Sony Xperia Z1S Review

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By John Velasco

Updated: Feb 03, 2014, 6:59 AM

UPDATE: You can now read our Sony Xperia Z3 Review and Sony Xperia Z3 Compact Review!

Introduction

Sometimes it sucks being a diehard Sony smartphone fan in the good ol’ United States of A-merica. Those Sony fans are undoubtedly dedicated, seeing that Sony’s presence in the US smartphone market is nowhere close to the levels of its rivals. In fact, the last major one launched stateside was none other than the Sony Xperia Z for T-Mobile, which came out just close to 6 months ago. Overseas, the Sony Xperia Z1 proved to be a viable competitor for the busy holiday season, but there was no word about a potential release domestically over here.

Fortunately, Sony isn’t waiting any longer to get this new year started with a bang! During CES, they announced the upcoming availability of the Sony Xperia Z1S – a slight variation of the company’s flagship smartphone, bound for T-Mobile yet again. Unlike the lengthy time frame between the announcement and actual launch of the Xperia Z last year, Sony surprised many (including us) during this past CES by making the aggressive decision to the release the Xperia Z1S right away. It’s no doubt a specs monster like the rest of the stuff out there, but knowing that it’s only a slight variation of the Z1, will US consumers be enticed by it – knowing what is on the horizon?

The package contains:

microUSB cable
Wall Charger
User Manual
Warranty Card

Design

It's not everyday we have a flagship smartphone that we can use while taking a shower, so it's surely unique for that. Plus, it doesn't skimp out with the premium offerings.

Following in suit to other smartphones added with a letter “S” to their name, the Xperia Z1S looks and feels much like, you know, the Xperia Z1 from before – so there’s not a whole lot too different here. Firstly, we’ll give Sony credit for crafting a solid smartphone that has a prominent premium feel to it, which is evident by its glass front and back sides, metallic trim frame, and shiny looks. As much as we appreciate the glass, it’s something that attracts a lot of fingerprints and smudges very quickly, so don’t be surprised to find yourself wiping it constantly. Not to mention it makes the phone feel slippery and delicate!

For a device bearing a 5-inch display, the Xperia Z1S looks and feels bigger than most other flagship smartphones. Specifically, there’s just a lot of dead space on the top and bottom sides of the smartphone. You think they would’ve chiseled it down a bit with this model, so that it’s more form-fitting, but they didn’t. Regardless of that, we can’t deny that it’s more premium than many of the other flagships floating about. Throw in the fact that it has an IP58 rating, which means that it’s waterproof in under 4.9 feet of freshwater for 30 minutes, it means that it’ll survive a dunk into a pool – something that many smartphones can’t say they offer.

In order to keep its waterproof nature, the majority of its ports are tucked away under plastic flaps – with the exception of the 3.5mm headset jack. It’s actually exposed, though, Sony says that the port has been treated to protect it from getting damaged. Giving flexibility to the user, the handset is armed with a microSD card slot, a dedicated 2-level shutter key, and a spot for a lanyard. Surely a photo-centric thing, it’s packing number crunching 20.7-megapixel auto-focus camera.

Display

Looking spiffy from a straight head-on look, the display's continuing poor viewing angles really diminishes its glow. We were hoping to see an improvement in that front.

Alas! We thought that Sony learned from the last time, but unfortunately that’s not the case here. Honestly, the specs are good with this one, as it’s blessed with a contemporary 5-inch 1080p Triluminos display – a TFT panel at heart. Certainly it produces a sufficient amount of detail thanks to its 441 ppi pixel density count, but the more pressing matter here is the poor viewing angles we’re treated with yet again. From the front, it’s vivid and very pleasant, but at slight angles, it washes out to the point that color distortion is evident. Good news is that it handles outdoor situations without much fluff.

Sony Xperia Z1S 360-Degrees View:

Interface and Functionality

Eye candy is in abundance with the experience, with a stringent focus with the aesthetics. However, it pales in comparison to other software experiences with its features set.

Whereas its bigger rivals focus on having a diversified features set with the software experience, it’s all about the visual presentation and aesthetics with the customized Android 4.3 Jelly Bean experience of the Z1S. Frankly speaking, it doesn’t deviate whatsoever from the norm that we’ve been exposed to with Sony’s Xperia UI. It’s flashy, highly animated, and pays close attention to details with its set multimedia apps. It’s a far cry from the gamut that its rivals try to impose on users, but hey, it’s more relaxed with its offerings – somewhat simpler too at the same time.

Looking through several of the core organizer apps on the handset, it’s transparent that Sony doesn’t tinker around in their layouts and features. Rather, they’re fairly stock for the most part, which we appreciate in keeping things more uniform from handset-to-handset.

One of the cooler things about the Xperia Z1S is brought to life with the aid of a PlayStation 4 console, where the handset can be sync with the system so it can be used as a “second screen” for games that support it. Additionally, the PlayStation Mobile app allows us to download and purchase gaming content, but they’re not the kind of “PlayStation” games you’d normally think of. Instead, they’re simpler titles that adheres more to the touch interaction – meaning, they’re endless runners and the sorts.

Having so much real estate to work with, typing up messages using its on-screen keyboard is a breeze. Not only is it spacious, but very responsive to the touch. Some adjustment is needed for first time users, but it’s quickly mastered in a short time.

Processor and Memory

Speed is the name of the game with this one, as its relentless performance allows it to handle even the most intensive operations.

The Z1S has the same excellent processor as the Z1, a quad-core 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 SoC coupled with 2GB of RAM. It’s lucky that the handset is equipped at handling almost anything we throw at it. Hell, even high intensity 3D games perform swimmingly with this one!

Interestingly, one of the few differences between Z1 and this newer smartphone is the amount of internal storage. Now, the Xperia Z1S is packing a beefier 32GB of memory, which equates to 26.11GB of real storage out of the box. If that’s still not enough, you’re welcome to pop in a microSD card into its slot.

Internet and Connectivity

Hardly a shocker, the Sony Xperia Z1S excels in the web browsing department – thanks in part to its speedy 4G LTE connection, tight controls, and detailed display. Come to think about it, we’re given everything we want in a top-notch experience. Therefore, there isn’t much else we can ask for!

Another item that differentiates the Z1S from the Z1, is the radio it’s packing along. Specifically, it’s outfitted with the proper 4G LTE radios that are compatible to work off Tmo’s specific connection. Beyond that, it pretty much bears the same set of connectivity features as before – like aGPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and NFC.

Camera

It's a massive camera on here no doubt, but it's comforting to know that it excels in actually delivering us with some sharp and pretty looking photos and videos.

Surely a photo-centric thing, it’s packing number crunching 20.7-megapixel auto-focus camera. Thanks to the large sensor size (it is 1/2.3", while most smartphones feature 1/3.2" sensors), the pixels are of decent size, despite their greater number. The Exmor RS sensor is accompanied by f2.0 lens (bearing Sony's own “G Lens” branding), Sony’s BIONZ for mobile engine and an LED flash.

Most certainly to please almost everyone, the Sony Xperia Z1S is graced with an eclectic set of shooting modes and manual controls. Yeah, it’s more menu driven than anything else, but Sony really goes above and beyond by giving us some cool features we otherwise don’t see on other handset. To be exact, they include Info Eye, which will attempt to give you useful information about the object that you're photographing. Or, there's also Social Live (powered by Bambuser), which lets you livestream up to 10 minutes of video directly to your Facebook feed – very cool feature indeed! There is, of course, a number of picture effects, as well as the more interesting augmented reality (AR) effects, which kind of blend the real scene in front of you with a 3D scene of your choice. Looking past the limited number of 3D scenes, you can get some interesting results with these effects.

We can’t argue the obvious here, which is that the Sony Xperia Z1S’ 20.7-megapixel camera is well equipped at delivering some snazzy looking photos outdoors where lighting is ample. Balance is one of its strong points, as there’s a good structure between dynamic range and lively looking colors. Details are a strength for it too, which it has plenty of with its 20.7-megapixel samples, but some people might not like its pixelated look when zoomed at 100%. Still, we have to note that when compared to rivals like Samsung Galaxy S4 and LG G2, which have very good cameras, the Z1S resolves more details. In contrast, its low lighting performance tends to appear disheveled with its softer details and sometimes wonky exposure.

It’s not something we’d classify as class leading, but the 1080p video recording quality of the Xperia Z1S is still pleasant enough for us to accept. Sure, it might not produce the sharpest details, but its gradual exposure, clear audio recording, smooth recording, and instantaneous focus is something we gladly take with open arms.

Meanwhile, the front is sporting a wide-angle 2.0-megapixel camera.

Multimedia

The Walkman app is an astounding alternative to the usual music player, thanks in part to its lively looking presentation. In the video side, adjustments are made to the various options with the display to give us the most pleasurable video watching experience.

On one hand, you have the tried and true Google Play Music app, which meshes well with the Google ecosystem, while on the other, there’s Sony’s Walkman app. If you decide on the latter, you’re in for one visual treat, as the Walkman app is littered with a ton of eye candy. It’s quite cool and simplistic. It sports some interesting features like ClearAudio+, which aims to give some more clarity to the sound, though it's basically a specific EQ preset. There are also some other sound enhancing tools like xLOUD, as well as a regular equalizer with many presents, including a custom option, allowing you to set your own equalizer. Sadly though, the speaker isn’t quite as loud as we’d like. If you plan on showering with some music playing, just be aware that the volume is dramatically cut the moment it comes into contact with water.

The Sony Xperia Z1 is a great phone to watch video on. The display looks good and is big enough so you can even watch full-length movies on it, if need be. It supports all the popular formats, and even if you manage to find a video that is not playable with the stock player, you should be able to fix this by downloading a capable third-party player from the Play Store.

Call Quality

Call quality is tolerable enough to accept, seeing that the earpiece is loud enough to make out the clear voices coming through it. However, switching to the speakerphone poses some issues, as it drowns out in noisier environments. Although it’s not entirely perfect, our callers on the other end of the line didn’t have much trouble comprehending us.

Battery

Alright, the 3000 mAh battery stuffed inside of the phone isn’t a figure to gloat about, but nevertheless, it gives the handset your better than average battery life. Fully charged, it’s able to permit us approximately 1.5 days of normal usage – easily allowing us even a full day of heavy usage.

Conclusion

Sony deserves credit for doing better this time around, seeing that the official announcement to launch time frame is by all means more palatable than last year’s Sony Xperia Z lengthy roll out. Consumers won’t have to wait long for this latest flagship beauty, which will roll into stores starting January 22nd for $0 down with 24 equal monthly device payments of $22 with the Simple Choice Plan – essentially putting it at an outright cost of $528. Naturally, it’s within the mark we’d give most flagship devices, but it’s a bit tough biting the bullet on this one. But still, we have to note that this is a copy of the international Z1, which has been available for about 4 months now.

Yes, this is one of the few flagship phones we can take into the shower with us. In addition, it’s a premium feeling and made smartphone that puts those other plastic ones to shame. However, knowing that we’re getting into that fun part of the year when NEWER flagship announcements are right around the corner, it begs the question whether or not the Sony Xperia Z1S will be future proof. For right now, though, it’s an offering that T-Mobile customers should put into contention.

Software version of reviewed unit:
Android version: 4.3
Build number: 14.2.C.0.159
Kernel version: 3.4.0