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Sony Xperia Z1 Compact: A quick review

Sony’s Xperia Z1 Compact is a mini version of the elder sibling, the Z1.

Sony has been in the limelight for a while now with its Z-series smartphones and tablets, which are pretty slim, waterproof and dustproof. With the latest launch of the Z1 Compact, it has given its consumer market a mini version of the flagship model, the Z1, with almost no compromise on the internal hardware. Here is a quick review on the Snapdragon-powered mini beast.

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The Z1 Compact weighs in at just 13 grams as compared to the Z1 (170 grams) and measures 9.5mm in thickness. The shell is water-tight and is certified by an IP58 certification which is dust proof and water resistant to one metre and 30 minutes. The shell is pretty compact and looks identical to the Z1 from almost every angle. The rear panel is pretty glossy and can attract scratches, dust and fingerprints in a jiffy. You might need to encase it with a silicone case to prevent tarnishes.

The front face has the shatterproof glass covering the entire screen with touch buttons for the home, menu and back located on the bottom. Towards the top lies the front-facing camera and sensors for light and proximity. The rear panel sports the 20.7-MP camera with a single LED flash. On the left, you can find the micro USB, microSD and SIM card slots with their respective water-tight rubber flaps, while the right-side sports the buttons for power, volume and camera. The top features the 3.5-mm audio connector while the bottom has a large speaker encased in a water-proof grille.

The Z1 Compact features a comfortably large display measuring 4.3-inches. Unlike the older brother, the Z1, which packs a full HD resolution display, this one sports a resolution of 720x1280 pixels on an IPS display, which is protected with a shatter-proof and scratch-resistant glass. Those using a 5-inch and above phone would find this phone convenient to use as the display has easier-to-reach corners when using it with a single hand. The display uses Sony’s Trimuminos, X-Reality and mobile-optimized BRAVIA Mobile technology to further enhance the display’s picture quality. The display is sufficiently bright and crispy clear.

Under the hood, a Qualcomm MSM8974 Snapdragon 800 chipset powers the handset. This chipset of a 2.2 GHz quad core Krait 400 processor coupled with an Adreno 330 graphics chip. The memory stands at a good 2 GB, and the internal storage is 16 GB, which can be further expanded to 64 GB using the microSD card. The camera on the rear has a 1/2.3-inch, 20.7 megapixel sensor which can capture photos at resolutions of 5248x3936 and full HF 1080p videos @ 30 fps, including HDR. The front 2.0 megapixel camera can also shoot videos with a resolution of 1080p@30 fps. Additional features include Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, NFC, Bluetooth v4.0, Wi-Fi hotspot, GPS, GLONASS, FM stereo radio, and a few regular ones. The juice for the entire operation is provided by a 2300 mAh Li-ion battery which is expected to give you a talk time of up to 18 hours depending on your usage. The Xperia Z1 Compact is only marginally different from the Xperia Z1 which includes the display (size and resolution) and overall size of the chassis.

The Z1 Compact is available in four colours—black, yellow, white and pink. The Xperia Z1 Compact can be purchased online for a street price of Rs 35,000. We find the price a little too high considering that to the Xperia Z1, which is available for around Rs 800 more, has a 5-inch display size and a full HD resolution. If your budget is similar, we would recommend the Z1 instead. However, if you are looking for a smaller-sized handset, you could consider other brands, which could be far cheaper.

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