Sony Xperia Z1 Compact vs iPhone 5s and Moto X: specs comparison

The Sony Xperia Z1 Compact is finally here, and it’s the first Android smartphone to pack the latest and most powerful Snapdragon 800 system chip in a ‘mini’ sized form factor. While most current Android flagship hover around a large 5” screen size that is not perfectly convenient for single handed use, the Z1 Compact is able to shrink it down to 4.3 inches.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 system chip with a full-on 2GB RAM, however, is not the only highlight of the Xperia Z1 Compact. It also packs the same excellent 20.7-megapixel camera that the flagship Xperia Z1 had, and that’s great news.

You might still be wondering, though, whether there are downsides to making this phone this small?

There are a few trade-offs we ought to mention, but few of them will be real downsides. The first is the fact that the Xperia Z1 Compact is a hair thicker than the Z1 at 9.5mm. That’s more than the average, but this does not make the new ‘mini’ chubby by any means. Also, the smaller, 4.3” screen size dictated a lower resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels. That might seem like a downgrade from most 1080 x 1920-pixel flagships of today, but in reality the smaller screen justifies the lower resolution decision, and pixels look very sharp at 342ppi. The battery has also shrunk in size to fit the smaller chassis, and it’s now a 2300mAh unit on the Z1 Compact. Sony claims that the smaller screen consumes less power, and - even with a smaller juicer - it’s capable of delivering similar battery longevity.

For all other technical details, and how they compare against the Xperia Z1’s closest rivals - the similarly sized and specced iPhone 5s and Moto X - take a look at the table right below.