Sony Xperia Z1 – Review

We’ve been using the Sony Xperia Z1 exclusively now for 2 weeks and thought we’d share our views on the latest flagship smartphone from Sony. We’ll break things down into what we think are the key areas when deciding to purchase a device and give our opinions if it matches what’s on offer today. There are plenty of positives with this phone and even vast improvements from when we reviewed it’s younger brother the Xperia Z but some negatives here too. We are also using a familiar scoring system, so at glance you can see what’s hot or not, something we’ll be doing more often when reviewing hardware.

A familiar rectangle device that Sony prefers.. Basically a refresh version of the Xperia Z. Built in glass front and back, some people might scare easily when mentioning those materials. The device does fell premium in-the-hand but a little heavy and balanced. There’s no big lens protruding out on the back, you have the sensor just below and not much else. Around the top you’ll find the 3.5mm jack that doesn’t have a flap cover this time, (but still has that high water resistance rating?) Micro SIM tray top right and a shrunk power button below that, then the volume keys. This area is where one of my main issues with the Xperia Z1 start. The volume rocker positioning and size, feel strange here, when you reach your finger to turn up the audio you can’t  really tell which key is which. You’ll find yourself reaching for the power button first then down a little to get to the volumes. The power button itself has been really reduced in size comparing to the original Z. Perhaps oversized before, it would seem Sony have listened to feedback here and altered the dimensions drastically. The model I’ve been using has me slightly nervous if wear and tear would be kind to the power button because it’s the most used key and does tend to stick when pressed. (This could possibly by due to newness or a one of a kind tiny flaw, but I’m reviewing what I have in front of me here and now).

My next issue with the phone is found on the bottom of the device, where you’ll find the speaker grill. When I’m watching YouTube videos I hold the phone in landscape, When I’m playing most games I hold the phone in landscape. I think to myself “what’s wrong with the audio here?” It’s because your hand covers the grill and it makes a massive difference. I suppose if you used a dock for charging and watching videos, this wouldn’t be a big issue. ( Also if you like to set your phone just flat on the table, this wouldn’t be much problem either. I suppose you can’t have your cake and eat it). Left side has the dock pins as mentioned, flaps that cover the charging port and more flaps over Micro SD card slot.

Sony have improved on the water and dust resistance of the original Xperia Z. With an IP55/58 rating, the Z1 can sit in water up to 1.5 metres deep for 30 minutes and still operate normally during and after. I’m not sure if any other phone on the planet can do this? (Hasn’t been personally tested by me either)

Having a lightweight OEM skin like Sony has, you really zip through your home screens and all applications load quickly. Pressing the home key whilst in an app takes you home with a snap. I like to open numerous apps at once and never kill anything in the background, thus, filling the RAM then test how well the device handles multitasking. For me the Xperia Z1 passed my non-scientific testing with flying colours, zero issues in that department. I’m calling performance speed here but you’ll not see any benchmark results, sorry.

A large-ish 5 inch screen this time, with a 1920 x 1080 resolution. Sony introduced their Triluminos LCD panel to the device which is supposed to offer more vibrant colours and shades. H’mmm.. Not so sure about that. In my opinion the screen is still a little washed out but better than the original Xperia Z by a long margin. All be it, the Z1 handles direct sunlight very well but the viewing angles aren’t great either. The device comes with a screen protector already fitted, this makes me want to peel it off and see if that’s what is muting the colours a little. It’s not a bad screen but the other big hitters in 2013 like the Samsung Galaxy S4 with those black blacks and the HTC One with the popping colours, also beaten by the Nexus5 which I’ve recently got my hands on too.

My least favourite section to write is battery life. This is a feature that can vary so much for each user. If it’s that important I’ll tell you I use my phone all day but under average use. I’d be looking at 4 hours screen on with everything turned on and syncing. I use my phone! At the end of the day I would have around 30% battery left and then charge it over night for the next day. Take from that what you will.  The Xperia Z1 is fitted with a 3,050mAh battery. That’s a good size. It’ll do you a day..

I’ll be honest I was kind of disappointed with the the speaker volume on the Z1, it isn’t very loud but it does sound clear. Nice subtle bass which isn’t too much like you get on some of the other flagship devices. Sony lets you set your own levels for your preferred presets and listening environments.  Most people use headphones or Bluetooth speakers these days anyway but I did miss a few phone calls when the phone was in my pocket.

Pre-installed apps and features…..Where to start? An area that the Z1 really comes into it’s own. Without effecting performance, Sony offer some great included applications and services that you’ll really enjoy. The brand new SocialLife seems to be their version of the popular Blinkfeed that HTC offer. If I’m honest.. It isn’t very good yet but it’s an exclusive to the Z1, from what I’m aware and I’m keen to see what updates Sony have to offer to the service. A few I really like are..

• Diagnostics. Test your device using the help provided in the application. Pretty cool and something I haven’t seen before. Granted it only picks a few things that it actually tests. It didn’t test the areas where I had issues though.
• Playstation Mobile. Sign in using your PSN account and download games to play on your device. Very cool if you love those indie games but you’ll need to spend money here.
• Sony Select.. Uses information gained from your usage and lists of apps to suggest applications, games, movies and music you may enjoy.
• Xperia Lounge. Get exclusive access to unique experiences. Money off official Sony accessories, win tickets to the 2014 World Cup and enter special competitions.
• Sketch. A fun drawing and effects app for kids or even the older user. Pass your phone to the little ones and let them be creative. If they start to chew the phone, don’t worry the Z1 is waterproof.

The main camera on the backside of the Sony Xperia Z1 has a resolution of 20.7 MP (5248×3936 pixels, 4:3). However, this resolution is only available in manual mode. If you shoot on the automatic presets, the camera uses a set resolution of 8 MP (3840×2160 pixels, 16:9). The Exmor RS sensor is intended to produce especially high-quality images. Sony even say that they have “the best camera in a smartphone.” In bright light conditions I captured nearly 100 great shots of my youngest son’s first birthday party. It was a great day but I’m not going to share my private pictures. In low light you will get some noise but everyone seems hopeful this can be fixed with an update.

Another area where, for me, the Xperia Z1 stands out is connectivity. How it connects to different devices and how different devices connect to it. When Dead Trigger 2 launched it was just a case of plugging in my Playstation 3 control pad, follow the on-screen instructions and I was gaming with full controller support in a minute. Screen Mirroring and Mirror Link you may be familiar with from other devices, for mirroring what’s on your phone to an enabled television. Throw settings can be used to share content from your gallery to an enabled device. This option is available in the phone’s share intent. Great options! I wish that’s what Chromecast did.

A very very good all round phone that I’d recommend to friends and family. If you want your phone snappy, with great build quality and one of the best shooters on a smartphone, look no further than the Sony Xperia Z1. If the kinks could be ironed out on the camera and maybe add the best photo capturing to the automatic setting which the average user would likely use. It could well be the best phone of the year. Without a doubt there is no perfect device, you learn to tolerate what it is you don’t like. I could live with the speaker grill on the bottom, I could get used to where the volume keys are. I’m fairly sure my tiny issue with the power button was just because it was new and without a doubt I’d peel off the pre-installed screen protector too.

Can we recommend any potential buyers to our very good friends over at Clove Technology.

Clove Technology are a trusted business based in the UK who supply worldwide and stock all the latest handsets and accessories including the Sony Xperia Z1.