, for reference below is a list of smart phones that I have experience with:
Samsung Galaxy S2
Xolo Q800
Samsung Galaxy S4
Iphone 4
Iphone 4s
Iphone 5
LG G Pro Lite
Sony Xperia Z
Sony Xperia Z1 Compact
Panasonic P31
Micromax Unite 2
The phone is built with exceptional attention to details , thus the result is superb. The hallmark Sony design and build quality is amazing and leaves no doubt about the fact that Sony is back with a bang in the Smartphone market. Whether it's in your hand or on the table it looks like a piece of art.
Over the many generations that sony has been making electronics and designing products it has learnt to understand and materialize the wants of it's consumers. The Xperia Z1 is an astounding example of engineering and design capabilities that sony has nurtured and developed over many years. Even for the founder and creator of apple ipod and iphone products the visionary steve jobs the early sony discman was an inspiration in design and technology. That itself speaks volumes about sony's design and engineering prowess.
Colours : The Xperia Z1 is being offerred in 3 colours , White, Purple and Black, there are many people who want to know which colour looks best , and I have been to the store checked all 3 colours before i bought it and also have taken an opinion from several people who have this phone , most of the xperia users believe that the best color is white , however it is prone to staining easily. A very simple work around is to buy a full body scratch guard , preferably with liquid application process.
I use and recommend gadgetshieldz or something similar , you can place an order online and get the product delivered within 3-5 days - link : http://www.gadgetshieldz.in/
Technical Specifications :
Moving on to tech specs , I would like to point out that until the time Sony was manufacturing mobiles in collaboration with Ericsson under the erstwhile Sony Ericsson brand , Sony's products were always lackluster and one year behind when compared to it's competitors.
For Example , the first Sony Android Flagship , the Xperia X10 which was launched in March of 2010 along with Samsung Galaxy S launched in June 2010 was much more plasticty and failed to capture the imagination of the tech geeks . This also resulted in the failure of the Sony Ericsson branded flagship , and also resulted in huge losses for the Sony Mobile division.
On the other hand the Xperia Z series , manufactured by Sony is an amazing product and fights toe to toe with the Samsung galaxy S4 and S5 models.
Credit for the tech specs to www.gsmarena.com:
| GENERAL | 2G Network | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - all versions |
|---|---|---|
| 3G Network | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100 - all versions | |
| 4G Network | LTE 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1800 / 1900 / 2100 / 2600 - C6903 | |
| LTE 700 / 850 / 900/ 1700 / 1900 / 2100 / 2600 - C6906 LTE 800 / 850 / 900/ 1700 / 1800 / 1900 / 2100 / 2600 - C6943 | ||
| SIM | Micro-SIM | |
| Announced | 2013, September | |
| Status | Available. Released 2013, September |
| BODY | Dimensions | 144 x 74 x 8.5 mm (5.67 x 2.91 x 0.33 in) |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 170 g (6.00 oz) | |
| - IP58 certified - dust proof and water resistant over 1 meter and 30 minutes |
| DISPLAY | Type | TFT capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 1080 x 1920 pixels, 5.0 inches (~441 ppi pixel density) | |
| Multitouch | Yes, up to 10 fingers | |
| Protection | Shatter proof and scratch-resistant glass | |
| - Triluminos display - X-Reality Engine |
| SOUND | Alert types | Vibration; MP3 ringtones |
|---|---|---|
| Loudspeaker | Yes | |
| 3.5mm jack | Yes |
| MEMORY | Card slot | microSD, up to 64 GB |
|---|---|---|
| Internal | 16 GB, 2 GB RAM |
| DATA | GPRS | Up to 107 kbps |
|---|---|---|
| EDGE | Up to 296 kbps | |
| Speed | HSDPA, 42 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.8 Mbps; LTE, Cat4, 50 Mbps UL, 150 Mbps DL | |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot | |
| Bluetooth | Yes, v4.0 with A2DP | |
| NFC | Yes | |
| USB | Yes, microUSB v2.0 (MHL), USB On-the-go |
| CAMERA | Primary | 20.7 MP, 5248 х 3936 pixels, autofocus, LED flash,check quality |
|---|---|---|
| Features | 1/2.3'' sensor size, geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, image stabilization, HDR, panorama | |
| Video | Yes, 1080p@30fps, video stabilization, HDR, check quality | |
| Secondary | Yes, 2 MP, 1080p@30fps |
| FEATURES | OS | Android OS, v4.2 (Jelly Bean), v4.3, upgradable to v4.4.2 (KitKat) |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Qualcomm MSM8974 Snapdragon 800 | |
| CPU | Quad-core 2.2 GHz Krait 400 | |
| GPU | Adreno 330 | |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass | |
| Messaging | SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, IM, Push Email | |
| Browser | HTML5 | |
| Radio | Stereo FM radio with RDS | |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS support and GLONASS | |
| Java | Yes, via Java MIDP emulator | |
| Colors | Black, White, Purple | |
| - ANT+ support - SNS integration - TV-out (via MHL A/V link) - Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic - MP4/H.263/H.264 player - MP3/eAAC+/WAV/Flac player - Document viewer - Photo viewer/editor - Voice memo/dial - Predictive text input |
| BATTERY | Non-removable Li-Ion 3000 mAh battery | |
|---|---|---|
| Stand-by | Up to 880 h (2G) / Up to 850 h (3G) | |
| Talk time | Up to 13 h 50 min (2G) / Up to 15 h (3G) | |
| Music play | Up to 110 h |
| MISC | SAR US | 0.75 W/kg (head) 1.15 W/kg (body) |
|---|---|---|
| SAR EU | 0.77 W/kg (head) | |
| Price group |  |
| TESTS | Display | Contrast ratio: 1513 (nominal), 2.950 (sunlight) |
|---|---|---|
| Loudspeaker | Voice 65dB / Noise 62dB / Ring 65dB | |
| Audio quality | Noise -91.8dB / Crosstalk -89.9dB | |
| Camera | Photo / Video | |
| Battery life |
I would like to also highlight that www.gsmarena.com is an excellent source to find the tech specs of the latest flagship phones and is an amazing resource for the most accurate info.
User Interface
The Xperia UI is super sleek and feature rich. It takes the best of stock android and the best of Sony Timeline UI and gives an amazing use experience. In my short time with the Xperia Z1 I have had absolutely zero hiccups or hangs. With 2 GB RAM and a 2.2 Ghz quad core processor there are very few issues that could cause hindrance to the super sleek user experience.
The Xperia user interface is just amazing , I know it was earlier called timeline , I wonder if they are still calling it that , but here's a comparision with the Stock Android and the Xperia Z1 User Interface, credits to XDA-developers.
XDA developers is an android website dedicated for development including rooting , MODs, ROMS for android based device development. Check it out for some really cool android info , specially for all branded flagship phones.
LOCK SCREEN
HOME SCREEN
LAUNCHER
DIALER
MESSAGING
SETTINGS
CAMERA
CAMERA OPTIONS
CAMERA MODES
SCENE MODES
ALARM
WORLD CLOCK
STOP WATCH
TIMER
MUSIC PLAYER
Starting with the screen , the build quality , design it's all just perfect and worth every penny spent , the music player gives you amazing clarity , even with the included in ear Sony headphones.
On top of all that this phone is totally waterproof and dustproof. So you can use it while walking in the rain or in the bathroom without the fear of any damage.
All said and done this is a great piece of hardware that comes with an above average software. However , every rose has thorns , they may be small thorns but they are always there.
CONS
The Sony Flagship comes with an amazing set of features and brilliant hardware and software , however it's not perfect in every aspect. The phone comes with 2GB RAM but at any given time you will have anly 1.4 GB to 1.5 GB showing on the screen and out of which only 700 MB would show as available. It does not impact performance at all, but if I pay for 2GB RAM i would like my phone to reflect 2 GB RAM and not 1.5 GB.
Secondly , the screen although is brilliant , however when viewing from extreme angles the screen does show a kind of white or gray dullness, images are still clear, however compared to IPC LCD screens in even the cheaper Chinese phones the viewing angles could be better.
Thirdly , Sony includes a lot of bloatware , like the SONY LIV TV app, Sony X Alert , Sony Album , etc... others may like it , and these apps may be useful but I don't want any apps that I don't need to be installed , plus i Should have the option of uninstalling these apps if I want .
You can see more features of the Sony Xperia Z1 here : http://www.sonymobile.com/global-en/products/phones/xperia-z1/
please share this post if you like it and it has helped you get the info you need.
On top of all that this phone is totally waterproof and dustproof. So you can use it while walking in the rain or in the bathroom without the fear of any damage.
All said and done this is a great piece of hardware that comes with an above average software. However , every rose has thorns , they may be small thorns but they are always there.
CONS
The Sony Flagship comes with an amazing set of features and brilliant hardware and software , however it's not perfect in every aspect. The phone comes with 2GB RAM but at any given time you will have anly 1.4 GB to 1.5 GB showing on the screen and out of which only 700 MB would show as available. It does not impact performance at all, but if I pay for 2GB RAM i would like my phone to reflect 2 GB RAM and not 1.5 GB.
Secondly , the screen although is brilliant , however when viewing from extreme angles the screen does show a kind of white or gray dullness, images are still clear, however compared to IPC LCD screens in even the cheaper Chinese phones the viewing angles could be better.
Thirdly , Sony includes a lot of bloatware , like the SONY LIV TV app, Sony X Alert , Sony Album , etc... others may like it , and these apps may be useful but I don't want any apps that I don't need to be installed , plus i Should have the option of uninstalling these apps if I want .
You can see more features of the Sony Xperia Z1 here : http://www.sonymobile.com/global-en/products/phones/xperia-z1/
please share this post if you like it and it has helped you get the info you need.
