Sony Xperia Z1 Compact: tested in humans

There is in modern Russian the slang expression “get to the bottom of the pole”, and it has nothing to do with the actual movement of the soil. In the case of the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact, which came to us to the test, things were approximately the same — the device turned out to be almost perfect. But we all know that nothing is perfect. However, we are running a little ahead ...

The Xperia smartphone lineup has existed since 2008. It began with devices on Windows Mobile. And the first device of the Z-series, running Android, appeared just a year ago. Then there were ZL and ZR. In October, the company launched the Z1. The culmination of Z-series devices today can be considered the Z2, which was presented at the Mobile World Congress exhibition at the end of February in Barcelona.

Well, what about our hero? The Z1 Compact went on sale in early February, after retaining in Japan - and on the islands of Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyusu and Shikoku a smartphone called Z1f has been on sale since December 19th. In fairness, we note that other countries did not receive the Z1 Compact before ours.
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Z1 Compact in numbers:
Screen: 4.3 ", 1280x720 (342 ppi), IPS Triluminous
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 MSM8974, 2200 MHz (4 cores)
Graphics processor: Adreno 330
OS: Android 4.3 (expected to upgrade to 4.4)
RAM: 2 GB
Memory: 16 GB + microSD (up to 64 GB)
Camera: 20.7 / 2.0 MP
Interfaces: 3G / 4G, Wi-Fi (802.11 a / b / g / n / ac; 2.4 / 5 GHz), Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, A-GPS / GLONASS, USB 2.0
Battery: 2300 mAh
Dimensions, weight: 127 × 64.9 × 9.5 mm, 137 g





What do you notice first thing when picking up a Z1 Compact? OmniBalance design. He is familiar from other devices of the Xperia line, you can’t confuse him with anything - a thin body, beveled metal ends rounded to the corners, a proprietary power button. The assembly is excellent - it feels slightly less than the iPhone, but better than other smartphones with the prefix "mini". And - plugs, plugs, plugs ... There is nothing surprising here - the device is protected from moisture and dust. We will not load you with the names of the standards - just be sure that neither torrential rain nor accidental immersion in the water of the smartphone is not terrible (Sony claims that the Z1 Compact can be safely forgotten at a half meter depth for half an hour). The main thing - check the plugs. And don't worry about the audio jack - it’s open but airtight.



Yes, you can work with a smartphone with gloves and wet hands. About wet gloves in the press releases nothing is said, but the smartphone supports this mode.

About scratch resistance. It is not so simple here: a polymeric protective film was applied to the front side of the factory — in two weeks of operation, it carried out all the tests well by poking it in a pocket, throwing it into a bag and felting on the tables. But on the back there appeared a whole “bunch” of microscopic scratches and scuffs.

Good news: microUSB works in OTG mode, which means you can connect a keyboard or mouse to your smartphone, but, more importantly, you can use external drives.



In general, the Z1 Compact, it can be said, symbolizes the antelope moods in society: they say, look, I am small, but comfortable, handsome, fast — just one hand is enough to hold me.

By the way. Compact in the title should not confuse you - this smartphone easily bypasses other mini-versions of the flagships. In fact, it is still the same Z1, which is “non-compact”, only in a more convenient package. The only “compromise” was the screen resolution: there are 1280x720 pixels instead of 1920x1080, but the density of the “Compact” screen is enough without Full HD. And the color rendition, brightness and angles are excellent reviews - IPS-matrix did not let down.

What's inside? Android 4.3, which may soon change to chocolate 4.4 KitKat, a slight hint of multitasking in the menu of small applications that can be triggered by pressing the rightmost button, well, for some reason, Swype entered into us (probably, because it is just conveniently).





Almost all benchmark tests we used are trumpeting the exclusivity of a smartphone - but this can be seen with the naked eye. No compromise.

What excites us when meeting a new device is not less than its power? Correct, battery. In a large Z1, the capacity of the non-removable battery was 3000 mAh, here - 2300, but the Compact lasts a half to two times longer. In principle, if you use the “extrovert student” scenario — calls-calls-calls-games-video-photos — then for a day and a half the charge of a non-removable battery is enough for you.

Remember we talked about "get to the bottom of the post"? So, we still felt the Achilles heel of the Z1 Compact. True, it will certainly disappear with new firmware updates. We are about a 20 megapixel camera. The engineers stuffed it with a bunch of different funny pieces - Info-Eye, Time Shift Burst, Social live, AR effect, but they forgot to polish the usual photo / video mode. As a result, all these megapixels do not work as we would like, turning the smartphone into a soap box, and not, sorry for the tautology, a compact camera. There are problems with focus, and the lack of sharpness at the edges, and noise.





In total
You will laugh, but the Z1 Compact does not have competitors in terms of the totality of parameters - if we take into account the size, stuffing and protection from water-dust. Yes, there are temporary problems with the built-in camera, but in general it is a truly unique device. We anticipate the remarks of that part of the audience that knows the price of money - yes, dear! Samsung and HTC mini versions cost much less. Justification? Performance. Well, the price tag on the Compact after a couple of months will surely become more enjoyable.

Note, for those who do not want to read the letters, but want to watch the video review - it is here