Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact review: baby but powerful

The Sony Xperia XZ1 Bunched is about abandoned in the bunched flagship arena. Offering top-tier specs in a diminutive anatomy factor, the XZ1 Bunched is baby but powerful.
Editor's Pick
Editor's Pick
Editor's Pick

While best smartphone OEMs are creating accepted and added or XL sized versions of their smartphones, Sony believes there’s still a bazaar for a small, bunched flagship that doesn’t skimp out on the specs. But is there still a allegation for a baby phone with flagship ability blueprint or accept consumers absolutely acclimatized to the affluence of ample buried smartphones that we accept today? Acquisition out in our abounding analysis of the Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact!

The Xperia XZ1 Compact, as the name suggests, is a abate adaptation of Sony’s capital flagship, the Xperia XZ1 and as such it shares abounding of the aforementioned actualization and specifications. Aside from the phone’s abate admeasurement there are a few key differences, the best notable actuality the phone’s design.

Instead of the bastard and hardly curvier architecture of the XZ1, the XZ1 Bunched is added evocative of archetypal Sony designs with a added boxlike ellipsoidal look. There are some slight tapers all about but for the best allotment the XZ1 Bunched has a collapsed actualization on all abandon and has a beneath advancing bend architecture aback compared to the XZ1.

The phone’s architecture is additionally account acquainted as it’s fabricated mostly from artificial admitting the XZ1 actualization an all metal construction. Despite the aberration in actual choices, the XZ1 Bunched has a actual solid and athletic feel and there are hints of metal on the top and basal portions of the phone that add to the phone’s all-embracing anatomy quality. The phone’s anatomy is coated in a non-glossy satin-like accomplishment that provides a nice anchor and doesn’t allure fingerprints.

If it wasn’t accessible abundant already, the XZ1 Compact’s capital address is that it’s aloof as able as the accepted XZ1, alone smaller. This abate admeasurement equates to a phone that is an complete breeze to use in one hand.

Many manufacturers are attempting to accomplish bigger phones abate by slimming bottomward bezels, but Sony artlessly fabricated a abate phone. While accepting a baby phone can accept it’s drawbacks, it’s acutely auspicious to use a phone that can be navigated after two calmly or any awkward ambiguity aloof to ability the acute corners of the screen.

A abate anatomy artlessly agency a abundant abate display. The XZ1 Compact’s awning is an IPS LCD barometer in at at 4.6 inches with a resolution of 1280×720 which is .6 inches abate on the askew than the XZ1 and additionally lower resolution.

Compared to abounding smartphone screens that we’ve credible in 2017, the awning on the XZ1 Bunched is adequately standard. It’s amidst by blubbery bezels on all abandon and doesn’t affection any adorned curves or angled corners. It’s a awning that could calmly complete underwhelming but it’s a added than advantageous affectation abnormally on a smartphone of this size.

The 720p resolution is low but on a 4.6-inch awning it works altogether fine, equating to 319 ppi. It acutely isn’t the sharpest and, accepting developed so acclimatized to cloister HD displays, my eyes were anon able to see the difference. But it’s still aciculate abundant to calmly apprehend text, cast through photos or browse the web.

Regardless of sharpness, the affection of the affectation is absolutely nice as colors are abundantly vibrant, the examination angles are acceptable and alfresco afterimage is not an affair in absolute sunlight as continued as the awning is at max brightness.

Sony’s software allows for tweaking of the display’s colors with a few altered profiles that can change the display’s afterglow and contrast, and white antithesis adjustments can additionally be fabricated to bigger clothing your tastes.

If you’re big into media consumption, the XZ1 Compact’s awning won’t action the best acquaintance artlessly due to its baby size, which is the alone absolute downside to this display. It still works accomplished for watching YouTube or arena amateur but the baby bulk of awning absolute acreage feels acutely cramped.

The audacity of the XZ1 Bunched are absolutely identical to it’s bigger brother. The XZ1 Bunched actualization the aforementioned Snapdragon 835 processor with 4 GB of RAM and, as expected, the phone performs beautifully. It’s fast to barrage apps, comedy games, and annexation and scrolling through web pages or the Android interface is bland and fluid.

The lower resolution affectation absolutely makes the phone feel anytime so hardly snappier due to beneath ache actuality put on the processor. The phone performs every bit as able-bodied as any added flagship with the aforementioned specs and behindhand of how abundant I threw at it, the XZ1 Bunched was consistently able to accumulate up.

When it comes to the blow of the phone’s hardware, there are no compromises actuality and the XZ1 Bunched comes with all the accretion and whistles that you would appetite in a smartphone. For starters, there is a 3.5 mm headphone jack and the XZ1 Bunched provides the archetypal bulk of audio capabilities as above-mentioned Sony phones including Sony’s proprietary DSEE HX technology that will flush aeroembolism music files for a afterpiece to Hi-Res sound. There’s additionally congenital in abutment for added aerial resolution audio codecs such as LDAC.

The XZ1 Bunched additionally actualization bifold advanced adverse stereo speakers giving the phone’s blubbery top and basal bezels a purpose. The speakers are bright with no baloney but absolutely abridgement in aggregate compared to added phones with a advanced adverse apostle setup.

For storage, the phone is accessible in alone one accumulator accommodation at 32 GB but should you allegation added there is a microSD agenda aperture with abutment for up to 256 GB of added storage. IP68 dust and baptize attrition is additionally on board, giving the phone aegis adjoin the casual burst in the rain or submersion.

The phone does affection a fingerprint sensor in the ancillary army ability key but, like the aftermost few ancestors of Sony devices, the fingerprint sensor has been bare from the U.S. model. It’s article we’ve now become acclimatized to with Sony phones but it’s still black that U.S. consumers don’t accept admission to this feature.

Despite the phone’s abate size, the array accommodation is still the aforementioned 2700 mAh ability backpack as the accepted XZ1. This sounds baby for a phone in 2017, but it has authentic itself to be added than enough. Plus, the lower resolution 720p affectation makes a huge appulse to the phone’s longevity.

The XZ1 Bunched has been absolutely the chase runner, abiding me a abounding two canicule of use afore defective a charge. I accede myself a abundant user as I watch absolutely a bit of YouTube and comedy amateur for several hours per day on my phone so I was acutely afflicted with the XZ1 Compact’s array life. Awning on time consistently accomplished the 5 to 6 hour mark.

With the barring of the advanced adverse camera, the camera acquaintance on the XZ1 Bunched is identical to the XZ1. The XZ1 Bunched actualization the aforementioned 19 MP rear adverse Exmor sensor as the XZ1 with 5-axis angel stabilization, 4K video recording, and apathetic motion video at a whopping 960 frames per second.

Instead of the 13 MP advanced adverse ballista of the XZ1, the XZ1 Bunched has an 8 MP advanced adverse camera but it’s still added than able for video calls and demography selfies. It’s a advanced bend lens which makes it accessible to fit added into the anatomy but it does ache from some slight butt baloney appear the edges.

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Sony dubs the rear ballista a “Motion Eye” camera as it’s able to adumbrate and abduction abrupt motion. The way this works is a adequately simple action and it’s all done automatically by the camera. Aback the camera senses abrupt motion such as a actuality active or a affective car it will predictively abduction three photos in accession to the one you booty yourself giving you 4 photos. You can again appraise the after-effects and aces the one that looks best or accumulate them all.

It’s a authentic and advantageous camera ambush that works actual able-bodied and aback commutual with Sony’s predictive amalgam autofocus, the camera can calmly abduction affective capacity with little to no motion blur.

The added standout affection that’s additionally accessible on the accepted XZ1 is the 3D scanning capabilities through Sony’s new 3D architect app. This app lets you browse faces, food, or any added accidental article with its chargeless anatomy browse technology. For a adaptable product, the 3D scanning of the XZ1 Bunched is absorbing and Sony is alive on giving this technology added utility. For now these scans can be acclimated as wallpapers, GIFs, and be aggregate to amusing media but eventually these scans will be able of actuality acclimated as gaming avatars or to admit yourself into a bold already these partnerships become available.

The scans can be backed up and sync’d to the billow for safe befitting and you can alike book them off if you accept a 3D printer. If you don’t own a 3D printer, the 3D architect app allows for accessible acclimation of your prints through Shapeways or Sculpteo, both of which Sony has partnered with.

The affection of the 3D scans themselves are actual authentic and attending absurd but for best after-effects you’ll appetite to actualize your scans in able-bodied lit areas. Scans in low ablaze will accomplish it adamantine to abduction the capacity properly, which generally resulted in askew scans in my testing.

With the aforementioned rear camera and angel processing, the angel affection is the aforementioned as the accepted XZ1. In able lighting, blush reproduction is affable but not oversaturated and there’s affluence of detail and sharpness. But aloof like the XZ1, the XZ1 Compact’s bigger weakness is activating range. Shadows are ever aphotic causing capacity to be absent in these areas.

The camera performs abundantly in low ablaze but the abridgement of optical angel stabilization is credible as photos don’t consistently appear out with tack aciculate focus. White antithesis can sometimes be ambiguous and in acute low ablaze situations, highlights can attending heavily aureate with a lot of blooming or afire effects.

When it comes to software, Sony currently has a big leg up as the XZ1 Bunched is currently one of the few smartphones on the bazaar to address with Android 8.0 Oreo. All of the Android 8.0 actualization abide complete such as notification dots, built-in picture-in-picture, bigger beheld tweaks, new autofill APIs, and abundant more.

Sitting on top of Android Oreo is Sony’s own bark which doesn’t acutely adapt the acquaintance (as it’s still actual abutting to stock), but Sony’s bark does feel anachronous in some aspects. The app drawer for archetype still utilizes a committed button in your berth instead of the bash up that authentic Android uses. Sony’s bark does about accommodate some nice actualization such as customizable capacity and Playstation integration. Outside of Sony’s archetypal apartment of apps the software is around chargeless of bloatware.

The Xperia XZ1 Bunched is accessible as an apart GSM accessory and starts at $599.99. It can be purchased through retailers such as Best Buy or Amazon and at the time of this autograph it can currently be begin at a discount. Unfortunately, you won’t acquisition this phone hitting carrier shelves any time anon if that is your adopted adjustment of purchase.

The 600 dollar amount tag is absolutely abrupt because there are abounding added flagships with bigger blueprint and added advanced attractive designs for an according or bottom price. The XZ1 Bunched does about accept it’s advantages such as the 3D scanning capabilities and Android Oreo out of the box.

Design

Display

Performance

Hardware

Camera

Software

Gallery

Specifications

Pricing & Final Thoughts

The XZ1 Compact's capital address is that it's aloof as able as the accepted XZ1, alone smaller

The 720p resolution is low but on a 4.6-inch awning it works altogether fine, equating to 319 ppi

If you're big into media consumption, the baby bulk of awning absolute acreage feels acutely cramped.

Despite the phone's abate size, the array accommodation is still the aforementioned 2700 mAh ability backpack as the accepted XZ1 - abiding me a abounding two abounding canicule of use

The capital camera acquaintance on the XZ1 Bunched is identical to the XZ1

The XZ1 Bunched camera can calmly abduction affective capacity with little to no motion blur

The XZ1 Bunched is one of the few smartphones on the bazaar aircraft with Android 8.0 Oreo

If one handed account is your capital priority, you won't acquisition a phone that does it bigger than the XZ1 Compact

 Sony Xperia XZ1Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
Display5.2-inch Abounding HD with HDR
1920 x 1080 resolution
423 ppi
4.6-inch 720p Triluminos Display
1280 x 720 resolution
319 ppi
Processor64-bit octa-core (2.35 GHz Cloister 1.9 GHz Quad) Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, 10 nm processor64-bit octa-core (2.35 GHz Cloister 1.9 GHz Quad) Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, 10 nm processor
RAM4 GB4 GB
Storage64 GB
MicroSD amplification up to 256 GB
32 GB
MicroSD amplification up to 256 GB
CamerasRear camera
- 19 MP 1/2.3" AF sensor with f/2.0 aperture

Front camera
- 13 MP 1/3.06" sensor
Rear camera
- 19 MP 1/2.3" AF sensor with f/2.0 aperture

Front camera
- 8 MP sensor with 120° advanced angle
Battery2,700 mAh
Non-removable
QuickCharge 3.0
Qnovo Adaptive Charging
2,700 mAh
Non-removable
QuickCharge 3.0
Qnovo Adaptive Charging
Water resistanceIP68 dust and baptize resistanceIP68 dust and baptize resistance
ConnectivityWi-Fi 802.11
LTE Cat 16, 4CA, 4x4 MIMO
Bluetooth 5.0
USB Type-C, 3.1
NFC
DNLA
Wi-Fi 802.11
LTE Cat 15, 4CA, 4x4 MIMO
Bluetooth 5.0
USB Type-C, 2.0
NFC
DNLA
SensorsAccelerometer
Fingerprint Sensor (not in US)
Gyro Sensor
Accelerometer
Fingerprint Sensor (not in US)
Gyro Sensor
SIMNano SIM
(single or bifold bazaar dependant)
Nano SIM
SoftwareAndroid 8.0 OreoAndroid 8.0 Oreo
Dimensions and weight148 x 73 x 7.4mm
156 grams
129 x 65 x 9.3mm
143 grams

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