Sony’s mobile flagship strategy over the last few years is to make small improvements to each handset every six months, both in hardware and software, culminating in the Xperia XZ1 announced earlier today. While in previous years, this strategy hasn’t been criticised too much, that has changed in 2017.
This is against a backdrop of flagship smartphones that look very different this year with their near bezel-less displays, making anything else look tired and old. This is the criticism that has been applied to Sony in the lead up to this launch, and we hope it will be in a good position to answer this criticism for next year’s models. Anyway, despite the small upgrades, the Xperia XZ1 looks like a good all-rounder with strong specs, if the design doesn’t put you off.
One of the most impressive things that Sony has done with the Xperia XZ1 and XZ1 Compact is to launch both phones with Android 8.0 Oreo. Given that the update was only formally announced last week, this is great work by Sony. It’s even more impressive when you consider some of Sony’s competition, such as the LG V30 won’t get Oreo until the end of the year.
When comparing the Xperia XZ1 against the Xperia XZs, there are a few differences. The Xperia XZ1 is armed with the Snapdragon 835 chipset (vs. SD 820) and has a 5.2-inch Full HD 1080p HDR display (the XZs does not have HDR). The Xperia XZ1 also supports Sony’s new 3D Creator app allowing users to scan an object, turn it into a 3D avatar and print it. The Xperia XZ1 also has a metallic frame, compared to the plastic used in the XZs.
One area where the Xperia XZ1 does not excel though is in the endurance department, with its 2700mAh battery (versus 2900mAh for the XZs). Now Sony is using a more efficient chipset in the Snapdragon 835, so actual real life battery performance is unlikely to be that different. However, with similar flagships from competitors offering bigger batteries, this seems like an opportunity missed.
Other Xperia XZ1 features remain the same as the XZs including 4GB RAM, 64GB UFS internal storage, the use of a 19MP 1/2.3-inch rear Motion Eye camera with 960 frames per second slow motion video and a 13MP 1/ 3.06-inch front-facing camera. The handset is also IP65/68 dust and water resistant, and supports Bluetooth 5.0, NFC and a USB 3.1 Type-C port.
The Xperia XZ1 has dimensions of 148 x 73 x 7.4mm mm and weighs 156g. It will be available in four colours (Moonlit Blue, Black, Warm Silver, Venus Pink) when it launches in September 2017.
Via Sony Mobile Blog.
