The next step of 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? See
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.
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