Review: Sony Xperia Z1
Here’s one of two extra reviews that I’m adding to this epic week of reviews. This review is of the Sony Xperia Z1 smartphone provided to me by Telus. Now I did have a look at this phone a couple of weeks ago at a Sony event, and my first impressions haven’t changed. After taking it out of the box, I was impressed by the glossy back and glossy screen. It does have one downside. both sides of the phone attract fingerprints like crazy. And those fingerprints do interfere with the image on the screen. Thus you should keep a micro fibre cloth handy. You’ll need it. Having said that, the 5″ screen is great as it runs at 1080P and the quality looks as good as it would on a Sony TV. Not a shock as Sony brought its knowledge from making top shelf HDTVs to this phone. The edges of the phone have aluminium surrounding it which makes the Z1 look really classy. There are removable covers for the MicroSD card slot, SIM card slot, and the USB port. They kind of remind me of similar covers on the BlackBerry Q5, only they look more rugged than the ones on the Q5. One thing I like is the position of the power button which is on the right side of the phone. It’s a natural position and it’s placement makes sense. Now one big feature is the fact that it’s waterproof (To the IPX5 standard which states that it’s protected against low pressure water stream from any angle and the IPX8 standard which states that it is protected against continual water submersion in under water conditions) and dust resistant (To the IP5X standard). So if you like to use your phones in extreme environments, this is the phone for you. I should note that I didn’t feel brave enough to test how waterproof it was as it is not my phone.
In terms of speed, it’s got plenty as it has a 2.2 GHz processor that makes things feel snappy. Plus it comes with the usual WiFi, NFC, Bluetooth, and LTE connectivity. In terms of the latter, I got an average of 20 Mbps downstream and 7Mbps upstream. Not the fastest I’ve tested, but far from being slow.
Sony has brought a customized version of Android 4.2.2 to the Z1. Some things that stand out to me about what Sony has done with this version of Android:
- A lock screen that lets you add up to six widgets that can be seen without needing to unlock the phone.
- The “Personalization” screen includes the ability to customize Quick Settings that are accessed from the notifications pull-down.
- A menu on the app drawer (activated by a swipe from the left edge of the screen) makes it easy to organize, uninstall and search for apps.
- Sony has added a number of its own apps including its Video Unlimited and Music Unlimited storefronts, as well as PlayStation Mobile which is Sony’s own app and gaming platform. Plus hooks into various types of social media.
A note about typing. The Z1 is one of a number of phones that use haptic feedback (a slight vibration) as you type to make it “feel” like you’re typing on a real keyboard. But for whatever reason, I found it to be distracting and I ended up turning it off. I’m not sure why that bothered me as it generally hasn’t on other phones with haptic feedback.
Now, Sony went the same people who do their digital cameras to get the 20MP shooter that’s in this camera. However, 20MP resolution is only available in the 4:3 aspect ratio. I shot this picture below outside of Pearson Airport in the 16:9 aspect ratio. That means that the image drops to 8MP. Not that it makes a difference in terms of the quality of the image. Click on it to see it in full size:
A couple of things to note about the camera. First, this was the last of four photos that I shot in quick succession. That makes it perfect for action or sporting events. Second, the quality of the image is top shelf. It’s clear, detailed, and crisp. That is also true of the video. Set it to full screen and 1080P to see it as I filmed it:
The sound quality is good and the image quality is good even on the windy day that I shot this video. If you want an Android phone with a great camera, this is the one for you.
In terms of battery life, it’s outstanding. I got almost a day and a half when I used it as my daily phone. That was one of the better results that I got from all the phones I’ve been testing lately.
So, here’s my bottom line. If you’re looking for a phone that’s a great jack of all trades, look at the Sony Xperia Z1. It does most things you can think of and for the most part it’s very competent at doing most things you want well enough that you won’t think that the phone is lacking in any way. It’s $199 on a two year term or $700 outright at Telus. That’s a competitive price for a very competitive phone with a great feature set. Android lovers should make sure the Sony Xperia Z1 is on their list.
March 26, 2014 at 9:54 am
Sony Xperia Z1 is one of the much talked about phone this year. I wanted to show some dark sides of this smartphone. Sony could have make it much better by improving few problems such as camera flash doesn’t work efficiently in low light condition, missing cover flaps on USB port and touch screen is scratches resistant but not anti shatter film.