Sony debuted the Xperia Z1 Compact at CES in January, noting that the consumer who prefers to have a smaller device does not want fewer features.
Could Sony take the experience in their flagship smartphone and pack it into a much smaller package without reducing the functionality?
In the marketplace, the relative power of a phone in terms of specifications and capability seems to be dependant on the screen size.
The more powerful phones will have the larger screens, while the smaller phones (at a lower price) will not be a match for the larger brethren. It’s not a perfect rule, but in general it holds across a manufacturer’s product range.
Let’s put aside the point that a 4.3 inch screen is not a ‘small’ smartphone in the history of the smartphone, because Sony have actually done something I have been looking for in the last few years – a ‘small’ smartphone that has the same specs as the larger handsets.
With a 2.2 GHz Quad core Snapdragon 800, 2GB of RAM, 16 GB of storage, microSD, and a 4.3 inch TFT IPS screen, the Xperia Z1 Compact is a little bit of a pocket rocket.
Sony has supplied me with a review handset ahead of its general availability.
Sony’s research shows consumers asking for a powerful phone in a smaller size. I will be very interested to see if the demand seen in the survey matches the demand in stores and through online channels. I hope it does, because I am in the group that prefers the smaller form factor, and I want to see more options and competition.
But if I was recommending the Xperia Z1 Compact, I would not be focusing on just the size. The battery life on the Z1 Compact is immense for such a capable Android device. The smaller and more efficient screen, the extra volume allowing for more capacity than other ‘mini’ devices, and Sony’s aggressive yet functional battery software have created an Android device that can run smartly all day without having to worry if you’ll make it back home to your charger.
This is one of the best performing Android devices for battery life of this generation of smartphones.
The full review is posted on Forbes.
Photo credit: Sony Mobile.
Ewan Spence is a blogger, author and writer based out of Edinburgh, Scotland. In addition to his own blog, he has contributed and contributes to BBC News, BBC Magazine (online), The Stage (UK Arts and Entertainment Newspaper), Computing (VNU), iProng Magazine, IT Pro, O’Reilly’s Make Magazine, Palmtop Magazine, Podcast User Magazine, UK Tech and UK Mobile Blognation, PDA Essentials, Mobile Messaging 2.0 and All About Symbian.
He wrote the book Rapid Mobile Enterprise Development for Symbian OS and has audio program commissions for BBC Radio 5 Live – Through the Night and Pods and Blogs, Computer Outlook Talk Radio Show and Talk 107. He also regularly speaks at and moderates panels at high profile technology conferences around the world.
