It wasn’t just about Samsung yesterday. Sony also had a pre-IFA press conference, with a number of pretty cool announcements including new TVs, a radical set of wireless camera lenses and – best of all – their new flagship Android phone, the Xperia Z1.
Like Nokia, Sony’s big feature this time is the new camera, which includes a 20.7 megapixel sensor. That’s the biggest we’ve seen apart from the 41 megapixel unit on the Lumia 1020, and the biggest so far on Android. The benefit is 3x lossless zoom, as well as much sharper images. The sensor is even physically larger than most smartphone sensors, more akin to a point-and-shoot. This, in concert with the Exmor RS lens and imaging chip, should make the Z1 one of the best cameraphones on the market.
Probably the biggest most obvious change in hand between the Z1 and the Z that came out earlier this year is the chassis, which includes a new rigid aluminium frame. Water resistance has been improved, with the same waterproof headphone jack that we first saw on the Xperia Z Ultra. The phone looks gorgeous, and comes in three colours – black, white and purple.
The internal hardware of the Xperia Z1 has been improved as well, which is nice as the Xperia Z was quickly outdated on launch. The Z1 includes the top-of-the-line Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor running at 2.2 GHz, 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB of internal storage plus microSD and a 3,000 mAh battery. The display is also said to be enhanced with Trilumos technology from Sony’s line of Bravia HDTVs, but remains at the same excellent 5″ 1080p specification.
Unsurprisingly, the Xperia Z1 will work excellently with Sony’s own accessories, including the SmartWatch 2 and their new QX10 and QX100 portable lenses. We’ll also have the usual range of Xperia Z1 accessories – we already have added a number of Krusell Xperia Z1 cases, which we’ll cover later in more depth.
The Z1 looks to be a capable upgrade from the Z, and seems to be a stronger phone than the Samsung Galaxy S4, its biggest rival. The Xperia Z1 will be available from September 16th, and it’s expected to cost between £500 and £600 sim-free – that’s the price you pay for quality I guess! Of course, the phone will also be available on-contract for slightly less up-front.
Are you planning to upgrade to the Z1? Let us know in the comments below! Thanks for checking out the article and have a great ol’ week.