Xperia Z1 Compact Review
In the race for the screen diagonal, which unfolded in full force last year, there was a sharp turn, more precisely, a reversal: the flagship smartphone displays had reached Cyclopean size and started to return to the optimal size - 4.3 inches, which was undeservedly forgotten in this market segment. The first model, which Sony releases this year, was the compact version of the Xperia Z1, which had already been disassembled at Habré, well, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with its review.
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First impressions
Unlike many compact modifications of top-end devices, the Xperia Z1 Compact (we will call it Z1C for short) differs from the “big brother” only in screen size and battery capacity, and of the back cover made of plastic, not glass. No savings in processor frequency, memory, camera or video system!
We will not describe in detail and boringly the location of the buttons and connectors - it is the same as that of the big Z1, and, in principle, like other Sony models, designed in accordance with the OmniBalance design concept adopted last year. The location of the contacts allows you to use the docking station from Z1 for charging (but you can put the phone in the Acro S "glass", but unfortunately there is no charge - the connectors do not match). The design of the headset jack provides protection from water, so that every time you do not have to open the cap for connecting headphones. If you use the docking station and cloud services, the stubs, in principle, you can never touch and do not fear that they ever get loose.
In his hand, the phone is great, maybe it affects the habit of such a format of devices, and maybe he really turned out to be perfect. Attentive citizens will notice that the Z1C has become a little thicker, literally 1 mm, but due to the design of the side faces, visually divided into three parts, such a "fat", as ZR does not look and perfectly maintains the elegance of the lines. 130 grams, of course, a solid weight, but, in my opinion, it is much more pleasant to feel this heaviness in your hand than to hold weightless plastic devices. The device fits perfectly in pockets and does not interfere with movement. However, because of the plastic back it is worth paying more attention to the contents of the pockets in order to avoid its contact, for example, with the keys.
Display
The screen causes the most positive emotions - IPS-matrix paired with TRILUMINOS technology migrated from TVs provides a clear image with rich colors, smooth gradients and excellent contrast. Due to the small size, you can not save on brightness - even if you set it to the maximum, a catastrophic battery drain will not occur. The resolution of 1280x720 is more than enough for this diagonal - only a very picky and observant person with sharp eyesight can notice pixelation with the naked eye, and the fonts are perfectly smoothed, making the reading very comfortable. Claims to viewing angles, so beloved by many participants in online discussions, are definitely irrelevant here - the image does not lose any color when tilted, unless it becomes a bit darker if the angle is more than 45 degrees. A rather thick frame around the display can cause some dissatisfaction, but we will write it off to the cost of moisture protection. By the way, the Z1C sensor is not crazy about pressing with wet fingers and can work in the “glove mode”, which will be very useful in the next couple of months. As usual, a protective film is already attached to the screen.
Battery
The capacity of the non-removable battery is 2300 mAh - less than that of the Z1, however, the small diagonal of the screen reduces the energy consumption for the backlight, which is one of the main “consumption items”, so in terms of autonomy the compact version is not inferior to the usual one. With the most intensive use without much savings on brightness and energy-intensive services such as geolocation, one charge is enough for a working day and a little more remains, but the on-mode STAMINA promises up to ten days without recharging in standby mode.
Protection
In accordance with the standard IP58, Z1C can be used under water, without fear for moisture ingress. In practice, of course, few people use the phone for underwater photography every day, but rain, splashes and spilled drinks can be safe, and, in which case, the device can be rinsed under the tap. After immersion in water, temporary “rattling” of the conversational and external speakers is possible, caused by water entering the membrane, which passes after drying. Hairdryer is not recommended to dry.
Camera
The same 20.7-megapixel camera with a focal length of 2.0 and G-Lens optics, which was one of the main features of the Z1, is installed here. The focusing problems that the very first users complained about were successfully eliminated in the very first update, but the application itself that is responsible for the camera’s operation has acquired new functions, for example, integration with Evernote (a series of frames can be instantly saved into one of the notebooks) and geolocationally Photographic Info-eye mode. Auto mode works perfectly in bright light, but for more difficult shooting conditions it is highly recommended to use manual settings, such as fixing the ISO, to avoid excessive graininess, and also adjust the white balance yourself. By the way, the maximum resolution is available only in manual mode. Like other models, the camera can be controlled not only through the application interface, but also with the help of a separate button on the case.
In the current firmware, when the camera starts, a jingle is played, which may be familiar to the owners of the CyberShot cameras, to disable it only along with all other sounds. I do not know if this was done on purpose or because of an oversight, but I would like to be able to turn off this sound.
Performance
As in the case of last year's Xperia ZR, reducing the screen diagonal without “cutting back” the iron was good for performance, so the Z1C works even faster in some tests than the more expensive Z1. FPS in gaming-demanding games and tests 3DMark steadily keeps around 50, especially difficult scenes cause significant heating in the logo area on the back wall, but it does not reach critical temperatures and does not affect the performance of the smartphone. Below you can see the results of the main tests.
Multimedia
The updated Walkman allows you not only to listen to music, but also to load correct tags and covers from the server, to sort music not only by albums, artists and playlists, but also by mood, “improvers” remained the same - this is a dynamic volume equalizer of tracks, ClearAudio +, simultaneously performing the function of an exciter and compressor and a stereo base expander, as well as a five-band equalizer, imitation of surround sound, and the ability to compress and increase mono-compatibility when listening to music through external din amik Speaking speaker works perfectly and its maximum volume seems even excessive, so that the most comfortable level can be considered about 85%. There were no complaints from interlocutors about the quality of the transmitted sound. There was no headset in the test configuration, so Urbanears Plattan headphones were used to test the sound. It all turned out to be traditionally excellent - resilient bass, legible middle and clear top. You can complain, perhaps, to limit the volume, which, in principle, can be circumvented using third-party players.
Summary
I do not know about you, but I really missed the flagships of 2011-12, such as Arc S and S. Xperia Z1 Compact, it feels very close to them. Optimum size, high performance, excellent bright screen with decent viewing angles, an unusual choice of colors and not the highest price. We remind you that on February 24 at the exhibition MWC 2014 will be a presentation of Sony, which will be presented something interesting. Follow the news!
Specifications
Processor : Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 MSM8974, 2200 MHz
Memory : 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB of internal memory, slot for SD-card
Video : Adreno 330
Display : 4.3 ”, TRILUMINOS, 1280x720, IPS, 16 million colors, protection from scratches.
Navigation : GPS, GLONASS
Main camera : Exmor RS 1 / 2.3 ", 20.7 megapixel
Front camera : 2mp
Battery : 2300 mAh, non-removable
OS : Android 4.3
Protection : IP58
Dimensions : 127x64.9x9.5 mm
Weight: 137 g
')
First impressions
Unlike many compact modifications of top-end devices, the Xperia Z1 Compact (we will call it Z1C for short) differs from the “big brother” only in screen size and battery capacity, and of the back cover made of plastic, not glass. No savings in processor frequency, memory, camera or video system!
We will not describe in detail and boringly the location of the buttons and connectors - it is the same as that of the big Z1, and, in principle, like other Sony models, designed in accordance with the OmniBalance design concept adopted last year. The location of the contacts allows you to use the docking station from Z1 for charging (but you can put the phone in the Acro S "glass", but unfortunately there is no charge - the connectors do not match). The design of the headset jack provides protection from water, so that every time you do not have to open the cap for connecting headphones. If you use the docking station and cloud services, the stubs, in principle, you can never touch and do not fear that they ever get loose.
In his hand, the phone is great, maybe it affects the habit of such a format of devices, and maybe he really turned out to be perfect. Attentive citizens will notice that the Z1C has become a little thicker, literally 1 mm, but due to the design of the side faces, visually divided into three parts, such a "fat", as ZR does not look and perfectly maintains the elegance of the lines. 130 grams, of course, a solid weight, but, in my opinion, it is much more pleasant to feel this heaviness in your hand than to hold weightless plastic devices. The device fits perfectly in pockets and does not interfere with movement. However, because of the plastic back it is worth paying more attention to the contents of the pockets in order to avoid its contact, for example, with the keys.
Display
The screen causes the most positive emotions - IPS-matrix paired with TRILUMINOS technology migrated from TVs provides a clear image with rich colors, smooth gradients and excellent contrast. Due to the small size, you can not save on brightness - even if you set it to the maximum, a catastrophic battery drain will not occur. The resolution of 1280x720 is more than enough for this diagonal - only a very picky and observant person with sharp eyesight can notice pixelation with the naked eye, and the fonts are perfectly smoothed, making the reading very comfortable. Claims to viewing angles, so beloved by many participants in online discussions, are definitely irrelevant here - the image does not lose any color when tilted, unless it becomes a bit darker if the angle is more than 45 degrees. A rather thick frame around the display can cause some dissatisfaction, but we will write it off to the cost of moisture protection. By the way, the Z1C sensor is not crazy about pressing with wet fingers and can work in the “glove mode”, which will be very useful in the next couple of months. As usual, a protective film is already attached to the screen.
Battery
The capacity of the non-removable battery is 2300 mAh - less than that of the Z1, however, the small diagonal of the screen reduces the energy consumption for the backlight, which is one of the main “consumption items”, so in terms of autonomy the compact version is not inferior to the usual one. With the most intensive use without much savings on brightness and energy-intensive services such as geolocation, one charge is enough for a working day and a little more remains, but the on-mode STAMINA promises up to ten days without recharging in standby mode.
Protection
In accordance with the standard IP58, Z1C can be used under water, without fear for moisture ingress. In practice, of course, few people use the phone for underwater photography every day, but rain, splashes and spilled drinks can be safe, and, in which case, the device can be rinsed under the tap. After immersion in water, temporary “rattling” of the conversational and external speakers is possible, caused by water entering the membrane, which passes after drying. Hairdryer is not recommended to dry.
Camera
The same 20.7-megapixel camera with a focal length of 2.0 and G-Lens optics, which was one of the main features of the Z1, is installed here. The focusing problems that the very first users complained about were successfully eliminated in the very first update, but the application itself that is responsible for the camera’s operation has acquired new functions, for example, integration with Evernote (a series of frames can be instantly saved into one of the notebooks) and geolocationally Photographic Info-eye mode. Auto mode works perfectly in bright light, but for more difficult shooting conditions it is highly recommended to use manual settings, such as fixing the ISO, to avoid excessive graininess, and also adjust the white balance yourself. By the way, the maximum resolution is available only in manual mode. Like other models, the camera can be controlled not only through the application interface, but also with the help of a separate button on the case.
In the current firmware, when the camera starts, a jingle is played, which may be familiar to the owners of the CyberShot cameras, to disable it only along with all other sounds. I do not know if this was done on purpose or because of an oversight, but I would like to be able to turn off this sound.
Performance
As in the case of last year's Xperia ZR, reducing the screen diagonal without “cutting back” the iron was good for performance, so the Z1C works even faster in some tests than the more expensive Z1. FPS in gaming-demanding games and tests 3DMark steadily keeps around 50, especially difficult scenes cause significant heating in the logo area on the back wall, but it does not reach critical temperatures and does not affect the performance of the smartphone. Below you can see the results of the main tests.
Multimedia
The updated Walkman allows you not only to listen to music, but also to load correct tags and covers from the server, to sort music not only by albums, artists and playlists, but also by mood, “improvers” remained the same - this is a dynamic volume equalizer of tracks, ClearAudio +, simultaneously performing the function of an exciter and compressor and a stereo base expander, as well as a five-band equalizer, imitation of surround sound, and the ability to compress and increase mono-compatibility when listening to music through external din amik Speaking speaker works perfectly and its maximum volume seems even excessive, so that the most comfortable level can be considered about 85%. There were no complaints from interlocutors about the quality of the transmitted sound. There was no headset in the test configuration, so Urbanears Plattan headphones were used to test the sound. It all turned out to be traditionally excellent - resilient bass, legible middle and clear top. You can complain, perhaps, to limit the volume, which, in principle, can be circumvented using third-party players.
Summary
I do not know about you, but I really missed the flagships of 2011-12, such as Arc S and S. Xperia Z1 Compact, it feels very close to them. Optimum size, high performance, excellent bright screen with decent viewing angles, an unusual choice of colors and not the highest price. We remind you that on February 24 at the exhibition MWC 2014 will be a presentation of Sony, which will be presented something interesting. Follow the news!
Specifications
Processor : Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 MSM8974, 2200 MHz
Memory : 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB of internal memory, slot for SD-card
Video : Adreno 330
Display : 4.3 ”, TRILUMINOS, 1280x720, IPS, 16 million colors, protection from scratches.
Navigation : GPS, GLONASS
Main camera : Exmor RS 1 / 2.3 ", 20.7 megapixel
Front camera : 2mp
Battery : 2300 mAh, non-removable
OS : Android 4.3
Protection : IP58
Dimensions : 127x64.9x9.5 mm
Weight: 137 g
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/212865/
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