Xperia Z1 Review: Testing Sony's Latest Android Flagship!!!

Sony already tried to capture the minds of consumers earlier this year with a flagship Android device. The Xperia Z was a decent enough device when it launched, but when the competition hit hard a few months later, the Z fell a little behind. A slick design and waterproofing were some of the handset's standout features, but it notably fell behind in the chipset and display departments.

Sony Xperia Z1- $610 (unlocked)

• 5.0”, 1920 x 1080 eIPS LCD display (441 ppi)
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 SoC
• 2.3 GHz quad-core CPU, Adreno 330 GPU, 2GB RAM
• 16 GB internal storage, microSD card slot
• 20.7 MP camera, 1/2.3” sensor, f/2.0 lens, 1080p video
• IP58 water resistance
• 3,000 mAh, 11.4 Wh battery
• LTE, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC
• Android 4.2.2 ‘Jelly Bean’
• 170 grams, 8.5mm thick

Enter the Xperia Z1. New Snapdragon 800 SoC. New 20.7-megapixel Exmor RS camera. New aluminium body. In many respects, this is what Sony was aiming for with the original Xperia Z: a solid set of features to lure any smartphone buyer. It may be out a little later than your Galaxy S4 or HTC One, but there’s no doubting that the Z1 is a high-end handset to take Sony into 2014.

The Android market is crowded, though, and Sony has found the North American market particularly challenging. Will a 20-megapixel camera provide Sony with enough of a talking point? Have they addressed all the issues with the Xperia Z1?

Design

The Xperia Z1 is more of a slab than any other phone on the market. Featuring a primarily rectangular, untapered design, the Z1 is both 8.5mm thick and 170 grams heavy, which makes it a little bit heavier than the average handset. However the density is due to an improvement in the construction, switching from the polycarbonate (plastic) frame of the Xperia Z to an aluminium frame.

Other than the aluminium frame, which runs around the edges of the Z1, the device features two glass panes; one on the front, and one on the back. Combined with the aluminium used in the construction, the glass makes the device feel like an expensive piece of hardware, but it does have its downsides. Firstly, glass is a huge fingerprint magnet, and even though it’s oleophobically coated you’ll find yourself cleaning both panels frequently.

Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, it increases the chances of damage through cracking. We’ve all seen iPhones with a cracked glass back, and I have my fears that if you drop the Xperia Z1 in the wrong way, you’ll find yourself with an expensive repair bill. Luckily it's proven Gorilla Glass, so it’s stronger than your regular silica and extremely scratch resistant, but it’s not indestructible. However, I was glad to see considerably less diagonal flex and virtually no horizontal or vertical flex in the Z1 compared to the Z Ultra, which naturally leads to less chances of snapping the device when sitting on it accidentally.

The front panel of the Z1 is slick, and similar to what we all enjoyed in the Xperia Z. The 5-inch display sits right in the middle, with 16mm of bezel above and below. As the Z1 has onscreen buttons, the bottom part of this bezel isn’t used for anything, while the top features a front-facing camera, sensor array, speaker and notification light.

Unfortunately the large amount of bezel makes the Z1 larger than it needs to be, which inhibits its pocketability and usability. It’s taller than other flagships with similar-sized displays, such as the LG G2 and Samsung Galaxy S4, highlighted by how the Z1’s panel occupies just 64% of the phone’s footprint, compared to 76% and 72% for the two aforementioned devices respectively. I would have liked to see Sony reduce the height of the phone, ridding the front panel of a significant amount of unused space to make the display seem larger.

Around the edges of the Z1 we see the circular power button and small volume rocker on the left hand side, below a covered SIM card slot. On the right is a microSD card slot and USB port, both covered, as well as a dock connector, while the top sees the 3.5mm headphone jack and the bottom has the device’s main speaker. The covered USB port is a little inconvenient when you have to charge the phone every day, but it does allow the device to be water proofed.

As far as the dock connector is concerned, I’m not quite sure why Sony would include it in this form. It looks odd, feels strange when you’re holding the phone, and detracts from the otherwise well-crafted design. The Xperia Z featured a smaller, albeit non-magnetic dock connector which was flush with the edges; the Z1’s connector is not flush when it really should be. Some people who briefly used my Z1 review unit thought the connector looked like a “missing volume button”, which basically says it all.

But let’s not forget a key addition to the Xperia Z1’s body: the dedicated, two-stage camera button. This button is a critical inclusion for two reasons: it makes using the 20-megapixel camera that much easier; and it facilitates underwater photography. As I’ve mentioned a few times in this review, the Z1 is IP55 and IP57 water resistant, meaning it can withstand 1.5m of fresh water for up to 30m. The original Xperia Z is also waterproof, but as you can’t use the touchscreen underwater, it’s pretty useless once you submerge it. However, with the dedicated camera button on the Z1, the device actually can be used for photos under the water.

The ergonomics of the Xperia Z1 are good, but not fantastic. The edges of the handset are curved to an extent, which stops the rectangular design from digging in to your palms, but it’s not as good a fit as other handsets I’ve used. Rather than going all out on ergonomics, Sony has opted for a slick, visually fantastic design with a strong build, which in many respects is very appealing.

Display

Once again, Sony disappoints with the inclusion of a mediocre LCD panel in the Xperia Z1. Sure, I’m talking about a (supposedly) high-end 5.0-inch panel with a resolution of 1920 x 1080, but the choice of eIPS technology holds the display back from being on the same quality level as the HTC One, iPhone 5s or LG G2.

For those who have an Xperia Z, the Z1’s display will seem very familiar. This means that the panel has some good upsides, but also some significant downsides such as color quality and viewing angles, which I’ll explore later. For now though, let’s focus on the positives, starting with the pixel density and crispness.

2.07 million pixels in the space of 68.9cm² equates to a density of 441 pixels per inch (ppi), which helps give the Xperia Z1’s display the clarity you’d expect from a high-end display. Any panel of this quality looks as good as paper when displaying text: there are no jagged edges, no visible pixels, and the curved edges of each letter looks as sharp as any book you’ve read. The high pixel density can also be seen when viewing high-resolution photos and videos, with the display exhibiting clarity as good as other 5-inch 1080p panels.

The panel Sony has gone with also has its advantages for watching videos, as the resolution allows you to watch 1080p content natively. Five inches is a reasonable amount of screen real estate for media playback and gaming, with the large bezels helping slightly when using the handset in a landscape position. With that said, the majority of the time the usable screen space is reduced to 4.7” thanks to the onscreen buttons, although in some applications (the video player is one example) the buttons do disappear.

As with my previous experiences using this eIPS display, the panel is both bright and easy to see when outdoors. Auto-brightness is reasonably effective ramping up the display’s backlight where necessary, and at full brightness you can still read the display in direct sunlight. It appears as though the display module has a few more layers than competing smartphone LCD panels, which means the display itself is set slightly back from the glass protecting it.

The screen's extra layers don't appear to affect readability but do have a negative effect on viewing angles. Out of any high-end phone currently available that you can name, the Xperia Z1 will have the worst viewing angles by far. Look at the display off-normal and you’ll see significant washing out and some distortion of colors, even at small angles. This isn’t a huge issue when you’re using the device in your hands, but if you try and read the display when it’s on a desk in front of you, you’ll likely fall victim to its poor viewing angles.

I wasn’t overly impressed by the Xperia Z1’s color quality and accuracy. The eIPS TFT LCD panel isn’t bad to look at, however I found when comparing it to the displays used on the HTC One, LG G2 and iPhone 5c, again Sony falls behind its competitors. In contrast and saturation the Z1’s panel just lacks that wow-factor that you experience with other displays, which makes it seem rather lackluster; especially so when you’re directly comparing it to the aforementioned devices.

Sony does have a clever tool up its sleeve that often improves the quality of the Z1’s display, and that’s the “X-Reality for Mobile” engine (formerly known as the Mobile Bravia Engine). Implemented in the handset’s software, the X-Reality engine enhances the quality of images and videos when you’re in the stock applications. It really does make images and videos look better through boosting saturation and applying a few sharpness enhancements, although I wish it was implemented in firmware so it was activated permanently across the entire operating system and all third-party apps.

The Xperia Z1’s eIPS display isn’t bad per se, but it’s far from the top of the smartphone chain despite its size and resolution. Across the board Sony has made many enhancements to the Xperia Z’s hardware in releasing the Z1, which leaves me feeling disappointed that the display – a known downside to the Xperia Z – wasn’t addressed. Instead we’re left with an essentially identical display with the same issues as last time, which isn’t great for a flagship device that’s strong in many other areas.

Software Impressions

If you read my Xperia Z Ultra review, much of this section will seem familiar as the software used on the tablet-like smartphone and the Z1 are very similar. Out of the box, the device runs Android 4.2.2 with a custom Sony skin and a few extra features, although the additions aren’t quite on the scale of the Samsung Galaxy S4 or LG G2.

For those of you who dislike ‘heavy’ Android skins with over-the-top designs and features, you’ll be pleased that the Xperia Z1’s skin is relatively light. In many respects the design cues of vanilla Android are kept throughout the lockscreen, homescreen and other applications, but it still leads me to think that Sony’s skin is skinning for the sake of skinning, rather than trying to introduce something new to the Android ecosystem.

There’s nothing particularly unfamiliar with the way Sony has designed their UI. The lockscreen has widget support and a quick launcher for the camera, homescreens are standard with a 4x4 grid and a traditional app launcher. There’s an array of okay (but not amazing) Sony widgets to choose from, and the notification pane is basic with a few quick setting toggles. The Xperia Z1’s base software provides users with few improvements to help with routine tasks, for better or worse.

Flicking through the standard range of included apps reveals exactly what you’d expect, and nothing more. The calendar app shows your calendar, the contacts app shows your contacts, the album app shows your images, and so forth. This is a benefit of the light Sony skin, which keeps down bloatware, but also provides the bare minimum in terms of features. If you were hoping for some cool new way to manage contacts, or wanted an integrated messaging experience, you’ll find yourself disappointed; but at the same time, the basic apps will provide enough functionality to keep most people happy. And of course, if you want anything more, there’s plenty of choice to be found in the Play Store, including a range of stock Android applications as provided by Google.

Dig into the Xperia Z1’s settings and it becomes immediately clear how well geared up this device is for wireless streaming. The device is easily integrated into your home network as both a media server and media viewer, with the capability to ‘throw’ content to other devices appearing in many applications. Not only that, but you can wirelessly mirror the handset’s display on your TV, and in games you can use a PS3 DualShock 3 wireless controller (provided you pair it through a USB cable first).

Aside from the wireless streaming features integrated into the device, there aren’t a great deal of other features to mention. The battery saver mode does a decent job of disabling services where necessary, and there’s a find my phone feature you can enable called ‘my Xperia’. Aside from those few things, you’re basically getting the stock Android treatment in terms of settings and features you can enable.

The aspect of the Xperia Z1’s software I was most disappointed with was the keyboard. After nearly a month of using the device, I couldn’t get used to it at all, and consistently made errors when typing. Many of the problems stem from a spacebar which is too small, causing me to frequently hit the full stop key, or when I was using the built-in swipe mode, the prediction engine was poor and often inserted the wrong words. Luckily, Android allows you to swap out the keyboard, which I’d highly recommend you do.

Performance

Like many other flagship smartphones released in the second half of 2013, the Xperia Z1 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 SoC; a generational upgrade on the Snapdragon S4 Pro that was used in the Xperia Z. I’ve spoken in detail about the Snapdragon 800 in my previous reviews of the LG G2 and Sony Xperia Z Ultra. For those who aren’t up to date, I’ll quickly run through what the Snapdragon 800 brings to the table.

The SoC’s die contains four 2.3 GHz Krait 400 CPU cores, an Adreno 330 GPU clocked at 450 MHz, a QDSP6V5A Hexagon DSP at 600 MHz, an LPDDR3 memory controller and a range of radios including LTE and Wi-Fi 802.11ac.

Alongside the Snapdragon 800, Sony has packed in 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB of internal storage with a microSD card slot, NFC, and an array of sensors. There’s nothing particularly special in the performance section of the Xperia Z1’s spec sheet, but also nothing appears to be missing.

Everything I’ve said previously in regards to the Snapdragon 800’s performance holds up here when using the Xperia Z1. The chipset is extremely fast, and undoubtedly the fastest chipset I’ve used in an Android device. Everything feels literally at your fingertips when using the Z1: apps open in an instant, multitasking is fluid and speedy, using the UI is smooth and everyday tasks are no match for the crushing power of the Krait 400’s cores.

As with the past few Sony devices, the only included browser on the Z1 is Google Chrome, which is similar to (if not faster than) the stock Android browser. Chrome makes good use of all four CPU cores, facilitating smooth pans and zooms around content-heavy websites, which is exactly what you’d expect from a top-tier device. Whether you prefer browsing desktop or mobile versions of websites, the Z1 is more than capable.

The Adreno 330 GPU, which is used for the first time in the Snapdragon 800 SoC, is relatively new to the mobile market, and its power has yet to be fully harnessed by game developers. This means any game you throw at the Z1 will have no trouble being run fluidly, even ‘intense’ titles such as Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Real Racing 3. If you’re into Android gaming, you’ll find the Z1 is more than suitable for your needs.

Interestingly, like a few other Sony devices I’ve used in the past, the Xperia Z1 appears to have a few issues with wireless networks. It’s the only device I’ve used that simply refuses to upload photos over my home Wi-Fi network, and in areas of HSPA coverage I would often spontaneously lose data connections. As the actual hardware is the same as in other devices which don’t exhibit these issues, it leads me to believe something is not quite right on the software front.

Moving on to benchmarks, and as seen in a number of other Android devices recently, this handset cheats in certain benchmarks, including Quadrant, Linpack and Vellamo. By cheating, we mean there is specific code included in the device’s OS that sets the CPU clock speed to 2.2 GHz as soon as specific benchmarks are run. The code only affects benchmarks, potentially altering the scores that are output, and providing no ‘real world’ gains. Luckily the only benchmark we use that the Z1 cheats in is Vellamo, so be wary of the results we post below.

In both Futuremark’s Peacekeeper in-browser benchmark and Qualcomm’s Vellamo benchmark we see the Z1 performing on-par with other Snapdragon 800 devices, namely the LG G2 and Xperia Z Ultra. You’ll notice in Peacekeeper specifically that the iPhone 5s’ A7 chip absolutely dominates the Snapdragon 800, posting a 78% performance gain.

In the 3DMark Ice Storm benchmark we see the Xperia Z1 edging out the G2 with a 6% advantage, however at this stage – with Android games not using GPUs to their full potential – this difference won’t mean much during actual gaming.

Once again, in GFXBench we see the Adreno 330 perform on-par with other Snapdragon 800-based devices, in both the Egypt and T-Rex tests. Here you’ll also notice the iPhone 5s coming out with an on-screen performance advantage due to the lower display resolution.

When testing the internal storage performance, the Z1 managed average speeds of around 30 MB/s for both reading and writing large files, which is acceptable. Anyone who picks up this device will no doubt be happy to see the inclusion of a microSD card slot alongside 16 GB of internal storage; the internal NAND is great for apps and the expansion slot can be used if you have a lot of music or videos you want to chuck on the handset.

Comparing the Xperia Z1 to the Xperia Z, released at the start of this year, shows the Z1 as being roughly 30% faster overall, and twice as fast in the graphics department. This may seem like a significant difference, but it’s probably not worth upgrading to a Z1 if you have the older Z as both devices still feel fast, and the difference in actual in-game frame rates is minimal due to a lack of really 3D-heavy games. On the other hand, if you’re using last year’s Xperia S, it’s certainly worth an upgrade as the Z1 is more than twice as fast.

If you’re just looking for a high-end Android device that’s fast and capable, the Xperia Z1 is definitely one of the best choices.

(Superb) Camera, Video Sample

The standout feature on the Sony Xperia Z1 is the brand new 20.7-megapixel camera, which combines a 1/2.3” Exmor RS sensor (1.1 µm pixels) with a ‘G Lens’ – Sony’s name for a f/2.0 27mm effective lens unit – and a Bionz image processing engine. The sensor is capable of 1080p video recording at 30 frames per second, as is the 2.0-megapixel front-facing camera.

As far as Android phones are concerned, a 20-megapixel camera on-board is one of the highest resolutions you can find, and the differences in quality between a 13- or 8-megapixel camera is certainly noticeable. Downscaling a full-sized 20-megapixel image to 1080p gives the sharpest and clearest image I’ve seen from an Android smartphone, but what’s more surprising is comparing a 100% crop from the Xperia Z1’s camera to the 8- and 13-megapixel Exmor RS models.

Not only does the 20-megapixel Exmor RS sensor give you an image with greater room to zoom and crop, but 100% crops in ideal conditions deliver better quality than either of the lower-resolution models on Sony’s past smartphones.

Sony’s G Lens has improved the optical quality of the camera unit as well. Where the previous f/2.2 and f/2.4 lenses had jarring, harsh bokeh, the f/2.0 optical system of the Xperia Z1 gives a much nicer background blur. It’s still miles away from a decent DSLR lens, but I’ll take what I can get. F/2.0 also has its advantages in low light and fast action shooting conditions, where a shorter shutter speed can be used to reduce blur, thanks to a larger amount of light passing onto the sensor.

I was reasonably impressed with Sony’s Bionz image processing technology, which in a similar fashion to other Exmor RS handsets, provides decent image quality across a range of shooting conditions. When a scene is well lit by the sun, the Xperia Z1 has no trouble accurately reproducing color and delivering awesome shots with above average dynamic range. While not as vibrant as well-lit images, photos taken in moderate lighting conditions (such as indoors) were more than acceptable, although occasionally Sony’s nasty habit of overprocessing the images reared its head in final results.

Low-light photography, always a talking point with modern smartphone cameras, is improved with this new-generation Exmor RS camera module, but still behind the competition. Pixel size remains the same as the previous models at 1.1 µm, but the larger sensor can take advantage of higher ISOs (6400) and more light enters through the f/2.0 lens. Sony still hasn’t seen the benefits of optical image stabilization, so it hasn’t been included in the Xperia Z1, and pixel size is smaller than leading solutions; the iPhone 5S camera, for example, features 1.5 µm pixels, which naturally delivers better results.

With that said, the Xperia Z1 is more usable than the Xperia Z or Galaxy S4 in low light conditions, especially if you make use of Superior Auto mode. I wouldn’t call this device the most ideal for nighttime photography, but in this iteration it isn’t as much of a flaw as it once was.

What I found the most strange about the Xperia Z1’s camera is the software that drives it. Past Xperia smartphones have featured a fantastic automatic mode called Superior Auto, which almost always chooses the perfect settings to take a photo, and this has mostly transferred to the Z1. Using Superior Auto I saw photos taken using anything from ISO 50 and a 1/1000s shutter to ISO 6400 and a 1/8s shutter, but there’s one major downside: photos taken in this mode are capped at 8 megapixels with a 16:9 aspect ratio.

This means that the best shooting mode available is incapable of taking 20.7-megapixel images, images which make the Xperia Z1’s camera great. Superior Auto mode is always launched whenever you hold down the dedicated camera button or launch the camera from the lockscreen, making full resolution images several taps away. Even more disappointing is the restrictions that are enacted when you switch to taking 20 MP shots: no HDR mode, no low light mode, ISO capped at 800, and no scene selection. Say goodbye to taking 20 MP images at night, because an ISO cap makes this essentially impossible.

You can view several full-resolution photos taken with the Xperia Z here

Aside from the obvious issues with shooting in 20-megapixel mode, the Xperia Z1 comes with a decent set of camera features. The built-in HDR mode is very good, like with previous Exmor RS cameras, and other built in shooting modes such as Timeshift Burst (takes a burst shot before and after the shutter is pressed) and Sweep Panorama are functional and useful. One particular mode I’d like to draw extra attention to is AR Effect, which literally can put 3D animated dinosaurs and volcanoes in your backyard for some truly crazy photos.

The Xperia Z1 is capable of 1080p video capture at 30 frames per second, with a data rate of 17.5 Mbps. This is a little behind some of the other flagship smartphones you can buy, which can do 20 Mbps 1080p/30 and even, in the case of the LG G2, 1080p/60 at 30 Mbps. However the quality is still pretty reasonable, with colors comparable to still images taken in the same scenes (if slightly less vibrant), and a sharpness on-par with other phones I’ve tested.

The lack of optical image stabilization means that the Xperia Z1 relies on a software stabilizer, which when it kicks in at every shake significantly reduces the quality of the frame as it attempts to compensate. Apart from that though, the audio recording quality from the device is quite good, meaning you should be able to record decent video provided you don’t move around a lot.

Simply put, the Xperia Z1’s 20.7-megapixel camera replaces the need for a standalone point-and-shoot, producing stunning images in almost all conditions, and giving enough resolution to zoom without significant loss of quality. While the 20 MP shooting mode can’t be used in all situations due to software restrictions, the Xperia Z1 lays claim to one of the best phone cameras of the year.

Battery Life, Who Is It For?

Behind the rear glass panel on the Xperia Z1 is an 11.4 Wh (3,000 mAh) non-removable battery, which is a significant upgrade from the 8.85 Wh battery found in the Xperia Z. There are more powerful internals in the Z1, but through keeping the same display size, there should be a definite increase in regular battery life.

Where the Xperia Z’s stamina was mediocre and failed to last me through a day, the Xperia Z1 redeems itself by producing fairly decent battery life. With a regular amount of moderate usage – such as checking social media regularly, background data syncing, browsing the web, a few messages and calls, and taking a few camera shots – the Xperia Z1 lasts until the end of the day with 30% or more charge remaining. If you’'ve decided to crack out a game on your train ride to work, you’ll be able to achieve around five hours of serious game time before the phone will need a charge.

In our battery life test, where we loop a 720p video at 75% brightness in airplane mode until the phone dies, the Z1 lasted a respectable eight and a half hours. It also has the best battery life of the three current-generation Xperia phones I’ve tested, lasting 30% longer than the Xperia Z.

However what’s more interesting to note from this test is the performance of the LG G2 compared to the Xperia Z1. Both smartphones have the same battery size, same Snapdragon 800 SoC and similar display sizes (the G2 has a 5.2” display, compared to 5.0” on the Z1), but the G2 lasts four and a half hours longer: a whopping 54% increase. The difference carries over to everyday usage as well, where the G2 lasts notably longer than the Xperia Z1.

I’m not completely sure what causes this massive difference in battery life, but it’s safe to assume the reason lies both with software optimization and differences in display technology, as the brightness levels of both displays at 75% are roughly equal. While the Z1’s stamina isn’t disappointing by any means, it’s certainly possible to harness more juice out of the hardware, which is hopefully something Sony will work on in future smartphones.

Final Thoughts

The Xperia Z1 is all about the camera. Anyone looking for a flagship Android smartphone with the most capable camera needs to look no further than the Xperia Z1. The 20.7-megapixel Exmor RS sensor affords fantastic resolution and superb overall quality, and although optical image stabilization is missing from the camera setup, low-light performance is much improved. You can even photograph underwater thanks to IP58 water resistance and a dedicated camera button, making the Z1 more versatile than its older brother; the Xperia Z.

Three other aspects have been improved since the original Xperia Z: build quality, performance, and battery life. While the Z1 features largely the same design as the Z, the new aluminium body feels stronger and sturdier, and the Snapdragon 800 SoC places the device at the top of the performance tree.

Unfortunately Sony has failed to improve the display, and so the Xperia Z1 is left with a panel whose quality is behind that of other high-end devices. This is probably the device’s most significant downside, and really should have been addressed considering the same issue was present in the Xperia Z.

Ultimately, it’s the camera that will sell the Xperia Z1, as it’s clearly the best aspect of this device. For users where the camera is less of a concern, I wouldn’t go so far to say the Xperia Z1 is the best device you can get. It’s certainly good, but the Samsung Galaxy S4, LG G2, Apple iPhone 5s, Google Nexus 5 and HTC One are arguably more complete devices across the board and are worth considering on the quest of finding a handset to get you through the next year or more.

Pros: Awesome 20.7-megapixel camera replaces the need for a point-and-shoot. Packs solid performance, decent battery life and a waterproofed design.

Cons: Display quality is behind other top devices as is the software package that brings nothing interesting to the table. Lacks the feeling of a complete package, despite its strengths.