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.
Sony Xperia Z1 Compact vs Motorola Moto X vs Apple iPhone 5s
| Design | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| OS | Android (5.1, 5.0, 4.4.4, 4.4.2, 4.3) | Android (5.1, 4.4.4, 4.4.3, 4.4.2, 4.4, 4.3, 4.2.2) | iOS (10.x, 9.x, 8.x, 7.x) |
| Dimensions | 5.00 x 2.56 x 0.37 inches (127 x 64.9 x 9.5 mm) | 5.09 x 2.57 x 0.41 inches (129.3 x 65.3 x 10.4 mm) | 4.87 x 2.31 x 0.30 inches (123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm) |
| Weight | 4.83 oz (137 g) the average is 5.4 oz (156 g) | 4.59 oz (130 g) the average is 5.4 oz (156 g) | 3.95 oz (112 g) the average is 5.4 oz (156 g) |
| Materials | Main body: Aluminum | ||
| Features | Fingerprint (touch) | ||
| Rugged | Water, Dust resistant | ||
| IP certified
IP certified - The IP code indicates the degree of protection against dust and water. The first number represents dust protection, while the second represents water protection. In IP67, for example, 6 means a completely dust-tight device, while 7 means the device can stay immersed in up to 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes. In IP68, a higher level of water protection is expected, but exact numbers aren't specified: both depth and continuance are specified by the manufacturer on per device basis. | IP 58 |
| Display | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical size | 4.3 inches | 4.7 inches | 4.0 inches |
| Resolution | 720 x 1280 pixels | 720 x 1280 pixels | 640 x 1136 pixels |
Pixel density
Pixel density - The pixel density of a display represents the number of pixels over an area of one inch. It’s measured in “pixels per inch”, or ppi. The higher the number, the more detailed and good-looking the display is. | 342 ppi | 316 ppi | 326 ppi |
Technology
Technology - There are two main screen technologies currently used in phones and tablets: LCD and AMOLED. The former usually features a light source and liquid crystals, while the latter is based on organic light-emitting diodes. Newer LCD variations like IPS-LCD and Super-LCD allow for very accurate color reproduction and very wide viewing angles, where no significant image quality loss is observed. Current AMOLED screens differ in such a way that they can exhibit much more saturated colors (sometimes too much) and incredibly high contrast levels, which is due to black color being completely black in AMOLED displays. | IPS LCD | AMOLED | IPS LCD |
Screen-to-body ratio
Screen-to-body ratio - Shows what part of the frontal area of a phone its screen occupies. | 61.72 % | 70.63 % | 60.82 % |
| Colors | 16 777 216 | 16 777 216 | 16 777 216 |
| Peak brightness | 500 cd/m2 (nit) |
| Camera | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Camera | 20.7 megapixels | 10 megapixels | 8 megapixels |
| Flash | LED | LED | Dual LED |
| Aperture size
Aperture size - The aperture of a camera is the opening through which light travels before it reaches the camera sensor. The smaller the number is, the bigger this opening is, allowing for more light to pass. | F2.0 | F2.4 | F2.2 |
| Focal length (35mm equivalent)
Focal length (35mm equivalent) - The lower (shorter) the focal length number, the wider the shot will be. Conversely, longer focal length cameras produce narrower frames, which can be used for telephoto (zoomed-in) purposes. | 27 mm | 30 mm | 29 mm |
| Camera sensor size
Camera sensor size - A bigger camera sensor is able to capture more light, and thus produce better photos. | 1/2.3" | 1/2.6" | 1/3" |
| Pixel size
Pixel size - The size of an individual pixel on a camera's sensor. The bigger, the better. | 1.4 μm | 1.5 μm | |
| Hardware Features | Autofocus, Back-illuminated sensor (BSI) | Autofocus | Sapphire crystal lens cover, Autofocus, Back-illuminated sensor (BSI) |
| Software Features | Face detection, Smile detection, Digital zoom, Self-timer, Digital image stabilization, Touch to focus, Geo tagging | Touch to focus, Digital zoom, Geo tagging | Digital image stabilization, Touch to focus, Face detection, Self-timer, Digital zoom, Geo tagging |
| Camcorder | 1920x1080 (1080p HD) | 1920x1080 (1080p HD) (60 fps) | 1920x1080 (1080p HD) (30 fps), 1280x720 (720p HD) (120 fps) |
| Recording format | MPEG4, H.263, H.264 | H.264, MOV | |
| Features | High Dynamic Range mode (HDR), Continuous autofocus, Video light, Digital image stabilization | Time-lapse video, Picture-taking during video recording, Digital image stabilization | |
| Front-facing camera | 2 megapixels | 2 megapixels | 1.2 megapixels |
| Video capture | 1920x1080 (1080p HD) | 1280x720 (720p HD) |
| Hardware | |||
|---|---|---|---|
System chip
System chip - Most modern handsets use an advanced chip that includes many of the device’s hardware modules like the processor, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and sometimes even the wireless radio. This field shows what particular system chip (or System-on-a-Chip) is used in the phone. | Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 MSM8974 | Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro MSM8960 | Apple A7 |
Processor
Processor - The processor is the main computing component of a phone and is a major factor when it comes to the overall speed of the device. Some more powerful smartphones use dual-core and quad-core processors designed to deliver greater performance. | Quad-core, 2200 MHz, Krait 400 | Dual-core, 1700 MHz, Krait | Dual-core, 1300 MHz, Cyclone ARMv8, 64-bit |
Graphics processor
Graphics processor - The graphics processor is important for the smooth operation of the system and especially in games and other applications that may involve complex graphics and animations. | Adreno 330 | Adreno 320 | PowerVR G6430 |
System memory
System memory - System memory, or RAM memory is the type of memory that the device uses to temporarily store data from the OS or currently-running apps. The more RAM available to the device, the better the performance will be when multiple or heavier programs are running. | 2 GB RAM (Dual-channel, 800 MHz) / LPDDR3 | 2 GB RAM (Dual-channel, 500 MHz) / LPDDR2 | 1 GB RAM (1600 MHz) / LPDDR3 |
Built-in storage
Built-in storage - Bigger storage capacity allows you to keep more content saved onto your device, such as more applications, photos or video. Games and video content typically take up the biggest amount of storage space. | 16 GB | 16 GB | 64 GB |
Storage expansion
Storage expansion - Some handsets allow you to expand their storage capacity by using a memory expansion card – most often microSD. Expansion memory is mostly suitable for media storage, such as photo, video or music content. | microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC |
| Battery | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Capacity
Capacity - The bigger, the better! However, battery capacity is not the only factor that has an effect on battery life. Those include the chipset in use, the software running on the device, as well as the consumer's unique usage pattern. | 2300 mAh | 2200 mAh | 1570 mAh |
| Talk time | 10.00 hours the average is 20 h (1202 min) | 13.00 hours the average is 20 h (1202 min) | |
| Stand-by time | 27.9 days (670 hours) the average is 19 days (459 h) | 10.0 days (240 hours) the average is 19 days (459 h) | 10.4 days (250 hours) the average is 19 days (459 h) |
| Talk time (3G) | 18.00 hours the average is 18 h (1087 min) | 10.00 hours the average is 18 h (1087 min) | |
| Stand-by time (3G) | 25.0 days (600 hours) the average is 24 days (583 h) | ||
| Stand-by time (4G) | 22.9 days (550 hours) the average is 21 days (511 h) | ||
| Music playback | 94.00 hours | 40.00 hours | |
| Video playback | 12.00 hours | 10.00 hours |
| Multimedia | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen mirroring | DLNA, MHL, MirrorLink, TV-out | TV-out |
| Cellular | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| GSM | 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz | 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz | 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz |
| UMTS | 850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz | 850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz | 850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz |
| LTE (FDD) | Bands 20, 5, 8, 4, 3, 2, 1, 7 | Bands 13, 5, 4, 2 | Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25 |
| Data | LTE Cat 4 (150/50 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS | LTE, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS | LTE, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS |
