Sony Xperia Z1S is now official, coming exclusively to T-Mobile

Exactly as we expected, the Sony Xperia Z1S just got announced at the company's CES 2014 press conference. It is a phone that we've been hearing rumors about for quite a long time, and while most of them turned out to be true, others weren't exactly spot-on. On one hand, the device is indeed very similar to the Sony Xperia Z1 flagship. But on the other hand, we didn't know it was going to be that similar. 

As is typical for a Sony high-end handset, the Sony Xperia Z1S is a water-resistant device – a perk rarely seen on a smartphone. Its slender body is impervious even when dunked in up to 5 feet of water. And it is a pretty phone as well. Premium materials like metal and glass have been used in its construction. With the exception of the headphone jack, all slots and openings positioned around the phone's sides are protected by removable flaps which prevent liquids from entering inside.

The front of the Sony Xperia Z1S is graced by the same 5-inch screen found on the Xperia Z1. It has a resolution of 1080 by 1920 pixels, as is typical for today's high-end smartphones. Naturally, Sony's TRILUMINOS and X-reality display technologies have been implemented. 

Under the hood we find a hardware setup we've grown quite familiar with - a 2.2GHz Snapdragon 800 SoC paired with 2GB of RAM. Simply put, the Sony Xperia Z1S is one capable device that's worthy of rivaling the flagships of its competitors. It is nice knowing that 32GB of on-board storage have been thrown in, meaning that storage space won't be an issue with this handset. And if you need extra space, there's always a microSD card slot at your disposal.

Sony has outfitted its 20.7MP camera on the Sony Xperia Z1S, which is great news. We've tested the snapper on the Z1 already and we know what it is capable of. If you're interested in the details, it has a f2.0 aperture size, an Exmor RS sensor, and a bunch of fancy camera modes to tinker with. Naturally, 1080p video recording is an option.

The Sony Xperia Z1S will launch with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean out of the box. Of course, it will be running Sony's custom interface in a form similar to the one we know from the Sony Z1. We're guessing that an update to Android 4.4 is coming some time in the future. 

In the US, the Sony Xperia Z1 will be available exclusively through T-Mobile for a price of $0 down with 24 equal monthly device payments of $22 with the Simple Choice Plan. Pre-orders are to begin on January 13.

source: Sony