Sony Xperia Z1 preview: A closer look

Introduction

One of the hot tickets at this year's IFA, the Sony Xperia Z is about to get the attention it deserves at ours. The smartphone left us feeling extremely positive the last time we met and we are hoping for more of the same.

Sony did give the Xperia Z1 all they got. The latest screen technology, the fastest chipset around, a spanking new camera module that does 20.7MP stills on a sensor that's twice as big as those of the competition and waterproofing that even puts the Xperia Z to shame. And it's all packed in one of the best bodies in business.

And that's not all the Xperia Z1 has going for it either. The full list of features follows.

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, 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)
	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	Endurance rating 53h

When you have as good a foundation to build on as the Sony Xperia Z, it's easy to make a great phone. What's harder to pull off is delivering an upgrade that's worth the users' time and money. Well, we guess Sony didn't have a hard time improving on all important aspects of the predecessor.

The Sony Xperia Z1 has one of the largest batteries in the 5" league and is probably the best looking Android phone there (the HTC One is a 4.7-incher, so even if you prefer metal to glass it doesn't really count). The smartphone also has the best-spec'd camera with the largest sensor and the highest pixel count and flagship-grade connectivity and processing power. Few smartphones match the Xperia Z1's Snapdragon 800 chipset and ample 3,000 mAh battery, so at least on paper, the Xperia Z1 is shaping up to be the smartphone to beat this season.